Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 286: High-density Evidence

The cockatoo mimicked Houston’s low voice. "He said, 'It’s done. I’m just waiting for you now. But are you sure nobody else is going to touch that collar? Just your father?'"

Nancy’s pulse quickened at the mention of your father. She was certain that one of Owen’s kids was behind this.

Houston had coated the collar in something toxic, but he was paranoid about the wrong person getting hit. Penny had mentioned that her collars were so expensive the groomers always wore gloves to avoid damaging the gems.

Houston knew the staff wouldn't touch it bare-handed. His only real worry was who would be the first person to handle the cat once it got home.

Nancy messaged Captain Roger to get a team to the shop for an arrest. As she typed, she kept the bird talking. "Queen Bee, could you hear the person on the other end?"

The bird shook its head. "I tried to listen, but they were too quiet. Houston did complain about it being loud on their end, though. He said some construction was making it hard to hear."

Construction.

Nancy remembered what Quinny said about remodeling the tea pavilion at the estate. There was active work going on right now. Whoever was on that call was at the house, making sure Owen was the one who took the cat out of the carrier.

"Queen Bee, that’s huge. Thank you."

Nancy sent another text to Roger: "Check who was at the tea pavilion yesterday at 2:00 PM. Which of Owen's children was there?"

The bird watched her, curious. "Is that what you call a lead? Just catching people being sneaky?"

"Exactly," Nancy said. "The collar was probably poisoned. We're looking for a killer. Pets who help the police get rewarded."

The bird’s eyes narrowed. "I’ve got one more. After the call, he took a thick black bag and threw a bottle and his gloves inside. He stashed it in the corner of the storage room. He hasn't touched it since. It’s still there."

Nancy stood up. "Where’s the room? Take me there."

The cockatoo led her to the door. Nancy stayed put to make sure Houston didn't try to get rid of anything. The toxin must have been lethal; Houston was clearly too afraid to just throw the bag in the trash where it might leak or be found.

Four of Roger’s officers arrived minutes later. They split up. One group went for Houston, while the other group, wearing masks and heavy gear, entered the storage room.

With the bird’s help, they found the bag in seconds. Inside was a pair of gloves and a small glass vial.

A senior officer felt the bag. "This is thick. High-density polyethylene."

"I used those in the lab for hazardous waste," Nancy said.

The officer nodded. "You don't use these for regular trash. This is the evidence we need."

Nancy felt the tension break. Quinny can go home, and I can collect that bonus.

The other officers brought Houston down. He was shouting about his innocence until he saw the evidence bag. He stopped cold.

"It’s just trash," he stammered. "You're trying to frame me with a garbage bag."

Nancy held the bag up to his face. "If it's just a bag of trash, why don't you reach in and touch it?"

Houston turned pale and backed away, his mouth hanging open.