I gulp air before my head submerges. With my left hand I swing the paddle alongside the kayak, and then I grab it with my right hand. I flick my hips and push on the paddle. The boat slides under me and rolls upright. My head pops out of the water.
I take a deep breath.
“Dad!” I shout.
“I’m right here. Good job, Maya. That was a great roll.”
I can only nod in response.
Dad climbs back onto the stern of my boat, and I paddle again.
When we reach the shore, I’m so cold and exhausted I can’t pull the kayak out of the water. Saul wades out as we approach. He helps Dad slide off the stern. Together they stagger to shore. Saul has lit a fire. He sits Dad down next to it, then comes back to help me.
“Good job, Maya,” he says. I hand him my paddle. My hands are numb. I can’t pull myself out of the boat. Saul leans over and puts his arms under mine. He lifts me out of my boat and carries me to shore. I let him.
I sink down next to Dad. Both of us reach our hands toward the fire. It’s all we can do. Saul pulls at our clothes, takes off our wet sweaters and shoes. Dad and I sit like rag dolls.
My body is numb, but my mind whirls. “Who were those people, Dad?” I ask. “What were they doing? Why did he fight with you? Why did they take your boat?”
Saul hands Dad his dry hoodie, then takes my left hand and rubs it between his hands. My fingers flash with pain as blood rushes back into them.
Saul says, “The men are poachers. They’ve been cruising the coast all summer. They get into people’s traps. They’ve been seen diving around here for sea urchins.” He takes my other hand and rubs again. “They mean business, Maya. They probably planned to take Dad’s boat. Josh Hampel had his motor tampered with. The Jacksons’ nets were slashed. Our crab traps were emptied. That’s how we found out about them.” He pauses, then says, “And we’ve seen them swamp kayakers in their wake.”
Dad nods. “Saul’s right. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask. My heart feels cold.
Saul and Dad look at each other. “Because we knew you’d try to help. We thought you’d worry about all the animals around here. We thought you’d try to get close to them and end up swamped. Or worse. We didn’t want you to worry.” Dad reaches out to put his hand on my shoulder. I lean away.
“Or to help,” says Saul.
“You didn’t trust me?” I ask. The tears that threaten to spill out of my eyes are angry.
Dad sighs. He turns away. “What are we going to do?” he says. He slumps over with his head in his hands. Saul looks out to the bay. The look on his face is bleak.
Things couldn’t be worse. Dad and Saul have lost their boat. Dad found out that I came out in my kayak even after he told me not to. Sooner or later he’s going to ask me what I was doing. There are poachers out there. And to top it off, Saul and Dad didn’t trust me enough to tell me. The thought makes me choke. Only my exhaustion keeps me from screaming at them.
I stare out at the bay. I can’t see the sea otters, but I know they’re out there. The chill in my heart turns colder. The sea otters are in this bay because there’s a bed of sea urchins here. If the poachers are diving for the sea urchins, they’ll find the sea otters. Then things are going to get even worse.
A boat turns into the bay. Saul wades into the water and waves them toward us. “Mark, over here.” It’s the coast guard.
The three of us huddle in the wind as the boat speeds back to town. Mark unscrews a thermos and pours something hot into the lid. He hands it to Dad. “You went after the poachers, didn’t you?” he says.
Dad nods.
“I told you to leave it to us. You shouldn’t be out there.”
Dad and I catch each other’s eye. He leans over. Here it comes. He’s going to ask me what I was doing. What am I going to say? Normally I’d tell him the truth.
Not today.
If they don’t trust me, why should I trust them?
Instead of asking me anything, he puts his arm around me. “I guess we’ve both been caught, eh?”
I nod.
“But no more disobeying me, okay? We’re agreed? You’ll stay away?”
Dad is worried about the poachers. He’s upset about losing his boat. He’s cold and shocked and worn. Losing his boat is one of the worst things that can happen to him. The last thing he needs is to worry about me. So I nod again.
This time I’m not sure if I’m lying.
I can’t stop thinking about Gertrude and Oscar and Lilly. If the poachers find them, what will they do? Will they shoot them? How am I going to keep the poachers away from the sea otters? I lean away from Dad’s embrace. It might not be possible to stay away from Riley Bay.
“How come you haven’t caught the poachers?” I ask Mark. My voice comes out harsh and angry. “If you were doing your job, none of this would be happening.” I don’t know if it’s the coast guard I’m angry with, but I can’t shout at Dad when he’s so down.
“Maya,” says Dad.
“It’s okay, Gerry. I understand why she’s upset. The thing is, Maya, we can’t accuse someone of poaching unless we catch them doing something illegal or we find illegal catch on board.”
“So catch them then,” I say.
Saul laughs. “As if. It’s not that easy, Maya. You saw what they’re like.”
I can see from their faces that this is what they all believe. I stand up and walk to the other side of the boat. There must be something we can do.