Free The Pacific Giants by Jean Flitcroft Page B

myself.”
    Vanessa stared up at Frankie, searching her face for signs of humor. Perhaps she was making a joke?
    â€œCaddy?” Vanessa echoed. A thousand butterflies began to flutter in her chest.
    â€œWayne’s father, Nigel—he saw Caddy once,” Frankie explained, “and he described him just like this—the coils, the funny head. Although I think he also said that Caddy had a kind of hairy ridge along the back of its head and neck too.”
    She picked up the page and looked closely at the drawing.
    â€œDid you forget that part, Wayne?”
    Wayne was grinning too hard at Vanessa to answer his mother.
    â€œCaddy?” Vanessa repeated lamely.
    â€œ
Cadborosaurus willsi
,” Wayne said, leaning back in his chair. He was enjoying every moment of Vanessa’s torment.
    Vanessa opened her mouth to speak, but Wayne folded up the drawing, pushed his chair back noisily and disappeared with a cheery wave.
    Vanessa finally found her voice. “Cad-what?” she said too loudly.
    Frankie looked startled for a second and then her face cleared.
    â€œOh, you wouldn’t have heard of it, dear,” she said. “It’s just our local sea monster.” She gave a little laugh.
    Vanessa dropped her fork and it clanked noisily onto the table, but she barely registered it. Here she was being handed really important information on a plate and she couldn’t even take in the name.
    â€œWhat’s it called again? The long name that Wayne used,” she said urgently.
    She could see that Mrs. Bouche was looking at her strangely.
    â€œI think it’s Cadiss or Cadissorus—something like that. I’m not great with names, honey. Ask Wayne—he’ll tell you lots more about it.”
    Tell her? It would be like getting blood from astone, Vanessa knew. Wayne would make her beg for every morsel of information. Hadn’t he just deliberately cleared off as soon as he saw she wanted to talk to him?
    Vanessa took her plate to the sink, rinsed off the eggy remains, and put it in the dishwasher.
    â€œI think I’ll go and read for a bit,” Vanessa said. She needed to go to her room to think.
    â€œI’m almost certain that there’s some guy, some professor,” Frankie said thoughtfully. “I can’t think of his name now. He’s up near Tankard’s place. He’s retired here to write a book about Caddy, I heard.”
    â€œOh my God, that’s incredible, Frankie,” Vanessa said, clapping her hands together, unable to hide her excitement.
    Frankie smiled warmly at Vanessa, delighted at her interest.
    â€œLike Ireland, we’ve got our very own Loch Ness Monster here. Caddy’s not world famous, perhaps, but lots of people here have seen it all the same.”
    Funny how people always mixed up Ireland and Scotland, Vanessa thought. A bit like the way people confused the US and Canada back home.
    She hugged Frankie suddenly—surprising them both.
    â€œThanks,” said Vanessa.
    â€œFor what, honey?”
    For Caddy, for giving me a lead, for proving I’m not mad
, she wanted to say.
    â€œFor breakfast,” she replied.

CHAPTER 21
    In 1994 two scientists proposed that Caddy be recognized as a “new species representative of an unnamed subcategory of reptilian” and that
Cadborosaurus willsi
would be its proper scientific name.
    Wayne made himself scarce for the rest of the morning. When he didn’t turn up for lunch, Frankie began to display little signs of distress. Her eyes darted to the kitchen window every few seconds.
    â€œI think I’ll give Lettie a call and see if Wayne is there,” she said finally.
    Vanessa heard Frankie on the phone in the hallway. She couldn’t make out the words, but the fact that Frankie was laughing was surely a good sign.
    â€œWayne’s at Lettie’s all right. He’s helping her in the shop and forgot the time. He’ll be home