The officer shook his head in disbelief. “Damn. Anyone else here get an anonymous tip?”
Another man sheepishly lifted his hand. “Gary Pearce,” he said. “Monmouth County SPCA—Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. I also received the tip of animals in danger.”
The officer looked at all of us and shook his head. “Well, I’ll admit it’s strange everyone happened to get an anonymous tip and show up at about the same time animals came spilling out of the lab, but I don’t yet see any evidence of criminal wrongdoing yet. No evidence of a break-in tonight. In fact, it appears that the only ‘crime’ I see so far is incompetence for letting the animals loose. I’ll admit, however, the undercover investigation situation and the proper certifications are way beyond my pay grade. I’ll write up a report and have my men take statements from all of you. I will push the issue of animal abuse, missing certifications, and misconduct to other departments far more qualified to handle that than me. At this point, once you give your statement, you’re free to go.”
Dick glared at me across the lab. If there hadn’t been police there, I was 100 percent sure he’d have tried to strangle me. He wouldn’t have succeeded, so I just gave him a sweet smile, which infuriated him even more.
“However, in case anyone decides to try and destroy any potential evidence,” the officer continued, “I’m going to ask you…Adam, right?” He pointed to the broad-shouldered guy near the door. “Go check on the animals and their conditions. You’re Animal Control, correct?”
Adam straightened. “Yes, sir. Washington Township Animal Control. I can also work with investigators to help confirm whether the lab has the proper certifications and regulations required.”
“Excellent,” the officer said and scanned the crowd again. “Where’s Gary, the guy from the local SPCA?”
Gary stepped forward, already pulling on a pair of latex gloves like he’d been waiting his whole life for this moment. “Right here. I’ve got a camera in the truck and am happy to assist Adam in the documentation of current conditions.”
“Good. Thank you. You can take whatever steps are necessary under state and federal law to ensure their welfare. Report back to me. If we need to shut this place down tonight, I’ll need to reach out to my supervisor.”
“Yes, sir,” they said as both headed out.
I asked to give my statement first so I could get myself free as quickly as possible. As soon as I exited the interview with the officer, Gray went in. I saw Barbie, Mandy, and Gwen huddled together talking and waiting in the lobby for their turn.
I nodded at Gwen and she nodded back as I left the building. I intended to retrieve Ginger but halted at the gate when I saw the rampaging pig. He actually wasn’t rampaging at this point, but I wasn’t going to give him an opportunity to come at me, since my experience with pigs in Hawaii had taught me never to underestimate the porcine species.
I wandered back and forth along the fence with the pig pacing me, trying to figure out how to end this stalemate, when a car pulled into the lot. Out stepped Dick’s other minion, Mr. Skinny. He looked around in shock at all the police cars as he started walking toward the facility.
I was not the only one who detected his arrival. The pig snorted, stomped, and abruptly launched himself at the man. Mr. Skinny squealed in terror when he saw the pig and turned abruptly, racing for his car. There wasn’t enough time for him to open the door, so he raced around the car, trying to keep it between him and pig. After several trips around the car, it was clear that the pig was gaining.
Changing strategy, Mr. Skinny sprinted for the trees, screaming.
Freed, I went straight to the car to check on Basia and Tootsie, who were listening to soft music with the heater blasting. Tootsie had fallen asleep in Basia’s arms.
Basia was relieved to see me. “What the heck is going on in there? That was quite an animal show in the parking lot. Thank God Ginger wasn’t in that mess.”
“No kidding. You guys okay?”
“Yes. One of the officers checked on me and my dog,” Basia said. “As soon as he realized I was pregnant and not hiding any wayward animals, he let me stay in the car and wait for my friends since I said I didn’t know anything.”
“Good.” I gave her a quick rundown of what transpired inside the lab. “But now I’ve got to go find Ginger. When Gray, Gwen, and Barbie are finished giving their statements, meet me with the car over at the tree line. Ginger and I will be waiting there.” I pointed into the darkness and she nodded.
I grabbed a blanket from the trunk of Gray’s SUV and walked over to the trees. After looking around a bit, I whistled and called out Ginger’s name.
A moment later, she burst from the darkness and launched herself at me like she’d been doing it her whole life. I knelt, catching her in my arms, then wrapped her in the blanket and breathed a sigh of relief.
“There you are,” I whispered into her fur. “I’m sorry you couldn’t have stayed in the warm car. But Baldy and the others were looking for you.”
She licked my chin in a way that suggested she understood what I was saying and forgave me anyway.
Behind us, the parking lot buzzed with more flashing lights. For once, it wasn’t my problem. We got what we came for—Ginger and Tootsie. The two guys from Animal Control and the SPCA were documenting the lab like it was a crime scene, which, in my opinion, it absolutely was. Barbie would write what I hoped would be another award-winning exposé, and Mandy and Devon from PETA would make sure Tango Bio Research Lab never quietly reopened under a different name.
For once, everything had lined up the way it was supposed to.
I glanced back at the building, half expecting my black cloud to throw in one last twist. It didn’t. The doors stayed closed. The officers stayed in control. No more alarms went off. No more animals escaped. No one called my name.
A miracle.
Ginger snuggled deeper into the blanket with a satisfied grunt, warm and solid in my arms. She was safe. That simple fact lifted a weight from my shoulders.
I scratched Ginger behind the ears and she melted against me, trusting, content, and blissfully unaware of how close her life had come to going a very different direction.
