Page 43 of The Spotted Cottage By the Sea
“That’s remarkable!” Patty said. “Whom do we need to talk to, to get her released?”
Inge sat back and sighed. “If only it were that easy.”
Sheila’s heart sank. “I thought if I could prove she was a resident orca, they would have to release her. Aren’t they considered endangered?”
Inge nodded slowly, her gray eyes sharp and focused. “It helps, of course, to know Lottie is the last resident orca in captivity. It’s like a second chance to make things right after what happened with Tokitae.”
“The Florida whale?” Patty asked.
Inge bit her lip. Her eyes shone with tears, and she blinked them away. “Yes. We were almost ready to build a sea pen and pull together a team of veterinarians and behaviorists to welcome her back into her home waters. But then she passed away. It just took us too long and…” Her voice trailed off. She took a sip of tea before speaking again. “The fact that there’s another resident orca…? It’s a miracle, honestly. We could help her. We really could.”
Her passion was contagious. Sheila hadn’t had any of her coffee, nor a single bite of food. The way Inge spoke about whales reminded her of Russell and his wolves.
Sheila wasn’t whale-crazy, and she definitely wasn’t wolf-crazy. But she was crazy about Lottie. “Is there a chance her mom is still alive?”
Inge nodded. “Can I see the pictures?”
“Sure.” Sheila reached into her purse and pulled out the old, grainy Polaroids she had taken in the cove. “I’m not sure if you can tell from these pictures, but there’s Lottie, and her mom is back there.”
Inge picked up one of the pictures, squinting. “I can’t believe this. Do you see that mark of black on her saddle patch?”
Sheila didn’t, but she said, “Yes.”
“They nicknamed her Streak because of that marking. She’s still alive! She just swam by the Lime Kiln lighthouse last week.”
“That’s incredible!” Sheila leaned in, more determined to see the streak she was talking about.
Patty tutted. “I don’t know about this. What if Lottie can’t make it? What if she starves to death?”
Inge shot forward and almost spilled her tea. “No, no, we wouldneverrelease her into the wild to fend for herself. She’d live in the sea pen, and we’d still monitor her and feed her. She could still hunt, if she wanted to, and we would take her for daily swims following a boat. It would be more like retirement for her. She wouldn’t have to perform anymore.”
“Would her family – her pod – be able to see her? Hear her?” Sheila asked.
Inge was grinning now, still marveling over the pictures in her hands. “Oh yes, of course! It would be quite a reunion.”
“Do you think Streak would recognize her?” Patty asked.
Inge set the pictures down. “Would you recognize your child after not seeing them for forty years?”
Patty sat back, clutching her tea in both hands. “Of course I would!”
“It sounds perfect.” Sheila thrust her phone forward again. “Can you take the recording, then? Tell everyone she belongs here and deserves to come home.”
Inge reached for the phone, but quickly pulled her hand back. “I can only guess how you got that recording. The owners of Marine Magic Funland would sue me into the ground if I came forward with it, saying I broke into the stadium.”
“Oh.” Sheila frowned. She couldn’t afford a lawsuit now, either. “Can I release it anonymously?”
Inge thought on it. “Possibly. Then me and a few other researchers could confirm the validity of Lottie’s calls.” She paused. “The pictures you have would help, too, but without your story behind it, they would claim they’re fake.”
This wasn’t what she was hoping to hear. Sheila felt like she’d done her part. “What am I supposed to do, then?”
“I think your best bet would be to approach the owners of the park first. See if they’d consider releasing her.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Would they?”
“Probably not, but then you can threaten to go public. Tell them the bad publicity will ruin them.”
“I was hoping to keep this anonymous,” Sheila said.
