“And what about the dolphin lagoons?”
“The lagoons themselves are fenced, with gates that are opened when there’s a major storm. There are thirty dolphins here, and they’ve been released ten times. Every single one has come back, because they all choose to,” Lara told her proudly.
Meg smiled at that. “Good to hear.”
“I don’t think this place is in any danger,” Lara said.
“I don’t think the dolphins are in danger. You’re my worry,” Meg said. “But back to the lay of the land. When you’re open, people can enter the facility proper via the parking lot or through the gift shop, right?”
“Exactly,” Lara agreed. “And if you follow the path to the left, you get to the docks, and if you keep going you end up here, at the offices. If you head straight, toward the water, you come to the education building. To the right of that you have the café, and past that, more lagoons. Cocoa is usually in the first lagoon, because she’s one of the main performers.” She smiled, realizing it sounded as if she were talking about a niece who was doing exceptionally well in school.
“I’ll have to meet your Cocoa,” Meg said. “And the rest of the staff. So far I’ve met your boss, Grady Miller, who reminds me a lot of Adam, and I bet he’s just as good to work for. And I’ve met Rick and Adrianna, who seem lovely. What about the rest of the staff?”
“Come on, we’ll take a walk and I’ll introduce you. I can tell them I’m just checking to see how plans are going for Sunday. We’re hosting a group called Just Say Thanks. They bring in military vets to interact with the dolphins. I’ve been told the effect on the vets is amazing.”
“I’m glad we’ll be here for it,” Meg said.
They left the office, and Lara headed toward the education building first. They waited outside the door of one of the classrooms and watched as Myles Dawson, their intern, enthusiastically lectured a visiting summer-camp group on the work they did. He showed a short video demonstrating that young dolphins were quick to learn behaviors from their trainers, just as they did from their parents. He talked about how dolphins learned both visual and verbal commands, and could even comprehend several commands combined sequentially. He also showed that dolphins were able to discern symbols and match like to like. He finished by saying, “These incredible creatures have been man’s friend for years. The tales of dolphins saving people from shark attacks are true. And remember, here at Sea Life they’re top dog, so behave yourself and follow all instructions when you’re interacting with them today, because you’ll get sent to the corner before they will.”
His words were greeted with laughter, and then the group filed out, smiling and ready for their adventure.
“Hey, Myles, I brought a friend to meet you,” Lara called to him. “Good class, too,” she added.
Myles grinned at that. A nice grin. He had longish brown hair and warm hazel eyes, and Lara knew that he liked to flirt, but she also appreciated the fact that he kept it within friendly limits.
“Thanks, and hi, friend of Lara,” he told Meg, offering her his hand. Then he turned back to Lara. “I heard your friends from the FBI were here. I’ve got to admit, I was afraid everything going on here would kill business, but it looks as if we’re already pretty much back to normal. Some people are asking about what happened, but that will go on forever, I guess.”
“I’d say that the accidental publicity definitely put us on the map,” Lara said. “Though maybe not the way we’d like to be.”
“This place is wonderful,” Meg said.
“It really is. I had this great idea that we put Lara in a bikini and have her ride across the lagoon on a dolphin’s back. That would really bring them in. But the bosses didn’t go with idea. They’re all about dignity around here, go figure.”
“Funny, funny, thank you,” Lara told him. “I doubt that my coordination level would be up to the task anyway. Meanwhile, Meg and I have been friends for years, and as you know, she and her partner, Matt, are both with the FBI. They’ll be hanging around, with Grady’s blessing.”
“Glad to have you—feels nice and safe,” Myles assured her. “Come on, I’ll take you back to meet Dr. Amory and his lovely second, Cathy Barkley.”
He led the way to the office behind the classroom, rapping at the door as they entered to herald their arrival. Dr. Amory was busy at his computer while Cathy was sorting through a stack of files. They both looked up, smiled pleasantly and stopped their work to meet Meg.
“Glad to have you here,” Dr. Amory said to Meg, standing to shake her hand. “And if you want any information on dolphins, come by any time.”