The Pacific Giants (15 page)

Mr. Fox looked at the screen.

“Oh, yes,” he said casually. “That's the captain of the
Mayflower
. I've known him for decades. It's not often that our paths cross, though. Last time was in Hawaii, when we were both in the tuna fishing business.”

It's like trying to catch a squid with your bare hands
, Vanessa thought,
slippery and slimy
.

“We've got proof,” Vanessa said, tapping the screen with her finger. “You're selling him one of the whale trackers that you stole from Brighton Island.”

“Whoa there, little missy. That's quite an accusation, you know.” Mr. Fox peered at the screen, angling his head this way and that. “Difficult to make out, really. Most spies use better cameras.”

Vanessa felt her face flame red hot. He was so arrogant!

“Well, what about these other photos?” she continued, indicating to Jack to pull up the pictures of the cut-up meat on the trawler.

“Where were these taken?” Mr. Fox arched his eyebrows.

“On the
Mayflower
,” Vanessa replied tartly. “Look at those photos. Cut-up whale meat on a crab boat?”

“Did Captain Gudmunsson invite you on, or were you just snooping around on your own?” Mr. Fox smiled at Vanessa as if it was all a big joke.

“How do you explain the whale meat, Mr. Fox?” Vanessa persisted.

“Well, I'm not sure I'd know anything about Mr. Gudmunsson's catch. Could be tuna, don't you think?”

“Perhaps a cetacean expert we both know on Brighton Island could tell the difference between tuna and whale meat,” Lee said quietly.

“Of course it's whale meat,” said Vanessa. “I found one of the Greenpeace whale-tracking tags embedded in it.”

Mr. Fox gave Lee and Vanessa a sullen look.

“What's ‘cetacean' mean?” Wayne piped up.

“Marine mammals, Wayne, like whales and dolphins,” Lee explained.

Mr. Fox said nothing.

“We could match the GPS position logs of the trawler with the information from the tag that Vanessa found on board,” Lee continued to Mr. Fox. “That would prove the tagged whale had been on the boat.”

Mr. Fox was beginning to look worried but forced a smile.

“She's just a kid. Who's to say she was ever on the crab boat? Those photos could be from anywhere.”

With that he turned and walked out the door, banging it hard.

There was a moment's silence, which Lee broke with a clap of her hands.

“Well done, you!” she said to Vanessa, crossing the room to put an arm around her shoulder. “I'm going to take you right now to Brighton Island so that you can tell Dr. Mitchell the news yourself and he can file an official report.”

Vanessa's face lit up.

“To the police?”

“To the Department of Fisheries and Oceans,” Lee replied. “To be honest, I can't see the police being interested, Vanessa, but there is always the possibility that the DFO could revoke these people's fishing licenses.”

“A possibility?” said Vanessa wildly. “A possibility of their licenses being revoked? Is that all, Lee? You mean they won't go to jail for this?”

“No, Vanessa, I'm afraid not. The best we can hope for is that we've brought it to light and that all
the conservation groups will make a fuss. But it's not considered a criminal act. The only people who have ever been jailed or arrested have been the antiwhaling groups that are trying to prevent it.”

“But that's so unfair. It's wrong.”

Lee squeezed Vanessa's hand.

“Yes,” she said. “I know, and that's why it's important that people learn the truth. Like you, most people would be on the side of the whales.”

Vanessa stared at her blankly.

“And, look, Vanessa,” Lee went on, “at least we have unmasked Eddie Fox. He'll certainly never work for Greenpeace again.”

Vanessa sighed.

“How will we get to Brighton to talk to Dr. Mitchell?” she asked.

“I'll take you,” Tom offered immediately, “seeing as the fox has gone to ground,” he added with a chuckle. It was the first time that Vanessa had seen him smile. She gave him a smile back, but it was a very small one.

“Can I come too, please?” Wayne said with a simpering look.

“Not today, Wayne,” Lee said firmly. “Vanessa
and I need to talk and then we have to pack. We leave tomorrow. I'm getting her home in one piece if it kills me.”

On average there are four to six sightings of Caddy reported a year. They are more frequent in the warmer months—particularly July and August.

The day of their departure threatened to be a stormy one, and there was some concern over whether the ferry would be running or not. Vanessa wasn't worried. She would have loved to stay another couple of days and talk more to Jack about Caddy. But Lee's work was finished for now, and they'd done all they
could about the illegal whalers. Dr. Mitchell had been pleased with their report.

And at least Vanessa was going to see the professor one last time before she left. He had rung earlier to offer them a lift. Now everybody was in the kitchen waiting for Jack to arrive.

Vanessa clutched a large white envelope in her hand. It contained her eyewitness accounts of Caddy, describing the creature in as much detail as possible. She had to admit that the first time she had seen it off the boat had been really exciting. But the second time, when she was in the water with the creature, had been absolutely terrifying. Recalling it now brought the hairs up on the back of her neck.

Vanessa looked around. Frankie had gone upstairs, but Wayne's eyes were locked firmly on the envelope she was holding. Then she saw him look over at Lee, who was pulling her purse from her bag.

Vanessa knew that Greenpeace would be paying for Lee's stay at the guesthouse, but it was Lee who would be paying for Vanessa's room. She must remember to thank her properly when they were on the ferry.

“Here's fifty dollars, Wayne, to get your bike repaired,” Lee said, handing him the money with a smile.

Wayne looked pleasantly surprised.

Vanessa stared at Lee, stricken. Why had Lee done that? Did she not understand that Wayne had done the damage himself? Vanessa couldn't just sit there and say nothing.

“I didn't burst his stupid tires, Lee,” she said angrily. “Why don't you believe me? He did it himself. He was in cahoots with Mr. Fox. He's probably been paid off already.”

“Cahoots?” said Lee.

“Yes. All this pestering—”

“That's enough, Vanessa,” said Lee. “We'll discuss this later. But meanwhile, Wayne's bike does need to be fixed.” Vanessa rolled her eyes. She knew she was right about Wayne.

It was partly affection for Mrs. Bouche that made Lee want to smooth things over before they left. Besides, she would have to return to the island eventually to continue her work and would need a place to stay. It was just as well that Frankie hadn't been there to hear Vanessa's accusations.

Wayne took the money with a cheeky grin.

“Thanks, Lee,” he said. “You're the best.”

Vanessa turned away in disgust. Wayne was
unbelievable. Really, the sooner Jack arrived and took them out of here, the better.

Wayne stood up, shoved the money into his jeans pocket, and walked out of the room.

Vanessa gritted her teeth.

“He's a horrible liar with not a single redeeming feature,” she said angrily. “He's been deliberately making things hard for me, Lee, ever since we got here. Obviously, he's been trying to get rid of me—which means getting rid of you too. Which is exactly what Fox wanted. That's what I meant about being in cahoots.”

“You don't think Wayne knew all along about the whales being killed, Vanessa, do you?” Lee looked shocked.

Vanessa shook her head. “No. I don't think he did. But Mr. Fox did use him. He could see that Wayne likes to cause trouble and that he's greedy too. Wayne enjoyed playing along, but that's all, I think.”

At that moment, Frankie came back into the kitchen. Vanessa's scowl deepened at the sight of Wayne coming behind her. He was holding something in his hand.

When he held it out to her, Vanessa recognized it immediately.

“What's that?” Lee said, leaning over and trying to make sense of the crude pencil sketch.

Vanessa took the page in silence and was saved from further explanation by Mrs. Bouche.

“Oh, that's so sweet of you, Pickles,” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her son.

Lee looked puzzled.

“It's a peace offering,” Frankie explained. “A present for Vanessa.”

Lee smiled weakly.

“It's Wayne's drawing of the local sea monster we call Caddy. The one that Vanessa went to talk to the professor about.”

As Lee was still looking blank, Frankie was forced to continue with her explanation.

“You know, the professor, the one who's writing the book and who lives at the end of Salem's Lane,” said Mrs. Bouche. “Jack. Who's coming to—”

The sound of a car horn honking from the drive cut her off.

“That's Jack now, to take us to the ferry,” Vanessa said, grabbing up her backpack. “I'll explain everything when we're on the boat, Lee. I promise.”

The Basilosaurus (
Basilosaurus cetoides
) belonged to a group of whales that became extinct about 34 million years ago. It grew up to 65 feet in length and was the largest known animal of its day. With sharp teeth and an elongated body, it has been described as the closest a whale ever came to a snake. Its bones were first mistaken for a sea serpent's.

The good-byes didn't take long. In the end, Vanessa was forced to shake Wayne's hand. Lee had told her it would hurt Mrs. Bouche's feelings if she didn't. Vanessa
had become very fond of Frankie, and she also pitied her deeply. She had years of Wayne to get through yet.

“Thanks, Frankie,” Vanessa said, when the older woman gave her a great big bear hug. “Your cooking was the best.” Vanessa knew she had hit the mark when Frankie beamed happily at her and gave her a second hug.

They put their bags in the trunk and Lee got into the passenger seat beside the professor. Dark clouds were gathering on the horizon.

“Do you remember arriving in that storm, Lee?” Vanessa asked. “Doesn't it feel like weeks ago?”

“Years,” Lee replied.

The first drops of rain hit the top of Vanessa's head as she stepped out of the car. The three of them chatted as they walked down to the harbor, Jack insisting on carrying both of their bags.

As the ferry pulled in and ropes were thrown from the deck to the pier to tie it up, Vanessa pushed the white envelope into Jack's hand.

“For your files,” she said quietly. “It's a record of both times I saw Caddy, in as much detail as I could remember. There is also a very bad drawing,” she explained.

Jack stared at her in surprise.

“You never told me that you'd actually seen Caddy,” he said.

“I've not only seen Caddy, I've been in the water with it.” Vanessa's eyes widened a fraction. “Scary.”

Jack looked pleased. “Do I have permission to use these in my book, Vanessa?”

“Of course,” she replied.

“Use what?” Lee asked suspiciously, catching the end of the conversation.

“I'll tell you about it on the ferry, Lee.”

“Really, Vanessa, you are impossible,” Lee said crossly. “Surely there's not something else you haven't told me about.”

The coelacanth was a deep-sea fish alive at the time of the dinosaurs. It was thought to be extinct for the last 65 million years but was rediscovered alive in 1938. The megamouth shark was only discovered in 1976. Is Caddy waiting to be discovered too?

Lee and Vanessa stood on the deck and waved to Jack until he was just a tiny speck. The birds swooped overhead, and Vanessa closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

“You OK, Vanessa?”

“I'm fine, Lee. Just getting in the last of that Duquette fresh air,” she said with a sad grin. “I'm sorry to be leaving. You too?”

“Can't wait to get home!” Lee said with a loud snort. “I need a holiday after that. Come on, let's get a seat inside. You've got things to explain.”

They turned to go, but Vanessa was stopped in her tracks by the sight of a man farther down the deck.

“Look!” she hissed. “Lee, look. Can you see him?”

He was making his way slowly toward them, his eyes on Vanessa.

“Lee, can you see him?” Vanessa said urgently. “It's Ray!”

“What on earth are you talking about, Vanessa? It's Tom. Of course I can see him.”

It only took Vanessa a couple of seconds to register Lee's words and react.

“Only joking,” she said with a chuckle, making a quick recovery.

They shook hands with Tom, Vanessa feeling reassured by his warm, rough palm against her own. It was no ghost this time.

“I thought you didn't use the ferry, Tom?” Vanessa said bluntly.

“No, indeed I don't. Not usually. But after going out in my boat with Lee the other day, I decided it's time to get back to fishing, back to normal life. Time to bury the past. So I'm just going to the mainland today to pick up some supplies for my fishing boat.” He caught Vanessa's eye and smiled gently. “I'd forgotten how good it feels to stand on deck. It makes me feel close to Ray.”

Vanessa and Lee needed to get out of the wind, so they said good-bye to Tom and went and found a seat in the lounge.

“I'll get us a couple of drinks and then you can tell me everything,” Lee said, as Vanessa collapsed onto a seat.

Lee returned a few minutes later. She handed Vanessa a can of Coke and opened one for herself.

“How come you haven't told me about this Caddy thing before now?”

“I was going to, Lee, I swear. It's just that you were really busy with the whale hunting and Wayne kept messing things up for me.”