Shark Eater

by K D McNiven

  CHAPTER 10

  Miami, Florida

  Stepping out of the Miami International airport, Decker and Callie were greeted with ninety-degree weather and dripping humidity. They were accustomed to the weather and had dressed accordingly—Decker in his usual Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts with white boat shoes, and Callie in her blue plaid shorts, dark blue tank and flip flops. Her hair was drawn back into a ponytail, and she had a white baseball cap shading her face.

  They hailed a cab, told the driver the address of the dive shop and settled back in the car seat, an air of excitement stirring in both of them. Everything seemed to be falling into place for them, and they were anxious to set out again with their new team.

  After weaving and dodging in and out of traffic, the cabby turned onto North Miami Avenue and sped a short way to the dive shop. Decker paid the fare, grabbed Callie’s hand, and made his way toward the entrance.

  Anyone who had ever dived in Miami Beach knew Lonny Bank’s Dive Shop. It was a full-service shop with every kind of equipment and attire anyone would need. It had its own large pool where beginners could learn how to dive, as well as excursion boats that took groups out to the reefs to try out their new skills.

  “Decker, Callie,” Dax called out in his recognizable Australian-accented voice.

  There was a wide smile on Decker’s face as he stretched out his hand to greet Dax. “Where’s Kat?”

  Dax chuckled. “Back on the Shark Eater, mate. Think she’s a bit cautious about hanging out with me right now after all our mishaps.”

  Decker and Callie both laughed, though if that was the reason, they fully understood. Dax and Karina had gone through some life challenging situations that would make anyone fearful.

  “Glad to be here, Dax,” Decker told him. “We’re both anxious to head out. Before we do, Callie and I are going to purchase some gear we prefer. All of our equipment is on the Jade, and I believe shipping would be costlier than buying new.”

  “We have a couple hours before we embark,” Dax informed him, “Take your time. I thought maybe we’d grab a quick bite on our way back to Miamarina.”

  “Great.” Decker smiled and then headed back towards where the wet suits and oxygen tanks were displayed.

  Once they’d purchased what they needed, Dax loaded it all into his black Wrangler Sport 4X4. It was only a seventeen-minute drive on Highway 95 to the Miamarina. He veered off the highway, taking them to a small seaside café and ordered up seafood and salad. It was well past lunchtime, and they were ready to eat.

  “You must have the knack of persuasion,” Decker said. “I was pretty astounded that the OCHI made a decision so quickly.”

  “I think it was because of Kat actually,” he said with a grin. “They were impressed with her science and biology degrees. And she can make a compelling argument, believe me.”

  “She definitely knows her stuff,” Callie agreed before shoveling in a bite of lobster.

  “We have an awesome team going,” Dax said confidently. “Everyone is more than qualified and has plenty of experience.”

  “We’re honored to be a part of the team,” Decker said. “I hope we’ll meet with your expectations.”

  “You’ve got that backwards, mate,” Dax countered, his eyes vibrant with respect.

  “Don’t sell yourself short, Dax,” Decker continued. “You’ve got quite a list of achievements. Besides, never compare your accomplishments. You acquired them on your own hard work.”

  “You’re absolutely right,” Dax said, finishing his meal and standing. He patted down his oilcloth Outback hat over his jet-black hair that was slicked back and fastened with a rubber band. Dressed in his gray khaki slacks, tan shirt rolled at the sleeves, and leather boots, he looked like every picture Callie had seen of an Australian man in the bush. And she concluded that if she’d dressed like Dax, she’d faint from the scorching sun and humidity. Obviously, he’d grown accustomed to the heat—he didn’t appear to have a drop of sweat to cool him from the intense Florida sun.

  Reaching the docks, Decker smiled at the face of the Shark Eater that was painted on the bow. She rocked ever so gently in the lapping waves beneath her hull, and the familiar creaking sounds touched their ears. The loud clamor of cranes, ships horns and workers resonated through the oppressive air.

  They went portside to the gangway and climbed the metal stairs leading to the deck. Captain Manny was there to greet them, dressed appropriately in his white uniform and cap, which he removed once they had boarded nodding a greeting.

  “Captain,” Decker acknowledged, stretching out his hand and vigorously shaking Manny’s hand.

  “Welcome aboard,” Manny smiled broadly, his blue eyes twinkling with delight that Decker and Callie had agreed to participate in the underwater exploration. “Mrs. Hayden,” he acknowledged.

  “Callie, please,” she said. “We’ll be seeing each other a lot, no need for formalities.”

  “I’ll see you to your quarters,” Dax offered. “You can unpack your gear. We’re meeting on deck in an hour to go over details before we embark.”

  The stateroom was designed for six persons so they would be sharing facilities, which neither of them minded. They had gotten used to close quarters aboard the Jade. One notable asset was that there was a short wall divider that would afford them some privacy. There was a couple of drawers at the side of their bunk for their clothing, and after putting things into place, Decker pulled out a quarter from his pocket and held it out.

  “Heads or tails for the bottom bunk,” he grinned.

  Callie gave it a moment of thought then said, “Heads.”

  Flipping the coin, he allowed it to fall to the wooded floor. “Dang, Callie, you always win.”

  She laughed. “Probably for the best because I’m up twice as often as you. And if I climb up and down the side ladder half the night, I’ll keep you awake.”

  “I guess that’s good rationale.”

  “Even if I lost, you’d still be gracious and give me the bottom. Right?”

  “Hmm.”

  She picked up her pillow and tossed it at his face with a squeal of delight. “You know you would. You’re a marshmallow, Mr. Hayden.”

  “Don’t tell anyone, all right?”

  Callie sat on the edge of the bunk and removed her flip flops knowing that they would not be allowed on deck for safety reasons after today, except when lounging. She slipped into her white Converse tennis shoes, rubbed on some sun guard, and waited for Decker to change out of his sandals as well.

  As instructed, they met on deck. Captain Manny and Dax were already going over the paper work. Karina sat crossed legged, box knife in hand as she opened boxes of materials they would have need of in the lab. It was her job to make sure everything was sealed properly, to oversee the disposal of any toxic waste materials, and their proper usage during the trip. She also double-checked to make sure the list of chemicals was complete to give the captain an accurate accounting of what was brought on board.

  She glanced up hearing Decker’s voice, smiled, and welcomed them aboard. “Glad to see you two again. We’re so excited that you decided to join us!”

  “No more than we are to be here,” Callie said. Her face was aglow with excitement.

  One by one the crew began to saunter out. Several of them had not met yet, and Dax wanted to make sure everyone was familiar with each other because they would be working closely together—even so far as to say, they would be laying their very lives in another person’s hands. It was important that they trusted and supported each other.

  “Okay, I think everyone is here,” Captain Manny took note. “First, let’s learn a little about one another before we head out.” As everyone shared their experience and qualifications, the air was charged with excitement, and trying to reel everyone’s attention back in was taxing on Captain Manny. When his voice failed him, he withdrew his whistle from his pocket and blew it. Its shrill sound did the trick, everyone’s head snapped around to face the
captain.

  Manny smiled and shook his head. “My prayer is that this won’t be a habit.” He heard a few snickers, but they all knew beneath the sense of humor, he meant every word of it. “Karina, could you come up here.”

  Karina set aside her supplies and walked over to stand by his side, then he continued. “Karina is our Chief Scientist. She will be keeping everyone abreast of what the procedures will entail between the scientific group and the crew. She will delegate the various jobs to the scientific staff in the lab and is responsible for the distribution of all hazardous materials, their disposal, and use. No one is allowed to usurp her authority. I say that only because we have a few new crewmen who aren’t familiar with our routines and I need everyone to understand the procedure.”

  Captain Manny loathed confusion. He knew he would have a couple of new people in engineering, and a couple that would assist in the pilot house. Laying everything out beforehand saved reprimands later on, and once they embarked, he did not want to have to spend time chastising an individual because they were not aware of the ship’s rules.

  “Linus,” Manny continued. Linus stood, his red curls bobbing around his neck and face as the breeze flagged the deck. His olive-colored eyes were fixed respectfully on the captain. “I’ll give a brief clarification of Linus’s duties as he will be working with one of the new crewmen. Linus is our hydrographer. He is responsible for measuring water depths, temperatures, currents, which includes mapping shoals and rocks that could be hazardous for the Shark Eater. He will be conducting the multibeam echo sounder to monitor the ocean floor when we reach our designated area. Whoever is in the pilot room with him will be under his supervision. Any major decisions will be made by him.

  “And now, I want to give a warm welcome to Decker and Callie Hayden, whom I’m sure most of you are familiar with. They will be going on the dives along with Chase Vanderpool, our maritime archaeologist, Ottomar Benedickt, who is a whiz on the study of cultural environments and coastal settlements, as well as the surveying and recording of artifacts and structures—a near genius with database systems, and India Dymond, diver extraordinaire. Karina will dive some of the time to collect specimens and data but more than likely, if you’re looking for her, you will find her in the dry lab.”

  There was a shuffling noise, and everyone turned to see Lars Bridger dashing madly across the deck, his arms loaded with video equipment. His round, wire-rimmed glasses had slipped down his narrow nose, and his long, brown hair whipped out behind him. Everyone looked surprised.

  “Ho!” he yelled, still rushing in wide strides towards them. “Sorry I’m late. Traffic was backed up for miles due to a three-car accident on the highway. Glad you didn’t set off without me.”

  Captain Manny shook his head. “I kept Lars’s possible coming under wraps in case he couldn’t make it. As you can see, he made it in the nick of time.”

  Decker stepped forward and shook Lar’s hand. “Welcome aboard.”

  “Thanks, Decker,” he huffed, trying to catch his breath. “No way I was going to miss this opportunity.”

  “For those who may not know Lars, he is known for his amazing gift of videography,” Dax said. “He’s going to videotape the entire shipwreck exploration.”

  That announcement was met with a spatter of applause.

  “To conclude our meeting,” Captain Manny said, “once we put out to sea, any disputes will be taken to Dax to smooth out. If you can’t work it out, you will come to me. I hope it doesn’t come to that.” The edge of warning flanking his words was not missed by the crew.

  CHAPTER 11

  The Jade

  Garrett was excited as he prepared to take Holly out on her first diving adventure. They had done a quick study at the hotel in the swimming pool so that she could accustom herself to having tanks and weights on. Her initial reaction to the extreme bubbles exploding around her from the regulator was almost comical, but after a few times of going beneath the surface, she got used to the unexpected sensation and wasn’t bothered so much after that.

  Pete Polly sauntered out from his cabin and went aft where he saw Garrett readying their diving equipment. “I checked the tanks and washed the gear. Everything looks spot-on.”

  “I appreciate it,” Garrett replied, sorting out the fins and wetsuits.

  “What bay are we in?” Holly questioned, enjoying her surroundings. The waves were tipped with frothy white crowns. It was a perfect sunny day. Straight across from them was a tangle of vines and trees blanketing the hillside.

  “Kealakekua Bay,” Garrett answered, looking up with a smile. “This is the very place that Captain James Cook lost his life, February fourteenth, 1779.”

  “That’s fascinating.” She raised her brows and brushed back her curls, interest flickering in her dark eyes.

  “I’ve read about him. He was a cartographer,” Garrett said. He had a great appreciation for Cook’s discoveries and nautical competences.

  “Then you should relate well.” She laughed softly. “How did he die?”

  Garrett stopped what he was doing, happy to share his interests with his bride. Rising to his feet, he strode over and took a chair at the table beside her. He noted that even Polly looked interested in the subject as he had moved over closer to them in order to hear the conversation more clearly.

  “It was on his third voyage to the Hawaiian Islands,” Garrett said, “It so happened when he arrived, the Hawaiians were celebrating Makahiki—a harvest festival during which they gave homage to the Polynesian god Lono.”

  Ted came out with a tray of ice water with lemon slices in it and placed it on the table. He set three glasses out and poured a drink into each.

  “Would you like your lunch now?” Ted was playing chef since Phil was not along with them.

  Garrett glanced at his watch. It was only eleven. “A bit early, Ted. Unless my beautiful wife is hungry?” He glanced at her, giving her the opportunity to override his decision.

  Holly shook her head; her cheeks flushed from the breeze. “No thank you. Maybe a bit later.”

  “What about me?” asked Polly.

  “The galley is all yours,” Ted said.

  “See how you are.” Polly laughed. “Always showing favoritism.”

  “She’s much better to look at than you,” Ted teased, winking his eye.

  Ted turned and left them to their story telling. Garrett thought for a moment to recall the sequence of events that happened that fateful day when James Cook lost his life.

  “The crew aboard the HMS Resolution remained for a month going back and forth from the ship to the island. During that time, there were apparently multiple disputes between the Hawaiians and the Europeans. At some point, according to certain legends, a group of Hawaiians got away with one of their cutter ships. Cook became furious and demanded it back. The tensions intensified when Cook threatened to fire upon them.

  “One account says that Cook grew increasingly frustrated because there didn’t seem to be a resolve. Somewhat foolishly, Cook attempted to kidnap Kalani’ōpu’u, the Hawaiian king, for ransom in order to get his boat back!” Garrett’s audience was rapt.

  “There have been conflicting accounts, which makes it difficult to tell where the truth lies. But from my understanding, Cook grabbed the king and headed for the side boat. The Hawaiians implored him not to take their king, but ignoring their pleas, he forced the king toward the cutter, where one of the natives hit him over the head then stabbed him to death.”

  “That’s terrible!” Holly said, shock evident on her face.

  ‘There were four other mariners who died that day as well.” Garrett took a drink and prepared to wrap up the story. “However, there are some that say Cook’s men were watching through a spyglass on board the Resolution and one of the men aboard took aim and shot across the bow, which then sparked the scuffle that killed Cook.”

  “Is he buried here?” Polly asked.

  “The short of it is, there were some villagers who thought hi
ghly of Cook, and they took his body and prepared it in a ritual befitting a chief or elder of the village. He was disemboweled and customarily baked, his flesh removed and the bones cleaned. After a time, some of his bones were returned to his crew so that he could have the proper burial at sea.”

  “That’s quite a story,” Holly said.

  “There were also stories that inferred that the ship was ransacked and precious items were taken, along with a chest full of gold coins, but there is nothing to support that.”

  “I loved the story,” Holly said. “And to capture the history and folklore of places you visit makes it all the more special.”

  “Yes, it is,” Garrett agreed. “But what sticks with me most is that Cook mapped more territory in his voyages than any other navigator of that day. He was, at least to some, a hero in the scientific community after his works were published. He was even admired in the village where he was killed.”

  “Sounds as though he has another devotee,” Holly said, noting how her husband’s eyes sparkled through his storytelling.

  Polly had been swabbing the deck, staying as close as possible so he could hear the whole story. “Great account, Garrett.”

  “Thank you, Polly,” Garrett replied.

  “Would you like to dive before lunch or after?” Holly inquired.

  “Depends on how hungry you are.”

  She smiled. “Not very.”

  “You feeling anxious about taking the plunge?” he asked. The ocean was quite a bit larger than the hotel swimming pool, and Garrett knew it could be a bit intimidating diving in it for the first time.

  “No. I’m excited, and you’re an amazing instructor,” she said. “So long as you’re with me, I’ll do fine.”

  “Okay, let’s suit up.”

  Once they were in their wet suits, Garrett strapped on Holly’s weight belt. He went over the equipment once more, always being cautious, and fitted her with fins and mask.

  “We should spend some time working on decompression,” Garrett said. “We won’t be going deep today, but it is never too early to learn. I’d like to take you out into deeper waters as soon as you feel comfortable doing it. We can use the anchor cable to assist us while we’re down there. At most, we will be around fifteen to twenty feet. If you feel anxious at any time kick to the surface. The weights won’t hinder you from that.”