Page 10 of Wild Wolf
Bonnie took a seat catty-corner to us in the chair. She steadied herself, then attempted to say, "I heard they caught…" She couldn't finish, tears filling her eyes. She grabbed a tissue from the coffee table and blotted her eyes dry.
"I believe they did catch the leopard in question, but I'm not sure the animal is responsible."
She looked at me with confusion, her brow knitting. "What do you mean?”
I told her about Brenda's findings.
She looked stunned. "If the leopard isn't responsible, then what is? Another animal? An escaped tiger, a lion, perhaps?”
"We're unsure at this time.”
Her suspicious eyes narrowed. "Unsure?”
"It will take time for the lab results to come back. We should have more information in a few weeks.”
"Weeks?"
"These things take time. I'm sorry.”
She sniffled and blotted her eyes again.
"When was the last time you spoke to your daughter?"
Bonnie thought for a moment. "I think early that afternoon.” Her eyes filled again. "She was all excited about her date that evening.”
"Can you tell me the gentleman's name?”
Bonnie’s brow tightened as she tried to recall. "Austin Edwards. I’ve got his phone number. I make her give me contact information for everybody she spends time with. You can't be too careful in this day and age." She paused. "You don't think he could have done this, do you?"
"Like I said, ma'am, we are uncertain. I'm keeping my mind open to all possibilities at the moment."
"You don't believe in that werewolf nonsense, do you?"
"I'm keeping my mind open to alllogicalpossibilities," I said, not buying into the nonsense.
I dug into my pocket and pulled out a card. I handed it to her and asked her to text me Austin's contact information.
She did.
"Grace was such a good kid,” she said, sadness filling her eyes. "She was getting straightA’sat Vanden. She was so happy. She had her whole life ahead of her," she said, barely able to finish the phrase before breaking down again.
"Does she have any close friends on the island? Anyone she might confide in?”
"Annabelle Jackson. They’ve been friends since childhood. They're both attending Vanden. They're both business majors. If anyone would know the inner workings of Ophelia's life, it would be Annabelle.” Bonnie took a breath. “We were close. She told me everything. But I'm sure there were some things that she saved for herself and her friends." Bonnie paused. "Why do you ask?"
"I just want to get the full picture.”
She nodded. "I understand.” After a solemn moment, she said, "I want you to find out what happened.”
"We will do our best," I assured.
"Do you live here alone, Mrs. Grace?"
"No. My husband is not here at the moment. He was having a really hard time, as you can imagine. I told him to get out of the house and go do something to focus his mind.”
I thanked her for her time and offered our condolences once again. We showed ourselves out and strolled the walkway back to the Porsche.
Jack said, “I think Scruffy was so drunk he couldn’t tell the difference between a lion and a tiger. And there’s a slight possibility the zoo is not being entirely forthcoming about the types and amounts of animals that escaped. I hate to be that guy, but even with the break in, the zoo could be named in a wrongful death suit. It’s arguable they didn’t do enough to secure the property or the animals. The whole place secured by a padlock on a construction gate? They should have had more security personnel on staff. Better protocols to handle this kind of thing. Right now, they dodged a bullet that the leopard isn’t a match. But that doesn’t mean a panther or a tiger didn’t maul the poor girl.”
