Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty-seven of "Ride the Wind II: Justice Unbound." I'm glad it took just a week to get out. I will be bringing this crossover to an end very soon. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-eight.

XXXXX

Chapter 27: Meeting in a Café Parking Lot

Brenda stood next to her truck in the Kenworth Café's parking lot eighteen minutes later. It happened to be parked in a space on the edge of the lot. She slipped her hands inside her pockets. She dug the heel of her bright yellow tennis shoe into the pavement. She repeated her action with the toe. She clicked her tongue three times.

She looked at her watch and let out a soft sigh. She wondered when Randolph would get here. She did some research on the Southern Resident orcas just after she got home last night and was astounded at how many had died since 1998, especially when it came to a number of calves. She knew the population needed many babies to stabilize their population, but she wondered if that would ever happen since more were dying than being born. She heard laughter and looked toward a young couple coming out of the café.

"We are going to have so much fun kayaking!" the man yelled delightfully.

"Oh, yes," the woman agreed. "I have high hopes we will encounter orcas."

"Me too," the man answered. "The one who sees orcas first will be me."

"No, it will be me," the woman responded with a giggle. "The orca I want to see is Rhapsody. She is really beautiful."

"She sure is. She was believed to be pregnant in 2011, but no one ever saw her with a calf. If she was pregnant, then it is possible she miscarried. She may have given birth to a stillborn calf, or it was born alive and died soon after," the man explained somberly.

"Polaris is another beautiful female orca. She gave birth to Star four years ago," the woman said and frowned. "Unfortunately, she lost her second calf. He washed up on a beach in this state."

"He probably had issues that kept him from surviving for very long," the man suggested.

"I find it ridiculous that extreme anti-caps claim wild female orcas never have their first calves before age fourteen and that it only happens in captive females," the woman grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "The youngest first-time mother orca was nine years old. She was a Northern Resident."

"Ignore those bozos," the man commented in much comfort. "Let's have fun on this kayaking trip."

Brenda observed the couple getting into their car on the other side of lot. She found it nice that people used the names of orcas instead of their designated numbers. She felt calling them by a number didn't make people as aware of them. She thought the methods of choosing names for new calves were very interesting. This was especially true for Princess Angeline, who was named after the daughter of a Native American chief.

The sound of the car starting snapped her out of her thoughts. She focused her attention on the man as he pulled out of the lot. She watched him go down the street until he and his girlfriend were gone. She hoped they would have a good time on their kayaking trip. She believed they would see orcas and take many pictures of them. She prayed they didn't try to initiate an interaction. She knew orcas were powerful animals and could seriously hurt people if they tried to play with them.

Brenda spotted Randolph pulling his van into the lot. She sighed in much relief. He parked two spaces down from her. He switched off the engine before unbuckling his seatbelt. He exited it and stretched his arms above his head. He repeated his action behind his back. He adjusted his waist pack somewhat. He looked toward her and made his way over to her. She clasped her hands together while forming a small smile on her face.

"Hey, Brenda," he greeted warmly.

"Hi, Randolph," she replied. "It took you a little bit to get here."

"I ran into some traffic. One man kept going very slowly. He wasn't even old. He was young when I saw him while passing him," Randolph explained, rolling his eyes.

"I get annoyed when people drive slowly too," Brenda admitted and mumbled obscenities. "Hello. You are supposed to go the speed limit."

"It is a well-known fact that slow drivers should always keep to the right to minimize the chance of a crash on a freeway," Randolph pointed out.

"Unfortunately, slow drivers go into the fast lane all too often. They have no idea they may be creating problems for other drivers," Brenda said and blew a raspberry.

"Inattentive drivers drive me up the wall," Randolph said with an angry scoff. "They never pay attention to the traffic."

"I've seen drivers of that type reading maps, doing makeup, talking on their phones, and texting while driving. They will jam one side of the freeway because they are curious about mishaps on the other one," Brenda pointed out. "It is crazy."

"Impatient drivers are the worst. They want to be ahead of everyone. They have to change lanes frequently. When they can't, they move up bumper to bumper, regardless of the speed," Randolph said, shuddering in disgust.

She huffed. "I hate it when people ride my ass. They really think that will make me go faster. It wants to make go slower."

"Me too," Randolph agreed.

"Anyway, do you want me to give you the sample now?" Brenda wondered.

He nodded at her. "Sure."

She gave him a thumbs-up and went over to the passenger's side. She reached through the rolled-down window and opened a box laying in the seat. She grabbed the blood-filled tube. She closed the box and returned to him. She handed the tube to him. He examined the sample very carefully before turning to her.

"How much blood do you need to do a DNA test?" Brenda asked, curiosity filling her eyes.

"It doesn't take much blood to do a DNA test," Randolph answered, unzipping his pack and slipping the tube into it. He zipped it shut. "What you gave me will be more than enough for a test."

"How often do you go to the National Marine Mammal Laboratory?" Brenda commented, taking a deep breath.

"I don't go there too often. Neither do Jesse and Nadine. When any of us do go there, it is to give scientists a sample of Willy's blood to test for infection," Randolph explained.

"You are able to get blood samples from Willy?" Brenda whispered in much amazement.

"Mm-hmm," Randolph admitted. "Willy may have blown his first show, but he is very well-trained. He will obey any command Jesse gives him. Sometimes, he presents a part of his body without being asked to."

"Whoa," Brenda exclaimed. "That is a smart orca."

"Willy's mate and offspring often imitate him when he obeys Jesse's commands. This allows Jesse to give them to those orcas for examination. His mate's name is Nikki, who is from L-Pod. His surviving offspring are named Max and Nessa," Randolph pointed out.

"Did Isabella ever get to meet her new sibling?" Brenda said, licking her lips.

"Unfortunately, no," Randolph muttered sadly. "Nessa was born after her sister's sudden disappearance."

"You must have been relieved to see Nessa swimming alongside her parents," Brenda said.

"Oh, I was," Randolph said while nodding. "So were Jesse, Nadine, Nancy, and Elvis. Nancy is Jesse and Nadine's daughter. Jesse and Elvis are actually half-brothers as they have different dads." He cleared his throat.

"Does Willy have any siblings? What about his mother? Is she still alive?" Brenda said, biting her lip.

"Willy has two siblings, a younger sister and a younger brother. His sister's name is Luna. His brother's name is Littlespot. His mother is alive and well. Her name is Catspaw. Luna has a mate named Alex, who is from K-Pod. She has three offspring, two sons and a daughter. Her oldest son's name is Ben. Her daughter's name is Sparkle. Her youngest son's name is Kyle," Randolph responded.

"Let me guess. You named all those orcas," Brenda suggested, pointing her finger at him.

"Yes, I did with the exception of three," Randolph murmured with a chuckle. He admired her curiosity about Willy's family. He didn't expect her to be asking all these questions. He felt grateful to her for doing that. "Jesse named Max and Nessa. Elvis named Kyle."

"I see," Brenda said, sighing contently. "How were you able to tell Catspaw was Willy's mother and Luna and Littlespot his siblings?"

"One year after Willy's leap to freedom, I was steering the Nastelane. I was working for the Orca Research Institute by then," Randolph commented. "I caught sight of J-Pod. I spotted Willy swimming with a large female orca in close proximity to her. A younger female came up behind them. A younger male surfaced next to the large female. I came to realize this was his immediate family. The large female was his mother, the younger female his sister, and the younger male his brother. I gave them their names."

Brenda felt her jaw drop. Not once did she think Randolph was able to recognize three orcas as Willy's mother and siblings. She had a hunch Catspaw had a calf before him, but it was stillborn or died soon after birth. She scratched her cheek, followed by her chin.

"I did some research on the Southern Resident orcas. I was astounded at how many had died since 1998," she exclaimed.

"It is unbelievable. More orcas are dying than being born," he said in much sadness. "Last year was very rough. Eight orcas died. If Lilli turns out not to be Isabella, that makes nine."

"I read the population was declared endangered in 2005, but recovery has been very difficult due to pollution, food depletion, habitat degradation, and vessel traffic," Brenda pointed out and swallowed hard.

"That is right," Randolph mumbled and let out a heavy sigh. "Few people seem to care. Protesting marine parks is considered more important than saving a critically endangered orca population."

"I've seen protesters holding signs saying 'Empty the tanks,' 'Free Lilli, Jane, and Izzy,' and 'Let the orca and dolphins go home' as they stand outside the park gates. They have launched verbal abuse at park employees as they went into the park," Brenda explained.

"The protesters think they are helping animals. They aren't. They are just trying to get attention," Randolph said bluntly.

Brenda blew hard. "Yeah. Well, you better get to the National Marine Mammal Laboratory to get that sample tested."

"Yeah," Randolph agreed. "I will call you and let you know about the results of the DNA test."

"That sounds good to me," Brenda responded with much gentleness. "I am prepared to accept the results of the test, no matter what it says."

"Me too," Randolph said. "I hope you have a good day at work."

"Thanks," Brenda murmured in gratefulness. "I will see you later."

Randolph gave her a wink. "You too. Bye."

Brenda got into her truck and buckled her seatbelt. She ran her fingers through her hair three times before putting her hand on the steering wheel. She tried to suppress a yawn, but she couldn't help herself. She started the engine while breathing deeply. She pulled out of the lot and headed down the street. Randolph watched her until she was gone.

Randolph approached his van, getting in. He unzipped his pack and reached in to pull out the tube. He looked over at a box in the passenger's seat. He opened it, placing it next to a tube filled with Isabella's blood. He closed it with a loud slam. He looked toward the café while placing his hands on the sides of the wheel. He watched two young women go in. He moved his hands to the top and tapped his thumbs against it.

He let out a very relieved sigh. He felt so grateful to Brenda for getting the blood sample. He was eager to get it tested at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory. He recalled all the times he had gone there to get samples of Willy's blood test for infection. He was relieved every time they showed he was completely healthy.

His thoughts shifted to Isabella. He prayed with all his heart that Lilli was her. He wanted to get her back to the wild where she belonged if it turned out the samples were a match. He was very confident they would prove to be as such. At the same time, he was prepared to accept Lilli could end up staying in captivity for the rest of her life. If Northwest Adventure Park went out of business, he hoped she would be transferred to a much better facility. He preferred one with other orcas.

Randolph shook his thoughts out of his head. He knew he needed to get to the laboratory before Jesse called to ask what was taking so long. He wanted to see Aiden and Kylie as soon as possible. He fastened his seatbelt and shifted his position in his seat a little bit. He started the engine and pulled out of the lot. He proceeded to go down the street.