Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
A few minutes later she heard Lachlan approach. Opened her eyes as he sat on the seat in front of her. “Tough one today,” he said.
She nodded.
“I know something that might cheer you up, though. Slater might not be your favorite person, but he just left us a big tip and a glowing five-star review, particularly about you.”
“Really.” She couldn’t help sounding skeptical.
He read from his phone. “Dr. Xanthe Lazos is a world-renowned cetacean expert specializing in the Southern Resident orcas who frequent the Salish Sea. Her knowledge, passion and professionalism made this already enjoyable tour outstanding. She is to be commended for her work and dedication to protecting these majestic animals.”
She grunted, secretly pleased by the praise, but annoyed that she cared about Slater’s opinion of her at all. He hadn’t mentioned the incident, somehow knowing how sensitive it was. His intelligence background at work, no doubt. “How big?”
“Five hundred.”
Huh. “That’s not terrible.” It was the biggest tip she’d ever gotten. By a lot.
“Each.” Lachlan grinned. “Dinner and drinks on me anyway.”
Despite her exhaustion and shit mood, she found herself smiling. “I won’t say no to that.”
They packed the last of the gear away and started up the dock together. She slowed when they saw the cluster of people standing at the far end near the promenade. “Is that…a camera crew?”
“Looks like.”
“What do they want?” She ran a hand through her hair and kept going. Shit, had Slater leaked about Onyx after all?
“Dr. Lazos?” A woman with perfectly done hair and makeup approached, dressed in a sharp navy jacket and pantsuit.
“Yes?”
“I’m Kathy Dunning from King County News, Seattle.” She held a microphone toward Xanthe. “I understand you saved an injured humpback last night.”
“We successfully freed an entangled male humpback, yes,” she answered, shooting out a hand to grab Lachlan’s sleeve as he tried to keep walking past them.
She hated interviews, too, but this would bring regional and potentially national coverage once it hit social media. Their reach was far greater than hers, and the more people they educated and made care about the whales, the better. Dinner and drinks on him would just have to wait a bit longer.
“This is Lachlan McCaffrey, former Coastguardsman and the owner of Skeleton Island Sea Tours. He captained the boat and took turns with me trying to cut the rope.”
“But you were the one to successfully free the whale?” the reporter asked.
“In the end, that’s how it turned out. But Lachlan and I took turns for hours when we got close enough to the animal to attempt freeing it. Without his skill and commitment, the humpback would still be entangled.”
She could feel the weight of his discomfort as he stood there in his fleece jacket bearing his company logo. Poor guy was practically squirming in place.
Too bad. He was a hero in her books and deserved the credit. Because Lord knew he would never draw attention to himself or take credit for what he’d done.
The reporter pushed the microphone his way. “Can you tell us about the rescue?”
He stared at the mic for a moment, frozen. “It was a long rescue.”
“How long?”
He shot a look at Xanthe. You’ll pay for this. “Fourteen hours?”
“That’s a very long time,” the woman said when Xanthe nodded.
“Yes. We had help from the Coast Guard initially, then a lot of civilian volunteers with their private vessels when the call first came in.”
“Then what happened?”
“The Coast Guard had to leave to respond to a distress call off the Olympic peninsula. A lot of the other boats remained, but the weather deteriorated over the afternoon.”
“But you stayed.”
“Our boat is a former Coast Guard vessel, and unlike the civilian vessels assisting yesterday, it’s built to operate in bad conditions.”
The reporter nodded and angled the mic back toward herself. “Getting that close to such a large wild animal must have been dangerous.”
“We were lucky that he was tired and cooperative. Dr. Lazos can tell you more about the specifics of the entanglement,” he added, looking at her with a triumphant gleam in his eyes.
She almost smiled. Kept her professional armor firmly in place as the reporter turned back to her for more questions.
The reporter nodded at her answers, then paused and put a hand to her ear. “I’m just getting word that the female killer whale who became famous for carrying her dead calf has lost her new one. Can you confirm?”
The question threw Xanthe off guard so badly she scrambled for a moment.
Word had spread quickly, and much as she disliked Slater, she didn’t think he had anything to do with this.
“The name killer whale is misleading, inaccurate, and we don’t use it due to its negative connotations. Orca is the proper term.”
“Okay, then, can you confirm that the same female orca has lost another calf?”
“Her name is Onyx. She’s a matriarch within K Pod, one group of our Southern Resident orcas.” She drew a breath. “And yes, sadly, I can confirm that her young female calf Nova has died sometime within the past twenty-four hours.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Can you also tell us how the current development proposal for a luxury resort here on the island is affecting you and your team?”
Wow, this one wasn’t pulling any punches. But this was an opportunity she could try to capitalize on. “A development company has purchased the land our research facility sits on. If this proposal is passed, it will mean eviction, and the station will be torn down.”
The woman nodded. “And when will that decision be made?”
Her gaze strayed toward the boardwalk for a moment, but there was no sign of Slater. “We’ll find out when the city council votes on Monday evening.”