Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 282: The Confession

A hundred thousand for every hour ahead of schedule.

Nancy did the math. If she broke the case in the next two hours, she was looking at 1.7 million dollars. The number made her heart skip.

It was a strange situation. While Owen’s children were busy fighting over his money, his lifelong rival was the one willing to pay a fortune for the truth. Then again, Jose didn't have much of a choice. If he stayed the prime suspect, the damage to Garuda Corp’s reputation and stock price would cost him way more than a few million.

While Nancy was thinking, she felt something furry brush against her ankle. She looked down to see the Tabby King standing there.

"I found the foreigner," the Tabby King said, his eyes bright. He flicked his tail, looking annoyed. "But the guy is terrified. He’s hiding in a corner and won't come out."

Nancy followed him through the halls to a quiet little garden. Deep inside a vine-covered trellis, she saw a slender tail with distinct agouti markings twitching nervously.

The Tabby King stepped forward and pinned the tail down with a paw.

"Hey, stop hiding. The consultant is here to help. Come out and tell us what you saw. If you help us catch whoever hurt your human, you can stop shaking."

Instead of coming out, the Abyssinian shrank further into the shadows. The tail vanished into the gap, and the cat disappeared completely.

Is he actually afraid of the police? Nancy wondered.

The Tabby King’s tail lashed against the ground. He leaned into the gap and lowered his voice. "If you don't come out right now, I’m calling the strays from the park to come take your lunch money."

There was a frantic rustling, and the Abyssinian finally crawled out, trembling. The moment it saw Nancy, its fur stood on end. Then, the cat sat up, pressed its front paws together, and looked like it was about to cry.

"I confess. It was me. Just... just take me in."

Nancy froze. "What?"

She looked at the cat. "Are you saying you're the one who put Owen in a coma?"

The Abyssinian gave a shaky nod. "I'm guilty. I surrender. Yesterday, after the girl from the pet shop brought me back, my human wouldn't leave me alone. He kept picking me up and burying his face in my fur."

The cat’s paws twisted together. "Right after that, he started acting strange. His hands were shaking and his breathing got heavy. I tried to get help by biting the butler’s leg."

Nancy’s eyes sharpened. Animals notice physical changes long before people do. If Owen collapsed right after that, the 'poisoning' probably happened when he smelled the cat.

The Abyssinian sounded miserable. "I must have done something to him. I don't know why, it was just a bath..."

Nancy didn't know whether to laugh or be worried. The poor thing actually thought it was the killer and had been hiding out of pure guilt.

"What's your name, little guy?" she asked.

The Abyssinian went into a full confession. "My name is Penny. I'm two. Please... just be easy on me. Don't let them put me down."

Nancy pulled some dried treats from her bag to calm him down. "Don't blame yourself, Penny. Someone probably used you to get to your owner. You were just the delivery method."

Penny’s head snapped up. "Really? I didn't do it?"

The Tabby King rolled his eyes. "You idiot. No cat is cute enough to put a human in the hospital. Get a grip."