Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 218: The "Groomed" Meal

Nancy immediately forwarded the suspect's address to Simon before turning back to the two mice. "When exactly did this man capture your family for his experiments?"

One of the mice wiped its face with a tiny paw. "It was five days ago. He snatched our family, forced something down their throats, and locked them in a cage."

"It wasn't long before they kicked the bucket and went to the Great Beyond."

The other mouse clenched its tiny claws in fury. "And he kept saying... something about 'controlling the dosage'? Doing it 'slowly'?"

Nancy realized the poisoner intended to release the ricin in small batches, causing a slow, agonizing decline for the villagers. By the time they started dying, it would look like a mysterious, localized illness rather than a crime.

Moreover, Professor Grace had mentioned that this toxin degrades naturally. If the poisoning was gradual, by the time the police realized what was happening, the evidence would have vanished from the water supply. It was a terrifyingly sophisticated plan for a common thug.

Just then, Nancy received a background check from Simon.

The owner of the house under the banyan tree was Raine Sund—a local vagrant and petty thief. He was notorious in Bricksfield Village for his sticky fingers and terrible temper. His social circle was tiny, which begged the question: how did a man like Raine get his hands on a professional-grade toxin like ricin?

"Do you know where Raine got the poison?" Nancy asked the mice.

They exchanged a confused look. Nancy rephrased: "Has anyone suspicious come to visit him?"

One mouse perked up instantly. "Today! Right after the village head told everyone not to drink the water, that man started pacing back and forth in his house. He called someone and said, 'You have to save me, or I'm snitching on you!' '"

So, there was a partner in crime.

A third, much smaller mouse scurried over, out of breath. "Mom! Dad! The man is packing his bags! It looks like he's planning to run. He keeps checking his watch and muttering about '7 hours to go'."

Seven hours from now would be 2:20 AM.

Nancy realized Raine wasn't just fleeing; he was waiting for a specific window. He wasn't acting on impulse—he was waiting for a pickup. Someone was coming to get him under the cover of night.

She relayed this to Simon immediately.

"Understood," Simon replied. "I'll have the team deploy for a stakeout."

An hour later, two police vans arrived with ten officers, including Simon. To avoid spooking the accomplice, they parked three kilometers away from the village. The heavy lifting for the surveillance was left to the "Air Force" led by Master Crow and the "Tunnel Division" led by the marmots. The officers would move in to take over at 2:00 AM.

As dusk fell and the sky turned a deep indigo, the Goodman Hospital catering arrived at the temporary base with clockwork precision. Nancy had ordered 15 portions this time, ensuring there was plenty for the animal helpers as well. She hadn't revealed their exact location, simply telling the delivery driver that the zoo was having a "team-building retreat" at a nearby farmhouse.

Simon was tasked with retrieving the food. When he returned, he was lugging two massive bags of stacked thermal containers. Seeing the "Goodman Corp" logo in bold letters, his expression soured instantly.

The officers, however, erupted into cheers at the sight of the logo and the mouthwatering aroma.

"Wow! Barry's back with the support again!"

"This food is 10 times better than the canteen stuff!"

"Mr. Simon, your future brother-in-law is quite the catch. He's certainly generous!"

A young officer nudged Simon with his elbow, winking. "Looks like someone is trying to earn his spot as an 'honorary family member'!"

An older detective joined in the teasing. "I tell you, Simon, this daily delivery service is more persistent than I was when I was chasing my wife! You'd better keep a close eye on him!"

Simon's face turned a bruised shade of purple. As he distributed the meals, he noticed they were meticulously labeled: spicy, non-spicy, no ginger...

When he reached the portion for Nancy, it was clearly more refined, even featuring a small rabbit carved out of a carrot. Simon's temple began to throb.

The officers were in awe of the attention to detail, their laughter filling the van. Only the area around Simon remained in a low-pressure zone of pure annoyance.

He whipped out his phone and opened his chat with Barry. His thumbs flew across the screen.

"Simon: Thanks for the charity, but our family isn't short on grocery money. "

He paused, then added a final warning:

"Simon: Keep stuffing lunchboxes near my sister, and the next thing you'll be stuffed into is an evidence bag."