Black Horizon Read Free Page B

before it gets here, and we want our deposit back. Period.”
    Jack cringed. It was entirely possible that he and Andie would be asking for their deposit back, too, but Marsha’s abrasive style made him reluctant to cast his lot with her.
    The manager maintained his smile. “Let’s all relax a moment, shall we? First of all, the oil slick is not on its way to Big Palm Island.”
    The Texan popped a gin-soaked olive into his mouth, chewing roundly. “What makes you say that?”
    “Well, as you might expect, our number-one objective is to make sure that both our guests and our beautiful resort are protected. Our New York office has been in direct contact with scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and I am happy to tell you that they have assured us that geography is completely in our favor.”
    “Do you mean geology?” asked Jack.
    “No, geography,” said the manager. “The Gulf Stream flows right between northern Cuba and the Keys. Those currents are like a conveyor belt and will carry everything north, away from land and into the Atlantic. The only thing that could get the oil off that track is a minimum thirty-knot wind out of the southeast that blows continuously for days and days and days. And even with that kind of wind, it would still take the oil a week or more to reach land, which means that most of the oil would wither away before it got to the Keys. So even in the worst-case scenario, we wouldn’t have a lot of black oil coming ashore. What we will have are tar balls, which are much less of a threat.”
    Marsha poked at the blackened beach towel. “Tar balls like this one, you mean?”
    “Yes, but that one has nothing to do with the spill. We had the same situation after Deepwater Horizon in 2010. People all over the Florida Keys were freaking out, but a few tar balls on the beaches are an everyday occurrence on an island this close to a shipping lane. It doesn’t mean we are feeling the effects of an environmental disaster.”
    Marsha shook her head. “I’m not buying it.”
    The manager was still smiling. “I understand, ma’am. Please enjoy a complimentary cocktail from our award-winning mixologist, and let’s all stay in touch on this. I’ll certainly let you know if anything changes. Have a very pleasant afternoon on Big Palm Island.”
    He started away. Marsha grabbed her husband by the arm and followed. Jack could still hear her hammering away for a refund as they walked all the way to the other side of the swimming pool, and the badgering persisted as they continued down the walkway and disappeared behind a leafy stand of bamboo.
    The Texan looked at Jack and said, “That lady’s right, you know.”
    “Right about what, exactly?”
    “You didn’t actually believe that NOAA-scientist bullshit, did you?”
    “I was hoping the resort isn’t just making it up.”
    The Texan chuckled. “Listen, pardner. The only kernel of truth is that this tar ball’s got nothin’ to do with the spill. But don’t believe for one second that the slick ain’t headed this way.”
    “How do you know that?”
    He leaned closer, elbow on the bar top, narrowing his eyes. “I made a killin’ in this business, son. Got friends all over the world with a keen eye on Cuba’s North Basin. Those impact projections in that government report were based on the first exploratory wells drilled by a Spanish company called Repsol. Those were just fifty-five miles from Key West, but they turned up dry. So the Chinese, Russians, and Venezuelans moved farther west. Folks breathed a sigh of relief because the new drill site wasn’t so close to Key West and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. But moving farther west actually put the Keys and the Florida coast more at risk.”
    He had Andie’s attention, too. “How can that be?” she asked.
    “It’s a lot like the NOAA’s hurricane prediction cone. If you move the eye of the storm—in this case, the source of the