Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 294: The Lead In The Hills

"I found out that three years ago, Randall opened a small restaurant near a paint factory in a rural county outside Townsville," Simon said.

Nancy couldn't help but scoff internally. From restaurants to pet shops, Randall certainly had a broad range of side hustles.

"He definitely wasn't running a diner just for the profit, was he?"

"Remember when you told me Chandler gave you those few manuscript pages to help with your vaccine research?" Simon dropped another bombshell. "I found that the date Randall closed that restaurant and the date Chandler gave you those pages are less than five days apart."

Nancy gripped her fork until her knuckles turned white.

That meant there was a massive chance Randall was the one who stole the manuscript for Chandler. And the source was likely a company or factory near that small-town diner.

"After he shut down the restaurant, he moved back to Townsville and opened the pet supply shop," Simon continued. "I mapped out the timeline and confronted him. I asked if he had ever acquired a biological research manuscript for Chandler. His reaction was exactly what I expected. The moment I mentioned the pages, he looked shocked and terrified. He couldn't figure out how I knew."

Nancy’s heart hammered against her ribs. They were finally closing in on the truth.

"Nancy, are you free this weekend?" Simon asked. "I’m off duty. Let's head down to that county and look around the old diner. We can see if your mother ever lived or worked there. Maybe we can find someone who knew her."

"I'm in!" Nancy replied instantly.

When she hung up, her hands were still shaking with adrenaline. If Chandler had used Randall to steal the manuscript from her mother through illegal means, then her being "switched at birth" was definitely no accident.

…

The weekend arrived quickly.

The county Randall had hidden in was called Dorne Hill. It was a remote area surrounded by mountains, with winding, difficult roads that took nearly three hours to navigate.

Nancy met Simon at the zoo, and they set off for the hills. She brought along a few of the smaller animals who could handle the trip, figuring they could use a day out in the fresh air.

As they left Townsville, the city skyline faded, replaced by twisting mountain paths and dense forests. Simon focused on the driving, his profile sharp and steady.

Nancy sat in the back, tending to her traveling party; though, in reality, the animals were the ones taking care of her.

The weather had turned chilly, and Snowball the stoat was curled snugly around her neck like a self-heating plush scarf. He kneaded her neck with his tiny paws, giving her a miniature massage.

Next to her, the squirrel brothers had set up a literal assembly line.

Coco, acting like a strict quality control inspector, picked up a walnut and shook it near his ear. He promptly tossed it into a trash bag. "This one's no good! Worms!"

As a nut connoisseur, he could tell exactly how full or damaged a nut was just by its weight and sound.

He picked up another one. "This one passed inspection!"

He tossed the approved walnut into a basket in front of Bobby. Bobby handled the processing, expertly cracking the shells and placing the fresh nutmeats onto Nancy’s snack tray. Of course, Bobby "taxed" the production by stuffing a few into his own cheeks, chewing non-stop.

Nancy leaned back, snacking on fresh walnuts and watching a show on her tablet. She was so comfortable she was practically purring.

The Tabby King lounge on the seat next to her and let out a judgmental meow. "Pathetic. Using child labor like this."

Nancy laughed and poked a squirrel's tail. "Hear that? Tell the King you're doing this out of the goodness of your hearts."

Coco held up a small walnut, looking dead serious. "It's voluntary! Nancy gives us a home, and we give her snacks. It's called mutual aid!"

Bobby nodded vigorously while shoving the biggest nutmeat into his mouth. "Mm-hmm! The tastiest kind of friendship!"

Up on the ceiling rack, the now-slimmed-down little bat was hanging upside down, sleeping soundly. His round body rose and fell with his breath, no longer at risk of falling off.

This time, Nancy had also brought Mist, the white snake, after she had hissed a protest about being left behind. Mist was in her glass enclosure, her body swaying as she stared intently at the back of Simon’s head.