by Ruby Loren
I was still smiling at the reindeer when someone came up behind me.
“What’s your verdict?” A male voice asked.
I turned to see Barnaby standing there.
“I haven’t made it all the way round yet, but… it’s beautiful,” I confessed.
“Thank you. That means a lot,” he said, graciously. “So far, things have gone really well. We’ve had some brilliant feedback. People have said that this is by far the loveliest Christmas attraction in South East England and that they’re going to tell all of their friends.” He tilted his head. “That of course remains to be seen, but we can hope. We also sold a lot of tickets on the door today, despite already having a good number of pre-bookings. I hate to speak too soon, but if things continue on the same trajectory, I forecast that there’ll be a good profit made for Avery Zoo. Not to mention the longer return of people who come here specially for Christmas, but return in the spring.” He grinned sheepishly at me. “Too much of a sales pitch? Sorry, I just wanted someone to practice it on.”
I found I was smiling back. “If it’s true, then it’s a good pitch.”
“It’s true,” he reassured me.
“Have you had any problems with the reindeer?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
For a moment, Barnaby looked confused, but then his expression cleared. “Oh, you mean the annual antler confusion.”
I grinned and nodded. Every year, there was great surprise amongst visitors when they came to the zoo and pointed out ‘the boy reindeer and the girl reindeer’ and traditionally got it wrong. Male reindeer lost their antlers during the winter, whilst females retained them and lost them in the summer. The look on people’s faces when someone was around to inform them that actually, they had the boys and the girls around the wrong way was always comical. Rudolph and the rest of Father Christmas’ reindeer were either an all-female sled team, or had been adolescent males, who kept their antlers at different times.
“We put a little label up explaining the reindeer’s names. There have certainly already been a few gasps of astonishment,” he said.
“Tis’ the season to be educational,” I told him with a grin.
A sudden thought clouded his expression. “Did I hear something about a turkey running around the place earlier? That wasn’t some sort of publicity stunt, was it?” He looked even more concerned. “Was it a protest against the use of animals in the wonderland?”
I shook my head. Avery Zoo hadn’t had a protester presence for quite a while. Apparently, there were other zoos more deserving of persecution.
“Someone abandoned a turkey at the zoo last night. There were some complications getting it to a new home. We initially thought he might fit in here, but it’s probably for the best that the original plan didn’t work out. Bernard is quite an angry turkey.”
“Bernard, nice name choice,” Barnaby said, and I could tell he got the joke. “I suppose you’re not allowed to have him for Christmas dinner?”
I shook my head with a rueful grin. “He’s doing his bit for his kind by taking a bite out of humans, for once,” I said, showing Barnaby my ravaged hands.
“That looks nasty!” he commented and then reached out for a closer look.
I let my hand balance on his palm while he inspected my wounds, strangely feeling like a child seeking comfort from a responsible adult.
“Did you clean the wounds?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, resisting the urge to add ‘I am a zookeeper, you know!’. He was just being nice. “To be fair, Bernard isn’t entirely to blame. A couple of the peacocks got involved, too.”
Barnaby shook his head. “Those things… they’ve already chased multiple members of staff when we were setting up the trees. I know some of them were tempted to spray the peacocks with fake snow.” He tilted his head. “It would have been nice if they were white and not so prone to violence.”
“There is a white one around,” I told him. “I think it’s the nastiest of the lot. Maybe it thinks it’s got something to compensate for.”
“Well, the staff I’ve put on the entrance have strict instructions to not let any wandering peacocks inside,” he said.
“Ooo, bad move. They’ll see it as a challenge,” I joked and Barnaby smiled back.
“I’d better get back to work. There’s a lot of winter prep still to do,” I said, suddenly feeling super self-conscious after the slight pause in conversation. Barnaby’s warm eyes were stirring up all kinds of thoughts, and I wasn’t sure that I was completely against them.
I walked back out of the Winter Wonderland with a festive spring in my step.
Jenna’s death hit me the hardest when I went into the staffroom at lunchtime. Usually, Jenna would have been there, sharing the latest gossip and no doubt chatting about which members of the events team she’d put on her Christmas list. Now there was no one to dispense the latest news. I hated to admit it, but I missed that.
I sat down with my antisocial tuna and sweetcorn sandwich, suddenly feeling morose. I wasn’t permitted to stay that way for long. Tiff sat down with two of her shop assistants.
“Hi Madi, how’s your day been? I heard something about a turkey…” Tiff said with a smile.
I showed them all my hands and they winced.
“Ouch! I thought it was bad when the cardboard boxes fight back,” one of the women said. “Was it the peacocks, too?”
I confirmed that it had been, although, even I wasn’t enough of an expert to be able to give a detailed run down of exactly who had carved out which piece of flesh.
“There’s trouble at the Winter Wonderland,” Tiff told me with a worried look, just for me.
“What kind?” I asked.
“That crazy lady is back,” one of the assistants said. “She’s standing by the wonderland shouting about how half of everything should belong to her.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why anyone would believe it. It’s way too predictable that all of the weirdos come out of the woodwork whenever someone wealthy dies.”
I opened my mouth to say that Mr Avery hadn’t actually been that wealthy, considering the state that the zoo had got into under his son’s leadership, but that wasn’t exactly common knowledge, and I didn’t want to start gossip.
“I hope someone manages to stop her from upsetting visitors to the new attraction,” I said instead.
Tiff grinned. “Barnaby was on it. He’s very hands-on for a manager, isn’t he? He led her away, and I saw him having what looked like a very stern conversation. I just feel sorry for Auryn, having to deal with this on top of everything…” She trailed off and all four of us fell silent again for a moment.
“The police have started calling people in for questioning,” the other assistant said.
“All of them have been men so far,” her friend confided.
I shared a look with Tiff. I knew we were both unsure if the culprit was male. Jenna had never had a talent for making men angry. Women, on the other hand… There had been those who’d disapproved of her lifestyle, and even some who’d been jealous. Not to mention the scores of women who suspected Jenna of trying to steal their husband or boyfriend. Even the malicious manner in which Jenna’s body had been, well… positioned, seemed to give credence to it being a crime of hate.
The two girls went off to grab some coffee, and I was left alone with Tiff.
“I bumped into Harry today. He’s less than happy,” she told me.
I raised a questioning eyebrow.
“The police have been all over him because someone told them that he’d been involved with Jenna fairly recently.” Tiff cleared her throat, making sure to look around the room. There were listening ears everywhere at the zoo. “He’s worried it’s going to make his engagement fall through, if Julia finds out…”
I nodded, indicating that there was no need for Tiff to finish her sentence. She’d told me at the time that Jenna had come to her upset when she’d found out that Harry had been seeing both her and Julia at the same time. It w
as obvious that Julia still didn’t know about that. Harry clearly wanted to keep it that way.
I reflected that Jenna had done well keeping something like that a secret when she was renowned for her gossip. However, I couldn’t help but wonder if she hadn’t been more than a little upset when the proposal had happened, right in front of her. Something like that would be sure to stir up old wounds. Had Jenna confronted Harry later and threatened to finally come clean about his cheating ways? Had Harry snapped and permanently silenced her?
My lips thinned when I remembered the method of murder. Jenna had been poisoned. Poison tended to be premeditated. Normal people don’t tend to carry a stash around with them just in case someone gets on their nerves.
I shook my head. It was impossible to say who might have done it. It could still have been Harry. He’d been at the zoo long enough to remember the incident with the crime writer, what felt like an age ago. Perhaps he had been carrying the poison around with him, just in case Jenna behaved the way he’d worried she would…
“Do you think we should tell the police?” I asked Tiff.
My best friend shrugged her shoulders, somehow managing to make the movement look glamorous. “It’s up to him to tell the truth when he’s questioned. If he’s innocent, then he shouldn’t have anything to hide. Other than his past transgressions,” she added.
“Hmm, I suppose we’ll have to see how the investigation goes,” I said.
She nodded. “That’s all we can do. It’s in the hands of the police.”
I didn’t miss the sideways glance she gave me, warning me that the investigation should really stay that way.
I raised my hands in mock defence. “It’s okay. I’ve decided I want a nice, quiet Christmas. No getting involved with unsolved crimes.”
Tiff shot me a disbelieving look. “Sure thing, Miss Marple.”
6
Pride and Prejudice
I swung by the office later that day, hoping to catch Auryn so I could pass on the zookeepers’ requests for winter supplies for various animals. A lot of bedding materials were needed, as many of the animals liked to build warm cosy nests at this time of the year. The otters had already been busy with their supply of straw, making a racket that travelled halfway across the zoo.
I smiled as I walked up the stairs into the office area. The visitors loved watching the animals at work, performing their natural behaviour, so it was win win. I also already had some ideas for Christmas treats and activities that I hoped would give the zoo outside of the wonderland a seasonal boost.
To my surprise, when I reached the top of the stairs I heard shouting, followed by one of the more senior Human Resources staff members flouncing out. She threw her hands up in the air when she walked past me, as if to say ‘what can you do?’. I proceeded with caution, wondering what had disturbed the normally peaceful office environment.
Lawrence leant against a desk, walking stick in hand. He appeared to be in frank discussion with one of the zoo’s other HR staff. From what I could gather, he didn’t think the man he was talking to was doing his job correctly.
“You can’t just bow to the will of these people! It’s all nonsense. They know what to expect when they come to the zoo. They can’t blame us for their own incompetence!” Lawrence said, so loudly everyone in the office must have heard.
I winced and looked somewhere else in the room. I made eye contact with Claudia, who had the twin of my own expression on her face.
I knew exactly the kind of thing Lawrence was talking about. Visitors to the zoo could be a tricky bunch. If someone had a perfectly normal accident, or got too close to an animal by ducking under the safety fences, somehow it was our fault. It was the HR department’s duty to deal with all complaints. They did their best to smooth everything over, so the zoo didn’t have lawsuits to deal with. I’d never envied their job. A lot of tact and diplomacy was needed. You couldn’t just tell the customers they were wrong. As much as I agreed with Lawrence’s sentiment, he was showing his age. You couldn’t afford to behave that way anymore.
I looked around the room, but Auryn wasn’t in sight.
“Lawrence, it’s lovely to see you in today. Are you looking for Auryn?” I said, stepping into the role of peacekeeper. When Lawrence turned away, the HR team member, David, shot me a look of sincere gratitude.
Lawrence’s aged face wrinkled, and I knew he didn’t have a clue who I was. However, he was unlikely to admit it. This time, his age was on my side.
“I’m not looking for the boy. I’m just making sure this zoo is run up to the high standards that Charles would have expected.” He shook his head, his white hair still a magnificent thatch on his head. “Someone needs to run this place.”
I bit my lip to stop myself from saying something I’d regret. I was actually glad Auryn wasn’t here to listen to this. My friend had only just started to gain confidence in running the zoo, and I had a feeling that he might put more stead in Lawrence’s words than he should.
Fortunately, I was saved from making a further remark by Claudia coming over.
“How about we go over the forecasts together?” she said to the old man. “I need your sharp eyes to spot any continuity errors.”
“Well, I suppose I could…” Lawrence said, his attitude diffusing now he’d been offered something to actually do. To my immense surprise, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and started lighting one up.
“Not in the office, Gr…Lawrence!” Claudia said, slipping up for a moment in her panic.
“What? Is there a law against smoking now?” Lawrence said and laughed at his own joke.
I exchanged a look with the dark-eyed Claudia.
“Yes, actually,” she said, taking the cigarette from between his fingers. “Also, they’re bad for your health! Where did you even get these from? You know you’re supposed to have stopped.”
“I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions. They haven’t killed me yet, have they?” Lawrence said, which was true enough.
Claudia flipped her eyes heavenwards right in front of him. Apparently the time for subtlety had long since passed.
“I’m the head of the board. I need to be here running the zoo until the boy is ready for it,” Lawrence said, making me grit my teeth again. I thought Auryn was doing pretty damn well. He’d been smart enough to realise that he wasn’t able to singlehandedly run the zoo, so he’d asked the staff to help him out. Avery Zoo was more democratic and more successful than ever.
“He’s already let someone die on his watch,” Lawrence said, making my mouth drop open with shock.
“That was nothing to do with Auryn!” I said, finally losing my temper with the old man.
He waved a hand in my face. “Hmm, from what I’ve been hearing about the girl who died, she was probably asking for it.”
“‘Woman’ who died, and she wasn’t asking for it,” I said through clenched teeth.
“What?” Lawrence said looking baffled.
Behind his back, Claudia shook her head at me. Much like persuading Lawrence to quit smoking, it was also too late to force him out of old prejudices.
“Back in my day, we had a girl like that in the village. She never realised how little anyone thought of her. She threw her virtue around without a care. It will have been the same with this one. It’s no wonder she ended up the way she did.”
“Poisoned?” I said, wondering how that detail fitted in with his logic.
“Oh, hmmm, yes, probably,” he said.
I shook my head, resigned.
“Let’s look at the forecasts. There’s no point dwelling on a crime we have nothing to do with. There’s a zoo to run,” Claudia said, perhaps a little callously but I could forgive that in the face of Lawrence.
“How are you and Auryn, eh?” Lawrence said, seeming to forget that I was still standing right there. Or perhaps he just didn’t care.
Claudia smiled at him. “We are getting along just fine,” she told him. There was something predatory
about her tone that I didn’t much like. I wondered if Auryn knew he had a tiger on his tail.
“I always said to Charles you were future Mrs Avery material,” Lawrence carried on, oblivious to the many listening ears, which were surely cocked in our direction right now.
Claudia laughed, like he’d said something outrageous. But I couldn’t help but notice, she didn’t try to correct him.
7
Feral Friends
Auryn poked his head around the corner of the staffroom a couple of days later. Things had been pretty hectic since the opening of the Winter Wonderland, but as far as I knew, everything was going well.
“Glad I caught you both!” He said, addressing me and Tiff. “The police have gone through all of Jenna’s stuff and have returned it. I asked them to leave it in her office, seeing as I haven’t yet found a replacement for her role.” He looked a little troubled. “I wonder if a successor will mind using that office…”
I shrugged. “It’s just a room. She didn’t die in there.” I bit my tongue. Now I sounded uncaring!
Auryn dithered a little more and then decided to get to the point. “Look, I know it’s not your job, and it’s okay if you say no. I can ask someone else, but I was wondering if you could find time to go through what’s been left in Jenna’s office and put it in boxes, or something. It turns out her parents are in a retirement home up in Yorkshire, so it’s going to take a while for them to be able to come down the country to sort her affairs out.” He shook his head. “I can’t say I’m looking forward to meeting them and having to explain why their daughter died at my zoo.”
“Oh, Auryn, you weren’t the one who killed her,” Tiff said, supportively.
Auryn shot her a winning smile and I couldn’t help but wonder if…
“We’ll do it for you. It’s not a problem,” Tiff said, volunteering us both.
