Killing Keiko Read Online Free PDF Page A

what needs to be done. I think Jeff and I agree
     that you should bring him back—once you locate him—you should bring him back.”
    Lanny wouldn’t let it go. “Well, I think it’s wrong, and I disagree.”
Keflavik International
    I sat slouched in the main airport terminal, both hands stuffed in my jeans pockets
     while watching the concerned look on everyone’sfaces. It seemed surreal in so many ways, down to the stage set at this our final
     departure. Shell-shocked and confused, the crowd surrounding me looked as I felt.
     Glancing overhead, I could just make out the last few back and forth movements of
     the life-size biplane suspended from the airport superstructure.
    I had never been through an earthquake before; yet, when it hit, somehow I immediately
     knew that is was an earthquake. It’s not difficult really when the floor moves under
     foot at the same time the ceiling is swaying in the opposite direction, confounding
     the senses. Not much other than an earthquake could rattle your whole world like that.
     Well, that … and Keiko. My thoughts vacillated between the swaying fixtures overhead
     and the prior day’s fateful exchange onboard the
Draupnir
.
    The earthquake, rated 6.5 on the Richter scale, had provided a dramatic exclamation
     point to our final departure from Iceland and the Keiko Release Project. I didn’t
     know if the Nordic gods were punishing me or someone else back on the island, but
     there was plenty of time to think it through. My departure was unplanned, and as a
     result, I was summarily placed on the standby passenger list. To add insult to injury,
     the earthquake had collapsed a fuel cell somewhere on the tarmac. The airport officials
     suspended all flights for a few hours while they checked things out. I had nothing
     but time.
    Airports are known as good venues for people watching. Keflavik International (kef-la-vik),
     a hub between Europe and the Americas, was among the best. I tried repeatedly to distract
     myself with the commotion of people around me, but to no avail. The weight of it all
     was crushing,
How the hell did I get here? What am I doing in Keflavik? I shouldn’t be here, not
     today anyway
. I knew how it happened, and it all seemed logical and sequential in my head, but
     I still couldn’t understand it. I swallowed voluntarily, testing the lump in my throat.
     One minute everything made sense and the next it made no sense. My only consolation:
     the confidence I was in good company. Two seats down to my right, Robin was lost in
     his own thoughts.
Friday, Like the Day
    The path leading up to this day was nearly fifteen years long. Along that path, the
     one constant I could always rely on was Robin Friday. He and I shared different views
     on many things, and we constantly analyzed and debated everything. At times our method
     was exhausting, some might say obsessive, but it worked. Whenever we came to agreement
     on a topic, you could be sure it was thoroughly vetted and never rash; especially
     not where it concerned Keiko.
    Robin had been the curator of animal training at SeaWorld of Florida and my boss during
     my last few years as a killer whale trainer there. A natural leader, he was a savant
     at working with animals; he had a certain way around animals that was indeed rare.
     In his silent hands-off way, Robin also stood out with individuals; secure enough
     in his leadership to allow people to push beyond their status quo even when that meant
     making the occasional mistake. He knew that making mistakes and learning from them
     was essential for progressing in life and work.
    Robin has never been one for many words; the quiet type, but always exuding competence.
     When he speaks, it is only because he has something worthwhile to say. He was then
     and is still a handsome man, mostly graying hair with that Marlboro Man brand of ruggedness
     about him. I’m not the worst person to look at, but the never-ending giddiness of
     females whenever