"Any of you have any idea where we are now!?" Jesse had to shout to be heard over the sputtering of the engine of Wade's car above his and his friends' heads.
"I think I saw a sign for Tugend Bluff State Park when he turned left a few miles back," Judy shouted back, "So I guess that's where we are now."
"Makes sense, there hasn't been a light at all in fifteen minutes," Jake chimed in, coughing from the exhaust, "Hope he reaches wherever he's going soon; not sure I can hold on much longer here...!"
"Wait, I think I see light up ahead," Jesse squinted against the first light he'd seen in a long time ahead of them. There seemed to be a large complex of buildings surrounded by a high fence straight ahead. The lights over the fence illuminated two figures standing by the gate, each holding a very large gun. Wade braked to a stop at the gate now. "Just me; I'm here to see Dial," Jesse was just able to hear the fat man saying over the engine's humming.
"We thought you wouldn't make it with this storm; we're supposed to get over a foot of snow in this area now," one of the guards said, "Come in, though; Dial's been waiting for you."
The car moved forward into the center of the compound, where Wade finally stopped it and shut off the engine. And one sound reached Jesse's ears almost immediately once the engine was off: whales whaling in grief. "We found them..." he mumbled softly. "Not yet!" he now hissed to Jake, who was about to let go, "They could see us..!"
"Wade," Dial's voice now rang out in the night air. Footsteps crunched through the snow toward Wade's legs. "You took care of it?" the former park owner asked his main henchman.
"It's all set; I've got the passports right here. And we're booked on a flight to Mexico City at nine Saturday morning," Wade told him.
"No issues?"
"None at all."
"OK, great work," Dial commended his underling, "The last whale's bought now; Carl and I just finished a call with a representative of President Idriss Kony of Sahelia; he wanted a killer whale for his private zoo, and he was willing to pay two million for one."
"Hoo boy, we're really making a mint with this group," Wade said excitedly, "How much do you think we'll be heading out with?"
"After I give Carl his cut for each whale, at least a good seven million for you and I. Plus an extra bonus for the two of us: Enrique's man's coming up to take a look at that whale since he's getting it, and I asked for more for it, given the headaches it's given us all this time. He should be arriving soon himself-and here he is now," he declared as more headlights shone on the entrance road, momentarily blinding Jesse from his position under the car. "Identify yourself," the guards ordered the driver.
"Carlos Pulpo, I'm here to see Robert Dial," the driver said in English with a thick Spanish accent.
"We've been expecting you," the guards waved him through the gate. "So you're Carlos? Nice to do business with you; I'm Robert Dial, this is Wade Lackey," Dial introduced himself to the newcomer once he'd exited his car
"So you're Dial? Enrique appreciates your offer of the whale," Carlos told him, "He's been looking for some time now for a replacement for the dolphins you sent him last year after they died on us."
"This whale'll more than make up for that, Carlos. And you have the money?" Dial grilled him.
"Right here; five million, as you requested," Carlos raised two briefcases, "Can I see the whale I'm buying?"
"Of course; right this way," Dial gestured towards the rear of the complex. Once the men had disappeared from sight, Jesse and his friends finally let go of Wade's car's undercarriage and fell to the ground. "He's selling Willy to a Mexican aquarium!" Jesse mumbled numbly, "We can't let him get away with this!"
He glanced at the large brick buildings all around them. "What is this place?" he wondered out loud.
"It must be the city's old water treatment plant; they sold it to the state park after they built the new one on the other side of town a few years ago," Judy realized, "The water treatment tanks must be still intact; that would be the perfect place to hide whales if you could get them up from the ocean."
"I see them!" Jake pointed across the complex. And Jesse saw it too: numerous orcas inside the large water treatment tanks, some rising out of the water and wailing, others lying glumly against the sides of the tanks. So Willy and the remainder of his family were alive and all right, he knew with relief-or were at least all right for now. The question was, how to get them out of this place...?
"Come on," he whispered to Jake and Judy, scanning to make sure there were no goons nearby, and that the guards at the gate were looking outward, which they thankfully were. The three of them quickly scooted out from under the car and scurried in the direction Dial had gone. They could hear him talking with the Mexican park's representative around the corner of an old building that had perhaps once been a pumphouse. The skeletal branches of a large set of bushes covered the far side of the building, which Jesse knew would provide a reasonably amount of cover, especially with the still falling snow limiting the men's visibility anyway. "There," he told his friends, pointing at the bushes. They squeezed behind it and look around the corner, seeing another man approaching Dial and the Mexican businessman. "Carlos, meet Carl Salkind; he's the head of the whale catching crew here," Dial introduced the newcomer, "He caught that blasted whale for me back in the spring, and he's done it again now."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Salkind. I've heard of your reputation as one of the best whale catchers in the business," Carlos shook his hand, "How is it you operate so effectively without the law on your back?"
"Years of experience helps, Mr. Pulpo-and knowing the right people," Carl told him with pride, "I have a firm agreement under the table with the chief ranger here that I can store all the marine life I catch here; it's deep enough in the mountains that almost no one comes back here, and if anyone were to hear them calling out, they'd assume they were down in the ocean. We catch them, load them onto trucks, and drive them up here until we have a buyer. And I have Robert to thank for this haul," he beamed at Dial, "He called around to as many park and aquarium owners he knew that he could, and I've already sold all fifteen killer whales that we caught-plus the dolphins and seals we have already in stock."
"Looks like a fine great of whales you have here indeed," Carlos squinted through the dim light illuminating the complex at the whales wailing in their tanks.
"Indeed so. This one's going to a park in Tokyo..." Carl gestured at the whale in the nearest tank, whom Jesse recognized as Luna, "This one's going to Johannesburg..." he pointed at Littlespot in the adjoining tank, "This one to Niagara Falls..." he gestured at Kago in another tank, "And we sold this one just today to President Kony of Sahelia," he pointed to Polaris in a fourth tank, "We're going to be rich beyond our wildest dreams now."
"Can I see my whale?" Carlos asked.
"Right this way," Carl led he, Dial, and Wade towards a tank near the fence, from which very familiar wailing could be heard. And Jesse recognized Willy immediately when his friend now rose higher in the water, wailing loudly. "Ah, shut up for once in your life!" Dial angrily barked at the whale as he and his cronies strode down the catwalk overlooking the tank, then, when Willy did not stop, kicked the water hard, splashing the whale thoroughly. "This one's a bit deranged, Carlos," he told the Mexican representative, "Moody like you can't imagine and won't do anything you ask of it. If you want it to perform, tell Enrique he needs to be prepared to use harsh methods."
"He looks a little big for the tank we have," Carlos frowned down at Willy.
"Well Enrique and I already finalized the deal, Carlos; he's yours now. And frankly, let him rot in a too-small tank; it's what the psychotic malcontent deserves," Dial muttered, "We can move him right after this storm clears, right Carl?" he turned to the whale catcher.
"We can move them, yes, but he and the others'll still need a medical exam; rules of international wildlife exchanges, and I can't control it," Carl shrugged, "I did call for an outside doctor who was willing to give the examination, some Swedish guy I haven't met before-it would be better for our security, I figured, using someone I didn't know firsthand. He was supposed to land in town tonight; not sure if he's going to make it up here in this storm..."
"Hey Carl," it was in fact the guard from the institute running through the snow. "I knew it!" Jake muttered furiously, "I knew he was the one who really did it...!"
"Shhh!" Jesse whispered at him, although he too was relieved deep down to know who had planted the evidence on Rae and Randolph. He listened in as the guard told Carl, "..the Swedish vet's on his way up now; said he had to be back in Upsala by next Monday, storm or no storm. Expect him in about a half hour or so."
"OK, Doug, I guess we can work him in. Once the whale passes the exam, Mr. Pulpo, we'll get him in a tanker truck-I have a friend at Ironside Seafood down on the marina who works with us-and they'll get him to the airport. Then we just need to reimburse the airport customs staff, and he'll be on a plane down to Mexico City in no time."
"Good, good," Carlos rubbed his hands, "Enrique will be quite pleased to finally have a killer whale to show off-it'll do well for the park's prestige."
"All right, then, follow Carl to his office, Carlos, and we'll draw up the final agreements for the sale," Dial told the Mexican representative, gesturing at another building on the site, "The forms are all backdated to August first so that it'll appear I sold him to you before everything went crazy on my end. And then, you just take him down to Mexico City."
"Right this way," Carl led Carlos towards the office. "We're rich!" a delighted Wade exclaimed to his boss once the other men, including Doug, started towards the office.
"Finally," Dial said with a satisfied grin, "I finally make money off this whale, better late than never. We drop him off in Mexico City, then you and I head for Cancun and live out our days in luxury. Just the way it should be. All right, let's get that final paperwork signed."
He and Wade bustled towards the office. "OK, keep it quiet," Jesse told Jake and Judy once the men had gone inside. He checked to make sure no one was watching before rushing towards Willy's tank. He cast a sad glance towards the fence, which was lined with cages of captured seals and sea lions, many crammed two or three to a cage. These men were more inhumane than he'd even imagined, he thought furiously. They had to be stopped somehow...
"Willy," he hissed softly, rushing down the catwalk to the tank. Willy lunged out of the water and let out a delighted cry of recognition. "Shh, shh, they can't know I'm here!" Jesse pleaded softly to his friend. He hugged Willy tight, "I'm sorry you've been put through this again, buddy. They didn't hurt you, did they?" he asked, fortunately seeing no visible wounds on Willy.
"Kago's hurt," a saddened Jake called softly from Willy's cousin's tank nearby, "They must have speared him good in the side when they caught him; it's a big wound. I'm so sorry, Kago," he bent down to hug him as well, "You shouldn't have had to go through this..."
"How's Polaris?" Jesse hissed at Judy, who had automatically run to her favorite whale's tank.
"She seems OK, Jesse, but I can tell she's scared, and I can't blame her. It's all right, Polaris," Judy reached into Polaris' mouth and rubbed her tongue sympathetically, "You're not going to be just a display creature for some crazed dictator. We're going to get you out of here...somehow," she looked around the compound worriedly. "You guys have any idea how we could get them out of here!?" she asked both boys.
"They said they had trucks..." Jesse looked around, but could not see any obvious trucks in the darkness and snow, "If they're around here, maybe we can start them up..."
"How are we supposed to get them in the trucks!?" Jake protested.
"There's got to be forklifts around here somewhere; that must be how they got them in these tanks," Jesse rationalized, "If we..."
"Watch out!" came Judy's cry, right as Jesse heard the footsteps on the catwalk behind him, too late for him to do anything. Strong arms grabbed him from behind and hefted him up in the air. "Let go of me!" he shouted, kicking wildly, trying to land a blow somewhere.
"No trespassers allowed around here!" the goon holding him snarled, "You're coming with me!"
"You two too!" came another goon's shout from the ground outside Willy's tank, followed by the cocking of a rifle, "Get down here now!"
Jesse spun to see two more guards aiming guns at Jake and Judy. Sighing, his friends walked off the catwalks of their tanks, then were immediately seized by two more goons who'd sneaked up on them in the darkness. They and Jesse were dragged roughly towards the office, right as the door swung open. "What's going on out here!?" Carl exited the building.
"Caught some trespassers-and it looks like it's that kid you asked us to be on the lookout for," the goon holding Jesse informed him.
"Well, well, why am I so not surprised!?" Dial pushed past Carl and stormed up to his young nemesis, "I have no clue how you found this place, but I'm not surprised at all..."
"You're not selling Willy to Mexico!" Jesse shouted furiously at him, "He's not your whale anymore...!"
"Oh yes he is! He is still legally my property, as he was from the moment I first bought him, and I can do whatever I want with him, whether you like it or not, you little brat!" Dial bellowed back at him with equal fury, "And you're not going to interfere with my business this time!"
"You're too late! I called the cops before I came, and they'll be here any minute! You're toast, Dial, and so's all your goons here...!"
"You expect me to believe that? With this storm raging, and you in hot water for pulling a gun on the cops last week?" Dial broke into mocking laughter, "Nice try, kid, but I'm not that stupid. No one else knows you're here, I know it for a fact-and so, no one's going to help you this time."
"Jesse's right, you'll never get away with this!" Judy shouted at him.
"Oh yes we will, sweetheart," Carl leaned over Dial's shoulder, "I've shipped whales out of the country before; I know how to get them through customs in every country. This sale will go flawlessly."
"You killed half of Willy's family in cold blood, you animal!" Jesse roared contemptuously at him, "They loved each other, and you massacred them...!"
"These are whales, kid! They're things, not living human beings!" Carl barked, "I do a service for men around here who have spent their lives living off the water: I give them employment in hard times, and I free up more fish for the other fisherman to catch by removing enough whales from the equation! You owe me some gratitude, just like all the local fishermen should be grateful for me!"
"You're a murderer, and you're complicit with him, Dial!" Jesse turned back to the former park owner, seething with rage, "You put him up to it to kill them, didn't you...!?"
"Just shut it!" Dial angrily slapped him very hard across the face.
"Burn in hell, Dial!" Jesse remained defiant.
"You first, kid! Lock them up as far away from here as you can!" Dial ordered the goons, "I want them out of the way until the whales are transferred out of here!"
"Let's go, kid," the goon holding Jesse started dragging him towards the main gate. "You're going to pay for this!" Jake shouted at Dial as he and Judy were dragged after their friend.
"Just try and stop me!" Dial told him off coldly. "Wade," he waved his main henchman close, "Go with them and finish this."
"All right, in here," Jesse's goon hauled him through the door of a ranger's cabin a good ten miles or so away from the water treatment plant some fifteen minutes later and flung him roughly into an empty closet. Judy and Jake were quickly thrown in after him, and the door slammed shut and locked on them. "Let us out of here!" Jesse rushed the door and pounded furiously on it, "You can't keep us prisoner in here like this!"
"Just cool off, kid; you and your friends'll have a long time waiting in there," one of the other goons snickered as a heavy desk was pushed against the door, further pinning the children inside. Laughing, he and his colleagues exited the cabin, right as more footsteps entered. "Take off, I'll be along in a minute," Wade's voice called to them. "Comfy in there?" he mockingly taunted his prisoners.
"You're a dead man if you don't let us out of here, Wade!" Jesse threatened him.
"You first, kid. Doug, hook the hose up to the exhaust pipe," Wade instructed the institute's guard, who had apparently come with him.
"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, Wade, you're not suggesting what I think you are!?" the guard seemed quite hesitant.
"Dial said to finish this and we are."
"No, no, no, Wade, I didn't sign up to kill kids!" the guard protested, "They're not going to cause any trouble locked up like this; just leave them in here! No one's going to...!"
"Orders are orders, Doug, and Salkind agreed with Dial that this needs to be done. These kids could jeopardize our whole operation if there was even the chance they spoke up. Now do it!" Wade ordered him.
"Forget it, Wade! I'm a whaler, not a child killer, and I'm not going to let you act out Dial's sick revenge fantasies!" the guard bellowed, followed by the sound of a gun being whipped out, "Now drop the hose and get out of here! We're just going to leave them here, no matter what Dial says!"
"Well... maybe you're right," Wade appeared to concede the point, "I guess we'll tell them we did it, and then just leave them in here. We'll need a workable timetable, though. What time do you have?"
"Well, right now I've..." the guard started to say, then yelped as a large struggle broke out, Wade apparently having grabbed for the gun, Jesse surmised. A low thwack rang out, followed by the guard groaning and hitting the floor with a thud, making it clear he'd lost. "If you want anything done right, I guess you have to do it yourself...!" Wade muttered out loud, his footsteps stomping back outside. "Oh god...!" Jake mumbled in fear, having picked up the fat man's intentions as well.
"Break the door down, quick, before he comes back!" Judy cried, having also realized what was in store for them. She threw herself hard into the door, trying to smash it open. But it was already too late: a hissing sound began ringing out under the door, and Jesse could smell carbon dioxide fumes starting to fill the closet. "Wade, you can't, you monster!" he shrieked at the fat man.
"So long, you little brat," Wade laughed as he walked out, slamming the cabin's door shut behind himself. Jesse heard him drive away, presumably in another car, for a different one's engine could be heard running outside, pouring the deadly fumes into their prison. He was starting to cough hard, and so was Jake and Judy beside him. They likely only had a few minutes...
"Together, as hard as you can!" he shouted to the two of them. They smashed into the door hard repeatedly, but it was refusing to give no matter how hard they banged into it. And the carbon dioxide was rapidly filling up the small closet; Jesse was finding it increasingly hard to breathe. Gasping, he collapsed to the closet floor, unable to go on, feeling like he had completely let Willy down...
