Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 327: The New Specialist 1

The precinct was suddenly hit by a wave of cheering and noise from the front doors.

Jack looked up instinctively. He found himself staring directly into Nancy’s eyes, with her high-profile animal detective team lined up right behind her.

Nancy was there to get the animals officially registered. She took one look at the box of junk at Jack’s feet and knew exactly what she was seeing. This was his formal walk of shame.

The registration room was a total circus, humming with the kind of energy you’d find on the first day of school.

A forensics officer held up a camera and started coaxing the squirrel brothers. "Alright guys, look at the lens and smile. We’re getting your official files started right now."

Corry didn't hesitate. He pulled back his lips to show off those trademark front teeth.

The greedy one, Bobby, scrambled to get in the shot too. A tiny piece of a nut was still stuck to his tooth, which sent half the officers in the room into fits of laughter.

On the other side of the desk, an officer was carefully placing Snowball onto a scale.

His fingers sank deep into the thick white fur. "This feels like I'm weighing a ball of fluff," he laughed.

The whole room was full of warmth and jokes. It was a brutal contrast to Jack, who was standing off to the side, alone, finishing his termination paperwork.

The room wasn't big, and Nancy’s counter was right next to Jack’s.

The man who used to be the department’s star expert looked like a complete wreck now. He was covered in stubble and looked totally drained, like he’d been hit by a freight train.

He listened to the laughter around him and turned a dark, ragged look toward Nancy.

"Nancy, you must be pretty damn smug seeing me like this. Seeing me lose my title and end up in the gutter."

Nancy didn't even look at him. "You think way too much of yourself. What happens to you doesn't even make a dent in my day. I don't waste my time on people who don't matter."

Jack stared at her cold expression and felt a sharp, twisting pain in his chest.

There was a time when she used to smile at him. She used to look at him with respect.

How did they end up here? He wondered.

"I actually just remembered something," Nancy said, turning her head as the thought hit her. "I remember a certain someone looking down at Simon and me once. I remember you saying that people like us were born in the dirt and would never amount to anything. That we’d never be on your level."

She looked him in the eye. "You remember that, right?"

Jack didn't say a word. Nancy let out a short, dry laugh. Her eyes drifted over his pathetic cardboard box and his exhausted face.

"I’ve realized something new lately. You can spend your whole life pretending you're something special. You can hide behind a title that you didn't even earn."

Nancy’s smile was pure ice. "But once you're kicked out of your little bubble, everyone sees what you really are. A fraud. Wouldn't you agree?"

Jack looked like he’d been slapped. He snapped his head up and his voice got loud and desperate. "The arson is one thing, but my father never hired a hitman! He didn't do it!"

While he was losing it, he saw Captain Simmons out of the corner of his eye. The Captain was beaming. He was personally handing out custom Police Consultant badges to the animals with more respect than he had ever shown Jack.

The clerk handling Jack’s exit got tired of the drama and knocked on the desk to get his attention.

"Mr. Jack, let’s move it along. I need all your police ID and your gate cards right now."

Jack dug through his pockets and pulled out his expert credentials. He put them on the desk, looking like he didn't want to let go.

It was a total slaughter. The image of Jack’s career ending in a cramped office while Nancy and her team were being celebrated was a cruel parallel.

Just then, Captain Simmons walked over and handed bouquets of flowers to Nancy and Simon.

He looked at Simon and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "Officer Simon, because you’ve closed so many major cases and caught two Class-A fugitives, the department has made a decision. Effective immediately, you are being promoted to Vice Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division."

The room went quiet for a second before the murmurs started.

Getting to Vice Captain usually takes a decade of hard work. For Simon to do it at twenty-six was unheard of. It was a massive promotion.

Then, Captain Simmons handed a fresh contract to Nancy with both hands. He was smiling, but his tone was dead serious. "Ms. Nancy, this is your official contract as a Special Consultant. From now on, we’re calling you Specialist. Sign right here."

That word Specialist hit Jack like a bolt of lightning. It left him feeling totally dazed.

He wanted to run away from the humiliation, but his feet felt like they were stuck to the floor.

He had to stand there and watch as Nancy took the pen. With one smooth move, she signed the contract that put her at the absolute top of her field.

One was rising to the top, covered in glory. The other was hitting rock bottom, leaving the building in total silence.