Note: Thanks again for all of the kind reviews. As for this part of the story, the quotation referenced is William Shakespeare's. But he's dead, so hopefully he won't mind if Mitch borrows it.
"Oh my God…" Jamie's shock and horror filtered through the morning air as they drove away from the dock. They had told her the situation was bad but she never could have imagined this. Seemingly around every corner lurked a new threat from the animal kingdom. The streets were virtually devoid of people. The only human life she saw was a man standing guard with a rifle while his friend changed a flat tire. This was the eastern seaboard of the United States, yet she scarcely recognized it as the same world she'd dropped out of just three months prior; instead it reminded her of the hospital in Harare. How could this have happened?
The housing of the leopard was presenting a real problem; one that meant they would stay in a motel near the port for the night. Where exactly does one hide a fully grown leopard in a time when a pug is regarded as a threat? Mitch had a plan, but was dubious whether it would work. The consensus, however, was that it was the most workable plan anyone had yet submitted. So, the process of implementation would begin immediately.
They would need to rent a property with no close neighbors, one that had enough room for a suitable big cat enclosure. Moreover, it needed to be available for immediate occupancy. One stumbling block was the rental application. Mitch had solid enough credit, but the only one who could had gainful employment at the moment was Chloe, and her work could not be documented. And who would live there? Jackson seemed like the obvious choice given his experience as an animal behaviorist. But it would be better for Chloe to remain in the city to continue her work with the NSA. It was their only window into what was going on with the government efforts. If Mitch were there, he would have access to the animal when he needed it. Ultimately it was decided that the vet would reside on the land.
Jamie scoured the Internet looking for suitable properties. "How about a three bedroom two bath on three acres? Lots of trees. Looks pretty secluded. It's been vacant a long time, so they might be desperate enough to work with us."
Chloe leaned over her shoulder to take a look. "It's pretty far outside of the city. I'm going to have to get you that driver's license."
"Are we still going with Julie Harris?"
"Yes," Chloe replied as her ringtone sounded. "Oh, here's my contact now." She stepped to a corner of the room to take the call.
For her part, Jamie called the number on website, making arrangements for Dr. Morgan and his partner, Julie Harris, to view the property as soon as possible.
"Ok," Chloe returned, "the documentation part is done. When we get to Washington we will have to go and do a couple of photographs, then within one hour Julie will a have a license and a passport."
"How great is it to have a spy in my corner?" Mitch quipped, sipping his beer. "I wouldn't know where to begin with that."
Chloe grinned. "I wouldn't know where to begin with the care and keeping of a leopard. Each of us has a role to play."
"Not to be a naysayer," Abe began, "but it will take several days at least to get into the property, assuming we can get a lease. Jamie's powers of persuasion are impressive, but this is a tall order. What do we do with him in the meantime? We all live in hotels or high rise apartments."
The cat had been successfully moved from the boat, evading customs along with Jamie, but was now stuck in the rented trailer behind the SUV.
"Let me make a couple of calls, see what I can do," Mitch answered. "With the zoos being closed and empty, I might know someone who can look the other way for a few days while he visits. I don't think I'd take the chance on leaving him there long, though."
"That's an awfully big risk," Jackson said. "I mean, if your friend blows the whistle, it's all over."
"They're not exactly working these days, zoo are abandoned. All I need is a couple of access codes. I'll tell them it's for research or something."
"Hide him in plain sight. Funny to live in a time when a zoo is the last place someone would look for a leopard," Abe mused.
The following day, they returned to Washington D.C.. Chloe took Jamie to get her new identity, while the men took the leopard to the zoo. As he typed in the access code to gain entry to the enclosure, Mitch could not help shaking his head at the irony.
"Breaking into a zoo to leave an animal," he chuckled. "We've come full circle."
"No guns, please," Abraham replied dryly.
They watched as the leopard explored his new surroundings.
"We're gonna have to keep him in the den," Jackson said. "Only let him out into the viewing area while one of us is here to make sure no one sees him."
"Check everything carefully," Mitch walked the enclosure, examining each item he found. "Make sure there are no Reiden products."
"Or even Reiden subsidiary products," Jackson agreed. "We can't have this guy getting contaminated by the mother cell."
Soon they were confident that it was safe. After letting him exercise for a good long while they secured him in the den. On the way out, Jackson stopped short.
"Hey."
"Hey, what?" Mitch was confused.
"That." Jackson pointed to the security camera viewing the enclosure. "I know they aren't operational right now, but what are the chances Jamie can hack into the system so we can keep an eye on our friend here?"
"Something else I wouldn't know where to begin with. Have to ask Jamie. But yeah, I'm sure she can do it."
"What's the word on the lease?" Abe asked as they made their way back to the truck.
"No lease," Mitch told him glumly. "I am officially unemployed. I can show reserves, but no source of steady income. Jamie's working on a pay in advance month to month deal. With any luck it won't be more than a month or two anyway, right?"
Jackson laughed. "This saving the world stuff is brutal. But if anyone can persuade them, it's Jamie."
"I think I should have done it," Mitch joked. "I'm a people person."
"If it were up to you to do the negotiating, you would be living under a bridge."
"Wait," it was Mitch's turn to stop short. "I should, uh, I should microchip him. That way, we can always be sure who he is and where he is. I'm sure I can find what I need here."
"Good idea," Abe said. "Maybe you should do that now."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jamie peered out the kitchen window. Yes, perfect. The cat's pen was entirely visible from the window, yet couldn't be seen from the road or the neighboring properties. She gave a thumbs up to her friends gathered in the center. The leopard would be moved as soon as the team was confident that the gates and fences were completely animal-proofed. The state of the art security system, in tandem with a series of locks, was put in place to help intruder-proof too. They could never be one hundred percent safe against those bent on stealing the cat, but they resolved to make it as difficult as possible.
They had been in the house for two days now. It was an older home, but recently remodeled and certainly comfortable enough to suit their needs. It was curious; a part of her felt like she was playing house with a man she'd known a relatively short time. At the same time she felt as if she'd known him forever. Of course, in that relatively short span of time they had been all over the world, in luxury apartments and remote wilderness, sometimes under intense pressure, with the weight of the world on their shoulders, sometimes having fun. They had faced death together more than once, and come out victorious. They'd learned more about one another in that six months than many couples do in a lifetime.
She glanced over at the laptop on the kitchen table. Jackson had asked her if she could redirect the zoo's security cameras, and she was more than happy to oblige. She pushed back memories of her last zoo camera escapade, refusing to let self-doubt derail this project. The remote viewers had been set up at Jackson's and Abraham's homes, too, thus tripling their odds of catching anything untoward before it got out of hand. She had arranged it as a split screen with the left side watching the den and the right side watching the paddock. So far, the leopard's stay had been uneventful.
After the others were gone, Mitch entered the kitchen to find her staring furtively at the passport in her hand.
"Something wrong with it?"
Jamie let out a long sigh. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry. It's my third one in six months. Julie Harris. Julie Harris. Julie Harris. Learn it, live it…until the next one."
He leaned in for a long sweet kiss. He pulled just far enough away to speak, so close she could feel his breath still.
"I'm in love with you…not the letters on the passport," he said softly. "'And for that name, which is no part of thee, take all myself'."
"I love you, too."