The Megalodon Mix-Up

by Amanda M. Lee

  The suggestion caused my stomach to roll — in a pleasant way — and my cheeks burned. “Really? I thought you wanted us to act like co-workers while at work.”

  “Dinner is not work. We’ve worked all day. I’ve even checked online. There’s a seafood place right down the road. It has great reviews. Since it’s offsite, we have less chance of running into the others.”

  I liked the idea. I was still leery. “I’m kind of worried that you’re going to shut down if people find out,” I admitted after a beat. “I think Millie already knows.” I was certain Millie already knew, but I didn’t want to freak him out.

  “I’m sure she does,” Jack agreed, unruffled. “She’s good at reading people. She won’t say anything. She might torture us, but she won’t spread the word.”

  That was it? That’s all he had to say about it? “So, you’re okay with that?”

  “Eventually people are going to find out. I’m not stupid enough to pretend otherwise. I simply want us to get to know each other first, make sure it’s worth pursuing. We might find we don’t actually like one another.”

  From my end, I doubted that was true. “As long as you’re okay with it.”

  “I’m fine with it. I think a private dinner will be good for us. In fact ... .” He trailed off, his eyes going dark as he looked to the other side of the coffee bar.

  I followed his gaze, disappointment rolling over me when I realized Laura was staring directly at us. She looked annoyed, as if she hadn’t expected to find us together. She also looked determined ... and she wasn’t alone.

  “That’s everybody,” I said, trying to tamp down my disappointment. “I don’t think they were as caught up with the research and other stuff as you thought.”

  “Apparently not,” Jack muttered.

  “There you guys are,” Laura announced as she rounded the bar and planted herself as close to Jack as possible without climbing onto his lap. “We’ve been looking for you. We made reservations at the Italian restaurant here at the resort. We thought we would have dinner as a group and discuss a few things about the investigation.”

  Jack pursed his lips. For a second I thought he might argue, but we both knew that was a bad idea. “Sounds good,” he said finally. “I love Italian food.”

  THE RESTAURANT WASN’T large, but there was plenty of room for seating. We were directed toward an outdoor table, which was in the shade, and when everyone settled into their seats I found Jack had managed to claim a spot on my left. Unfortunately, Laura was so determined she took the spot on his left.

  “So, we’ve been conducting research on the Gulf,” Chris said once the waitress took our orders and delivered our drinks. “I don’t think the idea of a large predator being able to survive in these waters is unthinkable.”

  “I’m almost afraid to encourage you, but why is that?” Jack queried. “A sixty-foot-shark would gather attention. There are oil rig platforms all over the Gulf. People essentially live on them. Someone would’ve seen something.”

  “Only if they were looking at the right time.”

  “But ... .”

  “I know you don’t believe it’s a Megalodon,” Chris said quickly. “I’m not sure I do either. We need more proof before I can commit to that line of thinking. I do think we have a large predator in these waters. You saw the body. Heck, Charlie passed out when she saw the body.”

  Laura snickered, derisive. “You passed out?”

  “I didn’t pass out. I ... got a little shaky.” There was no way I could explain what had really happened. In fact, I was still trying to figure that out myself. It was better to let them think that I was an idiot who couldn’t handle a shredded body rather than a psychic who caught a glimpse of the past but was so shaken by what she couldn’t make out that she almost fainted like a total girl. “I’m fine now.”

  “And she learned a valuable lesson,” Jack noted. “I told her not to come, but she didn’t listen. I bet you’ll listen next time, huh?”

  That was highly unlikely. “Sure.” I averted my gaze and grabbed a breadstick from the basket at the center of the table. “What did you learn about the Gulf that makes you think a Megalodon could be living here?”

  “Well, the waters are fairly deep in some places.” Chris enjoyed talking about scientific topics, so he embraced the conversation without hesitation. “The average depth of the Gulf is roughly five-thousand feet. There are parts that go as deep as fourteen-thousand feet ... although some people dispute that and say the maximum depth is twelve-thousand. That doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s plenty deep for a large predator to hunt and hide in.”

  “Okay, I know you believe I’m always the naysayer, but I think this must be brought up,” Jack said. “If Megalodons somehow managed to survive, they would’ve been seen by now. By cruise ships ... or oil rig workers ... or submarine pilots. Heck, they’re big enough to be sighted from satellites in space. They would’ve shown up on Google Earth cameras or something.”

  Instead of arguing, Chris merely sighed. “The Loch Ness Monster has gone years without verifiable proof, but we all know it’s real.”

  “I don’t know it’s real,” Jack countered. “In fact, I think it’s something the locals have kept in the news because it draws tourists. The weather isn’t great in that area, so a monster makes for a big catch of looky-loos.”

  “Hopefully we’ll get a chance to visit and I’ll prove you wrong,” Chris said. “The Loch Ness Monster is hardly our concern right now.”

  “Right,” Jack drawled, annoyance obvious. “Megalodons are our biggest concern right now.”

  “Precisely.” Chris nodded, ignoring Jack’s tone. “We need to get out on the water before the animal heads back to open sea.”

  “Let’s say I’m willing to concede this was a Megalodon attack — which I’m not,” Jack said. “What makes you think it hasn’t already disappeared? Why haven’t more animals turned up dead? Why aren’t the other creatures that live in the Gulf reacting to the presence of a huge predator? Why are we assuming it’s one shark instead of multiple sharks? I mean ... there are too many questions.”

  “There are,” Chris agreed. “We’ll start answering those questions tomorrow. I’ve rented a boat.”

  “Oh, geez.” Jack smacked his hand to his forehead. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “I’m not sure a boat is a good idea,” Millie hedged, drawing everyone’s attention to her side of the table. “No boat we could navigate would be big enough to hold off a giant shark.” She shot a guilty look toward Jack. “Not that I think it’s a Megalodon.”

  “I can’t even ... .” Jack was beside himself.

  “I thought about that,” Chris admitted. “When I made my calls, the biggest ship I could get was sixty feet. If the shark is sixty feet, that’s a little too iffy for my comfort. That’s why I placed a call to Uncle Myron. He arranged for a private cutter to take us out. It’s a salvage unit with a huge shipping company. It’ll be at our disposal the entire day.”

  I had no idea what to make of that. “What happens if we see the Megalodon?” I asked the obvious question. “It’s not as if we can trap it. We can’t kill it because it’s a modern marvel. What do we do if we see it?”

  “I’m going to pee myself,” Laura offered, looking to Jack for a laugh. He ignored her.

  “We’re going to document it,” Chris replied simply. “We’ll take photos, maybe find a way to track it. I have some shark experts coming because this is not my area of expertise.”

  “You can’t know everything,” Hannah said, patting his hand as he smiled at her adoringly. “I think a day on a ship that size will be educational and enjoyable. That’s why I love this job.”

  “Thank you, Hannah.” Chris beamed at her in such a goofy manner I couldn’t help being a little charmed. “Just for the record, everyone is expected to be on the ship. No arguing. We leave first thing in the morning.”

  “I can’t wait,” Jack muttered, shaking his head.
“We’re going to spend the day looking for a Megalodon. How could that possibly go wrong?”

  HE WAS STILL IN A BAD MOOD when we slipped out of the condo to walk the beach after dark. The air remained humid, almost stifling, but there was a nice breeze as I carried my flip flops and splashed my feet in the water.

  “You need to get over it,” I said finally, his dark mood bringing me down. “Chris is in charge. He gets to decide what we do with our time.”

  “Yes, and looking for a Megalodon seems a great way to waste an entire day.”

  I shrugged as I squinched my toes in the sand. “It could be worse. We’ll be on a boat. The Gulf is beautiful. We’ll have food and water ... and we’ll be able to see dolphins and other animals. It’s not the worst thing that’s ever happened.”

  Instead of firing something nasty back, he tilted his head. “You’re a glass-half-full person. Occasionally you have a bad day, but most of the time you’re an optimist.”

  “Is that bad?”

  “No. Simply an observation. You know I’m a pessimist, right?”

  Ah, so that’s what was bothering him. “You’re not a pessimist.”

  “I am so.”

  “You’re not.” I was firm. “You’re a realist with an optimistic streak. Otherwise you never would’ve bothered to ask me out.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  I shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t know. It’s something I feel. I had a crush on you long before you admitted to having feelings for me. I didn’t want to admit it because I thought you were kind of a wank, but it was there. I couldn’t escape it. The thing is, I thought nothing would happen because you wouldn’t allow it. You took me by surprise when you decided to take a chance on moving forward instead of holding back.”

  Jack’s mouth dropped open. “That was ... almost profound.”

  “I’m more than just the annoying new member of the group.”

  “You’re only annoying fifty percent of the time.” He lowered himself to the sand and removed his shoes, taking a moment to rub the soles of his feet. “And even then you’re so cute it’s hard to find you annoying.”

  I was glad it was dark because my cheeks burned so hot I knew they were bright red. “That was kind of nice.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m a kind of nice guy.” He flicked his eyes to me, his smile soft. When he suggested we go for a walk to get some time alone, I jumped at the chance. The disastrous dinner left everyone on edge, especially Jack. I wanted him to relax. “Come here.” He held out his hand to me.

  I took it as I moved closer, laughing as he tugged me down to sit next to him. He slid his arm around my back, making sure he didn’t move too fast but anchoring me close, and smiled as he stared out at the rolling ocean.

  “It’s pretty here, huh?”

  I nodded, trying not to focus on the way his arm felt. “I used to dream about living on the ocean.”

  “And now?”

  “I don’t know. I kind of like the traveling we do, seeing different places. People say I won’t always like that, but it’s still new to me.”

  “I don’t mind the travel either,” he said. “I like hotel living. That might sound odd, but there’s something cool about regular room service and expensive dinners ... especially when the Legacy Foundation is footing the bill.”

  “Definitely. Dinner was good tonight.”

  “Yeah. You went a little heavy on the garlic.”

  I pressed my lips together, mortified.

  When he looked at me, I found him smiling. “I guess it’s good that I ate a bunch of garlic, too. We’ll cancel each other out.”

  I exhaled heavily and elbowed his side. “You enjoy messing with me far too much.”

  “You enjoy messing with me, too.”

  He wasn’t wrong. “It’s going to be okay, Jack.” I felt the need to soothe him. “We’re not going to be eaten by a Megalodon tomorrow. We’ll be safe on the boat. Don’t work yourself up over it.”

  “I am not worried about being eaten by a Megalodon.”

  “So ... what are you worried about?”

  “I don’t know.” He tightened his grip on me. “I feel uneasy. Even before you almost splattered your brains all over the medical examiner’s floor, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.”

  I often had feelings something terrible was going to happen, so I understood. “What do you think is going to happen?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Maybe you’re just worked up because you don’t want anyone to find out about us,” I suggested. “Maybe you’re feeling one thing and think you’re feeling something else.”

  “I guess.” He dragged a hand through his hair and smiled at me. “I feel better right now than I have since we got here. I know that’s true.”

  “I’m glad. I feel better, too.”

  “Yeah, well, I was thinking.”

  Uh-oh. I hated it when he started sentences with that phrase.

  “I was thinking we could spend a few more minutes here, then get some drinks at the tiki bar to eradicate the garlic breath and then take a long walk back to the condo before heading to bed.”

  That was so not what I was expecting. “Really?”

  “Yup.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “This day is definitely looking up.”

  Seven

  Jack held my hand until we drew near the tiki bar. He seemed reluctant to release it, but the job came first. I was torn. I liked being alone with him, getting to know him, the way his eyebrows drew together when he laughed. I got giddy and lightheaded occasionally when he leaned close, which was pathetic to admit.

  On the flip side, when I got giddy I got giggly, and most people mistook me for a middle-school girl. Jack didn’t seem to mind — at least he didn’t comment on it — but the last thing I wanted when we were supposed to be learning information about a dead woman was for people to think I was acting like an idiot. I liked to retain the “stop acting like a moron” comments for those who knew me best.

  I wasn’t sure what to expect at the tiki bar. I visited with Millie during the day and there were a handful of people milling about, having a good time, and day drinking to their hearts’ content. Now that the sun had gone down it was an entirely different atmosphere.

  “Wow!” My mouth dropped open as I openly gaped. “Just ... wow!”

  Jack absently ran his hand over my back as he surveyed the crowd. The beach was full of people, at least fifteen different large tables with gas fires burning at the center of them spread out around the sandy expanse. There were another thirty smaller tables on the pavement, people laughing and drinking as they bent their heads together and talked.

  There was a lot of raucous laughter.

  There was a lot of swearing.

  Oh, and in one corner that was mostly shrouded in the dark, there was a lot of groping.

  “What do you think is going on over there?” I asked, my eyes instantly darting to the groping corner.

  “Nothing that I want to see,” Jack replied, prodding me with his hand toward the bar. “Whatever it is, it’s private and not likely to cool my blood.”

  I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant. “Why do you need your blood cooled?”

  Jack slid me a sidelong look, his gaze searching. Finally, he merely shook his head. “You don’t get your appeal sometimes. It’s maddening.”

  “Wait ... so this is my fault?”

  “No one is at fault.” He held his hands up in a capitulating manner. “We’re here to work. Almost all of these people are wearing the lanyards from the conference, which means they’re either writers or married to writers I would guess. Pick a table, I’ll get us drinks and we’ll start feeling them out.”

  It was a simple suggestion, but it raised alarm bells in the back of my brain. “Um ... I get goofy when I drink.”

  His eyes were curious when they latched with mine. “Define goofy.”

  “I say stupid t
hings.”

  “Baby, you do that when you’re sober.”

  I scowled. “I say even dumber things when alcohol is involved.”

  “Do you want to give me an example?”

  I certainly didn’t. “I’m not dumb enough to answer that while sober.”

  He barked out a laugh. “I think we’ll give it a try anyway. One drink won’t hurt you.”

  He was about to find out exactly how untrue that statement was.

  “DID YOU KNOW SHAYNE RIVERS?”

  Jack went right to work once he bought drinks and led us to a group of authors sitting around one of the fires. They looked to be having a great time, cackling like maniacs as they told stories and teased one another. I was uncomfortable interrupting their conversations and inviting myself to the party, but Jack didn’t have that problem.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but everywhere else is full,” Jack said as he gestured for me to sit on the padded bench. “Just keep talking as if we’re not here … although, if you want to answer my questions that would be great, too.”

  “How could we pretend you’re not here?” one of the women purred, her eyes moving over Jack as if he were a porterhouse steak and she’d been stuck with butt shanks for most of her life. “Who are you? Are you with one of the authors?”

  “No.” Jack shook his head. “We were called in to investigate the death of Shayne Rivers.”

  “Really?” The woman arched an eyebrow, her interest clearly piqued. “Are you with the police?”

  “We’re with a private group,” Jack replied, seemingly calm and at ease. “Because sharks were involved, they needed experts. That’s why they called us.”

  “And are you an expert on sharks?” This time the speaker was someone else, a relaxed-looking blonde to my right who shared a bench with a brunette. They’d been cackling like witches a second before, clearly enjoying themselves, but now the blonde was completely focused on us. Her name tag read “Lily Harper Hart,” and that name sparked something in my head, although three sips of my drink were already futzing things up.