Page 34 of So Twisted

“Killed.”

“Well, there’s our motive and more evidence that our killer is attacking people who abuse animals.”

“Yep. I did some research, and it turns out that the Henry Doorly Zoo was owned by Global Wildlife Experiences at the time they both worked there. The incident with Dr. Vasquez and a couple of unrelated financial irregularities led to the business selling the zoo and restructuring. I called the CEO of Global Wildlife, and he’s agreed to speak to us if we promise to keep his name out of the media.”

Faith frowned. “We can’t guarantee that.”

“No, and I told him that. But Ididguarantee that his name would be the first one out of my lips if he didn’t cooperate with our investigation.”

Faith lifted an eyebrow. “I’m impressed. Normally I have to be the bad cop.”

“Well, you were sleeping.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s what I get for trying to thank you.”

“What? Youweresleeping.”

***

They reached the Global Wildlife building fifteen minutes later. Downtown Omaha was far from what Faith would consider bustling, but it was a much livelier place than Council Bluffs. That, combined with the sleep, the coffee and the prospect of another lead had Faith feeling focused and energetic when they walked inside.

The receptionist blanched when she saw the FBI uniforms. She picked up a phone and said something into it. Faith guessed she was warning the boss. When the agents approached, she plastered a smile on her face and said, “Good morning! How may I help you?”

“We’re here to speak with Mr. Thurman,” Faith replied.

“Of course! Let me see if he’s available.”

“He’s available,” Michael interjected. “Because he told me he was. And I made it very clear what would happen if he wasn’t available.”

The receptionist maintained her Barbie doll smile but swallowed nervously. “Of course. I’ll let him know that you’re on your way up.”

“Thank you. And where will we find Mr. Thurman?”

“His office is the second one to the right on the ninth floor. Um...” She looked around nervously, then leaned forward and asked. “Is everything okay? Are we in trouble?”

“You aren’t,” Faith replied. “We’ll see if Mr. Thurman is.”

They left the receptionist white as a sheet at her desk. When they were in the elevator, Faith asked, “You think we’ll catch him shredding documents?”

“I think all the shredding’s been done before we arrived,” Michael replied. “The key will be to convince him that talking to us is the best way to keep himself out of trouble.”

“Do we think there’s a reason he would be in trouble?”

“It depends on what he’s covered up and how much. Probably not, but it wouldn’t surprise me too much if he has a good idea who the killer is.”

“Well, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” she warned. “Right now, we’re just asking about Dr. Vasquez.”

The three of them reached Mr. Thurman’s office to find him standing behind his desk with his hands behind his back. He looked sick with worry, but when he saw the agents, that expression vanished behind a smile far more natural-looking than the one the receptionist gave them on the ground floor. “Good morning, agents! Thank you for coming to see me.”

“Thank you for having us,” Faith replied. “Did my partner tell you why we’re here?”

“Yes. You needed to confirm dates of employment for Dr. Elena Vasquez. Iama little confused why you're here in person. Normally, that conversation is a phone call."

“The confusion might stem from the fact that I didn’t say we were here to confirm dates of employment,” Michael replied. “Although that is one of the questions we’d like answered.”

Mr. Thurman offered an apologetic look. "Well, unfortunately, in order to respect the privacy of our employees, I'm unable to provide any information other than dates of employment."

“That would be true if we were headhunters recruiting for an employer,” Faith corrected. “But we’re FBI agents investigatingthree murders, at least one of whom was a former employee of yours.”

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