Chapter 7
It was after midnight, but Drew showed no signs of needing to hit the mattress. Blake swatted a mosquito on his arm and listened
to the night sounds of the park through the open window. The intermittent roaring of the big cats and the cacophony of crickets
and katydids were a familiar backdrop that relaxed him.
He knew he should go to bed because the governor’s aide was coming tomorrow, but he wasn’t sleepy. Drew reminded him so much
of Paradise—same amber eyes and tawny lion’s mane, though Drew’s was cropped short in a military-style cut. Blake had hit
it off with him immediately, and he knew Drew felt the connection too.
The rap on the back door startled Blake, and he jumped to his feet. “Maybe Evan found the leopard.”
He opened the door to find Evan standing on the deck. “Come on in.”
Evan stepped inside. “I wanted to check in and let you know I’ve followed every pad print I could find, but I think whoever
let that leopard loose on you took it away. At least for now.” His worried expression spoke volumes.
Blake caught what he was saying. “You can’t track him, and you also can’t guarantee it won’t happen again.”
“Unfortunately.” Evan opened the door. “I’d better get going. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.”
Blake shut the door and rejoined Drew. He told him what Evan had found. “So the big cat is gone for now. I hope it stays gone,
but I’m not counting on it.”
“It’s wise to stay on guard.” Drew leaned over and repacked the tub Evan had given Paradise. “I should let you get to bed.
I’m always wired after a road trip, but there’s no reason you have to join me in my insanity.”
“I don’t mind keeping you company a little longer. It’s not every day something like this happens. It’s been great to see
Paradise so excited.”
“Tell me about my new sister. She’s not the most open book.”
“She’s been hurt a lot, so she hides her softness. She was shuffled from one foster home to another and experienced some horrific
abuse. In spite of everything she turned out to be an amazing person.”
“She told me about the rape.”
Blake paused. “She doesn’t talk about it, so if she told you, she must trust you. Most of that stuff she buries down deep.
Coming here has healed a lot of her trauma. The boys have helped.”
Drew replaced the lid on the tub. “Why didn’t her family take her in? She’s got cousins, right? Any aunts or uncles who could
have helped out?”
“Her cousins live here. What I’ve picked up on is that the cousin who could have saved her from all that, Lily, was jealous
of Becky. They were first cousins, and Lily had her own kids to raise and refused to take Paradise. They’re still a little
reserved with each other. I think Lily regrets it now, and Paradise doesn’t hold a grudge, but that rift might never really
heal.”
“Rod is Lily’s son?”
“Yes, and he’s been helpful as Paradise has tried to sort things out. She doesn’t feel like an integral part of their family
though, and it’s great to see her open her arms to a relationship with you.”
“You’ve loved her a long time.”
Blake’s face burned at Drew’s thoughtful stare. “Since we were teenagers. She asked me to marry her a few weeks back, and
I stupidly put her off. I thought she was doing it because we were about to lose the park and she wanted to make sure we had
a place to go. And while I think that was true, she was hurt and has gone back into her shell a bit. Things often haven’t
worked out in her life, and I think she’s trying to protect herself.”
“I don’t know her well yet, but I know human nature. I’ve seen it on full display in my career. Maybe it’s time you prove
to her how much you love her.”
“I’m not sure how to do that. I had a ring made for her, and it’s ready, but—” He shrugged. “She wants to find her parents’
killer before we start a new life together. Are you optimistic that you’ll get to the bottom of all this?”
Drew reached for his soda and took a sip. “I wouldn’t say I’m optimistic. Maybe hopeful would be a better word. It’s been over twenty years, and cold cases are hard to crack.”
Blake’s chest tightened. “I’m not sure she’ll ever give up.”
“She’s tenacious,” Drew agreed. “I’m the last person to give relationship advice, but it might take a special push to get
things moving between you two again.”
A special push? Paradise didn’t like being pushed.
She was a woman who thought things through, and she didn’t take kindly to feeling like she was being manipulated or coddled.
He’d never push her. Either she wanted a life together with him or she didn’t.
And he wasn’t yet sure if she was ready to put the past behind them and grab the future with both hands.
King Julien appeared much happier this morning when Paradise checked on him. He’d eaten all his food and stared at Paradise
with contented red eyes from his perch on the rocks. The enclosure reeked of his scent markings, and she smiled at how ready
he was to assert his dominance over the space.
He scampered toward her when he saw the banana in her hand. “You like it here, don’t you?” She poked the banana through the
fencing, and he snatched it from her fingers.
There was no barking or aggressive behavior, and his eyes were brighter. It would take some time on the proper diet with exercise
to get his diabetes and excess weight under control, but he was on the mend. She left him and walked into the wildlife clinic
where she found Warren Gibson, her vet tech, with a red fox. It wasn’t an animal Paradise had seen in the park.
She approached the sedated animal. “What do we have here, Warren?”
“Someone dropped her off. She’s blind.”
Paradise winced. “Not being properly fed?”
“She’s very malnourished. I think it’s too late to save her sight.”
“But she’ll find a home here with our skulk.”
Warren smiled at the term. “I’m still learning all the names for groups of animals. You want to examine her?”
“I sure do.” She washed her hands and pulled on gloves before probing the fox’s mouth and extremities. She palpated the animal’s
belly. “Does she have a name?”
“Ember.”
“I like it.” Paradise finished her exam. “I think her electrolytes are off. Let’s give her an IV to pump up her nutrition and fluids.” She prepped a balanced solution of electrolytes, glucose, amino acids, and lipids. “I’ll let you administer it. Any other patients today?”
“Nope. You probably noticed King Julien’s improvement on the way in.”
“I did. Let’s have him on his own for a few more days before introducing him to the conspiracy.”
“I thought you’d say that. The other lemurs have caught wind of his scent and are very curious, but it’s wise to take our
time.”
“Good. I hope they welcome him.” She stripped off her gloves and tossed them in the trash. “I’m going to grab my brother and
head out for a while. Call me if anything comes up.”
With a light schedule here at the park, she and Drew could begin their investigation. Blake had hired a college student to
help with tours so he’d be free to go with them too. Paradise walked toward Jenna’s cottage and paused where she’d seen the
leopard the other night. The park had taken in two animals since then. Was there any connection among the animals? A red fox,
a lemur, and a leopard all in the area seemed suspicious. She reversed direction to see what she could find out about Ember.
She nearly ran into Warren on his way out. “Evan found Ember. She was left in a crate in the parking lot, and Evan found her
when he got to work. He brought her straight to the clinic.”
“How weird. I’m going to ask Blake to check the cameras and see if he can tell who dropped her off.” If it was Creed Greene,
he had some explaining to do.
She found the men on the back deck and stopped by Blake’s chair. “Before we go, could you check the cameras? Someone dropped off a red fox in a crate in our parking lot. It seems odd we’ve acquired two animals back-to-back, plus we saw that stray leopard.”
“That is strange.” He grabbed his phone and studied the camera recording. “Which area of the parking lot?”
“Warren didn’t say.”
“I’ll check all the cameras.” He fell silent as he flipped through his phone. “Here it is. It’s not under a light so I can’t
tell who it is, and they left the crate clear out in the far lot. Maybe a guy and he’s in a pickup. That’s all the detail
I can make out.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter, but it seemed odd.”
He rose and slipped his arm around her waist. “How’s your head?”
“Totally fine. I haven’t had a headache in a couple of days now.”
Drew, dressed in khaki shorts and a tee with a Blue Line emblem, stood. “Could I see the house you grew up in today? You already
cleared it, right?”
She nodded. “Evan said Honey left it unlocked and we could go on in. She was taking the kids to an arcade in Foley this afternoon.”
“I want to walk the house and yard and see if I can tell how the killer likely got in.”
“I think I let him in, or at least left the door unlocked. The cable guy came and gave me a monkey music box like in The Phantom of the Opera that had been left on our porch before going into the living room. The police found no sign of forced entry.”
“I noticed there was no mention of forced entry in the police report. I want to look at things like shrubbery, trees, other
ways someone might hide and get into the home.”
“Those things might have changed over the years,” Blake said.
“I’ll take that into account.”
They walked around the house to Blake’s truck. She got in the back seat while the men claimed the front. It would give her
time to steel herself for the upcoming trip down memory lane.