by Cassie Cole
“This will not do.”
I spent the next hour setting up my personal Google Drive on this computer. Then I created several spreadsheets, one for each class of animal. A tiger spreadsheet, a wolf spreadsheet, a spreadsheet for the chimps. Each spreadsheet had a different tab for each individual animal.
Once that was set up I started filling in the notes I had taken while feeding them this morning. I marked the entry with today’s date. That took another hour, but when I was done I felt like things were more organized.
I spent the afternoon wandering around the zoo and observing the animals some more. How they interacted with each other, their difference in behavior when they were fed instead of hungry. Things would have been much easier if the previous employees were here, because then I could pick their brain about certain behaviors. Without that, it would take me days and weeks to get a feel for how the animals behaved.
Jake was in the bird area, removing the trays under each cage and cleaning them out, then putting fresh newspaper and sawdust down. He looked angry, so I steered clear of him. Bird behavior wasn’t as important as the rest of the animals, anyway.
Even though all I did was watch the animals, the day flew by. I returned to the vet office and inputted additional information for each animal. By then it was seven o’clock.
David knocked on the door and stuck his head in. “You don’t have to impress us on day one. You can call it a day.”
“There’s so much to do,” I said with a sigh. “It’s overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong—I have it under control. But it’s a lot.”
“Come on. I’ll show you where you’re sleeping. We can move your car.”
We walked to the parking lot and jumped in my car. I had to move two backpacks from the passenger seat to the back so David could fit inside.
“I just moved out of my college apartment,” I explained.
“We really lucked out finding you when we did. Drive over here, down this way for half a mile…”
It was a narrow gravel road with lots of bumps and pot holes. My suitcases in the back seat clattered together noisily. We passed four trailers all arranged in neat rows.
“That’s where the employees usually live. But you can stay in the house.”
I smirked. “What makes me special?”
David laughed wearily. “Trust me: you don’t want to stay in those things. The old employees didn’t exactly clean them when they split. There’s a guest bedroom in the house you can have.”
A few seconds later the trees opened up and the road ended in a loop in front of a big two-story plantation house. The columns on the front were grey instead of white, and most of the paint was faded and chipped. Parked in front was a Jeep, a Honda Civic, and a huge monster truck with cherry-red stripes on the side. I parked my Accord next to it and climbed out. The tires on the monster truck were taller than I was!
“Guess which car was dad’s,” David said.
“It’s kind of obvious,” I replied, deadpan. “Crazy Carl looked like the kind of person who valued a car with a high safety rating and excellent gas mileage. So, the Honda Civic.”
David laughed heartily at the joke. “Which means the monster truck is Anthony’s?”
“Naturally.”
I smiled. It was nice to know I could make him laugh.
“How did he drive that thing around?” I asked, putting my hand on the tire. The rubber felt like it was a foot thick. “It looks like it would take up both lanes.”
“You may be joking, but it is too big to drive on the road,” David replied. “There’s a bunch of land surrounding the zoo on all sides. At least a hundred acres. No idea who owns it, but dad used to drive this bad boy out there. He stopped at some point. Must’ve gotten an angry letter from the owner.”
“I’ve never seen one up close,” I said. “My dad took me to a monster truck show at the Richmond Coliseum ten years ago. I wonder how much you’ll get when you sell this thing.”
I saw the light go out of David’s eyes, and I instantly regretted what I had said. To me it seemed obvious that they would need to sell Crazy Carl’s belongings, including the monster truck. But David and his brothers probably had not thought that far ahead. They were still grieving their father’s death in their own way.
“I didn’t mean anything by it…”
“Forget it,” David said with a forced smile. “Let’s go inside.”
Despite the worn-down look on the outside of the house, the interior was in good shape. The hardwood floors creaked from my weight but were smooth and shiny. The wallpaper was kind of dated, but it wasn’t bubbling or peeling. The foyer opened to a large staircase that curved up and to the right before connecting to a balcony on the second floor that overlooked the foyer. On the wall beneath the staircase was an enormous oil painting of Crazy Carl. He was dressed like an eighteenth-century king, with a gold crown that fit perfectly on his head—without disturbing his red mohawk, of course—and a long tiger-print cape. He was flanked by two Bengal tigers sitting on their haunches, their amber eyes gazing out at the viewer.
“That’s one hell of a painting,” I said.
David snorted and led me up the stairs. “Get used to it. He put photos of himself in every room.”
“You’re joking.”
We reached the second floor. “Nope. Dad was awfully full of himself.”
“Don’t do that,” a deep voice snarled.
Jake stepped out of a doorway ahead. A bathroom, based on the steam that drifted out. The sight of him made me gasp. Jake was completely nude except for a tight pair of grey boxer-briefs. He wasn’t as muscular as David, but he was a very close second place. Tattoos were scattered across his chiseled chest, and his entire right arm was covered in a tattoo sleeve. His auburn hair was dark against his head, and rivulets of water ran down his neck and across his chest. A piece of metal hung around his neck on a black chain. It was similar to a dog tag, but not quite.
Against my will, my eyes locked onto his underwear. They were so tight that I could see the outline of his cock running down his right thigh. Like a tube of freaking cookie dough. The primal, animal part of my brain squealed with excitement at the sight of him. You must mate with this man and have his beautiful babies, it insisted.
“Don’t do that,” he repeated in a deep voice. “Don’t talk about dad like that. Not in his own fucking house.”
David stiffened next to me. “You couldn’t be bothered to come to the funeral, but now you’re concerned about dad?”
“I was busy.”
David pointed a finger at his brother. “Were you? What exactly was so important that you had to leave me and Anthony to bury him alone?”
Jake’s jaw tightened. Fury raged behind his dark eyes. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
He disappeared back in the bathroom and slammed the door.
11
Rachel
David relaxed as soon as Jake was gone. “Sorry about that.”
“No big deal.”
“Do you have siblings?”
“Nope,” I replied.
“Lucky you.”
Two hallways extended in opposite directions from the top of the stairs. My bedroom was at the very end of one. It was sparse, just a bed and a dresser. The bed frame was in the style of a log cabin and the sheets were black and orange tiger stripes. And above the bed was a glamor portrait of Crazy Carl, one elbow on the table and resting his chin on his hand. It was like a cheesy high school photo, and the calm, staged nature of it was at odds with Crazy Carl’s unhinged appearance.
“Told you,” David you. “I’ll understand if you want to take it off the wall.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “No offense to your dad, but I think that would give me nightmares.”
“The kitchen is downstairs. We need to make a grocery run, but there’s plenty of microwave dinners in the freezer. Beer, too, as long as you like Bud Light. As far as bathrooms go, you and Jake are sharing the one in the ha
llway. But if he’s using it, feel free to use the one in my bedroom. It’s the first door on the right at the other end of the hall. I think that’s about it. If you need anything else just let me know.”
“Thanks.”
I listened to the floorboards creak as he walked down the hall. I sat on the bed and let everything sink in. Since arriving this morning I hadn’t really had a chance to process things. I had a new job, in a new city, with new people. I had to fight down the feeling of being in over my head.
To give myself a sense of order, I unpacked my suitcase and put away my clothes in the closet and dresser. I had three more suitcases full of clothes still in my car, but I could unpack those later. For now I had enough clothes to last at least a week.
The bathroom door opened and I heard someone walk down the hall. Another door slammed. I guess that means the bathroom is free.
I carried my bag of toiletries and a change of clothes into the bathroom. The mirror was still steamy and it smelled like spicy aftershave. Jake’s scent. The image of his semi-nude body leaped into my head, his bulging muscles still damp from the shower. And of course the outline in his boxer-briefs that was impossible to ignore…
I took a cold shower to cool myself off.
When I was done I put on fresh clothes, then went downstairs to get some food. The kitchen had a long island with butcher-block countertops, surrounded by cabinets and drawers. Anthony was standing in front of the microwave, watching the contents spin.
“Your options are Salisbury steak, or turkey with gravy,” he said with a grimace. “But it’s all we have. Don’t worry—I’m making a grocery run tomorrow. Then we’ll eat proper meals. If you think of anything you want me to get, just write it on the notepad over there.”
“Thanks. But I’m not picky.” I pulled out a Salisbury steak TV dinner and waited my turn.
“Can I ask you something?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
“What’s Jake’s deal?”
Anthony crossed his arms and sighed. “What isn’t his deal? He’s your typical middle child. Feels like he always gets screwed. A permanent chip on his shoulder. And the worst of it? He kind of got stuck working here at the zoo.”
“Really?”
“Yeah… It was a real shitty situation. I still feel guilty about it. David does too, I think.” The microwave beeped and he removed the contents, bouncing the hot plastic tray from one hand to another.
“I’ve got some work to do. I promised David I’d have the GoFundMe page all set up, but it’s taking way longer than I expected. See ya.”
“G’night,” I said. I was hoping to eat and chat with him more, so I was sad to see him go.
I carried my food and a glass of water upstairs, but I paused at the landing. My room and Jake’s room were to the right, and David had pointed out his and Anthony’s rooms down at the other end. But there was another door in the middle of the hallway, and I didn’t know where it led. Selfishly, I was hoping it was another bathroom. Then I wouldn’t accidentally bump into Jake while he was half-nude and glistening with moisture.
I had to put my glass of water down to open the door. Rusty hinges screamed as it swung open, and the light from the hallway cast an eerie brightness inside. Inside was like a scene from Hoarders. Stacks of cardboard boxes taller than me filled the room. There was an antique four-post bed against the left wall, and a dresser over on the right. There was something strange about the room which took me a minute to place: there were no portraits of Crazy Carl Haines inside. In fact, the walls were bare. Like it was the one room in the house where Carl wasn’t trying to posture.
“The fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Jake stood in the hallway, shoulders rounded like he was spoiling for a fight. He was clothed now, I saw with faint disappointment, and he wore a cotton beanie on his head that pushed his dark red hair down and out the edges.
“I saw this door,” I said. “I wasn’t sure what was inside, so I—”
Jake crossed the distance quickly, knocking over my glass of water in the process. He reached inside the room and slammed the door.
“Are you trying to break a door?” I said. I meant it as a joke to lighten the mood, but Jake’s sharp face tightened with anger.
“Nobody goes inside dad’s room,” he warned. “Especially someone who’s not family.”
He held my gaze for three heartbeats, ensuring that his message got through. Then he stalked back to his room and closed the door. Gently this time.
“Thanks for the warm welcome,” I muttered.
I carried my TV dinner to my room, then cleaned up the spilled water with a towel from the bathroom. I didn’t know where the laundry room was so I hung it back up on the peg where I had found it, then returned to my room and closed the door.
Before I could sit down and eat my food, my phone rang. It was Ashley.
“Hey girl!” she said excitedly when I answered. “Sorry it took so long for me to call. I’m still getting situated here in Kentucky. They’re putting me to work right off the bat. I have a feeling I’m going to work some long days. Crap! Sorry, I shouldn’t be bragging about my job while you’re unemployed. Are you back in Fredericksburg now? How are your parents? Driving you crazy yet?”
“Well… I’m not home. I’m still at Crazy Carl’s Zoo.”
I could feel her confusion through the phone. “You’re what?”
“It’s not what we thought,” I explained. “The zoo is being run by Carl’s sons. They need a vet to help take care of the animals and run the place. They’re going to move the animals to real sanctuaries! It’s going to be a long process though, so I agreed to help…”
“Woah, hold on there sweetie,” she cut in. “Why are the sons running the zoo? What happened to Crazy Carl?”
“He’s dead,” I whispered in case the walls were thin. “He died last week. The sons inherited the zoo.”
“No way!” she said. “I don’t believe you.” I heard her rapidly typing on her laptop. Then she gasped. “Oh wow. Here’s the news article. A plane crash last week. Wow!”
“I told you!”
“Start over. How did all this happen?”
I filled her in on how David had come to my hotel and explained the situation. How they had closed the zoo and were actively trying to move the big cats to more legitimate zoos and sanctuaries. But that would take time, so they needed my help taking care of the animals in the interim.
“I spent most of the day working with the two sons, David and Anthony. There’s three of them, but Jake doesn’t really want to be here.”
“Are they as crazy as their dad?” Ashley asked excitedly.
“They’re shockingly normal. And…”
“What?”
I stifled a giggle. “They’re really cool, actually. David owns some Crossfit gyms up in Richmond, so he’s jacked. Anthony is a computer programmer. He’s enthusiastic about everything and it’s super cute. And the middle brother… Jake is a bad boy. Tattoos and a leather jacket and an attitude. He reminds me of that guy you dated sophomore year. So yeah, they’re nothing like their father.”
“Rachel,” she said slowly, “are you letting your attraction to these guys cloud your judgment?”
“No! I’m not attracted to them like that. I mean, I am. They’re super hot. But that’s not why I’m doing this. You said it yourself: I needed to find a way to make my resume stand out. What better way than by fixing Crazy Carl’s Zoo? Plus it’s pretty much my dream job, even if it is temporary.”
I heard her sigh on the line. “Rachel, I don’t know if I like this…”
“Why aren’t you supportive of me?” I demanded. “This whole thing was your idea. You should have seen this place when I got here. It was awful. It still is, but we’re working on it now. I’m making sure these tigers are being put into proper homes.”
“If they’re telling you the truth.”
“I believe them. They seem genuine.”
She sighed agai
n. “I’m sorry. I’m just afraid you’re getting in over your head. I want you to be careful, Rachel.”
“I will,” I promised, though deep down I feared she was right.
12
Rachel
I couldn’t sleep at first. Then I remembered the portrait hanging over my bed with Crazy Carl’s eyes that seemed to look directly into my soul. As soon as I moved it to the closet I was able to drift to sleep.
Anthony was sitting at the kitchen table when I came downstairs the next morning. He was busy working on his laptop, but he removed his headphones as soon as he saw me.
“Morning!” he said with a boyish smile that instantly made me feel welcome. “Sleep well?”
“I slept great, actually.”
“Hungry? I can make you breakfast.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, I was going to—”
He hopped up from the table. “I insist! How about eggs and protein pancakes? They’re the only two things dad has plenty of. I made some pancakes this morning and still have some batter. It’ll be real easy, I promise.”
“That actually sounds amazing,” I admitted.
Anthony pulled a chair out for me at the table and then pushed it in after I was seated. Then he rushed into the kitchen and started preparing the food. He definitely seemed like the youngest child. Enthusiastic and easy to please everyone.
“I love to cook,” he said while pouring batter onto a hot skillet. “Problem is I never get to cook for anyone. You ever notice most recipes serve four or five people? That’s too much food for just me. So I stick to simple things.”
I chuckled. “I know what you mean. I’ve lived on Ramen noodles and cheese sandwiches for the last decade.”
“Right, you just graduated from college. With your master’s?”
“Doctorate of veterinary medicine.”
He whistled. “That’s legit. I mean, I knew you were like, an animal doctor. But I didn’t think about how you would get a doctorate for it. I bet that sounds stupid. It didn’t sound as dumb when I said it in my head.”
