by K D McNiven
“I did discover algal bloom toxins in the dead fish,” Camilla said. “And HAB’s have quite a knockout punch if let go long enough. If the authorities can identify where the source is coming from and clean it up quickly, hopefully, there won’t be permanent damage to the ecosystem. The oxygen levels are much lower than what they should be already, which is why the dead fish. That mystery is cleared up…on to the next.” She cocked her eyebrow warily.
“Okay,” said Meg. She held out the tooth she had discovered onshore and handed it off to Camilla. “I thought we could run it through the database to see what species it matches. With the dimensions of the footprints and the size of that tooth, I can’t fathom what kind of monster we’re going to come up with.”
Cory, apparently listening in, turned on his stool, pushing his glasses back over the bridge of his nose. “It’s not the size that frightens me,” he said. “Think of all those unsuspecting people it might have attacked.”
“Wouldn’t you think, when we inquired at the bar, someone would have clued us in on what has been transpiring here?”
“You’d think,” Cory agreed.
“I’m going to go shower and change,” said Meg, turning to leave. “I’ll check back in. I want to know what we’re dealing with before diving again.”
Chapter Three
⁂
Meg couldn’t shut her mind down. Even while showering, all she could think about were the footprints and the tooth she’d measured out at four inches. The thought of something that humongous preying on people caused a chill to ride along her spine.
After bathing, Meg made her way back to the lab. Camilla had taken a break and Cory, the diligent worker that he was, remained at his post. Without turning, or lifting his head from viewing specimens under the microscope, he raised his right hand and wriggled his fingers for her to join him.
Meg chuckled as she pulled up a chair. “Do you have eyes in the back of your head?”
“Some say.”
“Anything new?”
At that, he glanced up and spun around on his stool to face her. “You’re not going to believe this, Meg. The database recognized the tooth as belonging to one Purussaurus brasiliensis.”
“That’s impossible!” Meg sat in stunned silence trying to absorb what he had just told her.
“Never mind that. That’s what the computer’s conclusion is and who’s to argue with our beloved technology?”
“They’re extinct. How is that even possible?” she replied, her face contorted with puzzlement, her green eyes flashing a look of unbelief at Cory. “It must be wrong.”
“I’ve run it through three times, Meg. I’m as stumped as you are. The fact is, this specimen you handed over is not a relic. It’s no more than a couple of weeks old.”
“There has to be a mistake,” she continued to insist. “We need to contact a group of paleontologists to come and sort this out.”
“Probably a good idea,” Cory agreed. “Maybe there’s a glitch, and this relic happens to be the closest relative of the caiman it could connect with.”
Meg rose to her feet. “I’m going to go speak with the captain and see what his perspective is on this. I’m positive he’s going to be baffled as well.”
“I’ll keep on it,” Cory said, spinning back around to face the microscope.
“Thanks. Catch you later.”
Meg didn’t need to wonder what the captain’s reaction would be. Same as her own— disbelief. He removed his cap, dabbing the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief. What she had just told him was hard to digest. Like Meg, he agreed they needed to contact a professional team to come and investigate. Prehistoric studies happened to be far above their expertise.
“I’ll make some calls,” Captain Burke said. “I’m not sure anyone will take me seriously. I’ve seen it with my own eyes and still, I’m finding it hard to take in. I’ll do my best.”
A wan smile tilted Meg’s lip. “We need to simply wait it out and see what transpires. I’d love to go speak with some locals again and see if we can’t get someone to pass on some kind of information. They must be terrified. I can’t think of any other reason they would refuse to talk about this horrific incident.”
Beneath snowy-white brows, disturbed eyes reflected back the skepticism he felt. In spite of the proof, he found it difficult to process it. And then to try to entice paleontologists to come to investigate the matter seemed like a stretch. They would only laugh and consider him a fool.
Nearly dusk, the lab had shut down for the day. Meg found her way aft deck and leaned against the railing staring out at the tropical landscape, her mind cluttered with their remarkable discovery. Her golden curtain of hair flagged out in long strands around her from the warm breeze. Continually turning like cogs in her logical brain, the question, could prehistoric animals survive the catastrophic ice-age and still be roaming the streams of Brazil? Could it be…
She felt warm fingers press into her shoulder and her head turned slightly to glimpse the profile of Jayden.
“Nice night,” he said. Leaning his body up against the metal railing, he released a long sigh. “You all right?”
“Yep. Not bad, considering we have a prehistoric Purussaurus running amok and eating people.”
He chuckled. “You have a way with words, Meg. And I hear you. It’s more than a little unsettling. Even considering diving right now gives me the heebie-jeebies, if you know what I mean.”
“Believe me, I know what you’re saying.” She cocked her head and passed a glance his way. “We are at an impasse until the Paleontologist team shows up. I can’t take a dive team down knowing something might terrorize them.”
“Even if you thought to, I’m sure you’d be standing alone on the dive platform. Not to say we disrespect you or anything, it’s just…”
“Yeah, I understand. So, what now? Do we just stay on board and do nothing over the next few days?”
He shrugged. “I know this is hard on you, Meg. What else can we do?”
“I’d like to go speak with more of the locals. I realize they’re being closed-lipped. Even so, if we divulge some information we’ve acquired, perhaps one of them might be persuaded to talk and give us some explanation as to what’s been happening here for, what appears, quite some time. Also, there’s the matter of someone dumping oil into the river. Perhaps we could rent a vehicle and go upstream to see if we’re able to find the culprit.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“I didn’t mean to, but earlier today I overheard a phone call you took,” Meg said.
Jayden looked away briefly, giving a short snort of frustration. “My girlfriend, Kelly. She’s ticked off because I’m gone so much. Said she was packing her things and would leave the house key on the table.”
“Jayden, I’m sorry.”
“I’ve seen it coming for some time,” he said frowning. “We can’t seem to agree on anything. I think she’d be perfectly happy if I quit my job and spent all of my time with her. Sorry to say, she’s a bit high-maintenance and her constant clinging is like a weight crushing the life out of me. After all of this time, you’d think I’d be devastated. Frankly, I feel a sense of relief.”
“Maybe when you get back you two can work it out if you explain how you feel? I know first-hand how difficult splits can be. It took me a couple of years to walk through the feelings of betrayal.”
“One good thing. She left Toby with my sister.”
“Toby?”
“My spaniel puppy,” he chuckled. “He rips everything to shreds. No doubt it’s why she decided to leave him for me to raise.”
Meg smiled. “Better than having to decide visitations with kids.”
“Yup.” Hanging his head, he took time to think upon his new circumstances, which really weren’t new at all. This had been an ongoing battle for more than a year and Jayden no longer had the emotional energy to keep hashing it out. Even though Meg mentioned working it out with Kelly, Jayden knew their relationship was over. “And
I’m thankful our relationship never took that side trip. Kids would really make separating an emotional catastrophe.”
“Fortunately, we didn’t take that step forward either, though we had discussed it on more than one occasion.”
“Thanks for your concern, really. The relationship has been unraveling for months and it’s been like carrying a bag of rocks around on my back.”
“You’re welcome.” She yawned widely, stretching her arms over her head. “Sorry, I’m going to call it a night. I’m exhausted.”
Chapter Four
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Rourke Wolf walked through the library, snagging a couple of books off the shelf. In wide strides he strode back over to his Governor Executive desk, plopping down on the black leather office chair. He grabbed his black rimmed glasses from the desk, sliding them onto his slender nose, his deep gray-blue eyes scanning the front covers of several books strewn across the surface. When he found what he was looking for, he flipped open the cover and began searching the pages, stopping when his finger lit on the information he wanted.
“Ah, yes…there it is.” He ran his forefinger across the first line. A paleontologist by the name of Ernst Stromer had explored the eastern Sahara and discovered the skeletal remains of a Spinosaurus. Just what he’d been looking for.
Rourke smiled his rugged features relaxing. Still working on his presentation for the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, he was only happy to finish up the last touches. The talk would not be terribly impressive, merely informative as he would be speaking to a group of young teens who were studying up on paleontology, considering it as a future vocation. The thought of educating young adults happened to be rewarding for Rourke who spent most of his time in the field or in the lab. Given, he would be playing a small role in their academic aspirations, but he found it gratifying. And in between jobs presently, it would help fill in the time before flying out for Africa next month to excavate an area in the Congo where Heterodontosaurus bones had been discovered.
He jotted down the last few sentences, reread what he’d written, and satisfied, shoved the notes into his brown leather briefcase and headed for the door.
The day was steaming hot as he climbed the steep steps to the museum. He reached up to loosen the necktie choking off his air, despising the stylish prop, which was comparable to a noose, in his estimation. He would much prefer to be wearing cargo pants, khaki shirt, complete with a fedora hat. Today, however, he’d set aside his adventurers’ wardrobe and attempted to look the part of one who had earned his doctorate degree in paleontology, stifling as it was.
“How are the Spinosaurus’s recreated here in the museum?” one of the students asked, pressing in to observe the Dinosaurs educational evolutionary charts Rourke had arranged on easels behind him.
“Glad you asked, and it’s a very reasonable question,” Rourke replied, fully engaged with the students. “Fossilized bones are where it all begins. Over the years, paleontologists have gained an incredible amount of knowledge by digging up fossil fragments and studying them. Complete skeletal remains of dinosaurs are rare. Over time, paleontologists have learned to identify and arrange the bones appropriately in the right order. It takes a trained eye and years of education to accomplish that.
First off, I need to clarify, most museums don’t use actual bones to construct what you see while strolling through the exhibition halls…though there are a few exceptions. Most use plaster of Paris or fiberglass casts made from the original fossils. Paleontologists often use these same casts in their studies because of the delicate status of the fossil, thus preserving the original fossil which can be very delicate. Once the replicated bones are completed, they are set into steel frames. It’s quite a process and takes months to accomplish.
Trying to simplify this, let’s say there’s a dinosaur bone buried in mud. Over millions of years, the mud has become rock and as water leeches into the rock, the bone decomposes, leaving an exact imprint in the rock…you’ve all seen fossils of leaves or seashells embedded in rock, correct?” They nodded. “It’s the same process. The imprint is called a fossil mold. When the carved-out space or imprint fills in with inorganic material and hardens and takes the shape of the mold, it’s called a cast.
This is the same process used in museums to reconstruct a dinosaur's frame. The fossil molds are coated with resin, then hardened to preserve the shape and size. Afterward, a resin cast is transferred from the mold, becoming a three-dimensional copy of the fossil.”
“What kinds of tools do you use when you are in the field,” one teen asked, his head cocked in.
Rourke pulled out a box and flipped open the lid, pulling out a few of the items inside and arranging them on the long table nearby. “We always need a chisel,” he said, grabbing one from the table and holding it up. “Because fossils are imbedded in rock, a chisel is a necessity. We also use walkie-talkies, GPS, a Marshalltown size five trowel, a rock hammer, brushes, a pocket knife is a must in the field, root clippers, as well as a Silva compass, a line level, journal, and pens. These items are tucked into a backpack or tool bag whichever works best. Nearly forgot…we always take along Vinac.”
“Vinac? What’s that?” another student asked.
“A solution made up of vinyl beads and acetone. The consistency is rather watery in texture. It helps to stabilize fossils that are crumbly or have cracks running through them…a way to preserve them.”
“What else?”
“We always take along Ziplocs and containers to store the fossils, flagging tape and string. And…oh yeah…I can’t forget the fork and spoon”
“Huh?” a girl said, wrinkling her nose.
Rourke grinned. “Well, we do have to eat you know.”
A bout of laughter followed.
The group crowded around Rourke with interest, tossing out questions like clay pigeons tossed into the air at a skeet shoot. It was enough to make anyone’s head spin. But not Rourke’s, he enjoyed every wonderful minute of it. They were dry sponges seeking to be filled, and he loved the rapid-fire interrogation, the enthusiasm with which they displayed because this was the next generation stepping forward to preserve the integrity of archaeology.
After his presentation, he gathered up his report and props and started for the door when his phone chimed. Arms full, he managed to lay things aside onto a nearby side table.
“Rourke here.”
“Mr. Wolfe, this is Captain Aaron Burke. I work for Oceanic Research Institute…I have a conservation team down here near Brazil’s Amazonian rainforest near Belém compiling information on why marine life keeps washing ashore.”
“How can I help you?”
“This is a bit unusual…I wouldn’t have called had it not been absolutely necessary. Um…we’ve stumbled onto some unusual things…”
“What sort of things?” Rourke had to wonder what this dance pertained to. The captain certainly took the long scenic route to get to the point. Curious, he waited for him to finish.
“Things like thirty-six-inch footprints of what appears to be…a Purussaurus.”
“Fossilized footprints?”
“Er…no. I mean…fresh footprints.”
Rourke laughed. “Preposterous! Probably just an overly large caiman. Whoever stumbled onto it must have been exaggerating?”
“These are professionals, Mr. Wolfe,” he countered with a bit of agitation ringing in his voice. “Microbiologists, marine biologists, conservation biologists…”
“Okay, okay. I get your point. And please, call me Rourke.”
“Yes…Rourke. Not only did we discover these enormous prints, but we also discovered a tooth that we ran through our data file. It also comes up as belonging to a Purussaurus.”
A stretch of silence followed.
“It has to be wrong. Is the tooth petrified? Perhaps it’s not an actual tooth? Maybe something with similar characteristics?”
“Our scientists have run it through three times, Rourke. It’s always the same conclu
sion,” Captain Burke insisted, knowing how outrageous it sounded even to him, and he had actually witnessed the evidence firsthand. “Look, I know you think this can’t be authentic. However, I assure you it is. We are desperately looking for a couple of paleoanthropologists to come and assist us. If you are unavailable, please help us find someone who is.”
“I don’t suppose you could shoot off some photos to me…let me look at them first before I make any decision?”
“Of course. Yes. Soon as we get off the phone, I’ll send you all the information we’ve acquired. I hate to sound pushy. What with the severity of the situation, I need an answer immediately. Oh…one thing I haven’t mentioned…”
“What’s that?” Rourke asked, wondering from what he’d heard so far if they also had giant prehistoric frogs trampling nearby villages? He almost gave way to a laugh but refrained.
Captain Burke inhaled deeply, not exactly sure how Rourke would digest the next piece of information. “We’ve discovered mounds of bones just offshore…human bones.”
“Come again? What are you saying?”
“It appears the creature has been feeding on humans over the past several years just offshore, which is where we located the footprints.”
Rourke stood rooted to the spot, his mind reeling with skepticism. And yet, Captain Burke insisted they had verified the authenticity of the tooth. Concurrently, the measurements from the footprints were remarkably larger than any known species of caimans in Brazil—or anywhere else for that matter. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from wrestling with the idea, which sounded utterly impossible, but so utterly intriguing. His eyes were wide with wonder as he digested the information the captain had just conveyed.
“Are you still there Rourke?”
“Yup. Shoot me off the photos. I’ll get back to you in the morning if that’s soon enough?”
“I’d appreciate it. We’re desperate right now, and this sort of thing is not up our alley. And Rourke, the ORI will pay for all your expenses. I cleared it before I called. Whatever it costs, just keep your receipts and we’ll reimburse you.”