Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 53: The Turning Tide

Simon hadn't spared Ginnie so much as a single glance since he stepped through the door.

His focus remained entirely on Nancy, so intense that the rest of the room might as well not have existed. Ginnie followed his gaze, and when she saw Nancy standing there completely unscathed, the corners of her mouth twitched downward. For a fleeting second, her entire face contorted with bitterness.

When Norman saw Nancy return so quickly, the light of hope in his eyes dimmed visibly, and his expression turned gray.

"A so-called specialist, a special consultant..." His voice was heavy with defeat. "It seems I can't rely on anyone after all."

Errol took a slow, deliberate sip of his tea, eyeing Nancy with a mocking sneer. "Well, look at that. It hasn't even been two hours and our high-priced consultant is already throwing in the towel?"

He waved a dismissive hand. "Go on then, get back to your room and rest. Stop making a fool of yourself out here."

Nancy straightened her sleeves with unhurried calm. "Mr. Norman," she said evenly, "your grandson has been found. The killer is in custody."

"What?!"

The words hit the room like a thunderclap.

Jack’s face turned deathly pale. Errol choked on his tea, coughing violently as his cane nearly slipped from his grasp.

Norman bolted upright. "Are you serious?! You... you aren't lying to me?"

Barry’s deep voice resonated through the hall. "Norman, Coco has been found." He glanced at his phone. "The family doctor just finished the examination. The boy is perfectly fine."

As if on cue, the doctor walked into the room, leading a sleepy-eyed Coco by the hand. The little boy rubbed his eyes, murmuring in a tiny, soft voice, "Grandpa... the doctor woke me up..."

Norman stumbled forward and scooped his grandson into his arms, tears streaming down his weathered face. "My dear boy..."

He turned toward Barry, his voice trembling. "Barry, this debt of gratitude..."

"You're thanking the wrong person." Barry stepped aside, gesturing toward Nancy and her brother. "Nancy used her animal communication skills to pin down the killer's location. This officer personally took him down."

Ginnie’s pupils shrank, her nails digging deep into her palms.

How was this possible?

Simon—a lowly rural officer—had actually caught the killer before Jack? She stared at Simon, her chest heaving with disbelief. How could Simon be better than Jack?

Simon remained stoic, refusing to take the glory. "I only handled the tail end of the operation. He was the one who actually got the child out."

Barry looked at Simon with a flicker of surprise, impressed that the man wasn't greedy for credit.

"The primary credit belongs to Nancy," Barry stated firmly. "If she hadn't tracked the leads through the animals, we wouldn't have even found the killer's shadow."

He turned back to Norman. "Coco being put in danger was a failure of the Goodman family’s security. Having him back safe is the only way we can begin to make amends."

Nancy’s suspicious gaze darted between the two men. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow—these two were at each other's throats just moments ago, and now they were putting on a display of mutual humility? The change in atmosphere was almost jarring.

A grateful smile broke across Norman’s face, and he bowed deeply to Nancy. "I owe you everything for this!"

Norman turned to hand the sleeping Coco to a nanny, his voice softening instinctively. "Take him to rest."

Once the nanny had departed, Norman pulled a gold-embossed business card from his inner jacket pocket. He held it with both hands, presenting it to Nancy with the utmost respect. "This is my private contact information. If you ever need anything from Neils Corp, you only have to ask!"

The room was filled with looks of shock and envy. It was the first time anyone had seen the formidable titan of the real estate industry, Norman, treat anyone with such deference.

"You're far too kind, Mr. Norman."

Nancy accepted the heavy card, her mind already whirling with possibilities. Neils Corp was a market leader; they even had their own construction firms. The funding for the zoo's renovations was as good as secured now... and she could finally upgrade the living conditions for all the little ones.

"Simon." Norman turned to him next, shaking his hand with genuine warmth. "I will personally see to it that a commendation banner is sent to the Townsville headquarters to honor your achievement!"

Simon remained humble. "It was only my duty as an officer."

Meanwhile, Jack—the "criminal profiling expert" Errol had gone through the trouble of summoning by helicopter—could only stand awkwardly to the side, a forgotten piece of the background. The two officers Jack had brought with him were equally embarrassed. If they had chosen to work with Consultant Nancy from the start, the case would have been solved long ago, and they would have shared in the glory.

Just then, the bodyguards arrived, escorting two men. One was the killer in the plaid suit; the other was the creep Nancy had encountered in the woods.

Ginnie blanched at the sight, taking several steps back to hide within the crowd.

Nancy pointed directly at the man in the plaid suit. "That man is the one who murdered your daughter-in-law."