Madigan Amos Zoo Mysteries : Books 1 - 5 (Madigan Amos Zoo Mysteries Boxset)

by Ruby Loren

  Ashley didn’t need to be told twice. Clearly, she had an idea as to which job was the preferable one.

  I waited until she’d left. Then, I approached the woman with the short blonde hair with its streak of pink in it. Everyone at the zoo had heard her shouting in the past and knew what she was claiming, but I’d realised I didn’t know her name.

  I asked her what it was.

  “Diane,” she said, running out of steam. I’d surprised her.

  “I saw you went for a meeting with Auryn when you first arrived at the zoo,” I said. “Did you not discuss a way to move forward?”

  She frowned and looked angry again. “He just asked for evidence. I know who I am,” she said, her voice rising once more.

  I nodded. “I know,” I agreed, “but perhaps some family photos, a birth certificate, or even some sign of a connection could help your case. A DNA test would be a pretty foolproof way. You must be related to Auryn, right? It would clear everything up.”

  The woman looked unsure. “I don’t trust any of them. These rich people are all in it together. I just want what’s owed to me and to give others the same freedom. Now these little penguins are happy, too.”

  I thought about explaining to her that the little penguins she’d just freed would never be able to cope in the wild. They’d all been bred in captivity and were, as she’d found out, practically tame. They were also a long way from their native country. Life for these penguins was infinitely better in the zoo.

  Although in an ideal world, every animal would be wild, the changes being made to the planet meant that animals needed protection. It was sad, and I wished that the land could be shared, but I could only be part of the mission to save what was left. The zoo also contributed to causes such as replanting rainforests, but it was our job to preserve what was left in the hopes that one day, things might change for the better.

  This kind of explanation would probably be lost on Diane. I wasn’t going to dismiss her parental claims as out of hand, no matter how unlikely they were, but she definitely had some strange ideas in her head and some even stranger ways of going about proving her claim.

  “You can trust the police. Perhaps they could oversee the process, or recommend someone who could?” I was still pushing for the DNA test, which was surely the best way to reach the end of the matter.

  Diane looked uncomfortable. “I don’t like the police. They said I was making a nuisance by shouting at people in the zoo. I paid to get in. I can do what I want.”

  I looked down at the penguins waddling around close to her feet, still scooping up the remnants of the fish she'd brought for them. Now there were only two that I could see.

  I hoped Ashley would return with the carrier soon so we could play ‘hunt the penguin in the surprise blizzard’.

  It could have been worse, I reflected, trying to see a bright side. At least the rather eccentric woman had fed the penguins what smelt like mackerel, as opposed to something that wasn’t suited for their diet. I was not surprised in the slightest that the penguins had fallen over themselves to get out of their enclosure for a taste of the fish. They were always enthusiastic whenever someone brought them food.

  “I think you should get home. It’s cold outside and the zoo’s about to close for today,” I said, still speaking calmly to Diane. “How about you have a think about getting that test done and come back to the zoo soon? I’m sure the zoo owner, Auryn, would be happy to see you.” He wouldn’t but he would need to suck it up and meet with this lady again, if he wanted to avoid her causing a scene outside the Winter Wonderland, or letting more animals run loose.

  At least that was something he could use as leverage. I knew there would be ample proof that Diane had broken into the penguins’ enclosure and released them, which was damage of property and perhaps some other things, too. I was no petty crime expert. Something told me she probably didn’t have an entirely clean record to start with, either. I knew that Auryn would want to give this woman a fair chance, if she was who she claimed to be, but the time for nonsense was definitely over. She needed to prove the validity of her claims, or move on with her life.

  “He was nice last time. He said I could stay for the party,” she said, leaving me to wonder if she’d taken him up on the offer. It must have been pretty late when he’d said it because I would have remembered if Diane, or Auryn, had returned to the party. I wondered if the police knew she had gone back. It could make her a witness, or even a potential suspect. I mostly scrubbed the second thought from my mind. Unless Diane was conducting an elaborate ruse to portray herself as someone she wasn’t, (beyond the strange claim) I didn’t think she was a person capable of having the foresight to plan a poisoning, and what would her problem with Jenna have been? I shook my head a little. I was jumping at every shadow.

  To my surprise, Diane shuffled off through the snow in the direction of the exit, without further complaint. At least, I hoped she was heading towards the exit and not planning to release any other animals. The penguins would be all right in the snow, but some of the others would risk succumbing to the low temperature. There was a good reason for all of the extra bedding and weatherproofing that had been added during the past couple of weeks.

  I would have to double-check on my way out, but I sensed that Diane was actually going home, wherever that was. She’d made her stand for tonight.

  “Got it!” Ashley said, reappearing with the large carrier.

  “Let’s make our base here by the fence and add any penguins you find to the carrier.” I looked at it and decided this plan could work. “I think all ten will fit in there, but we’ll have to fix the fence pretty quick after we’ve got them there, as they won’t be happy for long.”

  Fortunately, the carrier Ashley had brought had a hatch at the top, which theoretically made lowering in newly caught penguins a lot easier than if there’d just been the door at the front.

  “Shout if anything happens,” I said right before we split up to look for the escapees. I felt strange saying it, but Avery was a little scarier than it had once been. That thought saddened me a lot.

  I found one of the penguins getting to grips with the snow by sliding down the slope on the way towards the monkey enclosures. I nearly followed him down when I slipped on the freezing ground beneath the snow. I regained my balance and then carefully shuffled down the incline after the much speedier penguin. All the time, I was well aware of the CCTV camera that watched the path I was sliding along. I hoped I wasn’t about to do something that would end up on YouTube. I’d had enough bad CCTV experiences to last a lifetime!

  Half an hour later, the penguins had all been found and were making a racket inside their carrier, unhappy to be missing the exciting weather. I’d sent Ashley home because she’d been fretting about the snow. I wasn’t too thrilled about it myself, but if I couldn’t get my car going, I would be able to take a very long walk home without too much trouble. There was always the lost property box in the staffroom that could be raided for warm clothes, and I knew the route well enough to not get into trouble.

  I muttered something rude about the woman claiming to be related to Auryn. So far, she hadn’t shown that she had anything in common with the family she claimed to be descended from.

  A piece of hardboard, hastily nailed into place was the grand sum of my DIY abilities when it came to fixing the penguin enclosure. I tested it and knew it would hold for the night. Hopefully, the weather wouldn’t be as bad tomorrow, and one of the caretakers would be able to come and fix the fencing. Perhaps it would be a good idea to address the fact that it was a weak point and replace it with something else. I sighed, knowing that the ‘something else’ would probably be an extension of the wall. A zoo was supposed to give people the chance to get up close with the animals, but there were always a few who abused the privilege by pulling stunts like Diane had. That ruined it for the rest when security had to be beefed up.

  The penguins were hastily reinstated and locked in, and I congratulated
myself on a job well done.

  I stood for a moment, looking up at the silent but heavy snowfall. There was already a couple of centimetres on the ground, and I was starting to suspect that my estimate of one centimetre was a little off. Perhaps this was going to be some serious snowfall after all! I bit my lip, wondering how it would affect the zoo. I knew the animals would be okay - albeit a bit sulky - after our preparations, but the visitors were a different matter. Snow always put people off travelling, and I worried it would affect the success of the winter events. A little snowfall would have been lovely to accent the greenery, and might even have boosted attendance, but this snowstorm just seemed to be getting heavier.

  I wiped the clumps from my glasses and angled my head down so that my vision remained as clear as it could be. I could already feel tendrils of my blonde hair corkscrewing around my head. There was something about snow which caused it to curl, as no other weather did. I supposed it was better than frizz, but it didn’t make it any less unruly.

  Even though I worried about the zoo and the effect the snow would have on the gamble Auryn had taken, it was nice walking back along the paths with snowflakes swirling all around me. I was alone in a real Winter Wonderland, and the zoo was transformed into a magical place. Tomorrow, it would be interesting to see which animals would take to the snow and who didn’t want to get cold feet.

  I was still smiling at that thought when I walked through reception and smelled smoke.

  11

  Next in Line

  It wasn’t the nice autumnal scent of a wood fire that often floated across the zoo from nearby residences. This was the acrid smell of burning plastic and other things that weren’t supposed to burn.

  I lifted my head up, anxiously searching for the source. The snow made it nearly impossible to see. The only thing I had on my side was the lightened sky, coloured an eery orange by the snowfall. A dark column of smoke had just started to rise above the offices. The building must be on fire!

  I was already pulling out my phone when I saw something that horrified me.

  There was a face at the window of the conference room upstairs in the building.

  Someone was trapped inside!

  “Oh, hell,” I said, knowing that I was about to do everything you were told not to do when there was a fire in a building. All the same, I knew I would never be able to stop wondering ‘what if?’ if I sat by and watched.

  With the phone still pressed to my ear, I ran inside the building, shouting at the operator to send the fire brigade to Avery Zoo before hanging up and fully focusing all of my senses on what I intended to do.

  I skidded to a halt outside the main office door. It was open a crack, and when I touched the handle, it was cool. I pushed it further open and was rewarded with a thick haze of smoke that made me cough and choke. I might be shorter than the average person, but walking upright was no longer any good. I got down on my hands and knees and started to crawl forwards, noting that the air was more breathable down here. At any second, I expected to see, or feel, orange flames licking out of the black smoke, but so far, I’d been lucky.

  It was also fortunate that I knew the office layout. It was especially fresh in my mind due to my recent journeys up to sort out Jenna’s office. Even in the dark and smoky atmosphere, I was able to make my way through until I found the closed door of the conference room, where I was certain I’d seen someone looking out. I touched the door handle and was relieved to find it was cool.

  Well aware of back drafts and other scary things that could happen in fires - like the building collapsing - I pushed the door open and prayed for the best outcome. Smoke poured into the relatively smoke free room. I had just enough time to see the person I’d spotted looking down at me from the window.

  It was Lawrence O’Reilly.

  “You silly mare! You’ve just let all of the smoke in,” he complained, as if I wasn’t here risking my life to save him. Fortunately, the very same smoke meant I could roll my eyes at length knowing he couldn’t see. Not that I would’ve cared if he could.

  “We need to leave,” I said, stating the obvious.

  “I can’t. You can't breathe out there. Or in here now, thanks to you.” His voice grew scratchy and he broke off into lengthy coughing.

  I felt my temper snap. I was risking my life to save Lawrence and he was giving me back chat?

  I crawled over to where he was and yanked him down to floor level with me. He muttered something but the smoke seemed to have taken his voice for now.

  “This place could combust or fall down at any moment,” I told him. “Get angry with me later, but right now, hold on to my legs and keep up,” I instructed. His hands seized my ankles, far more tightly than I’d have liked, but I gritted my teeth and started to lead us back through the black smoke, towards what I hoped would be safety.

  “I can’t do it,” Lawrence whispered, coughing every few seconds. I ignored him and kept crawling. His grip remained strong, so I never believed he meant what he was saying. For once, I suspected that Lawrence’s prejudices were in my favour. He wasn't going to let some weak woman leave him behind in a fire.

  Even so, we were almost at the door when I felt his grip fail. I turned before I lost him, finding his hands and dragging him the short distance to the office door. I suspected that he and I would both have a few cuts and bruises after this ordeal, but we were going to make it, weren’t we? Everything was going to be just fine…

  I kept repeating the mantra in my head. I reached the open door to the stairs and pulled Lawrence out, so he was through the door. In the darkness of the smoke, I thought I saw a bright flicker of flame. I seized the heavy powder fire extinguisher from where it hung on a wall, right outside the office, releasing the pin as I swung it round, nearly hitting Lawrence in the process. A fire extinguisher this big was not made for someone my size!

  I aimed the nozzle and squeezed the handle, shooting a spray of powder into the room. I thought I heard something crackle, but I just kept squeezing, until the smoke started to get to me again. I hefted the heavy fire extinguisher inside the door and firmly closed it, hoping I'd done something to help.

  The stairs were not a safe place to be, so I continued to drag the half-delirious elderly Lawrence down them, doing my best to minimise injury.

  When we finally made it out into the snow, I still couldn’t relax. Lawrence was old and I thought he might be going into shock. He wasn’t even talking any more. The snow was no place for him to be. I shrugged off my jacket and did my best to use it to cover his shoulders and back. I was left in my inadequate zoo pullover, but I knew it was nothing a hot chocolate wouldn’t fix.

  I looked back at the office building and watched the smoke seep out through the closed door. I wondered if the place was going to burn to the ground, and if the zoo itself was in any danger.

  I shook myself free from my musings. The smoke must have got to me, too! How could I have forgotten that I hadn’t called Auryn?

  He’d just answered the phone when the fire engine arrived, lights blazing and siren blaring through the sound-dampening snow storm.

  I wasn’t sure how much Auryn heard of my phone call, but he must have understood something was wrong because he said he’d be there right away and hung up in a flash.

  To my surprise, two more sets of flashing blue lights followed the fire engine. I didn’t have time to wonder why the police were there because I suddenly realised I’d forgotten to call the ambulance. I approached one of the firefighters, who immediately went over to Lawrence and lifted him into the warmth of the fire engine. It was a relief to know he was in more capable hands than my own.

  Detective Treesden got out of one of the police cars, followed by a grim looking Officer Kelly. This time, there was no smile for me.

  “Why were you at the zoo so late? Where were you when the fire started?” The detective began, not even bothering with a greeting.

  “The penguins had been let out by Diane, the woman who believes she’s re
lated to old Mr Avery. I had to catch them with the help of another zookeeper, but I let her go ahead of me while I fixed the fences that had been cut through,” I explained, trying to ignore the suspicion written across the detective’s face. “I was just about to leave the zoo when I smelled smoke and discovered it was coming from the office. I saw a face in the window and realised someone was up there. I called 999 and then I went in to try to get the person out. I wasn’t sure if the fire service would get here in time.”

  The smoke had been pretty bad. It was now seeping out through tiny gaps in the windows. I thought that I’d done the right thing by going in there and rescuing Lawrence.

  Apparently, I was alone in that opinion.

  “What is your relation to the man you say you rescued?” The detective asked.

  “Lawrence was… is… head of the board of directors,” I said, reluctantly amending my words as I went.

  The detective immediately picked up on it. “Did you often disagree with the victim?”

  Victim?! I thought.

  “He’s still alive, isn't he?” I asked, looking over at the fire engine to check. The paramedics had been on their way after all. The zoo was known to have a lot of people working there and they’d been automatically requested, just in case. The paramedics gathered around the fire engine and I watched as they wheeled Lawrence away on a stretcher. I saw him wave a hand up and down and knew he was still conscious.

  “I’ve never particularly spoken to Lawrence,” I admitted, deciding it was better to forget about our recent conversation in the office. Lawrence had spoken as though I weren’t present, and I was willing to tell the story that way, too. “Old Mr Avery brought him back to help run things when Auryn was still learning the ropes. I think Auryn is doing better than anyone ever expected. He’s moved beyond needing Lawrence. The only reason he’s still here is because Auryn doesn’t want to go against anything his grandad wanted. Lawrence is sort of a zoo treasure, but one who really does need to retire. Even his family wanted him to take it easy,” I said.