Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 287: The Hidden Toxin

"Take him away!" the senior officer ordered.

As they led Ashton away and secured the evidence bag, the officers were in a state of dazed disbelief. They were suddenly hit with a massive wave of relief. They had not expected to crack such a high-pressure case this quickly. It was a textbook collar. He was caught red-handed with the evidence to prove it.

Nancy had only been in Lindtsville for two hours.

As the two officers hauled the suspect out, the senior officer turned to Nancy. "Ms. Nancy, your efficiency is terrifying."

The other officers crowded around her, giving her a collective thumbs-up. "You are a miracle worker. We spent days hitting walls, and you locked onto the suspect in minutes!"

Nancy smiled and waved off the praise, redirecting the credit. "Don't thank me. Thank our lead informant, Queen Bee."

She picked up Penny and gave him a pat. "And Penny here is the real hero for leading us to the bird."

Penny puffed out his chest, his eyes shimmering with pride. "It was me! I found the villain who hurt my human!"

He kneaded Nancy’s arm with his paws, adding in a whisper. "The process was a bit embarrassing for a cat of my stature, but the result is great, right? I am a natural detective!"

On the perch, the cockatoo watched the handsome doctor being shoved into the police car. The bird looked deflated, its feathers drooping.

"I am devastated! My heart is in pieces! The handsome doctor I spent all morning grooming for turned out to be a killer. My world has collapsed!"

Nancy could not help but laugh. She reached out and gently stroked the bird’s head. "It is okay. Your world did not collapse. You just saw the truth. You did a great thing today."

She emptied her remaining stash of bird biscuits in front of Queen Bee. "These are all yours. I will make sure the police send a medal to the shop that says Sharpest Eye in the Sky or something just as prestigious."

Queen Bee’s eyes lit up. The bird tilted its head, suddenly acting shy.

"Thanks. But... when you send the medal, can the officer with the long eyelashes and the dimples be the one to deliver it?"

Nancy blinked, then nearly doubled over laughing. "Fine, fine. I will pass that request along."

Queen Bee and that flirtatious officer would probably have a lot to talk about if they did not live in different cities.

After saying goodbye to the bird, Nancy headed back to the Woods estate with Penny.

"Captain Roger, any news? Did you find out who was at the tea pavilion?" Nancy asked the moment she saw him.

Roger slapped his thigh in excitement. "We got him!"

"It was Johan Woods, Owen’s third son. We found a gardener who saw him on the phone near the pavilion right before the incident. The timing matches the bird’s story perfectly."

He added, his voice energized. "And that vet, Ashton? He sang like a canary the second we got him to the station. He is looking for a plea deal. He admitted Johan paid him to poison the collar while Penny was being groomed."

Nancy was not surprised by the quick confession. In a poisoning case like this, the one who carries it out is just an accomplice. The one who planned it is the primary target.

Under the law, Johan was facing a massive sentence. Since he targeted his own father with a hidden, lethal method, he was looking at ten years to life, or even the death penalty. Ashton knew his only way out was to flip on the mastermind. Nobody throws their life away for a paycheck when the needle is on the table.

"Did Ashton say what kind of poison he used?" Nancy asked.

Roger’s expression turned grim. "Cyanide. It is incredibly toxic. A tiny amount can kill in minutes. They carefully dripped it into the metal crevices of the gemstone settings on the collar."

He explained the mechanics of the crime. "When Owen leaned in to hold the cat, his face was right against that collar. Every time he breathed in, he was inhaling trace amounts of cyanide dust. To make it even worse, as the cat moved, the friction and body heat probably helped the gas vaporize, making it even easier to inhale. It was a calculated, vicious move. They used Owen’s love for his pet against him."

He looked at Nancy with genuine respect. "If you had not shown up, we would still be looking in the wrong direction."

Just then, two officers walked out, escorting a young man in an expensive suit.