Page 13 of Tiger Queen

The room was silent with tension. I had peeked in dad’s bedroom the day we arrived. It was a mess of boxes, clothes, and other junk. The last thing I wanted was to go through everything there. Not just because it would be a pain in the ass, either… But because it would be emotionally draining. Our father was dead and we needed to sort through his affairs.

“What else you need me to do?” Anthony said. “I mean, when I get this done.”

“I don’t know yet. It took me three hours to feed the animals according to the schedule. I’m sure there’s a million other things that need to be done that aren’t written down. Hopefully Rachel can help us come up with a list.”

Another smile crept on his face. “She’s cool, right?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

His smirk deepened. “Sure you do. I saw the way you looked at her today. No judgement—I was looking at her the same. She’s hot as fuck.”

“She’s perfect for the job,” I said evenly. “And that’s all that matters.”

Anthony narrowed his eyes at me. “Right. That’s all that matters. Sure. Whatever you say, big brother.” He winked conspicuously.

I laughed. “It’s good to see you again. Despite the circumstances.”

He blushed and returned his eyes to his laptop. “Yeah, definitely. It’s great to see you too.”

Dad’s house—the same house we had grown up in—was a short walk from the zoo. It didn’t feel like home anymore. It was too big, too empty without dad in it. For all his faults, Carl Haines had a larger-than-life personality. A mohawk-quaffed showman who tackled every task with the enthusiasm of a golden retriever. He was the kind of man whose personality took over whatever room or building he was in. His absence was deafening.

On the way to my room, I passed the master bedroom. The door was closed, and I had been afraid to look inside. Tonight curiosity won over. I twisted the doorknob and the creak of old hinges filled the house. The room was large, larger than it needed to be to fit the four-post bed, dresser, and dad’s big metal safe. But the rest of the space was filled with boxes. Without looking, I knew they were full of local newspapers and magazines where dad or the zoo had been mentioned. Any time the paper ran a story on the zoo, dad bought as many copies as he could from every gas station in Blue Lake and the surrounding towns. He had a theory that increased demand would make the newspaper think he was popular, and therefore run more stories on him.

We would need to go through dad’s stuff eventually. For now, I didn’t have the emotional energy. First the zoo. We could deal with dad’s personal effects when that was done.

I slept like crap, and my dreams were intense and full of sorrow.

I woke up while it was still dark, ate a big breakfast, and then headed to the zoo to get an early start. Even though it wasn’t my fault, Rachel’s tirade about the state of the zoo left me feeling guilty. This place was a mess.

The food prep building was the best place to start. The fluorescent lights hummed in the ceiling and cast a too-white light on everything. The room smelled dank and sour, like rancid meat. I found a bucket of cleaning supplies and set to work scrubbing the floor. Some of the stains were set into the concrete permanently, but there was plenty of dried meat and other food leftovers that scraped off underneath my scrubbing brush. I tried not to gag as it came away and gathered in a pinkish sludge around the drain in the middle of the floor.

At eight, my walkie-talkie squawked. “She’s here.”

I put away my cleaning supplies, cleaned off my arms and hands, and then went to meet Rachel. I found her and Anthony chatting outside the visitor’s center. She wore tight khaki shorts and a dry-fit polo that hugged her chest. Her blonde waves were pulled back in a tight ponytail. She looked like she was ready to work. Her wide mouth smiled when she saw me, and she waved.

A tightness in my chest loosened at the sight of her. Rachel was the help we desperately needed in the zoo. It felt like our savior had arrived. And deeper than that, I realized I was eager to see her again on a personal level.

She’s just an employee, I thought stubbornly. Nothing else.

7

Rachel

“Don’t get too excited,” I said into my phone while driving. “It’s not a permanent job. Just a short-term contract.”

“It’s the same thing to me,” my mom insisted. “You’ve got a job already! I told you people would be knocking down your door to get someone like you!”

I rolled my eyes. Mom was acting like I had won the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Where is it, exactly?”

“It’s a zoo down in North Carolina,” I said. Best to keep it vague. “Outside of Fayetteville. Real small. They need some extra staff for the busy summer months.”

“Your father and I are so excited! Why don’t you sound happy about this, Rachel?”

“I guess I’m still in shock,” I admitted. “This sort of fell into my lap. It’s all happening really fast. I’m almost here, so I have to go. Tell dad I love him!”

I pulled into the Crazy Carl’s Zoo parking lot. This time I parked up front so I wouldn’t have to walk as far. I wondered if I should bring any of my stuff with me—my Accord was filled with four suitcases and a trunkload of boxes. I decided it could wait until later.

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