She said nothing, only passed them to him. When he left her she sat and waited for the computer to boot up.
She’d known he’d been a cop. But she’d never seen him be one until today.
He’d thought he understood what went on in the refuge. But he realized he hadn’t considered the full extent of the work even after Lil had given him an overview. The commissary alone was an eye-opener, with its enormous coolers and freezers, its massive amounts of meat, and the equipment required for processing it, handling it, hauling it.
The stables held three horses, including the one he’d sold her. Since he was there, he saw to their feeding and watering, and marked off both chores on the chart posted on the wall.
He checked the equipment shed, the garage, and the long, low cabin posted as the education center. He took a quick scan of the displays inside, the photographs, the pelts, teeth, skulls, bones-where the hell did she get those?
Fascinating, he thought as he checked both restrooms, and each stall inside. He walked through the small attached gift shop with its stuffed animals, T-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, postcards, and posters. Everything tidy and organized.
She’d built something here. Saw to the details, the angles. And all of it, he knew, all of it, for the animals.
As he backtracked he heard the sound of cars, and headed around to meet the sheriff.
“Everything’s fine here. She’s in the offices,” he said to Tansy, then turned to Willy.
“Looks like he decided to hole up after all,” Willy said. “We can’t be sure it wasn’t somebody else, and they just happened to pick that gate. Or somebody got the bright idea because of the cougar. But the fact is hunting wolves is illegal around here, and people know it. Know the trouble they’ll get into for it. Now, a farmer shooting one that’s after his lifestock’s one thing. But I know every farmer in this county, and I can’t see any one of them hauling the body up here like this. Even the ones who think Lil’s a little on the odd side.”
“The bullets in that wolf are going to be from the same gun that shot the cougar.”
“Yeah, I expect they are.” With a nod, Willy folded his lips tight. “I’m going to be talking to the Park Service, and the state boys. You might do some talking yourself. Maybe somebody going on the trail, using your outfit or one of the others, saw somebody, saw something.”
He looked over as Lil came out. “Morning. Sorry about this trouble. Your vet around?”
“He’ll be here shortly.”
“I’m going to leave a man, same as before. We’re going to do what we can, Lil.”
“I know, but there’s not much you can do.” She came down the steps. “One cougar, one wolf. It’s bad, but it’s a hard world. And those two species may be romanticized in other places, but not here, not where they might wander down from the hills and take down a man’s cattle or ravage a henhouse. I understand that, Willy, I live in reality. My reality is I have thirty-six animals, not including the horses, spread over about thirty-two acres of habitat and facilities. And I’m afraid he’s going to decide to bring it here, that’s what he hinted at today. And he’s going to kill one of the animals that live here, that I brought here. Or worse, one of the people who work here, who I brought here.”
“I don’t know what I can say to ease your mind.”
“There’s nothing, that’s where he’s holding the advantage right now. My mind can’t be eased. But we have work to do here. We’ll keep doing it. I’ve got six interns who need to finish our program. There’s a group of eight- to twelve-year-olds coming in this morning, in about two hours, to take the tour and a session in the education center. If you tell me you don’t think those kids will be safe, I’ll cancel.”
“I’ve got no reason to think a man who kills a wild animal’s going to start taking potshots at kids, Lil.”
“Okay. Then we’ll all just do whatever we can do. You should go,” she said to Coop. “You have your own business, your own animals to see to.”
“I’ll be back. You may want to make up that list.”
She looked blank for a moment, then shook her head. “That’s not my top priority just now.”
“Your choice.”
“Yes. It will be. Thanks, Willy.”
Willy pursed his lips as she went back in the office. “I have a feeling the two of you were talking about something other than a dead wolf. Since I do, I’m thinking you’ll be staying here tonight.”
“That’s right.”
“I feel better knowing that. Meanwhile, I’m going to have some men scout around the area, check the other gates, look for weak spots. He’s holed up somewhere,” Willy muttered, looking out toward the hills.
LIL KNEW word would spread, and quickly, so it didn’t surprise her when her parents arrived. She walked away from the immobilized tiger to the habitat fence. “Just an ingrown claw. It’s a common problem.” She reached up to touch the fingers her mother slid through the fence. “I’m sorry you have to be worried.”
“You talked about going down to Florida for a couple weeks, working with that panther refuge. You should do that.”
“For a few days,” Lil corrected. “Next winter. I can’t go now. I especially can’t go now.”
“You could come back home until they find him.”
“Who do I put here in my place? Mom, who do I tell I’m too afraid to stay here, so you do it?”
“Anybody who isn’t my baby.” Jenna gave Lil’s fingers a squeeze. “But you can’t, and you won’t.”
“Cooper stayed here last night?” Joe asked her.
“He slept on the living room sofa. He wouldn’t leave, and now I’m forced to be grateful he wouldn’t let me kick him out of my own house. I have any number of people pushing to stay. We’re taking all the precautions we can, I promise. I’m going to order more cameras, use them for security. I’ve looked at alarm systems, but we just can’t afford the type that would cover the place. No,” she said even as Joe started to speak. “You know you can’t afford it either.”
“What I can’t afford is anything happening to my daughter.”
“I’m going to make sure nothing does.” She glanced back to where Matt worked on the tiger. “I need to finish up here.”
She’d known he’d been a cop. But she’d never seen him be one until today.
He’d thought he understood what went on in the refuge. But he realized he hadn’t considered the full extent of the work even after Lil had given him an overview. The commissary alone was an eye-opener, with its enormous coolers and freezers, its massive amounts of meat, and the equipment required for processing it, handling it, hauling it.
The stables held three horses, including the one he’d sold her. Since he was there, he saw to their feeding and watering, and marked off both chores on the chart posted on the wall.
He checked the equipment shed, the garage, and the long, low cabin posted as the education center. He took a quick scan of the displays inside, the photographs, the pelts, teeth, skulls, bones-where the hell did she get those?
Fascinating, he thought as he checked both restrooms, and each stall inside. He walked through the small attached gift shop with its stuffed animals, T-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, postcards, and posters. Everything tidy and organized.
She’d built something here. Saw to the details, the angles. And all of it, he knew, all of it, for the animals.
As he backtracked he heard the sound of cars, and headed around to meet the sheriff.
“Everything’s fine here. She’s in the offices,” he said to Tansy, then turned to Willy.
“Looks like he decided to hole up after all,” Willy said. “We can’t be sure it wasn’t somebody else, and they just happened to pick that gate. Or somebody got the bright idea because of the cougar. But the fact is hunting wolves is illegal around here, and people know it. Know the trouble they’ll get into for it. Now, a farmer shooting one that’s after his lifestock’s one thing. But I know every farmer in this county, and I can’t see any one of them hauling the body up here like this. Even the ones who think Lil’s a little on the odd side.”
“The bullets in that wolf are going to be from the same gun that shot the cougar.”
“Yeah, I expect they are.” With a nod, Willy folded his lips tight. “I’m going to be talking to the Park Service, and the state boys. You might do some talking yourself. Maybe somebody going on the trail, using your outfit or one of the others, saw somebody, saw something.”
He looked over as Lil came out. “Morning. Sorry about this trouble. Your vet around?”
“He’ll be here shortly.”
“I’m going to leave a man, same as before. We’re going to do what we can, Lil.”
“I know, but there’s not much you can do.” She came down the steps. “One cougar, one wolf. It’s bad, but it’s a hard world. And those two species may be romanticized in other places, but not here, not where they might wander down from the hills and take down a man’s cattle or ravage a henhouse. I understand that, Willy, I live in reality. My reality is I have thirty-six animals, not including the horses, spread over about thirty-two acres of habitat and facilities. And I’m afraid he’s going to decide to bring it here, that’s what he hinted at today. And he’s going to kill one of the animals that live here, that I brought here. Or worse, one of the people who work here, who I brought here.”
“I don’t know what I can say to ease your mind.”
“There’s nothing, that’s where he’s holding the advantage right now. My mind can’t be eased. But we have work to do here. We’ll keep doing it. I’ve got six interns who need to finish our program. There’s a group of eight- to twelve-year-olds coming in this morning, in about two hours, to take the tour and a session in the education center. If you tell me you don’t think those kids will be safe, I’ll cancel.”
“I’ve got no reason to think a man who kills a wild animal’s going to start taking potshots at kids, Lil.”
“Okay. Then we’ll all just do whatever we can do. You should go,” she said to Coop. “You have your own business, your own animals to see to.”
“I’ll be back. You may want to make up that list.”
She looked blank for a moment, then shook her head. “That’s not my top priority just now.”
“Your choice.”
“Yes. It will be. Thanks, Willy.”
Willy pursed his lips as she went back in the office. “I have a feeling the two of you were talking about something other than a dead wolf. Since I do, I’m thinking you’ll be staying here tonight.”
“That’s right.”
“I feel better knowing that. Meanwhile, I’m going to have some men scout around the area, check the other gates, look for weak spots. He’s holed up somewhere,” Willy muttered, looking out toward the hills.
LIL KNEW word would spread, and quickly, so it didn’t surprise her when her parents arrived. She walked away from the immobilized tiger to the habitat fence. “Just an ingrown claw. It’s a common problem.” She reached up to touch the fingers her mother slid through the fence. “I’m sorry you have to be worried.”
“You talked about going down to Florida for a couple weeks, working with that panther refuge. You should do that.”
“For a few days,” Lil corrected. “Next winter. I can’t go now. I especially can’t go now.”
“You could come back home until they find him.”
“Who do I put here in my place? Mom, who do I tell I’m too afraid to stay here, so you do it?”
“Anybody who isn’t my baby.” Jenna gave Lil’s fingers a squeeze. “But you can’t, and you won’t.”
“Cooper stayed here last night?” Joe asked her.
“He slept on the living room sofa. He wouldn’t leave, and now I’m forced to be grateful he wouldn’t let me kick him out of my own house. I have any number of people pushing to stay. We’re taking all the precautions we can, I promise. I’m going to order more cameras, use them for security. I’ve looked at alarm systems, but we just can’t afford the type that would cover the place. No,” she said even as Joe started to speak. “You know you can’t afford it either.”
“What I can’t afford is anything happening to my daughter.”
“I’m going to make sure nothing does.” She glanced back to where Matt worked on the tiger. “I need to finish up here.”
