*
Lara spent the afternoon working on a series of press releases in tandem with a public information officer from the Miami-Dade police. She’d been going back and forth with the young officer on email for what seemed like forever when Rick suddenly appeared at her door.
“They want you,” he told her.
She carefully hit the send button before looking at Rick curiously.
“They want me? Sorry, who are they, and what do they want me for?”
“They want you in the water.”
“I’m not a trainer,” she said. “And ‘they’ as in the cops?”
“‘They’ as in the FBI guys,” Rick said. “More particularly, dark and brooding FBI guy.”
Lara thought about asking him which dark and brooding guy, except that she knew. It had to be Agent Cody.
“Why do they want me? I don’t know what I’m doing unless I’m with you or one of the other trainers.”
Rick made a face. “Well, you can thank Grady for this one. He says that Cocoa feels you’re her special friend. They think that if you’re in the water, she’ll get into the mood and help.”
Lara stood up awkwardly. She’d changed out of her suit and into dry clothing for work, but if they wanted her in the water, she would be happy to change again and get back in.
“Okay, give me five minutes. I’ve got to put my suit back on.”
Rick nodded. “I’ll wait and go down with you.”
“Thank you.”
Lara started to put on her suit and water shirt, but they were still damp, so it was a struggle to get back into them. She realized she must have taken longer than she realized when she heard footsteps and Rick called to her from outside the bathroom door and told her to hurry up. One final tug and she joined him.
“Cocoa did really take to you,” he said as they started walking. “Maybe you’re just both good-looking girls of the same age. I mean, in dolphin years, she’s in her mid-twenties, too,” Rick said.
“Maybe she’s blonde at heart, huh?” Lara asked.
Rick grinned and led the way back down to the water.
Agent Cody was still in the water, but his scuba equipment was on the dock, which meant—she assumed, since all she really saw was his bare chest—that he was wearing a pair of swim trunks and nothing else. He was muscled like steel, but she’d expected no less. His partner was standing on the dock in swim shorts, as were the police divers. Grady was there, too.
Cocoa wasn’t alone in the lagoon. Several of the “girls”—as the young females were called—were there with her.
As soon as Lara arrived on the dock, she heard Cocoa let out one of her little chattering sounds in greeting. Lara flushed; she did seem to have a bond with the animal.
“I’m not sure how I can help,” she told Grady. “If the pros have come up empty and the girls haven’t found anything for you or Rick...” She paused, aware that Diego was looking at her understandingly, while Cody was just staring at her with unreadable dark eyes.
“I had a German shepherd once, great dog,” Grady told her. “He was nice to other people, but he’d only play fetch with me. Only me, no one else—not even if the best dog trainer in the world was around. Dolphins are very bright animals, and Cocoa’s attached herself to you.” He pointed toward her where she was floating beside the dock, eyes intently focused on Lara. “Hop on into the water, greet her, give her back a stroke, then ask her to fetch for you.”
Lara sat on the dock and slid into the water. She felt the dark eyes of Agent Cody on her all the while. Once in the water, she talked to Cocoa. The dolphin swam by Lara, allowing her to stroke her long, sleek back. Then she raced out to the center of the lagoon and did a fantastic leap before coming straight back to Lara.
“Do I need some fish?” Lara asked, looking up at Grady.
He shrugged. Rick, standing on the dock, reached into one of the coolers and pulled out a fish.
Lara swam over to him, reached for the fish and turned. Cocoa was already there, her mouth open in anticipation. Lara tossed the fish to her.
“Try now,” Agent Cody told Lara.
She nodded, stroking the dolphin.
“Cocoa, fetch, please,” Lara said, treading water and giving the dolphin the hand signal.
Cocoa disappeared under the water. Everyone fell silent. Not even the police divers, who had broken off to chat, spoke.
Nor did any of the other staff—trainers, educators, even the café crew—who had crowded around to watch the proceedings. Lara noted that coworkers seemed to be clustering together. Dr. Nelson Amory, head of research, stood with Cathy Barkley, his assistant, and Myles Dawson, their U of Miami intern. Frank Pilaf and the café staff stood together, while the other trainers, Sue Crane and Justin Villiers, were watching from beneath the bountiful leaves of a sea grape tree.
Cocoa returned, bringing Lara a long stalk of sea grass.
Lara thanked her and stroked her back.