by Ruby Loren
Despite what Tiff had suggested, for once, there was no sign of anyone on the security team. I was on my own in Mellon Zoo with a lot of dangerous animals and a cat who had a knack for getting into places he shouldn’t.
All I could do was start looking.
I wasn’t sure why, but my feet led me in the direction of the barn - the one the Abraham family had disappeared from. When I got closer, I could hear voices and my heart lifted. If there was a member of the new zoo staff or a couple of security team members there, they might be willing to help me look for Lucky. Inside, I hated to ask, knowing full-well that it would end in Lucky not being permitted to come back to the zoo because of the trouble he’d caused. I was pretty miserable about it, too. I’d thought our training had been going so well! It was another one of those times when a whole slew of doubts about whether or not I was doing the right thing for Lucky hit me. Maybe he just wanted to be a normal curious cat and not a highly trained one.
I walked around the side of the barn, following the voices. Right before I was about to turn the corner to enlist help, something touched my leg. I looked down to see Lucky with his paw stuck out. His green eyes stared intently. I frowned and was about to ask him (as cat people do) just what he thought he’d been doing, when I finally started to pick out what the people talking behind the barn were saying.
“She had a friend here today, but background says she’s clean and works at the other zoo. It was nothing to do with the company,” a male voice said.
“Then our operation is still go. Report as needed,” a female voice replied.
I pressed myself against the side of the barn with my mind racing.
A friend who works at the other zoo?
Tiff was right. This was about me.
I was still thinking about the implications of that when I realised the voices had stopped talking. And there were footsteps coming my way.
With Lucky running in front of me, I slid along the side of the barn until I made it around the front of the building. There I waited, wondering what to do.
I was still waiting when the owner of the female voice walked past without so much as a glance back in my direction. She had brown hair tied up high in a long plait that draped down her back. She wore the same black uniform as the rest of the security team, but I’d been able to tell from the authority in her voice that she was someone higher up in whatever organisation she was really working for.
I thought I had an idea of which one it might be.
“Hey!” I called before instantly regretting it. Was I really about to do this? I decided the answer was yes.
The woman turned around and looked back at me in some surprise. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
“Yes, actually,” I said, hoping my bravery would last. “I know you’re watching me, and I want to know why.”
A puzzled expression came over the woman’s face. “If you feel concerned about the level of security here, it is understandable. We aren’t sure what to expect from this potential group of vigilantes, so we’re well prepared. I’m sorry if the surveillance is making you feel uncomfortable. The zoo is having cameras put in soon, but cameras aren’t as foolproof as watching eyes,” she explained, as if to a child.
“Sure,” I said, amenably, knowing that I had to pick my next words perfectly, if I wanted to get the truth out of her. “I meant that you already have background on my friend who works at the other zoo,” I said, making sure I mirrored the words I’d overheard. “So why hasn't MI5 informed you that risking the operation by observing too closely is not necessary? There was no need to take that risk. I’ll be reporting it.” I kept my expression blank, wondering if she was going to bite or if I’d just said the biggest bunch of craziness I’d ever spouted.
The woman hesitated. That was all I needed.
“In case you haven’t realised, I’m in on it,” I finished, nailing it home.
“You are? I thought…”
It was with a grim feeling of satisfaction that I realised I had her. “I was never supposed to know, but my-ex boyfriend didn’t clean up after himself very well. I found out the truth. It was agreed that I’d be brought in so I can assist.”
“I’m not sure…” The woman hesitated again, but I knew enough. She definitely didn’t think I was crazy, which meant I’d got at least some of what I was saying right. I was something to do with this, and for a reason I still didn’t know, perhaps I had been all along. My thoughts grew dark when I considered what that might mean about Lowell, but I quashed the thought for later. Right now, I had a hard nut to crack.
“How much do you really know?” she asked, sounding more curious than I’d expected.
“Some,” I confessed, knowing that somewhere along the line, I must have aroused her suspicion, but at least she wasn’t foolish enough to think she could backtrack now. “I think I know enough for this whole charade to stop. Lowell’s warned me that it’s dangerous, but at this stage, I think I’d rather know the truth - no matter the cost.”
“I’m not authorised…” the woman began to say but then broke off with a sigh. “How about we go inside and have a chat?” She flicked her thumb in the direction of the barn conversion behind me.
I nodded and let her lead the way into the property where the Abraham family were last seen alive.
I didn’t know whether to be amused or horrified when the ‘security guard’ pulled back one of the ‘not to be touched’ chairs of the dining room table (set up with plastic food) and plonked down on it, indicating that I should pull my own chair up. I decided that the best thing to do was to treat the place like any other - after all, wasn’t the fact that the people behind the zoo were treating the barn as an attraction exactly what I had a problem with?
“Tell me what you know. I’m Katya, by the way,” she said as an afterthought.
“Madi,” I replied, even though she obviously already knew that. “I know that Lowell, if that’s even his real name, is working for MI5. I also know that you’ve popped up in some of the other places I’ve worked. I’ve met Ms Borel and Mr Flannigan. They were introduced to me as working for the government, but I know it’s a little more than that. I also know that, somehow, this has something to do with me.” Katya opened her mouth, probably to try to contradict me, but I raised a hand to indicate that I wasn’t finished. “I’ve already been told that all of this stuff is top secret and puts me in danger, but I’m not going to ignore whatever is going on. I am going to dig. And I’m pretty good at finding things out,” I said, deciding it was time to toot my own horn a little bit.
Katya looked at me for a long moment. Finally, she spoke. “I don’t have clearance to tell you anything, but I can put your concerns to my superiors.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
We both knew she wasn’t promising anything, but she’d been the first person to almost admit something to me, beyond what I’d forced out of Lowell. I also thought she understood the frustrating position I was in. In spite of being spied on, I believed I might have found a new ally.
7
Viral
By Valentine’s Day, I was a nervous wreck.
The time I’d been putting in at Mellon Zoo meant that I hadn’t seen as much of Auryn as I would like. He’d been very laid back - especially considering everything I’d told him - and I’d been keeping him abreast of all the goings-on. The only thing I hadn’t mentioned was my strange confrontation with Katya, but until she actually got back to me with something useful, there wasn’t much I could tell him about that. Unfortunately, although we’d been happy together, one thing we had failed to discuss was Valentine’s Day. After much dithering, I’d decided that playing it cool would be better than going crazy. After all, Auryn had known me for a long time. Surely it would be strange if I did a large, out of character gesture?
But then, on the other hand… maybe I should have done exactly that to show how much I cared about Auryn. He’d come out and told me he loved me and I had never done much in retur
n.
I dithered around in the car park outside of Avery Zoo, wondering if my present was the stupidest idea ever. Did it come across as self-centred? Was there something better that I could have got him?
I felt like jumping back in the car and running home, but I knew that would be a mistake, too. I needed to pull myself together and go and surprise Auryn. Hopefully the thought would count even if it was completely the wrong thing to give him…
I knocked on the door of his office - the only habitable part of the upper floor above reception. The exterior had already been polished up so as not to alarm visitors, but the refurb hadn’t been booked until February. The rest of the staff were still working up in the shop’s storerooms, leaving Auryn with a whole lot of time alone in the zoo owner’s office, which I knew he disliked.
“Come in,” Auryn said, sounding pretty stressed.
I poked my head around the door and his face underwent a strange pattern of emotions. At first he looked surprised, then panicked, before finally putting on a big smile that didn’t feel like his normal one. Feeling strange, I walked into the room with the gift by my side. “Are you okay?” I asked as he shoved a big bunch of papers, seemingly at random, across his desk.
“Yeah… uh… everything’s fine. Just a bit busy with all the paperwork. The final accounts for the Winter Wonderland have been done. I’m looking at the costs and figuring out how to do it all again next year, would you believe?” He shook his head. “Christmas feels like it was only yesterday, and apparently, we’re already behind when it comes to sourcing things like trees and the additional animals. Also, some of the staff have said that they think having a different theme every year will make people more likely to come back to see what’s new, but oh so helpfully, they didn’t have any suggestions as to what the themes could actually be.” He huffed out a breath of air.
I reached across the desk and laid my hand on his, pretending not to notice when he flinched a little. “It will be wonderful. Things are going brilliantly. Is today's event all set up?” I asked, hoping that by directing the conversation back to the current day, I might find a way to bring up the gift that was currently awkwardly sitting in my lap. I also hoped Auryn would come clean and tell me whatever he had on his mind.
“Yeah, today… I should probably be out there doing something.” He shook his head. “The lovebird enclosure was decorated, but I think they’ve spent most of the morning ripping it all to shreds - so, that’s great.” He ran a hand through his blonde hair. “We’ve got the romantic winter picnic all set up with the barbecue. The weather forecast is pretty good, actually, so there shouldn’t be a need for the marquee. At times like these, I’m reminded that I should really bring up the restaurant conundrum in the next zoo meeting.”
I nodded. “There’s always a lot going on here - which is a great thing, by the way. You’ll get to it,” I reassured him.
He grinned, looking more like normal Auryn. “Because we get sooooo much done in our zoo meetings. Sometimes, I think it would be better if I scheduled the whole day as a meeting. They take so long!”
We smiled at each other, knowing that he wasn’t really complaining. Ever since Auryn had taken over the running of the zoo and had discovered he didn’t feel confident enough to decide what was needed in order to save the failing zoo, he’d been asking all of the staff for their input. The days of a board of directors had gone. Instead, the zoo was a democracy, with every single person able to have a say and contribute ideas. Since being in charge, Auryn had handled everyone’s ideas on a ‘if you think it’s a good idea, you do it’ basis, instead of having people waiting around for approval. This policy had resulted in a wonderfully eclectic array of events happening with great regularity and the resulting spike in zoo attendance was brilliant.
“I still can’t believe people are interested in a barbecue in February. The zoo’s marketing team are miracle workers,” I commented.
Auryn shrugged. “Never underestimate the Great British public’s love of barbecues - no matter the season. We’d taken a healthy amount of bookings already but now the sun’s out, we’ve already had to field more than a hundred calls with last-minute bookings. I think half of the shop team are hitting butchers in nearby towns trying to get some extra meat.”
“There’s always the peacocks if supplies run low,” I said with a completely straight face.
Auryn pretended to consider it. “Well, it would definitely make the occasion a lot fancier.”
The conversation faltered for a second. I decided to deal with my gift. Perhaps that would bring out whatever strange thing was going on with Auryn right now.
“I got this for you.” I handed over the messily wrapped package. (I’d tried.) “It’s just something silly…” I said, already regretting my choice.
Auryn started unwrapping the paper and I watched in trepidation. He pulled out the hardback book that was inside, putting aside the pack of his favourite butterscotch chocolate bars I’d bought. “This isn’t…” He opened the book, flicking through a few pages before he stopped. “It’s a proof copy of your comic!”
I turned over one more page so he could read the dedication. My heart seemed to want to jump straight up into my mouth.
“‘For Auryn, who has always inspired me and who I will always love.’” he read before raising his grey eyes to meet mine. “You…”
“I love you,” I told him, finally summoning my courage. “I have for a long time. I just didn’t let myself admit it. I thought I would stop you from being happy when you still had time…” I shook my head knowing I was walking down an old path of worry that had long since worn away. “I love you, Auryn.”
With great reverence, Auryn placed my one and only author proof copy of Monday’s Menagerie down on the desk before standing up and walking around the table.
“You already know this, but I love you, too,” he said, pulling me in close for a hug before kissing me and making me remember every single reason why I loved him. “It’s a good thing you do love me… because I’ve messed up big time.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh?”
“I didn’t realise we were supposed to be doing anything special for Valentine’s Day. I don’t have anything planned. However, there is one thing we can do… and I don’t think it’s quite fully booked yet.”
And that was how we ended up spending Valentine’s Day sitting on straw bales, eating barbecue food in the winter sunshine with the rest of the other crazy couples. All things considered, it was a pretty brilliant Valentine’s Day.
It still amazed me to think that the Abraham property had only been bought in January and now, a little past mid-February, the zoo was practically ready to open its doors. The only thing left to do was my usual full review, which would probably take me a week. Then I’d be saying goodbye to the place and crossing my fingers that the opening wouldn’t take too much revenue away from Avery.
I’d managed to find out that the precise opening date was the 20th of March - much to Amanda’s annoyance. She still frequently pointed out the money drain the zoo would be until it opened. I’d passed that information along to Auryn and as luck would have it, Avery had suddenly announced several events during late March and early April. It was quite the coincidence.
Unfortunately, what hadn’t moved forward quite so quickly was my request that I be told the truth about whatever the heck was really going on. Whenever I’d visited the zoo to do checks and make changes, the security team were still present. To my knowledge, no attack had been made on the elephant enclosure, but still they kept up their vigil. I just wished I knew the real reason they were there because I sure didn’t think it was just to guard elephants.
After spending some pretty intensive days at Mellon Zoo, I’d decided to take a day off. I needed some ‘me’ time…
At least, that’s what I’d tried to tell myself.
What I really ended up doing was visiting the Gigglesfield Library to scour their newspaper archives in order to find
the original report on the Abraham family disappearance (there’d been no trace of the actual article online, and I hadn’t wanted a paraphrased version). Now, I was sitting in the corner of the library with the newspaper in front of me.
“Be careful with that. It’s always been pretty popular and is showing its age,” the librarian had warned me before walking away.
I looked down at the front page, which displayed a picture of the Abraham family, and started to read.
Mrs Fiona Kendal, mother of Molly Abraham, discovered the Abraham family missing after walking across to the family residence and finding no one home. After hours of waiting for the family to return, she looked into the garage and discovered that the family car and the LandRover they used on the farm were still in the garage. It was then that she called the police and reported the Abraham family missing.
The missing persons are; Molly Abraham, 46, Arthur ‘Art’ Abraham, 50, and Matthew Abraham, 21. Molly Abraham is described as being five-foot-eight tall with dark auburn hair. Art Abraham is six-foot-two tall, wears a hat, and is very unwell. Matthew Abraham is six-foot-three tall with dark brown hair and a slim build.
The Abrahams moved to Sussex two years ago in order to be nearer to Mr Abraham’s mother, who was suffering from cancer. Tragically, Art himself began exhibiting signs of the disease not long after. Matthew has attended Sussex University for the past two years.
Mrs Kendal described the day before the disappearance as being normal. According to her, she spent the day in the farm cottage that was her place of residence and visited the barn conversion for family meals - as was her custom. Professional landscaper, Rosalie Bridges, the girlfriend of Matthew Abraham, was visiting the family and had been aiding Mrs Abraham in a project. Rosalie left the family before dark. Mrs Kendal reported that the only other visitor to the property that day was a builder, Cedric Jameson, who came over to pour concrete for an extra car parking space for the property.