"I can't find it!" Newman snapped back. "Must've slipped into a blind spot along the western slope." The engineer's eyes widened as the blip reappeared. "Oh God, there it is! Jesus, it's already in the bay!"

"What?"

"It's in the fucking bay! Caldwell, cut us loose!"

"What?"

"Cut us loose!"

"Are you crazy? I just—"

The Nessie III lurched sideways as an immense force snatched the bait and dragged it into deeper water.

The wheel was wrenched from Brandy's hand, the Nessie III pulling hard to starboard, its keel half out of the water.

Brandy fell, as did the sonar array, Michael Newman with it. Tumbling on his back, he slid out the open pilothouse door and smack against the submerging starboard rail as the boat continued to roll.

David grabbed for the bait rope, which was all he could do since he had no knife to cut it with. As the starboard rail dipped into the water and the crowd roared somewhere off to his right, he glanced over his shoulder, shocked to see the port side of the Nessie ///blotting out the storm clouds as it began its surreal topple towards him.

David dove underwater seconds before the capsizing boat completed its 180-degree roll.

Brandy could only curl in a ball and cover her head as the pilothouse went topsy-turvy around her. She somersaulted blindly across her instrument panel, then was struck by a freezing wall of water that burned her skin.

The flooding cabin creaked and groaned, blanketing her in darkness.

* * *

On the banks of Urquhart Bay, thousands of onlookers stood, yelling and gesturing and snapping photos as the Nessie III capsized. For several adrenaline-pumping moments, the boat's hull was forcefully dragged sideway through the water, and then the cleat tore free, releasing the vessel.

The metal clasp skimmed across the surface. As it sank, it caught several loops of the heavy fishing net that, moments earlier, had been tied off atop the pilothouse roof, dragging it with it.

* * *

The bow of Calum Forrest's speedboat bounced erratically across the dark surface, spraying me every few seconds with cold water. Ahead, I could see the lights outlining Urquhart Bay while on my laptop, I saw the red blip reappear as it entered David's pen.

Moments later, my heart skipped a beat as the Web link shut down.

* * *

Michael Newman surfaced, wheezing and gagging. The engineer was freezing, the frigid water locking his muscles. His mind in shock, he considered swimming the three hundred yards to shore, then he saw the current created by the circling fishing net and decided maybe it was better to just stay right where he was.

Brandy was still in the submerged pilothouse. Despite being in total darkness, she knew her boat like the back of her hand, and it only took her a few seconds to locate the inverted cabin door and swim free.