Thirty-One
Wednesday, March 24, 7:01 A.M. CST
Bailey’s Key
After her nightmare, Eva had found it difficult to sleep, so she gave up on it. When she arrived early at RIMS later that morning, it troubled her to find Gilberto, with Rascal at his heels, already waiting for her, his expression grim.
“Eva, we have a situation.”
She looked past him to Bailey’s Key. There were boats out there, and she heard the din of a megaphone over the ocean waves.
Eva’s words were frantic. “Is Taffy okay? She didn’t get out, did she? Did she lose the baby? Is her wound infected?”
Gilberto patted her arm. “Taffy’s fine. Healing well. Still fat with calf. But something injured another dolphin. It’s Cleo.”
Eva took a deep breath. Sweet Cleo? “Is it severe?”
“No, but I would like for you to look. I arrive
