Chapter 17
"Poachers?" Jonathan asked him. He was standing beside a table in the galley, Paul close enough to speak softly. Their wives were sitting on the bench seat. "Are you telling me you think these guys are poachers?" Jennifer stayed wrapped in a now damp sleeping bag, fighting a drowsy rest.
"I think so. Based on listening to some of the conversations," Paul scanned the room to make sure no one else could hear. "It sounds like they have been chasing after whales on their way down from their islands."
Jennifer, who seemed to be nodding off, sat up and started to open her mouth, but Jonathan quickly placed his finger over her lips. "Hey, remember me? I've read your work, and I can see what's going on in that pretty little redhead of yours. Let's get out of this situation before you give them the riot act, huh?" She started to protest once again, and again he stopped her. "We have eight other lives on this boat we need to be concerned about, remember?"
She sat back in a defeated huff. "We can't just let them get away with this, Jonathan." She couldn't fight a sudden yawn.
"Did I say let them get away? We'll figure something out." He leaned over her and tenderly kissed her lips, which sent a shiver through her body. "I promise. And you, my Darling, are not in any condition to be picking a fight right this minute. My concerns right now are making sure you are warm enough..."
"I feel fine," she pouted.
"Yes, but your lips are still icy…"
"And just watching you, your breathing is shallower than I like, Jennifer." Hazel jumped into the conversation. "I don't like that shivering doesn't seem to have at least slowed down, either."
Jonathan pointed towards Hazel, "Nurse, remember? As your husband, I am concerned."
She leaned up, letting the covers drop back against the seat, "But, Jonathan…"
"... I'm also concerned about all of us getting off this ship in one piece. Once that happens – then and only then, I will deal with them and their fishing practices."
His admitting concern seemed to appease her frustrations for the moment, she allowed Hazel to put the sleeping bag back around her shoulders and sat back once more. Almost as quickly as she sat back, she sat up, "I just thought of something horrible…" she turned her wide eyes to Jonathan. "What if they are hunting the whale we saw this morning?"
That thought caught Jonathan off guard. To think of someone hunting that beautiful creature he had witnessed just a few hours earlier made his stomach turn. His resolve to protect the whales ratcheted up; Jennifer could see it happen while she looked into his eyes.
"Do you have a plan?" Paul asked after witnessing their conversation.
Jonathan frowned. "Not just yet," he half growled, half-whispered, keeping his eyes on the men that walked past the table they were sitting. "I will figure something out. We need some evidence, and I don't know if we will be able to find anything in the short time we will be on this boat."
The door to the galley opened, and Captain Paul walked into the room. "How is everyone doing here?"
"We are fine," Paul answered him.
"Do you know if we could get something warm for Jennifer to drink?" Hazel asked him. "Her temperature is not coming up fast enough and I want to keep her from developing a fever or further complications. Maybe even a dry blanket?"
The Captain turned to ask one of the men, in Russian, for a warm drink, Jonathan turned to Hazel distress creeping into his vocal cords, "Fever? Further complications?"
She waved him off.
"Captain Paul… Russian?" Paul asked him, trying to sound impressed.
The Captain turned back to the table and laughed, "A hazard of the occupation. I spent about 15 years in the fishing trade before I was able to purchase a boat and start my dive shop."
"Wow… the things you learn when you are in a stressful situation with someone. I would have said you were some Californian who was looking for the surfing life and landed in a dive shop."
He laughed again. "I guess I started that way… only I am from Florida, not California. I hit Australia for the surfing and ended up on a fishing boat, not unlike this one, because I needed a way to make money. I guess that was a good 25 years ago."
"What did you fish for when you were in the business?" Jonathan asked him.
"I have caught just about everything. Mostly I was out for tuna."
"Whales?"
Captain Paul studied Jonathan for a moment. "I have. But remember this was the 50's and 60's. There were not the issues with whaling there is now." One of the Russian crew members stepped up with a steaming cup of coffee and spoke to the Captain. "Here, Mrs. Hart. I'm sorry, they don't have tea on board, so coffee will have to do."
"So long as they didn't add alcohol to it," Hazel said, taking the cup from him and helping Jennifer hold it in her now shaking hands.
Satisfied Hazel had things under control, Jonathan pressed the issue, "Not unlike this one… does that mean this one is out for whale?"
