I glanced up at Dan about to raise the issue, but he reached for my hand and responded to my battered head comment with a line to die for. “I’m looking at you with my heart not my eyes,” he said.
I thought I might melt. “You sure know how to make a girl feel good,” I told him, hoping his savoir-faire wasn’t the result of too much practice.
Even if it was, I planned to relax and enjoy the ride.
§
Despite a late, event-filled evening, I woke up early and managed to stumble into my office by eight-thirty. Come hell or high water, I planned to finish the Hort budget and see that it made its way to Bob’s office before I left for the day. Maddy beat me in by half-an-hour, mostly because she brought her breakfast from home instead of stopping at Mickey Dee’s along the way.
“Hey, Sam.”
I breezed past her desk intent on my budget mission. “Morning, Maddy, what’s new?”
“Bob’s scheduled a staff meeting for ten.”
I groaned, stopping in my tracks. “Not again. He’s called a meeting every day this week.”
“Maybe he doesn’t have enough to do.”
“Well, if he doesn’t, I do. If I don’t finish our budget today I’ll be forced to find a job mowing lawns. What’s the meeting about, do you know?”
“Haven’t heard officially, but Sally Ann’s back in town. Big commotion on the other end of the hall when I came in this morning, so of course I had to walk down and see what was happening.”
“Which was?”
“Sally and her entourage brought a baby chimp into the building. I thought Nate would have a heart attack. They were arguing in the hall. The chimp was screaming. The chimp’s trainer and two keepers were trying to take the chimp outside, but it clung to Sally Ann, baring its teeth at anyone who tried to pry it away. She finally went back outside with the chimp still attached to her chest. I don’t know how they extricated it.”
“I’m sorry I missed all the excitement,” I said, which was true. We hadn’t had that much entertainment in the administration building since a pair of flying squirrels found their way indoors and practiced their artistry in the two-story entrance foyer.
“I’ll be hiding out in my office until Bob’s meeting, but don’t tell anyone.”
“Meaning no one is to disturb you?”
“Correct,” I said, unlocking my office door. “No exceptions.”
“Not even Dan Saunders?”
“Well, one exception,” I told her, walking into my office without looking back. I could hear her snickering. I laid my backpack on the floor, removed my jacket and slung it over the back of my seat before sitting down to tackle the remains of the budget. Before I knew it, Maddy was on the intercom reminding me about Bob’s meeting. At least I’d made some headway on our finances. I left my office confident I’d finish the task by the end of the day.
As usual, I was among the last to arrive because I hate being early and wasting time chitchatting, especially now that I’d been banned from talking publicly with Dan. Our news anchor Rhonda, followed me in, along with our vaunted—in his own mind—general curator, and last but not least, Sally Ann.
Arriving late was a specialty of hers. Ginger explained it to me once as dominance behavior, which she knew more about than I did since she’d double-majored in anthropology and art in undergraduate school. I had enough trouble concentrating on botany let alone taking on another completely unrelated subject. But I’m not Ginger.
Sally Ann, dressed in her traditional safari beige jacket and slacks, made her grand entrance sans baby chimp and greeted everyone with a broad smile. “Good morning,” she said in her slow-speak South African upper-class accent.
“Good morning,” we chanted in unison like school children. All except Nate, who sat tight-lipped, still steaming I supposed, over the baby chimp incident. I could picture him railing to his staff, “Primates are not people, they’re wild animals. They can be dangerous; they have to be handled with care.”
He had a patent rant on the topic, and no one set him off quicker than Sally Ann who, he liked to insist, should know better. To be honest, Sally Ann often felt exempt from the rules governing the rest of us, a trait she and Nate ironically shared.
Chapter 46
Bob scored the first brownie points of the day as everyone in attendance groaned inwardly. “We’re glad to have you back safe and sound,” he told Sally Ann, exhibiting his weakness for clichés.
“I’m glad to be back,” she replied, still standing and glancing around the room. She smiled a greeting to each person seated at the table before finally settling down to business.
“The time I spent with staff members at the British Zoo was exceedingly fruitful,” she began, “and they will be cooperating with us on many of our conservation efforts. While we’re grateful to share their expertise, be assured they have nothing on us here,” she paused, “except for longevity and money.”
Classic Sally Ann, I thought. Hyperbole and understatement in one breath, since the British Zoo is one of the world’s oldest scientific zoos if you don’t count Moctezuma’s Zoo in the Aztec capital now known as Mexico City. I settled in for a long meeting as I struggled to keep from looking at Dan. We’d barely nodded to each other when I entered, each of us aware of Bob’s watchful eye. Some days I feel as though I’m back in kindergarten.
Sally Ann went on to detail aspects of her visit, none of which had anything to do with the zoo’s flora, only the fauna, principally primates. I drifted in and out of daydreams until she came around to the purpose of the meeting at which point my ears perked up.
“Bob has filled me in on all the dreadful happenings around here since my departure for London, and I’m sorry to have been unavailable to support you through it all. Of course, this dead body is a most dreadful matter, as is the matter of Andy LaRue’s accident.” She turned to Rhonda. “But Rhonda, you’ve done a wonderful job minimizing the bad publicity.” Sally Ann made a little clapping gesture to Rhonda before continuing. “By the way, can someone fill me in on the latest status with regard to Andy’s condition?”
“Still out cold,” Bob said, “but the doctors have the swelling under control and they’re hoping he’ll regain consciousness soon.”
“The poor dear,” Sally Ann murmured. “We need to keep him in our thoughts and prayers.” She turned to Bob. “Please keep me posted if there’s any change.”
Bob nodded and jotted a note on the legal pad in front of him. He wasn’t a tech savvy guy and while he owned a smart phone, he barely used it for more than calling his wife, which seemed to me a rather large waste of money. Not that Bob can’t afford the latest technology since Marlene is richer than Croesus, having inherited a substantial sum of what the locals refer to as ‘Tobacco Money.’
“We need to do our best to mitigate the negative consequences to the zoo of these disastrous events,” Sally Ann went on, as I tried again not to nod off. I probably shouldn’t have taken that sleeping pill last night.
“As I’ve said many times in the past,” Sally Ann went on, about to deliver a familiar message, “bad news takes a long time to disappear from the public’s collective memory. I believe our best strategy is to create new memories to take the public’s mind off our recent problems. To that end, I’ve decided the zoo is going to throw a party.” A self-satisfied smile broke out on her nicely tanned face as she glanced around the table audaciously awaiting everyone’s approval.
Nate, I could see, was beside himself. “What kind of party?”
“The best kind,” she replied, obviously hoping for the question. I loved that Nate had fallen into her trap. She spit out the answer as though she were announcing the next million-dollar donation: “The fundraising kind.”
“Killing two birds with one stone,” Bob said, doing his bobble-head doll impersonation.
“Right,” Sally Ann said, pronouncing the word something like hroit as she rolled the r once or twice and spit out the t at the end. It’s the word the zo
o staff employed most frequently when mimicking her accent. I wasn’t into ridiculing Sally Ann, mainly because she was my boss and despite her managerial shortcomings, I liked her. Unlike Nate, her heart was in the right place.
“We’re calling it A Do At The Zoo,” she said, making the name sound almost original.
Fundraisers were Sally Ann’s forte, her greatest strength as Director and the talent that kept her in business. She leaned both hands on the table, her eyes gleaming. “I’ll be asking some of you to help out—serving on the planning committee, for example, or chairing a variety of special events.”
Nate raised an eyebrow. “Special events?”
I could tell he was furious beyond belief, which warmed my heart though I hate to admit to being so petty.
“I’ve a number of events in mind,” Sally Ann said, ignoring Nate’s pique, “but right now, I’d like your suggestions for someone outside our zoo staff to serve as Honorary Chair.
An idea popped into my mind. What better way to set up a meeting with Nelson Farthington than if he were on site working on Sally Ann’s fundraiser?
“I’ve got a name for you,” I said. Everyone glanced at me in surprise since I rarely say anything in meetings unless the topic has something to do with Hort.
“Who do you have in mind, Sam?”
“How about Nelson Farthington the Third? He’s back in the country and he’s probably got some time on his hands.” Without thinking, I glanced over at Dan who sat bolt upright in his chair giving me a quizzical look.
Nate glared at me. “This is something you know for a fact?”
“That’s he’s back in the country or that he might have some time on his hands?”
Nate continued with the evil eye. “Both, since you now seem to be an expert on Nelson Farthington.”
In an effort to keep matters civil, Bob stepped in. “Sam had dinner with Nelson the other night, so I expect she does know something about his plans.”
“I…uh—I don’t really know anything about his plans, but this might be something he’d agree to do and he has a lot of good contacts that can help us with a fundraiser.”
“Maybe it’ll spur him to another donation,” Matt Howard said. As Executive Director of Zoo Alliance, Matt was always on the lookout for ways to part donors and their money, and he appreciated any help he could get along those lines. I could see the gleam in his eye as he looked over at me and winked, as if we’d been collaborating.
“That’s a wonderful idea, Sam,” Sally Ann said. “I’ll try to reach Nelson today. If he agrees, would you mind serving beside him on the planning committee?”
I wrinkled my brow, trying to come up with an excuse. I’m not good at quick comebacks, and I did want to talk with him. However, my workload was enormous. I had no extra time to devote to Sally Ann’s planning committee meetings. “I’ve— I’ve got a pretty full plate right now,” I said, “and I’m...uh—I’m not the best party planner.”
Sally Ann must have noticed my discomfort because she came to my rescue with, “We can discuss this matter later.”
The meeting lasted another half-hour during which time Sally Ann outlined possible ideas for A Do At The Zoo events, some of which I hoped to be able to axe starting with the karaoke contest. Nate would be certain to have his say, too. I wondered how his interference would go given the current ill will he’d engendered in almost everyone, including Sally Ann, if Maddy’s description of the morning’s events were any indication.
I couldn’t wait to talk to Dan and get his take on the Zoo Do idea, but just as the thought crossed my mind he excused himself from the meeting, holding up his cell phone for Sally Ann to let her know he’d received a call. He must have set his phone on vibrate because I never heard a sound.
I prayed he wasn’t leaving in order to avoid talking to me after the meeting. Surely, the Nelson Farthington business hadn’t upset him, but I was no predictor of men, so maybe it had. If so, I’d call him later and straighten things out.
Once the meeting ended, I headed back to my office to attack the waiting stack of purchase orders, invoices, and plant inventories littering my desk. I tried to put aside my worries about why Dan left the meeting early and concentrate on the work in front of me, but it was easier said than done.
Why couldn’t my life be a little less complicated?
Chapter 47
Before I reached the final page of my budget, I noticed a flurry of orange and brown headed in the direction of my open door. Ginger was the zoo’s fashion plate. Short-waisted with long legs and great hair, a rag would look good on her.
“Hey Ginge, what’s up?”
“Do you have lunch plans?”
“Not so far, what do you have in mind?”
“Today’s barbecue day at Comfort’s.”
“Sounds good to me.” I checked my watch. “It’s eleven now, can you give me another hour?”
“Sure. I’ll drive this time. Meet you in the lot at noon.”
My phone alarm rang at 11:55 and I pushed away from my desk, pleased with my progress. Maybe I’d leave by five tonight, after all. That would give me time to stop on the way home and buy myself a new blouse. I’d like to find something in hot pink, not that I was aiming to be suggestive, or anything.
As I breezed by Maddy’s desk hoping to avoid stopping, she held out two messages for me. One was from Glen, the other from Dan. Both wanted me to call. No question about which person I planned to phone first.
“Thanks, Mad,” I said, watching my workday disappear before my eyes. Outside my office and beyond Maddy’s hearing range, I took out my cell phone. Someone whose name rhymes with caddy could, and sometimes does, surreptitiously listen in when I use the office phone, though I haven’t yet caught her in the act.
Dan answered on the first ring. “Hey, sweetheart.”
Relief flooded over me. “I like the sound of that,” I told him. “What’s up?”
“Planning another date with Nelson Farthington?”
I swallowed hard, wondering if he was serious or teasing me. “You know better than that,” I told him. “I thought this might be an opportunity to draw him out in the open, find out whether he’s running that plant theft gang.”
“That’s what I suspected you were up to. We need to talk about this, and I know your fridge is still well-stocked, so I’m inviting myself over for dinner if you haven’t made plans tonight.”
“I have,” I said, noticing an intake of breath on the other end of the line that brought a smile to my lips, “with you. I was about to call and invite you over when Maddy handed me your phone message.”
“Great. What time’s good?”
“How about seven? I might be a little late tonight. I’m running seriously behind thanks to Sally Ann.”
“Okay, see you at seven.”
Dan hung up and I placed a call to Glen. “You called?”
“Morning, Sam. Just reporting on last night’s autopsy.”
“I think it’s called a necropsy when you perform it on a dead animal.”
“Don’t get technical on me here, boss. I did the dastardly deed for the vet and he’s mucho pleased. We burned the evidence.” Glen had a dark sense of humor.
“Grim,” I said. “I appreciate your taking care of that task. I’ll admit I lacked the stomach for it.”
“It wasn’t that bad. They’d already drained all the blood and fluids by the time I got there, so it wasn’t much different than cutting up some weird tree. At least that’s how I tried to look at it. Once we finished, I advised the vet to place an order for his own set of tools in case one of the rhinos goes down. Cuttin’ up one of them babies might ruin every saw we got.”
“Good suggestion. And you saved me the trouble of suggesting the same thing. Dissecting animals isn’t part of our job, but I’m glad to help out the vet in an emergency. He’s a good guy. So, thanks again. Anything else?”
“No. I’m back working on the Desert plantings. If you need something, give me a
call.”
On my way down the hall, Jodie caught me. “Do you have time to talk?”
“I can talk at lunch. Ginger and I are going to Comfort’s. Wanna join us?”
“Sure, what time?”
“I’m headed out to the parking lot now.”
“Will do,” she said, closing the door quietly.
§
Twenty minutes later, Ginger, Jodie and I waltzed into the Comfort Food Café already discussing the day’s special. Ginger and Jodie claimed Carolina barbecue was their favorite menu item even though Ginger and I had had the same conversation on Monday about the chicken pot pie. Almost every meal Comfort served was a favorite of mine, as is almost any meal I don’t have to cook for myself.
The waitress took our order, which included two plates of chopped pork barbecue with slaw, hush puppies and sweet tea for Ginger and Jodie. I don’t eat pork, so I ordered the barbecued chicken with sides of hush puppies, mashed potatoes, and slaw, plus a glass of water, no lemon. I never order lemon in my water. I’ve watched too many restaurant workers slice lemons without using gloves, and the thought of their finger germs in my ice water is enough to ruin my appetite.
Once the waitress was out of earshot, I prodded Jodie about the results of her most recent investigation. She seemed to want to talk to me alone, and I knew she could be a little jealous of my friendship with Ginger, which is silly, because I love them both.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked, not quite sure I wanted to know.
Chapter 48
Clearly, Jodie had something important on her mind, but hesitated when I asked if she planned to share. Ginger, who’s the most sensitive person in the world when it comes to other people’s feelings, offered to leave.
“I’m gonna run to the little girls’ room. I’ll be back in a bit,” she said, sliding out of the booth and heading to the back of the restaurant.
“I didn’t realize you wanted to talk to me privately,” I said. “What’s going on?”
Adieu at the Zoo_A Jefferson Zoo Mystery Page 17