Rock Harbor Series - 03 - Into the Deep Read Online Free PDF Page A

boss and assistant. Cassie always felt a twinge of envy when she looked at Salome. She was gorgeous with black hair that shimmered in the sunlight. Today she wore her curly hair loose, and it reached nearly to her waist.
    “Ready to check out the growing chamber?” Salome asked. “I want to stop at the supermarket on the way home. I thought I’d make fettuccine tonight for dinner if that sounds good to you. I can’t let you show me up. The lasagna you fixed last night was fabulous. I thought your dad was going to lick his plate!”
    “I’ll just like it because I’m not cooking.” Cassie grinned and snagged a green army jacket from the hook on the back of the door and slung it over her fatigues and T-shirt.
    “That’s the only reason you were willing to rent me a room,” Salome said with a grin.
    Though it was nearly eighty today, the mine’s hallways would be closer to fifty until they got to the growing chamber. “Everything set up?” Cassie asked.
    Salome nodded. “The lighting was installed Monday, and all theseeds were set out yesterday and today. They seem to be happy in their new home.”
    “Let’s take a look. I want everything in order by the time Marc comes to check us out.”
    Before they could leave the room, the phone rang. Cassie raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t think anyone had the number yet. It has to be Marc. He’s like a terrier on a scent. I thought maybe when he married Yancy’s ex-wife he’d lighten up.” She walked toward the desk.
    Salome grimaced. “I don’t know how you put up working for him. I would have quit the first week.”
    “You just have to know how to handle him. I grew up with a mother like him, so I know all about walking on eggshells. You tread lightly and get ready to run at the first sign of a frown.” Cassie grinned to show that her past didn’t bother her any longer. People never looked deeper than a smile.
    She reached the phone and answered it. “Cassie Hecko.”
    The strange voice on the other end made her blink. “You must shut down your godless operation or face the consequences.”
    “What?” Cassie pulled the phone away from her ear. Was this some kind of joke? The voice sounded as if it had been masked by some digital device. “Who is this?”
    “You’ve been warned. Do what I say or face the consequences.” The caller clicked off.
    Cassie slammed down the phone. “Great. The kooks have found us already.”
    “Don’t let it bug you. They’re everywhere.” Salome held the door open for her, then they went down the hall and through the security gates into the copper mine. The smell of water-borne minerals and the sound of dripping made Cassie feel a bit claustrophobic, as though the rocks would crush her. The loony-tunes call didn’t help her mood.
    The passageway emptied into a cavernous room over a hundred feet in diameter and nearly as tall overhead. Tables arranged in rows on the concrete floor were laden with plants. The jagged rock walls werepainted white, and lights glowed so brightly overhead that Cassie reached for her sunglasses and put them on.
    “Whoever came up with this idea was brilliant,” she said. “No insects or diseases to worry about down here, and we can control all the growing parameters. These plants should shoot up fast.”
    “And we’re self-contained. There’s no danger of the plants propagating in the environment. We just need to keep this under wraps. If the media finds out, we’ll have environmental nuts crawling over us like ants at a picnic. I guess they think these plants are going to sprout feet and walk out of here.”
    Cassie nodded. “The team knows to keep quiet. And it shouldn’t take long. Not with the scientists we have.”
    “And you’re the smartest of the bunch,” Salome said. “We’d be years behind the competition if it wasn’t for you and your dad.”
    Cassie shifted, uncomfortable with the praise. “I just like the excitement of discovery. Dad did most of it.” She looked