I could feel a smile spread over my face. The day was looking up.
After twenty minutes of open water, a blue-green blur took form on the horizon. I watched it grow and solidify into a landmass.
Eventually we drew close, slowed, and pulled alongside a sugar-white beach.
The sand stretched ten feet back from the water. Beyond it, high-canopied trees and a dense understory shrouded any view of the island's interior. Waves lapped the shore. Frogs and insects performed an afternoon symphony of whines and hums. Now and then a branch rustled and an animal barked overhead.
There wasn't a manmade thing in sight.
Ben throttled down. The boat bobbed gently as we cruised by, observing the landscape in silence.
A sense of mystery cloaked it. Something primal. Untamed. Wild.
Loggerhead Island.
CHAPTER 5
"Whoa whoa whoa! Comin' in hot! Hit the brakes!"
Shelton recoiled as Sewee clanged into the pier. I lost my footing and smacked the deck with my butt. Hard.
The boat scraped along the wharf, screeching in protest. Tough day for the mighty vessel. Complaint box material.
Springing up, I somehow managed to snag a stray mooring line attached to the quay. We steadied, came to rest. Docking complete.
Not exactly smooth, Captain.
"No brakes on a boat." Ben grimaced, disappointed with his seamanship. "Parking's tricky. I'm working on it."
"Work harder." Hi rubbed a banged knee. "You currently suck."
"I couldn't do it," I said, hoping Ben wouldn't sulk.
He chuckled instead. "Not my best effort, but the ship's okay." A strong backslap. "Come on, Hiram. No harm, no foul."
Hi conspicuously pointed kneeward.
Ben shrugged. "No blood, no foul?"
"Sure. But now my back hurts, so you still lose."
Shelton popped onto the dock and secured the lines. A few loops and tugs, and we were moored. Practically valet.
"Done."
"Let's hustle, people! Go time!" Hi, looking green, climbed over the side and wobbled down the landing. "I have something 'natural' to do in those woods."
Seasickness. Look out.
I disembarked and followed with the others.
Loggerhead Island is a speck compared to Morris, only half a square mile. No residents. No roads. No Starbucks. Just a few buildings clustered together on the southern end. Don't be fooled though, it's a serious place. High tech. Top-of-the-line labs, state-of-the-art equipment, twenty-four hour security. Small, but expensive.
The Loggerhead Island Research Institute. LIRI. But Loggerhead works just fine solo.
The island got its name from the sea turtles that nest on its eastern shore. Pirates were the first European inhabitants. Seeing it as a great spot to dodge colonial authorities, Blackbeard and his pals holed up and stored "inventory" between attacks on merchant ships. Or on other pirates. Or maybe they partied with other pirates. I'm not really sure.
Anyway, that phase didn't last long. Eventually, the Brits rousted the pirates and some Lord Powderedwig built a cotton plantation. Slaves did the work, of course. Jerk. But one day they got him. Big lesson. If you're a jackass who buys other people, don't set up shop hours from help. Should your slaves object to the arrangement, you're fish bait.
The military took Loggerhead next. Bases, guns, et cetera. After that, the island lay empty for several decades. In the seventies title was given to CU, and the university filled it with primates.
No kidding. Most of Loggerhead is now a monkey colony. Free-ranging rhesus monkeys. Hundreds of them, literally running wild in the trees and on the ground. It's not like they can escape. Too far to swim elsewhere.
True, the research compound is fenced, but that's to keep primates out, not in. The chain-link is only partly effective. Smart little buggers, they sneak through constantly. Like pocket ninjas.
The island truly is an amazing place. Wander into a simian clash and the sound is unbelievably loud. I mean, who wouldn't want to hang out in a giant monkey cage once in a while?
To be clear, the institute does not conduct product testing or anything like that. The research is purely veterinary medicine or observational work, like behavioral studies. Otherwise, I wouldn't go there. Or let Kit work there.
Pretty awesome, huh? There are only a few other places like this on the continent. Scientists come from everywhere. You need beaucoup shots and major clearance to get access.
Well, most people do. We just crash the party.
I stepped from the dock onto a narrow beach flanked by high, rocky promontories. Seagulls fluttered from our path, squawking in annoyance. I scanned my surroundings.