The Zoo Crew (Zoo Crew series Book 1)

by Dustin Stevens

  Here they greeted Kade like a conquering hero. Welcomed the Crew. Pushed food and libations on them by the handful.

  Around eleven, the group matriculated over to the Saint Michael's tent so Sage could put in her requisite face time. It was the one the entire group was always a little unsure of.

  Best food, worst people.

  Not only were they as backward as the law students, but many wanted to relive the glory days with Drake and Kade. Not an enjoyable experience for anyone.

  To date, fourteen minutes was the longest they'd ever stayed.

  From there, the schedule became more of a toss-up. If the group was still hungry, Ajax led them to the business school tailgate for Jambalaya and beers. If not, they roamed the grounds for a few minutes until kick-off.

  Today, given the warmth and twelve o'clock start, they opted against the business school.

  "I'm thinking we go visit the Deltas," Kade said to open negotiations. "They always have a good spread."

  "Yeah, of young, blonde airheads," Sage said.

  "Okay, the Kappas," Kade retorted.

  "Oh yay, Kappa-Kappa-Fake Tanner. Sign me up," Sage deadpanned.

  "We could always go back to the fire jumpers," Ajax suggested. "I could go for another Moose Drool before we head in."

  "I'm always up for another beer," Kade agreed. "Drake?"

  Drake stood on the corner outside the stadium and looked around at the sea of maroon and silver. "You know, I'm going to run and hit the head before kickoff."

  "You've got to be kidding me," Kade said. Heavy eye roll.

  Ajax shook his head in disapproval. "Kid went home to Tennessee and backslid on us. All there is to it."

  "I'll meet you back here in fifteen," Drake pressed. Didn't even acknowledge Ajax' statement. "Still be inside long before kickoff."

  Ajax continued to shake his head in mock disgust.

  Kade feigned indignation for a moment. Shook his head in disbelief. "Sage? Do you need to visit the little girl's room too?"

  Sage cracked a smile. "I was thinking about it, but after that comment I think I can wait. We'll see you back here in fifteen."

  Drake disappeared before any of them had a chance to make another comment. He had no doubt they were firing them at his back as he retreated, but could care less as he wound a path through the crowd.

  Ignorance is bliss, that kind of thing.

  The door to the law school was locked to keep drunken tailgaters out and he had to use his school ID to get in. Once inside, the revelry of the outside world fell away.

  What was just moments before bright sunlight and boisterous sound was now subdued lighting and stony silence.

  Drake looked in either direction down the empty hallways and wound his way to the men's room. Stepped inside and unloaded the two beers he'd had that morning.

  A thought occurred to him as he exited. He checked his cell-phone to find he still had ten minutes, ducked down the stairs to the basement.

  To his surprise, the building wasn't as empty as it seemed. The light from the clinic office was on, the door open. A torrent of Latin music played out softly into the hallway.

  A smile tugged at one side of Drake's face. There was no way those tunes belonged to Greg or Wyatt.

  "Good morning," Drake said. His voice preceded him into the room.

  In the back corner, Ava jumped several inches from her seat. Pressed a hand to her chest. Turned with a huffy expression on her bright red cheeks.

  Her right hand shot out and killed the music.

  "Good morning."

  "Don't turn the music off because of me," Drake said. Slid down into his own chair. "Won't be here but a minute."

  "I...I thought I was alone," Ava managed.

  "No worries. Like I said, just stopping by. Besides, I happen to like Shakira."

  Ava's jaw dropped. Just as fast, she recovered. "I was going to e-mail you and let you know you left your laptop here, but realized you wouldn't get it because your laptop's here."

  Drake chuckled. Waved a hand at her. "I always leave it here. I don't like taking work home."

  "Seriously?"

  "If you saw my home you'd understand," Drake said. Kept his eyes on his computer. Checked his e-mail, rolled his head to face her. "I live with an attention-needy bulldog and a video game programmer. It would be futile for me to try."

  Ava nodded, pretending to understand. It was clear she didn't.

  "You're not going to the game?" Drake asked.

  She had already let it be known what she thought of Missoula and every resident there. He didn't need to cement himself in that category for her.

  "Uh, no," Ava said. Supreme disinterest. "I ran by that field you guys call a stadium the other day. Not worth the effort."

  Drake smirked. "So you're a Saturday night in Death Valley girl, huh?"

  "Geaux Tigers," Ava said. Small smile.

  Drake pulled his attention back to the computer. Noticed that the discussion board from the day before was open. Clicked on it.

  "You realize this makes us mortal enemies, right?" he said.

  Ava arched an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

  "Go Vols."

  He smiled, waited for her response.

  Just as fast it slid from his face. There was a new message in the discussion thread.

  "You're one of those," Ava said. She crinkled her nose in distaste. Offered her best disgusted face.

  "Guilty," Drake said. Already his voice was distant. A small boil settled in his stomach.

  He clicked open the message.

  Hey, I know it's last second, but would you happen to have any extra tickets for today's game? Very desperate. In dire need of assistance.

  Drake's mouth went dry. He felt his phone vibrate against his hip. Knew who it was. Didn't bother to pick it up.

  "Hey, you okay?" Ava asked. "You look like someone just kicked you in the groin."

  Drake tried to work his dry tongue around his mouth. "Uh, yeah. I think so."

  "You think so?"

  Drake didn't respond to Ava. Instead, he clicked on the respond box and paused for a moment to choose the right words.

  I do. I am nursing a sick friend this morning. Do you still need them?

  He hit send and waited. Could feel Ava's questioning look on him. Did not acknowledge it in any way.

  In his pocket, his cell-phone buzzed against his hip. He ignored it.

  Same people wanting the same thing.

  The reply came less than a minute later.

  Yes! Can you meet us at 601 Kent? Right off of campus?

  Drake clicked out of the forum and rubbed his hands over his face. He had been sweating without realizing it.

  "Are you going to be here all afternoon?" he asked.

  Ava looked a question at him. "I don't know. As long as it takes I guess."

  Drake grunted. Leaned forward and scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. Tore it off and extended it to her.

  "Can you do me a favor later? Before you go, call me?"

  Ava reached out, accepted the paper. "Um, why?"

  "I'm very sorry," Drake said. He was already moving for the door. "I don't have time to explain right now. Just, please."

  Ava sighed. "Okay."

  "Thank you," Drake said.

  Fifteen seconds later he was back outside, fighting his way through the crowd.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The Crew threw their hands up in the air as Drake approached. Mock exasperation, mixed with just a bit of real annoyance.

  "Bout damn time," Kade said.

  "Longest piss I ever seen," Ajax agreed.

  Drake ignored them both. Leveled his gaze on Sage. "I need your help."

  Kade and Ajax both laughed in unison.

  "What, you forget how to work a zipper?" Ajax asked.

  Sage smiled at their commentary. "What's going on?"

  "Please," Drake said. His voice was low. The amusement faded at once from the group. "I need your help."

/>   This time Sage was serious. "What's going on?"

  "You remember the girl? That's pregnant? She messaged me again. Said she needs to meet and it's urgent."

  "What kind of help?" Ajax asked.

  "I responded back, made an allusion to nursing a sick friend. She jumped all over it. I think she might be hurt."

  Around them the place was alive with pre-game festivities. Tons of locals all dressed in Griz gear, pushing their way towards the stadium.

  None of the four paid them any mind. The excitement of the first game was gone.

  "What can we do?" Kade asked.

  Drake opened his mouth to respond. Closed it just as fast. Shook his head. "I don't know. I don't even know if we can help. She gave me an address though. I'm going to go take a look."

  "You want us to come with you?" Ajax asked.

  Drake weighed the offer. Shook his head. "You guys go on in. This might be nothing. If anything at all comes up suspicious, I'll call."

  Kade extended a fist. "You better."

  Drake met it. Did the same with Ajax.

  Together he and Sage set off in the opposite direction. At just ten minutes before kickoff, most of the crowd had already moved past them. The rest was clustered around their respective tailgates.

  They weren't going anywhere for the next few hours.

  "Thank you for doing this," Drake said.

  "Yeah, cause you know how much I hate to miss a football game," Sage said. Over dramatic eye roll to hammer home the sarcasm.

  Drake smirked. "Still, thanks."

  "Don't thank me," Sage said. "This is how we roll, remember?"

  Drake considered heading for his car a few blocks away, thought better of it. Instead he led Sage on a diagonal path across campus, straight for Kent Street.

  Walking at a quick pace, it took them just under fifteen minutes. Almost all of it was spent in total silence.

  The entire time Drake fought with what he might soon find. He was half afraid to wonder what Sage was thinking beside him.

  They found 601 Kent easy enough. Single story ranch done in brick. Couple of aspen trees in the yard. Front hedge that could use a little shaping.

  No lights or visible signs of life.

  "Stay here," Drake said. He left Sage ten feet back from the front door. Scaled the three steps up to the door and knocked.

  No response.

  Tried the doorbell, heard it echo through the house.

  Still, no response.

  Knocked a third time and paused. When there still wasn't a sound from within, he tried the handle. It turned in his hand. Made a small screech as the door cracked open.

  "I'll be right back," he said over his shoulder. Disappeared inside.

  The interior of the house was just as desolate as the outside. A tidy living room featured a sofa, armchair, flat screen television. All sat untouched.

  Not a single light was on as Drake stepped through. Natural light wafted in through the curtains. Sent a ghostly pallor over everything.

  "Hello? Beth? Are you in here?" Drake called.

  For the first time it occurred to him that he had no idea what he was walking into. Beth had mentioned they might be watching.

  Who was they? Were they watching?

  The hairs stood on end at the nape of Drake's neck. He stepped from the living room into the kitchen. Grabbed up a knife from the drying rack by the sink.

  Kept walking.

  "Beth?" he said again. This time, softer.

  The floor creaked beneath his feet as he came upon an empty bathroom. An empty bedroom that had been converted to a study.

  He kept the knife gripped in his hand. Pushed further down the hallway. Focused his eyes on the last door ahead of him.

  It was closed tight.

  He stepped up to it and rapped softly with the back of his hand. "Beth?"

  Tried the knob. Pushed it open a few feet.

  The coppery smell of blood filled his nostrils. Every alert mechanism in his body jolted alive.

  The trail began on the cream carpet just inside the door. At first just a few droplets. Dried hard and black on the ground.

  As it moved forward, the trail got heavier. Much, much heavier.

  The path ended at the foot of a bed. On it was a single person, lying face up. Her eyes were closed. Almost every square inch of the cream-colored blanket beneath her was stained with dried blood.

  Same for the sundress she was wearing.

  Drake made a face. Even at the sight of all the blood, one thing jumped out at him more than any other.

  "Ella?"

  Chapter Nineteen

  Whoever had worked Ella over knew what they were doing.

  The wounds were all superficial. Designed to draw blood. Leave a mark. Not doing any lasting damage.

  Or, as Sage surmised while she worked, put Ella in the hospital.

  The moment Drake found the breath in his chest, he'd called for her from the front steps. She was by his side in three seconds flat. If she was at all taken aback by what she found, she didn't show it.

  Instead, she operated with cool precision. Sent Drake after some things from the kitchen. Immediately cut away the bloody dress. Did an inventory of the injuries.

  Despite appearances, Ella was alive.

  Sage deduced that someone had tortured her. Used some form of water punishment mixed with delicate knife work. Made the blood loss look a lot larger than it was.

  Made the agony much worse on Ella.

  While Sage worked, Drake scanned the scene as best he could. Every impulse in his body told him to call the police. Still, the words of Beth the day before kept him from doing it.

  Just the mere mention of them had sent her into a panic. What if somebody really was watching?

  From what Drake could tell, the bastard had worked Ella over somewhere else. Brought her back to the house. Staged the room so she would be found in a compromising position.

  In short, she was set up as an example.

  Once Sage got her cleaned up, dressed, tucked away in bed, she turned to Drake. Until that point, she had not asked a single question.

  "She's definitely not pregnant. This isn't the girl you met with yesterday."

  Still not a question.

  Drake shook his head. "No."

  "Who is she?"

  "This is Ella. The cousin that came to see me at the courthouse."

  Sage nodded. Flicked her gaze to the girl lying on the bed. "There's a correlation there you know."

  Drake nodded. "How bad?"

  Sage kept her stare locked on Ella. "They drugged her to move her. From what it seems, she's got enough sedative in her to knock out a horse."

  "So she'll make it?"

  "She'll make it." Sage turned her eyes back to Drake. "But she's going to wear the scars forever."

  Drake's eyes slid shut. Not a voluntary movement.

  "What the hell is all this?" Sage asked. "And why do you seem to be up to your ass in it?"

  "I don't know," Drake said. Opened his eyes. "Either answer. Best I can tell, the only reason I'm here is the same reason you are right now. I needed a nurse. They needed a lawyer."

  Sage again looked down at Ella. "This girl doesn't need a lawyer. She needs the police. Or a pissed off boyfriend with a gun."

  "I suggested the police to Beth yesterday, she got scared and ran off. And I mean scared. She didn't say as much, but I got the impression whatever is going on here is a lot bigger than anybody realizes."

  "Is there anything you can do?"

  Drake shook his head. "First things first. We need to move her. Whoever dropped her here obviously knows where she lives. They might be watching."

  Sage made a face. "And take her where?"

  Drake sighed. "I don't know. Our place I guess."

  "Is that any safer? What if they are watching?" Sage asked.

  "True," Drake said. Nodded. "Maybe a hotel? Just for a couple of days, until she's awake and I can talk to a few people. Beth. The atto
rney I report to."

  Sage said nothing. Drake could tell she was thinking in rapid-fire succession. Was holding back to spare him.

  "I know it's sloppy," he whispered. He himself needed to hear it as much as he knew Sage did. "But I'm clutching at straws here. They don't exactly prepare you for this sort of thing in law school."

  "I know," Sage said. "I just wish..."

  "Me too."

  Drake slid his cell-phone from his pocket. Hit the first speed-dial without looking at it.

  On the second ring, Kade picked up. Behind him was a cacophony of sounds from the game.

  "Everything alright, brother?"

  "Hey, I hate like hell to ask this..."

  "We're on our way," Kade said. A moment passed. The crowd noise receded a bit. "Where are we headed?"

  Drake gave him the address. Told him to bring his truck.

  Chapter Twenty

  In true Griz fashion, the first game of the season was against a patsy. Actually, a team so putrid it gave patsies a bad name.

  By the end of the first quarter, some of the students had already started to file out. Those that hadn't yet made it in from the tailgates didn't bother.

  Missoula Mayor Maria Sloan lasted until halftime.

  She, along with a small staff of handlers, made the rounds before the game. Stopped by the Saint Michael's tent to say hello. Swung over to the Rotary Club to smile for a few pictures. Even met up with the League of Women Voter's just to say she did.

  It was still over a year until her next election, but it was never too early to start taking advantage of opportunities.

  In Missoula, nothing presented an opportunity for people to be seen quite like the Griz.

  Perched in her own skybox atop the eastern side of the stadium, Mayor Sloan played the dutiful fan for two solid quarters.

  Cheered each time the Griz scored. Booed whenever the refs missed a call. Feigned concern when a player was down for a few minutes.

  Truth was, Maria Sloan hated football. Hated everything about it. From the obsessive nature of the fans to the orchestrated barbarism the sport encouraged.

  Using the excuse of an afternoon visit to a children's home, she excused herself and took an elevator to the bowels of the stadium. From there she walked to the edge of campus and hopped into her car. Pointed it towards the Bitterroot Valley south of town.