Death At The Zoo: A Culinary Cozy Mystery (A Murder In Milburn Book 5) Read online

  “Actually, I’m beginning to think he was pretty down to earth,” Nora said. “I mean… his clothes looked expensive when we met him, but I didn’t expect…” she waved her arms around, “All this.”

  “Hmph.” Simone shrugged.

  Tina gave Nora a sideways look, and received a nod. Simone had been dragged quite unwillingly to the party. The truth was, she was still smarting after her divorce, and though she wasn’t quite willing to admit it, both Nora and Tina thought it would do her good to move on. After all, quite some time had passed and she’d thrown herself into being a good mother to Will and building her ice cream empire.

  “What you need,” Tina said, “and I say this as a friend with nothing but love…”

  “Is to let your hair down for once,” Nora said. “Is it ostentatious and ridiculous? Yes. Is it fun? Also yes. Loosen up, Simone. If Degas likes you, there’s no harm in a little flirting.”

  “There’s no harm in a little flirting? Sometimes you two act like star struck teenagers instead of sensible—”

  “Spinsters?” Tina offered.

  “You’re still young, Simone,” Nora said gently. “There’s no reason you should spend the rest of your life alone. But you seem determined to.”

  “Just don’t nag me about it, please.” Simone snagged a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, and glared at it. “That better not be real flecks of gold swimming about in my champagne.”

  “You know, I thought parties like this only existed in Hollywood,” Tina said. “But this vacation just got more awesome. Now if only Sam were here to enjoy it with me.”

  “And I wish Harvey were here with me,” Nora smiled. “But since we can’t have our share of romance, Simone, we’re going to make sure we live vicariously through you.”

  “Honestly you two, I—”

  “Ladies! Hello!” Degas appeared, dressed in an electric blue tuxedo jacket with an almost blindingly white shirt and surprisingly worn jeans. From the looks of it, Nora wondered if the outfit were worth her entire year’s income, and then stifled a giggle at the thought.

  “I hope you’re enjoying yourself? When did you arrive?” Degas grabbed two glasses of champagne and offered one each to Nora and Tina.

  “We’re doing fine,” Simone said, rather coldly. “Thank you for inviting us.”

  “Yes, well, I felt rather bad that you almost stepped on Neo,” Degas said to Tina. “I hope it didn’t upset you too much. My assistant Haku said that you could have sued me for endangerment. I hate lawsuits.”

  “Well, I think they’d suit you just as well as this suit,” Tina said.

  Degas squinted at her, as if trying to unravel her joke. After a second, a big smile spread across his face. “Funny,” he said. “Uh. Would the three of you like a tour? I’ve just had this house built a year ago, so I’m not sure I’ve explored it myself.”

  “I’m sure it’s easier than exploring the Amazon,” Simone said.

  “Well, in both cases I could use the right companion,” Degas said.

  Tina coughed, trying to hold back a laugh, as Simone looked away. Degas colored too.

  “You mentioned you were planning to start a zoo,” Nora said.

  “Right, the zoo!” Degas looked thankfully at her. “I’ve always dreamt of it since I was a little boy. I used to read this book series, Doctor Dolittle. I was fascinated by it. Even when my tutors came to teach me boring old geography or history, I’d be daydreaming about setting sail on a ship with only the rarest of animals to keep me company. Now here I am!”

  “Must be nice,” Simone said, with a forced smile. “Being able to achieve your ambitions so easily.”

  Degas didn’t reply, but pushed through a large oak door with silver embellishments, moving into a room that had been converted into a dance floor. The smell of perfume was invasive, as attractive blondes and handsome chisel jawed men danced to the beats of a famous DJ.

  One man came up to Degas and whispered something in his ear, to which Degas simply nodded and said, “No problem, you can use one of the spare ones in my garage. Haku will help you out.”

  “Thanks, buddy. I need to reach LA tonight. The director’s written a bunch of new scenes,” the man replied. “The helipad is out back, right?”

  “Yes. Behind the gazebo. Haku will lead you to it.” Degas gave him a thumbs up and pushed his way through the crowd, with the three girls following behind him.

  “Congratulations on the zoo, by the way,” the man said. “I’ve heard you have quite an admirable collection.”

  “Yep.” Degas puffed up his chest.

  “If any of them are ever up for sale, let me know,” the man said. “I know a few sheiks in Dubai who will be interested in buying.”

  “These aren’t meant to be pets,” Degas said with an easy smile. “I’m trying to promote conservation of—”

  The man looked suddenly at his watch. “Oh, look at the time. The helipad’s out back, right? I’ll find my way to it. Thanks anyway, Degas!”

  “Sure.” Degas smiled, and under his breath, murmured, “Moron. He wiped his brow as they made their way out of the room. “Phew. I hate clubs. I don’t know why I agreed to have a dance floor. Haku said the guests would like it, but personally, I wanted a giant laser tag arena.”

  “Did I… was that Hollywood actor Ralph Vessant you were talking to?” Tina asked.

  “Yeah,” Degas said absently. “His plane had some engine issues so I lent him one of my copters. He can make it to LA if he flies out to Maui. I have a few planes in the hangar.”

  “Seriously?” Simone asked.

  Degas looked at her, confused. With any other man, Nora would have suspected that he was showing off for their benefit, but Degas looked genuinely confused, as if he’d only offered a friend some water on a hot day, and not an entire helicopter.

  “Well, anyway, this way through,” Degas said, leading them out of the house.

  The gardens outside were beautifully landscaped, with rose bushes underlit by discreetly hidden lights, and marble steps making their way through perfectly cut green grass. Beyond these, however, lay an untamed jungle, held back by a waist high hedge. Pausing at one spot in front of the hedge, Degas snapped his fingers, and a whole section slid away, revealing a hidden path.

  “That’s my entrance,” Degas said. “There’s another entrance for the workers, of course, and one from the main highway. But I like going this way. It’s quieter and feels more fun.”

  “So what’s the concept behind the zoo?” Tina asked.

  “It’s a rainforest and zoo,” Degas said. “The Amazon has over a billion acres of rainforest, but every day, hundreds of acres are destroyed by man. I’m determined to save as much of it as I can. In fact, my foundation is already working with officials in various South American countries and trying to declare them protected lands. But in the meanwhile, well, I thought I’d start a zoo. This is only a pilot program, we’re trying to test how the plant and animals survive here. If it works, I’ve got some great ideas for future zoos that could draw in tourism and help the local economy. Not to mention educate people and raise awareness.”

  “That’s very noble, actually,” Simone said. “Not too many people in the world would fight so hard to save nature. We need more men like you.”

  “I don’t think I’m saving nature as much as I am saving humanity,” Degas said with a grin. “The earth will be around long after we’ve killed ourselves as a species by cutting down the last tree. In any case, I…” They were rounding a corner to the bird cages, and Degas stiffened. “Do you hear that?” he asked.

  “Just birds chirping,” Tina said.

  “Exactly,” Degas said.

  Nora realized his meaning immediately. “Don’t they normally?”

  “No. Not this late. Something’s disturbed them. They shouldn’t be awake right now.” He put out his hand, stopping the three in their path. “Wait a minute.” His neck was stretched, and he tilted his head, looking almost like an alert
dog.

  “Those are warning cries,” he said. “The kind of cries a bird makes when they have intruders.”

  Now that he’d said it, it was apparent to Nora too. The birds weren’t just chirping, they were positively shrieking. What could possibly have disturbed them? They were far enough from the house now that they couldn’t hear music, or anything really except the near-silent crash of the ocean’s waves.

  Degas moved carefully forward, and then let out a cry of alarm. “Tutti Frutti!” he cried out. “Oh! Tutti Frutti!”

  “He’s gone nuts,” Tina said.

  “That cage is open!” Simone exclaimed. “We better hope it wasn’t housing another snake.”

  Degas had run into the cage, and was kneeling on the ground, his shoulders shaking. “It’s horrible!” he cried out. “Tutti Frutti has been murdered!”

  “What?” Nora jumped forward, ready to help out. Degas had pulled out a phone, and was barking orders into it. Within minutes, lights flooded the area, and the assistant appeared, along with three tough looking men. The men were all dressed in tight black t-shirts with TTF Security written on them in red lettering.

  Degas was choking back sobs, and when he turned around, he was holding a large red parrot in his hand. Blood was flecked on its blue wings, and its head lolled. Nora looked away, unable to bear it.

  “How could this happen!” Degas asked angrily. “Someone broke into this cage and murdered my parrot!”

  *****

  Chapter 3

  The Angry Local

  There was a hush as the security men tried to process this. Degas was looking ready to burst into tears, and Haku looked baffled.

  Nora stepped forward. “Degas, maybe you could call a vet? Or the police?”

  “The police. That’s an excellent idea,” Haku said, whipping out his own phone.

  “Why haven’t you called them already?” Degas asked, his voice rising uncomfortably high. “You know what, call the rest of the security team in, too. I want the useless jerks fired. I thought we had a state of the art—”

  “It hasn’t been installed around the zoo yet,” Haku admitted. “We were going to do that later this week.”

  “Later this week? Later this week? I want a brand new system in place in twenty four hours or I’m going to buy out that company and throw every last share into the ocean,” Degas raged. “As for whoever did this, I’m going to find that spineless wimp and have him put in jail.”

  Haku was trembling. “I’m so sorry,” he said.

  “You should be,” Degas snapped. “It was your responsibility to make sure this didn’t happen. I thought you could handle something this simple!”

  “It’s just… we never thought…”

  Nora, leaving them behind, was looking carefully at the cage. Red feathers were littered along it, and an unpleasant smell hung in the air. She pulled out her phone, and looked around. A single pin lay on the floor near the cage door. The intruder had picked the lock.

  Now, the murder itself was confusing and horrifying, but somehow, the sight of the single pin near the door haunted Nora. She could imagine people who were deranged enough, or perhaps just drunk and evil enough, smashing open a cage and trying to kill a parrot. But why would someone pick a lock, rather deliberately, and murder one? It didn’t add up. There was something behind this. Something she couldn’t understand.

  “Degas, I’ve got more bad news,” Haku was saying. “Akamai and his friends are here again.”

  Degas sprang up. “Akamai showed up?”

  Haku put his hands out in front of him, trying to calm Degas. “I’ve already alerted security, they’re taking care of it. None of the guests will be disturbed.”

  “Oh, the guests are going to be disturbed, all right,” Degas said. “I’m going to do something disturbing. Akamai’s obviously the one behind this, isn’t he? Let me get my hands on that punk.” Ignoring the others, he strode away, with Haku running to keep up with him.

  Tina, Nora and Simone looked at each other, and had made their decisions in a second. They were soon following Degas.

  There was a commotion on the front lawn as they arrived. A group of local boys, dressed in knee-length cargo shorts and open flowery shirts were aggressively talking to Degas and his security men.

  “…A parrot, you lowlife. Is that how you get your kicks? Your grandfather would be ashamed!”

  “You’re one to talk about shaming grandfather. My friends and I were only trying to have some fun!” The leader of the local boys, a tall slender boy in his late teens, pushed his face into Degas’ as he spoke.

  “You broke into my zoo.” Degas said. “I’m going to make you pay for it.”

  “Oh, please. You’re just trying to frame us, big man. Who do you think you’re impressing, with all this flaunting? No one cares about you, Degas. So then what? Then you start picking on us little guys, right? Well, you’re making a mistake. We’ll stand up for ourselves. You better believe we will.”

  “Have you called the police?” Degas asked Haku. “I want these boys arrested tonight.”

  “What for?” the leader asked angrily. “For breathing the same air as you rich folk?”

  “Breaking and entering, cruelty to animals, tampering with an endangered species,” Degas rattled off. “I can think of a bunch of things that will cause you grief, Akamai.”

  “Oh, you don’t know the first thing about grief, Richie Rich.”

  “Akamai!” A middle-aged woman ran to the crowd, followed by ten other local men and women.

  “Oh, great. You called my Ma.” Akamai groaned and rolled his eyes. “What are you, ten? Tattle tale.”

  “What’s going on?” A large man with a tattoo on his shoulder strode up. “Are you harassing my grandson?” he asked Degas.

  “He’s harassing me,” Degas said. “He trespassed.”

  “We were invited by some of the girls,” Akamai protested.

  “I’d let it go if that’s all he’d done,” Degas said. “But Akamai here killed a parrot. A rather rare Amazonian parrot that was to be the pride of my collection.”

  “Is this true?” The man with the tattoo stared at the teenager. “Did you kill the parrot?”

  “Of course, I didn’t,” Akamai protested. “He’s lying, grandfather. It’s just one of his tricks.”

  For a long moment more, the grandfather stared into the teen’s eyes. Then he nodded. Turning back to Degas, he said, “I don’t think he’s lying.”

  “I’d let the police investigate that,” Degas said. “Whoever did this will pay. Mark my words.”

  *****

  Red and blue lights flashed as police cars pulled up the front drive. The car door slammed as the chief of police for the island got out.

  “What’s going on?” he asked as he strode forward. He was a powerful man, as largely built as the grandfather, but with the same lean delicate cheekbones that Akamai had. Even a stranger like Nora could immediately tell he was related.

  A muscle twitched in Degas’ jaw. “Akamai here, your son, he killed a parrot.”

  “You keep throwing those accusations around,” the grandfather said, “Yet you have no proof.”

  “Father.” The policeman raised his hand, and a silence fell. “Now,” he said to Degas. “Continue. What’s the problem?”

  “Chief Kahane. My parrot, a rare parrot I bought from the Amazon, it was found dead in its cage.”

  “Who found it?”

  “I did,” Degas said.

  “I see. Was anybody else with you when you found it?” The police chief raised an eyebrow.

  “These ladies were.” Degas pointed to the three, who nodded in agreement.

  “Hmm. Well, I’ll look into it. We take animal cruelty seriously here. But before you go mouthing off and accusing people, Mr. Christiansen, have you got any reason to think Akamai might have done it?”

  “Reason? Of course I know he’s done it. He hates me, doesn’t he?”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t hat
e your parrot,” Akamai said. “I’m not that brand of coward.”

  “Right,” the police chief said. “So now, let’s talk about this party you’re having, Mr. Christiansen. Can you show me your permits?”

  “Are you kidding me right now?” Degas put a hand in his hair. “Are you seriously kidding me?”

  “Did it occur to you that it’s far more likely that one of your drunk guests might have done this?” the policeman asked.

  “None of my guests did it,” Degas said.

  “There are maybe 200 people gathered here, is that right?” The police chief asked. “First off, I’ll need to check all of their IDs. Second off, I’ll have to check that there’s no illegal drugs being consumed here.”

  “Oh, come on. I have a party, my parrot gets killed, and you’re harassing me instead of trying to pin the real killer? We both know your son has a—”

  “Mr. Degas, really, it’s best to let the police do their job.” Haku stepped up, trying to pacify his boss.

  “That’s right, son.” The police chief smiled at Haku. “Keep that boss of yours under control.”

  Degas gave one last hateful look at the police chief, and said, “Fine. I’ll let them do their job. But I’ll tell you what, Haku, I want that private investigator called out here. Something tells me he’ll do a better job at finding out the real perp.” With that, Degas stalked away angrily, leaving Haku behind talking to the police.

  “Guess we better head back home,” Tina said. “I’ll have to put this one up as the weirdest party I’ve ever been to.”

  “That poor parrot,” Simone said with a shudder. “Who could have done something so loathsome, and why?”

  “Just cruelty,” Tina said. “Sometimes, people don’t need an excuse to be cruel, and sometimes, being drunk helps them make excuses.”

  “This wasn’t an act carried out by a drunkard, though,” Nora said. “I found a pin near the cage. Someone picked the lock. They deliberately killed that parrot.”

  “Why would anybody do such a thing?” Tina asked, looking horrified.

  “I… I couldn’t help overhearing,” Haku said. “Are you sure, Ms. Nora?”