“So what? We’re not bothering anyone. This is boonies, man.”
Beer-bellied and a lot older than the other two, he seemed to be the ringleader. His pale, blotchy skin had seen better days.
“Tell that to the three people who were attacked by a shark recently just down the coast. You’ve got blood on your hands. All of you,” Woody said in a cutting voice.
While the brothers and Kamaki were busy with that, Minnow began snapping photos, zeroing in on the culprits’ faces, the boat name, and the fish parts and blood in the water. Luke held the light for her since sunrise was still a long ways off.
“And now, because of your stupidity, every shark along this coast is in danger. All those sharks that you feed and your customers swim with will be brutally pulled out of the water and killed. You ever stop to think about that?” Cliff said.
Of course not every shark would be caught, but even one was too many.
The three of them just stood there, blank-faced, mute.
Luke nudged Minnow gently. “Ten o’clock. Fin.”
Minnow looked out into the darkness behind the boat and saw a tall fin making a smooth arc through the water. It was too dark to tell what kind it was, but whatever it was, it was very large.Leave,Minnow called out in her mind.
Cliff pounded the dull side of his spear onto the boat next to him. “This is how it’s going to go from here on. We take your cage and you will never, ever chum in these waters again. Our eyes are everywhere, on land and in the water. If you disrespect the‘ainaagain, we will not be so forgiving. Consider this fair warning.”
Kamaki pointed at the driver. “You, what’s your name?”
“Alex.”
“Last name.”
He muttered something under his breath, then said, “Dickerson.”
Minnow burned their names into memory.
Kamaki, who had been holding on to the side of their boat, let go. “We have photos, and DLWA will be paying you a visit. Now get out of here.”
Alex gave him a smug look. “Go ahead.”
“Not just DLWA, but the Feds too.”
This time Alex glanced at the girl, and Minnow saw real fear in their eyes. So they weren’t scared of the DLWA, but they were of the Feds. It gave Minnow pause. Of course Kamaki was bluffing, but they didn’t know that.
“Brah, that cage was expensive. You can’t take it,” Alex said.
“We can and we will.”
Cliff pointed to shore. “The harm you have caused is irreversible. Now go.”
Alex looked like he was dying to say something more, but Woody and Dean and Liloa had closed in on them and stood in solidarity with Cliff. Alex started the motor and sped off toward Papapa Bay.
The three boats floated for a while, no one saying anything. Luke found Minnow’s hand and squeezed.
“Sometimes you can’t undo the wrongs of others, but I’d say this is a darn good start,” he said.
Minnow squeezed back, thankful to no longer feel alone in this. She’d found her tribe in the last place she would have expected. But that was life wasn’t it? One minute you were swimming alone, the next you had a big, beautiful shiver of sharks alongside you.
Journal Entry
From the journal of Minnow Gray
February 1, 1998
Grief can take many forms, one of them being rage.
