Chapter 4

The silence lasted about ten seconds.

George didn't rush me. He just watched me like a leopard stalking prey—patient.

Finally, I made a decision.

"Captain George," I said, "if I tell you something that sounds really absurd, can you not call a psychiatrist right away?"

His eyebrow moved slightly. "Speak."

"I can understand what animals are saying."

The office went silent for a full five seconds.

George's expression didn't change. No mockery, no surprise, not even confusion. He just stared at me, as if evaluating the credibility of intelligence.

"Continue."

"At the tiger pavilion, the tiger told me. It said that man reeked of blood—another woman's blood. Yesterday's lead came from a stray cat by the zoo's back gate. It sees that white van every night. There's a woman crying inside."

When I finished, I felt like a defendant making a final statement in court.

George was silent for a long time.

Then he stood up, walked to the door, closed it, and came back to sit down.

"This ability you're describing—is there a way to verify it on the spot?"

I froze, then nodded. "Any animal will do."

George picked up the radio on his desk. "Johnson, bring Paul to my office."

Less than two minutes later, the door opened. A young officer led a black Labrador inside.

The dog's tail started wagging like a propeller the moment it entered, nose pressed to the ground, sniffing everywhere.

Its voice immediately flooded my mind: ["Captain George's office! Smells like coffee! And that suspect's shoe sole from yesterday—mud plus gasoline. Wait, who's this woman? She smells like tigers. So cool."]

I couldn't help the twitch at the corner of my mouth.

"His name is Paul?" I asked.

The young officer nodded. "Right. Drug detection dog. Three years old."

I looked at Paul. He was pawing at George's pant leg.

["Captain George, do you have beef treats in your pocket? I smell them! Give me one, just one! I did great today. Found three targets at the training ground."]

I turned to George. "He says you have beef treats in your pocket and wants one. He says he did great today and found three targets at the training ground."

George's hand paused.

He actually reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sealed bag of beef treats.

The young officer's eyes went wide. "Captain George, since when do you carry snacks?"

George ignored him, his gaze fixed on me. His expression had changed.

No longer scrutiny, but something I couldn't quite read.

"Johnson, out. Leave Paul."

The bewildered young officer was shooed out.

After the door closed, George tossed the bag of beef treats to Paul, then crossed his hands on the desk and looked at me.

"Samuelle, I'm giving you two choices now."

"First, you walk out that door, go back to being a keeper, and we pretend today's conversation never happened."

"Second, you stay as an investigative consultant and help me solve this case."

I looked into his eyes.

Paul was crunching happily on beef treats beside us, his mind full of blissful fireworks.

"Is there pay?" I asked.

The corner of George's mouth moved almost imperceptibly. "External consultant standard. Three hundred a day."

Three hundred a day.

I made three thousand a month at the zoo.

"I choose the second."

From that day on, my life completely changed.

Daytime at the zoo working normally, evenings "overtime" at the Criminal Investigation Division.

George arranged a temporary workstation for me in the corner of the Major Crimes office, next to a stack of old case files no one read.

At first, everyone in Major Crimes looked at me like I was an exotic animal.

An old detective named Patterson, fortyish, beer belly, voice loud enough to shatter glass.

On the first day, right in front of everyone, he asked George: "Captain, who's this girl? New intern? Doesn't look like police academy."

George didn't look up. "External consultant."

"Consultant?" Patterson looked me up and down. "Consulting on what? Feeding fish?"

A few others suppressed laughter.

I said nothing. George didn't defend me either.

That's the kind of person he was. No explanations, no protection. He'd wait for me to prove myself.

The chance to prove myself came quickly.