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“We create a sluice to hold all the water,” she said, finishing his thought. The eyebrows came down and she nodded approvingly. “Will it be enough to float the whale back out to sea?”
“ ‘Float’ is a bit optimistic,” Kurt said. “But with some luck, and a solid pull from one of the boats, we should be able to drag this big boy out into the bay. And from there, we can tow him to deeper waters.”
“Her,” Chantel said.
“What?”
“The whale is a female,” Chantel informed him. “Which is good, because if she were a male, she’d weigh another ten tons at least.”
Kurt had to smile. “Do me a favor,” he said. “Take charge of the placement of those metal sheets. I don’t have enough credit cards to explain it again.”
“I’ll get it done for you,” she said. “I’m good at bossing people around. Runs in the family.”
She moved off, heading toward the pallet of sheet metal and drywall. Only Lacourt and Joe remained in the circle.
“She’s trouble, that one,” the prefect said. “Always another question, until she completely understands. Ever since she was a kid.”
“There are worse traits,” Kurt said, then changed the subject. “We’re going to need a couple of boats. Any thoughts?”
“There’s a marina not far from here, just a few miles up the road,” Lacourt said. “I’m sure we could find something for you.”
“Take Joe. He knows what we need.”
Chapter 3
For the next twenty minutes, Kurt was everywhere. Supervising the placing of the barrels, the digging of the trenches, and the shoring up of the corrugated metal sheets. He even crawled up next to the whale to help dig the narrow trench underneath it that would be used for the fire hoses.
As the work progressed, the crowd at the top of the beach grew. By now the news had spread across the island and both the tourists and locals were coming out in force.
Surrounded by activity, the sperm whale made clicking sounds and flapped its tail, smacking the water loudly and drenching anyone who got too close. Farther along, the dolphins and the porpoises had begun to make anguished calls, while the humpbacks rolled in the shallow surf, waving their long pectoral fins uselessly. The situation was becoming more desperate, but they were almost ready to act.
With the last barrel filled, the corrugated metal sheets bolstered by berms of sand, and the high-pressure hoses in place, everything was ready. Everything except Joe.
Kurt scanned the bay to no avail, then grabbed a radio and called him. “We’re starting to lose the light here, amigo. Tell me you’re close.”
Joe’s voice came over the radio, buffeted by the wind. “I’ll be coming around the point any minute now.”
Joe entered the bay from the north, standing on the prow of a cabin cruiser as it churned through the swells. Behind him came a small harbor tug. Its shallow draft and powerful engines were perfect for what they needed. A third boat in Joe’s flotilla appeared to be a paragliding towboat. Another good choice, Kurt thought, as its pilot would be used to racing up on the beach to pick up and drop off customers.
As the fleet approached the shore, the two powerboats swung out wide and the tug came down the middle. It slowed to a stop, spun around, and then backed in the last hundred yards. As it neared the beach, one of the crewmen tossed a line toward shore. Kurt dove into the surf to retrieve it. Swimming back to the beach, he dug his feet in and dragged the line up onto the sand.
The small metal cable was connected to a larger-diameter rope. With the help of the volunteers, Kurt pulled the big rope in and attempted to loop it around the whale’s haunches.
At the slightest touch, the animal flicked its tail defensively, almost sending Kurt flying, but he’d been expecting it and had jumped out of the way.
“Come on now,” he said. “I thought we had an understanding.”
The whale flicked its tail once more and then smacked it down on the water. The sonic boom it created was almost deafening.
Kurt waited for it to rise again and rushed to pull the line underneath the flukes. As he reached the other side of the stricken animal, he locked the eye hook at the end of the line over the main part of the rope.
The tail hit the surf, sending a wave of water and foam at Kurt. The surge knocked him over but didn’t prevent him from pulling the line taut. It was now safely around the tail of the animal.
Climbing out of the beach, he found Lacourt, Chantel, and the leader of the construction crew. The fire brigade commander was higher up on the beach, waiting with a radio in his hand.
“Everyone ready?” Kurt asked.
The construction engineer nodded. The diagonal trenches were complete. The excavators were in the water now, trying to dredge out a path behind the whale.