by Anna Martin
Getting his hands on the “dinosaur” leather in the first place had been the riskiest part of the entire process. Kit had gone through a number of different sites before he was confident enough to hand over several thousand dollars from his own savings for what was clearly a rough offcut of unfinished leather. The buyer didn’t need to know that was what Kit specifically wanted. The finishing process would further damage the leather, and they were already looking at a few days’ work to run all the tests.
The process was, in theory, fairly simple. They’d perform a DNA extraction on the sample, then compare the results to the existing dinosaur DNA database that Kit had helped to build.
“How badly does the tanning process damage the hide?” Leilani asked as they got to work.
“It depends,” Kit said. He was done documenting the leather in its whole state, so he’d cut off three tiny samples from different edges, so they’d have multiple results to use. “From what I’ve read, sometimes the leather needs a longer incubation period in order to extract the DNA. That’s why we’re going to run multiple tests.”
“But this is fairly raw material.”
She held the leather up to the light, running her finger over the grain.
“Yeah. I’m hoping that means we can get some results from the first sample and not have to wait on the others, which I’ll leave in the incubator for longer.”
“Is this the right color?”
“I think the treatment bleaches some of the color out.”
“Kit.” Leilani put the leather down and turned to him, crossing her arms over her chest. “This is oviraptor hide.”
Leilani’s no-nonsense attitude was one of the things Kit liked best about her.
“Yeah. I think so too. When Logan and I looked at the pictures, we thought it was dissimosaur at first.”
“It could be dissimosaur,” she conceded. “But the color is all wrong, and the scales are way too big. That would be either the biggest dissimosaur on the island, or….”
“Or an oviraptor. You’re right.”
Leilani nodded. “Yeah.”
“So let’s prove it.”
DNA extraction wasn’t a process that could be rushed. Kit ran through the familiar procedures, then set the samples in the incubator with a timer that would switch off after a certain amount of time. Then all he could do was wait.
Kit and Leilani got out of the lab late and, without either of them saying anything, headed straight to Bruno’s to order something for dinner.
“I’m exhausted,” Leilani said, leaning against the counter while Bruno sang loudly in the kitchen, making them Bruno’s Special Pasta.
“Me too.”
“When do you think…?” She glanced over her shoulder at the other people who were waiting for their orders, then raised her eyebrows to finish the question.
“I have no idea,” Kit said. “But my mother arrives in the morning, so hopefully we can find out from there.”
Kit had always been proud to be the kid of two moms. He loved learning about relationships from the two of them, loved feeling so secure that his parents were never going to break up, that they were strong, incredible women who excelled in their careers.
The pride only intensified when he watched his mama walk off the plane the next morning. She was wearing a suit dress, navy blue, and a blazer, with a delicate gold watch on her wrist.
“Thank you so much for coming,” Kit said, pulling her into a hug.
“I can’t think of anything more worthwhile.”
He grabbed her suitcase again, led her through to the customs hut, aware that there were already eyes on the two of them. Ellen greeted them warmly, just like she had before, but Kit thought she was maybe studying them too. Ready to report back to her boss.
Maybe Kit was just paranoid.
“Where’s Logan now?” Mama asked when they were in Logan’s Jeep. Kit hated driving it, but it was parked at the lab and Kit had left too late to go home and pick up his own car.
“He’s still in the cage.”
When he looked over, his mother was smiling.
“What?” Kit asked.
“Oh, he’s wonderful.” She sighed. “Your mom and I had a feeling, when we were here before. But I think he’s just wonderful.”
Kit laughed. “I think he’s an idiot.”
“How’s Dizzy?”
“She’s okay, I think,” Kit said. “Logan’s with her now, so I’m not worried. She’s better at being on her own, but she needs almost constant stimulation. Which is weird, for an animal that stands still to avoid predators.”
“But she doesn’t have any predators,” Marie said gently. “She hasn’t had any guidance from her own kind on how to behave. I’m guessing you two have been fussing over her? So she’s come to expect it.”
Kit pouted. “I guess.”
“Plus, she’s still technically an infant, right? You have plenty of time with her to work on some better behaviors.”
“I hope so,” Kit said.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
At her request, Kit took Marie straight over to the lab buildings, parking at the back closer to the basement. He wanted to ask how her flight had been, how his mom was, about his grandparents and work and life… but the words stuck in his throat, and Kit knew just what she’d given up to come here and be with him. In all the years they’d been married, his parents had rarely been away from each other for more than a day. Now, because of Kit, his mama was here and his mom was thousands of miles away.
Logan was lying on his back in the cage, reading a book Kit had sent down for him. Dizzy was methodically destroying a newspaper.
“Good afternoon, Dr. Beck.”
He startled, then beamed at her.
“Marie. It’s good to see you.”
“And you. I wish the circumstances were better.”
“Me too.”
She walked over to the cage, her heels clicking on the concrete floor, then smoothly crouched down to greet Dizzy.
“How are you both?”
“Dizzy’s bored. She usually spends a lot of time outside with me, and we’re cooped up most of the time. Except when I take her out so she can poop.”
“And you?”
“I’m going to need a really, really good back massage when I get out of here. Other than that, I’m fine.”
“I’m sure we can arrange that for you. Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
LOGAN WAS trying to work out a cramp in his left buttcheek when the two suits walked into the room. It wasn’t the most dignified position. He quickly shuffled into something slightly more appropriate than the “dog licking its asshole” yoga pose, though he still couldn’t sit upright.
“Dr. Beck.”
“Yes?”
They were two members of the board of trustees. Logan recognized them from their pictures in the main entrance to the labs. But he had no idea what their names were. The first was a beautiful, older Polynesian woman who wore her hair threaded with gray and carefully styled. The second was a man in his forties, Logan guessed, who wore glasses and had an overbite.
“My name is Karine Wa. This is Professor Michael Nunes.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Dr. Beck, please get out of the cage.”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, ma’am.”
She delicately folded her hands. “Why not?”
“Because I believe, very strongly, that this dissimosaur should not be kept in a cage. If she has to be in here, then I have to be in here with her.”
“Let me rephrase my request. Please get out of the cage, and bring the dissimosaur with you.”
“Oh, I can definitely do that,” Logan muttered to himself as he rushed to oblige.
Kit and Marie had taken a break to go and get Marie settled in the apartment Kit shared with Leilani. She’d take Kit’s room and he’d stay at Logan’s apartment until Logan was out of t
he cage, and possibly longer. They weren’t talking about anything past the end of the day just yet.
Once free, he stretched, satisfied when his back popped. Dizzy plodded out after him, then sat next to his leg and looked up at him as if to say “who the hell are these people?”
“We’re here to follow up with you on a number of matters that Mr. Johansson initially raised,” Nunes said.
“Where is Johansson?”
“He’s in another meeting. With our colleagues.”
Logan could read between the lines. Johansson had been pulled in to explain himself, and Logan was in the same boat. He just needed to convince Nunes and Wa that he wasn’t the one who should be blamed for this whole mess.
“I have legal representation,” he said, then immediately regretted it when Ms. Wa’s eyebrows raised.
“You do?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you should call them,” she said. “And meet us in the conference room in—is half an hour suitable?”
“That’s fine,” he said, reaching down to scoop Dizzy up into his arms before she actually started gnawing on his ankle.
Ms. Wa blinked, like she was only now realizing exactly what she was looking at. “That’s a dissimosaur.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Logan agreed.
“Is she… tame?”
Logan gave a noncommittal halfshrug. “She won’t bite, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Ms. Wa took a tentative step forward, then another, and reached out to brush her fingers over the frill on Dizzy’s head. It hadn’t yet flushed with color; Logan assumed that happened when they reached sexual maturity. And oh God, wasn’t that a thought—he might, one day, have to deal with a horny dinosaur.
“She’s beautiful,” Ms. Wa said softly.
“Yeah. She likes it if you scratch under her chin.”
Ms. Wa did as instructed, and Dizzy practically vibrated with happiness.
“The feathers?”
“She’s a bit scruffy right now, I know. I think she’s getting ready to lose her baby feathers and grow her adult ones in. She’s already shedding a few.”
Ms. Wa continued to pet Dizzy until Nunes coughed discreetly, and she almost jumped back in surprise.
“We’ll see you in half an hour, Dr. Beck,” she said and made a hasty retreat.
LOGAN IMMEDIATELY headed outside and texted Kit, not sure his phone had enough battery to last through a phone call. Dizzy was delighted to be out of the cage and out of the basement, and took the opportunity to attack a stray leaf.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re the apex predator,” Logan said, careful not to take his eyes off her. He thought it was unlikely he was going to let her out of his sight again anytime soon. Kit was just going to have to get used to sleeping with a dinosaur in the bed.
Logan really needed a shower and a change of clothes and, in an ideal world, a long nap. There wasn’t going to be time for any of that, though, so he grabbed Dizzy and headed to the nearest bathroom to clean up.
Logan found one of the single-stall bathrooms and locked them both inside. He peered at his reflection, noticing the dark circles under his eyes, the fine wrinkles, and the odd gray hair that he tried to ignore. He looked old, and he hadn’t ever felt old before. He was definitely too old to be sleeping in a dog cage on a basement floor.
He relieved his bladder, then washed up as best he could, running his fingers through his damp hair in a vain attempt to style it. There was just enough time for Logan to stop by his office and pick up his folder of evidence before he rushed over to the conference room with Dizzy in his arms. There was no point in trying to hide her anymore.
Kit and Marie were already waiting for him outside.
“Sorry,” he said. “Am I late?”
“Nope,” Marie said. “We have five minutes. Everything okay?”
“I think so. Did Kit catch you up on everything?”
“Yeah. We have news for you, too, but there’s no time,” Kit said. “You’re just going to have to trust me.”
“I do,” Logan said, and before he could say anything else, the door opened.
If Nunes was surprised to see Kit, he didn’t say anything.
“Come in.”
“This is Marie Sterling, my legal representative.”
Kit pulled out a chair for her while Logan set Dizzy down so she could explore the room. She was going to be feisty for a while yet, having been cooped up for so long. Logan just hoped she wouldn’t cause too many problems.
“Thank you, Dr. Beck,” Ms. Wa said. “Do you want to explain to us why you felt the need to bring Ms. Sterling and Dr. Sterling to this meeting?”
“There’s a lot of information I have for you,” Logan said. He was pretty sure he’d never been this nervous before. “Kit and Marie are here to help me give you that information.”
Ms. Wa nodded and made a quick note on the legal pad at her elbow. Logan wished his eyesight was good enough to be able to read it.
“Dr. Beck, I’ll start by letting you know why we asked you to meet with us,” Mr. Nunes said. “We were recently made aware that you had an infant dinosaur in your possession and appeared to be hand-rearing it.”
Logan didn’t say anything.
“We were asked by Mr. Johansson to verify this, to ask you how you came to be in the possession of the infant dinosaur, and to take appropriate steps following the discussion.”
“Mr. Johansson is already aware that we have the dissimosaur,” Kit said, his voice even. Logan allowed himself to glance over at Kit, who was wearing a crisp gray button-down shirt and dark gray wool trousers. He’d put his glasses on, too, and looked more presented and gorgeous than Logan had ever seen him before.
“You know this for sure?”
“Yes, I spoke with him about it,” Kit said. “During our previous meeting, he heavily implied that he would allow Dr. Beck and me to continue raising and observing the dissimosaur if Dr. Beck agreed to start hosting safari tours on the islands.”
Ms. Wa and Mr. Nunes exchanged a glance.
“Safari tours,” Ms. Wa echoed.
“Yeah,” Logan said. “He wants me to take rich people around the islands so they can get pictures of the dinosaurs close-up with their fancy cameras. I’ve done it before, in Kenya, and I told him when he asked that there was absolutely no way to do it safely on the North or West Islands. After thirty years of research, we’re only just scratching the surface of what we know about these animals.”
“You were attacked, a few months back,” Mr. Nunes said.
“Yeah. It wasn’t fun.”
Logan looked down at Dizzy, who was chewing on the lace from his boot. She seemed happy enough, so he left her down there.
“Mr. Johansson and I don’t see eye to eye on a number of matters,” Logan continued. “The safari tours are just the start.”
Marie pushed the folder that Logan had collated across the table.
“Logan and Kit have been working on this document,” she said, effectively taking control of the conversation. “It details their interactions with Mr. Johansson over the past few months, records of conversations, of requests he has made, and so on. It also contains Dr. Beck’s account of recognizing Mr. Johansson on a speedboat after finding a dead poacher on the West Island.”
“We only just found out about the poacher,” Ms. Wa said, her voice grim.
“There’s more than just one,” Logan said. “He absolutely wasn’t working alone. There’s a team of them, and I’ve identified the most likely route they’re taking to get on and off the islands undetected.”
“It also contains the results of tests Kit performed yesterday on a piece of leather, which was sold as dinosaur leather.”
At that, Mr. Nunes looked up at Marie sharply. “There is no such thing as dinosaur leather,” he said angrily. “It’s forged crocodile leather, or poor imitations.”
“No, it’s not, sir,” Kit said calmly. “I have the samples in my lab and my results are there for you
to see for yourself. I obtained an offcut of leather and tested it myself. It’s oviraptor hide.”
“You’re sure of this?” Ms. Wa said, leaning forward a little. “You’re absolutely sure?”
“Yes,” Kit said. “There’s no doubt.”
“Where the hell did you get it from?” Mr. Nunes demanded.
“I used an intermediary,” Kit said. “It’s all documented. I’m happy to turn myself in for knowingly handling stolen goods, if that’s what you want. But this is absolute proof that there are poachers on the islands, that they are hunting and killing dinosaurs, then selling the leather for profit.”
Mr. Nunes and Ms. Wa exchanged a look.
“Would you please excuse us, for a moment?” Ms. Wa asked.
Marie nodded and stood. Logan picked up Dizzy and let Marie usher them all out of the room.
“Holy shit, why didn’t you tell me?” Logan demanded when the door closed behind them. Marie held out her arms for Dizzy, and Logan handed her over. Marie immediately showered Dizzy with attention.
“I didn’t have time,” Kit said, holding up his hands. “I got those results maybe ten minutes before you called me. I did all the analysis on my phone, for fuck’s sake.”
“Oviraptor.”
“Yes,” Kit said. “Those bastards took an oviraptor. Probably several, and God only knows what other species while they were at it.”
Logan pressed a hand to his stomach, feeling sick. He was the head ranger here. It was his job to protect the dinosaurs, first and foremost. And he’d failed.
“Jesus,” he muttered.
Dizzy squawked at him, and he reached over to pet her from her perch in Marie’s arms.
“It’s going well,” Marie said reassuringly. “They knew more than I was expecting. They seemed to be more bothered about Johansson than they are about Dizzy, and if we can keep it that way, then great.”
Logan nodded. They weren’t out of the woods yet.
Ms. Wa’s “just a moment” turned into almost thirty minutes. Logan was exhausted and sat on the floor with his legs in a V, playing tug-of-war with Dizzy and the shoelace he’d given up possession of. Kit took one side and Marie the other, silently watching the two of them play.
