by D. G. Driver
I wished Carter was here with us, but I figured the gang was still a good forty minutes out. I turned on my phone long enough to text him our location, so they’d know where to go after they landed. Then I shut the phone back off again, hoping my directions were enough to get them to the right place.
As I got out of the van, Chuck reached for his camera.
“No,” I said. “Don’t come in with me yet. I’m still going to try my Invited Intern routine and see if it can gain me some access. I need you guys to wait out here for the others or until I call for help.”
“I think we should go in there guns blazing,” Chuck said. “Don’t give them time to hide anything.”
Juarez patted Chuck on the knee to calm him down. “We’ll wait, June, but not for long. We’ll be right outside the door. If we don’t hear from you in a reasonable time, we’re barging in.”
I agreed, hoping that a reasonable amount of time was more than a minute or two. I didn’t have any idea what I was getting into.
Two thin windows flanked the unremarkable front door of the building, and I couldn’t see much through them. The beauty of the interior instantly took me aback when I stepped inside. The hardwood floors shined between ornate floor rugs; the walls were painted in gorgeous sunset colors with tropical fish aquariums built right into them. Compared to the drab and nearly invisible exterior of the building, the colors and richness of this front lobby was vivid and unexpected. The lobby ran the entire width of the building with a receptionist desk smack dab in the center, featuring one lone woman who put down her novel when I came through the door.
She looked exactly like I imagined with the bob haircut and sweater. I had it right except her nose was much bigger.
“Yes, you’ve missed the hiking trail by a couple miles,” she answered as though certain that was my question because she’d been asked a hundred times before. “All you have to do is go back down the road and watch for the small brown marker sign. It’ll be on the right hand side of the road. You kind of have to look for it, because it is too low down, in my opinion.”
Honestly, I almost said “Oh, thanks. I’ll be sure to look for it” and walked out. My tongue felt thick in my mouth as it hit me that I really didn’t have any idea what the heck I was doing. But I didn’t turn around and leave. I kept walking toward her.
“I’m uh... not looking for a hiking trail.” Her eyebrows went up with curiosity, but her chin plopped down on her hand as though there was nothing I could say that would be something she hadn’t heard before. “I’m here to see Dr. Carl Schneider.”
The boredom fled as alarm filled her eyes instead. I wondered if the receptionist knew who I was. Could she remember my voice as well as I remembered hers? Had she told anybody about the call?
“I’m afraid Dr. Schneider is busy at the moment,” the receptionist said too smoothly.
I didn’t want to look like I didn’t know what do next. I placed my hands on the front of the desk and leaned in to the receptionist. “Look,” I commanded. “I am Juniper Sawfeather. You may have heard of me. I have a news crew outside from Channel Four, and they really want to get in here to see if I’m right about some secret research Dr. Schneider and your people are doing. If you don’t want me to call them in this very second, you will direct me to Dr. Schneider or whoever he works for right now.”
The receptionist craned her head past me to look through the thin windows beside the front door. Juarez Peña stood there with a news camera in his hands and waved at her.
The woman’s fingers trembled as she pushed the intercom button. “Sir? A Juniper Sawfeather is here to see you and Dr. Schneider. She’s here with Channel 4 News television.” She paused to listen. “Yes sir. I’ll send her right down.” The receptionist took her finger off the button and slipped both hands under the desk where I couldn’t see them fidget. “Mr. Cortlandt will see you in his office.”
A door opened down toward the far left of the lobby, and another woman that I guessed was Mr. Cortlandt’s personal secretary motioned for me to follow her. She led me through a curving hallway of closed doors and steps that went ever downward. Not a sound emanated from any of the offices we passed, making me wonder if anyone was here. I noticed that the place was devoid of any music. A deep silence filled the air that made me too aware of how fast I was breathing. The secretary opened the last door at the end of the hall for me and gestured for me to step inside. I did and she closed it behind me, leaving me alone with Mr. Cortlandt who sat at his desk facing away from me.
Chapter Eighteen
An eel in its cave. That’s what I thought as I stepped toward the heavy desk. The wall behind Mr. Cortlandt’s desk was made entirely of glass, but instead of being a lovely island view, it exposed the cloudy strait waters. The busy water reflected on the blue walls of the office, making the whole room take on the effect of an underwater cave.
I felt like spooky sea monsters of the deep were lurking about me, ready to snap out and gobble me up at any moment. My feelings were justified when Mr. Cortlandt spun around in his chair to greet me. Brown spots were scattered across his balding head. His teeth seemed almost too big for his mouth, giving him that evil, leering look that is so common to eels. His eyes were small and beady too, as if the absence of direct light to this room had caused him to slowly go blind.
Naturally, I hated him on sight. I tried to imagine him with a wife. Somebody out there in the world might actually think he was quite cute and charming. Ugh. The thought made me shiver.
I thought of the person I considered cute and charming. Carter. No one could describe him as being like an eel. I held his smile in my mind and let it calm me as the slimy voice of Mr. Cortlandt filled the eerie room.
“Miss Sawfeather. I knew it was a matter of time before you found us. Although, I have to admit I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon.” He gestured for me to take a seat, but I continued to stand.
“Guess you underestimated me. Before I do the same to you, how about you tell me who you are exactly? Are you in charge of this aquarium? Are you a scientist? Are you Dr. Schneider’s boss?” I did a quick pause and added. “Or do you just work for Affron Oil?”
“Please sit, Miss Sawfeather,” Mr. Cortlandt said, gesturing to the seat again. This time, I took him up on his offer, but I sat very straight, ready to get up quickly if I needed to. “The answer is yes to all of those questions. I am the leading marine biologist at this facility. Dr. Schneider now works directly under me here, but his center downstate is also under an umbrella of several marine rehabilitation centers that all report to me. All of these centers are funded in part by a grant from Affron Oil, so I do work for them in a manner of speaking. I am hardly what you could consider an Affron employee, however.” He tried smiling at me, but it just made him look creepier.
“Mr. Cortlandt,” I said as business-like as possible but cutting right to the chase. “I am here because I know that you have the mermaids I discovered on Grayland Beach. Dr. Schneider and the mermaids have been missing from the Sea Mammal Rescue Center, and I know that they are here. I suspect that there are other mermaids here as well.”
His grin evaporated immediately. “Yes, I know all about your escapades with the press, trying to convince them of real mermaids. I have to say, Miss Sawfeather, that there are no mermaids. What you discovered were three rare mutant fish.”
“Nice try,” I said. “I know what I saw.” He shrugged like he didn’t care. “Since you know I’m right,” I continued anyway, “and you know that the press is outside, are you going to take me to the mermaids?”
“No.”
Not a pause. Not a thought. His answer was definitive. A man used to saying no.
But I wasn’t done yet.
“If you have watched the news at all lately, then you know that there is a lot of interest in these mermaids. Whether or not you have them here, people are going to be interested that I think you do. One report from that news team outside is going to bring thousands of people
crashing through the doors of this place and scuba diving past your lovely window here.”
Mr. Cortlandt seemed to growl, his lips pulling back from those enormous teeth. “Again, I tell you, there is nothing here for your news team to report. There are no mermaids.”
“Then why is Dr. Schneider here?” I asked. “Why would he abandon an entire rehabilitation center full of sea animals rescued from Affron’s latest screw-up to come up here?”
“Dr. Schneider is here to do valuable research.”
“On the mermaids. Who do you think you’re fooling here?”
Mr. Cortlandt cleared his throat. “I think I’m talking to a dumb kid who is getting involved in matters way beyond her.”
I couldn’t stand this anymore. “Do you know who my parents are, Mr. Cortlandt?” I didn’t give him time to answer. “My father is one the most famous activists in North America. His fight for our Chinook people and the environment are legendary. My mother, Natalie Brenner Sawfeather, is the leading environmental lawyer in Washington State. She is currently working on getting your company taken down for destroying the entire western coast of America with your oil spills. They are powerful people, my parents.” As I ranted, I realized for the first time just how important my parents were to the world. “They have home phone numbers for nearly every member of Congress in the United States. They have numbers for many Canadian government officials as well. With one touch of the button on my cell phone here, I can send your address to my mom, and within an hour you’ll have press and government officials from both countries swarming in here to see what you’ve really done with these mermaids.” I pulled out my cell phone and turned it on. As it chimed to announce its power, I said, “Your company is so proud of their mission to ‘make the world better’. So, what do you think will happen to Affron when people find out that you’re hiding or perhaps even killing mermaids?”
The eel-man slammed his hands down on his desk. “Enough of your threats!” he shouted. “What does it matter if we have mermaids or not? In my opinion they are like fish! They breathe through water. They don’t think. They don’t communicate. None of our tests have shown otherwise.” He stood up. “And what makes you presume we are doing anything harmful to them at all? We are simply studying them to prove whether or not they can be considered as part human—which we have definitely proven by now that they are not. Have you heard enough?”
From behind me, I heard the familiar voice of Dr. Schneider at the door. “No she hasn’t,” he said. “Not by a long shot.”
Dr. Schneider walked toward the desk, and I stood up beside him. He nodded at me but didn’t smile. I wasn’t sure if he was glad I was there or not. “Where is Carter?” he asked.
“He should be here any time.”
Mr. Cortlandt spoke through gritted teeth. “Carl, remember, the tests we are doing on the mermaids are for the good of the environment and for mankind. It is important to know what we’re dealing with before we let the whole world know about them. We’ve discussed the importance of this mission.” He pointed at Dr. Schneider accusingly. “And you agreed with it.”
“Yes, Bill,” Dr. Schneider said, his tone equally confrontational. I was ready for them to launch over the desk at each other. If they weren’t both old, crotchety men, I bet they would have. “And some of what we talked about makes a lot of sense. At the same time, though, you’re leaving out the part where we discussed how my mission here is to prove without a doubt that these creatures are indeed fish. That they can be discarded just like trout or salmon. How they aren’t any more important or valuable to the world than tuna, maybe even less so, since no one will want to eat them. You aren’t talking about how I am to formulate these opinions no matter what the cost is to the mermaids.”
“Carl,” the man seethed. “You’re out of line.”
“No,” Dr. Schneider said, “I’m finally on track for the first time since this began.” He focused on me, and I’m sure I looked like a complete dork considering how dumbfounded I was at this heated exchange between the two men. “I need you to come with me.”
“Carl,” Mr. Cortlandt warned. “Don’t do it.”
Dr. Schneider ignored him and led me out of the office. He whispered to me, “I’d hit that button on your phone now.” I nodded and did as he said.
“I’ll call the police!” Mr. Cortlandt called after us.
“Do it!” Dr. Schneider shouted back over his shoulder as we headed up the hallway back to the main lobby. “I’d love to see what the news team outside does when the police show up.”
Mr. Cortlandt’s secretary popped out one of the doors in front of us, blocking our way. I heard Mr. Cortlandt scream for her. There was a moment where she was uncertain whether she should chase us or go back to the cave. He screamed her name again, and she left us.
“What’s he going to do?” I asked Dr. Schneider.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think we have a lot of time.”
We entered the lobby to find a huge commotion at the front door. The receptionist stood with her back to the door, using all her weight to keep it from being opened by the several sets of arms reaching through from the other side. I could see Marlee peering through the window with her hands cupped around her eyes. She saw me and waved at me excitedly. I saw her mouth move, and Regina’s face appeared beside her.
I left Dr. Schneider’s side and ran to the front door.
“June, we don’t have time!” he shouted at me.
I pushed the receptionist out of the way and my friends tumbled inside. Carter, Ted and Gary fell over each other. Stepping over them were Juarez Peña and Chuck Emory. Peña had his microphone at the ready, and the camera was firmly on Chuck’s shoulder already rolling. The girls strode in behind the reporters. Regina nudged Ted with her shoe to get out of the way, and he rolled to the side instead of standing.
“Dr. Schneider!” Carter gasped, leaping to his feet and bounding toward his boss. It was almost as if he hadn’t truly believed his mentor was really a traitor until this second.
“Carter,” Dr. Schneider said, motioning for him to follow. “Come with me. Hurry.” Carter grabbed my hand, and we ran back to Dr. Schneider, who was already nearing the doorway at the far right of the lobby.
Regina shouted, “Where are you going?”
“Just stay here, Regina,” I said.
“No! I’m done missing out.”
I let go of Carter’s hand and nodded that he and Dr. Schneider needed to continue on. “I’ll catch up.” I walked back to Regina. “Look, I don’t have time to play this stupid game with you right now. Will you stop being such a power freak and realize that this has nothing to do with your stupid high school popularity. This is real life, and it’s serious.”
She sneered at me. “I know it’s serious, June. I want to help. Really. What can I do that will help?”
Go away, I thought.
But right then Mr. Cortlandt and his secretary exploded into the lobby. “What the Hell is going on here?”
The receptionist skittered toward him. “I’m sorry, sir. I couldn’t keep them out.”
The news camera swung toward him. Peña raised his microphone to catch every word of what was going to happen.
I put my hand on Regina’s shoulder. “Here’s your golden moment. Keep that man here and keep him busy.” She raised her hands to her hair. “Don’t worry, you look beautiful as always.” Regina smiled gratefully at me. “Go get him,” I told her.
With that, Regina barged toward the eel-man with a thousand questions about mermaids and what this building was supposed to be used for. Between her and Peña, and the other Student Council team members blocking the way, Cortlandt would be held up for a few minutes at least.
I crooked a finger toward Haley to get her sneak away and follow me while the attention was off her. She backed away from the crowd and hurried with me through the door where we quickly caught up with Dr. Schneider and Carter.
The building was set up like a honeycomb,
each octagon pod designated to a different sea creature or region of species. From what I could see as we passed the open doors, the tanks were completely enclosed, but a handful of the laboratories featured windows that had an ocean view like in Mr. Cortlandt’s office. A single hallway connected all the pods and wound downward like a corkscrew, making each floor deeper under the water.
Near the bottom Dr. Schneider stopped, unlocked a door, and held it open for us to step inside. I noticed he kept his head hung low, not looking any of us in the eye as we passed him. He shut the door behind us. I barely registered it clicking into place because what I saw in front of me took away every sense as my body filled with rage and sorrow. The reality of what was before me was so much worse than I could have ever imagined.
A wall of glass stretching from floor to ceiling separated the mermaids from the laboratory. Even though the lights were kept extremely low in the tank, it wasn’t hard to see that there were too many of these human-fish in there. I couldn’t begin to count them all, but there had to be close to a hundred. They were so crowded together in the tank that they could barely move.
I walked over to the tank, crouched to the floor and pressed my hands and face against the cool glass, unable to speak. Maybe when I opened them again the sight would be gone.
No luck. The vision remained. The mermaids were crammed so tightly into the tank they looked more like oversized sardines than the beautiful creatures I had carried from beach. Some of them whimpered in their strange voices. Most of them trembled. All of them looked as though they might die at any moment.
Carter came over and helped me to my feet. Haley hung back by the computers, her mouth agape at the sight of the mermaids. “I can’t believe there are so many,” she whispered.