The Swarm Read Online Free PDF Page B

but now his mouth dried. For an hour and a half he’d held forth on the history of the region, trying to lift the group’s spirits with anecdotes. Now everyone had heard enough about whales and black bears. He’d run out of ideas as to how to divert them and, besides, he was worried about the whales’ whereabouts. As skipper, he should probably have been more worried about the tourists, but that wasn’t his way.
    â€˜Time to go home,’ he announced.
    There was a disappointed silence. The journey through Clayoquot Sound would take at least three-quarters of an hour. He decided to cut short the afternoon with a burst of excitement. The Zodiac’s twin outboard motor would give them an adrenaline-pumping ride. Speed was all he had left to offer.
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    Tofino’s waterfront, with its houses on stilts and the Whaling Station on the wharf, was just coming into view when the rain stopped abruptly. From a distance the hills and mountains looked like grey cardboard cutouts. Their tips were enveloped in a haze of mist and cloud. Anawak helped the passengers out of the boat, then moored it to the side. The steps leading up to the wharf were slippery, and the next bunch of adventurers had gathered on the patio in front of the station. There wouldn’t be any thrills for them either.
    â€˜If things don’t pick up soon we’ll all be out of a job,’ said Susan Stringer, as he walked into the ticket office. She was standing behind the counter, restocking the plastic leaflet-holders. ‘Maybe we should offer squirrel-watching instead. What do you think?’
    Davie’s Whaling Station was a cosy place, crammed with a mishmash of handmade objects, tacky souvenirs, clothing and books. Stringer was the office manager. She’d taken the job to finance her studies - which was why Anawak had started there too. But four years after completinghis doctorate he still worked for Davie. He’d used the past few summers to write a groundbreaking book about intelligence and social bonding among marine mammals. His pioneering research had earned him the respect of experts and established his reputation as a rising star of science. Now letters were trickling in with offers of highly paid jobs that made his comfortable life in the wilds of Vancouver Island seem to lack definition. Anawak knew it was only a matter of time before he moved away. He was thirty-one years old. Soon he would take up a lectureship or become a research fellow in one of the big institutes. He would publish articles in specialist journals, travel to conferences and live on the top floor of a desirable condo, whose foundations would shake in the throb of rush-hour traffic.
    He started to peel off his waterproofs.
    â€˜If only we could do something,’ he muttered.
    â€˜Like what?’
    â€˜Go looking for them.’
    â€˜Didn’t you want to talk to Rod Palm about the feedback from the telemetric tracking?’
    â€˜I have already.’
    â€˜And?’
    â€˜From what he said, there’s not much to tell. They tagged a few bottlenose dolphins and sea-lions back in January, but the trail goes dead at the beginning of migration. All the tags stopped transmitting, and it’s been quiet ever since.’
    Stringer shrugged. ‘Don’t worry, they’ll turn up. Thousands of whales can’t just disappear.’
    â€˜Well, obviously they can.’
    She grinned. ‘I guess they must be stuck in traffic near Seattle.’
    â€˜Very funny.’
    â€˜Hey, loosen up a bit. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve been late. Anyway, why don’t you join us later at Schooners?’
    â€˜Uh…sorry. I’m still setting up that trial with the belugas.’
    â€˜You work too hard,’ she said sternly.
    â€˜I’ve got to, Susan. It really matters to me. And at least I understand it, unlike stocks and shares.’
    The dig was aimed at Roddy Walker, Stringer’s