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slight nod, the sheriff replied,
“I want to thank you and your troops for coming to our call. We need all the
support we can get under the circumstances. You’ve been a godsend.”
    Major Ganlin pursed her lips.
“We’re here to do whatever we can. I only hope it’s enough.”
    Diving in, knowing the answer but
asking anyway, he said, “Have you heard back from the governor’s office?”
    “The governor is reluctant to
commit more troops given the uncertainty of the situation. As you are aware,
she has already positioned more Guard along the coast in anticipation of
further emergencies. Until the need is here greater, the situation will
probably not change.”
    Although he seethed inside knowing
that he had mile upon mile of oceanfront to protect with far too few resources
to do it, he asked, “What’s the status of your team? Are they are tired as
ours?”
    “We’re making do. The citizens of
Oceanview have been most welcome hosts.”
    She obviously wasn’t talking about
the protestors then.
    Although to be fair, most of those
weren’t local. And of the ones that were local, he wouldn’t expect them to be
doing anything but protest. In fact, for them, protesting was a positive.
    He shared what little good news he
had. “The CHP has sent officers in to bolster our forces along the roadways.
With the Highway Patrol’s help covering the regions outside town, we should be
able to create a much tighter cordon barring access to the beaches along the
coast.”
    This at least got a brief smile
from the major.
    Turning to Megan so that she could
explain her role and be about her business—and then be safely out of town as
soon as possible—he asked, “What do you hope to be able to do for us, Megan? We
could really use some help understanding why this is happening and what, if
anything, we can do to prevent further casualties.”
    Megan sensed her father’s concern
for her and his eagerness for her to get started. “I will be taking water and
wildlife samples for toxicological analysis, along a transect over the entirety
of the shoreline in this jurisdiction.”
    Major Ganlin raised her eyebrows.
“Is that wise?”
    Megan didn’t yield. “It’s
necessary.”
    Accepting Megan’s response without
reaction, Major Ganlin replied, “Would you care to offer any conjecture on the
cause of this… anomaly?”
    “A fishery collapse may explain
the marine life exploring new regions and resources in search of food. As for
the unprecedented mutations… I’ll be testing for a range of mutagens, but there’s
no precedent for anything like this in the literature.”
    “And out of the literature?”
    Without missing a beat, Megan
replied, “You only have to look out your window.”
    Pursing her lips briefly, Major
Ganlin answered, “I’ll send an escort with you. Report to Sargent Bayne and
tell him you need a small team to go with you. I’ll leave the choices to his
discretion.”
    “Thank you. I’ll be back in touch as
soon as I can give you something worthwhile.”
    “Thanks, sweetie,” the sheriff
said. “Please be careful.”
    “That goes without saying.” Megan
left with a smile.
    If only he felt that secure
inside.
    Indicating Deputies Carver and
Smith with a nod, he said, “Would you please go with her as well? I hate for
anyone to go near the water.”
    After his officers’ departure,
Major Ganlin’s eyes returned to his. “Any more issues since last we spoke?”
    “A local surfer happened upon the
remains of several other surfers at Old Dunes State Beach. Lucky for him he
didn’t join them.”
    “Anything else?”
    “There are reports of a missing
jogger, but no body has turned up yet. Her next of kin are clamoring for
answers. There’s a missing beachcomber whose favorite pastime was picking up
litter along the coast. Witnesses claim they saw a large rock crawl back into
the surf near where he usually worked. They’re calling it a ‘rocktopus.’ His
gear was found mangled right where