“I promise, I did not breathe a word to anyone.” Magnolia held up one hand like a Boy Scout. “But the staff already knew who he was. You can’t blame them for being curious.”
Martha switched her glare to Tex and Breck, who were perched on the narrow benches opposite. The pair at least had the decency to look moderately guilty. Tex tipped his hat at her in a sorry, ma’am sort of way.
Martha sighed. As a coyote, she really couldn’t take anyone to task for nosiness. She had to admit, she’d have done just the same, in their place.
“Well, I expect we’re all going to be disappointed,” she said grumpily. “He’s no fool. He’ll have worked out you all haven’t developed a sudden fascination with dolphins.”
Though if Finn was aware of the ulterior motives of half the party, he gave no sign of it. He stood at the very back of the boat, staring out at the churning waves with an expression even more impenetrable than usual.
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen,” Travis called from the tiller. He steered the boat one-handed with the ease of long practice, his other shading his eyes as he scanned the horizon. “We’re coming up to the area where the humpback whale pods are usually found, so keep your eyes peeled.”
Well, that answers the question of who’s genuinely here to see whales, Martha thought, as the half-dozen or so other resort guests eagerly craned their necks.
“Sorry,” she muttered to Magnolia, feeling a little sheepish. “You were telling the truth about not gossiping. I shouldn’t’ve snapped at you.”
Magnolia patted her knee, smiling in understanding. “No apology necessary. Keep a lookout for those whales. They really are quite a sight.”
“I see a fin!” one of the other resort guests called out excitedly, pointing. “Coming right at us! Is that a whale?”
Travis narrowed his eyes. “No, wrong shape. That looks like a…oh. Hm.”
“A what?” Martha asked, when he didn’t finish his sentence.
“That’s definitely a tiger shark.” As people jerked back from the sides of the boat, Travis hastily added, “Don’t worry, they’re perfectly harmless. We’re lucky to see one, actually. They’re very shy.”
Martha glanced at the back of the boat, but Finn was still there. His gaze followed the circling shark. He tilted his head a little, eyes going distant.
“There, see, it’s gone,” Travis said, as the fin slipped back under the water again. “Nothing to worry about.”
Balancing herself against the rocking motion of the boat, Martha made her way back to Finn. “Did you do that?” she asked under her breath.
He shot her a wry, sideways glance. “Do you mean call her, or send her away?”
“Her?”
“She was a female. A proud grandmother, in fact, the matriarch of these waters.”
“You could tell all that just on sight?”
He shook his head, returning his gray gaze to the dark waters. “She told me.”
Martha could communicate somewhat with wild coyotes, but not like that. Then again, she wasn’t the Master Coyote or any other such grand title.
“Uh, no, those aren’t dolphins,” Travis was saying. “Those would be, um, more sharks. Hammerheads, I think.” He cleared his throat. “Ah, sir?”
The Master Shark glanced back at him.
Travis grimaced. “Are we likely to see any whales on this trip?”
“No.” The Master Shark looked past him at the other guests, who stared back with confused expressions. “My apologies.”
“Well, I for one am just fascinated by all these wonderful sharks!” Magnolia said brightly. “What’s that fine fellow over there, Travis? He’s a real beauty.”
Travis followed her pointing finger, and made a slightly strangled noise. “That…that would be a Great White.”
Magnolia didn’t so much as bat an eyelash. “How lovely. Never seen one of those before.”
The Great White shark swept under them, a sleek, silent shadow nearly as long as the boat. Martha leaned over the side, fascinated. Despite its name, it wasn’t actually white. Its upper side was a steely blue-gray, perfectly matching the water around it.