Things were going great until I made it round to the emus and discovered Bernard the turkey was missing.
“Oh no, surely not!” I said, my mind already jumping to the worst conclusion. Had someone left it too late to order their Christmas turkey and resorted to desperate measures? I knew about the fights that occasionally occurred in the supermarkets over the last few birds.
“Bernard!” I shouted, feeling like an idiot. In spite of the turkey’s bad temper, I’d grown quite attached to him after he’d taken on the teenagers with the help of the emus.
I was still shouting for Bernard when I met Auryn on the path round the zoo and explained that the turkey was missing.
“Oh, sorry about that,” Auryn said, looking grave.
“You didn’t!” I said, shocked.
“I did,” he confirmed. “I decided to let him out during the holiday days to see if he calms down a bit. It was Leah’s idea. She said she thought that the emus weren’t ideal longterm bunk mates for him, and as we don’t really have a suitable space for him to slot in until the spring when some of our fowl will be traded with other zoos, we thought he might be okay running around loose. She would have run it by you, but you were so busy with the wonderland…” he finished, guiltily.
“But he attacks people!” I protested and then realised that the peacocks were equally as bad.
Auryn grinned. “What good is a zoo without a little animal interaction?”
I couldn’t help but grin, too, at the pure madness of this move.
“The Human Resources team are going to kill you,” I informed him, already imagining the slew of complaints that would come in.
“What was it Lawrence used to say? You can’t just bow to the will of these people! It’s all nonsense. They know what to expect when they come to the zoo. They can’t blame us for their own incompetence!” he said, mimicking the old head of the board of director’s mannerisms. “Anyway, it’ll encourage people to get more exercise!”
I shook my head. “I am definitely overdue accepting another consulting job.”
To my surprise, Auryn smiled. “Anywhere you go is fine. Just promise you’ll always come back when you can.”
I looked up into his grey eyes. “I promise. Avery Zoo will always be my home.”
“Our home,” he corrected and kissed me, right before Bernard sunk his beak into Auryn’s bum.
I collapsed into giggles when Auryn screamed and chased the turkey, threatening it with all kinds of culinary fates.
If Father Christmas happened to hear some of the words he was using, Auryn would definitely find himself on the naughty list this year.
THE END
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Books in the Series
Penguins and Mortal Peril
The Silence of the Snakes
Murder is a Monkey’s Game
The Peacock’s Poison
A Memory for Murder
Whales and a Watery Grave
Chameleons and a Corpse
Foxes and Fatal Attraction
Monday’s Murderer
Prequel: Parrots and Payback
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Ruby Loren
Also by Ruby Loren
HOLLY WINTER MYSTERIES
Snowed in with Death
A Fatal Frost
Murder Beneath the Mistletoe
Winter’s Last Victim
EMILY HAVERSSON OLD HOUSE MYSTERIES
The Lavender of Larch Hall
The Leaves of Llewellyn Keep
The Snow of Severly Castle
The Frost of Friston Manor
The Heart of Heathley House
HAYLEY ARGENT HORSE MYSTERIES
The Swallow’s Storm
The Starling’s Summer
The Falcon’s Frost
The Waxwing’s Winter
Death’s Dark Horse
Death’s Hexed Hobnobs
Death’s Endless Enchanter
Death’s Ethereal Enemy
Death’s Last Laugh
Prequel: Death’s Reckless Reaper
BLOOMING SERIES
Blooming
Abscission
Frost-Bitten
Blossoming
Flowering
Fruition