The Pacific Giants by Jean Flitcroft

nerves either.
    She’s just biked to the village
, Lee had reminded herself.
She needed to get away from Wayne for a bit, that’s all.
    But another part of Lee wondered why Vanessa had been gone so long.
    Vanessa knew immediately from Lee’s face that she had been worried, and she was annoyed with herself. How would she explain about going into Jack Noire’s cottage now? What an idiot she was!
    â€œSorry. I got talking to a professor,” Vanessa said brightly, hoping that the “professor” bit might distract Lee. She made it sound as if she had just met him in town.
    â€œOh, Lee, I’d forgotten all about him,” Mrs. Bouche exclaimed. “So you found him, Vanessa. Welldone, you!” She patted Vanessa enthusiastically on the shoulder.
    For some reason that Vanessa couldn’t quite understand herself, she wanted to keep Caddy a secret from Lee—just for the moment. She would tell her soon, but there was a lot of stuff to read and digest first. Besides, Lee had the whales to worry about. The image of Ziggy’s sliced dorsal fin hit her suddenly. How could she have forgotten?
    Lee looked from Frankie to Vanessa and back again, waiting for further explanation.
    â€œHe’s a professor of …” Mrs. Bouche stopped. She had no idea of what.
    â€œMarine biology,” Vanessa said quickly. “He’s retired now, but he worked for thirty years in the University of British Columbia. You know, the one in Vancouver, Lee. It sounded like an amazing place.”
    Vanessa was beginning to babble and she knew that Lee would spot it soon. She just had to keep the conversation away from cryptids. Otherwise Mrs. Bouche would bring up Caddy sooner or later.
    â€œThe professor was really interesting. He knew so much about whales,” Vanessa said, meeting Lee’s eyesand hoping the mention of whales would throw her on to a different track.
    Lee looked slightly stunned but said nothing.
    â€œI’m starving,” Vanessa said heartily. “Did I miss dinner, Frankie? I’m really sorry.”
    Vanessa felt her guilt as a lead weight in her stomach. She wasn’t the tiniest bit hungry. All she wanted was to go to her bedroom and read the Cadborosaurus book. She had to understand what she had seen first; then she would tell Lee.
    â€œIs Wayne back yet?” Vanessa persisted.
    Surely the mention of the precious one would finally change the subject?
    â€œHe’s just back too,” said Frankie cheerfully. “I’m surprised you two didn’t bump into each other in town.”
    Lee gave Vanessa a questioning look. Was it so obvious that she was hiding something?
    â€œI’ll get the dinner on the table,” said Frankie, heaving herself up and going to a large pot sitting on the stove. She hummed a tune under her breath, unaware of the tension in the room.
    Lee sidled up to Vanessa.
    â€œYou didn’t discuss Ziggy with the professor, did you, Vanessa?” she said quietly.
    â€œAbsolutely not, Lee!” Vanessa said with conviction. “Nothing at all about Ziggy or the humpbacks, I promise.” At least on that score she was telling Lee the absolute truth.

CHAPTER 26
    On 5 January 1934 Murray Jackson, Billy Alexander, and three friends saw a creature with a 4-foot long neck and a cowlike head with horns or ears. It was reported in the
Vancouver Sun
later that week.
    That evening, Vanessa propped Toddy up against her pillow and flicked through the book. Her eye was caught by a silly rhyme about Caddy, which she read out loud to herself.
    British Columbians! Lift up a chorus!
    To greet the arrival of Cadborosaurus!
    He may have been here quite a long time before us,
    But he’s shy and don’t stay round too long, so’s to bore us.
    Cadborosaurus! Cadborosaurus!
    Come up and see us again, you old war ’oss!
    â€œSee, Toddy, Caddy is famous in this part of the world.” Vanessa let the book drop onto her