Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 10: The Witness Deer

"You’ve got the nerve to ask the Summers family for patent fees?" Jack narrowed his eyes at Nancy.

"If you want me to lend you half a million, fine—apologize to Ginnie. As long as you show the right attitude, the Summers family might take you back."

"Impossible!"

Nancy shook with rage. "I’ve said it over and over—I never pushed Ginnie!"

"Why won’t any of you believe me?"

She had poured everything she had into the Summers family, given them years of work and research, only to be left with a sickly body.

"Then forget the loan."

With that, Jack turned and left with his assistant.

Loren Zoo was sealed tight.

A hundred officers scoured the grounds in a carpet search.

Nancy and the zoo’s nine remaining employees were dragged off for questioning that lasted for hours.

By the time night fell, no trace of the killer or the missing head had been found.

Empty-handed, Jack’s temper boiled over.

"The first forty-eight hours after a crime are the golden window for solving it. Every hour that passes slashes the chances of a breakthrough!"

"It’s already been nearly twenty hours. We didn’t catch him last year—are we really going to let him slip away again this year?"

The officers said nothing. After a long day with no progress, morale was at rock bottom.

One finally spoke up. "Mr. Summers, maybe we should post a reward, get the whole city involved in looking for Mandy’s head?"

Jack thought it over. "Fine. Draft a notice right away."

Just then, Nancy and the zoo staff finished their questioning and were brought back.

As Jack left, he threw one more order over his shoulder. "Loren Zoo stays closed tomorrow."

Nancy’s fists clenched, while the staff beside her whispered about quitting.

"I’m not waiting for this month’s pay. I’m done."

"Same here. This zoo’s cursed—no business, sick animals, and now a murder."

…

One by one, the employees tossed down their badges and walked away.

Only a young man remained.

Nancy, numb to it all, glanced at his badge. Leon.

"You’re not leaving?"

Leon scratched his head, his eyes still bright with innocence. "Director, I’m a senior at Townsville University. I came here for my internship. I just need a signed proof of completion—doesn’t matter if there’s no pay."

Nancy let out a small laugh. "Bring me the template tomorrow, and I’ll stamp it for you."

"Consider it one last good deed."

Leon’s face lit up. "Thank you! I’ll head back to school, then. Good night."

The vast zoo was left quiet, save for a few officers standing guard through the night.

At the gate, police were pinning up the fresh reward notice.

Nancy stepped closer to read it.

The notice declared: A homicide has occurred at Loren Zoo. The victim’s body was found incomplete, the head missing. This case is of grave severity. The public is called upon to provide information. Rewards will be given as follows:

– Direct discovery of the victim’s head and assistance locating it: 100,000.

– Information directly leading to solving the case (such as the suspect’s identity or weapon): 50,000.

– Other critical clues: 10,000–30,000, depending on value.

Find the missing head—reward: 100,000!

Nancy’s numb heart began to pound.

She hurried toward the tiger enclosure, ready to ask the nearby animals if they’d seen anything.

Then, behind her, two giraffes muttered to each other.

The shorter one: "Looks like the director’s in trouble."

The taller one: "We should be worrying about ourselves. What if we starve?"

The short one: "It’s that man’s fault—why throw a body into the tiger enclosure? Garbage belongs in a dump!"

Nancy spun around, striding quickly toward them. "You saw the killer dump the body?"

The giraffes jumped back in fright.

"You—you can understand us?"

Nancy nodded. "Of course. My ears aren’t like other people’s. I can hear animals speak."

The shorter giraffe’s long legs shifted awkwardly into a pigeon-toed stance. "Oh no, you heard everything…"

Nancy smiled. "It’s fine. You’re cute. You didn’t say anything bad about me. But you were worried about starving, right? Tell me what you saw last night. If I can give the police a lead, I’ll get a reward—and use it to buy your food."

The two giraffes exchanged a glance, then craned their necks and spoke at once.

The taller one: "Last night, a man in a baseball cap and black clothes climbed over the tiger enclosure fence with a huge duffel bag. He dumped a woman’s body out of it!"

Nancy asked quickly, "Did the head… was the head still attached?"