Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter sixteen of "Ride the Wind II: Justice Unbound." I'm glad it took just six days to get out. This chapter features the first appearance of Dial. The show featuring Lilli, Jane, and Izzy will come in the chapter after the next one. I decided to show J-Pod in the previous chapter because I wanted to show Willy's sadness over losing his daughter. He is mourning for her. He knows his pod is in dire straits due to declining chinook salmon stocks. They are spending a lot of time looking for food. The Southern Residents are well known for being in Washington's waters during the summer, especially in the Salish Sea. Stay tuned for chapter seventeen.

XXXXX

Chapter 16: Getting Ready/Businessmen Arrive

Eight people sat in the stands at Northwest Adventure Park's aquatic theater around midmorning. Two couples led their children up the stairs from the observation area. The children held balloons and talked quietly amongst themselves. They and their parents headed to the second section. They went up to the sixth row and sat down. The parents listened to the delighted yells of people on the rides.

Brenda scratched Lilli and Jane's tongues respectively while she was on her knees on the stage. Izzy waited patiently for her to finish. Lilli and Jane squeaked in great pleasure. Their trainer finished scratching their tongues. She took her hands away, allowing them to close their mouths. Izzy opened hers, an eager squeak leaving her blowhole. Brenda proceeded to scratch her tongue. Izzy clicked very pleasurably.

"You are such a good girl being so patient while I scratched your friends' tongues," Brenda cooed and made kissing sounds. "Yes, you are!"

Brenda stopped scratching Izzy's tongue. She took her hand away in which it allowed her to close her mouth. She held up her arm. The orca and dolphins rolled on their sides until their flippers were exposed. She started waving while speaking gibberish. They mimicked her as they let out delighted squeaks. They returned to right side up after seeing her lower her arm.

"Great job, you three!" Brenda said cheerfully. "Do you know what to do when you see this?"

Brenda twirled her fingers around. Lilli, Jane, and Izzy emitted squeaks from their blowholes. Their trainer became still and let out a gleeful laugh. She clapped three times.

"That's right!" Brenda yelled and gave the orca and dolphins two thumbs-ups. She rubbed her hands together, excitement showing on her face. She clicked her tongue twice. "You guys are going to do great in the first show of the day. Now, I want you to do this."

Brenda threw her hand upward. Lilli, Jane, and Izzy swam away, diving underwater and slapping their tails on the surface. She waited anxiously for them to reappear. The trio leapt backward in the middle of the tank. They arched their backs as they reentered the water. They returned to her, and she formed a big smile on her face.

"Good girls!" Brenda complimented and laid her hands on her legs. "You three are just eager to do the show, aren't you?"

Lilli, Jane, and Izzy nodded in a rapid manner. They swam away from Brenda, going underwater. They approached the observation area, where a couple and their two children stood at the first window. The area consisted of three rectangular-shaped windows. A small circular-shaped window was near the stairs leading up to the stands. Pictures of dolphins and orcas hung on the wall behind the family. The children stared at the trio in much awe.

"What a beautiful orca and dolphins!" the daughter exclaimed.

"For sure!" the son agreed.

"If only they could come through the glass and kiss us," the daughter commented and made a funny noise.

"That would be so cool," the son yelled in great delight.

Lilli, Jane, and Izzy opened their mouths very wide. They wiggled their tongues while letting bubbles escape their blowholes. The parents couldn't help but laugh.

"Those three are so funny," the father said and spoke gibberish.

"They sure are," the mother agreed and pointed her finger at Lilli. "I say the orca is the funniest of the girls."

"I don't think so," the father said with a shake of his head.

"I do think so," the mother responded and nodded fast.

"I don't think so," the father retorted and blew a raspberry.

"I do think so," the mother commented and sang nonsense.

"I don't think so," the father growled playfully.

"I do think so," the mother said and formed a big smirk on her face.

The father waved her off. "Whatever. Let's play with the ladies."

The mother cheered and pumped a fist. "Yes! Let's."

The parents and children held up their hands to wave them. Lilli, Jane, and Izzy made wiggles with their flippers. The mother and the daughter put their hands to the far right. The orca and dolphins mimicked them with their heads. The duo moved their hands toward the left. The trio followed suit with their heads.

"You girls enjoyed that, didn't you?" the mother commented.

"You want to see us dance?" the father asked.

The son clapped and whooped joyfully. "Yeah. I want to dance!"

The daughter jumped into the air. "Me too! Let's dance!"

The family moved their bodies from side to side. Lilli, Jane, and Izzy wiggled theirs to their movements. Bubbles left their blowholes. All seven of them became still. The father and the son raised their hands above their heads. They opened and closed them while making funny faces and noises. They moved their heads from side to side five times.

The orca and dolphins squeaked in great delight. They rolled upside down and opened their mouths very wide. They folded their tongues before closing them. They moved their bodies downward to where only their tails were showing. They made back-and-forth movements with their tails. The mother allowed a loud laugh to come out of her mouth.

"Look at them! I think they want to splash you!" the mother yelled in cheerfulness.

"It seems that way. Unfortunately, they can't splash us unless we're around the edge of the tank up there," the son said, pointing his finger upward.

"We'll go up there," the mother said with a smirk.

"Then you'll get a chance to be splashed," the son said and laughed raucously.

"No way," the daughter retorted. "Now, let's play with the ladies some more."

The family turned in a circle while speaking gibberish. Lilli, Jane, and Izzy imitated their motions. The family became still, as did the trio. The parents made three jumps back, followed by the children. They jumped forward the same amount. The orca and dolphins squeaked in joy. They lowered their heads and appeared to bow off the glass. They moved backward somewhat.

"What a cool move, girls!" the mother said and winked at Sonya and Sophia as they returned to the glass.

"We can bow too," the father commented. "Watch."

The parents bowed to Lilli, Jane, and Izzy. They saw them let bubbles leave their blowholes after coming back up. Lilli, Jane, and Izzy looked at the children with much curiosity. The parents moved back, which allowed the children to get closer. The children made kissing sounds before pressing their cheeks against the glass. Lilli stuck her tongue out, pretending to kiss the son. Jane and Izzy imitated her with the son. The parents couldn't help but smile.

"Isn't that cute?" the mother wondered.

"Hey, we need to get to the stands because the show will be starting soon," the father said, looking at his watch.

"That's right," the mother agreed, eyeing the stairs. "You kids don't want to miss the show, do you?"

"Nope," the son answered while shaking his hand fast.

"Unh-unh," the daughter added.

"Okay," the father said, smiling. "Come on."

The family raced up the stairs. They headed for the first section and to the third row. They sat down with light grunts and began talking amongst themselves. Lilli, Jane, and Izzy surfaced and approached Brenda, who smiled at them.

"Did you three have fun interacting with whoever was in the observation area?" Brenda asked. She smiled at the trio's happy chattering. "I thought so. Well, let's get back to work with rehearsing."

Brenda stuck her hands above her head. She waved them in the air while whistling. Lilli, Jane, and Izzy came up a little more. They wiggled their flippers, joyful clicks leaving their blowholes.

00000

Brenda was twirling her arm around as she stood on the stage three minutes later. Lilli, Jane, and Izzy mimicked her motions. They clicked and squealed very delightfully. She put her arm at her side, and they ceased their twirling. They went downward up to their heads. Lilli opened her mouth with a squeak. Brenda squatted down, reaching into it and giving her tongue a gentle slap. She took it away, and the orca closed it. She stood up with a soft grunt.

"I have no doubt in my mind that you girls will do great in this morning show," Brenda said happily.

"I have to agree with that," a male voice said.

Brenda looked over her shoulder see Dial and forty-year-old Harry Jinks standing next to the corridor leading into the locker room. She clasped her hands together as the men walked to her side. They looked at Lilli, Jane, and Izzy, whom all emitted bursts of air from their blowholes. The orca and dolphins opened their mouths very slightly.

Harry straightened his red tie. Being Caucasian, he was slightly taller than Dial was. His skin was quite pale. He was lean, but he had some muscle. His brown eyes had freckles and bags underneath them. His eyebrows were thin to the point that they looked invisible. His short brown hair was straight. His face had wrinkles here and there, including laugh lines.

"How long have you two been watching me?" Brenda wondered.

"Long enough to see you rehearsing the hula," Dial said, putting his hands behind his back. "They did it even better than they did in the last show."

"They sure did," Harry agreed and scratched his cheek. "If only Willy could've been a huge success."

"Who cares about that orca? We have Lilli now," Dial pointed out as he focused his attention on Lilli. "She has been a great moneymaker for us."

"Oh, yes," Harry added, smiling when Lilli rolled on her side and waved. "She can even do behaviors without being asked."

"She is a smart little whale," Dial murmured and stroked his goatee. "Jane and Izzy are smart dolphins."

"So were Odin and Hopper when they were here," Harry said, chuckling as he remembered the dolphins' playful nature.

Dial suppressed a yawn as Lilli returned to right side up. Five months after he returned from his vacation on San Juan Island, Wade told him he was offered a job by Matt Larwood as co-owner of Harper Amusement Park in Harper, New Hampshire. His partner mentioned that he had wanted to live in that state for a long time. Dial accepted his departure. He even helped him pack his stuff.

Dial began searching for a new partner. He interviewed several people before he hired Harry, who had moved to Seattle four months earlier. He learned that Harry had been divorced from his wife, Cheyanne, for four years and had a daughter, Millie, with her. Harry was in the process of working out a custody agreement with her.

Lilli, Jane, and Izzy ducked their heads underwater. Dial and Harry moved back a bit. The trio spit water in which it nailed Brenda, who laughed in joy. They repeated their actions twice. She clapped three times before rubbing her hands together. The men came back to her side. Dial brought his hands in front of him. He and his partner looked a little annoyed.

"I wish those girls wouldn't spit water," Dial grumbled and rolled his eyes.

"I agree. I don't want my expensive suit ruined," Harry added and spoke gibberish.

Brenda petted Lilli on her melon. "Well, they can't help being playful."

Brenda patted Lilli's tongue when she opened her mouth. She gave it a gentle scratch before taking her hand away. This allowed the orca to close her mouth. She stuck her tongue out. Brenda smiled and knelt down. She pressed her cheek against it as if Lilli were giving her a kiss. She rose to her full height, and Lilli pulled her tongue back into her mouth.

"Would you come with Harry and me?" Dial said.

"Sure, sir," Brenda answered.

The trio headed down the corridor and entered the locker room. The room happened to be large. It contained eight lockers in two rows. Each row was opposite each other and had four lockers each. A bench was in between them. A door led into a bathroom. Two tables were off in the corner. Dial, Harry, and Brenda stopped next to the bench.

"So, are you ready to help the veterinarians give Lilli, Jane, and Izzy their full medical examinations on Wednesday?" Dial asked.

"Yes, I am," Brenda responded and rubbed her nose. "I have no doubt in my mind that blood tests will reveal these ladies are perfectly healthy."

"They need to be healthy in order to perform. Sick animals show no interest in performing," Harry said, clasping his hands together.

"That's right," Dial agreed. "Because you've done such great work in the performances, I am considering giving you a raise, Brenda. The same goes for the other trainers."

Brenda showed surprise. "Really?"

"Mm-hmm," Dial admitted with a nod. "I just want to warn you that it won't take effect for a while."

"I don't care. I am just glad I am getting a raise," Brenda said with a soft chuckle. "It's been a while since I had one."

Harry scratched his hand. "I am sure that Charles and Mark are sleeping late after staying overnight."

"That's what they told me they planned to do when I went to see them and the girls last night," Brenda pointed out honestly.

"I see," Dial commented. "Harry and I have been doing some talking. We are thinking about getting another orca. We want it to be Lilli's companion."

"We feel it would be better suited for her," Harry murmured.

"It would be nice if Lilli had another orca to play with, but what about Jane and Izzy? What is going to happen to them?" Brenda asked in some uncertainty.

Dial exhaled sharply. "We are thinking about selling them to another aquarium."

Brenda raised her eyebrows with an irritated scoff. She was fine with the idea of Lilli getting another orca as a companion. At the same time, she felt her being separated from her dolphin companions would cause her stress.

"I don't see why you have to sell the dolphins. They could be great companions for the new orca," Brenda said.

"We see that, but Lilli is our biggest moneymaker," Dial responded seriously.

"People like her more than they do Jane and Izzy. Having another orca will generate even more revenue," Harry explained in a calm but firm voice.

"If we find a suitable male, we could breed them and produce calves. That means even more business," Dial said.

"That tank isn't large enough for one orca, let alone two. If Lilli and her male companion produce a calf, it could have trouble nursing due to its small size," Brenda said truthfully.

"We can always feed the calf by bottle. SeaWorld and Loro Parque have done that several times when calves were rejected by their mothers," Harry replied, moving his eyebrows up and down.

"That doesn't guarantee that the calf will live," Brenda commented, shaking her head in disbelief. "Please, reconsider that you will sell the dolphins. It could harm Lilli."

"I am sorry, but this is business. We have to think of the future," Dial said matter-of-factly.

"I understand," Brenda muttered with an angry huff. "I should get back to the stage. The show will start soon."

The men observed the trainer leaving. They turned to each other, giving shrugs and laughing to themselves.

"Trainers. They can't live without those animals," Dial said and spoke gibberish.

"Yeah. I can already see the money rolling in with the new orca," Harry replied eagerly.

"So do I," Dial agreed. He and his partner walked out of the room while snapping their fingers.