Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 390: The Golden Trail

The youngest camel pushed to the front, eager to add his part. "The third one was the shortest! He only came up to my neck!"

Nancy focused, her charcoal pencil scratching rapidly against the paper. Based on the heights the camels were indicating, she quickly sketched out the silhouettes of the three men.

The tallest was roughly 178cm, the middle one around 170cm, and the shortest was near 165cm. Through the "descriptions" provided by the talkative herd, the profiles of Rino’s three companions finally began to take shape.

Nancy leaned in further. "Did any of you see what they were digging for?"

"Gold dust! Shiny, sparkling gold dust!"

Nancy’s eyes widened. She crouched down to look the camels in the eye. "Do you remember the way back to that place?"

"I remember! I remember!" the spotted camel interjected. "But it is so far! First, he used that rolling iron box... the small truck. He drove us to a very remote highway. We drove for a long, long time before he stopped by the side of the road. Then we got out and carried the four of them deep into the desert."

The camel merchant stared at Nancy, watching her whisper to the animals and scribble in her notebook. He couldn't help but shake his head in amazement.

"Young lady, that is incredible. I knew you were an animal communicator, but seeing it in person is something else!"

The merchant leaned closer to look at the sketches and suddenly pointed at one of the drawings.

"Wait! I recognize this guy!"

Simon turned to him instantly. "Did you speak with him? Do you know who he is?"

"He was an adventurer," the merchant recalled. "Came here for desert trekking. He was alone and wanted to rent one of my camels. He was quite generous, too. He gave me a foreign cigarette! A brand I had never even seen before!"

"Hold on!" The merchant slapped his forehead as a memory clicked.

"Not long after that guy left, Rino showed up to pick up his camels. He saw that foreign cigarette tucked behind my ear, and his face went pale!"

The merchant mimicked Rino’s expression, scowling deeply. "He grabbed my arm and barked at me, asking where the hell I got that cigarette."

"I got annoyed and told him it was none of his business, just something from a high paying tourist." The merchant scratched his head, still looking puzzled. "Isn't that strange? After I said that, Rino looked like a punctured balloon. He didn't say another word and just walked off with a cold look on his face. I thought he was just jealous I was smoking the good stuff."

Nancy frowned. "Why would Rino react like that to a cigarette?"

A look of clarity crossed Simon’s face as he pieced the timeline together. "I suspect Rino and those three were partners in a gold prospecting team. They probably agreed that Rino would handle all the camel rentals to keep things low profile. But that adventurer… one of the partners tried to move behind the team's back. He came here to rent a camel alone and reflexively handed out his usual brand of foreign cigarettes to the owner."

Simon’s voice grew certain. "Rino knew only his partner smoked that brand. When he saw that cigarette, he realized someone was planning to cut the rest of the team out of the deal."

"His anger was the moment he realized he was being betrayed," Nancy added, hitting her palm with her fist. "That matches exactly with what the sand fox heard!"

Just then, Simon’s phone rang. It was the medical examiner. He put it on speaker so Nancy could hear.

"Officer Simon," the examiner’s voice crackled through the phone. "We are still verifying the identities of the three victims, but the causes of death are clear. One was strangled with a rope. One suffered a severe fall before being strangled. The last one died from a massive blow to the back of the head that fractured the skull."

Nancy immediately rattled off a set of data. "Are the heights of the victims approximately 178cm, 165cm, and 170cm?"

There was a dead silence on the other end for two full seconds. Then, the examiner’s voice came back, sounding stunned. "...Yes! How did you do that?"

"That is all we need," Nancy said, her tone turning brisk. "Send backup to meet us immediately. We are going to go arrest the killer."

"Arrest the killer?!" The examiner’s voice was shaking with shock and a hint of excitement. "It hasn't even been twenty four hours! We just finished the preliminary autopsy reports..."

So they're the legendary stars of the Townsville police force?

"We are on our way!"

After hanging up, Nancy turned gently back to the camels. "Fellas, do you remember the path to that place? Can you lead us there?"

"Are you going to look for gold too?" a camel with massive eyes leaned in close. "I know the way! I can take you! There are so many shiny stones out there!"