Since the zoo isn’t open this early on a weekday in the middle of December, we get a prime spot right up front. The two of us get out and head over to the gate where the promised person is awaiting us.
She hurries up to us, bundled in her winter coat and gloves. “I’m… I’m Pat Smith, I’m the director of the zoo and just…” She pauses and stares at us. “I’m sorry. I’m just struggling to comprehend any of this.”
“I understand,” Gabriel says, giving her a warm smile. “I’m Detective Gabriel Hyde, and this is Detective Liam Paige.”
“Let’s get in somewhere warm.”
“Preferably where the deceased animals are stored before the crematorium picks them up,” I suggest.
“Yes, of course,” she says as she leads us through the gate and then gets onto a golf cart. I give Gabriel the front seat. It might look like I do it because I’m a gentleman, but I mostly do it so I don’t have to sit close to a woman who looks quite distressed, and even worse… chatty.
I kick back and enjoy the show while I’m driven through the park filled with lanterns and lights for the holiday season. They’re not on right now since the light show doesn’t begin until four, a little less than four hours from now.
“Can you tell us about the animal that passed?” Gabriel asks.
“Of course. It was a male African wild dog who died unexpectedly. He was necropsied on site, and it was discovered that he had a flipped stomach. It’s something that isn’t extremely uncommon and can be fixed if caught on time, but the dog was a bit elusive on a good day, and the keepers didn’t notice it. He died yesterday sometime between noon and two p.m.”
“How many workers do you have?”
“We employ around four hundred permanent staff, but we also have seasonal staff, so it fluctuates. For example, that windstorm we had last weekend blew down some of the lights, so the crew who do the lights were here throughout the week fixing issues,” she says.
“Would you be able to provide a list of all staff members who were on site between the time the dog died yesterday and the time the animal was picked up today?” Gabriel asks.
“I can do that. As soon as we’re inside, I’ll send a call out to Nadine, the lady who oversees the schedules.”
“And cameras? Do you have cameras in the zoo?” I ask. “And more importantly, do they work?”
“We do. All of our cameras are working. This is a large zoo, so not every section is covered, but we have cameras facing the animals and secure locations.”
She parks in front of a building and gets out before leading us over to the door. Pat pulls it open and sends us inside. Right inside are multiple people hard at work, but the first we come across is a young man pushing a utility cart with clean bowls on it.
“I’m assuming you prepare your own meat?” I ask her.
“Some. It really depends on our supplier and what type of animal we’re feeding.”
“I want to see where it’s prepared.”
The look on her face tells me that she’s realized that I’m implying that the body was chopped up where they process the meat.
“Do you have a camera on the area?”
“On parts of it,” she says.
“What’s going on?” the young man asks, staring at us warily.
She darts off without answering him, and we follow her while she rushes into a room with a pungent smell. “Everyone stop, please. Put the knives down,” she calls as those preparing the meals for the animals pause what they’re doing. Everyone looks around, probably assuming that someone got hurt or there was some kind of incident.
“We’ll collect the knives, so just set them down on the table,” I say.
“Why would you collect the knives?” a guy with a buzz cut asks. He seems to be the only one actively chopping things up and it’s into little pieces for an animal that’s likely small. “How am I supposed to finish this if I don’t have a knife?”
“Who has access to this area? Can anyone walk into it?” Gabriel asks Pat.
“I mean, it’s always busy. There are multiple people working in this area, so it’s not like someone could… do something alone in here without others noticing. The place is locked up when we leave for the night.”
“And who has the keys?”
“I do,” the guy still holding the knife says. “I’ve been the one who’s opened up the building every day this week.”
