Galapagos Below

by D. J. Goodman

  “You’re right,” Merchant said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like I might not care. Is she going to be alright?”

  “Honestly, I would have needed to see something like that before in order give you an answer. That’s the first time she’s ever had any kind of episode like that.”

  “It’s just that, with the…” At this point, Merchant’s voice evened in tone enough that Maria could no longer hear her through the ceiling. Much of the rest of the conversation turned into nothing but low murmurs, and finally after several minutes of trying to hear, Maria simply fell asleep.

  The room didn’t have any windows, so she couldn’t be sure exactly when she woke up. It was dark, though, and Kevin slept beside her. For several seconds, she felt blissful, her sleep-addled mind sure that they must have fallen asleep together after making love. Then she remembered everything that had happened before. She turned over on her back and stared up at the darkened ceiling, trying her hardest not to think of anything at all.

  The change in Kevin’s breathing gave her the first hint that he was awake, but she didn’t dare say anything. With luck, he wouldn’t realize that she was awake too and try to talk to her, eventually just going back to sleep himself. She didn’t know if she was ready.

  He didn’t talk. Kevin just put an open hand on her chest. After several moments, Maria grabbed it, clenching it close to her heart. And they lay that way for quite some time.

  “They think I’m crazy,” Maria finally said.

  “They don’t think you’re crazy.”

  “Yeah? Well, I think I’m crazy.”

  “I heard once that if you can tell that you might be crazy, then you aren’t crazy because crazy people can’t tell that they’re crazy.”

  “I don’t think that’s actually a thing.”

  “No, I suppose not.”

  “Stick to biology. Psychology doesn’t suit you.”

  They were quiet for a few seconds before he said again, “You’re not crazy.”

  “Look, I’m obviously not well, okay? I mean, I tried to jump out of the Zodiac into the middle of the open ocean.”

  “I admit that no one thinks that’s a sign of perfect mental health. But come on. I’d be more worried if you weren’t showing strains of hurting after everything you’ve been through. Craziness isn’t the word you should be using.”

  “Then what word should I use?”

  “I don’t know. Working through things? Occasionally requiring a mental break from reality? Almost anything is better than using a word with so much negative stigma.”

  “You sound like you’re doing one of your scientific lectures, but with much more of the pulling crap out of your ass.”

  “Is it working?”

  “I don’t know.” She sat up in bed and looked down at herself. She was still in all her clothes, which were stiff from the salt of seawater. Her prosthetic was abandoned at the edge of her bed. She also had no idea where her boot or sock currently resided. Jesus, what had that part even been about?

  “I don’t like this,” Maria said.

  “I know.”

  “It’s not how I think of myself. Maria Quintero doesn’t freak out under pressure.”

  Kevin didn’t speak, although his silence said everything. Apparently, now, Maria was the kind who cracked under pressure. Was this something she would be able to overcome, or was that simply a new part of her reality?

  It wasn’t something she could approach from a purely scientific direction, so instead it was time to turn her attention to something that could be analyzed and quantified. “That thing that was in the water. We need to figure out what it was.”

  “Maria, are you sure you’re ready to start working this problem?”

  “No, but I am ready to stop not working on a problem at all. Come on, work with me. I need this.”

  “Okay.” Kevin got out of bed and retrieved his clothes. Maria might have fallen asleep fully dressed, but he’d been in nothing but his underwear. For a moment, Maria wanted to grab him and pull him back into bed where they could forget about this whole thing for a time, but she wasn’t sure that would do her much good. After a brief time of pleasure, she would be right back to staring at the ceiling and wondering what the hell was wrong with her.

  “So tell me what you’ve figured out so far,” Maria said as she struggled to put her prosthetic back on.

  “Not a whole lot. It was decided that we would go over everything we knew and had in the morning, when everyone had rested and was refreshed. We all had a rather hectic day yesterday.”

  Maria’s cheeks grew hot, knowing that she was the cause of much of the problems.

  “But you must have discussed something during that whole time. I even heard some of it.”

  Kevin paused in pulling his shirt over his head. “You did?”

  “Yeah. Some of it near the beginning.”

  “I’m sorry you had to hear any of that.”

  “Let’s not talk about that. Let’s discuss our mystery creature, okay?”

  “Not much to discuss yet, but maybe the Gutsdorfs have something for us by now.”

  “You’ve had them working on it all night? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Hey now. Cindy has a perfectly level head on her shoulders.”

  “And her brother?”

  “Her brother is, uh, good-looking? I don’t know, that’s the best I can think of right now.”

  “Actually, I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”

  Maria hadn’t given much thought to where they were at the moment, but when they came out on deck, she saw that the Cameron had come back in to Puerto Ayora while she’d been sleeping. Gutierrez, despite having his own perfectly fine bunk below deck, was sleeping on the floor of the bridge. Monica was on the deck doing routine maintenance on the Zodiacs. When Maria came out, Monica smiled and looked like she wanted to say something, yet Maria couldn’t help but see a noticeable hesitancy, as though she were afraid she might damage Maria if she got too close.

  “I’m not going to break, you know,” Maria said to her, possibly with more contempt in her voice than she had intended.

  “Huh?” Monica asked.

  Oh. Maybe Maria hadn’t seen her hesitate at all. She quickly got off the Cameron before she could embarrass herself further. Kevin stayed behind long enough to whisper something to Monica before joining her.

  “What did you say to her?” Maria asked when they were both off the docks.

  “I just told her to be patient with you.”

  “People shouldn’t have to be patient with me.”

  Okay, she was getting irritable now, and this was not how she wanted to spend this fine day in paradise. From the sun, she had to guess it was mid-morning, so she had probably slept for nearly twelve hours. She never slept that long, but after the moment she’d had in the Zodiac, she had felt strangely drained.

  “So where are we going?” Maria asked.

  “Merchant has set up a sort of base-camp for her crew in one of the for-rent bungalows. We’ll go there and touch base with her, and also see whatever there is to see in the videos from last night.”

  “Uh, what all did they get on camera?”

  Kevin gave her a bemused look. “Not enough of what we need, and probably more than what you would want.”

  Crap. Okay, fine. She would deal with that soon enough. “Okay, then what?”

  “Then, assuming Merchant was able to pull the strings she said she could with the American embassy in Ecuador, you and I will be off to the police station to examine the remains, or I guess it’s just ‘remain,’ of Mrs. Schmidt.”

  “Wait, we’re going to be able to do that?”

  “Yeah, we’ve all tried to keep what we saw last night quiet, but it wouldn’t surprise me if rumors have started to get around that there might be something out at Isla Niña. When we came in last night, suddenly the police were a whole lot more cooperative.”

  Indeed, as they walked through the streets o
f the village, a large number of the locals were giving them stares somewhere between suspicion, anger, and awe. “Where’s Ernesto?” Maria asked. “He might be able to give us a better idea of what the residents are saying.”

  “Last I saw him, he went back to his home, but I invited him to join us later. I thought maybe he might help give us some context as we examine Mrs. Schmidt.”

  The people they passed on the street had a strangely subdued manner, despite the clear and perfect day. It was as though they were expecting a storm to come in at any minute. A short man in a white dress shirt and a too-tight tie saw them and made a beeline for Maria. Even before he opened his mouth, the way he stood and presented himself alone was enough for Maria to label him as some form of politician.

  “Ms. Quintero?” the man asked. “Ms. Hoyt? Susanne Merchant said I might be able to find you this morning. I’m sorry that I didn’t have a chance yesterday to greet you both on your arrival.” He held out his hand to Maria. There was an awkward moment where she didn’t take it, not just because something about the man exuded the stereotypical sliminess she associated with any bureaucrat, but also because whether he knew it or not he had just deeply insulted her boyfriend.

  “Mister,” Kevin said.

  “I am sorry? I do not understand,” the man asked.

  “My name is Mr. Kevin Hoyt.”

  Maria gave Kevin a quick glance in an attempt to read his emotions. Kevin had been taking hormone treatments for long enough that it was rare that anyone read him as anything other than a cisgender man. It was possible that this man had made a mistake in his English, but the only other option was he’d known well in advance that Kevin was transgender and had made the slight on purpose.

  “Yes, well…” The man withdrew his hand from Maria. Not only did he not offer it to Kevin, he continued to look only at Maria as though she were the only one here. “My name is Mario Estevez. I am the mayor of Puerto Ayora.” The way he said it implied that he was sure that Maria must surely already know his name well. She didn’t, although out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kevin tense up. He knew that name, and it apparently didn’t give him warm fuzzy feelings.

  “Mister mayor, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Maria said, even though she already had a feeling it wouldn’t be.

  “Mrs. Merchant has already spoken to me about the needs of your production, and I wanted to let you know personally that you will have my support.”

  “Um, thank you.”

  “Do you have any thoughts on when you and your people might be leaving?”

  Oh yeah, Maria thought. Very welcoming. “I can’t say that I know that for sure. Merchant would know better.”

  “Yes. I see, I see. Then perhaps you might be able to tell me when certain authorities might be lifting the ban on travel to Isla Niña?”

  “Uh, I actually don’t know anything about that,” Maria said before turning to Kevin. “There’s a ban?”

  “There was already one in place before yesterday, but what little communication I had with the park service employees and the officials in the Ecuadorian Navy suggested it would stay until we could figure out what was out there.”

  “If there’s really anything out of the ordinary at the island at all,” Estevez said. “There has still not been any proof provided to me.”

  Oh, there’s proof, Maria thought, but didn’t say it. If no one had told them what they had caught on film yesterday evening, then they probably had a good reason for it.

  “I’m sure we’ll be able to give you something soon enough,” Maria said.

  “Good, good,” Estevez said. He stood there for a second, staring at them both, as though waiting for a cue. When Maria didn’t provide it, Estevez cleared his throat.

  “So how much?” he asked.

  Maria blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “How much? How much money must I give you to declare Isla Niña safe and then go away?”

  “Are… are you trying to bribe us?”

  “Your presence here is disrupting, but it is September. A slow time of the year. Come next month, though, I cannot have one of the Galápagos’ attractions closed to the public.”

  “You do remember that a woman died, right?” Maria asked. “Don’t you want to get to the bottom of this?”

  “I don’t want people to die, no, but reports of a sea monster at one of the islands…”

  “No one said it was a sea monster,” Kevin said. Estevez waved a dismissive hand at him, much like Kevin was a mosquito that was in danger of getting slapped.

  “Everyone is saying it is a sea monster. They were saying that before you came, but most people didn’t take it seriously. But when your group came back so quickly last night, and obviously agitated, it did not matter what anyone said. The rumors are spreading. Citizens are getting anxious. And anxious citizens make poor tour guides.”

  “And if there is something out there?” Maria asked. “Something that could hurt more people?”

  “There isn’t. There are just lizards and birds that idiot tourists will pay big money to take their picture. That’s all that’s ever been on these islands. So please. I say again, how much?”

  “You know, there might just be one or two situations in life where I could be bribed,” Maria said, “but this wouldn’t be one of them.”

  “It took me a long time to convince the park people to open up another island to the public. I will not have that effort sabotaged by a couple of Americans that have no idea what it means to be a Galapagueno.”

  “Is that supposed to be some kind of threat?” Maria asked.

  “No threats. But I have friends. I can make things happen. If you work with me, you can benefit as well.”

  Estevez turned and walked away without any goodbye.

  “You know, sometimes I do wonder if Simon is right about us being in fiction,” Kevin said.

  “Why do you say that?” Maria asked.

  “Because that? That right there? That was such a cliché. The officious local politician who refuses to heed anyone’s warning. This is always followed by mayhem.”

  “You looked like you knew his name,” Maria said as they continued toward the bungalow.

  “Yep, I did,” Kevin said. “I have word from a contact of mine that several environmentalist groups currently have a lawsuit against him.”

  Maria snorted. “Of course you have a contact. You always have a contact. Simon would say it’s a plot device to tell me information I need for the story. What’s the lawsuit about?”

  “He did a very public stunt where he took an ax to a number of rare protected mangrove trees near his office.”

  “Why the hell would he do that?” Maria asked. Anyone else might have wondered what the big deal was. Maria, however, knew that mangroves growing near shores provided important, specialized habitats for certain marine communities. In the Galápagos, destroying mangroves might as well have been the same as slaughtering a group of endangered animals.

  “He claims he didn’t. He said he was just removing dead branches, despite the video on YouTube where you can clearly see he’s hacking apart very living vegetation. In case you couldn’t guess from the way he was acting, he has a tendency to put economics ahead of the environment.”

  “Uh, this is the Galápagos Islands. Aren’t their environment and economics the same thing? No rare animals and habitats, no tourist trade.”

  “See, you’re thinking with a long view. I don’t think that prick can think any farther than his wallet.”

  Maria stopped on the sidewalk, letting a number of tourists pass her by. Kevin kept walking for a few steps before he realized she was no longer at his side. “There a problem?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry,” Maria asked. “Are you okay?”

  For just a split second, she could see that he was not okay, but he immediately put up a mask to cover it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Maria kept her voice soft, gentle, a sign that she wouldn’t pry but wouldn’t ig
nore this either. “Yes, you do.”

  “It’s nothing. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

  “Kevin.”

  Kevin looked around them at the tourists, many of whom were now openly staring at them. He took her arm and pulled in between a café and yet another building advertising tours. “Okay,” he said, his voice so low Maria almost couldn’t hear him. “It bothered me. But it’s not a big deal. Really.”

  Maria wondered for a moment if she should push it. She was just about to decide that if he didn’t want to talk about it then she would let it slide, then he spoke again.

  “It’s just… It’s been years. It shouldn’t bother me anymore, should it?”

  Maria didn’t say anything. She figured this was the kind of situation where she could do the most by doing nothing but listening.

  “One word. One God-damned word. It shouldn’t hurt. It shouldn’t drive a knife into my gut and twist it. It shouldn’t make me want to grab a bottle of Jack Daniels and down the whole thing. I’m supposed to be stronger than that. And yet, apparently I’m not. And no one else gets it. No one else understands just how badly a single word can hit you.”

  Maria could see the tears forming at the edges of his eyes. She took his hands and squeezed them gently, yet still kept quiet.

  “Not ‘miss.’ Mister. Is that really so hard?”

  Maria wanted to speak, wanted to tell him that Estevez was a piece of crap whose opinion didn’t matter. But she’d had more than enough people try to say reassuring things to her during her recovery, not realizing that their attempts only made it worse, only emphasized to her that she was different now, that she would never be the same.

  Kevin had never done that. He’d just sat by her side and been her silent rock. So she followed suit, doing nothing more than touching him and letting him know that she was there. After Kevin took a few deep breaths, he nodded as though telling himself that he’d gotten past Estevez’s little insult.