Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter nineteen of "Ride the Wind II: Justice Unbound." I'm glad it took just six days to get out. It is likely Nadine's parents will make their first appearances very soon. I have been wanting to do this for a while. I am eager to show them spending time with their daughter and granddaughter. Stay tuned for chapter twenty.
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Chapter 19: Unexpected Café Encounter
Randolph pulled his van into the Kenworth Café in the late afternoon. He parked in a space on the edge of the parking lot. He and Jesse started at the building. It happened to be medium-sized and contained a gated area on its left side. It had four to six chairs at each table there and inside. The walls had pictures of various Southern Resident orcas hanging on them throughout the interior.
Jesse ran his hand over his face. He told Glen, Annie, Nancy, and Missy what Lilli did before and after the show. They were very surprised. Glen and Annie believed it confirmed their belief that Lilli and Isabella were the same orca. Missy remained skeptical, as did Andros and Karone. Jesse saved all the pictures they took of Lilli on his parents' computer. He printed them out.
Jesse, his family, and his friends examined pictures of Lilli and Isabella. They found many similarities between the two orcas. The one difference they had was in their dorsals and flukes. Jesse, Randolph, Nadine, Elvis, Ashley, Zhane, Glen, and Annie speculated that the knicks in Lilli's dorsal and flukes came from netting. Andros, Karone, and Missy were uncertain. Jesse and Randolph decided to go out for coffee and doughnuts. They invited the others along, but they turned them down politely.
Jesse and Randolph cleared their throats and undid their seatbelts. They exited the van and made their way toward the front door. The former snapped his fingers while the latter clicked his tongue repeatedly. Two children pushed it open and ran out. This forced them to stop in their tracks. Their parents followed them close behind. Jesse and Randolph looked at the family with much irritation. They shook their heads.
"Talk about a pair of rude kids," Jesse muttered and scoffed.
"Their parents didn't even reprimand them," Randolph responded with a roll of his eyes.
"Kids just want me to make me punch myself silly these days," Jesse grumbled and clenched his teeth. He curled his hand into a fist and pressed it to his cheek. "They have no sense of civility whatsoever."
"They have a huge sense of entitlement," Randolph added as they looked ahead. "That's the worst."
"If Elvis and I acted like those kids, Mom and Dad would've dragged us out of the restaurant and taken us home," Jesse commented and went toward the door along with him. "Nadine and I told Nancy we would do the same if she acted like that."
"That is good parenting," Randolph said and ruffled the young man's hair. "At least most of the kids on San Juan Island are well-disciplined."
Jesse smiled warmly. "They sure are. Of course, Elvis and I did stay out past curfew once."
"You're kidding!" Randolph blurted out in surprise as they went inside.
"I'm not kidding," Jesse said truthfully. "This happened a year after Max's birth. Elvis and I were supposed to be home by ten-thirty. We played video games at the arcade past eleven o'clock. Our parents were pissed when we got home. We were both grounded for a month."
"I'm sure you two learned your lesson," Randolph said.
"We did," Jesse admitted. "However, that didn't mean we didn't dream of doing it again."
Randolph raised his eyebrows. "Many kids who break curfew dream of doing it again many times, but they never do it."
Jesse and Randolph stopped before the cash register. They crossed their arms while digging the heels of their brown boots into the floor. The cashier approached them, a big smile forming on her face. She rubbed her hands together.
"What can I get you two fine men, today?" the cashier asked.
"We would like coffee," Randolph answered while gesturing toward Jesse and himself. "I want mine black. He wants sugar in his. He wants a regular doughnut too."
"Well, you're lucky. We just finished cooking doughnuts and brewing coffee," the cashier said in a cheerful voice. "The doughnuts are regular."
"Wonderful!" Jesse said happily.
"I'll go get a doughnut for you," the cashier said and walked off. She returned with a regular doughnut on a plate. She set it in front of Jesse. "I will do your coffee as well."
The cashier walked to the coffeemaker behind her. She got two mugs from beside it. She grabbed the kettle. She poured coffee into the first mug until it was nearly full. She did the same to the second one. She returned kettle to the coffeemaker. She picked up the sugar canister and a spoon. She poured the sugar in the first mug. She stopped after she felt there was enough in it. She stirred it up. She tossed the spoon into the sink next to the coffeemaker. She picked up the mugs and went back to them men. She set them down. She typed in the price.
"That will be four dollars and fifty cents," the cashier announced.
"Okay," Randolph answered softly. He reached into his pocket, getting out his wallet. He opened it and grabbed four one-dollar bills and two quarters. He gave it to her and watched her type in the amount.
"You will receive no change today," the cashier commented and clicked her tongue. She sighed in a soft manner as Randolph closed his wallet and returned it to his pocket. She licked her lips. "Thank you. I hope enjoy your coffee and doughnut."
Randolph smiled as he grabbed his coffee. "So do we, ma'am."
Jesse mimicked the Indian's action with his stuff. "Thank you."
Jesse and Randolph headed toward the back. They spotted Dwight sitting at a booth and drinking cream-filled coffee from a mug. They could see a half-eaten jelly-filled doughnut on a plate in front of him. They stopped next to him as he put his coffee down.
"Hey, Dwight," Jesse greeted in a warm voice.
"Hey yourself, Jesse," Dwight responded with a surprised laugh. "What brings you and Randolph to the Kenworth Café?"
"We thought we'd come here for coffee and regular doughnuts. We invited the others along, but they turned us down politely," Randolph explained.
Dwight propped his head up with his elbow. "I see. Would you two like to sit with me?"
Jesse showed eagerness. "For sure!"
Jesse and Randolph sat across from the social worker. The former set his doughnut down. The latter took a small sip of his coffee before laying it aside. Jesse sipped his coffee and picked up his doughnut, taking a bite out of it. He chewed while putting it on his plate. He swallowed with a loud gulp.
"Talk about a good doughnut," Jesse said in great awe.
"You said it, Jess," Dwight said as he tore off a piece of his doughnut. He popped it into his mouth and proceeded to chew. "If you are wondering why I am here, I thought I'd come for coffee and a jelly-filled doughnut."
"It must be nice to get out of the house after being there all day, isn't it?" Randolph wondered.
"Oh, yes," Dwight agreed. "The best part about my vacation is I can sleep in as late as I want."
"How late did you sleep in this morning?" Jesse asked, picking up his coffee and sipping a tiny bit of it. He put it down with a soft sigh. "My family and friends all got up early."
"I slept until nine-thirty," Dwight admitted. "I even pretended my alarm clock was ringing and hit my fist on it."
"I wanted to take Mom and Dad whale-spotting with me on Randolph's boat the morning after I saw Willy for the first time in two years. I woke them up. He threw a pillow at me. He told me to quiet down before I woke up a grizzly bear. She said I usually slept until noon. Randolph left at dawn, and I was ready to go. They decided not to go, but they asked me to take Elvis with them. I didn't want to. I changed my mind after a minute. I screamed into his face to wake him up. When we got there, it turns out Randolph was having trouble with the bilge pump. Nadine and I spent the morning with Willy, Luna, and Littlespot," Jesse explained.
"It was just like the day you introduced Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone to Willy, Nikki, Max, and Isabella. I was having trouble with the bilge pump. You and Rae decided to go see the former Rangers and their kids," Randolph commented, patting the young man's shoulder.
"It ended up being a wonderful morning," Jesse said, happiness radiating from his face. "Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, and I had fun playing with the orcas. Karone and I rode on Nikki and Willy. Rae explored the forest with the others." He sighed very contently. "Rae and I will never forget that day."
"Andros told us he did the signal for Willy to open his mouth when he, Ashley, Tommy, and Kim went to the Rubbing Rocks one morning. Willy did just that. Andros rubbed his tongue along with Ashley," Randolph said with pride.
"Randolph, I dare you to jump into Willy's mouth when he opens it the next time we see him," Jesse teased, looking at him.
"Only if you do that first," Randolph said as he turned to him. "Oh, yes."
Randolph smacked Jesse in the back of his head. Jesse gave him a light slap to the cheek before tweaking his nose. Dwight cleared his throat, causing them to look at him.
"You two better stop goofing around or else!" Dwight threatened playfully and pointed his fingers in the shapes of guns at the duo.
"Don't shoot!" Jesse cried in fake fear and raised his hands.
Randolph pretended to whimper. "We surrender!"
"Okay," Dwight replied and put his hands on the table. He smirked in a playful manner. "Just be warned. I won't hesitate to deal with you two if you goof around again."
"Sure, you will," Jesse retorted sarcastically.
Dwight huffed. "I will. You will see."
Jesse waved Dwight off, getting a laugh from him. Dwight became quiet very quickly. He folded his hands to lay them on the table.
"Were you, Randolph, Nadine, Elvis, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone able to take pictures of Lilli, so you could compare them to those of Isabella?" Dwight wondered.
"Yes, we did," Jesse admitted. "You won't believe what Lilli did before and after the show."
"What do you mean?" Dwight whispered confusingly.
"We don't know how to tell you this, but Lilli caught sight of us and while she was spyhopping before the show. Something seemed to click in her mind. She swam up to us and chattered in excitement. She opened and folded her tongue. She even rolled on her side and waved at us," Randolph explained.
"No way," Dwight said in shock.
"We wish we were kidding, but we're not. I said it was Isabella and that she recognized us. Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone were unsure, but Randolph pointed out that Isabella enjoyed our presence just as much as Lilli. Ashley suggested we watch her movements during the show. We agreed to do that, though I was a little reluctant," Jesse pointed out.
"Not once did Lilli do anything out of the ordinary during the show, but she acted as if she recognized us again when we came down to observe her afterward. Jesse insisted Lilli was Isabella again. Andros and Karone were still unsure, but Ashley, Elvis, Nadine, and Zhane began to believe Lilli was Isabella," Randolph commented, rubbing his nose.
"Then Brenda came to see us. We talked to her for a few minutes about Lilli. Then she left to help Lindsay get the sea lions ready for their show," Jesse finished.
"All that is amazing," Dwight exclaimed and shook his head rapidly. "Of course, I am surprised Brenda didn't recognize you or Randolph. You would think Dial would've told her about you two, especially you, Jesse. He encountered you and Nadine on San Juan Island while the former Rangers and their children were there."
"I am sure he did tell her about us, but there is a chance he never told her what we looked like. That would be the reason why she didn't recognize us," Jesse said honestly. "We told Mom, Dad, Missy, and Nancy what happened. They were surprised. Mom and Dad were confident the two orcas were the same, but Missy, Andros, and Karone remained skeptical. We compared pictures of Lilli and Isabella. They had many similarities. There was a stark difference in their dorsals and flukes. Lilli's dorsal and flukes had knicks in them, but Isabella's didn't. Everyone speculated the netting caused the knicks, except for Andros, Karone, and Missy."
Dwight ran his hand over his face twice. He cupped his chin in it before pressing his lips together. He laid it on the table and proceeded to tap it with his fingers.
"I have to say that I fully believe Lilli and Isabella are the same orca now, Jesse," Dwight admitted firmly. He swallowed hard before letting out a soft sigh. "There is no way Lilli would've reacted the way she did if she didn't recognize you, your girlfriend, your brother, and your friends."
"I agree," Jesse replied. "Now, all we have to do is prove Lilli and Isabella are the same orca. Then we can bust Dial for illegally obtaining a protected animal."
"The only way to do that is through DNA testing. We need a blood sample from Lilli," Randolph added in much seriousness.
"All three of us know that Dial would never agree to this, but we might be able to talk Brenda into giving us a blood sample," Dwight commented, pointing his finger at the duo.
"We have to talk to her about our suspicions regarding Lilli first," Jesse admitted in a little uncertainty. He pulled off a piece of his doughnut. He put it in his mouth and chewed. He swallowed, letting out a soft gulp. "I don't anticipate her believing us at all."
Dwight bit his lip. "Neither do I. I am sure Randolph doesn't either."
"You bet I don't," Randolph agreed with a huff. "She will likely give us a blood sample in hopes of proving us wrong."
"We don't know the medical examination schedule for the park's animals, but I have a feeling that Lilli, Jane, and Izzy are due for one very soon. Brenda could provide us a blood sample from Lilli then," Jesse suggested.
"We should keep a lookout for her over the next hour. If we see her, then we will grab the chance to talk to her," Dwight said hopefully.
Jesse nodded in agreement. "That is a good idea."
Randolph showed much thoughtfulness. "It sure is."
Dwight, Jesse, and Randolph picked up their coffees to sip more of them. They put them down with soft sighs. They proceeded to talk about testing blood from Lilli and Isabella.