“A friend of hers.”
It was like someone had flipped off his thermostat and the warmth she’d felt from him at the bar turned to cold, hard ice.
Josh ignored him and looked at Minnow, gaze slipping over herchest, down her thighs and back up. “This is freaking perfect. A shark scientist who could be a movie star. So, I need you to stand over here, across from me. I’ll just ask you a few questions, and then we’ll lead into Angela’s statement. How does that sound?”
Minnow moved to under the coconut tree, facing the blinding light. “Fine.”
“Okay, let’s roll,” Josh said.
She could barely see his face, only the outline of his coiffed hair.
In a somber tone, Josh began. “Aloha from the Big Island of Hawai?i, where a series of deadly shark attacks killed one man, possibly two, and left a third victim badly injured. With spring break and an international open-water swim coming up, state officials are considering a shark hunt to make waters safe again. Joining me now on the beach in front of the Kiawe is Dr. Minnow Gray, a great-white scientist from California who studies these beasts for a living. Dr. Gray, can you tell us what you know about the shark involved, because if I’m not mistaken, it’s been the same animal.”
Minnow stole a glance at Luke, who gave her a nod. “Yes, Josh. We do believe the same white shark is responsible for the bites of two people here along the coast, but the third is currently ruled as a missing swimmer since there’s no evidence pointing otherwise.”
“But the missing swimmer was within a mile of where Stuart Callahan was killed, was he not?”
“Yes, but there are far more drownings than shark incidents, so we can’t jump to conclusions. We need evidence before we can make a determination.”
“What kind of evidence are you looking for?”
“For one, his body has not been recovered, so that would be a first step.”
“I understand you attended a shark task force meeting earlier this evening. Were any decisions made about how the state plans on stopping this man-eater?”
“First, it’s not a man-eater. Shark bites are most commonly a caseof mistaken identity. But also, a woman was bit, so the term is misleading at best. But more than that, it is extremely damaging to an animal that is greatly misunderstood. To answer your question, we are still investigating, but shark hunts are outdated and do more harm than good. Science now tells us this.”
“What kind of science?”
“Shark tagging and tracking, mainly, which shows us how migratory these animals are. But also, we’ve learned about how important sharks are to the entire balance of the ocean.”
“Would removing one predatory shark, who seems to have acquired a taste for human flesh, really make that much of a difference?”
She felt her whole body tensing and willed herself to relax. “Neither of these victims were consumed by the shark, so that tells us the opposite story. They were bitten and released. As soon as the shark realized they weren’t seals, it moved on. Trust me, if this shark had a hankering for humans, there would have been nothing left of them.”
“Maybe that’s what happened to Hank, the swimmer.”
“I don’t operate on speculation.”
A smile crept onto his face, and she could tell he was enjoying getting a rise out of her.
“Okay, so you mentioned a woman. Can you confirm for CNN that the woman attacked was actress Angela Crawford?” he asked.
She nodded, holding the folded note in her hand. “I can.”
“Our sources tell us she’s still in the hospital and was critically injured. Is she going to survive?”
“I have a statement from Angela here. I’ll just read it to you.”
“Brilliant.”
Something moved in the shadows behind Josh and she caught a glimpse of Luke standing with his arms crossed next to the cameraman. When their eyes met, he gave her a thumbs-up. Her voice was a little shaky as she read, but she was so dang thankful for that last line.
From what I’m told, I was doing something I probably shouldn’t have been doing, and I only have myself to blame.
Josh looked directly into the camera and smiled his famous prep-boy smile. “You heard that here first, folks. Angela Crawford has been attacked by a great white shark in Hawaiian waters, but she’s alive and expected to recover. Dr. Gray, have you examined her yourself?”
“I have, as part of our investigation.”
