Back on land, Mara takes the logbook to a journalist instead of the police, who she no longer trusts. The story breaks wide. The man who ordered the sinking loses everything in court, and the families of all three men finally get answers. It doesn't bring anyone back. But Mara sleeps, at last.

Halfway up, Mara's gauge reads wrong and her vision narrows. She rose too fast, rattled by what she's holding. She forces herself to stop and hang on the line, breathing slow until her head clears, the logbook pressed to her chest. When she looks up, the Vares lights are gone. She surfaces alone and takes the proof straight to the coast cutter waiting on the horizon.