Cretaceous Sea

For a while, they were silent. 'So, what do you think of our guide?' Green finally asked. 'Should I keep him on?'

'Oh, Rick? He's okay.'

'He keeping you safe? There are things around here that are dangerous to see.'

'You mean dinosaurs?'

'What else could I mean?'

'I wouldn't know,' said Con quietly.

'You're John's daughter, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you.'

'Rick will keep me safe.'

'I certainly hope so.'

17

AFTER WASHING THE DINNER DISHES AND SCRUBBING THE

pans, Rick strolled to the seashore. He hoped to encounter Con, but he watched the sunset alone. He was still walking the beach when he ran into Joe, sitting on a rock.

'How you doing, Rick?' asked Joe.

'Okay,' said Rick. They had barely spoken since the morning. 'Enjoy your day off?' he asked for small talk.

'There's not much to do here,' replied Joe. 'I mostly stayed out of people's way. I hope you have something planned for tomorrow.'

'I was thinking about heading south. South America was, I mean is, sauropod country. How far can that plane go?'

'She can cruise forever, as far as I know,' replied Joe. 'But she's not built for speed. A trip like that would take several days.'

'Maybe we could camp.'

'Camp? Aren't you getting carried away? You don't need to disappear altogether. Anyway, we don't have camping gear. This is supposed to be a resort.'

'It was just a thought,' said Rick. 'We'll follow the coast south, but keep it to a day trip.'

'Sounds good to me.'

Rick looked at the darkening sea and sighed. 'I'm going to miss this place.'

'Speak for yourself,' replied Joe.

Joe wandered back to camp, leaving Rick on the beach. He lingered there to watch the moon rise. Con never ap- peared.

CON ATE HER breakfast, eagerly awaiting Rick. Her fa-ther had yet to make an appearance. Probably hangover, she thought. Naturally, Sara was absent, too. Only James was at the table.

'You don't have to hang around for my sake,' she told him. 'I don't think Daddy will be up for a while.'

'I do have some things to take care of,' said James. 'If you truly don't mind . ..'

'Not at all,' said Con. 'If you see Rick, tell him I'd like to speak to him. About today's trip, that is.'

'Certainly.'

When Rick appeared a few minutes later, Con grinned and said in an excited whisper, 'Come to my room, I've got something to show you! I wanted to show you last night, but I got waylaid by Daddy and Green. Daddy's definitely in with Green. He wants me to help him pick his plunder.'