Read Online The Pacific Giants by Jean Flitcroft - Free Book Online

ocean.”
    She threw her head back, looking skyward, and thought about the strange creature she had seen yesterday. It had looked huge and powerful. Scary too, not at all friendly like Nessie. More like the Chupacabra. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine as she thought back to Mexico and that terrible night she had seen the devilish eyes watching her.
    Now her thoughts jumped to Ronan. She wondered if he had gone up to the attic last night, or if he’d gone back to sleep. Would he even find a file? She tried calling him again, but there was no answer.
    Vanessa turned over the page. OK. She’d try to draw it, whatever it was. She concentrated hard, trying to recall the head with the funny little bulges and huge eyes. Then she drew the snakelike coils and themisshapen head. The creature started to emerge, but then the nib on her pencil broke. No sharpener either. She tried again with the stub of the pencil but it looked so bad. Like a toddler’s drawing of some fantasy animal. Frustrated, Vanessa tore the page out, scrunched it into a ball and pushed it in between two rocks.
    Vanessa switched off her iPod and put it back into her bag. For a split second, she thought she heard her name, a distant cry that hung in the air. Then a seagull mewed overhead and she watched it soar higher and higher.
    â€œVaannessaaaa.” This time there was no doubting it. Vanessa poked her head above the level of the rocks and peered about. It could be Wayne trying to trick her.
    â€œVanessa, where are you?”
    It was clearer this time, and Vanessa could tell that it was a woman’s voice. Lee?
    â€œVanessa, you’ve got to hurry.”
    Vanessa turned and saw Lee standing beside the tender on the beach, her hands cupped around her mouth.
    How come she was back from Brighton Island already? And Mr. Fox’s boat was there too. Strange.
    Vanessa sprang down from her rocky hideout and ran toward Lee.
    â€œWhat’s wrong? Is everything OK?” she asked breathlessly.
    â€œQuick. I’ll explain as we go.” Lee shepherded Vanessa hurriedly onto the tender.

CHAPTER 17
    Illegal whaling is an international problem. Despite a ban on commercial whaling since 1986, some countries continue to ignore it or get around it by describing their activities as scientific research.
    â€œOne of the tagged whales has turned up,” Lee said, waving a small black walkie-talkie type of thing in one hand and using the other to steer the tender. “It’s little Ziggy,” she added, “one of the young whales.”
    Her face was flushed with excitement, her eyes shining. They were approaching the trawler, and Mr.Fox leaned out to pull them in. Vanessa decided to wait until they were on board to ask questions. It was probably not a good time to offer to tie the tender either.
    â€œWe’ll need Jasper and the team,” Lee said to Mr. Fox as they climbed up the steps. “Can you radio them and get them to bring everything? Ziggy is probably two tons by now.”
    Within minutes, Mr. Fox had started the engines and was on the radio.
    Lee turned and, to Vanessa’s surprise, took both her hands in her own. Lee might touch Vanessa’s arm or kiss her on the cheek, but in general she was not a hand-holder. This must be something very big to be having such an effect on Lee.
    â€œOh, Vanessa, I’m so relieved,” she said happily.
    Vanessa smiled encouragingly. “Can you tell me now what’s going on?”
    â€œYou know about the research lab on Brighton Island and the way they use satellite tracking tags on some of the whales so they can monitor migration patterns? Well, in the last month alone, they have lost the signal on four of their tagged whales. They have just disappeared—all humpbacks and all in the same small area.”
    â€œYes,” said Vanessa. “You mentioned that whales were going missing. So you think someone is capturing them? Why would anyone do