Mount Misery

by Angelo Peluso

  Rick thought for a moment and wondered, does he mean in ways other than sleeping with the lead marine biologist? He smiled and said simply, “I offer Ms. DiNardo my captain’s services whenever there is a need.”

  “And have you done so yet with this case?”

  “Other than drive her here this morning, no.”

  “Odd that you didn’t come with your partner, Nick? He’s been here for a while. Been taking measurements and snapping away photos for almost an hour now. Seems to be intrigued by what he found. Did you oversleep this morning? How about you, Captain?”

  “I’m here now,” she said, cutting him off.

  Nick Tanner spotted the trio chatting and rushed to the rescue not a moment too soon. “Morning, Katie. Hi Rick. You need to come check this out.”

  Katie walked away without so much as a glance at the detective.

  “Later,” Rick replied as he too left Detective Spinello standing alone.

  “That detective has been all over me,” Nick said in muffled tone. “He is pushing hard to get some answers. Said he’s attending a meeting later on today with other cops and town officials along the north shore to decide if they need to post warnings on the beaches for the Labor Day weekend.”

  “What are you finding, Nick?” Katie said.

  “These are our killers. Identical bite patterns just tore through these bass. Adult bunker as well. The bass found the bunker and the killers found the bass.”

  “I figured as much, Nick, based on what Ted told me and the experience Rick and I had last night.”

  “We have a tooth, Nick,” Rick said with a wide smile on his face.

  “Now this ought to be good. How?”

  “Last night they tried to eat me while I was in the water.”

  “Are you shitting me? You know what’s swimming around out here and you go in the water at night? Are you two crazy? And you, Katie, where the hell is your head?”

  “Not me, just him . . . the idiot,” Katie replied. “It all turned out okay and we got a tooth embedded in driftwood. Right after I finish up here, I’m going to call my friend Karen at Riverstone Lab and ask her to do a DNA analysis.”

  “I don’t even want to know how the tooth wound up in driftwood, but I’m almost certain these fish are a phenotype of some existing species. Let me see the tooth,” Nick said.

  Katie pulled the large tooth from her pocket and handed it to Nick. It was all too oddly familiar. Perfect match to the bite marks. “You are one lucky dude, Mr. McCord.”

  Katie felt somewhat relieved being one step closer to solving the problem but Nick’s conclusion did not provide an identity to the killers.

  “They are some kind of bizarre and brutal fish, Nick. That much I was able to ascertain from last night’s encounter.”

  “Katie, I’m thinking we need to put out a statement just warning folks to be cautious of large schools of aggressive fish. These things are getting more violent.”

  “I need to call, Ted. Then I need to bring this tooth over to the lab. The DNA mapping is the only way we will know for sure.”

  “I think that’s a waste of time, Katie. It could take a week or more to get the DNA results back. Even if your buddy expedites it, we are looking at three or four days, easy. And the big weekend is only three days away. I think we are on solid ground with our hypothesis that the culprits are fish. We need to declare our findings and have the department issue a public statement and warning. We need to protect our asses and the public.”

  Katie dialed a number on her cell. Three rings later: “Hello, Ted Gunther, Marine Fisheries . . . Ted, it’s Katie. I’m at Plover Dunes.”

  “What did you find?”

  “You are not going to like this, Ted, but what happened here was caused by the killer fish and Nick and I are now almost certain they are some mutated species. We think the department needs to issue a public warning for the holiday weekend.”

  “Your timing is just peachy, Katie. One of the biggest tourist weekends of the year and you want me to go public about killer fish in the Long Island Sound. I can see the headlines now.”

  “Ted, we just need to warn folks to be careful and if they spot any suspicious activity to get away from the water.”

  “Do you have any idea how this is going to fly upstairs? The two of you need to get back here right now and we are all going to call the commissioner.”

  “Ted, I need a favor. I’m going to call my friend Karen at Riverstone Lab and ask her to expedite a DNA mapping of the tooth we found. If you could make a call to her superior, it might grease the skids and get the results back before the weekend.”

  “Katie, you are asking me for a small miracle. Holiday weekend, a test that normally takes a week or more to do right, and you want it in two days. I’ll see what I can do, but you and your sidekick get your butts back here on the double.”

  “Okay, but I’m going to drop this tooth off first . . . Rick, you need to drive me to the lab. And Nick, you need to get back to headquarters. I’ll meet you there when I’m done. We have to huddle up with Ted about the press release. Give some thought to what we might want to say.”

  “You mean beyond the fact that beach goers should keep their asses out of water because there are one-hundred-pound fish in the Sound killing people, dogs and anything else that gets in their way. Okay, I’ll give some thought to how we might sugarcoat that.”

  The trio began to walk from the beach, but as they did, Detective Spinello blocked their paths. Katie knew their escape would not be an easy one without some explanation.

  “So what have the esteemed marine biologist, ichthyologist, and fishing guide concluded? This certainly was not perpetrated by some small baby bluefish, now was it?”

  Katie was suspicious of Spinello’s implication and chose her reply carefully: “Detective, we need to take these findings back to our headquarters and conduct further evaluations. We are still not fully certain what is behind all this and any conclusions that might be drawn have to be tested and validated.”

  “Well, Dr. DiNardo, there is wide gap between suspicion and knowing for certain. By this time, you must have an idea. Scientific process aside, if you had to make a guess right at this very moment, what would it be?”

  “I’m a scientist, Detective, not one for outlandish speculation or guesses. As you do, I deal in facts and evidence. Too much is at stake here if we suggest the wrong opinion.”

  Detective Spinello wasn’t about to let go without pressing the issue further. He was a highly decorated police officer whose track record included solving a number of very high profile and challenging crimes. He was instrumental in providing the FBI and CIA with dead-on leads that resulted in the infiltration of a Long Island–based terrorist cell with the arrest of more than a dozen covert operatives. Spinello was a street-smart cop, growing up in the Brooklyn where many of his childhood friends moved on to less than distinguished careers with the mob. Most of them were now away at “college” serving twenty-to-life. He learned the real-life game of cops and robbers at an early age and could have been swayed to the dark side had his family not moved from Brooklyn to Long Island during Spinello’s early high school years. His parents enrolled him in Saint Patrick’s High School, where he excelled at sports and academics. It was at Saint Pat’s where Spinello decided he wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. He attended John Jay College and was graduated first in his class.

  “Forgive me, but I just can’t seem to understand how all this talent can’t come to a conclusion about what did this and if it is related to the other deaths and events. What’s so tough? I’ve solved murders in less time!”

  Nick jumped in. “Look, Detective, there are a lot of variables at play here. On the surface this seems to be the work of some form of marine life. The exact species we can’t say for certain just yet. Some of the analysis that needs to be conducted to verify our observations is complex and takes time to finalize. I’m hopeful that before too long we will have an answer or at least
some more conclusive evidence. That’s the best we can do.”

  “Before too long? And how many more massacres like this one will we have to endure until then? Maybe next time, it will be a group of school kids out for a swim and not striped bass.”

  Rick was beginning to get antsy and Katie was reading his body language. He didn’t tolerate interrogation and, if this went on much longer, he was certain to say or do something they would all regret. He was not one for authority figures.

  Katie spoke. “Detective, we have a lot of work ahead of us. We really need to get moving. You’ll be the first to know.”

  “I’m sure we will talk soon, Dr. DiNardo. Enjoy the rest of your day. You too, Fishing Guide Rick.”

  “Asshole,” Rick mumbled as the trio walked from the beach.

  “He’s only doing his job, Rick. But something tells me he knows more than he is letting on. I gotta call Karen about this tooth, pronto.”

  CHAPTER 24

  The phone rang twice. A woman answered. “Hello?”

  “Karen, it’s Katie. How are you?”

  “I’m fine. It’s been a while. What are you up to?”

  “I’m saddled with this complicated and high visibility case and I need some help. Got a favor to ask.”

  “As long as it doesn’t involve a felony, I’m game,” Karen said.

  “I need you to map some DNA from a fish tooth. And to do it as fast as you possibly can.”

  “I heard some of the scoop about all this. The scientific community is hearing lot of chatter about some bizarre occurrences in the Sound. And I heard you were in the middle of it. As a matter of fact, your boss called my boss just a little while ago and asked if we might help out. Sounded urgent. Said you’d be calling me with the details. Want to fill me in?”

  “Well, now. I’m impressed at Ted’s initiative. I’m over by Plover Dunes and can be at the lab in about twenty minutes. I’ll give you the details when I see you.”

  “Okay. I’ll call security and get you on the visitor’s list. They’ll give you a pass and I’ll meet you at the entrance to the Visitor’s Center.”

  “Can you make it two passes? Rick is driving me.”

  “You back with him again? Thought that whole fling was over and done with. Guess he’s really gotten inside your head, sweetie. That guy can be trouble. But if that is what you wish, two passes it is. See you in a bit.”

  The Riverstone Lab was founded in the late 1940s as a multidiscipline, national research facility. Over the course of its existence, the scientists received numerous Nobel Prizes. The facility houses several research labs for a staff of thousands, including scientists, engineers, and support operations. While most of the Lab’s charter and mission remained within the realm of energy and physics research, the lab maintained an active biology department that focused on genome and DNA research.

  Karen Hammond was employed in the DNA Unit. Her friendship with Katie extended back to their childhood. They attended the same preschool, middle school, and high school. Coincidentally, in high school they finished their senior year as numbers one and two in their class. Katie was valedictorian and Karen salutatorian. They were also both all-county players on the girl’s lacrosse team. That closeness and likeminded makeup prompted their schoolmates to refer to them as the “K&K Twins.” Karen obtained her PhD in molecular biology from the State University of New York, where she also did her undergraduate work. She’d been employed at the lab since her PhD. Her area of expertise related to cellular responses to environmental influences. Although she has had numerous offers to work in the private sector, Karen’s love of pure science and research kept her well anchored at the government facility. For her, it was an ideal environment to pursue admirable career goals defined by her strict research parameters. While the private sector of the US economy would eventually benefit from discoveries and research made at the lab, the profit motive was not Karen’s prime mover. For her, it was the journey toward new discoveries that motivated her scientific findings. Results were her reward. While the lab was the recipient of numerous private foundation and corporate research grants, Karen was able to insulate herself from the eventual commercialization effects of her DNA research. At this stage of her career and life, she was a purist, not yet seduced or corrupted by the almighty dollar.

  The armed guard at the entrance to the lab asked to see two forms of identification from both occupants of the vehicle, and the vehicle registration. Rick produced his driver’s license and a photo ID card from The Wholesale Outlet as well as the DMV vehicle registration. Katie presented her driver’s license and her work ID badge from Fish and Game. “We are here to see Karen Hammond.”

  Without so much as an acknowledging glance at either Katie or Rick, the guard took all IDs to the guard shack and entered information into a laptop that sat upon a wedge-shaped bench. He double-checked the registration against the license plates. Seemingly satisfied, he re-entered the guard shack and printed two visitor’s badges. Handing Rick and Katie back their respective IDs, he added, “Please peel off the backing and affix the badge to the upper left-hand side of your chest, above the shirt-pocket area. The passes are valid for today only and must be returned upon your departure. Do you need directions?”

  “We are meeting Dr. Hammond at the admin building.”

  “Straight ahead, first left, and then the first right. You’ll see a sign for the visitor’s parking lot. Please park there. Enjoy your day.”

  “Thank you.” A little more efficient than the typical rent-a-cops you find at places like this, Katie thought.

  As they pulled away from the guard shack, Rick couldn’t resist a dig. “Katie, I think you need to reposition that badge on a bit higher on your chest. It shouldn’t be resting on your boob like that. The middle of your name is kind of pointy.” Rick laughed.

  “Rick, buzz off. I’m really in no mood for your silly jokes right now. Karen knows who the hell I am. Pay attention to your driving. Make the first left and the first right. There’s the building, and there’s Karen standing out front. Prompt as usual. Park this thing.”

  “Prompt? You mean anal . . .”

  “Hey there, K1, how goes it? Nice to see you. Nice to see you too, Rick.”

  Rick nodded.

  “Right back at you, Savage. Thanks for getting us in here. Is there a place we can talk?”

  “There’s a small cafeteria inside. We can sit and talk quietly. I don’t think we have any tours today.”

  Karen had been given the nickname “Savage” in high school, but not for the aggressive nature of her lacrosse play or academic competitiveness. Due to their high school rankings, the K&K Twins were individually referred to as K1 and K2. Since Katie’s grade point average was slightly higher than Karen’s, she was designated as K1. Both girls were in the same advanced biology class. Their teacher was an avid mountain climber. When he overhead Karen referred to as K2 by one of the other students, he told the class that K2 is the second highest mountain on earth, only surpassed by Everest. The teacher advised that K2 is also known as the Savage Mountain. The Savage part stuck. Katie would always toy with Karen that even with nicknames she was number one. Karen was quick to remind her best friend that although Everest was the higher of the two mountains, K2 was unquestionably the most dangerous and difficult climb. She’d always add with a mischievous smile, “Not many make it on top of K2!”

  Rick went to get coffee while Katie and Karen found a table in the cafeteria. Katie removed the large tooth from a plastic bag and handed it to Karen.

  “The fish it belonged to and his buddies tried taking a chunk out of Rick’s ass last night. Almost got him.”

  “Too bad. What kind of fish do you think it was? It obviously had bad eyesight.”

  “From all the evidence I’ve seen, I’m inclined to say it is some phenotype or mutated form of fish. I need you to help me prove it.”

  “So there’s a school of these things?”

  “My guess is that there are numerous hun
ting pods that belong to a much larger school. They most likely break into packs to hunt and then reassemble into a larger community once they’ve fed. We have no idea how many fish there are but the ones that tried to eat Rick seemed to number about a dozen. Weird fish, Karen . . . big head and glowing yellow eyes. It appears for the moment the fish are only in the Sound. So far no reports of any similar incidents along the south shore. But that could change in the next hour or with the next tide. My guess is these are pelagic fish and roam wherever the hell they want. We have a little experiment going on this weekend with some of Rick’s captain friends to see if we might get a handle on them.”

  “Now that ought to be good. From what I’ve been hearing through the grapevine, your incidents are more like mayhem, mutilations, and massacres. Hope you don’t add to the death toll with your experiment.”

  “Gruesome would be the perfect description. I’ve never seen anything like this before, Karen. Not even with shark attacks.”

  “That’s lovely. How long has this been going on?”

  “Started about a week ago. Now that we are coming up on the holiday weekend, we need to be sure of our facts before going public. Based on what I’ve seen and what my partner and I have concluded, we need hard evidence before breaking this news. All this could sound like a bunch of science mumbo-jumbo, and if we aren’t careful, there could be a panic.”

  “I’ll extract samples from the root pulp. That should give us our best results.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “Typically with tissue of this type maybe five days, but we have some new analysis technology under development at the lab that involves direct visualization of DNA using nanotechnology and electron microscopy. If I can get clearance to use it, I might be able to have this done in about two days. Can you live with that?”

  “If that’s the best, it’ll have to do.”

  Karen would use an extraction process that first breaks down the cell walls of the pulp tissue to gain access the internal genetic material. The pulp sample would go into a piece of equipment known as an Eppendorf tube with a detergent and enzyme proteinase. The solution would break down the tissue sample’s cellular structure and nuclear membrane and ultimately release the DNA. A lab tech would add a salt solution containing isopropyl alcohol and place the tube in a centrifuge. The effects of centrifugal force cause the deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA, to separate from solution and clump into strands. The DNA would go through the centrifuge again, forcing the strands to bind together, then removed and allowed to dry. When complete, the DNA extracted from the tooth pulp would be ready for analysis to determine the origins of Katie’s fish.