by T. J. Kline
“I’m not sure that subject really needs discussion. We should probably just chalk that up as a one-time deal.” She finished tying her shoes and stood up. “I was talking about my dealing with your brother—alone. You need to let me handle this. I don’t need help.”
His expression remained stoic.
“I mean it. This is my sanctuary. You said so yourself.” She rose from the edge of the bed, pacing the room slightly. “And, while I appreciate your help yesterday—I really do—I’m not some damsel in distress or some kitten in a tree for you to rescue, okay?”
“Okay.” He took a step back, giving her some space to make her way through the door but she couldn’t help feeling like a chasm had been carved between them. All she really wanted was to cross it, to curl against his chest and let him fight with her, to let him rescue her from the trouble she was facing. She wanted to let him be her hero, her savior.
Emma mentally shook herself. She was a grown-ass woman. She didn’t need anyone else to fight her battles, even if it meant losing the war. Her pride wouldn’t allow it. She’d worked too hard to fall into some simpering female stereotype just because it was easy.
Easy had never been a part of her vocabulary and she didn’t see the point in adding it now.
In spite of her adamant insistence, Ben wasn’t about to let Emma deal with Andrew alone. She might think that because she could handle a bear, she could handle Andrew, but Emma had no idea what sort of temperamental beast he could be when riled. And he was riled thanks to Ben’s omission about Buster last night.
Ben couldn’t really fault Andrew. The cops had probably already received hundreds of complaints coming in from “concerned” townspeople about the most recent article. However intense he might be, Andrew was also fair. Once he realized that there was a good chance Emma was, in fact, the victim in this situation, he’d settle down and get to the truth.
Ben watched as his brother slid the patrol car to a stop, parking it in front of Emma’s house. It was going to be hard for Ben to keep his distance, yet remain close enough that, should Emma change her mind, he could jump in. Not that she’d ever cave and ask for help.
As if reading his thoughts, Emma glanced at him over her shoulder. She started down the porch steps to greet Andrew and mouthed a quick “stay here” to him.
He followed her, ignoring her frown of disapproval. “I’m not one of your animals to give commands to.”
“Then that means I should be able to get rid of you, right?” she grumbled as he moved to flank her. “I told you I don’t need help.”
“I heard you,” he replied from the side of his mouth. “I’m only here to say hello to my brother.”
In spite of her protests about his presence, Ben reached for her hand, twining his fingers between hers, giving her hand a supportive squeeze as they made their way to where his brother waited.
“It’s going to be fine, Emma,” he whispered.
It was a testament to how nervous she really was about this meeting when she didn’t pull her hand from his. As they reached the patrol car, Andrew slid his sunglasses from his face slowly, his gaze falling on their hands for a moment before a shit-eating grin spread over his face. Ben inwardly cringed at what that could mean.
“Emma, I think you’ve met my brother Andrew right?”
“Officer McQuaid,” Andrew corrected, shooting him a warning look. “And, yes, we’ve met.” He looked at Emma, apologetically. “I hate for us to meet this way but I’m here on official business again, investigating the complaint in this morning’s paper. Have you seen it?”
At Andrew’s businesslike manner Emma slid her hand from Ben’s and nodded. “I assure you that it was a one-time circumstance that has never happened before, nor will it happen again. I am thoroughly investigating how it happened myself.”
“I’d like to have a look around the premises?”
Emma paused, as if uncertain which option would be in her best interest. She could refuse; however, it would only bring more suspicion on her and the sanctuary, as if she were deliberately hiding something. Although Ben knew Andrew was fair-minded, he didn’t want him making up his mind before he knew all of the circumstances. Then again, saying yes would open her up to anything Andrew chose to investigate.
Ben didn’t wait for Emma to decide, answering for her. “Did you bring a warrant?”
Emma shot daggers his way, making it clear he should keep his mouth shut and let her handle this.
Andrew turned toward him, obviously annoyed. “I didn’t realize we were at that point. I’m only here to gather some information from Miss Jordan. I didn’t realize she’d hired you as her representative.”
Emma stepped between them and Ben didn’t miss the glance they exchanged.
Don’t worry about him. This is between us.
My brother is a pain in my ass.
“Why don’t we head over to the main office where I keep all of my paperwork. We can gather anything you might need from there, then I’d be happy to take you around the facility again, Officer McQuaid, starting with Buster’s cage.”
“Excellent.”
Emma motioned for Andrew to follow her across the driveway toward the barn. Ben immediately fell into line behind them. They might not want him around but he could be just as stubborn as Emma.
Andrew glanced back at him. “I don’t think we really need the escort, Ben. Don’t they need you at the station, to clean equipment, or hold down a couch or something?”
“Nope, but you might want to hurry up so you aren’t late for one of those full cavity searches you enjoy so much.”
“Nozzle jockey,” Andrew muttered.
“It smells like bacon. Emma, did you make bacon?”
Emma held open the door for them both, rolling her eyes at the pair and giving Ben a look that begged him to stop. He was also well aware that his jibes were only serving to ratchet up his brother’s ire but this way it would be directed at him, making Andrew less likely to press Emma for information or blame her for what might be nothing more than an unfortunate accident, one that had already been safely resolved and didn’t need his interference after the fact.
The smell of antiseptic hung heavy in the air as Emma escorted them past a veterinary exam room and through a pair of double doors.
“Why don’t you two have a seat?”
She motioned toward a pair of chairs across from a cheap office desk, covered by open files, a basket overflowing with bills and a closed laptop. Ben dropped into the chair near the window, not surprised when his brother refused, pulling a notepad from his shirt pocket.
“What I really need are some answers from you, Miss Jordan, starting with whether you’re registered with Fish and Game as a rescue facility.”
“My father has had this facility set up with them for years.”
“Yes, but were you approved. Once your father died, that licensure goes into a pending state until you, personally, have been approved to take over. I probably should have made sure the last time I was here.”
“The paperwork has already been submitted through proper channels and we are waiting for the documentation, but yes, I am an approved wildlife rehabilitation expert. Would you like to see my veterinary credentials as well?” Emma moved to a safe at the back wall.
“I can get copies if it’s deemed necessary.”
Ben shot his brother a curious glance. That was information he would need for his report. Why was Mr. By-the-Books letting her off that easily?
“Tell me about this mountain lion. How long has he been at your facility?”
“My father rescued Buster from an illegal pet situation five years ago. They’d had him declawed but, as you can imagine, there are other ways he can cause damage. The story we were told was that the owner was showing him off at a party and Buster was playing a little too rough. He gnawed on someone’s arm a little too hard and Animal Control was called in. They were going to euthanize him, but Dad stepped in and brought him here.”
&n
bsp; “A cougar as a pet?” Andrew sounded as appalled as the thought had originally made Ben. “A cat is bad enough.”
She shrugged. “What can I say? There are a lot of people who think exotic animals make good cool pets only to find out the hard way how wrong they are. It’s not the animal’s fault.”
“So, he’s dangerous?”
Emma cocked her head to one side. “If you’re asking if he’s ever hurt someone, the answer is no. Even that one time, he didn’t break the skin. But he is a mountain lion, so I can’t say I’d ever trust him not to hurt someone given the chance.” She cast Ben a wary glance before turning back to Andrew. She obviously wasn’t going to mention how he’d gone after her yesterday. “He doesn’t seem to like your brother much.”
“So, a cougar with good taste.” He pretended to jot the information down on his pad, giving Emma a conspiratorial grin. “Has he ever gotten out before?”
“Not that I’m aware of and I believe my father would have mentioned it to me if he had.”
“And what are your procedures for making sure it doesn’t happen?”
“You’ve seen our cages before, but each one has a heavy latch and a padlock. The only time it’s opened is when Buster is taken out for exercise or when someone cleans up after him. He hadn’t been taken out on the day he got loose. I had to run to town unexpectedly for some supplies and we’d rearranged the cats’ exercise schedule. After I returned, I was cleaning graffiti from the front gate when Jake came to tell me he’d escaped.”
“I saw that when I came in.” He turned to look at Ben. “That’s what you originally texted me about, right?”
Ben nodded. “Apparently, this isn’t the first time and there was only one set of fresh tire tracks other than hers leading to the gate.”
“Hmm.” Andrew rubbed at his chin with a thumb, thoughtfully. “Does anyone else have keys to the cages?”
“Everyone. And a spare set over there.” Emma pointed at a set of keys hanging just inside the doorway.
“So, anyone could have had access to the cages while you were gone?” Andrew sounded surprised.
Flashing a glance at Ben, she narrowed her eyes at Andrew. “I have four people working here, helping me to maintain more than is humanly possible so for one person, in answer to your question, yes, anyone who works here could have access to a set of keys. But they rarely use them unless I’ve asked them to.”
Andrew nodded. “I’m going to need to talk to all of your staff. Volunteers as well.”
“Then there’s your first one.” She jerked her chin toward Ben. “Although, he doesn’t have keys and only managed to last a day.”
Andrew spun on him, a smug grin on his face. “You? Volunteered here?”
“Yeah, so?”
Andrew snorted. “That’s right, I forgot how much you Dalmatian molesters love animals.”
“Like I haven’t seen you blue canaries eyeing your K-9 units.”
“Children, please,” Emma interrupted. “If you two are through bickering like four-year-olds, I have a sanctuary to run, cages to clean and animals to take care of. Not to mention, that I still need to finish cleaning the graffiti off the front gate. Officer McQuaid, do you have any more questions for me, or should I start sending my staff in? Unless you’d rather start with that tour.”
Ben almost laughed out loud at the shocked tilt of Andrew’s chin. He’d rarely seen his brother speechless and never while on duty. It was definitely a welcome sight, especially when it was a pip-squeak redhead with a feisty attitude who finally managed to do it.
Damn, she was hot. Too bad they’d already decided last night was a one-time thing.
Chapter Thirteen
“I don’t know, Officer.” He played innocent, pretending that he didn’t know anyone who wanted to see the sanctuary closed down. Of course, that was almost too predictable an answer, so he decided to elaborate a bit. “I mean, there are always people who don’t understand what we’re doing, or maybe don’t agree. But I don’t know of anyone that would go so far as to turn Buster loose.”
“What about the graffiti on the gate?”
He frowned. “What about it?”
“What do you know about it? Is this the first time?”
In truth this was the fourth time but he wasn’t sure what, if anything, Emma had already told this cop. Damn it! His story had to match up or, at the very least, seem plausible.
“No, but I haven’t kept count and Emma doesn’t like to talk about it so I really couldn’t give you a specific number.”
The cop narrowed his eyes, his gaze as penetrating as any television detective. The only thing missing was the interrogation room and crappy lighting. “Between you and me, what do you really think of Emma?”
“What do you mean?” He was careful to keep his expression blank, passive, maintaining a poker face that could break the house.
“I mean, you have to know what people are saying, thanks in part to these articles. But, unlike most people, you’re around her all day. You know her and you’ve worked with her father for years. What do you think? Are the articles right?”
He leaned forward, clasping his hands between his knees. “Well, officer, here’s the thing. I’m not stupid and I like my job. I’d like to keep it as long as possible.”
The cop shrugged and waved one hand his way. “I’m not here to tattle on you, or turn your boss against you. I’m just trying to protect this town and get to the bottom of whether Emma Jordan is detrimental to it. Whether it’s due to negligence or . . .”
This was his shot, a clean kill. Just tell this cop she was dangerous, that she didn’t take care of the animals, that she was completely incompetent and he could watch Sierra Track close its doors. Except he didn’t want to see Sierra Tracks closed. He simply wanted it under new management—with him and his brother in charge. The only way to do that was to run Emma out while not letting anyone know who was responsible. He needed the town to turn on her personally, not the facility. To do that, he had to walk a thin line of loyalty.
“Emma’s not perfect and she’s trying. Sometimes she succeeds and sometimes she doesn’t. You want to know what’s going on here, do your job and investigate. I do know Emma, but I don’t know or trust you.”
“I could arrest you for obstruction.”
“But you won’t, because you need my help. You need someone to give you the behind the scenes info. So, what’s in this for me?”
Emma finished cutting up the rats she needed to feed their newest addition in the aviary, a great horned owlet that came in a couple weeks ago. Dropping the pieces into a Baggie, she soaked it in a bowl of hot water to warm it for mealtime. After washing and drying her hands, she tossed the towel aside and leaned back against the counter, rubbing at the ache forming behind her temples.
Ben’s brother had already talked with everyone else and was finishing up with Monica, but she had no idea what to expect from him afterward. She prayed he wouldn’t really make her take him on a tour of the facility just to turn around and close her down. Or maybe he’d just call the state immediately to come take possession of her animals? She wondered if she could convince him to give her a few days to find rescues to take them in.
“Miss Jordan?” She heard Office McQuaid’s voice just before he knocked lightly at the door, as if uncertain whether she was inside.
“Come in,” she called, standing up again as he came inside. She watched the doorway, expecting Ben to follow him, and not wanting to acknowledge the disappointment when she saw he wasn’t there. It looked like he’d finally listened to her and left.
There was a hint of humor in the cop’s eyes as he glanced behind him. “Expecting someone else?”
Smart ass. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of admitting she was. “Are you ready for that inspection?”
“I wanted to talk to you first. After talking to your staff, I think we have a bit of a problem.” He slid the door shut with a quiet snick.
Here we go. E
mma squared her shoulders, taking a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for the bad news that was coming. Somehow she’d managed to single-handedly destroy her father’s legacy, and in record time.
“I think it’s pretty fair to assume someone is targeting your facility.”
Emma’s heart plummeted hearing her worst fears confirmed. She’d seen more than her share of animal rights’ activists while working at the animal park but never here, not when Sierra Tracks simply cared for animals who couldn’t do it for themselves. Most of her animals were eventually released back into the wild. Why would someone mark her facility when there were so many other, more questionable, facilities nearby?
“I can’t prove that cougar was released on purpose but after hearing your staff confirm your procedures and meeting you, not to mention seeing that front gate, I’m pretty certain this wasn’t an accident. I’d suggest you reserve keys to the cages for only those who absolutely need them.”
“I already do.” If she took the keys to the cages back, she’d spend her entire day running around just locking and unlocking doors.
He shrugged. “Of course, it’s up to you. But, as an added precaution, if I were you, I’d also change the locks and the code on the gate.”
“Do you realize what sort of expense you’re talking about?” She mentally calculated how many locks she had on the cages and other facility gates as well as what it would cost to replace them. It was going to cut deeply into her already dwindling budget.
“Whatever it is, it’s going to be cheaper than if that lion escapes again,” he pointed out. “I can explain it escaping once, especially in light of the vandalism you’ve experienced, but if it happens again, the people of Hidden Falls are going to demand answers.” He shot her a careful look. “Not to mention, your resignation.”