Part 9 (1/2)

The jacket was unb.u.t.toned, showing a dark tee s.h.i.+rt and an indifference to cold. The knit cap was gone. Brown hair with a clean s.h.i.+ne. Jeans and black sport shoes. Those hazel eyes. ”Can you talk for a minute?”

I shook my head with regret. ”If my boss had okayed an interview, he would have told me. So, no. Sorry.”

He looked away and back. ”How about this? I'd like to ask you to lunch. Rosemary Cafe, on me.” His smile implied a joint conspiracy, a good time, a world of possibilities. ”I promise not to talk about the Tiptons.”

”Why would you do that?” I knew the cafe in downtown Vancouver and liked it. I liked the smile, too, but that was irrelevant. I wasn't that easy.

”Why wouldn't a guy ask you to lunch?” A frown. ”You are single, right?”

The volunteers weren't hiding their fascination.

He folded his arms across his chest. ”All I'm asking for is expertise on the zoo part, background only. We can keep it off-record. I don't want to get the animal parts wrong.”

”Talk to Neal Humboldt. His office is in the Administration building. He'll want to see your credentials.”

”You are one tough lady to get to know. Here's my card. It's good for a free lunch any day.” He gave a finger wave to the volunteers and moved off toward the zoo's entrance.

One of the older ladies said, ”If I were you, I'd just say yes.”

”Yum,” said the young one. ”Give him my phone number if you aren't interested.”

Whoa. I'd almost forgotten I had a real date that night, dinner with Ken. Liana turning into Shelby had jolted it out of my brain.

A date. Uh-oh, no child care. My top priority after lunch.

In our claustrophobic little break room, Denny out-did the broadcasters with speculation about Liana/Shelby and the Tiptons. Linda, Cheyenne, and Marion chewed their lunch and watched him roll. I didn't pay much attention until he started in again about human trafficking.

”Denny! Stop it. Liana walked over to visit Pluvia with Wanda. She wasn't a prisoner.”

”Could have been emotionally subjugated.”

”Yeah. But she was warmly dressed and didn't look starved, and the mother was really concerned about her. Liana could have walked to the road and thumbed a ride if she wanted out.”

Denny actually stopped to think. I steered him toward something that bothered me. ”The Tiptons grew weed for years and stayed under the radar. Then a few months ago, they set up the second barn and started cooking meth. The animal enclosures we saw looked new, so the wildlife trafficking was recent, too. What set them off? Why change a system that was working fine?”

Cheyenne said, ”Maybe it was Liana. Maybe she had bigger ideas for bigger bucks.”

Denny said, ”That neighbor, Pluvia. She and Liana and Wanda, the mother, could have come up with a plan to overthrow Boss Tipton.”

I waited to see how he could possibly create a coherent explanation out of this.

He didn't even try. ”Or it's the younger son-Tom? He wants to establish himself in the hierarchy, not be bottom tier any more. So he came up with all the changes. But Liana didn't like it and ...Probably Tom and the other one, Jeff, both wanted her and she played them off against each other and it went bad.”

He had soared well beyond the few facts we had. I gave up, finished my lunch, and checked in with Neal. I told him Craig wanted to interview me and asked if that was okay. He said he'd prefer I didn't. That was as expected, but disappointing. I wouldn't have minded a little one-on-one with Craig. I refrained from asking about re-homing the macaws, but only because he took a phone call.

I called my father at his shop and asked if he and my mother could keep Robby for dinner and an hour or so after.

”Don't see why not,” he said. ”I'm not going anywhere. I'll pick him up on my way home.”

I was reasonably certain that he understood I'd called him instead of my mother because I didn't want to answer questions about my plans. Bless him, he didn't ask any. I'd tell them about Ken when I picked Robby up afterward.

I went back to work, finished up with Birds, and stopped by Primates to de-brief the last of the mandrill volunteers. The three of them had diligently checked the checklist and noted the notes, but they'd also put their heads together at some point during the day and come up with a theory. The silver-haired woman on the last s.h.i.+ft said, ”She's scared of him, but he wants to see the baby. He comes to take a look, so she runs away and that makes the baby cry and then he gets grouchy so she runs away some more. She's frazzled and so is the baby. The other female just sits there and ignores the whole thing.”

I couldn't fault their a.n.a.lysis, since it supported my own. The question was, what could we do to de-stress the mandrill family? I had an idea, but blurting out ideas sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. Dr. Reynolds' approval was necessary and she would likely say yes, but it was Kip's area. If I went to Dr. Reynolds first, Kip would consider that sneaking around her back. But Kip wasn't convinced we had a problem and would likely say no. Worse, Kip was already annoyed with Dr. Reynolds for reducing the fruit in most of the primates' diets and subst.i.tuting more leafy greens- better for their teeth, digestion, and weight control. Monkeys love fruit, and Kip loved giving them treats.

Persuasion and politics: not my strengths.

I gave it my best shot. Kip was wrapping up her reports when I dropped the data sheets on her desk. She glanced at them while I summarized the observations. ”I've got an idea that might help,” I said. ”If you like it.”

Her attention stayed on the reports. ”We're not pulling Violet out of the group. It could turn into a nightmare reintroducing her. Sky might think he has to beat her up to remind her who's boss. And Carmine was awful to her when they were first together. So forget that.”

”Not what I was going to suggest.”

”We aren't pulling Sky out for the same reasons.”

”I get that.”

She looked up. ”And I'm not sure we have a problem. It's a little hectic in there, but not all that bad. They could use more exercise.”

”Can I say what I had in mind?” I tried to keep the annoyance down.

”Sure.” She sat back and crossed her arms, her mouth a thin, straight line. ”Let's hear it.”

I hate doomed endeavors when the only possible reward is to say, ”I told you so. I tried to get you to do something.” I reached deep for positive energy. ”Let's give Sky something to do so that he's occupied for a couple hours a day. A puzzle feeder. If it works out, he'll sit in one place giving the feeder all his attention and Violet can relax.”

”He'll get fat.”

”His daily ration, not extra.”

”By the time Maintenance gets the thing built, the baby will be breeding age.”

”Not if we get Neal behind it. And Dr. Reynolds. If you tell them it's crucial to keeping the baby alive, they'll make it a priority.” The emphasis on ”you” was inspired, my subconscious coming through in a pinch. Was it enough? ”Mr. Crandall must be putting out a press release about the birth. He won't want to announce it died.”

Kip's mouth twisted. ”It's not going to die. Don't be dramatic.”

But she didn't dismiss the concept. She pushed out her lips a little and thought. ”Like I got nothing else to do. But I'll talk to Dr. Reynolds tomorrow and see what she says.”

I did not pump the air with my fist. I said, ”Sounds good.”

Kip added, ”We've done that kind of thing before, you know. I'm not convinced it's really necessary in this case.”

Whatever.

Warmed by the tingle of triumph, I headed off to clock out and prepare for my first date since I'd married Rick.

Chapter Thirteen.