Death At The Zoo: A Culinary Cozy Mystery (A Murder In Milburn Book 5)

by Nancy McGovern

  “Money?”

  “Apparently, Degas’ father blackmailed her into leaving with him. It’s just a rumor, but they say he threatened to ruin everyone on the island if she didn’t.”

  “That’s… that’s horrible.”

  “They say that’s why she couldn’t bear to be around Degas. But there’s other rumors too,” Tina said. “There are rumors that Degas is related to Haku. That Haku’s grandfather, is secretly Degas’ father.”

  Nora gaped. “No. Way,” She said. “Degas looks—”

  “Almost completely like his mother, and nothing like Mr. Christiansen Senior,” Tina said.

  “Wow,” Nora said.

  “Yeah, it was a lot to take in,” Tina said. “But… like… it’s crazy, isn’t it? The island looks so peaceful on the surface, but it’s boiling with secrets and tensions underneath.”

  “All I know is that there’s more to Haku’s death than meets the eye,” Nora said. “I can’t see how Degas’ parents can possibly be related to his death, however.”

  “Still, never hurts to know,” Tina said. “There might be some clue, something we’re missing.”

  “Yes,” Nora said. “Tina, can you keep a secret from Simone?”

  “I can try,” Tina said. “What’s up?”

  “It’s just… Degas. I think he likes Elly,” Nora said. “I think he’s just pretending to like Simone so no one will suspect him.”

  Tina’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

  “It’s possible, isn’t it?” Nora asked. “I mean, if--”

  “If Degas murdered Haku because he loved Elly, and he were planning to do it for a long time, he’d probably want to cover up his tracks by flirting with someone else,” Tina said with a frown. “Yes, that sounds plausible to me.”

  “I mean, I realize there’s absolutely no proof, and it’s none of my business…”

  “Our cottage was ransacked, and a potential murderer is flirting with our best friend, not to mention, we’re living in his house,” Tina said. “I think we can safely say it’s definitely our business.”

  “I just… I don’t know if I should even tell her,” Nora said. “If I’m wrong, I don’t want to dash Simone’s confidence.”

  “He has been good for her.” Tina nodded. “She brightens up every time she speaks to him. She’ll deny it if you ask her, but I think she’s secretly started liking Degas. When you borderline accused him of ransacking our cottage, Simone got pretty upset.”

  “She did, right?” Nora asked. “I don’t know, Tina. Am I just… am I overdoing this? Am I just grasping at straws?”

  “I don’t know.” Tina shrugged. “It’s tough.”

  “Look, I’m ashamed to admit this, but when I went down earlier, I was poking about, and I found this.” Nora took out the sheet of paper from her back pocket. “It looks like Degas was trying to write a letter to Elly. What do you think that’s about?”

  Tina frowned. “A love letter, you think? If he is the murderer, pretty careless of him to leave it lying about.”

  “He didn’t leave it lying about, exactly. I kind of snuck into his study and… stole it from his wastepaper bin,” Nora said.

  “Nora Newberry!” Tina stared at her as if she’d suddenly grown fangs. “You surprise me.”

  “I know, I don’t know what came into me, I know I should sneak back in and put it back there. But then while I was in there, something even stranger happened.”

  “What’s that?” a voice asked.

  Tina and Nora spun around to see the professor leaning against a wall, listening eagerly.

  *****

  Chapter 13

  The Professor’s Story

  “Have you been listening to us this whole time?” Tina asked angrily. “There’s a word for people like you, you know.”

  “Oh, I’m sure it applies to all three of us, whatever that word is,” the professor said. “Nora here is not shy when it comes to listening in, is she?”

  “Look, I think I know who you are,” Nora said.

  “Oh, do you?” he asked. “Of course you do. I’m Professor Brooklyn Thomas, herpetologist.”

  “No, that you most certainly are not,” Nora said. “You made that up. You’re a fraud.”

  “Ouch. That’s hurtful.” The professor smiled. “Why would you say that?”

  “A real professor wouldn’t go around putting recording devices under desks, for one.” Nora took it out from her pocket, and held it up. “He’d know when someone is making up fictional snakes, for another.”

  The professor looked shocked, and snatched the device out of her hand. “How did you… never mind, I can guess. You were snooping around and saw me.”

  “Right,” Nora said. “Now I think you ought to tell us exactly who you are. Before I reveal it to Degas.”

  The professor bristled. “You wouldn’t do that.”

  “I most certainly would,” Nora said.

  He looked at her for a long moment, then sighed. “I suppose you would. Fine. I’ll tell you who I am, if you promise not to snoop around any more, and not to reveal who I am to anyone else. Not even your lovely friend Simone.”

  “I’m not making any promises,” Nora said. “Not till you talk.”

  “A tough negotiator,” he noted.

  “You have to be, if you’re running your own business,” Tina said. “Nora’s the toughest of the tough.”

  The professor laughed. “All right. I’ll tell you who I am. I’m an agent. I won’t say what branch of the—”

  “DEA,” Nora said.

  The professor gaped at her. “Now how did you know that? There’s no way you could have.”

  “Just a lucky guess, actually,” Nora said. “Drugs or tax fraud, those are the only two things I can think of that are serious enough for someone like you to be wiring Degas.”

  “Well. Drugs is right,” The professor said. “My name’s Agent JT Taylor. I’m here undercover, and I guess I blew it since you saw right through me. Thing is, this island has been at the centre of a drug trade route for quite a while now, and Degas’ father was behind it all.”

  Nora gasped. “Degas’ father? The one who disappeared?”

  “That’s right,” the professor said grimly. “We never found his body, did we? A funny way to die. But the drug trade on the island has continued without a hitch. We know they operate from here, receiving drugs from Colombia and then selling it to tourists all across the islands. We’re very close to breaking the ring. Degas is at the centre of it all. Now we have info that there’s going to be a huge trade very soon, we just don’t know when or where. But we’re staking out the island and trying to get info.”

  “Then he’s a very dangerous man,” Tina said.

  “I don’t know yet,” the professor said. “We’ve never been able to prove a thing. The island is really hard to go undercover in since the locals don’t trust outsiders. This was a rare chance for my team.”

  “The locals have never liked Degas,” Nora said. “And Haku was a drug addict.”

  “Right,” the professor said. “Doesn’t look good for your friend Degas, does it?”

  “I can’t believe it,” Tina said. “I liked the guy. He seemed so above board and decent.”

  “There’s a possibility, of course, that he isn’t behind this,” the Professor said. “His father might still be alive and somehow controlling the trade. We just don’t know. But I can tell you this much, whoever ransacked your cottage was doing you a favor. They were right, you shouldn’t stick around here. Things might get more and more dangerous. If I were you, I’d be out of here tonight.”

  “That won’t be possible,” Tina said. “We leave in three days anyway, but I think we do owe it to Elly to be around for Haku’s funeral at least.”

  The professor shrugged. “Do what you like. Now Nora, did you find anything when you were snooping?”

  “This.” Nora handed him the piece of paper. The Professor looked at it, shrugged, and put it in his pocket.
“Junk,” he said. “But I guess I’ll keep an eye on the lovely Elly.”

  “That handwriting,” Nora said. “It’s definitely Degas’ handwriting? No way it’s Haku’s, right?”

  The Professor frowned. “Now I didn’t think of that. Good point, Nora. I know Haku worked out of Degas’ office too.”

  “That would explain the picture frame, wouldn’t it?” Nora asked.

  The professor nodded.

  “So,” Tina said hesitantly. “This exploration trip that Degas talked about. His Amazonian adventure. Do you think it was all made up? Do you think he was just down there to meet with cartels?”

  “We suspect a lot of things,” the Professor said. “But we’ve got no proof, so it’s all just hot air for now.”

  “Right,” Tina said. “Nora, we have to warn Simone. This is serious.”

  “Yes,” the professor agreed. “Wouldn’t want your lovely friend hurt. Now if you ladies will excuse me, I’m a professional, and I don’t want to tell you every single detail of my investigation.”

  “Good luck with it,” Nora said.

  “Thanks.” He nodded. “Take my advice, you three, and get out of here as fast as possible. I won’t be responsible if something happens.”

  “Right,” Nora said.

  He left, with Nora blinking after him, and Tina looking like she’d been hit by a sledgehammer.

  “I mean, what? What is going on here! Nora, this whole island is… is a hotbed of, of…”

  “I wouldn’t say the whole island,” Nora said. “Seems to me that everything crazy that happens, happens somewhere in Degas’ orbit.”

  “Well, same difference, I’d say,” Tina said. “Considering he owns half the island.”

  Nora sighed. “I just need a break, I think,” she said. “I need to sort everything out in my own mind. It’s so confusing.”

  “First the parrot, then Haku, then our cottage, now we find out the professor is an agent…” Tina shook her head as if to clear it. “It’s… incredible.”

  “Yet, it’s all connected, isn’t it?” Nora asked. “You know, in all this rush about Haku’s death, I’d completely forgotten that it was the parrot’s death that triggered this entire mess.”

  “That was an amazing party.” Tina sighed. “I was so happy and carefree that night. The only thing I was worried about was—”

  “Was how you’d almost died when you stepped on the snake,” Nora said. “I wonder, you know.”

  “Wonder what?”

  “It’s ridiculous,” Nora said. “Just one of my theories.”

  “Well, don’t hide them from me. Spit it out.”

  “I was just thinking, Degas and Haku were there that day. We don’t know how the snake escaped.”

  “Well, how does it matter?”

  “Degas was expecting that cottage to be empty,” Nora said. “If, and I’m not saying this is necessarily true, but what if he was trying to kill Haku then? What better place than the little old lady’s cottage? She’d come back and want to sell, probably, and Degas could use the escaped snake as a perfect excuse.”

  “It does all seem to centre around Degas,” Tina said thoughtfully. “Nora, are we fools to be living here? We should get out.”

  “And leave Elly alone with him? I wouldn’t want to do that,” Nora said. “As long as we stick together, he can’t possibly do us harm. Besides, the Professor is a trained federal agent. He’s good protection.”

  “Right,” Tina said glumly. “So you’re sure it’s Degas? Absolutely?”

  “I am not,” Nora said. “Not absolutely, anyway. It’s one thing to suspect someone, and another thing to be actually able to prove it. There are things that don’t make sense. Like the parrot.”

  “The parrot?”

  “If Degas loved Elly and killed Haku because of it, why kill the parrot?” Nora asked. “Say what you like about the man, he seems to love animals.”

  “He did seem genuinely upset when the parrot died,” Tina said. “But hey, haven’t you ever seen The Godfather? What if that parrot was like… a different mafia gang warning Degas to give them money or something?”

  Nora shook her head. “Then Degas would have looked afraid. Instead, he looked upset. Deeply upset.”

  “Well, what if the two aren’t related anyway? The parrot could just be Akamai’s work. Haku did show us a video—”

  “And that’s the second thing,” Nora said. “The video was incriminating, but it incriminated Akamai. Why would Degas steal it if he murdered Haku?”

  Tina shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “It would make more sense for him to leave it there, yet another clue connecting Akamai to Haku’s death.” Nora sighed. “Something just doesn’t make sense. I’m missing something. But what?”

  The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. Tina looked at her watch. “Who do you think that could be?” she asked. “More food being delivered, do you think?”

  “We just had lunch!” Nora protested. “How can you even think of food?”

  “Well, I had a feast, but you hardly ate,” Tina said. “I should honestly hold your hand and spoonfeed you sometimes. It’s ridiculous how you get when you’re on a case.”

  They walked to the stairs, and paused at the top. Degas’ entrance consisted of a giant pair of twin oak doors with gold filigree, and a large marble hallway decorated on either side with magnificent gold-framed paintings and classical Greek sculptures. From their vantage point, the girls saw the door open, and Chief Kahane step in.

  The chief was dressed in a polo shirt and slacks, his uniform gone. In one day, he looked as if he had aged ten years.

  “Chief Kahane.” Degas nodded, his tone frosty. “What can I do? Are you here to invite me to the funeral?”

  “The funeral? No.” Chief Kahane shook his head. “I’m here to talk to Elly.”

  “Whatever you want to say to me, you can say in front of them,” Elly said. “I’m bringing Degas to the funeral tomorrow, Chief Kahane. Haku would have wanted it. You think you can stop me just because—”

  “That’s not why I’m here,” Chief Kahane said with a sigh. “It’s just… Mr. Kahane now. Not chief.”

  “What?” Elly blinked at him in confusion.

  “Most of the others on the island felt… feel… that there’s a conflict of interest,” Chief Kahane said. “I guess after the last test results, I had to agree. I resigned from the job. Deputy Haleha is now in charge.”

  “Come in, sit down.” Degas made way, a look of concern on his face. “Can I get you a drink?”

  The chief looked like he was about to say no, but then nodded. “Actually, I could use a drink. A good stiff one.”

  “Whisky?” Degas asked.

  “On the rocks, please.” Chief Kahane nodded. The party moved inward, towards the bar. Tina and Nora followed.

  “What is going on?” Tina whispered. “He resigned?”

  “We’ll find out soon enough,” Nora said.

  The bar was a recreational room decorated like a plush library, with deep maroon leather chairs, and carpets so soft your foot would sink in up to the ankle. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with book shelves and neat, leather bound books bearing complicated inscriptions. A crystal chandelier twinkled overhead. In one corner was a bar with row upon row of glasses and a shelf full of liquor.

  Degas got out a crystal cut glass, poured in some ice and gave the chief a generous shot of whisky.

  “Thanks.” The chief nodded.

  “For you?” Degas asked the professor and the others. Everyone shook their heads, and he passed around some orange juice instead.

  “What happened?” Degas asked finally.

  The chief sighed. “Late yesterday, someone ransacked the cottage that your friends were renting.”

  “Yes,” Degas said. “I think it is pretty clear exactly who did it.”

  “You’re not the only one to think so.” Chief Kahane sighed. “I had a group of ten islanders tell me they fe
el I’m unfit to be chief because I’m shielding Akamai from punishment. It’s not true, I’ve always tried my hardest to discipline the boy. I suppose I just never managed to.”

  “So he confessed?” Degas asked.

  “No. I wish he had,” Chief Kahane said. “That would have made things easier.”

  “What happened?”

  “We found a spray paint can with fingerprints on it at the cottage,” the Chief said. “We did an analysis, and it seems they’re Akamai’s fingerprints.” He took a long swig of the glass before him, emptying it. Then, with a deep breath, he looked at Nora, Tina and Simone.

  “I apologize with all my heart for my son’s deeds,” he said. “I’ve resigned from the force now. It seems my family’s ruin is complete. A daughter who drowned. One son dead, the other a criminal. And I’m the man who couldn’t do his job.”

  *****

  Chapter 14

  Elly’s Love

  “Is he in custody?” Elly asked, in the shocked silence that followed the chief’s statement.

  The chief nodded. “He’s under arrest. I’ll be honest with you, I still can’t believe that he’s behind Haku’s death. I know he exchanged some words with you about his twin sister’s death…”

  “Exchanged words? He made blatant threats,” Degas said. “Yes, it was obvious to everyone that he was behind a lot of things. I know everyone here is inclined to feel sorry for you, chief, but personally, I do agree. It’s your fault. If you’d arrested him that first day, when I told you he had killed my parrot, all of this could have been prevented. But you wanted to be soft on him because he was your son.”

  “I didn’t have any proof that he’d killed that parrot, and neither did you,” the chief protested. But his voice was heavy, as if he agreed with what Degas was saying, and the words were a whip on his heart.

  “I think we should keep an open mind,” Nora said. “The world’s a big and strange place, and a lot of times, we can make up our minds about things only to be proved wrong later.”

  “Have you ever been proved wrong?” Degas asked with a smile. “Simone seems to think that every single theory of yours turns out to be true.”