by Ruby Loren
I sighed happily as we wound ourselves around each other, forgetting about the troubles of the world for a while.
“Better check on the cow,” I said, what felt like an age later. Pangs of guilt had been shooting through me ever since we’d started, and I prayed that Blossom wasn’t in trouble. I’d never forgive myself.
I said a little prayer to the god of momentary lapses of judgment and pushed myself up off the floor of the dependent animal unit.
“Can I come?” Lowell asked and I looked at him in surprise before nodding.
“Sure, you’re my helper for the night,” I told him.
We walked through the quiet night zoo, speaking but not really saying anything. After the brief period of respite, my thoughts were back on the recent incidents at the zoo and everything Lowell wasn’t telling me. The more I thought about it, the more I didn’t like it.
I stole a sideways look at him, taking in the straight, slim nose and solid jaw line. He may be gorgeous, but that didn’t mean I could trust him. I still only had his word that he was working for Mr Avery senior and that he’d overheard the conversation he’d said he had. What evidence did I really have that showed me he was telling the truth? Was it just another diversion from the truth?
Lowell himself had only turned up at the zoo very recently. That made him a potential candidate for being the animal extremists’ inside man. His little ‘mistake’ on the internet could have been set up to gain trust from anyone curious enough to go looking. Then he’d just spin them whatever yarn he felt he could sell best.
The more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I felt.
Who was the real bad guy here?
Had I just made a huge mistake and thrown my lot in with the wrong side?
I didn’t have too long to ponder. When we arrived at the cow enclosure, Blossom was mooing up a storm and the calf’s forelegs were already visible. Then it was all hands on deck to make sure the new arrival was safely delivered.
I kept my thoughts about Lowell to myself.
CHAPTER NINE
A Silent Protest
“I was so worried about you, and after all that, you were just getting drunk on the sly!” I said to the large fruit bat while I carried her back to the bat enclosure. The air had the tiniest hint of autumn in it this morning and I even shivered when I walked through the zoo beneath the slate grey sky.
Amelie the bat looked up at me with her big brown eyes. I saw no sign of remorse.
After keeping her under observation all night, I’d watched her symptoms clear up, which had given me a hint that the problem was located within the enclosure. A brief inspection of the area had yielded a small horde of rotting fruit, hidden away behind a tree. I suspected this was how Amelie had been getting her kicks. Newly sober and with the rotten fruit all cleared up, I was confident she would make a full recovery.
“Just remember, you lost my respect today,” I told her and heard low laughter come from behind me.
Lowell pushed the plastic flaps open and pulled a face at the warm fug and the smell it carried with it. “You’re really telling a bat off for getting drunk?”
“Well, sure. How else is she going to learn?” I said, intending to be funny but finding my words a little sharp. Sleep had not happened last night and it was already starting to bite me in the butt. Not to mention I was seriously peeved at Lowell right now.
“It’s almost opening time. If I walk out the back by the cat barn and then back in the front, no one should be any wiser,” Lowell said.
I was about to agree when the flaps moved again and Tom walked in. A look of surprise appeared on his face.
“What are you doing here so early, Lowell?” He asked and I felt tendrils of unease spreading through me.
“I just got in early and thought I’d come for a visit,” Lowell said, as casually as you like. I was watching Tom’s face and for some reason, it looked like that was exactly the answer he’d wanted to hear.
“He stayed the night with me. I asked him to help out because I knew the cow was giving birth and I might not be strong enough to pull the calf out if it got stuck,” I blurted.
Tom raised an eyebrow but the sardonic smile never moved an inch. “Why not ask one of the other keepers? I’d have been happy to help,” he said.
Now I made a point of looking at Lowell for a good couple of seconds.
Tom raised an eyebrow, his smile becoming more salacious. “Oh, I see. That’s going to be hot gossip by coffee time,” he said with a chuckle.
I tried not to reach up and throttle him.
“Oh, one more thing. On my way in, I heard the builders say there was an intruder last night. They said they met you, Madi, but I don’t know if they knew Lowell was here. Did he see anything?”
“Why don’t you ask him? He’s right here,” I said, getting annoyed that I was being forced to speak for both of us. I was just fed up with covering for a ‘private detective’ who so far wasn’t lifting a finger towards digging us both out of this mess.
“Yeah, Madi mentioned it, but I’d walked into town to grab a takeaway. My car broke down, which was the real reason I stayed the night. Well, aside from the obvious anyway,” he hastily added. I gave him what I hoped looked like a sweet smile while my eyes told him exactly what he could do with his ‘feelings’ afterthought.
“Well, that clears up the mystery of why your car was in the car park when the guys left. I think Rich said he was looking for you this morning but if I see him, I’ll let him know where you were,” Tom said.
I felt chills running up my neck. This whole thing screamed of a set up and I wasn’t sure we’d escaped unscathed. The only question was, who was playing whom?
Lowell waited until Tom was well and truly out of earshot before he turned to me, his face full of thunder.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m pretty sure that was me saving your bacon, although if this is the thanks I get for saving you twice in 24 hours, I really don’t know why I did it. I should have just left you to it,” I said, packing the bat carrier away.
Lowell crossed his arms. “I would have handled it.”
I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Yeah? They saw your car, Lowell. They’re looking for you this morning, so I’d say it’s pretty obvious they suspect you. Just, be careful… and, you know, maybe consider telling the person who risked a lot to help you exactly what is going on. Because she might be doubting whether she helped the right person.”
“I’ve already explained all of that. I don’t know much more myself and telling you helps no one.” He ran a hand through his dark hair and sighed. “I’m good at my job, Madi. You should stick to yours,” was all he said. He walked out of the bat enclosure, leaving the flaps of plastic swinging in his wake.
“Well, that was really reassuring,” I muttered once he was gone.
***
Tom hadn’t been lying when he’d said news of my dalliance with Lowell would be all over the zoo by coffee time. I’d always assumed that because I took little interest in the comings and goings of the other zoo staff, they wouldn’t be interested in me.
I was proved wrong.
Perhaps it was because Lowell had attracted his own attention, but I felt like every pair of eyes was on me whenever I passed groups of zoo employees.
I wondered what they’d say if they ever found out it wasn’t just Lowell I’d had an encounter with in the last 24 hours. I tried to push away memory of Auryn, while mentally chiding myself for ending up in this situation.
“Should have kept your mouth shut and let Mr Private Detective sort it, just like he wanted,” I grumbled to the group of meerkats next to me. It was their turn for a jolly good clean out, but I hadn’t selected the best day to do it. Rain fell in fat drops and the clan scattered, diving for their burrows.
I looked through the viewing window and saw Tiff waving from behind three openly staring school kids. Apparently they found me just as fascinating as the animals.
“I knew you were after him,” she said to me as soon as I’d extricated myself from the enclosure and the curious gazes of the small people.
“I wasn’t after him. It just happened, and unfortunately Tom caught me out,” I said, my voice full of regret. Tiff wouldn’t know that what I really regretted, was putting myself on the line for him.
She nodded sympathetically but her smile kind of ruined the effect. “That’s so great! He’s all muscly and nice. I should get myself one of those,” she said with a wink.
I sighed theatrically.
“Tiff, you’ve got about ten of ‘those’ after you at any given moment,” I reminded her and she waved a hand.
“You exaggerate.” She tilted her head at me and looked thoughtful for a second. “I think someone might be a little disappointed that you’re off the market.”
“Who?” I said, and then bit my tongue when I figured it out. “Oh, I still don’t know why you would think that,” I covered, praying that the guilt wasn’t written all over my face the way I strongly suspected it was.
“I think I know exactly why I would think that… and you're going to find out for yourself,” she said, rather nonsensically.
By the time I’d worked out her riddle, Auryn was already there.
He folded his arms and gave me a hurt look.
“I know what you must have heard but it really isn’t what you think, believe me,” I said. After this morning, I deeply regretted every second of attention I’d given to Lowell Adagio.
“You spent the night here together. He’s not even a zookeeper!” Auryn said, colour rising to his cheeks. “I could have helped you with Blossom. You should have asked.”
“I’m sorry. It’s no excuse, but everything is up in the air at the moment and I’m not sure of anything, let alone how I feel.” I took a deep breath, trying not to focus too much on his perfect skin, or the way his eyes were always full of laughter and mischief - until today, anyway. Was I stupid to turn him down, just because I thought I was more mature than he was? Was it really down to me to decide that?
I mentally shook myself, knowing that a lot of these thoughts had arisen because of the distinctly ungentlemanly manner in which I’d been treated by Lowell. And he was someone who was old enough to know better.
"I meant what I said about proving myself to you,” Auryn said, keeping his voice low. “But you can’t just…" He trailed off and I felt his pain stab me in the chest. He took a deep breath and his grey eyes found mine again. “A lot of bad things have happened. I just don’t want you to get hurt by any of it.”
“Believe me, I’m trying to avoid that. I don’t want you to get hurt either,” I said, giving him a smile that he didn’t return.
“I guess I’ll see you around.” He walked away with his head low, his usual vigour absent. I watched him go and frowned as I went over his final words to me in my head. Was it the kind of warning anyone and everyone at the zoo would hand out at the moment, or had Auryn just hinted that he knew something more?
I really hoped I was just being paranoid. At this rate, I’d run out of people I didn’t suspect of any crime.
***
The capybaras were next on my list, but before I’d even taken a step in the direction of their makeshift enclosure, I saw Lowell looking at me while he leant against the giant anteater’s enclosure.
“Surely you have work to do,” I said, not in the mood for anything he had to say after the morning I’d had.
“The legacy likes you, doesn’t he?” Lowell said, and I felt my frown deepen.
“That is none of your business and don't call him that,” I said, realising that no matter what Auryn felt, he was still my friend and I stood up for my friends.
Lowell shrugged, that awful tattoo making a brief appearance as it peeked in and out of his shirt sleeve.
“How’s the shoulder?” I grudgingly asked.
His eyes flashed with worry and he looked around nervously. I’d already noted that the coast was clear.
“Yeah it’s fine. No one’s noticed. Other than teasing, I think I’m going to be left alone, so…” he took a breath and made an effort to make his eyes meet mine. “Thanks, for covering for me. I owe you one.”
“What you owe me, is the truth,” I started to say but had to break it off when we both heard the sound of voices approaching. A group of builders appeared round the corner. Someone let loose a low wolf whistle.
“Leave her alone, we’re not paying you to stare at girls all day,” Rich said, with a belly laugh that curdled my insides. Blood rushed around my head and with every pump of my heart, I heard the noise of the bomb exploding, again and again. Had Lowell been telling the truth? Was I currently breathing the same air as a gang of murderers?
I gritted my teeth and pushed past it. “Hey, do you guys mind if we chat about the capybara enclosure? I actually wrote down just a few ways that things could be… modified,” I said, carefully.
The builders looked at me with all the blankness of sheep. Good deeds were so easily forgotten, I reflected.
I bit the inside of my cheek and decided it was time to apply pressure. “It’s just, if enclosures aren’t built to suit animals, they have a habit of escaping and I might not always be there when they get loose to put them back where they belong.” I batted my eyelashes. “And you never know when there’s going to be another breakout.”
Rich moved a hand up to his scalp. A small bald patch showed where the squirrel monkey had torn out his hair.
“Yeah, proposals. Okay, we can do that.” He held out his hand and I pulled a piece of paper from my pocket. Time would tell of course, but I thought I might have finally got my way.
Well done, you succeeded in blackmailing someone who may have planted a bomb. Someone who should definitely be in prison right now, my brain mocked and my brief feeling of success evaporated. Surely this ruse couldn’t go on for much longer?
I looked up to see Lowell watching me, his eyes dark with a warning. Keep quiet.
Even Lucky couldn’t cheer me up when I went to see him in the dependent animal unit. He was much happier with a larger space to explore, and I was pleased to see he was already putting on weight.
“Oh, Lucky, what should I do? I think someone here at the zoo is responsible for a lot of terrible things. ” I hesitated. “I’m just not sure who… or even why,” I added, admitting my confusion.
I’d thought that the obvious answer was that the people who had planted the bomb, broke into the storeroom, and presumably murdered Ray, were undercover animal rights activists. They might be responsible for vandalising Colin’s car and putting up those hateful posters, but they were both incidents that stuck out to me as petty, rather than truly malicious.
If I were to believe Lowell, it would imply that Rich and co were an extremist sleeper cell. I frowned and rubbed my temples. Rich had worked at the zoo for years and I’d personally watched him throw rocks at pigeons and yell death threats at the squirrel monkeys. I doubted that was typical behaviour for an animal rights extremist, even while working undercover.
“So what the hell is going on?” I murmured to the little cat, who sighed and fell asleep, his belly full of formula.
Lowell had told me to keep my nose out of the whole business, but there was one suspect I didn’t think he’d considered.
It didn’t take me long to locate Alison Rowley.
I asked around and was told she was sorting items for the bins behind the shop. I walked down the alley between buildings and saw her crouched down at the end, talking softly to something.
“Alison?” I said, making sure she heard me approach. With everything that was going on, spending time alone in an alley with someone I strongly suspected was involved with the recent goings on at the zoo was hardly a smart thing to do. But I could tell from her voice that she wasn’t plotting anything. In fact…
The dark-haired girl turned to face me and I saw a fledgling crow nestled in her hand.
“There’s a
nest up on the roof, but I think this little one fell. He has all his flight feathers, but there’s no room for him to take off in the alley.” She walked by me and I followed her to the end of the narrow path. “There you go,” she said to the young crow, flattening her palm so it could perch on the edge. The dark feathered bird shifted its weight from one foot to the other before taking off. At first it grazed the grass, but pretty soon, it got the hang of its wings and was soaring up and up, aiming for a distant tree.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Alison asked, when we’d watched the bird disappear.
I looked at her for a long moment and she seemed to shrink beneath my gaze.
“I’m not here to accuse you of anything, because I don’t think you meant anyone harm.” I thought about it and realised that was the truth. I didn’t know Alison very well at all, but I’d always thought you could tell a lot about a person from the way they treated animals and to all intents and purposes, I believed Alison had a good heart. She just might have taken some bad advice.
“You think I’m one of them… an activist,” she said, not looking at all surprised.
“Are you?”
“Not exactly. If you managed to pin one of the guys out the front of the zoo down, they’d tell you I was on their side. They think I’m their inside girl.”
She sighed.
“The posters and the spray paint on the car… was that you?”
“I did help organise it, yes.” She shrugged. “I care about animals, just like my brother did. Only, it nearly got him killed.”
I blinked and looked at her face more carefully, a lot more carefully.
Oh.
“Is your brother Danny Emeridge?”
Alison nodded. “Yeah. He was doing a job he loved, working with animals he adored, and in a single moment it was all taken from him by some jumped up animal rights jerks.” I opened my mouth but she silenced me with a look. “Joining them may sound crazy, but I wanted to find out who was responsible for what happened to Danny. The police did nothing, so I was going to make them pay.” Her shoulders slumped a little. “I found out a couple of days ago that it was just a couple of thugs who’d joined up when things were hotting up here last time. No one had given them instructions to attack anyone, they just caught Danny out on his own and beat him up for sport. No one even knows who they were,” she admitted.