Chapter 44
It was about that time when a passerby took note of the situation. The woman pulled over, and hopped out of her maroon sedan. "Is everything okay?"
I recognized her right away. "Not really. You wouldn’t happen to have wire cutters in your car, would you?”
"No, but I've got bolt cutters,” Marley said. “That ought to do the trick.”
I couldn't help but notice the yellow and black warning stickers near the head of the bolt cutters. One of them had been partially torn off, just like the bolt cutters that were used to cut the padlock at the zoo.
Seemed like an odd coincidence.
The owner of the house stepped onto his porch with a shotgun. "What the fuck are you doing to my fence?”
"I'm a deputy with Coconut County. We just rescued a cat that was stuck in your fence.”
"I don't give a good goddamn what you’re doing. Get off my property. And somebody's gotta pay for that fence!”
This guy was a complete ass.
With a shotgun aimed at my face, I moved with caution. "How about you put that gun down?”
Marley looked terrified.
"That shit ain't cheap. I want to be compensated.”
With a slow and deliberate movement, I pulled my badge from my pocket and displayed it.
“Like I said, I don't give two shits who you are. You can't just come onto my property and start destroying it.”
"Just trying to help out your cat.”
"It ain't my cat. I hate those damn things. I see it in my yard again—I'll shoot it.”
"Do that, and I'll take you to jail for animal cruelty.”
Mr. Shotgun’s face tightened. He didn't lower the weapon.
"If you want an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge, by all means, keep pointing that shotgun at me. Otherwise, I suggest you lower it and take the $100 cash I'm going to give you to fix the fence.”
He considered it for a moment. "Let's see the cash.”
I dug into my pocket, peeled off a crisp hundred, and handed it across the fence to him.
He lowered the weapon, took the cash, and looked it over. Then he stuffed it into his pocket. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"You hurt that cat and I'll come back and find you,” I warned in an ominous voice.
He gave me a dirty look as I walked away with Marley.
The rain drizzled down, and we were both soaked.
Marley still looked terrified and trembled. "That's not the first time you’ve had a weapon pointed at you, is it?”
I shook my head.
"My heart is beating a million miles a minute,” she said, trying to catch her breath.
"You came along at just the right time," I said as we walked back to her car. She was about to put the bolt cutters back into the trunk.
"I need to see those for a minute."
Thinking nothing of it, she handed the cutters to me.
I examined them carefully. These were the same bolt cutters that were used to access the zoo. There was no doubt about it.
"I appreciate your help, I really do," I said. "There's no telling what would have happened to that animal if we didn’t get him loose.”
"I know exactly what would have happened. That asshole would have lowered the feline population in the world. There's a special place in hell for people who harm animals.”
"I agree. Now, let's talk about the break-in at the zoo.”
"Have you gotten any leads on the case?”
"As a matter of fact, I have. I hate to do this, as I really appreciate your help, but you need to turn around and put your hands behind your back.”
“What!?” Marley said with a wrinkled brow.
"You're under arrest for breaking and entering, trespassing, reckless endangerment, and a host of other charges.”
She swallowed hard.
I brandished the bolt cutters and said, "There's clear security footage of someone using these to gain access to the zoo. I believe that someone is you.” I whispered, “Little piece of advice… Next time you commit a crime, get rid of all the evidence.”
Marley deflated, knowing she was stone-cold busted.
She turned around, placed her hands behind her back, and I gently put the cuffs around her wrists.
"Do yourself a favor and give up all your comrades. You might just get a reduced sentence. That little stunt you pulled could cost lives. I know you're aware of that.”
I called dispatch, and they sent a patrol unit.
I stuffed Marley into the back of the squad car. She was taken to the station, processed, printed, and put into an interrogation room. It didn't take long in the hot seat before she confessed to the crime and listed everyone involved.
"I just wanted to bring awareness to the situation at the zoo,” she said with weepy eyes. “Some of those animals are being kept in horrible conditions. I believe zoo officials are engaged in trafficking endangered species. This whole thing is worth it to me if it brings deeper scrutiny.”
I didn’t know what to make of her allegations, but we’d look into it.
I left the station and drove the Porsche back to the Avventura. By that time, it was early evening. The angry sky still dropped a bunch of rain.
I parked the car, hustled down the dock, and boarded the boat. Buddy waited for me at the salon door. I knelt down and petted the little guy, then found Jack and filled him in on the events.
The storm moved out by the next morning, and the cleanup began. Over the next few days, we got a bit of a break—which was unusual.
The sheriff called. “Couple of fishermen pulled your werewolf out of the water.”
“Dead?”
“Beyond dead. Something took a chunk out of him, too, from what I’m told. Sharks probably got to him. Get down to the station, and we’ll go take a look.”
JD and I met the sheriff at the station, and we took his patrol boat out to the scene. Oren’s body had drifted quite a way from Whistler Cay. The predators of the sea had gotten to him, taking chunks out of his arms and legs. His bulletproof vest kept his torso relatively intact.
I’m not sure if the sharks got to him before or after he drowned.
Two guys in a 45-foot sportfish had pulled him from the water. His tattered remains lay on the teak deck.
The boat pitched and rolled on the gentle swells. The sun sparkled the water. It was a beautiful day, except for the rancid smell emanating from the body. The sun beat down, cooking it on the deck.
Brenda examined the remains, and we took statements from the fishermen. After some digging, she found the ancient incantation in one of his pockets. It would be logged into evidence.
The sheriff got a call. He listened for a moment. It didn’t take long for his face to sour. A resigned sigh escaped his mouth. “I’ll be right there.” He looked at us. “Are you two nitwits ready to get back to work? We’ve got another situation.”