“I hear you.” She forced a brave smile. “Where do we start?”
By noon, Kelli had to admit that Raul knew what he was doing. He may not get along with people, but he seemed to have a special bond with his animals. When he walked down the hallway, every animal ran to the front of its enclosure to watch him pass. Even though he wouldn’t allow Kelli to come into the closet with him while they shifted—which was actually a relief—she heard him crooning to them in their shifts as she scrubbed their homes clean.
He wasn’t much on explanations, but seemed to delight in barking orders and snapping sarcastically if she didn’t perform exactly as he expected. The yam pieces had to be just so for the cavies, the carrots exactly the right size for the porcupines. He measured the vitamin powder with precision, and Kelli didn’t mention Jason’s eyeball approach.
She was a little dismayed that he wouldn’t let her hand-feed Baya and Gasira, as Jason had. She sort of wanted to see if they would remember her from Friday. Her disappointment that Raul refused to allow her any contact with them surprised her, but she shrugged it off. She was putting in time, that’s all. What difference did it make if the animals never knew who she was?
Her last job before Raul released her was to feed the meerkats their afternoon snack. When they’d been transferred into their crates, Raul stood outside the enclosure, watching her every movement through the glass and snapping directions.
“Scatter a few of those mealworms on the rocks.”
Kelli obediently sprinkled some of the carefully counted worms from the bowl onto the fabricated boulders inside the meerkats’ enclosure.
“Not that many,” Raul barked. “Save a few.”
Biting back a retort, Kelli picked up half of the worms and put them back in the bowl. Funny, but they no longer made her flesh crawl. Who would have thought she’d grow accustomed to handling worms so quickly?
“What about the rest of them?” She held the bowl up to the glass for Raul’s inspection.
“Bury ’em.”
Kelli raised her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
“Right there.” Raul stabbed a finger toward the sand-covered floor in front of his position. “Dig a hole and bury ’em. Then mound up the sand over top, so they’ll know where to look.”
With a shrug, Kelli did as instructed. When she finished, she took Raul’s place in the hall while he released the meerkats into their home. Then he joined her to watch as they scampered toward the worms on the rocks and gobbled them up.
“Jason didn’t have me bury worms Friday,” she commented, her eyes fixed on the furry animals.
“Jason don’t know everything, does he?” His wrinkled lips pursed sideways. “It’s good for ’em to make ’em work for their food, like they would in the wild.”
That made sense. The meerkats finished off all the worms out in the open. Kelli watched them scurry around, checking for any they might have missed.
“They’re not digging for the buried ones.” She turned a worried look on Raul. “Maybe I didn’t do it right.”
He seemed unconcerned. “Just wait.”
Sure enough, after a few minutes, one meerkat sprinted over to the mounded sand. He leaned forward and started digging with surprising speed. His front paws were a blur of activity as sand flew in all directions. He uncovered a worm, darted forward to scoop it up with his mouth and kept digging even as he swallowed.
Kelli laughed out loud. With the blackened mask around his eyes, he looked like a child playing bandit and digging for buried treasure.
Raul actually slapped her on the back and displayed the first smile she’d seen from him all morning. “There, see? You did just fine.”
Kelli straightened her shoulders. Something told her Raul didn’t give praise often.
“So,” she said, glancing at her watch, “I guess I’d better go help the primate guy. Unless you have something else you need me to do.”
“Nah, you go on.”
He didn’t take his eyes off the meerkats, but Kelli sensed he had something else to say, so she waited. Finally, he spoke without looking at her.
“You can come back and help me tomorrow, if you want.”
She didn’t bother to hold back her smile. “Thanks. I’d like that.”
When Kelli left the building, the sun seemed to shine brighter than it had since she’d arrived in Florida.
Jason plucked at his tie and wished he could take off the uncomfortable thing. A glance around the room revealed that he could have opted for something less formal, because most of the board members were dressed casually. Too late now. His collared white shirt would gape open and look unprofessional without the noose to hold it in place.
The surroundings themselves were enough to set a man’s knees knocking. Why the board elected to pay for a fancy downtown hotel meeting room instead of the zoo’s conference room made no sense to Jason. Seemed like a colossal waste of money to him, but what did he know? He was just a zookeeper, not a high-powered executive.
Kelli would probably feel right at home here.
Because she was an accountant, no doubt she was used to meetings and presentations and all that. In fact, she’d made no secret of the fact that she felt more comfortable in an office environment than she ever would in a zoo.
I wish she were here right now.
The thought came out of nowhere and brought with it a lingering sense of dismay. Thoughts of Kelli were starting to intrude on him at odd times. And this was certainly one of the oddest. He didn’t have time to think about her right now.
He shuffled the papers on the table in front of him, mostly to give his hands something to do.
The door opened and the quiet conversations around the room went silent as a woman entered. Jason recognized her as Francine Cowell, the most recently appointed board member. Lil had taken her on a tour of the zoo last year and introduced them. Jason couldn’t remember what she did for a day job. Something to do with real estate, maybe.
“Sorry I’m late.” Mrs. Cowell flashed an apologetic smile around the table and slipped into an empty chair near the door.
At the head of the table, Daniel Lewis glanced at his watch and addressed the room. “Let’s get started. I’m hoping we can wrap this up by four-thirty. I have to meet with a client across town at six.” Nods around the table. “Our first order of business is the official appointment of the new zoo director.”
All eyes turned toward Jason. He resisted the urge to tug at his tie again.
“I hope you’ve all had an opportunity to read the documentation I forwarded last week about Ms. Mitchell’s testamentary trust, and her letter of recommendation for Mr. Andover. Plus, I think I’ve spoken with each of you personally. But for the official record, allow me to summarize.”
Lewis glanced at the woman seated next to him. He’d introduced her to Jason earlier as his assistant who would be taking the official minutes of the board meeting. Her fingers flew over the keyboard of a miniature laptop as Lewis spoke, outlining the provisions of Lil’s trust. When he stated the condition regarding the appointment of the new director, heat threatened to rise into Jason’s face. He caught Mrs. Cowell’s encouraging smile across the table.
Lewis ended his recitation with, “Does anyone have any questions or comments?”
Midway down the table, Robert Young leaned forward. He was a banker by profession and had been on the zoo’s board of directors for longer than Jason had been employed there.
He fixed Jason with a stern look. “I received a call from an acquaintance at AZA this morning, describing an alarming incident that occurred last week involving a breach in animal handling procedures.”
Jason fought to hold back a groan. Cliff Reiker had wasted no time after returning from his vacation.
He swallowed. “We did have an incident Friday, and an AZA inspector was on hand to witness it.” Jason managed to keep his tone even as he described the event, downplaying Kelli’s part in it. He didn’t stop to think why he preferred not
to have the board think badly of her. He ended by saying, “I take full responsibility for the lapse in standard procedure and I can promise you, it will not happen again.”
He held the gaze of every board member, letting them see his sincerity. He saw a few encouraging nods, but also a couple of scowls.
Lewis, his face impassive, addressed Mr. Young. “Did your contact at AZA indicate whether they’re planning to take further action?”
Young shook his head. “They may let it drop, now that he’s reported the incident to us. Or they may file some sort of formal report.”
The man next to him asked, “Will this affect Cougar Bay’s accreditation?”
“Not necessarily.” Young peered at Jason. “Not unless they schedule an interim inspection and find something else wrong.”
“They won’t.” Jason spoke with more confidence than he felt. True, Cougar Bay followed all the rules—usually—but when you were dealing with exotic animals, unexpected things happened.
Mrs. Cowell tapped her pen on the paper in front of her. “I’m sure that incident was a one-time thing. Personally, I see no reason not to honor Lil’s request and confirm Jason as zoo director.”
“Especially given the, ah, benefits of his appointment.” The man to Jason’s right caught his eye and gave an apologetic shrug. “Not that you wouldn’t make a fine director without the $700,000 bonus.”
“The money’s designated,” Lewis reminded them. “We can’t just spend it however we want.”
“But the African Habitat is a good thing for the zoo.” Mrs. Cowell’s voice rose at the end, as though asking a question.
Lewis nodded. “That’s true, but an expansion project of that magnitude will take a lot more than $700,000.”
Young gave a quiet cough. “Of course, if Lil’s daughter doesn’t perform up to par, we’ll have a much better start on the project. With over a million dollars down, we’ll have no problem getting the bank to fund the rest.” Young leaned forward and caught Jason’s eye. “Any chance that will happen?”
Jason’s hands went clammy. Was there more to the question than appeared? Was Mr. Young asking if Jason could affect the outcome of Kelli’s performance? He dropped his hands in his lap and rubbed them on his trousers.
“She seems determined to stick it out,” he answered.
“Yes, but she’s already messed up once, in a big way.”
Jason squared his shoulders. “I’ve already said, that was my fault.”
Young’s eyes narrowed. Jason had a hard time not looking away. Did he think Jason was protecting Kelli unduly?
Was he?
Finally, Young spoke. “If she does something that endangers our standing as an AZA-accredited facility, I’d say that’s a pretty clear indication of poor performance. The money wouldn’t even be a consideration.” His stare became hard. “Wouldn’t you agree, Andover?”
An awkward silence settled in the room as they all waited for Jason to answer. And what could he say? Kelli might still decide to leave on her own. If she didn’t, Jason would absolutely refuse to do anything to force her out, if that’s what Young was trying to get at. But if she did something to mess up the zoo’s accreditation process, he’d have to treat her just like any other keeper.
Only, the other keepers all had years of training and experience. Kelli had none. The possibility of her making a mistake was exponentially greater.
I’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t.
He squared his shoulders. “Of course.”
After a moment, Young nodded.
Lewis’s voice held a note of relief. “So, then do we have a motion regarding the position of zoo director for Cougar Bay Zoological Park?”
Mrs. Cowell smiled widely at Jason. “I move that we appoint Jason Andover as zoo director, effective immediately.”
To Jason’s surprise, Mr. Young said, “I’ll second that.”
Lewis asked, “All in favor please indicate by a show of hands.”
Every person around the table raised a hand.
Lewis instructed his assistant, “Let the record show the vote was unanimous.” He nodded across the table to Jason. “Congratulations.”
As Jason shook the hand of the man next to him, a huge burden lifted. He thought of the sketched map of the African Lion Habitat in the top drawer of Lil’s—now his—desk.
We’re getting closer, Lil. We might just get it done. And I’m going to do everything in my power to help Kelli make it through these six months. Yes, they’d have a better start on their project financially if she didn’t make it, but he refused to consider that.
Lewis left no time for pondering but plowed forward. “Now, the next order of business is an update on the AZA application process. Jason, do you want to bring us up to date on the status?”
Jason pulled the paperclip off the stack of papers in front of him and forced his mind to focus on the task at hand.
Chapter Eleven
Cameron was a tall young man with an eager grin and an easy manner that made Kelli like him immediately. With a start, she realized he was probably only a few years younger than she was. His nonstop talk and enthusiastic approach to his job made him appear much younger as he took her on a tour to introduce her to the primates.
“These are the tamarins.” He stopped in front of an enclosure with a half dozen squirrel-sized monkeys.
Kelli inspected the full ruffs of orange fur surrounding their faces. “They look sort of like lions.”
Cameron grinned and tapped a sign on the wall beside the enclosure. “They’re called golden lion tamarins.”
“Hey, what’s wrong with that one?” Kelli pointed toward one poor creature with patchy white skin showing through gaps in the fur on his back. “Does he have mange or something?”
“No, actually, he’s a pretty new father. Their babies cling to their backs, and his kids were a little rough on him. They pulled his hair out. Look, there are the babies.”
Kelli had not noticed a pair of smaller tamarins about half the size of the adults high on a ledge. “Aw, how cute.”
“Yeah. We’re getting a little overpopulated, though.” Cameron shrugged. “A pair is being transferred to a zoo up in the Florida panhandle.”
Cameron fell quiet, his stare into the exhibit wistful. He must be attached to the little things, much the same as Raul. Kelli couldn’t imagine what Raul would say if a pair of his precious charges was transferred to another zoo.
They moved down the path to join a line of zoo goers standing at a waist-high wall. A wide moat separated the wall from a grassy area with tall trees and a big wooden platform that looked like a treehouse. Seated on the platform was a creature that looked, at first glance, like a ginormous version of the tamarins Kelli had just seen. A second glance showed her this animal was nothing like the cute little tamarins. A large head, prominent mouth, long arms, all of it covered in reddish-brown hair. The creature looked just like Clyde, a character in a series of Clint Eastwood movies she enjoyed.
“It’s an orangutan.”
Cameron nodded. “That’s Cocoa.”
Kelli’s interest pricked to attention. Cocoa was the name her mother had mentioned in her letter. She studied the animal carefully. “Tell me about her.”
“Cocoa is eleven years old. She came to Cougar Bay about five years ago, back when they built this habitat. She weighs about a hundred and ten pounds and is strong as an ox. Orangutans are from the rain forests in Asia.”
Kelli listened as Cameron lapsed into an encyclopedic description of the habitat and capabilities of orangutans in the wild. After a moment, her mind wandered. What could Lillian possibly have wanted her to learn from this ape?
She’d thought Cocoa was sleeping, but suddenly the orangutan swung over the side of the platform, suspended by her long, hairy arms. The crowd oohed as Cocoa hurdled sideways, grabbed on to the thick branch of one of the trees and pulled herself upward. She didn’t stop there, but climbed up the trunk, her powerful legs working a
s hard as her hands. The people surrounding Kelli and Cameron laughed as she gave a giant leap and ended up back in her original position on the platform.
Kelli spoke without taking her eyes off the ape. “She’s putting on a show.”
“She sure is.” Cameron laughed. “Cocoa’s a big ham. Loves having an audience.”
Cocoa settled on her side, back toward the crowd, and became still. Apparently she was through performing for the moment. After a few minutes, the people standing nearby wandered off toward the next exhibit.
Kelli leaned over the concrete wall and looked down. “That’s a big area just for her.”
Cameron shook his head. “This is nothing. Wild orangutans have large territories, about five square miles. They’re solitary animals and like their space.”
Kelli studied Cocoa, who seemed content to snooze in the shade. Was that what her mother was trying to tell her? That she needed her own space?
If she wanted to live her life alone, then she shouldn’t have had a child.
As she watched, Cocoa lifted an arm, scratched her side, and dropped it back to the platform. Kelli decided she preferred the little tamarins. At least they shared their territories and took care of their children, even if it meant sacrificing a bit of hair.
Early Tuesday morning, Kelli punched in the code to let her through the zoo’s employee entrance. She looked toward her mother’s battered old Toyota parked between Jason’s car and an older-model pickup. Seemed a ridiculous waste of gasoline to drive around to the front of the property when the zoo was practically in her backyard. She made a mental note to ask Jason about a key.
A peacock cry from somewhere in the distance carried to her on the damp morning air as she made her way to the office. It wasn’t yet seven-thirty, so she wasn’t surprised to see Angela’s desk empty. The door to the director’s office stood open, though, and she heard the soft thud of a drawer sliding shut. Jason was already there. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind if she worked with Raul again today. Maybe he’d even let her stay in the Small Animal building all day.
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