The Devil's Triangle Read Online Free Page A

first few days had been fun. Sam had enjoyed showing off the house to Callum. Compared to the average house in the UK, it had plenty of ‘wow’ factor. The open-plan living area was enormous. A luxurious, cream-coloured carpet covered the main floor area, giving way to similar-coloured floor tiles in the kitchen area. There were two soft leather sofas, a large glass-topped dining table, a gigantic flat-screen T V, a breakfast bar and a kitchen area with every convenience imaginable.
    Each of the three large bedrooms had their own en suite bathroom. Sam and Callum were sharing one bedroom, while Niamh and Mr Cutler had a bedroom each. Two sets of patio doors opened from the main living area on to the poolside. The kidney-shaped swimming pool was not enormous, being about ten metres by four, but it was clean, inviting and plenty big enough for the four of them to enjoy splashing around in. After the long journey, the three teenagers had barely got through the door before they were changing into their swimming gear and racing to relax in the refreshingly cool water.
    Later, Sam had shown Callum around properly. His friend had wandered after him as if in a daze, trying to take it all in.
    ‘Wow!’ Callum had exclaimed on entering their en suite for the first time. His eyes were wide as he took in the huge sunken corner bath and the large separate shower cubicle. ‘This bathroom’s bigger than my bedroom back home! Is your dad one of those secret millionaires or something?’
    ‘Kind of makes you realise why some Americans are inclined to go on about things being bigger and better out here,’ Sam agreed, dodging the question. He grinned at his friend. ‘You’ve got to hand it to them. They know how to make their homes comfortable.’
    ‘You’re not kidding!’
    Not five paces from the poolside was the canal that led out to the Atlantic side of the Key. Apparently, the boat moored there had even more ‘wow’ factor to Callum than the house. It was a beauty: nearly ten metres long with twin Yamaha 225cc engines.
    ‘Jeez!’ Callum had exclaimed, leaning over to look into the cuddy cabin. ‘How far do you go in this thing? Satnav, VHF radio, an autopilot . . . and I don’t even know what that screen is for.’
    ‘It’s a side-scanning sonar,’ Sam had told him, unable to keep from smiling at his friend’s enthusiasm. ‘They’re normally used for finding fish, but Dad’s always been more intent on looking for other things.’
    Callum had not asked what sort of things, but Sam had overheard some of Niamh’s conversation with Callum during the flight out and he was certain his friend was sharp enough to work out what he was talking about.
    The temperature was steaming hot – in the thirties every day. Clear blue skies in the mornings became studded with white puffy clouds around midday that bloomed rapidly into huge scattered thunderstorms by late afternoon. Although the storms did not always hit Summerland Key, flashes of lightning and the grumbling of thunder became an expected part of the late afternoon.
    To Sam’s surprise and delight, his dad had been more fun than usual. He had taken them out in the boat several times to go snorkelling, fishing and waterskiing. He had even taken them across to the little airstrip on Summerland Key one morning, hired a light aeroplane and taken them on a flight along the Keys. The moody behaviour that Sam had come to expect from his father when they came here had remained hidden for the most part. The only strange outburst occurred after a shopping trip to Key West.
    ‘What’s that doing in here? You two should know better. Get it out of the house! Now!’
    ‘What’s the matter, Dad?’ Niamh asked, getting up from the sofa at the sound of his raised voice.
    Matthew Cutler stabbed a finger towards a conch shell on the breakfast bar, his face red with anger.
    ‘Oh, sorry, Matt,’ Callum said, rushing to pick it up. ‘That’s mine. I bought it today as a gift for my