The Pacific Giants
Page 12
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.”
CHAPTER 41
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.”
CHAPTER 42
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.”
She knew that her excuses sounded really pathetic, but they were partly true.
“Well, we have lots of time now,” Lee said determinedly. “A ferry ride all on our own. That’s plenty of time for you to tell me the whole story.”
Not entirely alone, Toddy muttered from the comfort of Vanessa’s backpack. And telling the whole story may not be the best idea, he warned.
Vanessa looked thoughtfully at Lee’s trusting face and wondered what on earth she would say. Toddy had a point. Just how much should she tell Lee—and where exactly would she start?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks to Dr. Paul LeBlond, scientist and cryptozoologist, who welcomed me to his home on one of the beautiful gulf islands in British Columbia and talked to me at length about Caddy and about his book with Dr. Edward L. Bousfield, Cadborosaurus: Survivor from the Deep. I am most grateful for all the information and your time.
Thanks also to Jessica Wilson from Greenpeace in Vancouver, and Anne who runs the fantastic whale-watching tours in Panama. Watching the baby humpbacks that day will stay with me for a long time.
Once again I am indebted to my publishers, Elaina and Siobhán at Little Island, for all their work on this book. Thanks also to my dear friends Jenny and Paula for their helpful feedback on the manuscript. And to my family, Ian, Cal, Myles, and Ollie, for being there when I need them most.
REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING
I’ve tried to be as factual as I can about the Cadborosaurus sightings. Most of the information is thanks to my interview with Paul LeBlond and material from his book Cadborosaurus: Survivor from the Deep. But the cetacean research center on Brighton Island, the place I call Duquette Island, and all its residents are entirely fictitious. The following are references that I’ve used and make interesting reading on Caddy and environmental issues.
Books
Loren Coleman and Je
rome Clark. Cryptozoology A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Ness Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras and other Authentic Mysteries of Nature. Simon and Schuster, 1999.
John Robert Colombo. The Monster Book of Canadian Monsters. p. 142–153. Battered Silicon Dispatch, 2004.
Betty Sanders Garner. Canada’s Monsters. Chapter 10, p. 75–82. Potlach Publications, 1976.
Bernard Heuvelmans. In the Wake of the Sea-Serpents. Hill and Wang, 1968.
Paul LeBlond and Edward L. Bousfield. Cadborosaurus: Survivor from the Deep. Horsdal and Schubert, 1995.
Howard White. “The Cadborosaurus meets Hubert Evans.” Raincoast Chronicles Six/Ten, Collector’s Edition II. p. 276–278. Harbour Publishing, 1995.
Newspapers and Articles
Jeff Bell. “It’s prime time for spotting
Cadborosaurus.” Times Colonist. 6 July 1999.
Patrick Murphy. “Three sightings of mysterious Caddy.” Times Colonist. 27 July 1996.
Patrick Murphy. “Caddy attracts new fans.” Times Colonist. 21 July 1998.
Websites
www.greenpeace.com
www.seashepherd.org
www.wcs.org
www.forwhales.org
www.gvpl.ca/interests/local-history/tales-from-the-vault/caddy
www.bcscc.ca/cadborosaurus.htm
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Jean Flitcroft started her career as a scriptwriter for medical and scientific films, and later became a travel writer when her obsession with travel won out. It was on these journeys around the world that she started writing books for children. She lives in Dublin, Ireland, with her husband and three sons. Learn more at www.jeanflitcroft.com.