Chapter 8

The Experiment

When we get back to the hotel room, we transport the wolf into Mitch's room. For some odd reason no one seemed to notice or question that we were moving a wolf into the room. Are Americans really so in love with their pets that they carry them into hotels rooms? I mean don't get me wrong I love the dog Jackson and I have, but i'm not carrying that dog into a hotel.

Once inside Mitch begins naming things that he needs:

A coffee pot.

A stirring stick

Two coconuts.

And a car battery.

Jamie, Chloe, and Jackson begin to gather the things that Mitch needs, while Abe and I look over the wolf. Jackson doesn't leave the room however, he calls down to the front desk. Once he hangs up he begins looking over the wolf with Abe and I. The two of us had already managed to remove the bullet but noticed a very odd smell.

"Well, a hotel employee will be coming up with some coconuts very soon."

"Because you couldn't go across the street and get them yourself?"

"Hey, I'm not leaving you in a room with a wolf in it. No matter who else is there."

I look over to him and shake my head.

"Don't treat me like you are my father."

"I'm not… I am just a very protective boyfriend."

I chuckle softly as I stand and go over to help Mitch, when Chloe comes in with a car battery from the rental car.

"Is the wolf gonna be okay?"

Jackson nods.

"He'll be fine. Except for this. When Abe and Kat opened the wound to remove the bullet."

Jackson lifts the bandage we had placed over the wound as chloe looks closer.

"Oh, That's awful."

I nod and turn to her and Jackson.

"Sometimes infected blood can have an off smell."

Chloe shakes her head confused.

"But this is a fresh wound."

"Which means he was already infected."

Mitch nods.

"I'm guessing bacteria. That's the most likely culprit anyway."

"It also means that we may have found what was responsible for the wolves' aggressive behavior."

Chloe looks over to Mitch and I confused.

"Bacteria?"

Mitch turns in the desk chair.
"It's possible. Want to help out? Come here."

He motions Chloe over, before turning in the chair again, pointing to a cup with blood in it and a toothbrush for a stirring stick.

"That's the wolf's blood. Just keep stirring that. Don't let it thicken."

Chloe stirs the blood as I look down at Mitch.

"Okay, but what does this have to do with Chloe pulling the battery out of the rental car?"

At that moment we hear someone knock on the door.

"Room Service."

Jackson almost runs to the door.
"I got it."

When he comes back he has two coconuts and nudges Chloe.

"The French government owes me $100."

He hands the coconuts to Mitch.

"Here you go."

"Excellent. Those are perfect."

Mitch goes about connected the car battery to the coffee pot, along with putting the coconut milk into it as well. Before adding the wolf's blood.

"Think of the coffee pot as a wolf's brain. Coconut water is chemically similar to the cerebrospinal fluid that flows through and around the brain. So if our bacteria causes a reaction in our coffee pot brain, then there's a good chance it's responsible for the wolves' abnormal behavior."

I nod and cross my arms, leaning against the wall.

"So, what are we looking for? What happens to prove your right?"

"The current from the battery should stimulate the growth of the bacteria. We're looking for some evidence that he wolf's brain was agitated. For instance, if the liquid starts to bubble up a bit."

"How long?"

"I don't know, a couple hours?"

As Mitch makes his estimation the liquid bubbles and Abe steps forward, still at the back of the group.

"Or a couple of seconds. Look."

Mitch nods, as the liquid bubbles faster.

"Wow.. that's"

Mitch stands, as rest of us back away.
"Oh no.."

As Mitch says 'oh no,' we all dive away. Of course Jackson grabs me as the two of us dive, rolling over one of the beds and landing on the floor, with Jacksons arms wrapped around me. I smile softly looking down at him, as he chuckles.

"Well that's not exactly how I wanted us to land."

I laugh softly before leaning down and giving him a quick kiss.

Mitch pokes his head up from the bed beside the wolf.
"Yeah I'd say we are onto something."

I nod and get up.

"Yeah well, we need to get sunshine out of here before he wakes up."

Jackson stands up next to me.

"I agree."

He turns to Abe.

"Abe, you wanna help me out buddy."

"Of course."

I move out of Jackson's way so he can get through to Abe and the wolf.

"Just make sure it's somewhere he won't get shot again."

Jackson nods,
"We'll take care of him, don't worry."

Chloe looks around at us.

"Well aside from a destroyed hotel room, we did good work here."

Mitch starts to clean up some of his things

"Little early for champagne, don't you think? We don't know anything about the bacteria."

Abe shrugs.

"Well, we've been here for two days, and already, we've discovered unusual bacteria inside a wolf that's behaving abnormally. That's an accomplishment."

I shake my head and lean against the desk.

"No, just because it's in the wolf doesn't mean it's inside the lions, or the cats, or the bats."

Mitch nods.

"Or the bears, or the rhinos."

We hear a knock on the door and Chloe answers the door. When she comes back she looks worried.

"Pack everything we have to get out of here."

Jackson shakes his head taken back at her statement, as we all are.

"How long do we have?"

"I don't know."

We all go back to our rooms and start packing, meeting back in Mitch's room. Abe points at the wolf who we still haven't removed from the room.

"What are we going to do about him?"

Mitch pulls his phone out and makes a call.

"I'm on with Animal Control right now."

Then Chloe's phone goes off.

"Hello. Don't come back to the hotel. We'll meet you at the car rental agency"

The five of us head out as quickly as we can, all pile into the SUV, heading to the car rental agency. When we get there Jamie is already waiting for us.

"What happened?"

Chloe shakes her head.

"Deputy Kraft didn't find Evan Lee Hartley and is looking for someone to blame."

Jamie hands Chloe a bible.

"I found this. It's his, Hartley's. It was in his cell. The guy underlined every reference to animals in the Bible. I mean, every one."

I scoff as I walk up next to Mitch.

"So he WAS quoting the Bible in the woods."

Mitch shrugs.

"He was on death row. Bible comes in very handy on death row."

Jamie reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a photo.

"I also found this."

Chloe nods as we all look over the photo.

"That's Evan Lee Hartley."

I nod and look over to Jackson who looks like he's seen a ghost.

"What is it Jackson? Do you recognize the other man?"

Jackson nods and takes a deep breath.

"That's my father."