“I am. The answers may not be clear right now, but I am meant to be in this hospital bed for a reason. That shark and I were destined to cross paths.”
“So you think it was my dad’s fate to meet that shark too?”
Angela paused for a moment. “Pain and loss are the best teachers. So, whether you realized it or not, you were learning from the best at a young age.”
In real life Angela was even more beautiful than on film. Maybe it was because up close Minnow noticed her small imperfections—a scar running through her right eyebrow, hair as messy as her own, chapped lips, a small murmur in her heart, audible in the breaks between words. She felt like the most real person Minnow had met in a while.
“By no means do I have anything figured out,” Minnow said.
“You most certainly do, or why else would you be here?”
“I know sharks.”
Angela stared at her. “It’s not just that. You’re intuitive. Perceptive. I recognize it in you because that’s how I used to be.”
“Not anymore?”
She shook her head. “Before I became an actress, I was into birds. I even majored in biology. If you can believe it, I was going to be an ornithologist—gulls, in particular. That all got derailed. I often wonder how my life would have turned out.”
It was hard to imagine her being anything other than a superstar. But all famous people had a life before they were famous, with hopes and dreams like everyone else. The innate striving of the human species.
“It’s never too late,” Minnow said.
Angela laughed.
The door burst open without even a knock and a tall guy in a UPS outfit and shades came in, holding a big bouquet of red roses. “Delivery for Angie C.”
Angela beamed. “What a delight.”
He walked straight over to Angela, lifted his shades and kissed her long on the lips. When he pulled away, he glanced at Minnow as if noticing her for the first time.
“Zach, this is Minnow—Dr. Gray. The one who wants the tooth.”
“Right. You’re on the task force?” he asked, setting the flowers down on the counter where there was already a full garden.
Minnow stuttered. “Yes. Yes, I am.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ziplock bag. “Here you go. Weapon of mass destruction.”
“Hon, don’t call it that, please.”
“Well, that’s what it is, isn’t it?”
His arrogance gave Minnow a bad taste in her mouth. “Technically, no,” she said.
She opened the bag and held the tooth in her hand. Triangle. Serrated. Close to three inches. The possibility that the same shark attacked both Stu and Angela had now become a probability, and a high one at that.
“Don’t mind him, he’s just protective of me. So what does the tooth tell you?”
“Definitely a white shark. I can compare it with the bite marks in Stu Callahan’s board, and I’ll know if it was the same animal.”
A long moment passed and Zach said, “You could be Angie’s little sister. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“The doctor—” Minnow said.
At the same time, Angela said, “Dr. Giovanni.”
“Weird. Anyway, Dr. Gray, as you can guess, Angie and I want our privacy, so mum to the press, okay? I mean, I know you have to tell them about the shark, but not one word about me being here, and no mention of Angela Crawford. Just say you can confirm a woman was bit and she’s alive and being treated. Got it?”
