Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 279: The Stuck Designer

Five million dollars!

Callum’s payment had actually cleared. The expansion and upgrade of Loren Zoo was officially a go.

Nancy was ready to move. She prepared to upgrade the animal habitats with military efficiency. She had the designs and the blueprints finalized; everything was ready, just waiting on the cash. Now that the five million was in her account, she couldn't wait another second.

The morning before construction was supposed to start, Nancy went over the prints one last time. She found a few details that needed a final confirmation with the designer. She picked up her phone and dialed the number.

The phone rang for a long time without an answer. She tried several more times, but it kept going to a busy signal. Just as she was starting to wonder what was going on, the designer, Quinny, called back.

"Ms. Nancy..." Quinny’s voice was hoarse and sounded exhausted. "I’m sorry. I’m in Lindtsville, and I don't think I'm going to make it back for the start of the job tomorrow."

Quinny was Nancy’s regular partner. She had designed the previous zoo renovation and was one of the most reliable professionals Nancy knew. She wasn't the type to flake on a contract.

Nancy felt a knot in her stomach. "Quinny, what happened?"

"I was doing a landscape design for a family here," Quinny said, sounding drained. "Yesterday, as I was wrapping up, the head of the family suddenly collapsed in a coma. Poisoning. He’s still out. The police are investigating, and nobody is allowed to leave the grounds."

"What?" Nancy’s heart sank. "How long are they going to keep you there?"

"I have no idea. Could be days, could be weeks." Quinny lowered her voice. "I’m not a suspect, but the police are making everyone who was near the scene stay in Lindtsville for questioning. My ID is flagged. I can't even book a ticket home."

Nancy felt the stress hitting her. If the crew shows up tomorrow and she's not there, I'm paying them to stand around. I'll be bleeding money by noon.

Worse, finding someone like Quinny, who actually understood animal habits and landscape design, was basically impossible on short notice.

"Quinny," Nancy said, trying to stay composed. "Just do what the police ask. I’ll figure something out."

She hung up and looked at the stack of blueprints. Everything is ready to go, and the one person I need is stuck in a police station.

Lindtsville wasn't too far from Townsville. Nancy thought about calling Captain Simmons to see if she could head over as a consultant to help clear things up.

Before she could, her phone rang. It was Captain Roger from the Lindtsville Criminal Investigation Unit.

"Ms. Nancy, get over here! We’ll cover your travel, and if you help us catch the killer, we’ll match the reward money you get in Townsville! Please, get here fast! We need you!"

Captain Roger sounded frantic and excited. He gave her the details and sent over the address.

They're paying my way and offering a bonus? Why are they so happy to bring in an outsider without any pushback? This is almost too good.

"Captain Roger," Nancy asked, "does the victim have any pets?"

"He has a cat," Roger said after a pause. "An... Amoxicillin cat, I think?"

Nancy almost laughed. "You mean an Abyssinian?"

"That’s the one. I'm not an expert on these things."

Since there was a cat at the scene and it was a long drive, Nancy brought the Tabby King along for her first real out-of-town case.

Two hours later, she pulled up to the Woods estate. As she turned the corner, she saw the mess. Now she knew why the Lindtsville police sounded so panicked.

The gates were surrounded by a swarm of reporters. The constant sound of camera shutters was like a plague of locusts. Cars were jammed everywhere, with people honking and shouting over the police tape.

News crews were already live. "Breaking news! Real estate mogul Owen Woods collapsed yesterday. Internal sources say it was poisoning, and he is still in critical condition!"