by K D McNiven
“Because it’s you,” Captain Burke finished. “He obviously cares a lot for you.”
“Debatable, but enough of him. Was he able to find the tranquilizer guns?”
“It didn’t sound like things were going too good for him. He said he’s going to the zoo. Perhaps he plans on finding the equipment there that he needs. We’ll have to wait it out.”
***
Jake could tell Rourke had heard something disturbing while on the phone. His broad shoulders were still, his face tight with anger. Jake nearly had to run to keep up with his pace.
“Okay, buddy. What’s going on?”
“Can you believe it? The dive crew went down to station a camera and a Purussaurus showed up. If that wasn’t enough, Meg and that Jayden fellow decided to be heroic and dived a second time because a dolphin managed to get tangled up in one of the nets. They knew beforehand what danger they would have to face in order to set it free. I can’t even begin to understand why they would do something so irrational…and why in hell was the net deployed anyway?”
Jake hesitated a moment before replying. “Would you be reacting this way if Meg hadn’t been involved?”
Rourke flashed him a look that read, watch-where-you-tread, friend or no.
“Look, I know you, Rourke. You would have done the same thing. I’m just saying, Meg is impulsive…always has been. And I know I’m stepping on fragile ground, nevertheless, it’s clear you haven’t gotten over her.”
“Enough already,” he replied, jaw clenched. “The incident will be well enough behind in a few minutes. Let’s forget about Meg and get on with our business.”
Jake knew their history. Knew Rourke had never wanted the marriage to end. It had been Meg who had walked out. A year later papers were served. Not that he blamed Meg. She’d caught him in a compromising situation and though Rourke had been seven sheets to the wind, Meg wouldn’t let the incident go. Rourke had been devastated and had tried numerous times to contact her without any luck. She had moved on. Unfortunately, Rourke was still dealing with the aftermath and was too stubborn to admit it he still had feelings for her.
They hopped inside the rental jeep and made their way through the congested streets. Belém was not an easy city to maneuver. Traffic was bottle-necked, heavily congested, and though Rourke had become used to foreign travel this venture turned out to be his most frustrating one.
Jake had the map spread out over his lap, doing his best to direct Rourke, several times getting them off onto a wrong road, forcing Rourke to try to relocate the street they needed to be on. Fortunately, the zoo was located near the coastline, so they wouldn’t have to travel deep into the city’s interior.
Taking more than an hour, they finally drove into the zoo’s parking lot, tucked into an exotic setting of a rainforest. The sound of macaws and monkeys resonated in the steamy air, a drizzle soaking through their clothing.
Once inside, they located the manager, a friendly sort, sporting a pencil-thin mustache, dark skin, and greased back black hair. Rourke and Jake both towered over the slender man, whose smile would light up Grand Central Station. Cheerful as well. Rourke only hoped he would be willing to help them out.
He led them into a small open-air office and motioned for them to take a seat. “Would either of you care for coffee or water?”
“Water, please,” Rourke replied.
Water in hand, Rourke nearly gulped half the bottle down. He felt parched, the heat hot and sticky. He felt sweat streaming down his back and on his brow. With the back of his sleeve, he dabbed off the droplets.
After exchanging names and professions, Rourke said, “We’re looking for a large supply of tranquilizer and guns to administer it. We’re dealing with extremely large animals.”
“What species?”
Not wanting to detail what they were up to, he replied, “Caimans. An extra-large species we’ve recently discovered. Because we are doing an extensive study of these caimans, we will also require large cages to hold them captive, just for a short time, mind you. Of course, we are willing to pay you handsomely.”
The man, who introduced himself as Paul Escobar, cocked his head as if studying them to determine if they were on the up and up. After a short time, he seemed satisfied and nodded.
“It will not be inexpensive.”
“Expense is no problem. Whatever it takes. We will also have to have a flatbed truck to carry the cages at least to the waterfront. We intend to ship them to the site.”
“We have a vehicle. How many cages are you needing?”
“Three will be sufficient if you are able to part with them.”
He grinned. “For the right price.”
After coming to a financial agreement, the cages were loaded onto a truck, along with the tranquilizer and guns for administering the anesthesia. Rourke and Jake were relieved to have finally found the right person able to help them. Now, to find someone available to ship the cages.
The docks were swarming with activity. The scent of fish and salt permeated the damp air. It took a couple more hours of walking the docks to hire a small barge willing to take them back to where the research ship was anchored. The offer of excellent pay looked to be the key.
Chapter Eleven
⁂
Captain Burke first saw the barge approaching on sonar. He grabbed the mic to contact the ship and was relieved to discover Rourke and the supplies were on it. Everyone rushed to the deck awaiting their arrival, surprised when they spotted three large cages on the barge’s deck. It was clear they would need to use the crane to hoist the cages, then they would have to be dragged to shore to set them up. There was a sense of raw excitement and a sense of sheer terror, knowing they would finally be able to go in search of the Purussaurus.
After the barge moored itself to the research ship, Kyle lowered the zodiac and headed over to pick up Rourke, who stood speaking with the barge captain and looked to be handing over a wad of cash to pay him for seeing him back.
Working also as the resident technician, Cory had already begun to prepare the crane, mounted on the second-level main deck, port side. The boom swung outward across the water to the barge using hand-manipulated controllers. He lowered the auxiliary hoist line so the steep hook could be fastened onto the first cage, Rourke tying lines to keep the cage from swinging and causing any damage to the ship.
After an hour, the three cages had been moved onto the research ship and Rourke and Kyle headed back on the zodiac.
Meg waited on bated breath for the scolding she knew would follow Rourke’s boarding. And maybe it had been a foolhardy thing to do, but she wasn’t about to let an animal die when it would have been their fault for the net being down there to start with.
His eyes zeroed in on her as he made wide strides in her direction. Soon as they were face-to-face, he raised his hand for a high-five. “Great job setting the dolphin free.” A smile turned the corners of his mouth
Meg stood hands on hips, mouth dropped in surprise. She knew he had been fuming and she thoroughly expected a good tongue lashing. His compliment and smile totally contradicted what she’d overheard when he and Captain Burke had been speaking the day before.
“Who are you and what have you done with Rourke?”
He laughed. “Later.”
He headed over to where Captain Burke stood, directing the crew as to where he wanted to see the cages stored until they could get them to land.
“I have tranquilizer guns and a large supply of tranquilizer darts. Along with rifles and a couple of spear guns, we should be able to take down one of the beasts if they attack, which assuredly they will if we trespass their domain.”
“Good job. Sounded as if you were having difficulties finding what you wanted.”
“Boy, did I! However, the zookeeper bent over backward to accommodate me. And I have to say, I’m itching to get out there and have my curiosity scratched.”
“More anxious than I would be,” Captain Burke replied. “I admit, I kind
of like the safety of my ship.” Captain Burke turned to leave, stopped, and turned his head. “You will go easy on Meg, won’t you?”
Rourke grinned. “No worries.”
With a short nod, Captain Burke headed toward the pilothouse.
No sooner had the captain walked away, Meg approached Rourke, a perplexed look on her face. “Okay. What’s up?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. You were ready to blow a cork when you found out I went out to release the dolphin. Now out of the blue, you give me a high-five and tell me what a great job I did? I don’t get it.”
He leveled his gaze on her, his deep gray-blue eyes penetrating hers. “Jake heard the conversation I was having with Captain Burke. Afterward, he reminded me I’m as stubborn and impulsive as you…and given the same set of circumstances, I’d do the same. After chewing on it for a short time, I came to the conclusion he nailed me squarely on the head. In retrospect, I overreacted. You can relate to that, right?”
She bristled, thinking he had to get at least one dig in. She put both palms upward. “We’re good then?”
The abrupt turn around puzzled Meg. Maybe Rourke had changed over the past year? Whatever the reason, she welcomed his praise of her work. Since this was her first time leading a dive, it meant a lot to her that her efforts were appreciated.
“We’re good,” he replied. “Now, why don’t we all sit down and formulate a plan as to where to set the cages along the river. We will have to fuse two of the cages together considering the length of the Purussaurus. At nearly thirty-five to forty feet in length, the cage would be too short. If we can lure one of these beasts inside, at least we can positively identify it as a Purussaurus. Then we need to determine how many of them are roaming the rainforest and how the hell they survived the ice age. We will also need to set up several cameras near the site we select in case we do manage to snag one, or if some other wild creature happens to take the bait and gets trapped.”
“Good idea,” replied the captain. “We can monitor it here. I’d like everyone who goes out to have a hand radio to call for help if there’s a need. Jayden, if you’d take on the job of locating the right amount of radios and testing them out, that would be great.”
“I’ll get right on it, Captain.”
After dinner, they settled in and began a plan of attack. With the added equipment, all of them felt more secure going out in search of the Purussaurus.
“And what if we do come headlong onto one?” asked Kyle.
“The reason it’s so important we have things mapped out in advance,” Rourke replied. “I don’t want any of us going without some sense of protection, though I can’t promise nothing will happen to you. First off, all of you need to give thought to what we’re going to be doing and make sure you want to make that commitment. No pressure. If you choose not to go with the team it’s perfectly understandable. No one will fault you.”
A silent moment followed. They were taking his lead and contemplating whether it was worth the risk.
“What happens when the community gets wind of this? Do you think we’ll have to contend with sight-seers? It could be a real issue trying to make sure they’re safe on top of everything else.” Jayden swung his leg over the chair, sitting backward, and resting his elbows on the back. His gaze swept across the room. “I mean…we’re talking dinosaurs here.”
“I get your drift,” Rourke replied. “I can only hope people will keep a safe distance away. All we can do is warn them about the danger. We have no way to stop them from coming to investigate.”
Camilla sighed loudly, drawing attention. “I came to study water pollution. I never signed up to go dinosaur hunting. Granted, none of us saw this coming, but I’d like to tie up the loose ends on how the water is slowly turning into an ecological problem for the people who live here.”
“I understand your dilemma, Camilla,” Rourke said. “To satisfy that, the team can drive further upstream and see if we can’t find the culprit who’s dumping oil. When we do discover who is responsible, we’ll turn them over to the authorities, and they can follow up. How does that work for you?”
She nodded. “Sounds like a plan. As for going traipsing through the jungle…um, I think I’d feel much safer staying on board.”
“As I said. No pressure. We completely understand.”
“The hospital called and said Richard is much better. They are preparing to fly him back to the states tomorrow,” Captain Burke announced.
“The team should drop in and wish him well before he goes,” Meg said. “Maddy is holding up, though it has been stressful. She’s been sleeping on a cot in his room. She told me she was more than ready to get back home. It will take time for Richard to deal with the loss of his foot as well as weeks of therapy.”
“He’s persevering,” Jayden replied. “Knowing Richard, he’ll be back in the gym—no doubt trying to impress everyone with his bulging biceps and triceps.”
They laughed even though they knew it was true.
“When Jake gets back sometime tomorrow morning from Belém, I’d like to see if we can manage to get one of the cages to shore. It could be a bit challenging, so we’ll need as much muscle as possible.” Rourke searched the room, looking to see who volunteered.
“I’m in,” Jayden said. “Gotta say, I’m pretty pumped about finding a dinosaur.”
“Try to keep me away,” Kyle spoke out.
“No need to say how I feel about this.” Nothing could keep Meg from going. This would be the discovery of the century and having lived with Rourke for several years, her interest in paleontology had been fueled by his fascination.
Rourke looked over at Meg. Briefly, she thought he would demand she stay planted safely on board. Instead, he nodded and grinned.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Meg. You are the dive leader and though the circumstances have flipped, you still need to be an integral part of the team who goes out.”
“Thank you,” she replied, stunned.
Two other crew members who worked in the engine room, Darren Coffey and Jim Peterson, confirmed their interest in going along as well. Overall, they would have a strong team. They would need as many hands as possible and willing persons to handle the weapons.
“Luckily, we’re only dealing with one specific species. Just think if there were raptors and T-Rex’s to contend with?” chuckled Rourke.
Captain Burke sat quietly, his mind conjuring up all sorts of disturbing scenarios. Pictures of battling Purussaurus danced in his head. He imagined those who decided to go out and set traps were entertaining the same mental anxieties. It would be enough if it were large crocs they intended to snare, let alone other dinosaurs. He worried about the crew’s safety, but once they left the confines of the ship, he couldn’t guarantee that. A dilemma for a captain. Yet, he could not prevent them from going. Besides, they owed it to Richard to see this through. Hopefully without any further injuries.
After a scrumptious dinner of grilled fish, whipped potatoes and green salad, Meg went topside. A bit cooler this evening she pulled on a long, gray sweatshirt, slipped into black leggings and white converse tennis shoes. She settled on a long bench, covered with waterproof cushions and drew her knees to her chest. Circling her legs with her arms, she rested her chin on her knees and gazed out over the soft swells. A sheen of golden light capped the waves from the full moon. In the distance, she could hear the loud whooping of monkeys. A light breeze lifted her hair.
She couldn’t keep her mind from drifting. Tomorrow would be a big day, impossible to think ahead of it. She wondered what her first reaction would be if they came upon the prehistoric beast? She could not deny the thread of fear pulling at her emotions. In most situations, Meg tended to remain calm, unaffected. This, however, didn’t happen to be status quo and anticipation rocked her to the core.
“Everything okay?”
She didn’t need to turn her head to know who the voice belonged to. “I’m fine, Rourk
e. Feeling a bit restless is all.”
He took a seat in front of her. “Know what you mean. I’ve studied prehistoric bones and fossils for years. To think I might come face to face with one is a whole other matter. Exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.”
“Here I was, celebrating my first dive leader experience. I’ll never forget this one for sure.” His soft laugher, a warm hug to her. She hated to admit it, she was glad he had come. The prospect of working alongside him, almost as exciting as the discovery itself. “Thank you for not trying to protect me.”
“Excuse me?”
“By including me in the team going out tomorrow. I was positive you would make a fuss, and we’d get into an argument...the kind we used to get in to.”
He looked deep into her wide eyes. “I had to wrestle through it, to be honest, Meg. My first instinct was to protect you. Then it hit me square in the face. I have no right excluding you. It is your choice. Your life. And if you were anyone else…”
“You wouldn’t have dared tell them they couldn’t go?” she finished.
“Exactly. With that being said, I won’t stop caring about what happens to you, Meg.”
She smiled, tears gathering in her eyes. “I know, Rourke.”
“And about what used to happen between us…well, I’ve grown up a lot since then. You were right leaving me.”
“Rourke…I…”
He bent forward and placed a feather-light kiss on her brow. “Big day ahead. I’m going to retire for the evening. I’m not sure how much sleep I’ll get through.”
She watched him as he walked slowly toward the companionway, her heart skipping. Just when she thought she had gotten over him, he dropped back into her life unannounced, and all the old memories spilled over in her mind like a tsunami. With a long sigh, she got up and headed towards her cabin.
***
Jake yawned, blinking his eyes several times to keep his focus on the road. He reached forward, turned the radio dial but all he heard was static crackling in the speakers. It was going to be a long night he determined. It would have been much better if he had a traveling companion…someone who had the ability to talk non-stop to keep him awake. He would have preferred staying the night and travel in the daylight, though he knew everyone wanted to put their strategizing into motion. And how could he blame them?
