"Caroline, honey," my boss, Mrs. Hunt smiled at me as I walked into the information booth that morning.
"Good morning Mrs. Hunt." I smiled at her.
"Honey, did you tell people not to swim at the beach?" she asked, making me wonder why she'd ask if she knew the answer.
"I said until this whole thing was over with I wouldn't advise swimming in the water." I said after a moment.
"Honey, people are freaking out, you don't need to cause any hysteria over nothing."
"Mrs. Hunt, this isn't nothing!" I said in shock. "Two people are dead!"
"The girl was an accident and the little boy was a tragic isolated incident." she insisted, shaking her head. I stared at her in shock, I mean, sure I could understand them being nervous, Amity was a summer town and all, but that didn't mean that we should continue to lead tourists to their death!
"Ma'am, I'm not going to lie and tell people to go in the water, it's like telling them to take a number and wait their turn!"
"And I'm not telling you to continue working here." she said and I stared at her in shock. "I'm sorry sweetie." she said. I nodded after a moment and turned, and walked out of the information booth. I took a few deep breaths and then went to the police office. Poor Polly was up to her ears in paperwork and phone calls, one look at me and she waved her hand, saying only to go to the harbor.
"Frank!" I called to Frank Silva, the harbormaster when I saw him. There were so many people around. All of them getting into boats, with guns, hooks, fishing rods, one guy was holding dynamite- I stayed away from him, though none of them looked ready to go sharking. "Frank!" I called and he looked at me. "Where's the chief?"
"In my office." he said and I nodded. I started to walk to the office before I saw Hendricks trying to talk some guys out of a boat they were trying to load eight men onto.
"Robert Lancer!" I shouted at him from where I was standing. "Get out of that boat right now!"
"Aw come on Carrie, I'm doin' this for us!" he grinned. "Three grand is a lotta money!"
"Yes, and divided by eight people is only three hundred and seventy five dollars!" I said impatiently. "If you don't lighten that boat up none of you will make it out of the harbor!" I shook my head.
"Aw, come off it." one of the guys shouted.
"Max Chilton, you stay out of it!" I shouted at him in a very no nonsense voice, making him instantly shut up.
"Caroline-"
"No!" I said to Robert who looked at his friends. Two of them talked lowly for a moment, before Robert and one of his friends climbed out of the boat. I nodded as they got into a different boat with some other people, one that would make it out of the harbor. If he was going to be an idiot, that was fine, but when he was being a reckless idiot and trying to get a boat that had no business holding eight people, and I knew that they were purposely ignoring Officer Hendricks, well, then I figured they wouldn't mind me interfering.
"Thanks for that." Hendricks said when he walked over to me. I nodded, and looked at him.
"Where's Martin?"
"What's wrong?"
"I got fired for telling people it's unsafe to swim in the water right now." I said and he sighed gently before putting his hand on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry." he said, and looked behind us at the mass chaos of people. "But hey, maybe you could stick around and help out here; I know the chief needs it"
"Sure, if that's what he wants." I nodded, and we walked over to the office.
"Wait here, I'll go get him." Hendricks told me. I nodded as he walked into the office, and then looked to my left as someone waved to me.
"Hey Mr. Gardener." I said walking over to him.
"How 'bout it Caroline?" he asked. "Feel like gettin' your feet wet?"
"No sir Mr. Gardner." I shook my head. "I gave that up a long time ago."
"Look at all these guys, they're ready for bass fishing, squid fishing, crabbing, but ain't one of them ready for sharking." He shook his head and looked at me.
"Don't look at me like that Mr. Gardner. I'm not hurting, and I'm not going out there."
"You don't miss it?" he asked and I crossed my arms. "At all?"
"I-" I was luckily cut off by Martin walking out of Frank's boat house. "I'll see you around Mr. Gardner." I said before I walked away from him, and over to Martin.
"Oh, hey, Caroline, come here, I want you to meet someone." He said as I walked over to him.
"Look, Martin, I got fired today," I was saying as he spoke above me.
"This is Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute." he gestured to the guy and I nodded to him.
"They're trying to shut up anyone who says the beaches aren't- Matt?" I stopped in realization of who I had just been introduced to.
"Caroline!" he grinned as I threw my arms around him.
"God, it's been what, five, six years?" I asked as I let go of him, and looked him over.
"Yeah, god at least." he nodded. "You look great." he said and I smiled gently.
"So do you." I said, and looked back at Martin.
"I take it you two have met." he said and I chuckled.
"Matt and I were neighbors growing up." I said and looked at my old friend. "We were best friends."
"I called the Institute to maybe get some help on the shark problem, and they sent out your friend." he said and I smiled at him.
"Well they couldn't have sent out someone better." I looked at Martin. "Ever since we were kids, Matt's been studying sharks like no tomorrow."
"Good." Brody said. "We were going to see the first victim."
"Good idea." I nodded, they started to walk away and I cleared my throat. "Look, Martin, I was fired today." I said quickly.
"What for?" Matt asked instantly and I smiled gently.
"For saying the beaches aren't safe." I said and Martin sighed.
"Chief she's done pretty good at getting people to listen to her about boat safety, I was thinkin' we could use her down here." Hendricks piped up.
"How about it Caroline?" he asked and I nodded.
"No problem." I said. "But most of these people don't know me; they won't listen to some woman shouting at them."
"They will if I deputize you." he said and I smiled lightly. "You can pick up a badge later." he said and nodded to Matt who smiled at me.
"I'll see you later." he said and I smiled and nodded, before I turned around and saw the guy trying to sneak dynamite onto his boat.
"I don't think so." I said as I walked over.
"Who the hell are you?" he grumbled as I took the dynamite from him.
"Caroline Quint, deputy Sheriff." I said and held my hand out expectantly. He sighed and pulled more dynamite from his pocket and handed it to me. Ben Gardner, also known as the sober, slightly more stable version of my father, was leading the flimsy armada out of the harbor, and as I watched them I could hear the men shouting at each other.
"Get away from there, you goddamn fool!"
"What's the matter with you?"
"You want to swamp us, you crazy sonofabitch?"
There was a small explosion, Mr. Crazy Harry had snuck aboard some fire crackers apparently. I sighed, and shook my head.
"Guys what are they doing?"
"They're chumming!"
"Chumming? What in the hell's that?"
"They're tricking the shark out." a guy shouted back as a dog barked from a different boat.
"Three thousand dollars divided four ways is what?" somebody shouted.
"Watch your starboard! Jesus!" shouted another. At that point I looked at Officer Hendricks and Frank Silva.
"They're all going to die." I smiled brightly at the two men.