“That’s not entirely clear,” said Ben with a lopsided grin. “Technically, the lab is owned by the city. Unofficially, it’s controlled by a group of old-timers who don’t want to see it turned into a tourist trap like the rest of Cannery Row. Al’s the ringleader, if you will. He lets the city run tours a couple of times a year during the Steinbeck celebration, and he and his buddies maintain the place. In exchange, the city doesn’t interfere.”

“Don’t people ever ask why the lab isn’t open to the public?” asked Hudson.

“Sure they do,” said Ben. “And the Steinbeck folks would love for it to be on permanent display. But Al knows the right people, or at least knows the right people’s secrets.” He laughed. “He’s quite a character.”

Hudson wondered what Helen Guerneyser thought about Al Blackwood. He might just have to ask her the next time he saw her. Then again, he didn’t want her thinking he was friends with someone who was apparently her enemy.

They walked to the Volvo, waved good-bye to Al and Ollie after once again promising to show up for poker night, and drove toward the park entrance. Hudson, looking out the window, searched for the deer but saw nothing. Beside him, Ben drove with one arm on the edge of the open window. He liked Ben and was pleased they had been brought together.

Then why did you lie to him about Paul? asked a voice in his head.

He leaned out the window so that the wind blew his hair into a tangle and the roaring drowned out the question, which echoed through his head like the howling of the sea wolves.

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 27

Caddie, watching the nudibranch laying its endless coil of eggs around the base of the tube anemone, turned and looked with irritation at Brian. He was tugging on her fin and motioning for her to follow him. She looked once more at the nudibranch and reluctantly left it.

They were once again following the pipe. This time, following a lesson from Brian, Caddie knew how to use the dive computer that hung on her left side. She looked at it now. They were at forty-five feet. The temperature was fifty-two. And, she saw, she had more than half a tank of air left after almost thirty minutes underwater.

She liked knowing all of this. Besides providing a measure of safety, it made her more confident. She’d realized after their first dive that Brian wasn’t the best teacher. Since then, she’d deliberately asked questions and made him answer them. He seemed amused by her desire to understand how the equipment worked, but she didn’t care.

Ahead of her, Brian was swimming quickly. How does he see anything? Caddie wondered. Where’s he in such a hurry to get to?