The director of the zoo led Alicia to a small parking garage next to the main building where he ushered her into a waiting golf cart with the zoo's logo on the side of it. She put her duffel bag in the back behind the seat and slid into the cart next to the man who was still looking her up and down. Maybe he thought she would pull a knife on him or something. Whatever his issues she just wanted to get to where they were going because it was blasted hot outside.
"I'm sorry about that, back there was, well it's been a hectic few weeks around here." He smiled over at her and held out his hand to shake hers. "I'm really sorry you got treated like that. And I didn't introduce myself, although you probably know who I am. Steven La Pierre at your service."
"Alicia Caine, and don't worry about it. I didn't really think to dress for the occasion."
"You're really a vet?" La Pierre asked softly.
"That's what the little piece of paper says. But I have to warn you, Jim's really good with his computer."
They both laughed at that and La Pierre sped the little cart across the zoo's campus to the cathouse. When he pulled the cart up to the side of the building and turned it off Alicia had already hopped out and was heading around the corner of the building to the public side. She passed the jaguars' corner of the habitat and continued on shooting a glance at the spotted cats lying in the warm sun. When she came up on the crowd in front of the tiger's habitat she heard several disappointed children complaining to their parents that the normally playful cats were not moving.
Alicia worked her way through the crowd, scanning the terrain of the habitat for any clues to the cats' lethargic nature that she could find. The folder that Jim had given her contained a zoo dossier on the two cubs. Rex and Zulu were brothers who had been born in a zoo and had been delighting visitors to Audubon Park for a few years now. The two cubs loved to play with each other and seemed to enjoy showing off for the crowds. Today however, nothing could rouse them from their stupor.
Alicia leaned over the railing that she had made her way to and looked the cats over. There didn't seem to be any physical problems with them but there was definitely something troubling them. La Pierre worked his way through the crown and leaned on the railing next to her. "See anything that can help?"
"Not really. How about if I meet the boys?"
La Pierre nodded and led her to the back entrance of the cathouse. Grateful to be back in air conditioning, even as minimal as this was felt simply wonderful to Alicia and she smiled at La Pierre's back as he showed her way down the hall to the medical room. Now she was darn glad she'd worn the tank top because anything else would now be drenched with sweat. The director nodded to the staff as he walked past them and he finally centered his attention on one man who was sitting at a desk filling out what looked like a requisition form.
"Peter, if I may?"
The man looked up and blinked at the director of the zoo who very rarely left the main building much less showed up unannounced in one of the animal houses. Behind him stood a rather disheveled woman who was looking around like she was taking stock of what she could steal and later sell on the black market.
"Steven? What are you doing down here?" The man said as he rose from his seat. He was wearing a zoo t-shirt tucked into baggy khaki shorts with hiking boots on. He was deeply tanned and looked like he could definitely do an honest day's labor. "Who's this?"
"Peter Thomas I'd like you to meet Doctor…?" He glanced over his shoulder at Alicia who nodded at the implied question. "Ah yes, Dr. Alicia Caine. She's come down here to help cure Rex & Zulu."
The other man's face brightened and he grinned at Alicia. "Welcome then! Glad to have you here. If you're half as good as Jim Gresham says then we should be able to fix them right up. What can I do to help out?"
"Well I could use some gloves. Can you bring them in one at a time so we don't agitate the other one?"
Peter nodded, "Of course. Do you want Rex first?"
Alicia blinked at the other man. "I don't know. Which one is the dominant?"
Peter looked over at La Pierre who obviously had no idea what the other two were talking about; he just wanted the tigers better so he stopped losing revenue. "Well, Zulu's the more aggressive of the two. We usually bring Rex in first because he's easier to get along with."
Alicia rolled her eyes at this remark. "You obviously don't know a lot about tigers then do you? Bring Zulu in please." She reached for the proffered pair of gloves and stuck them in the front pocket of her jeans. The she followed Peter to the far door of the room and watched as he opened the door to the outside habitat.
One of the two tigers strolled in listlessly, sniffing the air and scenting the stranger in the room. He pulled his lips back in a hiss and glanced around the room, adjusting his eyes to the light. When the door wasn't slammed shut on Zulu's face as it usually was when they were examining the cats he poked his head in a bit more and stuck a tentative paw into the shadowed room. Alicia strode over to the bars of the cage that faced the room and lowered herself to the floor beside the bars. Once she was seated cross-legged in front of the bars she unhesitatingly reached her hand through the bars towards the big tiger.
"Its okay baby, I'm here to help you. Come get a good sniff and figure out I don't mean you any harm okay?" Peter reached a tentative hand towards the woman but she waved him away from her with her free hand. "Come here sweet boy." She crooned and to the astonishment of the other men the tiger listened and padded his way across the cage and sniffed at her fingers. "Good boy Zulu. You and I are going to be friends real soon aren't we?"
The white tiger sniffed at her fingers and licked his lips as he memorized her scent and then he plopped himself down on the floor beside her and allowed her to pat his head. As she stroked his ear and the sensitive area below it she smiled over her shoulder at the other men. "See? Easy enough. Now if you'd be so kind as to let Rex in I'd appreciate it," she said as she rose from the floor and walked over to the cabinet that held their medical supplies. She plucked a stethoscope from the tray as Rex was let into the building. Once he plopped down next to his brother Alicia smiled down at the two cats and looked at Peter. "Want to unlock the door please?"
