Monday, August 17, 2009

Koala Killer Sixteenth Installment


Chapter 5

A clean-cut dark-haired young man with a brush cut was tapping on her window at 6:30AM. He had on a worn yellow polo shirt, khaki Dockers and sneakers. He was the plain clothes detective sent to come with them to the zoo. He had a loaner wheel chair with him. It folded neatly into Cass' rental car trunk.

The Pueblo Valley Zoo had thirteen keepers and one intern, Mari. Their new 'friend", Bill, and her best friend Cass, decided it would be best to check the personnel files first. The three of them ate her scrambled eggs wrapped in tortillas with salsa as they rode to the zoo. Owen got a wee taste of it in his own breakfast, of course, as consolation at being left alone - again.

The zoo opens to the public at 9:00AM normally, but the morning feedings start at 7:00AM. The office staff comes in at 8:00AM, but the personnel and payroll gal, Annie, met them in the office at 7:30AM.

They introduced Bill as their friend and after the usal how-are-yous, Annie laid the files out on the side table in front of her wheechair. She seemed to be smiling and blinking her eyes a lot, especially when she looked at the young policeman Bill.

She sounded businesslike, however, when she said, "There are twenty-four full-time people right now. We make a copy of their photo id when they come on board."

We nodded.

She went on, "I separated the men and women as asked. If you need me I'll be down the hall in the break room drinking coffee to wake up."

Mari started looking through the ten files of men who worked there. She looked at Bill and asked, "Aren't pesonnel files confidential?"

"Not in a murder investigation. We got a warrant," he said succinctly.

"Murder!" Mari blurted out more loudly than she intended.

"Keep your voice down, please. Stan was murdered in his hospital bed. The lieutenant told me you found him minutes after he'd been smothered. I thought you knew. We're fairly certain it was someone working right here at the zoo. So, please keep it down, Ms. Nuclett."

"I'm sorry... I knew he died of course."

Cass came to stand beside her and picked up her hand.

Mari continued, "I didn't know he, he was smothered."

The whole situation was all so terrible. She hadn't thought in terms of murder.