The Peacock's Poison Read online

  I spared a thought about the crime novel Jenna had always claimed to be working on. It would never be finished now.

  “Okay, I think that’s everything for the moment,” Officer Kelly said, looking up from her iPad with another smile. “Will we be able to get in touch with you if we need to?”

  “I’m always working at the zoo, and Detective Treesden already has my contact details,” I said, before I could think about what I was saying.

  Kelly looked at me curiously for a moment. I suddenly realised that what I’d said could be interpreted in a couple of very different ways. I wondered if she was choosing ‘hardened criminal’ or ‘ex-lover’. I wasn’t sure which one was worse.

  3

  A Lucky Escape

  The zoo stayed closed for the day Jenna’s body was found and the one after that. The reception team had been given the day off to help them come to terms with the boss that they’d all known so well - whether they’d liked her, or loathed her - not being there any more.

  As always, the zoo being closed to the public did not mean it was closed to the other zoo staff. Animals don’t stop needing care for a day when everything shuts down. However, quite a few of the keepers had been too distraught to work, which meant I was officially covering for most of them. I didn’t mind. Getting back into the heavy work of animal care made me happy. It was nice to be able to reconnect with the same old characters I’d once been responsible for and find out how they were progressing.

  The answer was, very well indeed. Even whilst I’d been away, Auryn had run ideas for changes to enclosures by me, and I’d been given a say. I was pleased to note that if anything, Avery Zoo had made huge improvements since I’d left. If I were to compile a review, I didn’t think I’d be able to suggest any realistic changes at all. Well, apart from perhaps updating the penguins’ enclosure a little. The fibre glass pool was still leaking, but I also knew that the vast cost of replacing the whole thing - rather than just patching it up - couldn’t be covered for a while. Hopefully, the Winter Wonderland would make a big enough profit to allow for spending on something like the penguin pool.

  I swung by the capybaras’ enclosure and was pleased to see them chasing each other through the greenery I’d specifically asked be included in the enclosure’s redesign. Once Erin Avery (Auryn’s father) had been out of the picture, and the building team replaced, my wish had been granted. Looking at the pair now, I wondered if Doris was putting on weight, or if it was something else. I smiled. Time would tell! Capybaras were capable of breeding all year round in captivity. Perhaps we’d have a new arrival in the spring.

  After completing my morning round, I returned to the dependant animal unit, where I’d left Lucky in his carrier. The little terror had somehow managed to escape the house again yesterday, forcing me on another wild goose chase, before I’d found him stalking the last few autumn leaves in a ditch. I’d finally caved in and had decided to push his neutering appointment forwards. His feral brothers and sisters had been neutered a week ago, to avoid any unwanted pregnancies. Feral cats were often neutered earlier, but I now thought Lucky’s own feral instincts made keeping him inside, cruel.

  However, today I was going to try something new with him.

  Since we’d been home, I’d been getting Lucky used to wearing a harness. He hadn’t seemed to mind walking about with it on, and since then, I’d also walked him around the house with a lead. Despite hearing the call of the wild, Lucky did also enjoy hanging out with human company. He’d been quite willing to stay close to me in the house on the lead. Now it was time to test it out in the open.

  I popped him out of his carrier and apologised for leaving him there. There’d been a time when I’d been able to let him loose in whatever office I was working in, but I suspected he’d have shot out of the door, if I’d let him run around the unit whilst I’d been gone. I felt another pang of guilt and wondered if I was right to be keeping him as a pet. His feral brothers and sisters had been outside since the day they were born, and here I was, keeping Lucky cooped up. It won’t be much longer now, I thought, remembering the vet’s appointment I’d booked for tomorrow. After that… well, we’d have to see.

  I smiled down at Lucky before clipping on his lead and opening the door of the room. To my surprise, he didn’t try to tear away. Instead, he appeared cautious, perhaps even a little nervous.

  “Good boy, Lucky,” I told him, before encouraging him to follow me outside.

  It didn’t take him long to grow in confidence. We walked around the zoo with him taking an interest in almost every animal we saw. The only animals he was less sure of were the emus, who’d probably looked to him like birds grown out of control. I smiled but kept him out of reach of Boris. He had a habit of stealing things, and I didn’t think Lucky would appreciate being picked up by the pesky bird.

  To my surprise, the first person we saw on our little walking tour was Barnaby. Beyond the zoo’s gift shop was a large green area, that was mostly used for picnics in the summer. It was also the designated location for all winter activities. I found Barnaby marking the grass with spray paint.

  “Morning,” I said, losing the prefix because there was surely nothing good about this morning, after what had happened yesterday.

  “Morning,” he returned, standing up from his work and brushing the mud off his knees.

  “I’m surprised to see you’re here today and are so hands-on,” I said, being honest with the events team boss.

  “I’m surprised to see you walking a cat, but who are we to judge?” he said with a warm smile.

  I hastily introduced him to Lucky, who seemed just as interested in Barnaby as I was.

  “I’m not actually the boss of the company,” Barnaby confessed. “That’s why I tend to get dirtier than you might expect. I just make sure everything works best for the place I’m assigned. I always try to get involved and learn about the venue as much as I can, because I find it’s what brings the most success. You can’t just slap a ‘one size fits all’ sticker on a package and expect it to work everywhere. You’ve got to appreciate the heart and soul of a place.”

  I knew it was marketing spiel he was giving me, but I found I did want to agree with what he was saying. There was nothing worse than an events team who tried to make their ideas work, regardless of the location. The best teams were the ones who came up with ideas inspired by the venue they were working at - as Barnaby seemed to be echoing.

  “How long have you been doing all of this?” I asked.

  “Ten minutes, so far today,” he said, deliberately pretending to misunderstand. “No, I’ve been working for White Trees Christmas Events for five years. Every year, and I still get excited for the seasonal rush. I feel like a kid on Christmas Day, but every day from the end of November, right through to early January has the same feeling for me.”

  “There can’t be long to go before it’s all open to the public,” I commented. December was only a handful of days away.

  “We’re going to open up on the 28th, so, in two days’ time.”

  “Was that the original target?” I asked, hoping to be subtle.

  All the same, his expression turned to one of pity. “Yes, it was always the plan. I saw Auryn this morning and asked if he still wanted us to work today, in case it was disrespectful. He said something along the lines of Jenna loving any new staff coming into the zoo, and that she’d have wanted it to continue.” He gave me an uncertain look.

  “If you’ve got men on your team, she’d have loved it,” I confessed. “You remember her from the party, don’t you?”

  Something cleared in his expression. “That was the woman who died? That’s terrible! I completely forgot her name.” He looked horrified.

  “Jenna was always very friendly to newcomers,” I said.

  He nodded. “She definitely seemed… friendly.” I watched him struggle with his thoughts and decided to let him off the hook by changing the subject.

  “What animals are you including in
the wonderland?” I asked.

  Barnaby launched into a detailed description of the reindeer, sledge-trained huskies, and the zoo’s donkeys, which he’d already asked Auryn’s permission to relocate. We chatted about the enclosures the animals would be living in, and how they would be kept from getting bored and still have enough exercise to keep them happy. I was sick of seeing ‘Christmas animals’ confined to tiny enclosures for the benefit of visitors who wanted to pat a reindeer. That’s why I was thrilled when Barnaby explained his ‘immersive experience’ concept. The idea was, the flat green picnic area would be transformed using natural greenery to create a winter woods. There’d be a trail leading to Father Christmas’ cabin in the woods. Along the way, you’d happen upon the animals, much as you would if you were walking through real woods. Their enclosures would be naturally made and as big as possible, allowing them to be viewed at different times during the walk through. Barnaby had acknowledged that visitors probably would want the opportunity to stroke a reindeer, and as that couldn’t be guaranteed in the larger than usual enclosure, would it be okay if the reindeer were led out on a rotational basis to meet visitors? I had approved the idea, knowing that there was nothing wrong with animal and human interaction, if it wasn’t forced, and wasn’t in place for long durations of time. The animal was always right, not the customer.

  “I should let you get on, or you’ll miss your deadline!” I said with a smile.

  He smiled back and I was reminded of what Tiff had said about the man being a catch. I strongly suspected that Jenna wouldn’t be the only one to notice, once the zoo regained its cheery character after it had finished mourning the loss of another one of its own.

  My smile faded a little, as I remembered the tragedies of the past year. So many of them could have been avoided! I wondered how Jenna had died, and if the police would make that information public.

  I wondered if someone really had killed her.

  I heard a fluttering of feathers from right behind me. Instinct learned over the past few weeks made me spin to the left, to avoid the pain of a beak stabbing my backside.

  I’d forgotten I had Lucky with me. In my quick move to avoid the peacock’s attempt to make me a pincushion, I’d dropped his lead.

  Lucky was left at the mercy of one of the nastiest birds I’d ever met!

  I was about to do something brave, like dive in front of the peacock and rescue Lucky, but although I was small, there was a risk of hurting one of the parties. As someone dedicated to animal welfare, I didn’t think I could do it - no matter how nasty I considered the peacocks to be.

  They were too close together to get in-between. I’d just have to hope that Lucky had the good sense to run away before it was too late.

  It would appear, he did not.

  I watched as the fur raised up on the back of his neck and his little tail puffed out like a bottle brush.

  The peacock fluffed its feathers out, and I knew it was preparing to attack my small cat.

  Then it happened, almost faster than my eyes could follow.

  Lucky launched himself over the peacock’s head, which had moved to stab downwards at him. I suddenly realised that Lucky hadn’t been after the bird, but its tail feathers, which were moving so invitingly in the air. He landed in the middle of them, latching on with his sharp little teeth and trying to chew the feathers.

  The peacock squawked its fury and tried to shake him off, but Lucky didn’t seem bothered by its attempts. Then, to my surprise… the peacock ran away.

  This time, Lucky was dislodged from his position, but instead of the peacock turning back to punish him for his insolence, the large blue and green bird kept running and Lucky gave chase.

  “Lucky!” I shouted, throwing Barnaby an apologetic look, before running after the disappearing pair. Lucky still had his lead trailing behind him, and I just knew he’d manage to get caught up on something before long.

  As I sprinted across the grass, trying to gain some ground, I reflected that it was a good thing I wasn’t trying to pursue Avery Zoo’s newest eligible bachelor. Walking a cat on a lead had been enough to give him some doubts about my sanity. I dreaded to think what his opinion of me was now.

  When I rounded the corner, close to the play barn where the hired cleaners were currently scouring all remnants of Jenna’s horrible fate, there was a great rustling of feathers. The peacock got the run up it needed and took off, finally getting beyond Lucky’s reach. My small, black and white cat sat and watched it go with his head tilted to one side. I took advantage of his lapse of killer instinct and pounced on the trailing lead.

  “I’m so glad you’re going to the vet tomorrow.” I bit my lip after I said it. When I’d ended up with Lucky and had then become a zoo consultant, I’d hoped he would be fine travelling around with me. Throughout his early life, I’d done my best to gently expose him to the different animals there were at a zoo. I’d hoped that he might learn which animals were okay to hang out with, and which were not his friend, but now I thought all of that might have been a fantasy.

  Lucky had just chased a peacock. Whilst I applauded his bravery, and I could also see that he’d wanted the feathers - not the bird - I knew I couldn’t let him come with me to zoos if he was going to chase animals. Punishing his instinct was hardly fair on a cat. When I’d taken on the responsibility of being a cat owner, I’d told myself that if Lucky wasn’t suited to life on the road, I’d hang up my consulting boots and settle down at Avery Zoo. That was, if Auryn could find a place for me. I sighed, knowing that it would be disappointing to have to stop doing the job I’d grown to love even more than being a regular zookeeper. But it was as I’d thought earlier - the animal, not the person, was always right.

  I stroked Lucky’s small, but still growing head and walked him back through the zoo. Perhaps there was still hope. Maybe I could teach him some commands? There was no reason why cats couldn’t be trained, just like dogs were. Lucky was still young. He’d also already proved himself to be smart, I realised, thinking back to his escape artist antics at home.

  “We’ll see what we can achieve, okay?” I said to him. No matter what happened, I wouldn’t give Lucky up. He’d saved my life when he was only a tiny kitten, and I knew I was supposed to have him. If Lucky decided we weren’t going to go on the road, then it was probably the right decision.

  I told Tiff about my meeting with Barnaby being cut short for the second time.

  Once she’d finished snorting with laughter and asking me for more precise details of his expression when I’d run after Lucky and the peacock, she’d asked what I thought about him now.

  “I think he’s a good man. I didn’t get a chance to quiz him more specifically about all of this research Auryn claims he’s done about the zoo, but he did say that the events he runs are tailored to the place, rather than plonking the same awful Christmas-themed plastic mess into whatever place they take over. I also managed to get him to chat about the animals featured in the wonderland and… it didn’t sound bad,” I said, carefully.

  Tiff raised her eyebrows. “Wow, that’s praise indeed coming from you,” she joked.

  She passed me a cup of hot chocolate she’d just whipped up using the staffroom hot drinks maker. As hot chocolates went, it wasn’t bad, and Tiff and I even had our own shared supply of squirty cream in the staff fridge. However, when I pulled out the bag of marshmallows I’d kept hidden in my locker, Tiff did roll her eyes.

  “You don’t do anything by halves, do you Madi?” The smile slid from her face and she sighed. I thought I knew exactly what that sigh was about. I’d heard it quite a few times already today. Something was just different, now that a popular member of staff was gone. In spite of her character, which had sometimes rubbed people the wrong way, Jenna was going to be very much missed by us all.

  “It’s so awful…” Tiff began and then shook her head. “I’m sure we’ve all said it a hundred times already, but it doesn’t change what happened.” She took a deep breath and then let
it out again. “I know it’s strange to be thinking of other things right now, but I’m really worried about this arts and crafts day Auryn and I are supposed to be organising.” Tiff made eye contact with me, and I knew what was coming next. “It was going great until…”

  I nodded. Until they’d kissed. Since then, the plans had obviously halted.

  “How long is there to go before the day?” I asked.

  “A couple of weeks, pretty much. We should be promoting it like crazy right now! I know the Winter Wonderland is a big focus but I just really thought…”

  “…it would be nice,” I completed for her. “It would be lovely to have a creative day like that and it needs to be given a fair shot, which means promotion.” I ran a hand through my unruly hair. “You know what? I think this has gone on long enough. If I talk to Auryn and try to smooth things over, you’ll talk to him when I’ve done that, right?”

  Tiff nodded. I’d known she’d probably agree. Tiff had always been honest and open about her feelings. I’d suspected from the start that Auryn was showing his young years in this particular area, by giving her a completely unnecessary cold shoulder. If he wasn’t interested in Tiff, it was something he needed to be upfront about. You couldn’t just ignore someone and hope the problem went away - especially someone who you needed to work with closely to ensure the success of the zoo!

  “I will talk to him,” I promised her. Just as soon as I could, I was going to nail Auryn to the wall. Tiff and Auryn were both my best friends and I couldn’t bear for them to have this void between them.

  “What did you think of Claudia?” Tiff suddenly asked.

  Somehow I knew it wasn’t an entirely separate topic.

  I shrugged, knowing better than to say anything too enthusiastic about the new financial advisor when Tiff was in this fragile state. To be honest, I didn't feel too enthusiastic about her myself. While it remained to be seen whether or not her suggestion that they hire White Trees Christmas Events to run the Winter Wonderland would pay off or not, her suggestion about the peacocks was definitely a bad tip.