“They are all males?” a boy asked in an uncertain voice.
“That’s a good guess. Those are called ossicones, and all giraffes have them. They are covered with hair, and males use them to spar. So we have giraffes of both genders.” She let the visitors feed the giraffes, who took turns snatching the treats with their long tongues. These animals were some of her favorites in the park—always gentle, with intelligence in their eyes. She didn’t have to worry about one charging at her out of nowhere or a painful bite that took the strength out of her muscles. She absently rubbed her aching shoulder, then finished up with her talk and waved goodbye to the guests.
She loved this job so much. Working with the animals andbeing surrounded by Blake’s loving family had allowed light and joy to begin the healing process in her soul.
She glanced at her watch, then headed down the steps from the high platform. She’d scheduled neuter and spay surgeries this afternoon, so she’d flipped her park and clinic schedules. She needed to grab something from the grocery to have on hand for lunch since she didn’t think there was much in the fridge in her apartment. The boys had swept through the fridge like small locusts last night.
She found Blake waiting at her Kia with a small cooler bag. He held it up with a smile. “Yogurt, a couple of mozzarella cheese sticks, and an apple to stick in your fridge.”
She wanted to kiss him, but the people getting out of the car next to hers were staring. “You are too much. Did you just read my mind? I was trying to decide if the boys had left even a pepperoni or two.”
“They didn’t, but I dropped them off at Mom’s and raided our fridge for something for lunch. Not much there either, but I’ll run to the grocery after work.”
The carful of people had wandered off, so she leaned against his muscular chest and gave him a lingering kiss. He tasted of spearmint, and his hair smelled like hay from feeding the animals this morning. She pulled back reluctantly. “You are wonderful.”
He winked. “I’ve got you fooled.”
“Not a bit.” She opened her car door and was hit with a stench. She wrinkled her nose involuntarily. Manure was in a pile on the driver’s seat. Cat scat. She reached out for Blake, who hadn’t spotted it. “Blake.”
“What is it?” He stepped closer and froze. “Was your car locked?”
“No. I didn’t think about it this morning.” She stared at thepile of excrement. “I would like to believe it’s a simple prank, but—”
“But with the events that happened at your apartment, that doesn’t seem likely,” he finished for her.
“Exactly.”
“We’d better call it in. We haven’t even reported the break-in at your place.”
“For all the good it will do if Greene is the responding detective.”
“I’ll call Jane directly instead. It would be reasonable since Pelican Harbor PD oversees Nova Cambridge, and I can report the intruder we saw on the camera first and then mention this act of vandalism. That way she’d have jurisdiction over both incidents since they’re related.” He pulled out his phone.
She stared at the seat damage. This was going to take way too long, and she had patients waiting for surgery. She put her hand on Blake’s arm and listened as he left a message for Jane to call him back. “I really need to get to work. Can this wait until after lunch?”
He nodded. “It may take a while for her to get back to me. We can’t clean up the mess yet though. You can take my truck, and I’ll have someone bring me to town after I’m done here.”
She took the keys he dug out of his pocket. “I thought we would get a chance to work at building The Sanctuary and start my new practice without distractions. I can’t even think about what needs to be done.”
His blue eyes softened. “I know, babe, but God’s got this. We’ll get through it.”
She’d seen God’s hand recently for the first time in her life, but it was still hard to trust like Blake did. Right now, all she could do was hang on to his certainty.
Chapter 7
Police Chief Jane Dixon was a petite thirtysomething woman with light brown hair and angular features. She reminded Blake of a younger Reese Witherspoon.
Her nose wrinkled when she saw the mess in Paradise’s car. “Nasty business. Have you checked the cameras in the area?”
With the door open, the stench wafted out their way. “The one that usually surveys the parking lot malfunctioned two days ago, and I had to order a new one. It arrived today, but that doesn’t help what happened here this morning.”
“What time did Paradise arrive for work?”
“Around seven.”
Jane glanced around. “Where is she, by the way?”
“I had her take my truck. She had patients coming in at eleven, and I told her I’d handle it. She can come by the office if you need to speak with her personally.”
