Penguins and Mortal Peril: Mystery (Madigan Amos Zoo Mysteries Book 1)

by Ruby Loren

  “How come you’re still around?” I asked her and she shrugged.

  “It may sound crazy, but I do actually need a summer job. I just got my degree in veterinary science, but I took a gap year, mostly with this in mind.”

  “Look, I understand your reasons for joining them and I know it was never your intention to harm anyone at the zoo, but did you hear anything about the bomb plot, or plans to break in, or anything to do with Ray?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t making a mistake by deciding to trust her.

  She shook her head. “Believe me, if I’d seen or heard anything like that I’d have gone to the police immediately. I know this all looks like some crazy vendetta I had to get even for my brother, and it was… but I’m not a criminal. What I can tell you is that the group of protesters I talk to are baffled. They don’t know who planted that bomb or who was trying to break in. They were shocked when they heard animals might have been poisoned, and horrified when those people died.”

  “They really don’t know who’s behind it all?” I asked and she shook her head again.

  “Some of them are saying it’s a group of extremists. They’ve heard of stuff like this happening before. That kind of activist wouldn’t associate with the likes of us, so no one can say for sure. The rumours are that there’s a tight knit group who operate like a terrorist cell. They strike when they think the situation is bad enough to warrant it, but even the people protesting here think it’s a rather steep reaction to the death of one animal due to negligence. They thought it was crazy when they were questioned about the break in and it came out that the police found traces of poison in some of the food meant for the animals.” Her dark eyes flashed with fury. “Why on earth would a group of people who were protesting the flaws of poisoning ‘vermin’ start trying to inflict the same fate on other animals?”

  “To prove that the zoo is bad, is probably what the police thought,” I said, playing devil’s advocate.

  I knew what she meant though, it had seemed strange to me that a bunch of animal fanatics would ever contemplate animal murder.

  Someone called Alison’s name from the shop and she shot me an apologetic look. “I know what I said about the extremists potentially being here without us knowing, but there’s one thing that seems really off about it all.” She took a deep breath. “Terrorists, extremists, they all like to take credit for the destruction and havoc they cause. Now… don’t you think they’ve been awfully quiet?”

  CHAPTER TEN

  The Inside Man

  Lawrence O’Reilly made his triumphant return to the zoo a day later. He was a member of the board and had been since the days when Mr Avery senior presided over things. They had a friendship that stretched back for decades and while Mr Avery had finally taken a back seat, Lawrence never left the board. When the bomb went off, he’d been sat next to Mark Sweetly, who was one of the three victims who’d lost their lives.

  Lawrence hadn’t fared too much better. Shrapnel had torn his face into ribbons and nuts and bolts embedded themselves in his skull and torso. It was only pure luck that had stopped the pieces from hitting anything too vital.

  A meeting had been called in the staff room first thing that morning and we’d been informed that Lawrence was being released from hospital and was returning to the zoo to pay his respects. While there were plans for a permanent memorial to be built for the victims of the blast, at the moment flowers laid outside the closed restaurant were the only signs that something terrible had happened. All the same, I understood Lawrence’s need for closure.

  It was like having a visit from the Queen. Staff lined up as Lawrence was wheeled by in a wheelchair. He was such a familiar face at the zoo that nearly everyone had words of greeting for him when he passed by. In spite of everything, I couldn’t help but smile. Lawrence’s return was heartening. It showed that no matter what was thrown at us, we still came back. I wasn’t surprised to see Mr Avery senior arrive too, flanked by his son, Erin. I briefly wondered where Auryn was, but squashed that little thought straight back down.

  “Ooh, isn’t he brave,” I heard a breathless voice say beside me. I glanced sideways to find that Jenna had arrived. She was clutching her hands over heart and staring with rapt fascination at… Erin Avery.

  “It’s great that Lawrence is back, isn’t it?” I said, hoping against hope that I was wrong about the glaze in Jenna’s eyes.

  She half nodded. “Yeah, but it must be so difficult for Erin to come back here. Especially when he so nearly lost his own life. He must be so damaged.”

  I opened my mouth to say something about it being lucky he’d needed a bathroom break, but Jenna was fully enraptured. I thought about reminding her that he was super old and there was an excellent reason as to why he’d stayed single since his divorce - he was a remorseless workaholic. Instead, I just sighed. I and everyone else just assumed that Jenna would probably learn the error of her ways one day. Until that time, there was no helping her.

  “Ah well, at least he’s probably still got all of his own teeth,” I said before realising I was speaking out loud. Jenna gave me a very funny look and, to my delight, moved away.

  I was about to turn and walk back to the day’s tasks when I saw Tom walk up to Lawrence and shake his hand.

  “It’s great to have you back sir, we’ve all missed you,” he said. The keeper of primates looked up and caught me watching. I could have sworn he winked.

  ***

  Lowell cornered me again when I was on my way out to feed the feral cats. He whistled from inside the same shed he’d once dragged me into. I made a big pretence of ignoring him until I had completed the task of delivering the food. He could stew for a few more moments.

  “What?” I said when I returned around the side of the barn and entered the shed. Lowell shut the door after me, but light filtered in via cobweb encased windows and through gaping cracks in the door. I hoped no one was in earshot because this shed was about as soundproof as a paper bag.

  “They suspect you’re in on it, I can tell. I heard your name mentioned and Rich and the others hushed up as soon as I tried to get close. They think you know too much about their plans,” he told me.

  I only just managed to not roll my eyes. “I just wish I knew what they think I know. Aside from them being responsible for the bomb and maybe the other stuff too, I know nothing. Am I supposed to think that they’re secretly a group of animal extremists who’ve spent years undercover, just waiting for the right moment to strike?” I raised an eyebrow at Lowell but didn't wait for a response. “Somehow that seems like a load of crap to me.” Especially when I thought over what Alison had said about the unusual lack of credit taken for the bomb.

  “So what is this really about?”

  Lowell shifted uncomfortably.

  “I came here to tell you to keep out of this, not to drag you further in. Don’t you get it? These people are willing to kill for their cause. You do not want to get in the way of that.”

  I folded my arms and gave him a withering look that would have been way more effective if I were 5 ft 8. “You just said it yourself… I’m already involved. You’re not going to the police and from what I can tell, you’re trying to handle this on your own. I’m not sure how many people are a part of whatever is going on at the zoo, but its definitely more than one, isn’t it? You’re outnumbered. You need some allies.”

  “I’m paid to put my life in danger. It’s all in a day’s work for me, but you’re a zookeeper. I’m here to make this mess go away, not bring you into it,” he growled.

  “And if they kill you, then what? Everything you’ve done here will be for nothing. They’ll get away with it. Surely it’s better to share what you know, so at the very least, there might be someone left who can bring these people to justice?”

  “Look, you already know most of what I know. It’s the builders who are doing all of the dirty work but there’s only circumstantial evidence at the moment. I’ve got to catch them actually committing a crime. Then I can fi
nally hand everything I have over to Mr Avery and he can do what he pleases with it,” Lowell said.

  I bristled.

  “What about the police?”

  He just shrugged. I told you, there’s no evidence at the moment other than what I heard the guys talking about. You can go to them if you want but I guarantee, you’ll be left all alone at the zoo once the police have investigated. Then where will you be? Even if they did manage to find enough to get the builders, I’m almost certain it goes deeper than that,” he said, and I felt a wave of ice wash over me.

  “More people are involved in it,” I said.

  He nodded.

  I thought about Tom’s interrogation about my relations with Lowell and the way he’d winked at me that morning. Was it because he thought I knew more than I really did?

  More to the point, what on earth was this all about? There surely had to be some twisted logic behind the murders.

  My heart thudded a little faster in my chest. Oh, this was a dangerous game to be playing.

  “How did you know there was going to be a break in?” I suddenly asked, realising I’d never managed to properly question Lowell after the last time I’d found myself sharing a shed with him.

  “I didn’t. I just suspected. I was in the staff room during a coffee break, when a couple of board members were chatting. I think it was one of the men who died and a woman,” Lowell said, his face screwing up as he thought back. “It was when the protestors were really starting to get rowdy. The guy was saying, pretty loudly, that he hoped the protestors wouldn’t start doing anything like breaking into the zoo and going after food supplies, as it could really make the situation far more dire. The whole building crew were there when he said it. Actually… most of the zoo’s staff were in there when he said it, and the guy had a carrying voice.”

  He shook his head. “Anyway, I made it my business to find out where the food stores were and kept a vigil whenever I could grab a spare moment away from work.

  “Then they came and tried to do exactly what the board member feared,” I filled in, knowing I sounded incredulous. It just sounded dumb for Rich and co to act on something which, to me at least, sounded like a potential trap.

  I frowned. “How come you didn’t catch them then? That would have been evidence enough.”

  “I told you, I didn’t know when it would happen and before I could get the police in here quietly, you’d already run off to play hero.”

  I felt colour rising to my cheeks but it soon faded. I refused to let him make me feel bad.

  “I did the right thing. If I hadn’t gone in and carefully warned them that I was there, anything could have happened. Tom was just a second behind me! He might have surprised them and got hurt, or even…” I hesitated. “Or even taken some poisoned food straight to the animals.” I stopped.

  “He’s a part of it, isn’t he?”

  Lowell tilted his head. “I did wonder this morning when he asked so many questions. I figured there had to be other people working with the builders, after all, they don’t have much say in what actually happens at the zoo. Zookeepers on the other hand…”

  “What are you going to do about it?” I asked, determined to get a straight answer.

  “I told you. I need to stick close and give them enough rope to hang themselves with. I've got recording devices on me now, so pretty soon this will all be over. I’ll get to the bottom of it and the zoo will be back to the way it should be.” He smiled at me but it didn’t have the charming effect it might have done, even as recently as last night.

  “I think you already know what’s going on,” I said, moving so I was in front of the door. Sure, he could barge me out of the way no problem, but I hoped I was making a point.

  “Fine.” He held up his hands and looked exasperated. “Mr Avery noticed that animals who were meant to be shipped both in and out of the zoo have been going missing. No one’s noticed, because it’s always the excess that goes missing. The numbers at the start of a transfer order start big, but when everything is accounted for at delivery, the number of animals has dropped and the surplus vanishes.”

  “Someone’s stealing animals?”

  He nodded.

  “That’s what Mr Avery thinks. He believes there’s some black market trafficking going on. He just wants it stopped as quietly as possible.”

  I bristled. “They planted a bomb which killed people. They probably murdered Ray!” I reminded him. “Does the zoo’s reputation really mean so much to him that he’d rather hush all of this up for the sake of carrying on as normal? His son is lucky to be alive right now! How can he justify this?”

  “I’m just doing my job,” Lowell repeated.

  I shook my head. “I’m not as precious as you are about my employers. I’m going to the police.”

  He reached out and grabbed my arm and I looked down at his hand in disgust. He didn’t remove it.

  “Give me one more night and I swear to you, no one will get away with anything. After hanging around with these guys for so long, I know the signs. I think a shipment is due tonight and it’s my best chance of getting everyone that’s involved together in one place. Once I’m done, I promise I will do everything in my power to persuade Mr Avery to take all of this to the police.” He took a breath. “If he doesn’t, I’ll do it anyway. You’re right. Something like this can’t just be covered up for the sake of reputation but I have to get that evidence locked down.”

  “Then let me help you,” I said, but he just shook his head.

  “Go home, Madi. Stay safe and all of this will be over by tomorrow.” He gently pushed me aside and walked out of the shed into the evening sunshine. I watched him walk away down the trail worn in the grass.

  He never looked back.

  ***

  I couldn’t believe how long it took to clear up after the miniature ponies and cows. Hosing down and mucking out was my last task of the day. I’d got stuck in, just as the zoo shut, but had taken longer than I’d expected.

  I took a few extra moments after turning off the hose to check in on Blossom and her new calf. Now that the challenge of giving birth was over, she and her baby seemed to be doing just fine. The vet was due to come in tomorrow for a check up, but I was confident that nothing was wrong.

  “Madi.”

  I turned and saw Auryn standing by the five bar gate. His golden face had an ashen hue to it.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked but he just shook his head, his eyes never meeting mine.

  “You shouldn’t stay here so late, it’s dangerous. You’re going home now, right?” He said, and I nodded. Some form of relief drifted across his features. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

  As we were walking, I looked up and noticed the clouds drawing in overhead. The evening sunshine had all but disappeared and by the time we’d reached my car, I could hear thunder approaching over the distant Sussex Downs.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Auryn said.

  I watched him nervously, but he didn’t attempt to kiss me again. In fact, it didn’t even look like it had even crossed his mind.

  “Are you okay? You know you can tell me anything,” I said but he just looked at me with his eyes the colour of storm clouds and shook his head once before walking back towards the zoo.

  I drove my car to a distant corner of the overflow car park and left Lucky in his carrier on the back seat. I hoped I would be seeing him again soon.

  Five minutes later, I followed Auryn.

  The zoo’s reception was as silent as the grave. The only sound was the first few drops of rain on the roof, as the clouds released their hold. A glance around the car park had revealed a few cars, dotted here and there, but I had no way of knowing who they belonged to. The only people I could see were the group of protestors to the side of the entrance. They were packing up for the day. On a whim I walked over to them and caught sight of Alison Rowley’s dark hair, peeking out from beneath a biodegradable plastic rain mac.

  The protestors sti
ffened when they saw me walk up wearing my zoo polo shirt, but I didn’t have time to be berated.

  “Alison, can I speak to you for a second?” I asked, already stepping back the way I’d come. The droplets had transformed into a downpour. My hair was soaked and hanging in rat’s tails. I hadn’t prepared for the bad weather.

  “What’s up?” She glanced back at the activists, who all had their eyes fixed on her.

  I ignored her obvious discomfort. “Something bad is happening tonight. I think the same people who planted the bomb and tried to frame the activists for it are involved.”

  Alison’s expression darkened to match the storm clouds above us. “So, what’s the deal? Do you know why they’re doing all of this?”

  “I think so. One of the builders, Lowell… he’s actually a detective. He thinks a group of people within the zoo are stealing animals and selling them on the black market. He reckons there’s a new shipment tonight and he’s gone to catch them red handed but…” I hesitated. “I don’t know, something doesn’t feel right,” I admitted. Auryn’s odd behaviour had tipped me off to that much.

  “Have you called the police?” She asked.

  “It’s pretty high on my to do list.”

  She gave me a look and pulled out her phone. After a brief conversation she raised her eyebrows, hopefully. “I don’t suppose you’re just up for waiting outside until the reinforcements get here?”

  I shook my head.

  She sighed. “Okay, let’s go stop a gang of animal abusing murderers.”