Growing Season 2: Dolphin Summer

By T. Jensen Lacey

Fourteen-year-old Kati Newman likes her family just the way it is: happy. But just as her summer is about to begin in Cove Lake, Alabama, Katis attorney father decides to take in a teenager who finds himself alone after his dad is imprisoned. After working so hard to get her family back on track the previous summer, Kati is certain her life is now ruined.

Vincent St. John, a brooding, pierced Goth, is barely used to the idea of his new living situation when Katis godparents invite the family and Katis secret boyfriend, Alex, along on an expedition to coastal Alabama to help them research why dolphins and whales are mysteriously dying. While Kati struggles to accept Vincent, Alex reveals a telepathic gift that may help solve the puzzle of the dying mammals. As their journey leads them to the Caribbean, a hurricane brews and an evil man lurks in the shadows. But as the storm wreaks havoc and traps the teenagers on a remote island, Vincent divulges a dark secret with the power to transform his destiny.

In this young adult mystery, a teenage girl who thinks her summer is going to be a disaster is led on an unforgettable adventure where she discovers love, friendship, and the importance of unconditional acceptance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbott Press
• Release date: Aug 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781458216984

T. Jensen Lacey

T. Jensen Lacey has had seven stories published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She is the author of eleven other books and more than seven hundred newspaper and magazine articles. Lacey currently lives in Alabama where she manages speaking engagements and conducts writers’ workshops.

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Growing Season 2

Dolphin Summer

T. Jensen Lacey

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Copyright © 2014 T. Jensen Lacey.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Abbott Press

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Phone: [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4582-1697-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4582-1699-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-458-21698-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014911778

Abbott Press rev. date: 07/24/2014

Contents

Acknowledgments

Author’s Note, Disclaimer, and Dedication

Chapter 1    The Sentence

Chapter 2    Alfred’s Proposition

Chapter 3    The Amazing Proposition

Chapter 4    New Medicine

Chapter 5    Meet Alex

Chapter 6    Get Going, Already!

Chapter 7    Guess Where I Am?

Chapter 8    Sailing Aboard the Joshua

Chapter 9    Goose Bumps!

Chapter 10    The Beach

Chapter 11    Smarter than Humans?

Chapter 12    Off to the Bahamas!

Chapter 13    Bahama Mama

Chapter 14    Elbow Cay

Chapter 15    Sharks!

Chapter 16    The BMMS and Yet Another Mystery

Chapter 17    Just Cutting Up

Chapter 18    Tag! You’re It!

Chapter 19    Pier Pressure!

Chapter 20    Saving Alex

Chapter 21    Rain

Chapter 22    Stormy Weather

Chapter 23    Hurricane Season

Chapter 24    The Storm and a Discovery

Chapter 25    Who’s the Bad Guy?

Chapter 26    The Lighthouse

Chapter 27    Vincent’s Confession

Chapter 28    Finding Alex

Chapter 29    Damages

Chapter 30    In the Cistern

Chapter 31    The Cleanup

Chapter 32    In the Hospital

Chapter 33    Mystery Solved, and an Intruder

Chapter 34    Scared by Scare

Chapter 35    Brown Gets Justice

Chapter 36    The Daguerreotype

Chapter 37    The Reef

Chapter 38    Finally—The Proposal!

Chapter 39    Vincent Faces the Music

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

It always takes more than a single individual to write any book or novel, and GS2: Dolphin Summer is no exception. This work was made possible by proofreaders Patricia J. Edmundson, Marian B. Jensen, and husband, Eric Lacey (yes, they’re all family, but tough as nails when it comes to proofreading and editing my work). Thanks also to my father-in-law, attorney Richard C. Lacey, Sr., who proofread and gave me input on the courtroom scenes. In addition to these, I contacted, interviewed, and/or otherwise researched the following:

The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, Gulfport, Mississippi

Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, Alabama

The US Coast Guard

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism

The Bahamas Marine Mammal Survey

Oceanus magazine, National Geographic magazine, and Smithsonian magazine

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (especially the WHOI engineers and scientists Andrew Westgate, Michael Moore, Richard Arthur, and Peter Tyack)

Douglas Nowacek, biological oceanographer, Florida State University

Paula Peterson and the Interspecies Telepathic Project (Earthcode International)

The Ocean Conservancy

Karl-Erik Fichtelius and Sverre Sjolander, coauthors of Smarter Than Man? Intelligence in Whales, Dolphins, and Humans (New York: Ballantine Books, 1972)

Special thanks to the ninth-grade English class at Robertsdale High School, Robertsdale, Alabama, who critiqued every chapter.

Author’s Note, Disclaimer, and Dedication

Except for the fictitious group SCARE, the organizations I write about in this book, such as the Bahamas Marine Mammal Survey, really exist. The places in the story are also real. The characters, however, are fictitious; it’s a pure coincidence if any of them seem to be like someone you may know.

Like the places, airplanes such as the Beechcraft King Air exist; likewise, the ferry service (Albury’s) mentioned in the story also exists, serving the Greater Abaco chain of the Bahamas.

Disclaimer: if any part of this story makes you want to go to places such as Point Clear, Alabama, or the Abacos, neither the author nor the publisher is responsible for any expenses incurred in your adventure.

Growing Season 2: Dolphin Summer is dedicated to the memory of my wonderful nephew, Walter Austin Lacey (1982–2011), who loved the Abacos as much as he loved life. A portion of the proceeds of book sales is going toward the Austin Lacey Fund. For more information, please go to www.TheAustinLaceyFund.com.

Chapter 1

The Sentence

Bang! The gavel sounded like a drum in the packed courtroom, and then the judge said in his gravelly voice, This court is called to order. He turned his stern, dark expression to the jury of twelve men and women. Has the jury reached a verdict?

I held my breath and waited. I watched my dad as he and the man he was defending, Marcus St. John, sat at a table in the front of the courtroom. I could see tension in their shoulders, my dad’s hand on St. John’s elbow as they waited for words that would change the man’s life forever.

His life, and his son’s, I thought, eyeing Vincent—that Goth of all Goths—who stood beside me. How he had gotten through security at the courthouse with all that body piercing was a mystery. I hadn’t liked him since the day we’d met, which was right after his dad was arrested.

Like me, Vincent was also very still, and it seemed he was holding his breath—a relief for me since his breath was usually so totally obnoxious. I thought, Well, this will be over in just a few minutes; then, as Dad says, being supportive of Vincent will be history. It was still hard, though, not to be mad at Dad for my having to let this guy tag along with me every day through this trial. This was a bad beginning for my fourteenth summer!

A woman in the jury box stood up, a piece of paper in her hand. We have reached a verdict, Your Honor.

The defendant and his counselor will please rise to hear the verdict. The judge looked back to the jury foreman. Will you please read the verdict for the court?

The woman looked down at the piece of paper in her hand. We find the defendant, Marcus St. John, guilty on two counts of vehicular manslaughter.

She paused as the room filled with cries of relief and shock—relief on the part of families of the two people that St. John had put an end to when his car slammed into them one night when he was wasted, and shock on the part of friends of St. John’s. Goth Boy, who had been standing next to me but was now sitting in the bench beside me, had his head in his hands, the picture of teenage despair.

Order! Order, I say! The judge banged his gavel again and frowned at the scene before him, watching people either hug or cry. I will have order, or I will clear this courtroom!

He turned to the juror. What sentence does the jury recommend?

The woman looked out over the packed courtroom. The jury recommends the full penalty, Your Honor.

Thank you. The judge cleared his throat, paused for a moment, and then said, Marcus St. John, you are hereby sentenced by this court to be remanded over to Elmore State Penitentiary in Wetumpka, Alabama, where you will serve your time of two consecutive life sentences for the deaths of Mary Warren and her husband, Sawyer Warren. He banged the gavel again. Court is adjourned.

One moment, please, Your Honor, my dad said as he stood even taller. I saw Vincent’s dad, Marcus St. John, whispering earnestly into his ear. If he wants to appeal right away, will I be stuck with the Gothic prince even longer? I almost groaned out loud at the thought.

The judge looked surprised, bushy eyebrows raised like shrubs in a high wind. My dad and St. John leaned into each other, and Goth Boy looked up to me. He asked, What’s goin’ on? Black looked good on some people, but this guy—hair dyed black, black shirt, black pants, black shoes—just couldn’t pull it off. I wondered if he cared.

Something’s about to happen.

What?

I don’t know. I gave him an impatient wave of a hand. Listen. Maybe we’ll find out. I had to get rid of this kid!

If you will give me just a moment, Your Honor. Then Dad surprised me by coming to where I sat with Vincent. Dad said to me, We need to talk about something.

I had a strange feeling in my stomach, like I was about to hear something I wasn’t gonna like. Okay. I spread out my hands on my jeans to stop the beginning of the shakes I was feeling. What is it?

Dad looked at Vincent. This concerns you—both of you. Over the course of this trial, I’ve gotten to know you, Vincent. I think you’re a fine young man, and you have no other family who can take you in. Your dad and I have talked about this, and he’s fine with the idea.

What? we both said together.

I am going to ask the judge if he will approve of my being your legal guardian while we appeal this. Dad held up a hand to stop my protest, which was really just going to be in the form of screaming, No!

He continued. "Even without the appeal, your dad will be in jail for a long time. He may get out on account of good behavior and a show of true repentance for his act. He is very sorry for what he did, and I think there’s hope for him. In the meantime, you can be a part of our family, for however long that is."

Dad, I managed to choke, did you talk about this with Mom?

Yes, Dad said. I could only look at him, amazed, while he wrecked my world. We talked about it since I met Marcus and took on this case. I took her with me to the jail one day, and she met Marcus. Then she met Vincent when we went over some briefings before the trial. She and I both think there’s room in our house, and in our hearts, for this young man. He smiled at Vincent.

Vincent didn’t smile back, though, and as for me, I hoped Dad caught my glare. Finally, things were okay with our family. Mom and Dad weren’t fighting anymore; my godparents, Rachel and Alfred Bean, had their twin babies they’d wanted forever; and I was about as happy as a fourteen-year-old could be.

But now this kid was going to be in my face every day: at the dinner table, at school, out shopping, at school, at ball games …

Dad, could I talk to you for a minute, by myself?

Sure, but make it quick. That judge is looking impatient.

I stood up and got close enough to Dad to whisper, "What about me? What about my feelings? I don’t want Vincent to be part of our family. We don’t need anybody else!" I felt my cheeks get hot.

"But he needs us, sugar. Dad patted my shoulder the way grownups do when they think you don’t know anything about anything. He needs us, and he doesn’t know it. Right now you may think that all you have in common is your birth year. But this will turn out to be a good thing. You’ll see." He turned to approach the bench and talk to the judge.

My summer is ruined. My life is over. I brushed past Vincent and sat down on the court bench. Life sucks.

"You think it sucks for you, Vincent said in a low voice. It’s not your dad that’s going to prison. Maybe, like, forever. Think about that. You think life sucks. It could always suck even worse than it does."

You’re not getting any sympathy from me, I snorted. "I have to live with you now. It’s not enough that—"

Before I could say anything else, the judge banged that stupid gavel again. It has been requested of this court, in a rather unusual turn of events, that the counselor in this case be allowed custody of the defendant’s child. I looked over at Vincent and saw him react with a scowl at the use of the word ‘child.’ Then the judge continued. Since there are no other family members known to be living who can support and protect this child, and, since the only alternative would be to make said child a ward of the state, guardianship is hereby granted, pending an investigation by the Department of Human Services, who will follow this case.

Bang! My life was over.

Bang! I now had a new family member.

I didn’t want him.

He didn’t want us.

But, after he hugged his father one last time and fought back tears, we walked out of the courthouse … together.

Dad caught up with us at the bottom of the steps. Let’s go see your godparents, Kati, he said, and he had a strange kind of smile on his face. Usually, I was amazed at how cute my dad still was at his age—forty—but now all I could think of when I looked at him was how he had just ruined everything for me. Alfred just called me on my cell phone, and he’s got a proposition for us, he continued.

Great. I can’t wait to hear it, I said. What? Are we going to adopt half a dozen Chinese or something? I tried to walk fast, so I couldn’t even look at Dad.

Dad was quick to respond and grabbed my elbow. That’s enough, Kati. Keep an open mind. You never know what you’ll learn if you do.

I jerked my arm away from Dad and walked ahead of him to the parking lot. After working to get my family back on track the summer before, I was back to square one—a member of another dysfunctional family.

The day was beautiful. The beginning of summer.

Life sucked.

And my godfather, Alfred, had some brilliant idea that involved us—all of us.

I tried not to think about whatever kind of plan he had in mind. I didn’t want to even feel curiosity. I was almost enjoying riding the crest of the wave of anger that had been growing since Dad came to talk to us in the courtroom.

And I tried my best not to even touch Vincent as he rode with us in the cab of my dad’s pickup truck on the way to Rachel and Alfred’s house.

Whatever Alfred had in mind, I hoped it wouldn’t involve me spending time with this weirdo, but I had a feeling about how much my needs would figure in with that.

Chapter 2

Alfred’s Proposition

The drive to Rachel and Alfred’s house was quiet. Dad was caught up in his own thoughts, I was seething inside, and Vincent was … well, Vincent. I never knew what he was thinking. Maybe what shade of black he was going to wear next, or what part of his body would see the piercing shop in the near future. I remembered reading a description by an author named Rick Bragg that described Vincent perfectly. It said something like, He looked like he’d fallen face-first into a tackle box. And he did.

You’ll like Rachel and Alfred Bean, Dad’s voice boomed with a suddenness that made me jump. They’re some of my and Savannah’s dearest friends—Kati’s godparents, actually. Kati stayed with them last summer when things weren’t going so well for us.

I said under my breath, "Things don’t look much better now."

I felt rather than saw Dad’s sharp look. They convinced us to move here to Cove Lake, Alabama, so we pulled up stakes in San Antonio, Texas, and made a new life here. Dad pulled into Rachel and Alfred’s driveway past the sign that read ‘Bean’s Veterinary’ on it. Things are much better for all of us. We have a good life here.

"Had a good life," I mumbled under my breath, but Dad heard me.

"Kati, that’s enough. Dad’s stern voice and look made me know it was definitely time to shut up. He put the truck in park and turned off the ignition. Okay, everybody—pile out!"

We stepped out of the truck and onto Rachel and Alfred’s flagstone walkway. I saw the duck from the lake who’d taken up residence in Rachel’s flowerbox by the front door. The mallard looked up at me, expecting bread, while she sat on her eggs. I started to reach out to her, then thought, I don’t want Vincent to see this. Might cheer him up. So I ignored her. The momma duck quacked at me in a way that let me know she didn’t like missing her daily bread, but I just walked on up to the front steps and to the door.

Opening the front door, I called out, Rachel? Alfred? but all I could hear was a muffled voice