Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 413: The Safety of the State

On the way to the airport, Sicily had been so energized by Nancy and Simon’s cases that she proposed adapting them into a series. It was the perfect concept, a lighthearted mystery drama following a seasonal format that could keep the story moving for years.

The more Nancy thought about it, the more she loved the idea. It was the perfect stage for the more dramatic animals at the zoo, and the filming location was already built at Loren Zoo.

They had reached a decision before even reaching the terminal. "I’m in," Nancy told her. "I’ll fund the project myself."

Sicily’s efficiency was terrifying.

The moment the plane leveled off, she broke out her keyboard. The steady clicking filled the cabin as the framework for the script took shape on her screen.

Nancy watched Sicily work, noticing she had barely taken a sip of her drink before diving back in. "With that kind of drive," Nancy remarked, "there is nothing you can't accomplish."

…

The private jet touched down smoothly at Townsville Airport.

Nancy, Snowball, and Master Crow were met by a specialized vehicle provided by the military. The ride was seamless, and the exhaustion of the trip seemed to melt away as they cruised toward home.

As the car pulled up to the main gate of Loren Zoo, Nancy noticed something was different. Even though she had been gone for less than a month, the entrance had been meticulously refreshed.

What caught her eye, however, was the row of food stalls. At the taco stand she frequented, there was a new face, a young man she didn't recognize.

Did the regular lady quit? Or did she just hire help?

After days of high-end catering and set meals, Nancy found herself craving the greasy, comforting taste of street food.

"Could you wait a second?" she asked the guard in the driver’s seat. "I want to grab a taco."

The guard glanced at the stall, noticing a man with a rigid posture and overly alert eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he just bit his lip and hit the brakes.

Nancy didn't notice the tension. She hopped out and ran toward the stall. "Hey there! I’ll take one with everything!"

When the man saw her approaching, he didn't offer a salesman's smile. Instead, he went stiff, a flash of panic crossing his eyes.

He fumbled with an egg, smashing the shell and the yolk into the batter together. When he tried to peel a sausage, he nearly snapped it in half.

The worst part was the flip. He tried to turn the tortilla with a spatula, but half of it went flying off the grill while the other half remained stuck to the iron.

In an act of desperation, he piled the toppings into a heap, shoved them into a paper box, and handed Nancy two charred, leathery disks that looked more like burnt insoles than food.

Nancy stared at the culinary disaster in her hand. "Buddy, what happened here?"

Just then, the regular lady rushed back with a fresh load of ingredients. She nearly fainted when she saw the mess.

"Move! Let me do it! You aren't making food; you're setting my reputation on fire!"

While she expertly whipped up a fresh taco, she offered Nancy an apologetic explanation. "I am so sorry. He is a new apprentice. He has been at it for three days and hasn't shown a lick of talent. I only let him help with the prep work now."

She lowered her voice, sounding genuinely puzzled. "The boy is sincere, though. He says he just loves tacos and offered to work for free as long as I feed him three meals a day. Can you believe there are still young people this honest?"

Nancy nodded, took the fragrant taco, and headed back to the car.

Once they drove through the gates, the guard finally burst out laughing. "Miss Nancy, that apprentice is actually an undercover officer from Townsville PD. He is part of the security detail stationed at the zoo entrance."

He shook his head helplessly. "The kid is great at his job, but he has zero talent for cooking. I guess he hasn't improved at all. Next time you see him, I’d suggest walking the other way."

As he drove, he began giving her a rundown of the other stalls as if he were filing a report. "The pancake stand on the left is run by one of my colleagues from the military; he actually makes them better than the original owner. The barbecue on the right is a local guy; he’s reliable. But you should probably avoid the lemonade stall further down. Our guy there is a bit inconsistent. It’s a gamble."

The guard spoke with a completely straight face, listing the details like daily intelligence.

Nancy sat there with her mouth open, nearly dropping her taco.

My god.

Her little zoo had undercover agents from the military, the police, and national security all stationed at the front gate. With that kind of security detail, people would believe her if she told them the zoo was a high-level government facility.