Holt nodded toward the water where the figures were standing. June followed his gaze, and her expression immediately changed as she recognized who they were looking at.
"That's Clive Morrison and his sister Sienna," June said quietly.
"Exactly," Holt replied grimly. “They were the ones that called this in.”
“Do you think this might be a trap?” June glanced at Lacey, who was busy slipping on a wetsuit as her eyes scanned the water. "We need to keep our eyes peeled on Lacey.”
"Agreed," Holt said. “I don’t want to believe the worst of those two but…”
“We can’t be too sure,” June said. “And it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
"Everyone ready?" Lacey called from the side of the lake, looking back at them. "Let's go help these animals.
18
LACEY
The afternoon sun filtered through the cypress trees as Lacey waded carefully into the shallow water where three manatees floated in obvious distress. Her heart clenched at the sight of their injuries, particularly the largest of the three, whose back bore deep gashes that were still bleeding into the murky water.
"How bad is it, Dr. Peltz?" Clive Morrison called from the shoreline, his voice carrying genuine concern that surprised Lacey, given how heartless she’d always thought him and his sister to be. Even Sienna seemed really distressed by the injured animals.
"Two of them have minor propeller cuts that should heal on their own with proper monitoring," Lacey replied, moving slowly through the water to avoid startling the gentle giants. "But this big fellow has some serious lacerations that are going to need immediate surgical attention."
She had arrived at the scene prepared to confront the Morrison siblings with anger over their reckless boating, but the story they'd told had completely changed her perspective. According to Clive and Sienna, they had been preparing to launch theirboat when they witnessed another vessel speeding through the manatee sanctuary, completely ignoring the posted warnings and speed limits.
"We tried to get their attention," Sienna had explained, her eyes bright with unshed tears as she looked at the injured animals. "We were yelling and waving, trying to get them to slow down, but they just kept going. By the time we realized they'd actually hit the manatees, the other boat was already gone."
The Morrison siblings had immediately called the marine wildlife authorities and then contacted Lacey's clinic when they realized the injured animals needed more immediate help than the official rescue services could provide. Their quick thinking and genuine concern had probably saved the lives of all three manatees.
Lacey carefully approached the most severely injured animal, speaking in soothing tones as she examined the extent of the damage. The manatee, probably a mature male weighing close to a thousand pounds, remained surprisingly calm as she gently probed the wounds on his back.
"The good news is that none of the cuts appear to have hit any vital organs," she announced to the group gathered on the shore. "But he's lost a significant amount of blood, and these lacerations are deep enough that they'll become infected if we don't get them properly cleaned and sutured."
"What do you need back at the clinic?" Holt asked, already pulling out his phone to coordinate whatever resources she might require.
Lacey appreciated his immediate willingness to help, and she knew he had the connections in town to acquire specializedequipment quickly. The Dillinger family owned the local sporting goods store along with several other businesses that might have useful supplies.
"I'm going to need a proper holding facility where he can recover from surgery. Something large enough for a thousand-pound animal with a filtration system and temperature control."
"I can organize a team to set up whatever you need back at the clinic," Holt offered. "Just tell me what kind of holding tank system you're thinking, and I'll get people working on it while we handle the transport."
"We'll need something like a temporary pool system—maybe eight feet by twelve feet, at least four feet deep," Lacey said, grateful for his organizational skills. "The agricultural supply store might have livestock watering tanks we could use, and we'll need tarps, water pumps, and a filtration system to keep the water clean."
"Whatever you need," Dean assured her from his position near the water's edge. "Just tell us what to do."
What followed was an hour of remarkably coordinated teamwork that temporarily made Lacey forget about the ongoing investigation and the threats that had been haunting her daily life. Clive and Sienna proved to be genuinely helpful and surprisingly knowledgeable about marine wildlife, offering assistance with both physical labor and practical suggestions for keeping the injured animals calm during the rescue process.
Sienna, who had apparently volunteered with sea turtle rescue programs during college, knew exactly how to position the transport sling to minimize stress on the injured manatee. Clive demonstrated unexpected gentleness as he helped guide themassive animal into the improvised transport container that the team had made on the back of the pickup before they left.
"You've done this before," Lacey observed as she watched Clive carefully support the manatee's head while she administered a mild sedative.
"My environmental science professor in college was obsessed with marine mammal conservation," Clive explained with a self-conscious smile. "We spent a lot of class time learning about rescue techniques, though I never expected to actually use the knowledge."
Even June, who had been maintaining a careful distance from the Morrison siblings, found herself working alongside them as they prepared the animal for transport. The crisis had temporarily suspended the tensions and suspicions that had been building over the past week, replacing them with the shared goal of saving an innocent creature's life.
"The other two should be fine if we can keep boats away from this area for the next few days while they recover," Lacey said as she completed her examination of the less seriously injured animals. "Holt, can you contact the marine patrol and ask them to close this section of the waterway to motorized boats? This is supposed to be a manatee sanctuary anyway, but enforcement has been pretty lax."
"Absolutely," Holt replied. "I'll make sure they post clear warnings and have officers patrol the area regularly until these animals have had time to heal."
