Pitch Madness SJ-11: BENEATH

Genre: YA Sci-fi/Thriller

Word Count: 66,000

Pitch: 

Being trapped in an underwater resort with a killer on the loose and medication-induced blackouts is not Jen's idea of the perfect vacation. Is she next? Or is she a murderer?

Excerpt: 

Being submerged beneath ten thousand tons of ocean water might kill me. But being trapped for six weeks in a dressed up and glorified fish tank definitely will. The others in the shuttle pod don't get it. They actually want to be here. Maybe I would too if it was Mom here and healthy instead of the wench. 

The doors shut with a final sounding clang that reverberates through my head, making me wince. I have the sudden urge to throw myself at them and beg to be let out. I need one last gulp of fresh air. 

But the crystal blue waters close over the 360-degree wall of windows, drowning my last view of the sky. All around me employees and their family members gather as close to the glass as they can get, too eager to sit. They remind me of the school of silver herring that swirls by to the right, all following each other's lead. 

I reach for my phone to see if Mom texted, when I remember the last argument I had with Dad and how I wouldn't be allowed cell contact. In fact, I wasn't going to be allowed any contact with the surface unless approved by Bennett Systems. Like I was going to let them see my personal correspondence. 

The shuttle is a sphere, so no matter which direction I look, I find either the twin shuttle pod filled with yet more excited tourists or fish that stare back, wondering what the hell we're doing in their space. 

CLUE: Mr. Boddy is found in the conservatory, laying beneath a leaky pipe with one side of his head bashed in. Tucked into his pocket is a bit of paper with dates, times, and places written in an elegant cursive. They’re parties and events only the elite would be invited to.