Chapter 12
"Well, this is no great white," Jay said, looking down his nose through oval spectacles at the remains.
"So what is it?" I asked.
We all lifted surprised brows.
"You mean it's going to get bigger?”
"Much,” Jay said in a grave voice.
"How can you tell?"
"Look at the number of serrations on the tooth. Juveniles have more than adults. Plus, the bourlette is thick and prominent. Another indication this came from a juvenile.”
“A juvenile what?”
Jay’s brow knitted, perplexed. "I'm not sure. The serrations are asymmetric and even doubled in areas. That's indicative of a great white.” He showed me. "Look at the lingual side. See this deep, V-shaped groove. That's a telltale sign of a juvenile megalodon.”
I lifted another surprised brow. "Megalodon?”
"The megalodon first appeared 23 million years ago in the early Miocene period.
They swam in the ocean for nearly 20 million years before going extinct.
Juveniles thrive in warm water, and the collapse of warm water nursery habitats aided in their demise.
They lost out to smaller, more adaptable predators.
" He lifted an intrigued brow. "The warm waters of the Keys would be a perfect habitat for a juvenile. "
"You’re not really trying to tell me that a massive prehistoric shark is swimming around the waters of Coconut Key.”
He laughed. "No. That would be ridiculous.” Then he added, “Unless...” Jay’s mouth tightened as he thought.
“Unless?”
“I think we may be looking at a hybrid.”
“A hybrid?” In a voice full of skepticism, I said, “Are you trying to tell me someone crossed the DNA of a great white and a megalodon?”
Jay shrugged, curious. “We won’t know until the DNA comes back.”
“Why on earth would anyone do that?” JD asked.
“To make a more efficient predator,” I quipped.
“Possibly,” Jay said. “Maybe they just wanted to see if they could. There are several gene splicing programs going on right now, all over the world. Some that may shock you. A US-based researcher is working with the Chinese splicing human DNA into macaque monkey embryos to grow human-compatible organs. There are organizations using CRISPR splicing to edit pig embryos for the same purpose. This is happening right now that we know about. Just think of what’s going on in black sites across the globe.
” Jay paused. “The future is both exciting and terrifying.”
“Modifying a shark with prehistoric DNA can’t be legal,” I said.
“Of course not. That’s why much of this activity happens across the globe in clandestine labs.
Any genetic modification of an animal would need FDA approval.
It’s considered a new animal drug. There are applications, pre-market approvals, environmental impact studies, you name it.
Any modified animal would be considered a non-native species according to the FWC.
I can’t imagine the bureaucratic nightmare the approval process would be.
There is just no way to legitimately do this in the States. ”
“Which is why they did it illegally,” I said. “What do you know about the Aqus Marine Science Center?”
Jay shrugged. “I believe they specialize in conservation and tracking of marine life, including sharks. Why?”
I shared a look with JD, then said, “That was Andrew’s employer.”
That hung there for a moment.
It was easy enough to find Andrew’s employment information online. I’d read his profile on CareerLink.
I told Brenda to contact me as soon as the DNA results came back.
We said goodbye to Jay and Brenda, left the ME’s office, and headed across town to break the news to Mrs. Holt. She lived at 854 Spinnaker Lane in Conch Cove.
It was a nice neighborhood with quaint homes, manicured yards, and expensive cars. It wasn't Stingray Bay or the Platinum Dunes, but it was nice.
Jack parked at the curb. We hopped out and pushed through the white picket fence and strolled the red brick walkway up to the veranda. The mint green home with white trim looked cozy. Guarded by two tall palms, an American flag hung from a column out front.
I knocked on the door, but there was no answer.
I knocked again and still nothing.
I dialed Isabella and asked her to track Mrs. Holt's phone. With a few taps of the keys, she told me the widow was in Los Angeles.
I called the sheriff and let him know. He would call the LA County Sheriff's Department, and they would do an in-person notification if they could track her down.
We walked back to the car, hopped in, and decided to head over to Aqus.