by RM Alexander
Alex nodded. “Yeah, come on, man. This way.”
As they drew further away from Cami, Tommy asked, “How’s she doing, really?”
“You know Cami.” He guffawed. “All fire and passion when it comes to the cats. She was shattered when I got here this morning. With Cato dead, and Reggy being so sick. And the rest of them. These cats are everything to her.”
“A dream turned reality. How many times did all of us hear the stories of what she was going to do? To see she’s done it, I won’t let anyone take that from her, Alex.”
“Neither will I, Tommy. You can believe that.”
Tommy smiled, slapped Alex on the shoulder. “I don’t know who has more devotion – Cami to these cats or you to her.”
“The cats are winning, bro. The cats are winning.”
They both chuckled and turned to Cato’s pen.
Chapter Twenty
Cami paced across the living room, unable to settle, or concentrate on the pile of bills strewn across the couch. The office hadn’t given her the focus it usually did, so she’d moved out there hours before, hoping it’d help. It didn’t. Two days had passed since the tigers had been poisoned and Regellius was no better. No worse, but no better. Cassius was awake, and nearly ready to move back into his pen, once he began eating regularly again, Bianca was barely holding on. One win, but that wasn’t enough. She stopped, stared at the telephone, fighting the urge to call Tommy for the hundredth time. He’d been patient, but she knew the constant nagging wasn’t helping.
A low, exasperated scream pitched into the air. “I want answers. Now,” she growled, and a vague relief swept over her. At least she was alone. At least no one was witness to the craziness.
Storming out of the house, Cami got in the truck and headed to the station. One stop light away, she u-turned and headed to her parents instead.
The audacious brick two-story home built ten years earlier was meant to update the home Cami grew up in. She had laughed when her parents built it, and chuckled again as she pulled into the driveway. At more than four thousand square feet, the house doubled the size of the one she’d lived in, and was, by far more ostentatious. Especially for two people without children who seldom used the majority of the space. A showpiece for her father’s money, a museum to her mother’s indulgence in shopping. At twenty-seven years old, Cami still felt like breathing was a crime in the house too spotless to look lived in. Don’t touch this, don’t go in there. Out of bounds areas in the home she become an adult in somehow carried the regulations to this house, and she rarely visited.
Cami walked up the carefully landscaped red brick walkway to a front porch guarded by two enormous painted concreted vases. Staring upwards at the looming bricks and sticks, she sucked in a breath and rang the doorbell.
The housekeeper, Georgette, a stout woman with well-seasoned hair and matching weathered skin, answered the door. “Ms. Lockhart. It’s a pleasure to see you.”
Cami smiled softly at the woman she’d known most of her life. “Hi, Georgette. How are you?”
“I’m doing well. It’s so lovely to see you, we don’t see you often enough around here, you realize.”
She nodded. “No, I’ve been busy.” Stepping around the housekeeper, Cami entered the two-story foyer, feeling very much like a guest instead of a child returning home. This was the wrong place to come. “Mom and Dad home?”
Georgette wiped a side table, more of habit than need, and smiled. “No, neither. Your father is at work, I believe, your mother with her social club. She expected to be back by two, just a few hours from now.” She turned towards the hall that led to the kitchen. “Can I get you something? Cookies and milk? Something heavier?”
Cami smiled. “No, that’s okay. Thank you. Just let them know I stopped by. I better get back to the sanctuary.”
“If you must. I’d love to visit with you sometime. I miss seeing your smiling face.”
“Thank you Georgette. Please stop by sometime, I can give you a tour.” She winced as she turned her back to the woman, wishing to take back the words.
“Maybe I will, Ms. Lockhart. It was nice seeing you again.”
“You too, Georgette.”
Cami stepped out of the house, closing the door gently behind her, looking out over a lawn stretching far in front of her. “Where can I go to blow off some steam?”
One name came to mind, and Cami returned to the truck, pointing it home.
Cami searched the sanctuary for Alex, gave up after traipsing past empty enclosures and silence. So much for encouraging words and a shoulder to cry on. She stood, fingers gripping Regellius’ fence. Shouldn’t be using Alex like that, anyway. Stiffen up, Cami-girl. A soft nod and she headed out the stables, ready to take Nugget out.
Cami turned the corner into the brown building, heart skipping to see Alex, one boot against the bottom rung of Tradewind’s stall, stroking the horse’s muzzle.
He turned as her boots scoffed the stable tiled floor. “Cami?”
She hung her head, walking, trotting, then running into his arms. Arms wrapped around Alex’s neck, she sobbed into his chest.
He held her tight, stroking her hair, silent.
Slowly she pulled away, closing her eyes and head turned, wiping away the remnants of pain and desperation. Her shoulder to cry on. Cami looked into his gaze, the sparks disconcerting. Friends don’t feel those, and he was just a friend. Her mouth curved downward, tongue pushed against her cheek. Nothing was making sense.
His hand gently grabbed hold of her wrist. “Cam, you okay?”
A lopsided smirk met him. “No, but I’m sorry. I can’t keep running to you.”
“You can always run to me.” An arm reached for her shoulders and pulled Cami against his chest, hand rubbing up and down her arm. “You’ve visited Jessica? You’ve heard?”
Bricks weighted her shoulders, palms pushing against him, eyes growing wide. “No. What are you talking about?”
“Regellius took a turn for the worse. He’s-"
Shaking her head, she turned, slipped against the barn floor and stumbled to her feet. And I’m thinking about misplaced sparks. What is wrong with me?
“Cami, wait.”
His voice was drowned by fears as she raced back to the clinic, vaguely aware of Alex running after her. He kept talking, calling, saying words she didn’t hear.
Regellius.
Cami pushed the door open and stepped into the clinic, Jessica lifting her head from the paperwork.
“Regellius?” she breathed.
Jessica stood and walked out from behind the desk. “You talked to Alex.”
He jogged through the glass door, stopped at Cami’s side. “No, she rushed out before I had a chance to tell her anything.”
She nodded and looked back to Cami. “He’s hanging on, but it was close this morning. We almost lost him.”
She sighed, relief and frustration ripping her apart. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure. He convulsed, heart rate dropped dramatically. We stabilized him, but I don’t know for how long.”
“Can I go back there?”
“It’s your place, Cami. You can go anywhere you want.”
She nodded and passed the desk, feeling Alex behind her. “You don’t have to come with me.”
“Yes, I do.”
Without a word, she passed the cages for Bianca and Xena, to where Regellius lay, her big beautiful cat unconscious.
Alex drew next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Are you okay?”
“I could still lose him, Alex. Tommy is no closer to finding out who did this.” The distance in her voice sent a chill down Cami’s spine. “Maybe I know who did this.”
She spun and marched out of the clinic, leaving Alex behind, jaw gaping open.
Chapter Twenty-One
Cami stood in front of Henry’s with no intention of ever going inside. She didn’t come to eat, and didn’t plan on staying any longer than it took to say what she’d come
to say and leave. Suspicions meant something, and now she understood what. It all made sense, the flowers, the invitations, showing up at the sanctuary. Finding him out by Cato’s enclosures. Cami scratched her chin. Paul Schotter was no good. She knew it from the start.
Paul’s pickup pulled next to her, and he stepped out, grin wide. “Hi there. It was great to hear from you.” The smile vanished as he looked at her. “Something wrong?”
“How could you do it?”
Paul’s eyes grew. “Come again?”
“I knew you weren’t just coming by because you were interested. I knew it wasn’t to see me either. You never were interested in me or the sanctuary, other than ruining everything I was working for. But, to do this … Well, now I’ll ruin you. I promise, I will.”
He stepped towards her, eyes searching her. “Cami, what in the world are you talking about? What are you accusing me of?”
“Paul, don’t act like some kind of idiot. I know.” She leaned forward, staring into the blue eyes she’d battled. Attraction versus common sense. Intuition. She’d been smart enough not to fall, but not smart enough to protect the cats. Her jaw clenched. “How could you poison them? They weren’t threatening anyone, the sanctuary –"
Paul’s face contorted from confusion to anger – eyes shifting from clear blue to clouded grey, jawline tightening. He stepped forward. “You think I’d poison the cats? Hurt you like that?”
“It’s not a thought, Paul. I’m going to Tommy now, expect a visit from the police department.”
“This is ridiculous.” He flung a hand in the air, turned with hands on hips, turned to face her. “I can’t believe you’d think I’d do something like that. I’m not a monster, Cami. I thought you knew that by now.”
“I know I never trusted you. Now I know why.”
Paul waved her off and turned away. “Then you can keep thinking that way. I’m not interested in changing your mind. See ya around.”
He marched back to the truck, the tires squealing as he peeled from the parking lot.
Cami smirked, stormed to her truck and headed to the police department.
Tommy’s fingers drummed against the cheap oak desk. The desk top was clean, save the black wired pencil cup and picture held in acheap wood frame angled just enough for her to see the image of his wife and daughter glared by the fluorescents above.
“Cami, I don’t know. I know Paul Schotter, probably better than you do. He’s a pretty nice guy. I don’t see him as someone who’d poison your cats. This is a federal crime, you know that, don’t you? These are protected animals, and the fact that one was killed, it’s a crime against an endangered species. I don’t think Paul is dumb enough to commit that kind of crime.” He chuckled. “Any crime honestly. He’s just not that kind of person.”
Her shoulders dropped back as she shook her head, glancing out the open door into the precinct. Voices blurred from every corner, officers walking back and forth, secretaries. How could anyone think in here? She turned back to Tommy. “He wanted me shut down, Tommy. Fought tooth and nail for it at the meeting and then showed up a day later wanting tours and asking me out for dates. You can’t tell me that’s not fishy.”
He tilted his head sideways, pen twirling between each thumb and forefinger. “Cami, half the town wanted you shut down. What you’re doing out there is intriguing, and you’re a beautiful woman.” She scoffed. “Whether you realize it or not, you are. There’s nothing strange about what he was doing. My guess is he was sincere in his interests.”
Cami rolled her eyes, cocked her head sideways, eyes narrowed. “Can you check him out anyway? Please? I don’t trust him.”
He sighed heavily. “Okay. I’ll check him out, but I’m not spending a lot of time on this.”
She raised an eyebrow as she stood. “Why? Do you have something else?”
He grinned, glanced down at the desk. Then, palms flat against the wood, he stood. “When I have something for certain, I’ll tell you.”
Cami shook her head, looked away and faced him again. “Thanks, Tommy.”
“I’ll find whoever did this, I will. Just let me do my job.”
With a tight smile and weak nod, she walked out the door and past a man struggling with a cop. She sidestepped them, glanced over a shoulder to the glass fish bowl Tommy called his office.
He’s only doing it to pacify me, but at least he’s checking Paul out. He’ll be good and surprised when I’m right.
Regellius remained the same. So did Bianca and Xena. No point in hanging out in the clinic, and going to work in the office felt too confining. The only remaining option was heading out to the stables, taking a good long ride to clear the head. Not the heart, but the head was a good start.
Nugget trotted across the waving blades of grass, obviously reveling in the sun and exercise. Cami, nearly as satisfied, settled back into the saddle, mirroring the movements of Nugget’s stride. Paul’s anger at her accusations, Tommy’s denial to any warrant to the accusations, Regellius. Thoughts whirled in mental tornadoes as she rode, but the muscles in her back relaxed in the freedom of flying on top of the mare. At the property boundary, Cami circled Nugget around and headed back to the house, her hair and Nugget’s tail trailing behind them like wild waves escaping the confines of the oceans that held them. She clicked her tongue and the horse galloped across the field. The ride left Cami refreshed and ready to take the next steps.
Alex waited in the stables, reins for Tradewind in hand, and she steeled for the worse, then relaxed when his lips creased into a smile. “Good news for a change?”
“Regellius has steadied. Even gave Jessica a throated growl.”
She slid off the saddle too quickly and stumbled as her feet hit the ground. Alex reached out to steady her, but she regained balance before his hand touched her back. “He’s awake?”
He shook his head. “No, not now. He never opened his eyes, and fell asleep almost before the growl left his throat. But, hey, it’s a step in the right direction, right?”
She grinned widely, dropped the reins, and wrapped her arms around him. “He’s going to be okay.” She breathed against his neck, feeling Alex’s hands wrapping around her waist. Familiar, but, a new kind of good. With palms against his chest, Cami pushed away, lifting her head, expecting, and startled, to be gazing into Alex’s eyes.
The back of his fingers curled into a hook and grazed her cheek. Cami didn’t need a mirror to know her cheeks flushed by the touch and attention. Lifting her hand, she covered his fingers, held them for a moment, and then gently pushed Alex’s hand down.
“That conversation we had a few days ago?”
She nodded, unable to find the words, knowing any attempt she made to speak would falter with stuttered confirmations.
“I meant it. Finding out if there’s something more to us, it’s worth the risk.”
“Alex, I …”
He nodded. “I know. Not anything you’ve ever thought about. But I have. Many times.” He laughed. “Nearly all my life.”
She smiled. What can I say to that? “Let’s get past this, okay?”
A hearty chuckle. “I’ve waited this long. I can wait a little longer.”
Nugget whinnied and nuzzled Cami’s back. She teetered off balance as the horse pushed her, hard, against Alex. With her face buried in his chest, nose inhaling a cologne Cami’d been smelling for longer than she could remember, her heart lurched. She never realized how good he smelled.
Alex’s hands wrapped around her shoulders, an awkward laugh and reluctance as he eased her upright. “You okay?”
She giggled nervously. “Yeah, sorry. You’d think I’d be used to Nugget’s nudges and pushes by now.”
“I don’t know. I think I owe her a giant ‘thank you’.”
Cami glanced away and then back at him. “I don’t know what to think of this … between us.” Her hand waved in the narrow space between them. “We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember. And to ruin a relationship like th
at on a chance.” Her voice trailed off as she stared into Alex’s eyes, thoughts getting lost.
He leaned down, pressed his lips against a cheek, catching the corner of her mouth. “Some chances are worth taking,” he breathed, then pulled away with a soft smile. “You know that. Look at what you’ve done here. This was a chance you took, and look how great it turned out.”
She snorted. “Not so great. One tiger dead, the others fighting for their lives.”
Alex reached out, palm light against her cheek where his lips had just been. “That was not your fault, and you know it. Or you should. What if that something between us turns about to just as great?”
Cheeks heated and she turned away from him. “Maybe it could be. But if it doesn’t, I’d lose the closest friend I’ve ever had. You and I are even closer than I am to Liz.”
“Maybe that should tell you something.”
“That tells me that losing you would leave a gaping hole in my life.”
He leaned back, dropping his hands down and tilting his head. “Are you afraid of losing me, or of us working out?”
She smiled. “You know me too well.” She reached down for Nugget’s reins. “Do you want to come with me to see Regellius?”
He nodded. “I’d love to.”
Walking into the clinic, the tension eased out of her shoulders and neck, Alex at her side, Cami strode to the back holding cages, listening for a chuff or moan. There was none. Her stride slowed, hand reached backwards, searching for Alex’s touch. She edged to the tip of Regellius’ cage, the massive Siberian lying still, chest rising and falling in shallow breathes. Holding the bars, she slid to the floor, watching him.
Alex rested a hand on a shoulder. “I’ll go find Jessica or Alyssa. Stay with him.”
She didn’t answer, full attention locked on Regellius.
“What’s wrong boy?” She whispered, finger reaching through the bars to stroke his fur, the smell of medicine thick in the air. “Alex said you were doing better. I’m sorry I wasn’t here, but you’ve got to fight. I don’t want to lose you, boy.”
