Chapter 13
A full truck of visitors always made for a fun day. Blake was able to put aside his worries about the murder on park property
as well as the “surprise” left in Paradise’s car. Her stressful day was likely to blame for her irritation with him last night.
A large homeschooling group occupied most of the seats, and he drove into the fenced Serengeti preserve. Animals roamed the
acreage freely. One boy chattered about having seen a rhino sleeping under a tree this morning, and he exchanged an amused
glance with the kid’s mom. “Are you learning about rhinos in school?”
The boy nodded. “Did you know their horn is made of keratin and not bone? It’s like hair and fingernails.”
“You’re right,” Blake agreed.
“I didn’t get a good look at the one this morning. I was too scared it would see me and charge.” The boy pointed. “Zebras!”
All the kids squealed when several ostriches ran alongside the truck.
The giraffes and zebras moseyed over as well, and he parked to hand out fronds to feed the giraffes.
The tall animals lumbered over to stick their heads in the windowless openings of the safari truck, and one of the girls squealed when a giraffe licked her with its long tongue.
The chatter rose to deafening proportions as kids vied for the best spots to interact with the animals.
It was part of a normal day’s work, and he loved seeing the kids’ excitement at simple things like animal dung. He parked
and moved the large steps into place for his guests to disembark. Most of the moms stuffed tips into the coffee can by the
door as they exited, and he thanked them. He high-fived several of the boys as they finally got off the vehicle. The group
moved toward the parking lot to their vehicles.
His phone dinged with a message from his mom. Can you get here ASAP? Dozer is missing!
He bit back a gasp. He’d thought the boy was playacting. He shot a text saying he was on his way and started driving for the
Serengeti exit. The rhino enclosure wasn’t far. Maybe he should walk and look for Dozer along the way. The boy said he had
been sleeping under a tree. Blake should have asked more questions.
Dozer was normally a calm rhino and enjoyed rubs and attention. This was the first time he’d escaped. Blake shot Evan a text
and asked him to find out how the rhino got out of his enclosure and to repair any damage. Blake grabbed a tranq rifle and
a rope from the truck, then headed for the open field behind the tree line.
His mother came around a curve in the inside walkway and spotted him. “Thank goodness you’re here. I had our employees close
the park and start evacuating visitors. I told them not to mention the reason.”
“Good. The last thing we need is more grist for the rumor mill to impact our bottom line. I’ll find him first, and then we can form a perimeter with park vehicles to guide him back to the enclosure.” He spotted Evan in the distance and waved him over. “Any sign of him?”
Evan shook his head. “Not yet. There’s a break in the electric fence, so I called and asked Clark to fix it pronto.”
“Great, now let’s find Dozer.”
Evan nodded. “I’ll take the west quadrant.” He grabbed a catch pole and headed for the park’s vehicle lot.
Blake turned back toward the tree line. A stiff breeze from an approaching storm moaned through the eaves of the building
and rustled the leaves of the trees. As he headed toward the field, he saw Clark talking with Mason Taylor, a fourteen-year-old
volunteer, near the lemur enclosure. The boy sat in his wheelchair with a drone on his lap, and he petted Clark’s German shepherds
as he and Clark talked. The boy was always so enthusiastic about the animals, and everyone loved having him around.
From the right Paradise exited her car and approached the two. She still wore her pale green clinic uniform, and Blake doubted
she knew about the rhino escape. She reached Mason and Clark and stood talking to them. Blake’s smile faltered when he saw
movement just past the trees in the field.
Dozer snorted and swung his head toward Clark and Paradise when she laughed. The rhino charged a few feet and stopped at the
tree line.
“Don’t move!” he shouted as he ran that way. The wind snatched his words away, and they still smiled and talked.
Blake cupped his hands. “Don’t move! Escaped rhino!”
Paradise turned her head toward him, and her eyes went wide. Blake held up his hands as he neared. “Stay relaxed with no sudden
moves. Clark, get in your truck and try to herd the rhino toward the enclosure. He’s unusually agitated, so move slowly. Paradise,
you stay with Mason.”
Mason glanced over. “Let me help, Blake. Dozer likes me. I take him snacks and scratch his backside every day.”
“I can’t let you put yourself in harm’s way. If you stay with Paradise, it might protect her.” The boy would probably see
through Blake’s ploy to keep him safe, but Blake didn’t wait to argue.
Dozer circled again and charged at a tree. Rhinos had very poor eyesight, and being in the open field had disoriented the
big fellow.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the first few drops of cold rain fell. Clark backed toward his truck and got in. The
vehicle rolled slowly toward the rhino, and Blake waved his arms to distract Dozer. “Hey, big guy. Want a back rub?” The massive
animal snorted again before starting to trot toward Blake. There was no charging, so he must have recognized Blake’s friendly
voice.
Evan arrived in one of the big safari trucks and parked along the path toward the rhino enclosure to direct Dozer the right
way. Blake texted him to stay in the vehicle.
Blake’s pulse rose as he neared the animal. “Hey, Dozer. I’ll bet you’re ready for dinner. Want to come with me?” He reached
out and rubbed the animal’s shoulder. “Let’s go home.” He slipped the rope around the animal’s massive neck, and Dozer let
him lead him toward the gate.
This could have ended badly. Blake breathed a sigh of relief when he got Dozer inside the enclosure safe and sound.
Blake exited the medical building with Paradise and stood listening.
Night had cloaked the park with shadows that grudgingly moved away from the security lights.
In the dark the sounds of the animals had always made him feel one with the park residents: The screeches of the monkeys, the high-pitched yips of the fennec foxes, the shuffling splashes of the rhino and water buffalo in the pond, and the chirping of the otters all combined to give the park a sense of harmony.
But those soothing, homey sounds tonight were a reminder that everything was not as it seemed. His sense of peace was gone,
and he wasn’t sure how to regain it.
Paradise took his hand. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know how to fight this, babe. Every time I think we’re over the sabotage, something else goes wrong. Even though
Dozer got out on his own, the park evacuation is sure to cause chatter in the community. There’s no way to get our feet under
us again with these constant problems. And the snake and USB drive left in your car worry me even more.”
Everything depended on him, and right now the burden seemed more than he could carry. Yet he had to shoulder it and move on.
Somehow. This place was home for all of them, and he loved the animals in their charge. So did Mom and the boys. He didn’t
see them ever being truly happy if the park failed. And who was trying to frighten Paradise?
She stepped close and slipped her arms around his waist to lean against his chest. Her fragrance blended with the scent of
newly mown grass in the field to their left. Her wordless comfort soothed him more than anything else could right now. They
were together and she’d forgiven him, which was more than he’d ever hoped for. Dreams did come true, and God still performed
miracles. That’s what he was asking for now—another miracle.
She lifted her head. “Hey, I just thought about Mason and his drones. I think he takes pictures with them. What if he happened
to pick up whoever left the stuff in my car? We should ask to look at his footage.”
“That’s a great idea.” He kissed her. “He and his dad live in a trailer on the next road over. You game to go see him with me?”
“I left food out for the kittens, so they’re fine. And my growling stomach will be fine as long as you feed me when we’re
done.”
“We can run into town and get po’boys.”
“Deal.”
He relished the passion and tenderness in the kiss she gave him before stepping away. “We can go together in my truck, then
stop by to grab your car on the way to town.” He opened the truck door for her and she slid in.
It was a short drive to Mason and his father’s trailer. It was a fifth wheel that had the truck end resting on cinder blocks,
but the area around it was neat and clean. The shrubs were kept trimmed, and the wind fluttered the curtains in the windows,
which were open to the night air. When they got out and approached the home, he heard someone playing a banjo. The sound floated
out the screens. Was Mason or his father the musician?
“I’ve only met his dad once,” Blake said in a low voice. “He came with Mason to ask if the boy could volunteer. Nice guy.
He’s a mechanic at the Chrysler dealership in town. His wife died in the accident that left Mason in the chair. He’s staying
here to save money to pay off a nice piece of land down near Pelican Harbor. The accident was his wife’s fault—she’d been
drinking.”
“How terribly sad.” Paradise squeezed his fingers as they went up the handicap ramp to the door. “He’s clearly taking good
care of Mason.” She pressed the doorbell and the music stopped.
“Coming!” Mason called. “Dad, we’ve got visitors.” The boy’s voice was high with excitement.
Maybe they didn’t get many visitors out here. The door opened and Blake smiled at Randy Taylor, an older version of his handsome, dark-haired son. Mason hadn’t grown into the muscular, broad shoulders his dad possessed, but Blake saw the beginnings of the same physique in the boy.
Uncertainty flickered across Randy’s face. “Blake, come in. Is everything okay? Mason told me about Dozer’s escape.”
Blake let Paradise slip through the door first before following her into a small but pristine living room that smelled of
fresh popcorn. A banjo leaned against the navy sofa. “Dozer is safe and sound back in his habitat. Your son was so brave—he
offered to go rub the rhino’s back and soothe him. I appreciated the offer, but I couldn’t let him do it.” He smiled at Mason.
“But there’s something else I hope Mason can help us with.”
“Me?” Mason gave a little bounce in his chair. “What can I do?”
“Paradise thought about how you love flying your drones. Do you fly over the park a lot?”
“Like all the time. The animals are different when I watch from the air. They’re never scared, and I can see them loving life
as they roam around.”
“Do you take video or pictures?”
Mason nodded. “I have lots of both. That’s okay, isn’t it?”
“It’s more than okay. Someone is trying to terrorize Paradise, and I thought your drone might have picked up who might be
responsible. It might even show who shot Ivy with that tranquilizer dart. Could we look at what you’ve got?”
“I have lots of SD cards with pictures and video. You can take them to look at, but you’ll give them back, right?”
“We’ll make sure you get them all back.” Blake nodded. “You started volunteering two weeks ago. Did you shoot video right
away?”
“Yeah.” Mason’s gray eyes were anxious. “You’re sure I’m not in trouble?”
“No trouble, just a lot of thanks.”
“I’ll get his stash.” Randy returned a few moments later with a plastic storage container full of SD cards. “This will take
you a while to get through.”
Blake glanced at Paradise, who was smiling. Neither of them minded staying up late in each other’s company to check out this
lead.