5 Big Bunny Bump Off (14 page)

I got up early on Saturday morning and headed over to Dirk Pendleton’s. His housekeeper had indicated that he might be home the previous evening, and I wanted to catch him before he left again. When he answered the door in nothing but boxer shorts, I realized that the children of movie stars most likely slept as late as their parents.

“I’m so sorry to wake you,” I gushed. I tried not to stare but found that no matter how hard I tried
, I couldn’t look away.

“Zoe? Right?”

“Yeah, Zoe is me.”
Zoe is me?

“Can I help you with something?”

I took a deep breath and tried to get a grip. Dirk Pendleton Junior was just a man, not some sort of superhero or god. My complete inability to form coherent words was ridiculous. “I wanted to speak to you about Porter Blakely’s murder, but I can see that you’re naked. I don’t mean naked, I mean almost naked. No, that’s not what I mean either.”

“How about I go
to find some pants and meet you in the living room?” Dirk chuckled.

I didn’t have access to a mirror
, but I’m sure I was quite red by this point.

“Yes, you
’re perfect.”

Dirk laughed and walked away.

Yes, you’re perfect? Zoe, you idiot.
I’d meant to say that would be perfect. I never should have come without Zak for backup.

“So you had some questions?” Dirk set a cup of coffee in front of me. I know this is hard to believe
, but the man looked even better dressed in faded jeans and a light blue T-shirt than he had when he opened the door.

“Yes,” I squeaked. I took a sip of coffee and cleared my throat. “I spoke to Frank Valdez. He filled me in on the cartoon bandits
, and it occurred to me that at least two of the costumes used were of movie-wardrobe quality.”

“You think I killed the guy
?”

“No. At least I hope not. Did you?”

“No. I was nowhere near the bank when the whole thing went down.”

“
But you did supply the Darth Vader and space ape costumes?”

“I did. A friend asked to borrow them and I agreed to lend them. I can assure you that my participation in the lame attempt to get even with Blakely began and ended with that.”

“Will you tell me who you lent the costumes to?” I asked.

Dirk appeared to be considering
my question. “Are you sure you want to know? It occurs to me that knowing might be dangerous.”

“I want to know,” I stated firmly.

“Brave girl. I like that. You single?”

“Not at all.”

“Too bad. I lent the costumes to my neighbor, who told me that she needed them for a costume party.”

“She? You lent them to Megan
?”

“I did.”

“And do you know what she did with them? I mean, they had to be much too large for her to wear herself.”

“She
wanted one for a guy named Carson and the other for some guy named Brady.”

“Do you happen to know their last names?”

“I don’t.”

“Do you know who wore which costume?”

“Again, I don’t. I lent her the costumes and that was the end of it. Come to think of it, I never did get them back.”

“It’s important that I track down the men who wore the costumes. If you think of anything else
, will you call me?”

“Sure
. Just jot down your number on this napkin.”

I did as requested and then left.
Dirk Pendleton has my phone number.
I wanted to swoon but then realized I was being ridiculous. I had Zak; I loved Zak. Perhaps it was time for him to come home and remind me of that.

After I left Dirk’s, I headed to the Zoo. Tiffany was going to put in extra hours so I could give Jeremy the next two weeks off, and I wanted to check in with her before heading home. “Hey, Tiff, how’s it going?”

“Really good. There
’s really only one thing I need help with. Someone from the Forest Service called and said that they needed both you and the representative from Fish and Game who responded to the call about the mama bear that was hit and killed to sign the report.”

“Darn
. I guess in all the confusion getting the cubs settled, I forgot. Anything else?”

“No, everything is going smoothly. Bobby is in the
back cleaning the cages, and Tank stayed over to help him. I think Tank is a lonely guy. I told him that I wasn’t sure I could approve the extra hours for him to help Bobby, and he said he didn’t care about the money, he just wanted to hang out. Apparently, Gunner has a new lady friend and Tank is feeling left out.”

“I can see how that would be tough. I’ll pop back and say hi to them after I give Colin a call about the report. I hope to take tomorrow off
, if you and Bobby can handle the care of the animals. The Zoo will be closed, so all you’ll have to do is come in the morning to feed and exercise them and then come back at the end of the day and do the same.”

“Bobby and I will handle everything. Have you seen Jeremy’s new baby?”

“I have. She’s adorable.”

“I can’t wait to meet her. I thought I’d stop
by the hospital after we close for the day. Morgan Rose is such a pretty name.”

“Yeah, I really like it. Did the guy from Bryton Lake show up to adopt the
sheltie we were holding?”

“Yeah,
and he seemed thrilled with her. I think it will be a good match.”

I loved the fact that Tiffany was already beginning to refer to adoptions as matches or pairings. It
’s very important to Jeremy and me that every animal left in our guardianship find the perfect home for his or her size and temperament.

After I finished
talking with Tiffany, I headed into my office. I pulled out my address book and scanned for Colin’s personal cell phone. Colin Brady was listed under the Cs rather than the Bs. I do tend to list people by their first rather than last name. Colin’s name was just under that of the man who Dad and Mom were buying their house from, Carson Worthington.
Carson and Brady.
Dirk had said the costumes were for people named Carson and Brady. Colin had told me he couldn’t retire due to finances, and Carson Worthington was on the list we’d gotten of people Blakely had scammed. Last night, when I was at Dad and Mom’s for dinner, we’d gone into the basement to look for some old blankets to use to make a more permanent bed for Sophie, and we’d noticed that Carson had left some personal items behind. Dad intended to call him and remind him about them sometime today.

I pulled out my cell.
I hoped I was able to get hold of them before my mom and dad invited a killer into their home.

“Dad
. . .” I began as soon as my dad’s cell was answered.

“I’m afraid your dad is tied up.”

“Who is this?” I demanded.

“I think you know who this is.”

“You leave my parents alone. They have nothing to do with any of this.”

“Your parents are fine
, and they will continue to be fine as long as you can get here in the next ten minutes.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Don’t hang up,” Carson instructed. “I want you to keep this line open and continue talking the entire time until you arrive at the house. I can’t have you calling the sheriff.”

“Okay, but don’t hurt them.”

“I’ll be listening, so don’t tip anyone off about where you’re going or your parents are toast.”

“I won’t say anything
, just don’t hurt them.”

I
told Tiffany that I remembered I was late for an appointment and left immediately. I did as Carson instructed and talked and sang the entire time I was in the truck. I made the ten-minute drive in five and ran into the house.

“Where are they?” I demanded.

“In the basement.”

“Are they okay? You didn’t hurt them?”

“They’re fine. I have no intention of hurting anyone. I simply need to detain you until I can get away.” Carson led me to the basement, then tossed in an armful of blankets after me before locking the door from the outside.

“Are you okay?” I ran over to where my dad was sitting on the floor
, holding my mom.

“We’re okay,” Dad assured me, “although
your mom is in labor. Has been since he locked us down here.”

“I can’t believe Carson locked
you in knowing Mom was in labor.”

“I don’t think he knew. At least we didn’t tell him
,” Dad informed me.

I spread out the blankets and Dad made Mom as comfortable as he was able. “It’s going to be okay,” I assured her.

“I know it will.”

I worried about the fact that she was sweating
, but she smiled bravely.

I looked at Dad. “You stay with Mom and I’ll see what I can find in these boxes to help with the delivery
, if need be.”

“Delivery?” Dad looked like he was going to pass out.

“On second thought, why don’t you help me look thorough the boxes?” I took Dad by the arm and led him across the room. I lowered my voice so Mom couldn’t overhear our conversation. I turned, took him by the shoulders, and looked him in the eye. “Mom is in labor. No one knows we’re here. Zak won’t be home for at least two hours, and even then he may not think to start looking for us right away. We may need to deliver this baby.”

“But I can’t.”

“You can and you will. You have to do it.”

Mom let out a moan from her location across the room.

“Okay, you’re right.” Dad took a deep breath. “I can do this. What do you want me to do?”

“We need to make Mom comfortable and keep her as calm and warm as possible. I want you to keep it lig
ht. Talk to her, but don’t let her know that you’re scared. Tell her the story of the basement we were locked in on Valentine’s Day, and how much the blanket she made for you made you think of her. I’m going to go through these boxes while I try to figure out what to do.”

“Do you have your phone?” Dad asked.

“No, he took it.”

“What if something goes wrong? Your mom really should be in a hospital.”

“Hospitals are for amateurs,” I said, trying for a light tone. “Women have been having babies for quite a few years now, and I just so happen to be a proud graduate of the birthing academy.”

“You mean the class you took? I’d hardly call that an academy.”

Mom let out a sharp screech as another contraction took hold.

“Go
.” I shoved my dad toward her. “And remember, keep it light.”

Dad sat on the floor with Mom’s head cradled in his lap and told her stories. A few must even have been funny
because I actually heard Mom laugh a few times.

The boxes
mostly held junk, but there were a few things that might come in handy, including some old clothes and a sewing kit. I prayed that someone would find us before I was faced with the decision of whether or not to use that sewing kit. I tried to act brave for Mom and Dad’s sake, but the truth of the matter was, I was scared to death.

“Don’t worry,” Mom assured me. “It’s going to be fine.”

“I know it is. What happened?” I asked after I’d done pretty much everything I could for the time being. “Why did he lock you down here?”

“I called Carson
about the stuff in the basement,” Dad explained. “He said he was heading out of town but would pick the stuff up on his way. When he arrived, he seemed to be in a hurry, so I offered to help him load his truck. While I was loading some boxes of glassware into the extended cab, I noticed something on the floor under the seat. I pulled it out and looked at it. It was a gorilla hand. I remembered what you’d told us about the gang who robbed the bank, and I guess I must have gasped before I had a chance to monitor my reaction. Carson realized I knew what the glove meant and made us come down here. He said he didn’t want to have to kill us, but he was on his way out of the country and couldn’t have us notifying the authorities until he got away. I guess he figured someone would come for us eventually.”

“And someone will,” I assured Dad.

“But not in time.” Mom gasped. “I think we’re close.”

I looked at Dad.
“Help her get off her slacks and cover her with a blanket. Then I want you to lean against the wall with Mom between your legs. Let her lean against you. I’ll see if I can get a feel for where we are in the process.”

“Have you done this before?” Mom asked.

“Sure, lots of times.”

“With a baby?”

“Not a human baby. I’ve delivered lots of little animal babies, though. I mean, how different can it be?”

Mom actually smiled.
“I’m so proud that I have such a brave daughter.”