He recognized it, sort of. It was a big shark, and by the shape and serrations he thought probably a Great White. Not something they wanted in these waters, but it was exactly the sort of predators that would be attracted by the dying whale, and would undoubtedly have come in from the open ocean. After all, they had that big girl down of Guadalupe Island, called Big Blue or Big Betty, or some cutesy name that tried to make you forget it would tear you to bits if it got the chance. And that big bitch was over twenty feet long with several inch-long teeth.

Regina came over to his desk and plonked herself down next to him. “Long night.” Her mouth curved into a smile and she pushed a fresh coffee towards him.

“Bless you.” He took the cup, lifted it and toasted her. “Salud… and you got that right, girl. A veeery long night. My back needs to stretched out, or walked on by one of those qualified foot masseuses.”

She grinned. “Just say the word, and I’ll walk all over you.” She sat back sipping her coffee, her eyes still on him.

He laughed softly, but knew one word from him, and she’d be his. He liked her, a lot, but reckoned the twelve-year age difference would probably kill him. Still, he looked back at her, returning the smile.

She nodded to the tooth on his desk. “So, anything from that, or on the pictures we took?” she asked.

“Carcharodon Carcharias, also known as the Great White, White Pointer, or White Death, and a damned big one by the look of that. But I don’t know if this was one of its largest teeth, or we only got the tip of one of its smallest.” He shrugged. “I’m no expert.”

“Holy shit,” Regina said, picking up the tooth. She held it against her chest. “Make a cool pendant.” She looked at the broken end. “Can’t you tell how big it is from its growth rings or something?”

He took it back, grinning. “What, it’s a redwood tree now?” he turned in his chair to his computer. “Forgot all about the pictures; let’s have a look.”

He’d sent the pictures back to the Coast Guard image database, where they’d be cleaned up and forwarded on back to him. No sending things out to be processed and wait hours or even days anymore. “I love modern technology,” Vince said as he opened the directory.