Case of the Ostentatious Otters

by Jeffrey M. Poole

  Harry pointed at the dogs, “Didn’t you say that the dogs spooked them yesterday? And that the otter dropped the rock it had been holding? What do you say we…”

  “No,” I interrupted. “The guy at the aquarium says that, while playful, otters can be very aggressive, especially after they’re fed. We’re going to leave the dogs out of it for now.”

  I took off my shoes and socks, popped off the lid to one of the buckets, and almost gagged. Wow. If you think room temperature fish smells bad, you should try throwing in some raw sea urchin, handfuls of mussels, geoduck clams, and a few other things I couldn’t identify. Plus, Jon advised me to simply keep the food flowing, and hopefully that alone would inspire the otter to drop its rock. At no time did I expect I’d have to feed any of the fuzzy critters by hand.

  Wrong. I was mugged.

  Let me explain. As soon as I stepped up to the water and popped the lid off the first bucket, all activity in the water ceased, only I didn’t notice that at the time. Reaching into the bucket to retrieve a handful of mussels, I was about ready to fling them into the water when my first customer arrived for dinner.

  The otter was an adult male, with a thick, dark brown undercoat and jet black, guard hairs. It clumsily pulled itself out of the water, looked at the bucket, and then back at me. A moment later, it had reached the bucket and, had I not been gripping the bucket tightly, would have tipped it over. Using the bucket to steady himself, the otter pulled himself up onto his hind legs, looked over the rim at the contents below, chirped twice, and began making his selections, as though we were at the Golden Corral.

  Once the first fellow hurried off, the second approached. And then the third. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by the raft of otters, only now, since they were on land, it meant they had become a ‘romp.’ Whatever. I just knew I had to be careful. Some of the adult otters were easily three times the size of the corgis. I had no idea otters could get so big.

  “Zachary!” Jillian suddenly called. “Look by your left foot!”

  I risked a quick look down. Well, would you look at that! One of the otters had obligingly dropped their rock by my feet. Now we’re talking. If only the others would follow suit, then I’d say…

  “Uh, oh,” I heard Julie say.

  “What’s the problem?” I asked, while maintaining eye contact with the otters.

  “Three of the otters on your left are no longer holding their rocks.”

  “What if they put them back in that storage pouch thing they have under their arms?” I asked.

  Julie nodded, “I guess it’s possible…”

  “…which doesn’t help us,” I grumbled.

  “…or you could believe me when I say I watched them drop them into the water.”

  Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. This was working?

  “What about the rest of them?” I gently inquired, as the otter buffet line continued to attract customers. “I didn’t think this would go over that well. I… uh, oh. Harry? Give me the other bucket. Quick!”

  The current customer, who just so happened to be Sherlock’s friend, the youngster who dropped the original coin to begin with, looked imploringly at the empty bucket and then up at me. After a few moments, the otter pup cooed a few times and was about ready to bolt back to the water when Harry arrived. The otter watched me remove the lid and toss it aside.

  “Come on, pal. I’ve got all kinds of stuff in here for you.”

  The pup watched me closely for a few seconds before I swear it shrugged and reached for the bucket. Selecting an urchin that had been split open, one small squid, and several clams, the pup retreated to the safety of the water, where it maneuvered itself so that it was floating on its back and using its belly as a table.

  “He selected clams,” Jillian observed. “Won’t he need his rock for that?”

  “They’re already been split open,” I told her. “Those guys at the aquarium think of everything. Can you tell if he dropped his rock?”

  “I’m sorry,” Jillian apologized. “I should have been watching him, only I wasn’t.”

  “I was,” Julie said, stepping in. “Yes, he dropped his rock, too.”

  “Are there any left holding coins?” I quietly asked.

  My three friends shaded their eyes and studied the otters.

  “I don’t see any,” Jillian reported.

  “I don’t, either, “Julie added.

  “I think they’re all gone, man,” Harry said.

  “Now, we just need someone to go in the water and retrieve them,” Julie said.

  “I’ll do it,” Harry said, raising a hand. “Zack went in last time. It’s my turn.”

  Harry stripped off his shirt and slid his shorts down. Sure enough, he was wearing swimming trunks underneath his clothes. Had he been planning on going in the water today? Seeing my confused expression, Harry shrugged.

  “Hey, you never know if you’re gonna have to go in the drink. What with the dogs, I just wanted to be sure.”

  Surprised, I looked at Jillian, whose emotions mirrored mine. Grateful beyond belief that I wasn’t the one who would be getting wet, I suddenly remembered something that might come in handy. I held out a hand to Jillian.

  “Would you mind passing me the car keys?”

  Jillian fished them out of her purse, “Of course. What did you need them for?”

  I handed the keys to Julie.

  “If you look in the back of the car, you’ll find a couple of towels. I always take them along whenever I travel with the dogs. Just in case. And before you ask, yes, they’re clean.”

  “You’re a lifesaver, Zack. I’ll be right back.”

  “That was nice of you,” Jillian observed.

  Harry surfaced and tossed two of the otters’ rocks to me. Taking a deep breath, my friend’s head disappeared beneath the surface. I hooked a thumb in his direction.

  “No, he’s the one being thoughtful, for once. I’m not sure what brought that on, but since I knew he’d be wanting a towel, I figured he could use one of the dog’s.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Harry stood next to us, hurriedly toweling off as fast as he could go. His teeth were chattering and he was wheezing from his exertions.

  “I d-don’t know if th-those are all of ‘em, m-man,” Harry said, through clenched teeth. “I d-don’t know h-how you d-did it earlier, b-buddy. Th-that water is as c-cold as a w-witch’s t-t…”

  Julie suddenly held a finger to Harry’s mouth, silencing him on the spot. She gave her husband a warm smile and waggled a finger at him. Right about then, we noticed the otters had disappeared. It was understandable. With Harry in the water, I’m sure they didn’t want to stick around. Plus, they had full bellies. They were probably looking for a suitable place to go to sleep.

  “What are we going to do with that?” Jillian asked, as she pointed down at the second bucket. “It’s still half full. Should we give it back?”

  Shrugging, I pulled out my cell and was put almost immediately through to Jonathan Hawk.

  “Mr. Anderson. Dare I ask how it went?”

  “Mr. Hawk. You had a helluva suggestion. It went off without a hitch.”

  There was a brief moment of silence. I could only imagine my new friend, Jon, was now sitting up straight in his chair and had given me his full attention.

  “The coins? The rocks? You’ve got them?”

  “We have nine of them,” I confirmed. “Plus, we have a half full bucket of leftover food. The otters are all gone, and I was wondering what you’d like me to do with it.”

  “Dump it. It cannot come back to the aquarium. In layman’s terms, the contents have been compromised by wild otters. I can’t risk exposing any of my animals to anything they might be carrying.”

  “I understand. Harry? Would you dump this out over there? Just dump it in the water. It’ll be gone before you know it.”

  “Mr. Anderson? Er, Zack? Could I ask a favor?”

  “You’ve already done me a solid favor today. If I can, I
’ll do the same for you.”

  “Would you bring a few of the coins to me here? A couple of us, myself included, are dying to take a look at them.”

  “Sure. We’ll rinse this bucket out and then head over. Oh, wait. I have to stop by the hotel first. I have my dogs with me.”

  “Oh? What kind of dogs are they? I ask only because I’m a dog lover. I always have been.”

  “Corgis.”

  “Corgis? Pembrokes or Cardigans?”

  “You know your dog breeds. They’re Pembrokes. They’re the ones without a tail.”

  “One moment, please. Shannon, are you out there? Would you come here for a second?”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “We have an intern here who absolutely loves corgis. She has them on her keychain, on her car, and has pictures of them on her purse. To say she is a fan of the breed is an understatement. If you want to just come here, then I know she would be thrilled to watch them for you.”

  “Oh, I get it. Perfect. We’ll be over shortly.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  Twenty minutes later, we were in a staff-only parking lot behind the aquarium. Being the last of the four to follow the director inside, I turned behind me to watch the short, blonde woman playing with my dogs. From what I had been told, the girl had practically cried when asked if she’d puppysit two corgis for a little while. In the last five minutes, I watched the girl take at least a dozen selfies, with the dogs.

  Once we were inside the director’s office, we were introduced to the head curator, a red-headed, bearded fellow by the name of Randall Foster. Also present was a middle-aged brunette by the name of Meredith Barnes, whom we were told was the head of animal husbandry, whatever that meant.

  Jon spread out a large yellow towel across his desk and indicated it was where I should put the specimens we collected. Placing four of the otter ‘rocks’ on the desk, I stepped back and allowed the aquarium officials to begin their study. Almost immediately, the excitement level increased as each of the four samples were examined.

  “This one is a Spanish real,” Randall commented. “I can’t quite make out the date, other than it’s 17- something. Maybe 1725? We’d have to remove all this sediment here if we wanted to know for sure.”

  “This one has a date of 1719,” Meredith reported. “But, that’s about the only thing I can make out. The markings are similar, so I have to assume this is also a Spanish real.”

  “The coin we first recovered was a two-real coin,” I added. “I’m not sure how many denominations they come in.”

  “Neither do I,” Jon admitted. “I’m sorry to say I slept through most of my archaeology classes. I found it boring as hell.”

  Randall grinned at his boss and pointed at the four coins.

  “And now? Do you still find it boring?”

  “Not when it’s dropped in my lap like this.”

  “Any chance Jack Carlton might have been working to discover the location of the San Augustin?” I patiently asked. “I’d say it’s too tempting to pass up. If what we’ve heard is true, and he’s always diving out there, then logic would suggest…”

  “Who told you that?” Randall inquired, looking up at me. “Jack didn’t like diving in Monterey. Plus, he really didn’t have time for it. We saw him maybe three months out of the year at most.”

  Meredith nodded, “Agreed. If Jack would have known these coins were being used as rocks by the otters, then he would more than likely have brought NGC here and filmed a special about it.”

  “NGC?” Harry repeated uncertainly. “What’s that, man?”

  “You’ve probably heard of it,” Meredith answered, giving Harry a smile. “It’s an acronym, short for National Geographic Channel. Jack was one of their top divers.”

  “She’s right,” Jon announced. “Jack would’ve turned the discovery of a shipwrecked treasure ship into a media frenzy. This all but confirms he had nothing to do with this.”

  I mentally snapped my fingers. So much for that theory. If Jack wasn’t involved, then what was he doing out in that water?

  “Don’t forget, he was found in that same area,” I reminded everyone. “If he didn’t know about it, then what was he doing out there? And, more importantly, who was he diving with?”

  “He’s got a point,” Randall admitted. He placed the coin he had been studying back on the desk. “Jon, I’d say this definitely confirms it. San Augustin has been located, but just not by any of us.” Randall caught me staring at him and he shrugged. “I minored in archaeology.”

  Jillian raised her hand, “I have a question.”

  Jon looked her way and nodded, “Yes, Ms. Cooper. Go ahead.”

  “Do you have any animals here that contain tetrodotoxin?”

  The room fell silent.

  “Why do you ask that?” Jon quietly asked.

  Surprised, Jillian looked at me.

  “We had assumed you guys were told,” I gently told the three members of the aquarium’s staff.

  “We were told what?” Jon cautiously asked. “Are you saying tetrodotoxin was found in Jack’s bloodstream?”

  “About 4 milligrams of it,” I recalled. “That’s what the police told me.”

  Alarmed, Jon looked over at Randall and his face became grim.

  “Go. Check on them. I want a complete tally of all of them.”

  Randall nodded, “I’m on it.” He then hurried out of the room.

  “What’s going on?” Meredith asked, confused. “What’s he going to check?”

  “He’s checking on the one species in this facility,” Jon slowly explained, “that just so happens to be labeled as one of the most venomous creatures living in the water: the blue-ringed octopus. Its sting is lethal and contains tetrodotoxin.”

  Jillian gave a soft gasp and she clutched my arm.

  “I… I thought this facility only focused on marine life living in the area?” my girlfriend tremulously asked.

  “We do focus on local sea life,” Jon admitted, “but we also have species from other parts of the world.”

  “Are there any other species here that contain this neurotoxin?” I asked.

  Jon shook his head, “No. Just the one.”

  “How many of them do you have?” Julie asked. “I’m surprised you’d want to put something like that on display if it’s so dangerous.”

  Jon shrugged, “It’s no different than a regular zoo maintaining a rattlesnake exhibit.”

  Julie nodded, “That’s true. I hadn’t thought about that.”

  “And, like a zoo,” Jon continued, “whenever there’s a dangerous species involved, only highly qualified keepers are allowed to handle the animals.”

  “Was Jack one of those people?” I asked.

  Harry grinned, “Ooo, good question, Zack.”

  Jon looked over at Meredith.

  “You personally selected and trained the staff who’d be handling those toxic animals. Was Jack Carlton one of them?”

  Meredith sadly nodded, “He was. But, I should also like to point out that his responsibilities lay elsewhere, and not with those octopuses. He may have been cleared to open that exhibit, but I’m fairly certain he never did.”

  “I want a list of names of all…”

  “Excuse me, Mr. Hawk,” Meredith interrupted. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. Not yet, anyway. Let’s give Randall enough time to check the exhibit.”

  “Check the exhibit for what?” I wanted to know. “How many of those things do you have?”

  “We started with one female and one male,” Jon said.

  “Started with?” Jillian repeated. “And now?”

  “They had babies,” Jon reported. “We were the first aquarium to begin a captive breeding program for the blue-ringed octopus. Several months ago, their first clutch hatched, but only a handful survived.”

  Not being particularly fond of quiet rooms, I felt compelled to keep the conversation going. However, the only thing I could think to talk about was the
situation at hand.

  “Umm, how dangerous are these octopuses?” I hesitantly asked. “I mean, I heard you say they were venomous, but are they as deadly as, say, a black widow spider?”

  “More so,” Jon immediately answered.

  I’m sure my eyes bugged out a little and I know I paled, because I felt the blood drain out of my face.

  “Can one of these things kill a man?” Jillian asked.

  Jon nodded, “Yes. Depending upon the amount of neurotoxin that enters the bloodstream, death can happen within minutes.”

  “But that diver,” Harry protested, “the autopsy report… it said that the Cause of Death was drowning. Sea water was found in his lungs.”

  “A sting from an adult will more than likely kill you,” Jon patiently explained. “But, if for some reason, the amount of neurotoxin wasn’t that severe, then, I’m sorry to say, paralysis would occur.”

  “That’s why he drowned,” I said, as I shuddered. “He was stung by one of those things and became paralyzed, obviously underwater. What a horrible way to go.”

  A two-way radio I hadn’t noticed before suddenly squawked to life on Jon’s desk.

  “Jon H, this is Randall. Come in please.”

  Jon snatched up the radio.

  “I’m here.”

  “Would you please report to MBH? Thank you.”

  I looked at Jon, “MBH?”

  “Monterey Bay Habitats. It’s where we keep individual tanks, and consequently, the blue-ringed octopuses.”

  “We should probably get out of your hair,” I suggested, drawing affirmative nods from the rest of my companions.

  Surprisingly, Jon shook his head, “You’re more than welcome to join us. If I find what I think I’m going to find there, then you’ve helped to uncover a breach in our security, and that is something I won’t tolerate.”

  We followed Jon and Meredith on a direct course for the section of the aquarium titled ‘Monterey Bay Habitats.’ Ducking into a short hallway, Jon pulled out his key ring and unlocked the Staff Only door. Ushering us inside, he quickly closed the door to several members of the public, who had been curiously watching us.

  After taking a few sharp turns, which led to several narrow passageways between a variety of bubbling tanks of seawater, we arrived at a familiar spot. There, just ahead of us, was the doorway to the three offices we had visited earlier, with the deceased Jack Carlton’s office on the left and two others on the right. Randall was there, along with another staff member. This one was a woman, about the same age as me, and was short, had shoulder-length black hair, and wearing a very discernible frown on her face.