“I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation.”
He shrugged. “You want to hear it though, don’t you?”
“Sure, tell me.”
As soon as the words came out, she regretted saying them. Talking about Luke with someone else felt like bringing to life something that until now had just been a thought, a glimmer, a question mark.
“He’s hiding something,” he said.
“Tell me something I don’t already know.”
Dixie came back, loading up another round of drinks. The way she eyed up Nalu, chances were good that they’d end up at least exchanging numbers.
“What time are you off, Dixie?” he asked.
She looked at her watch. “Ten minutes. I’ve been here since eight a.m.”
“Ouch, long day. Can I walk you to your car?”
She shot a look Minnow’s way. “You two haven’t even eaten yet.”
Nalu held up his drink. “Oh, I’m not here to eat. We just finished up at the Shark Task Force meeting and I was thirsty. Dr. Gray and I work together and she’s staying next door at Hale Niuhi.”
“Dr. Gray must be super hungry, then, because I saw your order.”
Mahi-mahi plate. Large order of fries. Margherita pizza. Caesar salad with mac nut croutons.
Minnow gave her a wide smile. “Nah, I’m taking the mahi plate back to Woody, and Nalu and I were just strategizing before he goes back to his hotel room.”
She actually liked the idea of walking back alone under the stars with nothing but lava and ocean for miles.
Dixie leaned into Nalu. “Meet me by the fishpond behind the gym.”
Once she’d walked off, he said, “Thanks, I owe you one.”
“Just behave and be a gentleman.”
“Always.”
When the food came, Minnow ate a slice and a half and picked at the salad, wondering all the while how to sway the minds of those who wanted the hunt. Images of that beautiful, dead white shark on the dock in Catalina reared up, making it hard to breathe. That and the shark on the Farallones. Underwater, sharks were all speed and grace, but take them out of the water and they became limp, helpless, lumpy sacs. Right after her father’s death, some of the divers on the island had taken it upon themselves to catch all the sharks they could, and it had been awful for Minnow.
“How’s the food?” someone asked.
She turned to see Josh Brown, dressed in a tweed coat of all things. Thankfully, he had not been allowed in the meeting, but she figured he was probably lurking somewhere.
“It’s great.”
“Mind if I sit?” he asked.
“I was just leaving, so have at it.”
He slapped his notebook down next to her. “How did the meeting go? I got Sawyer’s take on it, but I’d love yours.”
As much as she wanted to flee, talking to the press was partly why she was here, a way to the people. And Angela’s statement still burned a hole in her pocket.
“Everyone made their points, one way or another, so it went well in that regard. But I still maintain that the evidence against a hunt is clear. In my mind there’s really no other option.”
“Sam Callahan begs to differ. I caught up with him after he walked out,” Josh said.
