Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 356: Magic Turtle

"The gloves and shoe covers are in that lake. I’d bet on it."

The color drained from Rudolph and the old woman’s faces simultaneously. "A recovery operation?" the old woman stammered.

Nancy looked Rudolph dead in the eye. "Rudolph, you just said you had no idea Almond was dead. If we pull gloves out of that water and find your DNA on them, it proves you didn't just know and it proves you helped hide the body."

Simon stepped up, his voice cold and level. "That’s perjury and tampering with evidence. At this rate, you're looking at being charged as an accessory to murder. If you want any chance at leniency, you’d better start talking now."

"You’ve got to be joking!" Rudolph barked, his voice straining as he tried to maintain his composure. "How much longer are you people going to keep harassing us?"

Faylin turned to the lead officer, her eyes wide with desperation. "How long will a search take?"

The officer looked out at the darkening sky and frowned. "This lake is massive, and it’s deep with zero visibility. Even if we call in a dive team with sonar right now, we won’t have a full sweep done until tomorrow morning."

Just as the officer reached for his radio to call it in, Nancy spoke up. "Wait. We might be able to find the evidence tonight."

Every head in the room turned toward her.

Nancy looked at the Cloudtopia officer. "When you made the arrests earlier, didn't one of them have a turtle? Is it still here?"

The officer nodded and hurried over with a glass tank. "Yeah, we didn't have room for it in the vans and didn't want the little guy suffocating. We figured it might be connected to the case, so we kept it here for the time being."

Inside the tank, the creature Thomas had been calling a magic turtle was lazily scratching at the pebbles. Its dark shell caught the light, and its small head popped up occasionally, watching the room with black, bead-like eyes. It looked perfectly relaxed, oblivious to the fact that it was about to be put to work.

The turtle paddled its legs in the water, thinking to itself, Finally. No more being dragged around by that hack to play pretend. This is the life. Just me, some water, and zero responsibilities.

Nancy took the tank and found herself eye-to-eye with the turtle. He recognized her immediately, his tiny claws tapping against the glass. "It’s you! The smart one who can actually talk to us!"

Nancy gave him a small smile. "I need a favor."

The turtle pulled back slightly, looking suspicious. "You aren't going to make me perform some cheap parlor trick too, are you?"

"Not at all," Nancy whispered, showing him her credentials. "I work with the police. I’m a specialist who helps solve crimes by talking to animals."

She glanced over at Chunk and Snowball. "See them? They’re official consultants. They have a permanent spot on the payroll. They get top-tier food, the best medical care, and a guaranteed home for life just for helping out."

The turtle’s head shot out of its shell. "Wait, a home for life? Like, a high-end aquarium with a filtered waterfall and premium snacks?"

Nancy nodded. "The best money can buy. If you help us find the evidence in that lake, you’re set for life. You’ll never have to work a day again."

The usually sluggish turtle started splashing excitedly. "I’m in! Tell me what you need!"

"Do you have a name?"

The turtle held its head high. "Just call me Magic Turtle. It’s got a certain flair, don't you think?"

"Alright, Magic Turtle. Let's get started."

Nancy carried him down to the shoreline and described the gloves and shoe covers in detail. As an aquatic turtle, his vision was built for the water. While humans struggled in the dark, he could distinguish colors and shapes beneath the surface with ease.

"Recruit the others if you have to," Nancy added. "Tell the fish and the other turtles that I’ve got a massive stash of premium treats for anyone who helps."

She tossed a handful of specially scented bait into the shallows to prove her point. The water immediately began to boil with activity as fish broke the surface, scrambling for the food.