Саманта Сильвер - Sleeping With The Fishes

“How much did Richard Steele pay you for her?” I asked.

“Two hundred grand. We got her out of the park and then into South Africa, onto a ship that ended up in New York, and we drove her in a trailer from there.”

I tried to hide my absolute disgust and keep the same neutral expression Jason did. “Where in the park did she come from? We need specifics.”

“It took us three days to find a giraffe calf that looked old enough that it would survive without its mother,” Kerry said. It was near one of those luxury safari resorts. I remember, we had to wait for the giraffe to get far enough away from the camp to avoid arousing suspicion from the staff there.”

“What was the camp called, do you remember?” I asked, and Kerry frowned.

“Does it really matter? Geez, it’s just a giraffe.”

“If you want to get out of here without getting arrested, it matters,” I replied, my voice ice cold.

“Fine, gee, no need to get your panties in a bunch over it,” Kerry said. “Let me think. It was a one syllable name. Syca, maybe? No, Sopa. That was it. Sopa Lodge.”

“And that’s where the giraffe was, with her mother?” Jason asked.

“Yeah, that was it,” Trevor said, nodding. “Now, can we please get our car keys back?”

Jason tossed him the keys and we got back into our car without another word. When we closed the door and got back onto the road I was practically trembling with rage.

“Hey, you ok?” Jason asked me softly, and I shook my head.

“No. It makes me so angry. I know we have Lucy’s information, and that’s the most important thing. But those people. They’re going to keep getting away with it. They’re going to Canada, and they’re going to come back, and they’re going to keep smuggling animals and no one’s going to do anything to stop them.”

I didn’t realize I was actually crying until I let out a sob at the end of the sentence. Jason pulled the car over to the side of the road, leaned over and wrapped his arms around me.

“They’re not going to get away with it,” he whispered to me softly, stroking my hair. I felt myself getting calmer from his touch.

“How, though? We promised not to report them.”

Jason laughed softly. “You do realize you’re dealing with criminals, right? So we lied.” He let me go and took out his phone. “I looked up the number for Canada’s Border Protection Agency, and while we were there I also took note of their license plate number. Give me a second.”

Jason called the number, and I listened, shocked, as he told the person on the end of the line about a Rav4 that was attempting to smuggle animals illegally into Canada.

“No, thank you ,” Jason told the person on the other end of the line, and hung up. When he was finished, I burst out laughing. I was obviously so tired I was now hysterical.

“I can’t believe you did that! We promised we wouldn’t.”

“Oh, sweet, sweet Angela. What a wonderful place the world would be if no one ever lied to one another,” Jason said with a grin. “Luckily for the animals of the world, we have no such problem. Those three are going to be arrested, and if we’re lucky, they’re going to spend a long time in jail. Now, let’s go home. Tomorrow we can call the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and they can take Lucy home.”

I brushed a tear from my eye. “You really are the best boyfriend ever. You know that, right?”

“I do,” Jason grinned. “Now, let’s go back to the gas station and get some more Red Bull, and then go home.”

Because Jason was the best boyfriend ever, he let me sleep for the whole drive back to Willow Bay, then carried me into his house, where I woke up the next morning.

Chapter 19

Going by the look of surprise Sophie gave me when she saw me the next morning, it appeared my attempts at using makeup to look less like a zombie were pretty unsuccessful.

“That bad, huh?” I grimaced, and Sophie hid a smile.

“No, no, it’s not that bad,” she said. “But, uh, maybe it would be best if you stayed in the back as much as possible.”

I stuck my tongue out at her. “I need to call the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife this morning,” I told Sophie. “I know I don’t have any appointments until ten, so I’m going to stay here and say bye to the animals.”

I knew it was going to be tough. After all, Lucy was such a sweet giraffe, and Coolidge and Cherie had saved my life. But I knew all three of them–and Hehu, when he was well enough–were going to have to go home.

I made the call just after eight that morning. The department promised to send someone by shortly. Because of my work, I had a standing permit with the State of Oregon and was allowed to keep exotic animals in my care. I left a note on the front door telling them that if no one answered I was in the backyard, and I made my way to the stable.

As soon as I opened the door, I forced myself to smile. “Guess what, guys? You’re all going to start your journeys home today!”

“Am I going to find my mom?” Lucy asked, and I nodded.

“Yes, I know what part of Tarangire National Park your mother lives in now. I’m going to get the people taking you back to take you there, and I have a friend who works in Kenya who will be able to help as well. I had sent Kirsten an email the night before outlining what I knew. She said she would organize with the local authorities once Lucy was returned to ensure that the mother was found. I was so incredibly thankful, and ended up making a hefty donation to her rescue group.

“That’s wonderful news,” Coolidge said. “Are we also going home?”

“You are,” I said, grinning. “I hope you remember the heat, you’re being sent home to Australia!”

“Oh good. If you could please make sure we’re sent back to the Perth area, that would be an even bigger bonus.”

“I’ll make a note of it. I’m fairly certain you will be; there’s a black cockatoo rescue center in Perth, I wouldn’t be surprised if you get sent there to begin with, to make sure you can still be in the wild.”

“It’s really happening,” Cherie said. “We’re finally going to go home. What about Hehu? Will he go back to New Zealand as well?”

I nodded. “Yes, although it will take a bit longer. I want his wing to heal here, first, where I can take care of him.”

“Good idea,” Coolidge said. “He was a little bit of a whiner, but I’m going to miss the kea.”

Just then, a woman in khakis and a loose shirt made her way through the backyard, with the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife crest on her shirt.

“Angela Martin?” she asked, and I nodded and held out a hand. “Lauren Knight, it’s nice to meet you. What have we got here?”

I brought her into the stable and introduced Lauren to the three animals. Lauren had a look at them, gently stroking Lucy and smiling at the birds who calmly perched on a piece of wood in front of her, then she turned to me.

“I have a trailer out here that’s suitable for taking Lucy, as well as a cage for the birds. You said you know where she’s from and that you know an organization that can help find her mother? She likely is too young to survive in the wild on her own.”

I nodded. “Yes. I’ll get you in touch with Kirsten, she works with an elephant rescue group in Kenya but has contacts, and has promised that she’ll help. I know Lucy came from Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, and that her mother lived near a place called the Sopa Lodge.”

“Excellent, you were extremely thorough. I’m glad you’ve gotten us that information. Can you help me get the animals? I’ll go prepare the truck, it’s out in front of your house, if you can bring them over.”

“Sure, it’ll give me a chance to say goodbye,” I said, and even saying those words I felt a lump rise in my throat. Lauren nodded and smiled at me, then headed off as I turned to the three animals.