Chameleons and a Corpse

by Ruby Loren

  So far, it hadn’t happened, but I wasn’t confident about the reasons why that was the case. The dark thoughts whispered that it was only because they wanted to see the zoo owned by the comic book writer. Avery Zoo was now well-known as the zoo that had inspired the comic, and Auryn said that he’d seen a swell of business from that, but I was the person who owned The Lucky Zoo. What if that was the only reason that people were visiting my zoo, and what if it all changed the moment I slipped out of relevancy? I looked down at the blank page in front of me. I’d never felt much pressure to produce a comic that people would love, until now…

  Then there was the large part of me who valued animals above all else and found it a kick in the teeth that people might be attracted to the zoo for reasons other than excellent animal care and conservation. Sometimes I just couldn’t win against the voices inside.

  In the end, I stomped on everything and just put pencil to paper, choosing to start with the lower pressure internet comic. My publisher would just have to keep waiting a little longer for the next volume of Monday’s Menagerie.

  I’d only managed to sketch the outline and draw one panel properly when the doorbell rang. Lucky sprang off my lap, knowing he was about to be turfed off, and then led the way to the door. It was only when I glanced out of the window on the way down the curving stairs that I remembered what Auryn had said about Timmy Marsden’s brother and his wife coming to stay with us.

  I pasted on a smile that was more consoling than cheery and answered the door with Lucky standing curiously by my legs. He might not always choose affection, but much like his comic counterpart, he loved sticking his nose into other people’s business.

  “Uh-oh,” I said, just as soon as I opened the door and realised there had been a third member of the party on the doorstep. A slinky looking Weimaraner thrust forwards, making for Lucky. To my horror, I realised the dog wasn’t on a leash.

  In slow motion, I turned and watched as Lucky saw the big grey dog coming for him and… stood his ground. The dog sort of skidded to a halt and tilted its head questioningly. Clearly, it had met cats before, and they certainly didn’t behave like this. It stuck its nose out. Lucky slapped it away with a paw and then jumped forwards. It was too much for the dog who waddled backwards, before looking up at its owners with shame written across its face.

  “Sorry, we didn’t know you had a cat,” the man on the doorstep said.

  I rather felt as though I should be the one apologising - especially when my visitor shot the dog a look that seemed to be filled with disgust.

  “Lucky would face down a lion if I let him,” I told them both, covering my misgivings up with another smile.

  “I’m Will Marsden. This is my wife Lizzie,” he said, tilting his head towards the woman next to him.

  They looked nice enough. Lizzie had dark hair that fell over her shoulders in ringlets and Will had a shock of thick, dark hair, and a neatly trimmed beard. Their outfits displayed several well-known outdoors company brands, but judging by how new and neat they looked, I didn’t think they’d ever been used for their intended purposes.

  “And who’s this?” I asked, bending down and ruffling the soft, floppy ears of the big grey dog, who looked back at me with mournful yellow eyes.

  “That’s Heinrich,” Will informed me.

  “Lovely to meet you all,” I said, straightening up again. “I’ve got a room ready for you. If you’ll follow me…” We walked up the stairs and I showed them the room with its ensuite. “Make yourselves at home. If there’s anything you need, I’ll be in the office working. The kitchen was just to the right of the hall we walked through downstairs. Help yourselves to anything in the fridge and cupboards.”

  “Thanks. I think we’ll probably both grab a shower, have a snack, and then turn in. It’s been a long day,” Lizzie told me with a tired smile.

  “How far have you come?”

  “We live near Leeds, so I’m sure you can imagine the hour we got up this morning.”

  I nodded politely whilst simultaneously wondering how long they’d lived up there. It can’t have been long enough for them to pick up the accent. They sounded like they were Surrey born and bred with their posh pronunciation.

  “I’m right here if you need me,” I said and then hesitated. “I’m really sorry about your brother.”

  They both nodded their thanks and then politely shut the bedroom door. I left them to it.

  Yes, they seemed nice enough all right, but I couldn’t get past the disappointed look that had been on Will Marsden’s face after Heinrich hadn’t gone for Lucky. What kind of dog owner wanted their pet to attack another one? And then there was the dog’s name… was I being over sensitive, or had they actually named their Weimaraner after a nazi?

  I bit my lip and returned to my office with Lucky back on my heels. His tail was raised high in the air to show just how pleased with himself he was feeling. I, on the other hand, was not so chipper. Auryn had agreed to have Will and Lizzie stay with us but how well did he really know them? I remembered Auryn claiming that Will had been the sensible one, whilst Timmy was the young tearaway. I wondered if that was still the case, or had times changed?

  “You probably imagined it all,” I said out loud, trying to convince myself that I’d never seen that look on Will’s face. Anyway, I was sure they’d be gone in no time at all, and there was no doubt in my mind that Lucky was the boss dog right now.

  And long shall my reign be, my plucky cat seemed to purr. Then he jumped up onto the desk and shoved a paw onto the page I’d been drawing and left a dirty smudge. I looked at it and sighed. That would take some editing out when I uploaded it! The original however… I thought about it. It was nuts, but with Lucky’s added interference it would probably be worth a whole lot more than my usual original sketches. How things had changed.

  Auryn called me later that evening to say he was staying over at the zoo that night. Merrylegs, the shetland pony, was on birth watch as it was due to be her first foal and someone needed to be there at all times. The quick nature of horse birth meant that if a mare got into trouble, you had to act fast in order to save both the mare and the foal. Unfortunately, miniature horses were especially prone to complications during pregnancy. Merrylegs was currently being monitored 24 hours a day to make sure that if quick action was needed, it would be taken.

  Auryn had explained that everyone on the staff had signed up for shifts so that Hayley, the current keeper at Avery who specialised in equine and other hoofed and farm animals, wasn't completely exhausted. As part of the zoo team, Auryn had signed up for the night watch. Any other time, I would have gone down there with him, but it would have been rude to leave our guests alone - especially during their time of grief.

  Instead, we contented ourselves with a long conversation about life, the universe, and everything. It wasn’t long before our conversation turned back to talk of the shocking discovery of Timmy Marsden’s body.

  “We’re happy together, aren’t we?” I said, voicing my sudden doubts out loud.

  There was a hesitation. “Aren’t you? I’m happy.”

  “Of course I’m happy.” I sighed, knowing I was getting this all wrong. “It’s just what I’ve been hearing recently. People seem to think cheating on their partner is part of life, something that happens all the time.”

  “You don’t think that, do you?”

  “No! I think it’s terrible. I suppose I just feel stupid for assuming that people are loyal.”

  Auryn sounded thoughtful when he next spoke. “I think you should always think the best of people until you know for certain otherwise. Perhaps it is naive, but I like to believe that people can change if you give them a chance.” He paused. “You’re not worried about us?”

  “I’d never consider anyone else. You’re the one for me,” I told him, a smile creeping onto my lips. I knew that for sure.

  “I feel the same. Glad it’s settled! Speaking of which… what are we going to do about our wedding? Are we
still on for autumn?”

  “Yes, I think we’d better,” I said, sounding a little grim. “Let’s set a date. Then everything else will just fall into place, right?”

  Auryn cleared his throat. “Oh, sure. Absolutely. I hear wedding planning is a piece of cake.”

  We shared a silent moment of amusement.

  “At least we already know the venue. I’ll have made it pretty and profitable by then I’m sure.”

  “Is profitable a key part of our wedding being planned?” I’d known Auryn wouldn’t miss my jokey comment.

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” I told him, airily.

  “I think you’d better get on and open. With all of those events we’ve got planned for the summer, I’m certain that The Lucky Zoo will be well on its way to paying off my investment. I can’t say the same for your restaurant. It’s yet to make a penny, isn’t it?”

  I grinned. “You just wait and see! Menu planning and staff recruitment is all I’ve got planned for this evening. That restaurant is going to be the hottest place to eat in town.”

  I’d already discussed with Auryn that the restaurant should be accessible without having to go into the zoo. Obviously, a lot of the customers would probably also visit, but Auryn had agreed that it was fair and would probably help the restaurant to be seen as more than just a gimmick.

  “Once you’re open, I’ll be the first customer. Someone’s got to run the gauntlet…” he teased.

  “I doubt I’ll need your pity pennies,” I joked back. “Anyway, I must dash, I’ve got important planning to do…”

  When we hung up, I was smiling and felt a lot more cheerful. Auryn had been right to push me about the restaurant and our wedding planning. It was high time I got round to doing both. With a good few hours of comic creation under my belt, I set to planning out a few things I definitely wanted to see at the restaurant. My next port of call would be a fantastic chef, and then some friendly restaurant staff. I already knew that there were a few shop girls who wanted more hours, so I doubted I’d need to recruit much beyond the zoo. That was one less thing to do.

  Then, there was the ace up my sleeve - Pierce Goodman. I hadn’t just hired him to be my marketing and PR genius for the zoo. He was also going to be tasked with plugging the restaurant. I hoped he was as good as he thought he was.

  I stood up from my desk and walked over to the window, taking a break from sitting down. The sky was dark and the moon was bright tonight, lighting up the fields that surrounded Auryn’s family house. In the distance, I could see the lights of Gigglesfield, and a little to the left was the village of Lysebridge. Somewhere out amongst one of the patches of light was the small hamlet where Timmy Marsden had lived and then died. Somewhere out there a person was going about their business, knowing that they had been the one to kill him.

  4

  Lost Dog

  I woke up the next morning to sunshine and a determination to feel cheery. The summer was in full bloom and I had a full schedule. Today I would put out ads for a chef, and then it would be over to The Lucky Zoo, before popping over to Avery to see Auryn and make sure that everything was in place for our first joint event. The arts and crafts day had been such a huge success that we’d decided to do it all again. With larger animals, like the big cats and elephants at The Lucky Zoo, I was more excited than ever to see what our participants would create.

  I went downstairs to grab some breakfast and discovered a note from the Marsdens on the table. They’d gone out to walk Heinrich and were then planning to go straight to the police station.

  I threw some toast into the toaster and put the kettle on. While I waited for it to boil, my mind wandered to the Marsdens and their reason for being in town. I’d done more than enough thinking about who could have done what had been inflicted upon poor Timmy Marsden, but now I wondered whose job it was to clean up the rather messy aftermath. Seeing as there’d been no headlines about the wealthy entrepreneur behind Suck-It-In lingerie being arrested and charged with spousal murder, I assumed that Scarlett was probably free and would surely have employed someone to handle it. It wasn’t as if she was short of funds.

  What I couldn’t get out of my head was the fate of Rameses, their pet dog. The new detective had promised to look into his whereabouts, but I’d heard nothing. Today would be the third day he’d been out, and although the weather was warm, I knew that it was unlikely he’d be finding much food. And living in a pretty rural location, his road sense was probably non-existent. I’d liked Rameses, and even though the detective had assured me it was being looked into, I was more than aware that the police would have other things to focus on.

  I glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It probably wouldn’t hurt if I put my ads out for a chef later today and made one little call first… I pulled out my mobile phone and dialled.

  “Officer Kelly Lane speaking. How can I help you?”

  “Hi, it’s me, Madi,” I said, faltering slightly. I’d called Officer Kelly before and had assumed she’d save my number. Clearly that had been presumptuous.

  “Oh! Sorry about that. This new phone has decided to get rid of all of my old contacts. I’m glad you called, actually. I have a feeling you might be brought back in for a few more questions. Things aren’t looking as simple as we originally thought in the Marsden case,” she confided.

  “Call me anytime,” I said, helpfully. “I wanted to ask you something related to the case. Has anyone found the Marsdens’ dog?”

  There was the sound of paper being shuffled. “No, apparently some officers looked, but they couldn’t find any trace of a dog.”

  I bit my lip, realising it was just as I feared. “It’s been a few days now. I was wondering if the property is still considered a crime scene? I thought I could pop over there and have a look around to see if I can find him. It’s in the interests of animal welfare,” I tacked on, not wanting her to think I had any ulterior motive for going, which I genuinely didn’t.

  “I think cleaning is taking place this morning, so you probably don’t want to get involved with any of that. I bet it will be all clear by this afternoon. However, you should contact the deceased’s wife for access and to get permission. To my knowledge, she’s handling all of his affairs. Or at least - her lawyer is.” There was some definite resentment in Officer Kelly’s voice when she said that. I’d been right to assume that Georgina Farley was a formidable lawyer.

  “Okay, I’ll be sure to do that,” I said, walking out into the hallway when I realised the Marsdens had moved the pen I always kept on the kitchen table for note taking during phone calls.

  “I hate to ask, but we’re really rather stuck here. You found Timmy Marsden, right? And you knew him? Any thoughts on who might have killed him?”

  “None, I’m afraid,” I told her, sorry to dash her hopes. A piece of paper caught my eye on the floor and I bent down to pick it up. It was a receipt for a soy latte from Oliver’s Cafe, Lyesbridge. I glanced at the time and date, vaguely registering it before I folded it in my hand.

  “I was so sure that once we brought the wife in that would be it,” Officer Kelly was telling me in a hushed voice. I smiled a little, pleased that she trusted me - even though I was willing to wager that the new detective would have her guts for garters if he knew.

  “I’m sure some more investigation will give you an answer. There’s got to be a reason behind it all,” I reassured her, although I was starting to wonder… No, I had to be positive. Living in a world where people killed without even so much as a motive was just too depressing to dwell on. Whomever had killed Timmy Marsden must have had something against him. After all, hadn’t the dog lead on the drive already given away that he wasn’t exactly a man without enemies? “Thanks for all your help,” I said before wishing the police officer a good day and hanging up.

  I unfolded the receipt I’d picked up from the floor and frowned. It probably wasn’t anything important, but it bothered me that I didn’t know where it had come from. It was dated
Sunday and the time printed was 11.10 am. Auryn and I had been getting ready to leave at that time. I’d more than likely just finished my last ever conversation with Timmy.

  I thought about all of the people who’d been in the house. It could belong to Will Marsden or his wife, but they’d only come down from Leeds yesterday. I racked my brains. Who else had been by? Annabelle Wright had visited to moan about Timmy’s death. Jon had been in the house, too, I realised. He’d come in to wait before giving Auryn and me a lift to the club meeting. I was willing to bet it was Jon’s. He would have been on the road at that time, and it was more than feasible he’d been at the cafe close to Timmy’s house.

  I shrugged and tucked the receipt away. Part of me wondered why I was keeping it if I was so sure it was innocent, but another quieter voice said to keep it… just in case.

  I ran a hand through my blonde hair, which was behaving itself today. If I hurried, I could pen my ad for the chef before driving over to the zoo. All thoughts of murder and my elusive house guests were firmly banished for now.

  When I walked into the farm cottage at The Lucky Zoo, I hadn’t been expecting to see the look of sheer panic that crossed my newest zookeeper’s face.

  “How are you settling in, Gabby?” I asked her, hoping she’d come clean and tell me whatever was on her mind. She hadn’t been anywhere close to this nervous when she’d come for her interview…

  “Oh you know… fine.”

  I waited.

  She cleared her throat. “There may be a slight situation, but I’m sure I can fix it. Part of the reason why I took this job was because I don’t have any room for all of the chameleons I breed. I was kind of hoping I could contribute the excess to the zoo’s collection. It could do with bumping up, and I have some really cool varieties!” she said, brightly.