Eleven

The next time Liam saw Mackenzie, she was halfway sticking out of the seaplane window, waving her arms.

“Yoohoo!” she yelled. “Lottie Airlines welcomes you aboard flight zero zero one, service to Marine Magic Funland!”

Liam grinned from behind the camera. He’d been filming all morning, trying to capture the chirping birds and bumbling boats along the green backdrop of the island.

That peace was broken now – and, somehow, only improved.

“It’s quite nice having a private plane to take you everywhere, isn’t it?” Liam said as he got in the back.

“Not with this pilot,” Mackenzie jerked her head to the side. “He’s been mouthing off all morning. I’m going to have to fire him and get someone else.”

“Ha!” Joey turned the engine on. “I’d like to see you try!”

Liam shook his head and buckled in.

It was a clear day. He sat back, catching incredible shots from the sky: the deep blue water speckled with lush green islands large and small; cliffs and bluffs and sandy shores; a huddle of seals on a rocky outcrop.

When they flew near Marine Magic Funland, he got a different sort of shot. Rows and rows of cars reflecting the sun in the blacktop lot. Looping, curling tracks of roller coasters. A round pool of bright blue water, a black whale stretched halfway across the surface.

They landed on a small airstrip near the park.

“I’m going to hang back,” Joey said, shutting off the plane. “I don’t need these people hitting me with a restraining order too.”

Liam turned to Mackenzie. “Should I expect a restraining order?”

“No.” Mackenzie paused. “Probably not. Are you worried about it?”

He smiled. “Not at all. I’m fairly certain your country’s laws don’t pertain to me. I only answer to King Charles.”

Mackenzie stared at him for a beat. “Right.”

“I’m kidding, of course. I don’t even like Charles.”

“Does anyone?” She cracked a smile. “The Marine Magic Funland people only went after my mom because she wrote the letter that set this whole thing off.”

“I don’t think Russell told me about any of it.”

She sighed. “My mom’s dad – my grandpa – was the one who accidentally caught Lottie in a fishing net and sold her off. My mom was just a kid when it happened, but it tormented her for years. Then, one day, she came to this park for work and walked right into her old friend.”

“Wow. Do you think she’d be willing to sit for an interview?”

“Probably. She’ll do anything for Lottie.” She waved goodbye to Joey and started walking. “Russell was part owner of this park. There are three others – a guy and a couple. The guy came around to the idea of retiring Lottie to a sea pen. The other owners are still salty about the whole thing.”

Liam nodded. “I see. And your mum – was she dating Russell at the time? When she found Lottie?”

“No. That’s a whole thing. I don’t think you have time for it in your documentary.”

“So you’re saying,” Liam said, keeping a straight face, “it’s a love story?”

“Yeah, sure.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, you should be safe, but if you notice anyone coming at you with an open can of paint?” She made a face. “Duck.”

“Will do,” he said.

They got a ride to the park’s front gate.

“We have to buy tickets to get in,” Mackenzie explained as they approached a window.

“Are you serious?” Liam said. “I thought Russell was an owner.”

“He is, but it’s become hostile with those other two.” She laughed and handed her credit card to the ticket agent. “Look,” she waved him closer. “They’ve got my mugshot hanging in there.”

Liam leaned in. She smelled of citrus and floral, clean and sharp. Her hair was tucked behind her ear, and she had such a delicate curve to her neck…

“See?” she said, pointing. “It must’ve happened after the last time I visited. Ha!”

He snapped his attention to the poster with her black and white photograph and the words REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO MRS. SMITT.

The checkout girl looked over her shoulder, then back at Mackenzie. “Oh! That is you.”

“Guilty. I’m Mackenzie Dennet. Nice to meet you.”

The girl’s hand hung in the air, her eyes wide. “Do you get to work with Russell Westwood?”

“I do.”

A smile spread across her face. “What’s he like? Do you have any funny stories?”

Mackenzie reached to take her credit card back. “He’s pretty funny, but he’s also a lot nicer than you’d expect. Like, overly nice.”

She grinned. “That’s so cool.”

“Have a great day!” Mackenzie said, stepping through the front gates. “And,” she said in a low voice, “he’s an annoying boss and a terrible planner, but we can’t let the enemy know that.”

Liam followed her and a man with a large camera approached them. “Would you like your picture taken?”

Mackenzie said, “No, thank you,” just as Liam said, “Absolutely.”

The flash popped, blinding them both. “You’re number 187. You can purchase a copy at the stand over there.”

Liam blinked, trying to find a corner of his vision that still worked. He could make out Mackenzie glaring at him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.

“I wanted a picture for my mugshot. You don’t get to hog all the glory for yourself.”

She laughed. “Come on.”

They wove through the park, gravel crunching underfoot as they passed walls of pink cotton candy and overstuffed whales hanging from stands. The sun felt more intense here—maybe from the lack of trees—and the screams of riders and the smell of frying oil hung heavy around them.

The whale stadium was tucked in the back of the park. Stairs led to the doors and paint was peeling from the handrails and walls. A pulldown metal gate blocked the entrance to the stadium, with a sign that read NO PERFORMANCES SCHEDULED.

“We can go around the side here. They’re expecting us.” Mackenzie walked to a door marked DO NOT ENTER and knocked.

It popped open and a woman peered out. “Mackenzie! It’s so good to see you. Come on in.”

“Hey, Inge. This is Liam.”

He waved a hello and caught one last shot of the entrance over his shoulder before the door shut.

He followed them inside. The stadium was lined with empty benches, wrapped around the tank, stacked to the sky.

Front and center in the water was Lottie, her black skin glistening in the sunlight, her mouth open and water lapping over a row of pointed white teeth. She raised her head out of the water, rolling her tongue and making clicking sounds.

“Whoa,” Liam whispered. He’d never seen an orca before, and certainly not this close.

Mackenzie and Inge chatted, but he couldn’t hear anything they were saying. He floated toward the tank, his camera dropping to his side.

“Hello,” he said softly when he reached the glass.

The waterline was at his eye level, and when he put his hand up, Lottie blew a misted breath in the air before ducking beneath the surface.

He leaned closer and Lottie turned on her side, looking at him for a moment. He smiled and a bubble blasted out of her mouth.

He jumped back, stumbling, before bursting into a laugh.

“Lottie likes to joke around,” Inge said with a grin.

“She’s unbelievable.” He walked back to the glass and put his hand near her nose.

She blew another bubble, then opened her mouth wide.

“It looks like she’s laughing at me,” he said, laughing himself.

“She is,” Mackenzie said. “She’s like, ‘I got you so good!’”

His entire torso could fit into her mouth. Her tail was two car lengths away.

“She’s beautiful,” he said softly.

“She is,” Mackenzie took a deep breath. “Inge, Liam is working with Russell to make a documentary about Lottie’s rehabilitation and release.”

“It’s nice to meet you!” Inge said. “Thank you for doing this.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” he said, tearing his eyes away from Lottie for the briefest of moments. “I’d love to talk to you about this process, maybe get something on film?”

“I’d love to! Right now, I spend about half my time here and the rest in the San Juans. We’ve been training Lottie to hunt fish. Her progress is blowing us all away! She’s been nabbing salmon in seconds, which is a huge improvement from before, when she kept playing with them.”

A voice boomed over the loudspeaker. “Mackenzie Dennet. You are to leave the premises immediately.”

Mackenzie rolled her eyes. “Here we go.”

A metal door clanked open, and a woman dressed head to toe in a lavender pantsuit emerged from the top of the stadium. Her shoulders were slightly stooped and she walked holding the arm of the large man at her side. Her chin stayed high and her eyes pulled narrow.

Liam picked the camera up and framed her in the center. This was going to be good.

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