Peril at Palm Shores (Kristi Cameron Book 7)

by Cynthia Griffith

  “Thanks, Mom,” Rachel said. “Boys, why don’t you help your dad bring the luggage in? Girls, let’s help Grandma get the food on the table.”

  “No, no!” her mother said. “You can come out to the kitchen and talk to me, Rachel, while I finish up, but there’s not room for all of us out there at once. The table is already set, and there isn’t much left to do in the kitchen. We’re just waiting for the roast and potatoes to get done in the oven and then we’ll be all set. You girls can go ahead and do whatever you want until supper.”

  “Thanks, Grandma! We’ll do the dishes then after supper, okay?”

  “It’s a deal, Sweetie! Now run along!”

  Kristi led the way through her grandmother’s house to the guest room. It, like the rest of the place, was done in the cool pastels of the Florida beaches—peach, pink, aqua, tan and cream. It was simple, and tastefully furnished with white wicker furniture. Patio doors opened out onto a veranda. The blue of the pool beyond those doors sparkled in the sun. They could see tall, graceful palm trees at the back of the garden. The entire space, both indoors and out, was pretty and peaceful.

  “Oh, Kristi! Your grandma’s house is just beautiful!” Anna said.

  “It is, isn’t it?” Kristi said softly. “Mom and Dad wondered if she should sell it after Grandpa died, and move into something smaller and easier to take care of, but Grandma loves the place so much and has such happy memories of her and Grandpa here, she just couldn’t bear to part with it.”

  “I can certainly see why,” Anna said.

  “That pool looks yummy!” Robyn said. “Do you suppose we could swim after supper?” She plopped down on the bed and kicked off her shoes.

  “I’m sure we can. Hey thanks, Dan, for bringing our suitcases in!” Kristi said as her older brother entered the room.

  “Pete’s coming with some more,” he said. He set down the luggage, brushed his blond hair from his forehead and said, “Whew! It sure is a lot more humid here than it is in California!”

  “I know. We were just talking about taking a dip in the pool after supper.”

  “Sounds good to me! Oh, here’s Pete!” He grabbed a couple bags from his friend and set them down with the other things. “Pete, you want to go swimming after we eat?”

  “Sure. That pool out there looks really good. Your grandma’s place is nice. How far is it to the beach from here?”

  “Just a couple blocks. The zoo we’re going to be working at is further down the shore about a mile. It’s right across the street from the beach. Palm Shores is just a small town. You can pretty much walk from one end of it to another in no time. The zoo is its only attraction other than the beach. We used to go every year when we were little, but it’s been a long time since we’ve been there now. Since we’ve gotten older we usually just hang out at the beach, or go to Orlando for the amusement parks, or some of the other attractions around this part of Florida.”

  Skeeter poked his head in the door. “Hey guys, Grandma said supper is almost ready and she wants us to get some more chairs around the table. Hurry up—I’m starving!”

  Rachel and Steve were bringing platters and bowls from the kitchen. A delicious aroma filled the air as they gathered around the table. Grandma hurried into the dining room with one last dish and motioned for everyone to sit down. She sat at the head of the table and asked Steve to ask the blessing on the food.

  Kristi looked at her grandmother’s bowed head for an instant before she closed her own eyes. She smiled. Elizabeth Brookes was still a beautiful woman. Her white hair shone like a crown around her head, and her face was smooth and unlined despite her years. An easy smile and quick laugh were always near the surface. Bubbly was the word that came to mind to describe her grandma. Grandma had had many trials in her lifetime, and sometimes her life had not been easy, like when Uncle Jack had been killed in the war, and when Grandpa died. Through it all, though, a spirit of peace and faith and joy had surrounded her and been a witness to others. Kristi’s own mom was the same way, she thought now. She comes by it naturally. I hope I’ll grow old as gracefully as they have, she thought. Oops, I forgot—Mom’s not old yet! She almost giggled, and then she remembered she was supposed to be praying!

  Dinner was delicious. Grandma’s cooking always was. The conversation around the table moved from their flight across country in Steve’s small plane, to their plans for the week, to Grandma’s volunteer work.

  “How did you start volunteering at the zoo, Mrs. Brookes?” Anna asked.

  “Well, first of all, Anna, I want you kids to call me Grandma, not Mrs. Brookes! If we’re going to be all living together for a week Mrs. Brookes is much too formal, don’t you think?” Grandma chucked. “Now let me see… It was soon after Grandpa went home to be with the Lord. We used to go to the zoo, oh I’d say at least once or twice a week, just to walk around. It’s so pretty over there with all the flowers and trees, and Grandpa just loved looking at the animals. He always said how he loved the variety in God’s creation, and that he just knew the Lord had a wonderful sense of humor by the crazy, comical assortment of animals He’d created! Oh, how he would laugh—you know, that big, hearty belly laugh of his!” Grandma’s face softened and her eyes misted up a bit.

  “Well, anyway, I’d go over to the zoo as often as I could after Grandpa died, and sit on the benches, or walk around just thinking about him and remembering the nice days we spent there together. It was comforting, you know? I thought about you children, too, and all the times we took you to the zoo when you were little. It helped me not to miss you so much.” Her gaze rested lovingly on each of her grandchildren.

  “I was there so often that gradually I got to know several of the workers. One day my friend Tammy—she’s the veterinarian at the zoo—suggested I volunteer to help. They had a lot of babies in the nursery at the time, and they just were overwhelmed. They needed an extra pair of hands just to feed and play with some of the little ones. I didn’t know if I’d be able to handle working with animals, but Tammy told me I’d basically be doing the same thing I’d been doing for several years at the hospital’s nursery. She was right—babies are babies, and they’re all so sweet! The biggest difference is that some of the babies in the zoo have sharp little teeth and claws!” “What kinds of animals are in the nursery right now, Grandma?” Skeeter asked.

  “Well, we have a set of black bear twins, a little antelope, a kangaroo joey and two baby chimpanzees at the moment. We’re expecting a litter of mongoose any day now, and they’ll be in the nursery for a while, too. There’s also an injured parrot and a couple other birds in the zoo’s hospital, as well as a sick lemur and a coyote with a broken leg. The hospital and nursery are in the same building.”

  “Will we be able to go in the nursery, Grandma?” Kristi asked. “Do you think we can hold any of the babies?”

  “I already have permission to take you into the nursery, and you’ll be able to hold some of them and pet some of the others. Jimmy, one of the zookeepers, is going to take you on a feeding tour, too.”

  “What’s that like, Mrs.—I mean, Grandma?” Pete asked.

  “You’ll get to follow Jimmy around as he feeds the animals. He’ll let you actually do some of the feeding of the seals, and giraffes and some of the safer animals, and go behind the scenes with him while he feeds some of the more dangerous animals.”

  “Wow, that’s cool, Grandma!” Skeeter exclaimed.

  “Oh, yes! But don’t forget, we need your help, too, to get a lot of little jobs done around the zoo. The zoo is so small there are only a couple of full-time workers and they have their hands full with just taking care of the animals. They haven’t had time to keep up with the painting or little extras that need to be done. We’ve had several incidents of vandalism and graffiti lately and we need to get those things fixed before the anniversary party next Saturday. Now, who’s ready for dessert? I made a pineapple upside-down cake.”

  “Yum, that’s my favorite!” Rachel said.

&nbs
p; “I know. Why do you think I made it?” Grandma said with a smile.

  They were just cleaning up the last crumbs of the cake when Dan asked, “Have you heard what the weather’s supposed to be like this week, Grandma?”

  “Why, I think it will be clear and sunny until later in the week when we may have a little rain. Just pray that it’s nice on Saturday! And that the rain won’t interfere with your work, either.”

  “And while you’re at it, pray that it’s just a little rain.” Steve said. “I was studying the weather charts while I prepared for the flight today and there’s a tropical storm brewing out in the Atlantic. It looks like it could turn into a hurricane in the next day or two. If it does, and it moves a little further north, we could have a lot of rain.”

  “A hurricane! Do you think we’ll have a hurricane here, Daddy?” Kristi asked, looking a little nervous.

  “No, Kristi. If it turns into a hurricane it will most likely go across the Caribbean and we’ll be fine. You never know about hurricanes, though. They can suddenly veer off in another direction and if that happens we may get more rain.”

  “Oh, no! That would be awful, Daddy!”

  “Well, the Lord is in control, Kristi. We can’t do anything about the weather.”

  “I know, but I sure would hate for something to interfere with the party. That’s the zoo’s chance to raise a lot of money.”

  Grandma smiled. “Well, don’t worry about it now, Kristi Anne. Time enough for that if it actually does happen.”

  “You’re right, Grandma. Thanks! And thank you for supper, too. It was so delicious!”

  The rest of them chimed in with their thanks, as well. The girls started gathering the dishes and carrying things back to the kitchen. “We’ll help you,” Dan offered. “The sooner you get done, the sooner we can swim.”

  The grown-ups moved out to the patio with their iced tea while the young people quickly made short work of the dirty dishes and leftovers. There was a lot of giggling and bumping into one another going on with the six teens trying to move about the small kitchen, but soon they’d finished and ran off to their rooms to change into their swimsuits.

  Skeeter was the first one to hit the pool—literally. He did a cannonball into the water, splashing water up onto the patio—and the adults! “Hey!” Steve yelled. “Watch it, Skeeter!”

  “Oops! Sorry, Dad!” He climbed out of the water and grabbed his towel. He started swiping at his mother to dry her off.

  She jerked away and laughed, “Skeeter! Back off! You’re making it worse! You’re dripping all over me!”

  “Oops! Sorry, Mom! Here, Grandma—do you want to borrow my towel?” He held out the soggy beach towel to his grandmother.

  “No thanks, honey. I’m fine!” she said chuckling. She shook her head and smiled as Skeeter jumped back into the pool—this time doing a belly flop. “He reminds me of a big overgrown puppy—all over you and making a mess, but so full of enthusiasm and good intentions!” she said.

  “I know what you mean!” Rachel said ruefully.

  The other teenagers soon joined Skeeter in the pool. The night air was filled with the smell of tropical flowers from Elizabeth’s garden, and the sound of happy teens. Grandma looked up as the stars began to appear in the night sky and smiled. It doesn’t get much better than this, she thought. My family close to me again in the place that I love most here on earth! I am a blessed woman!

  Kristi was floating around in the pool on a raft. She looked up at the same stars. Hmm, she thought. It’s so beautiful here. The sky is so clear! Look at all those stars! It’s hard to believe that somewhere out in the Atlantic a hurricane is brewing! Oh well, it’s not coming here so there’s no point in worrying about it!

  Skeeter looked up at the stars and thought, I’m hungry! I wonder—what’s for a snack?”

  ___________

  CHAPTER THREE

  ___________

  A Feeding Frenzy

  Kristi jumped out of the van and looked around. They were in the employees’ parking lot at the zoo. There was nothing fancy back here—no cute safari-type signs or brightly-colored entrance gates. Just a bunch of dumpsters and a pile of scrap wood. A high fence was half hidden by overgrown bushes, and the back of the building in front of them was badly in need of paint. It was very early in the morning, too, and she was feeling a little out of sorts. Kristi never had been much of a “morning person.” So far she was not very impressed with this little zoo, and why they had to crawl out of bed at five thirty in the morning was beyond her! Back home in California it was only two thirty! The middle of the night! Kristi groaned. No wonder she was so tired!

  Grandma was at the door now of the little building and ringing the bell. A moment later the door opened and a young woman stepped out. “Elizabeth! Hi! This must be your family from California! Come on in, everyone! We’ve been expecting you!” She held the door open and they all trooped through.

  They were in a storage room, it appeared. Crates and boxes and barrels were stacked to the ceiling. A narrow path between them led to the front and now they followed the young woman out into a brightly lit office.

  “Gretchen, this is my daughter Rachel and her husband Steve. These are my grandchildren, Dan, Kristi and Skeeter, and their friends Pete, Anna and Robyn. Everyone, this is Gretchen Janus. She’s the director at the zoo. Gretchen is the one who invited you all here to work this week.”

  “Thanks you, Mrs. Janus!” the kids all chorused.

  “Please, call me Gretchen,” she said.

  “Yes, Gretchen, thanks so much for this wonderful opportunity you’ve given the kids,” Rachel added. “They’re so excited about being able to see behind the scenes at the zoo, and interacting with some of the animals.”

  Gretchen laughed. “Well, I’m not sure how much you’ll be thanking me by the time this week is over! We plan to put you all to work and to make you work hard! There’s a lot to be done before our big anniversary celebration this Saturday. We’re hoping to raise a lot of money for the zoo to help with some of the costs of running it. We are a not-for-profit organization. That means we’re not here to get rich, but to make a good home for these animals and educate people about them, and also help save some of the animals of the world from extinction. You see, we believe God wants us to be good stewards of His creation, so we are just doing our part in this one tiny area.”

  “Gretchen is a Christian, too. She and her husband Bill go to my church,” Grandma explained.

  “That’s so wonderful!” Anna exclaimed. “I love animals, too. I would love to do what you’re doing.” Her pretty Spanish face lit up in her excitement. Kristi saw Pete sneaking little glances at her, and she grinned. Everyone knew that Pete had a crush on Anna.

  “Well, who knows, Anna—maybe the Lord will lead you into this kind of work someday, too. Right now, though, I’m going to show you around a bit before I put you to work, and then Jimmy, our head zookeeper will let you follow him around while he feeds the animals. Sorry, it’s so early, but I thought if you wanted a behind the scenes tour right away it would be better to do it before we open the gates to the other visitors.”

  Gretchen led the way through the office, into the gift shop, and then out through another door and into the zoo. Kristi’s initial impressions of the zoo were all washed away as she looked about her now at the charming park. Tall trees, many of them palms, shaded the sidewalks, and pretty bushes and tropical flowers lent splashes of color everywhere. The sidewalks were swept clean and the brightly decorated trash cans were neat and empty, waiting for the start of another day. From where they stood she could see several animal exhibits, some with bars, but most without. A building called the “Monkey Jamboree,” according to the sign, stood to one side with a refreshment stand nearby. Colorful tables and umbrellas were clustered around the small tiki hut building.

  “Ooo, this is so pretty!” the other girls were exclaiming. “Look, Kristi, there’s a peacock!” Anna said, pointing to the proud bird strutti
ng its stuff with its tail fanned out wide and its head held high. It was allowed to roam freely in the park.

  “Hey, and there’s the snack shop!” Skeeter said. “Wow, I’m—”

  “Don’t tell me you’re hungry already, Skeeter!” Kristi said, rolling her eyes. ‘We just had breakfast!”

  “Look, Skeeter, there’s the monkey house,” Robyn giggled, nudging him. “Bet you’ll find your cou—”

  “Robyn!” Skeeter protested.

  Gretchen walked them through the zoo, pointing out the different exhibits along the way. There were several different buildings housing many of the animals. Most of the buildings were empty a good part of the time, Gretchen explained, because the animals were outside in their enclosures enjoying their natural habitats. They caught a glimpse of the wolves as they walked past, and saw several antelope and a yak in a large grassy pen.

  “I’m sorry to have to rush you through right now,” Gretchen apologized, “but Jimmy is waiting for you to start feeding the animals. You’ll have plenty of time to get a better look when you go with him, and all week to really watch the animals if you want to. Here we are now. This is the storage and maintenance shed where we keep all our equipment and some of the animals’ food. That building next to it holds the kitchen where we make up all the special diets, the hospital, and the nursery. Oh, here comes Jimmy!”

  The young zookeeper zipped up on a golf cart and came to a quick halt in front of them. “Hey, Jimmy! These are the folks I told you about. They’re here to give us a hand this week and I’d like you to take them around with you while you feed the animals this morning.” Gretchen made the introductions all around and then went on to say to the teens, “When you’re through with Jimmy, go on over to the nursery, and your grandmother can show you around, and then she’ll take you to Randy, our maintenance man. He’ll get you all started on the jobs he has lined up for you. How does that sound?”