Dead Fish
by
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(From Chapter One)
The pounding was loud!
The pounding was urgent!
It was coming from the front door.
Doctor Barbara Armstrong's brain understood the urgency. Her body did not. She willed herself off her bed, stumbled towards the irritating sound and opened the door.
'Babsie! All the fish in the sea dead!'
'Sure, Andrew,' she replied angrily, slamming the door shut.
The pounding continued.
She ignored it.
She was determined not to get caught in another one of Andrew Nelson's practical jokes. After all, this was just an older version of the six-year-old boy who had convinced her it was safe to play with snakes.
And yes, she was still angry with him. Not about the snakes; but for telling all the fishermen on Saint Francis Island that she had spent ten years at university, in Canada, learning to be a fish lawyer.
It still made her furious to look at grown men snickering and giggling when she said, 'Hello, I am Barbara Armstrong. I am a Maritime Lawyer with the Marine Institute, here on Saint Francis Island.'
They always whispered, 'The Fish Lawyer'. And that was Andrew's fault.
The pounding stopped.
Babsie was pleased with herself. 'Dead fish! Some joke!'
She headed back to her warm bed, climbed between the sheets, and found she could not fall asleep.
'Andrew!' she fumed, as she climbed out of bed and put on her bathsuit. 'Might as well go clean up the beach.'
The clock on the night-stand said five forty-five. Through the window, the once black sky was beginning to lighten. She walked into the bathroom, flipped the light switch, and was immediately confronted by her image in the mirror.
It saddened her.
Her light, brown skin looked pale under the bright flourescent light.
'Sometimes Barbara, you look just like your white mother,' she mumbled at the mirror; hoping that her childhood memory of The Angela was correct.
She smiled at the family joke. Her grandfather always refered to her mother as The Angela. The same way he referred to The Queen.
She picked up a brush and pulled it through her thick, curly, black hair. She was an Armstrong, she reminded herself. Not totally black, but still an Armstrong. Barbara Armstrong let herself out through the back door of the downstairs apartment. She walked carefully around the house; making sure not to step on her grandmother's flower bed. As she rounded the corner to the front of the house, Andrew Nelson stood in front of her. His large, dark-skinned body blocked her exit.
'That garbage bag is not big enough to clean-up the beach this morning,' he said, refering to the photodegradable garbage bag she was carrying.
'It will do for me.'
'I'm not joking. There is dead fish all over the beach.'
'I know,' she replied, mocking his earlier tone. 'All the fish in the sea dead.'
Babsie pushed her way past Andrew. The morning was cool, not chilly. Just the way she liked it. She stepped onto Shore Drive, turned left, and strolled towards the deserted intersection with Ocean Avenue. She crossed the street leisurely, then continued along Shore Drive towards the East Coast Highway.
Andrew followed silently.
Close to the highway, she began to get the strong, distinctive smell of fish.
Andrew is not right, she assured herself; quickening her pace.
The sky was getting lighter. She could see the deserted two-lane highway, and beyond it the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. She lengthened her stride, crossing the highway without looking for on-coming traffic. Her attention was focused on the area that should have been the light brown sand of the beach. Instead, it was covered by a lifeless, silverish mat of fish.
Andrew is right.
She looked to the left, then to the right. As far as she could see, there were hundreds, maybe thousands of dead fish lying on the beach.
'It looks as though every fish in the sea is dead, and lying on Milltown beach,' Andrew commented with a knowing tone.
'It's a Fish Kill,' Babsie whispered, as she walked stiltedly towards the dead fish. 'What time did they begin washing up on the beach?'
'During the night.'
'What time did you find out about it?' she asked, impatiently.
'Just before I came to your house. Tiny woke me about four-thirty. They must have come in with the tide.'
'Where is Tiny?' Babsie whispered.
'At the Fishing Co-op.'
Babsie turned to her right and began walking quickly towards the Milltown Fishing Co-operative. 'I want to talk with Tiny.'
'What killed them?' Andrew asked, keeping pace.
'I don't know. We would have to do tests. My guess is that they fed on some sort of toxic algae.'
'Toxic what?'
'Pollutants!' Babsie shouted angrily. 'The chemicals people dump in the sea affect the marine life. This Fish Kill could be the result of chemical pollution. It has happened in the Gulf of Mexico.'
(189 pages)
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About the Book
Thousands of dead fish, and a dead white man, wash up on a beach on the tiny Caribbean island of Saint Francis.
This is the beginning of a month-long nightmare for Maritime Lawyer, Doctor Barbara Armstrong.
The Saint Francis Island Marine Institute, where Doctor Babsie works, comes under pressure from the people and government of the island to find out what killed the fish.
The police have no clues about the dead white man, and they too are depending upon the Marine Institute for help.
The scientists at the institute do tests on the dead fish. Their research indicates that the fish died from lack of oxygen. No one believes them, especially when it is discovered that six boy scouts on an overnight camping trip, died after eating a meal containing fish.
Doctor Babsie and her co-workers are kept busy trying to solve this mystery. Cyanide killed the boys, but phosphorus is found in the waters with the dead fish. They are confused.
The island is angry. An angry man tries to kill Doctor Armstrong with his car. He fails and she spends a night in the hospital.
News that another dead body is expected to wash ashore puts everything in its perspective. A group of scientists conduct an illegal experiment in international waters. The experiment goes wrong. Fish die. People die. The Marine Institute and the Police get answers to all their questions.
But, who tried to kill Doctor Babsie? Boysie Armstrong, a retired police officer and her grandfather is determined to find out.
The evidence point to one of the parents of the dead boy scouts. As he follows the trail of the killer it takes him to an unexpected destination, where a Scout Master reveals his true self.
- 'Milla Charles
About the Author
'Milla Charles is a former teacher, journalist, and television producer. Born on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad, she holds qualifications in Communications and International Relations. She wrestles daily with the question of development versus preservation of the ecosystem of the Caribbean Islands.