CHARACTER PROFILE
MEET
FIONA SIMMS
A skilled communications expert whose calm judgement keeps the team connected when every second counts
WHO IS FIONA?
Fiona Simms lives in Campbell River with her husband David and is George's younger sister. While George approaches problems through observation and instinct, Fiona approaches them as a scientist. Her expertise lies in coastal mapping, marine survey technology and interpreting oceanographic data, making her uniquely qualified to understand what Tidecore is actually doing beneath the waters of Seymour Narrows.
She isn't an adventurer in the traditional sense, but once she recognizes the significance of the evidence, she becomes one of the investigation's driving forces. Throughout the novel she gathers local intelligence, questions contractors, studies marine equipment and identifies patterns that others overlook. It is Fiona who first realizes the survey work isn't about erosion or environmental monitoring, but systematic seabed prospecting tied to rare earth mineral exploration.
HER ROLE IN THE TOFINO DECEPTION
Unlike George, who uncovers clues in the field, Fiona pieces together the technical story behind Tidecore's operations.
Early in the novel she contacts George after speaking with tug operators and contractors around Campbell River and Browns Bay, reporting unusual barge movements, unauthorized engineering work and suspicious activity near Seymour Narrows. She immediately recognizes that none of it matches legitimate erosion studies. Her instincts prove correct.
Later, when examining recovered survey equipment, Fiona notices something most people would dismiss: there are no manufacturer markings. From there she identifies the magnetometer survey patterns and overlays them with geological data, demonstrating that Tidecore's vessels were mapping rare earth deposits beneath Discovery Passage rather than studying tidal currents. That realization changes the entire direction of the investigation.
MORE THAN A SCIENTIST
Although Fiona is analytical, she's far from detached. She and David welcome George, Áine, Jazz and Irene into their home with genuine warmth. Their house quickly becomes a refuge where strategies are planned over meals, friendships deepen and everyone can briefly escape the mounting pressure of the investigation. She balances scientific precision with humour, teasing David about his devotion to Arsenal while effortlessly becoming the group's host.
Her appreciation for Vancouver Island also shines through. Whether explaining the Indigenous carvings around Browns Bay Marina or pointing out whales and orcas moving through Discovery Passage, Fiona helps visitors understand that the west coast is more than a spectacular landscape. It is a place where history, culture and the natural world remain inseparable.
Fiona and David were inspired by my sister Allison and brother-in-law Lee Moulson, who welcomed me to Campbell River during my research trip and whose hospitality helped shape many of the locations and scenes in the novel. They let me use their RV for the week I was in Tofino and was the inspiration for camping at surf grove.
WHERE WILL THE NEXT ADVENTURE TAKE GEORGE AND ÁINE?