“Seriously, any time,” Cathy said. She was in her mid to late thirties, thin, and she wore wire-rimmed glasses and a very studious expression. She explained that she kept medical records on the dolphins and other inhabitants of Sea Life.
“I just love to talk about sea mammals. They’re so incredible. Dolphins’ life spans vary,” Cathy said. “In the wild, luck is a huge factor. Everything depends on how pristine their environment is, the availability of food and whether they run into a predator—or a motorboat. Here, where we can control the environment and provide medical care when necessary, two of our dolphins are in their late forties. In the wild, twenty to twenty-five years is pretty much the norm, and only about one percent of the entire population anywhere makes it to fifty.”
Lara thanked Cathy for talking to them about the dolphins and then said that they had to move on so Meg could meet the rest of the staff. They said their thank-yous, then headed over to the café, where Frank Pilaf was at the grill, and Juan Jimenez and Rosa Estancia were taking orders, bringing out food and picking up after those who didn’t pick up after themselves. Rosa, a warm and effusive woman, greeted Meg with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Meg looked a little surprised, but then Juan and Frank did the same. Rosa refused to let them leave until they were armed with bottles of ice-cold water.
“That was quite a welcome,” Meg said once they were out of earshot.
“You get used to that down here,” Lara said. “It’s the Latin influence. Everyone hugs and kisses everyone else.”
They paused for a minute at the front enclosure, where Adrianna and Rick were hosting the afternoon show and three of the dolphins were doing a synchronized leap out of the water, delighting the crowd of campers and other visitors. After a minute Lara nudged Meg, and they walked over to the showers and storage area on the far side of the left-hand lagoon. Sue Crane and Justin Villiers were there, collecting the towels the trainers used after their swims.
Sue was in her late twenties, Justin somewhere around thirty. They both had brown hair, but Sue was tiny with a perfect little gamine face, while Justin was very tall and skinny; they made quite a pair when working together.
“Good to have security around,” Sue said after Meg had been introduced.
That made Justin frown. “You don’t think we’re really in danger here, do you?” he asked Sue.
“I wasn’t suggesting we’re in danger—except from Lara stealing our jobs. You’re amazing with Cocoa,” Sue said, shaking her head.
“No fear there—I’m much better with words. And Cocoa’s the only one of the dolphins who even seems to notice me,” Lara said.
“Dolphins are really a lot like dogs,” Justin said. “You know how dogs seem to know if a person is okay or not? Well, dolphins are the same way. So, Lara, if Cocoa says you’re good people, we’ll keep you.”
After Sue and Justin left to handle the dolphins for the next encounter, Lara turned to Meg. “That’s it for full-time staff. We have local college and high school students who come in as volunteers to help out sometimes, but they’re not here on an everyday basis, and there’s a vet who comes when we call him.”
“Everyone seems terrific, and this is a great work environment,” Meg said.
“I think so,” Lara said. “Were you expecting otherwise? There’s no suspicion that anyone from here is involved in what happened.”
“It’s still good to know who everyone is.” Meg paused, then asked, “Now, what about Miguel? When am I going to meet him?”
Lara tilted her head questioningly. “Miguel Gomez? Meg, I’m still not sure I really saw a ghost. And even if I did see him, I have no idea how to introduce you to him.”
“You saw him in your office doorway, right?”
“Right.”
“Then, let’s head back there. He probably won’t show when there are so many other people around, but you’re one of the last to leave, right?”
“Usually, yes.”
“We’ll make sure that you are tonight,” Meg said, then shrugged. “And if he doesn’t show up here, maybe he’ll come to the house again tonight. If he does, we won’t be calling the police on him.”
*
The Diaz-Douglas Mortuary Chapel on Bird Road had been around as long as Brett could remember; Diego also knew the place well, since his great-uncle’s wake had recently been held there.
While he and Diego were heading to the funeral home, Matt Bosworth was on his way to the cemetery where they had exhumed Randy Nicholson’s empty coffin that morning. He was going to begin interviewing the employees. Someone, somewhere, had to know something, and the cemetery was a convenient place to start.
“It’s a pretty smart deal they’ve got going,” Diego told Brett. “When people want their service slanted toward the Anglo side, Douglas handles arrangements. When they speak Spanish, Diaz steps in.”