Shark Eater

by K D McNiven

  She regretted that the pirates had escaped and were still free to kill. The very thought of the police officers’ lifeless bodies made her heart sink, and she couldn’t seem to wipe the scene from her mind.

  CHAPTER 5

  Tallahassee, Florida

  The following day, after a hearty breakfast, Decker and Callie decided to walk to the Institute for some much-needed exercise. The day was warm ushering in a slight breeze that left them feeling invigorated. The floral scent in the air from the surrounding flowers and spring trees in bloom made for a perfect day.

  They were pleased that the documentary was moving along quickly and hoped the day would be productive. It was now only a matter of piecing together the interviews, the narration, and video tape, then blending all of it with a selection of musical intervals Lars had selected. All in all, after viewing the clips from the day before, they were all in agreement they’d clearly hit the mark on what they’d wanted to achieve.

  Once inside the recording studio Decker and Callie found Lars already hard at work. He nodded a greeting as they strode up beside him. He had been splicing all morning and was nearly finished. There were already two empty espresso cups on the already cluttered table, and Lars was his usual wound-up self.

  “I can’t believe yesterday’s interview went without a glitch,” Lars said, looking up when they entered. “I went back over everything, and it was as if you two had memorized a script. I wish every taping went so well.”

  “You made it easy,” Callie said. “We were absolutely relaxed. No pressure at all.”

  Lars chuckled, understanding her meaning. He had learned over the years, when people were pushed to meet deadlines or had to deal with incorrigible producers and directors, the stress could take its toll on the participants, and the film quality usually reflected it. Not everyone was as undemanding and laid back as Lars and Brae. Lars understood the more a person was at ease during a shoot, the better quality he’d end up with, and the quicker the project would be completed.

  Decker was also relieved that it wouldn’t take a lot more of their time. Garrett and Holly’s wedding was closing in on them fast, and there was plenty that had to be done, not to mention that the Jade, their seventy-foot Hatteras yacht stationed in Miami, would be anchoring in Malibu for a short stop over before heading to Hawaii. He was anxious to see the crew.

  Leland, the narrator, was already setting up in the studio to interview the last couple of people. Once that was done Lars could pull the rest of his video together, and with any luck, he would be finished compiling everything by the next day. That was if everything went according to his schedule. If it did, Decker and Callie would be free to head back to Malibu.

  Taking a break, Decker, Callie, and Lars left the conference hall and walked into the main office and were surprised when they saw Dax Drake and a young woman enter through the front door. They had never formally met Dax but had read a couple of articles he’d written and seen some photos he had taken on a couple commissioned salvage jobs.

  “Dax Drake.” Decker extended his hand.

  It took a moment for Dax to recognize Decker, but when he did a wide smile parted his lips. “Decker Hayden, what an incredible surprise. I never thought I’d meet you here. And this must be your lovely wife, Callie.”

  Callie shook his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

  Dax was a bit enamored. Decker and Callie were the la crème de la crème in the world of archaeology. They were highly influential and had discovered several sites that had earned them an exceptional reputation among archaeologists. Especially the Paleolithic cave they’d discovered near the Lascaux Cave in southwest France. It was one of the several caves found in that area that the UNECO (United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization) placed on the World heritage site list protecting it from treasure hunters and looters.

  Dax was several years younger than Decker and Callie and didn’t have the fame they did. However, he’d carved out his own niche in underwater archaeology and had become highly respected in that community for his integrity and stance on protecting historical artifacts.

  “I’ve read so many articles about the expeditions you’ve gone on. Have to say, I’m a tad bit in awe. Are you working on something here in Tallahassee?” asked Dax.

  “We’re involved in a documentary Lars is shooting,” explained Decker. “Its primary focus is on the Shipwreck Trail. It’ll be used as an educational tool to teach the upcoming generations the importance of shipwreck preservation.”

  “A noble cause.” Taking a step back and turning toward his companion, he added, “I almost forgot, this is Karina Gustoff. She’s been with me on a salvage near the Turks and Caicos Islands. Karina, the Haydens.”

  “Who needs an introduction,” she said. “They’re nearly celebrities!”

  “Nice to meet you, Karina,” Callie said, pressing forward to shake her hand.

  “Please, call me Kat. Most people do.”

  “Okay, Kat it is.”

  “My pleasure,” Decker added with a nod. “What’s your field, Kat?”

  “Biological oceanographer.”

  “I’m impressed.”

  She smiled warmly. “That was the main reason for going along with Dax. There was a small oil spill, and I wanted to do field testing to monitor the danger to the wildlife in that particular area. Thankfully, it cleaned up without too much damage. That’s not always the case.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Decker sighed.

  Dax turned to Lars who was leaning against the door jam. “Lars, good to see you. Certainly has been a while, mate.” He stretched his arm out and shook Lars’s hand vigorously.

  “More than a year,” Lars agreed. “I was a bit shocked this morning when I read in the paper about two police officers being shot and killed, and that the Shark Eater had a couple of pirates board it outside of Miami. Sounded like a dangerous situation you walked into. Glad you came out unscathed.”

  “Me too!” Dax said. “It was unfortunate the two of them escaped.”

  “Are you okay?” Callie said, noticing the scratches on Karina’s face.

  “It was a harrowing experience, but I’ll be fine.”

  Changing the subject, Lars asked, “What brings you to OCHI?”

  Unable to hide his excitement, Dax described to the small group in brief what they had found. “Problem is, I don’t have the funding to explore it. So, here I am, anxious to fill out one of the forms for a grant. A giant grant at that—since my ship has a few rounds of bullet holes in her now.”

  “That’s an extraordinary discovery, Dax,” Decker said after the young man filled them in on all of the details. “Tell you what. Go shuffle the papers and then meet Callie and me in the conference room. I’d like to discuss the shipwreck with you over a meal.”

  “I know the perfect place,” Dax informed them. “I’ll catch up with you when I’m done. Good to see you again, Lars.”

  “Ditto.”

  It was mid-afternoon when Dax had his paperwork filled out and met Decker and Callie in the hall. They had wrapped up the last-minute details on the documentary, and Lars assured them they could leave. Decker had invited Lars to join them, but he had to decline because he had more to finish up before meeting up with Brae.

  Dax had a rental car and offered to chauffeur Decker and Callie to the restaurant. Dax’s enthusiasm had not diminished even though he wasn’t sure he’d receive the grant he so desperately needed. He was tenacious as a bull about moving forward and determined that nothing short of heart failure would stop him.

  The restaurant was only a few minutes away from Governor’s Hotel. The place was called Beard’s Fish and Lobster Pot. A simple place with an awning and a few picnic tables underneath. There were large black and white tiles on the floor and painted on the walls for contrast were murals of fishing boats being tossed over navy blue waves. But what caught their attention was the menu. Dax helped them out by saying, “the burgers are humongous. And the oysters can’t be beaten.�
�� In the end, they all ended up ordering plates of oysters and had to admit they were some of the best they had eaten.

  “So,” Decker said, “you believe your findings might be one of the Spanish ships lost during a hurricane below the Turks and Caicos Islands?”

  “I do. There weren’t any shipwrecks reported bearing the same coordinates according to the NOAA’s reports. The ship was blown off course and broke apart on the shallow reefs which is why it hasn’t been discovered. In fact, there are three galleons that have yet to be found. I have to wonder if they all might be in the same vicinity.”

  “That would be an amazing find,” Callie said.

  “I agree,” Decker said. “There could be evidence of more than one ship or at least some artifacts carried by the currents.”

  Dax tipped one of the oyster shells and let the slippery mass slide down his throat. He took a sip of beer, then grinned widely. “Providing they give me the grant, I don’t suppose you two might want to join me on board and do some diving?

  Decker glanced over at Callie and could see the excitement dancing in her eyes. “I’d like to go a little deeper than that and help you with some of the financing.”

  Dax looked taken aback. It never even occurred to him that they would even consider financially backing him. “I’m at a loss for words, mate,” he said. “And for me, that’s an unusual phenomenon.”

  Laughter followed.

  “We do have a wedding to attend, so I’m not available for a couple of weeks. But we can fly back and join you. Unless you need to leave earlier than that.”

  Dax shook his head. “I’ll have to sit on my hands while I wait to see if the OCHI wants to risk opening their pocket book on this venture. If not, I’ll also go to the USRF or the NOAA and request a grant. Two weeks is fine by me.”

  When they finished their meal, Dax drove Decker and Callie to the hotel. “Are you leaving in the morning?” Dax asked.

  “Flying out about six a.m., unless Lars runs into a snag. But that’s highly unlikely with his expertise.” On a slip of paper, Decker jotted down their cell phone numbers. “We’ll be in touch. In the meantime, keep knocking on doors. One of the organizations will catch your excitement and want to invest I’m sure.”

  “I appreciate your offer. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “It was nice meeting the both of you,” Callie said. “And it will be a wonderful experience working alongside you.”

  “I can’t wait,” Karina replied, excitement skirting her voice. “I know I’ll learn a lot working alongside you guys.”

  “Likewise,” Callie said. “Your credentials are quite impressive, Kat.”

  “Thank you,” Karina said.

  CHAPTER 6

  Malibu, California

  Lars called early the following morning as Decker and Callie were preparing to fly out to Malibu. He confirmed that the documentary had come together perfectly and that there was nothing left for them to do and informed them that he would send them a video online to view prior to its release.

  It was a relief to hear the squeal of tires on the tarmac. There was a light drizzle when they stepped outside to be picked up by Garrett, a sliver of sun was barely visible through the stacked gray clouds but rain or not, they were glad to be home.

  Spotting Garrett’s vehicle, Callie ran with her briefcase over her head toward the blue BMW. They practically dove into the car to dodge what was suddenly becoming a downpour.

  “Hi, Dad,” Decker said and slicked back the wet strands of hair from his face. “Seems like every time we come back to Malibu we manage to get caught in the rain.”

  “Started this morning,” Garrett told him as he pulled away from the curb. “Until today, the weather’s been warm and sunny. And how’s my Callie?”

  Callie smiled. “Quite well, thank you,” she told him. “It was a productive few days, and we completed the project. Lars and Brae were excited about the finished product. Plus, Decker and I made our first movie debut.” She paused then added, “and we met Dax Drake, a salvager from Florida.”

  “I read about him,” Garrett told them remembering the article in the newspaper about the pirate attack. “Quite a story. I was happy no one on his ship was badly hurt. Seems to be a lot more piracy going on these days.”

  “Unfortunately. But this was an unusual case when you think about it,” Callie said. “Not only did they try to take over Shark Eater, they ambushed Dax and Kat when they anchored in St. Mark’s, killing two policemen.”

  “That is remarkable, I agree. In most cases, the captured pirates would be left to hang.”

  “Speaking of Dax,” Decker jumped into the conversation, “he’s invited us to go on a dive down near the Virgin Islands. On his way back from a commissioned salvage, their sonar picked up the shape of a sunken ship. Dax thinks there is a possibility it might be one from the Spanish fleet from the 1500’s caught in a hurricane in the Greater Bahamas.”

  “That would be an exciting project,” Garrett said thoughtfully, knowing how much Decker and Callie loved being involved with any archaeological discovery. “I’m assuming that means you intend to go?”

  “Can’t see any reason not to,” Decker said. “We don’t have anything scheduled, so I why not?”

  “I’m a bit envious. But Holly’s my main focus this year.”

  “As it should be,” Callie agreed wholeheartedly.

  The following day Carson called from the Jade to inform Decker they had moored at Marina Del Rey. The men were securing things on the yacht and would rent a car to drive up the coast approximately twenty-one miles.

  Holly was already having furniture delivered to the house, which kept the hum of activity going in the Haydens home and because of the hubbub, Decker made arrangements to meet the crew at a bar and grill a short distance down the road. That would afford them time to catch up with the crew without having to deal with a lot of confusion.

  There were hugs all around as they met up. They settled down on the outdoor patio, thankful the sun was out and that it had warmed considerably from the day before. A round of beer was brought to the table for everyone, except for Callie who opted for her usual iced tea with lemon.

  Pete Polly, whom the crew referred to as Polly, joined them a bit later as he’d ordered some appetizers. There was a wide smile on his face as he bent to kiss Callie on the cheek.

  “Hey, our Viking has arrived,” she laughed. Polly had not changed a bit except his red hair was a tad bit longer and now brushed his broad shoulders. He was a hulk of a man with a bushy mustache and beard that had a thin braid at the front the front. It suited him because he looked like a Nordic Viking.

  “We’ll be setting course for Hawaii tomorrow morning,” Carson told Decker. “We should be there a couple of days before you.”

  “We’ll fly out for Kona in a week and a half,” Decker replied. “My dad is like a school boy right now. Can’t blame him. Holly is a catch.”

  “Yeah. I saw it coming when we were in Honduras. Your dad couldn’t keep his eyes off her, and she blushed every time he spoke a word.” Carson laughed softly, his hazel eyes brimming with memories. “A couple of the guys weren’t able to come along this trip, sorry to say. Looks like it’ll be me, Polly, Sam, Shane, and Ted. They expressed their regret but already had prior engagements. By the way, we’re all grateful we are getting a paid vacation in Hawaii.”

  Decker grinned. “It won’t include Callie and me.”

  Carson’s brows shot upward with surprise. “What’s up?”

  Decker filled Carson in on the details of meeting Dax and the invitation to join him on the salvage trip. “Soon as Dad and Holly are married we plan to fly out to Florida.”

  “Up your alley,” Carson replied taking a swallow of icy-cold beer. “Won’t be the same without you, however.”

  “I’m sure all that warm Hawaiian weather and the beautiful ladies will keep your mind off us,” Decker said. “But, I have to admit, I have missed spending time with the crew.”


  “Likewise,” Carson admitted. “But, there’ll be plenty more opportunities down the road. And I’m looking forward to doing some scuba diving and having some time away.”

  It was late in the evening when Decker and Callie returned home. To their delight, it was quiet. All the workers had since left, and the only noise they heard was when Riley came bounding into the living room to greet them.

  He trailed along behind them to the bedroom and padded off to the corner of the room where his large stuffed bed lay. Tired, it didn’t take long for the two of them to fall to sleep, and it wasn’t until there was a loud banging downstairs, that they were suddenly roused from a sound sleep.

  Rolling over, Callie grabbed her pillow and placed it over her head to deaden the sound. “No,” she moaned. “Not already. What time is it?”

  Decker cracked one of his eyes open to see the clock. He chuckled. “Six-thirty.”

  “I’m glad this is almost done,” she admitted. “I dearly love Garrett and Holly, but when this construction comes to a finality, which should be one more day, I’m going to do a happy dance.”

  “I’ll join you, Callie.” He yawned. “We might as well get up. How about a run on the beach, and then we can stop at my favorite ice cream shop on the way back?”

  “You’re on.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Big Island, Hawaii

  There was excitement in the air as the wedding party landed at Kona International Airport. The day was warm with a bit of a breeze stirring as they made their way to the car rental office. Callie and Holly waited outside and talked while Garrett and Decker went in to sign for a rental vehicle.

  The Hilton, where Garrett and Holly would be married, was twenty minutes away from the airport, situated on the Waikoloa Beach. On the hotel’s plush grounds was a wonderfully quaint chapel that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. This was the site they had chosen for their wedding. Even more thrilling, Carson was licensed to marry them. Having an intimate friend lead them through the ceremony would make for a very special day.