Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 48: The Specialist Arrives

Ginnie gave a demure nod.

Norman immediately turned to her. "If you can help me find my grandson, I will see to it that you are handsomely rewarded!"

Ginnie’s heart leaped. If Jack could recover the Neil family’s heir, their patronage would propel the Summers family to entirely new heights of power. She allowed a small, triumphant smile to play on her lips.

It was only then that Ginnie pretended to notice Nancy. "Nancy? What are you doing here?"

"The killer hasn't been caught yet," Ginnie said, her voice dripping with faux concern. "It's far too dangerous. You should go back to your room."

The two elderly men also shifted their gaze toward Nancy, who was standing near the entrance of suite 306.

Errol narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here? This isn't a place for someone like you."

The guard stepped in to explain. "Sir, Ms. Nancy is a special consultant for the Townsville Police Department."

"A special consultant?" Errol looked at the police emblem on her credentials, his tone thick with suspicion. "Well? Did you find anything? How was the victim killed? How did they take the child?"

Nancy remained silent, shaking her head. She wasn't a forensic expert; she couldn't derive much from the crime scene itself. She was simply gathering context to get a sense of the situation.

"I can't find any leads inside the room," Nancy answered honestly. "I'm heading down to the garden directly beneath the 306 window to investigate."

Errol let out a sharp, mocking snort. "I suspect you bought that consultant title just to pad your resume."

"Sir, as a special consultant, I have independent investigative authority," Nancy countered. She turned to Norman. "Mr. Neil, may I see a photo of your grandson?"

Norman studied the young girl’s face. She looked barely out of school, but he figured an extra pair of eyes couldn't hurt. He showed her a photo on his phone.

"This is Coco. He's three and a half."

Nancy took a photo of the image with her phone and then turned to the guard. "I’ll need two bodyguards to accompany me for safety."

Still stung by how Nancy had been right about the storm earlier, Errol found her presence irritating. "Stop causing trouble. The Goodman family isn't going to waste manpower babysitting you."

The Squirrel Bros, who had been nestled in Nancy’s arms, were wide awake now. They chattered angrily: "This old man is really mean! We don't need his bodyguards!"

"Yeah, there are plenty of squirrels here, we have eyes everywhere!"

Nancy idly stroked the squirrels' fluffy tails, her expression unreadable. "Then I won't trouble you any further."

She turned and headed for the stairs with brisk, efficient movements.

Errol let out a cold laugh, his skeletal fingers tapping rhythmically on his cane. "Ha! What can one girl accomplish alone? She’s walking straight into her grave. Don't come crying to the Goodman family when something goes wrong."

Ginnie watched Nancy’s retreating back, her eyes darkening. She looked down at her phone and tapped out a quick message.

Nancy pulled on a raincoat provided by the butler and opened her large black umbrella. She made her way to the garden section directly under the 306 window.

The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and the air was thick with the scent of wet earth. Even if the killer had left tracks, the earlier deluge had likely washed them away.

Nancy looked up at the window of 306. "If the killer climbed down from there with a child, they would have made quite a bit of noise. They must have used ropes or some kind of climbing gear."

The Squirrel Bros hopped down from her arms. The older squirrel said, "Just wait here, we'll get help now!"

"Thanks, guys," Nancy nodded. "I appreciate the help."

Suddenly, the rhythmic thrum of a helicopter echoed overhead. A black chopper circled above Critters Villa before beginning its descent. Jack had arrived with his team.

Nancy wondered if her brother, Simon, was among them. She quickly shook the thought away. Jack was the one being summoned; he would surely bring his own inner circle. As a temporary transfer to the Townsville department, Simon lacked the seniority and connections to be included.

Besides, given that Nancy and Simon had already beaten Jack to the punch on two high-profile cases, the tension between them was likely high.

While Nancy was searching for "animal witnesses" in the garden, Jack and his team arrived on the third floor.

"Good evening, everyone. I’m Jack Summers. These are my two assistants."

After a brief introduction to the two elders, Jack efficiently donned a white coat and snapped on a pair of rubber gloves. After a preliminary sweep of the scene, he stepped back out to the hallway to address Norman.

"The fatal wound was a stab to the abdomen. The edges of the wound are clean, suggesting the weapon was a very sharp dagger." He walked to the window and ran a finger over the sill. "The hemp fibers left here indicate the killer likely used a rope to lower Coco from the scene."

"Based on the bloody prints and the weight-bearing capacity of the rope, the killer wears a size 41 shoe and is likely lean and tall." He then turned to the nightstand, lifting a half-empty glass of milk to the light. His brow furrowed. "The milk was laced with sedatives. That explains why the child didn't cry out."