enclosure that mimicked Estelle’s natural habitat, complete with rocks, soil, and grasses that thrived inside the Okavango Delta, her native land. Everything a normal hippopotamus could ask for.
Unfortunately, nothing about Estelle was normal.
“Unbelievable,” Jason said in exasperation. “She’s the most contrary female I’ve ever met.”
“Ha,” barked Senga, one of two Katanga employees sitting with them. “My wife could give this surly one lessons.”
“It’s true.” Kiv nodded solemnly.
“Wow, that’s rough.” Jason looked at Senga with bleary-eyed sympathy. “Remind me not to ask for an introduction.”
While her companions shared a laugh, Miranda scooted to the edge of the ridge. She glared eyeball to eyeball with the agitated hippo.
Estelle huffed her disdain from the security of the pool.
Clearly the hippo liked causing trouble. But Miranda knew obstinate. It was a technique she’d used extensively the last few years, an end result of one dismal dating experience after the other. Lucky in love she wasn’t, but her job was another story. That she had control over. She understood her clientele. And there was no way she’d let a devious hippo win the day.
She pushed back from the edge and sat up, brushing dirt from her shirt. “Estelle knows,” she said. “She knows and refuses to cooperate.”
“Not possible,” Senga said in heavily accented English. “She new to pool.”
“She senses our intent.” Miranda twisted her hair back into its usual ponytail. “Animals are intuitive. Unfortunately, rational behavior doesn’t come with the package. We’re going to have to think of another way.”
“Another way?” Jason snorted in disgust. “Let’s rehash. Sweet hay she turned down with a swish of her big round nose. Tapes of a distressed baby hippo revealed no maternal instinct whatsoever. And prodding her with the long poles only inspired her to bite one in half. What’s left? Lasso her and ride her into the rodeo stall?”
Senga’s brows dipped at the absurd suggestion. “Not good plan.”
“No, indeed.” Miranda glanced back over the ridge and hesitated, debating the wisdom of her next move. That is, until Estelle grumbled loudly, snorting in anger and pain.
“I have one more idea.” Three heads swiveled Miranda’s direction as she inhaled deep, mentally going over her plan. “We dart her in the water.”
Jason whistled low and shook his head. “Too risky. She might drown before we get her harnessed.”
“Not if we drain the pool,” Miranda said. “When the water becomes shallow, we shoot the tranquilizer and push her toward the harness.”
Jason eyed the size of the pond with a calculating gleam. “Timing will be crucial.”
“True,” Miranda agreed, pleased with his quick grasp of the possibility. “Once the anesthesia takes hold, our patient will be easier to manipulate. Plus, we confuse her by herding her the opposite direction of the pen.”
Jason eyed her with an admiring gleam. “Too groggy to fight, disoriented by the change in direction, she’ll be putty in our hands. Brilliant!” He snapped his fingers. “Besides, I got nothing else. It’s worth a try.”
Senga glanced between them in apprehension. “Your Washington zoo pay much money for Estelle. Albino hippos hard to find.”
“Please,” Miranda reassured him with a smile. “Try not to worry. We’ll take good care of Estelle.”
“The risk,” Senga persisted, “it is high, yes?”
“Senga, my friend,” Jason said as he clapped the man on the back, “your hippo is in fine hands.” His head pointed Miranda’s way. “Doc is the best there is.”
“Please, easy on the praise,” Miranda said. “It upsets my equilibrium.”
“Your…what?” Senga looked confused.
“My balance, my—” She shook her head. “Never mind.” Miranda rose and stood next to the ridge, gazing down. “It’ll be fine, just wait and see.”
She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. The plan could very well be as dangerous for the crew as it was for Estelle. Hippos had thick layers of skin and fat. You could never be sure how much drug entered their bloodstream.
Miranda gave a long appraising study of the pool, judged their best options, and made a decision. “Jason, get help to move the crane and harness to that shallow edge.” She pointed to the far side of the pool. “Set it up right there, near those flat rocks. Find some padding to cover them, and we’ll use them as a table.”
She turned to the other two men. “Senga, you’re in charge of draining the pool. Kiv, you will help me restage the dental lab by those same rocks.”
Heads bobbed in agreement. In their faces, she saw her father’s steadfast belief in her ability. He loved debating skill and technique with her. That’s how she knew this would work. There’s no way she’d let him down. Success wouldn’t come easy, but Estelle would live to see another day, pain free and in a better mood.
“All right,” she said. “Let’s get cracking. We’ve an unhappy girl to outsmart.”
Chapter 5
Matt tugged at the ill-fitting uniform and rolled his shoulders in an attempt to stretch the fabric across his upper arms. The pinch was a bit uncomfortable, but he’d known worse. He slammed the locker door shut and made his way back through the employee lounge.
Two women occupied the room, one eating lunch at a table and the other pushing buttons on a microwave. Both looked up when he entered.
The blonde at the table flashed a flirty smile. “New here?” she asked him.
“How can you tell?”
“You’ve got that pained look of someone who doesn’t like uniforms.”
“Busted.” He pulled up a chair. “You ladies eat here often?”
Tittering laughter grated across his ears, and the blonde sent a look of interest his way.
“It beats driving all the way into town,” she said. “Besides, the view just got a little better around here.”
“Diana!” Her lunch companion rolled her eyes.
“Well, it did.” She smiled boldly at Matt. “I work the library records counter. We don’t see many handsome, rugged types in there. Only moldy scientists and stuffy lab researchers.”
“Records, huh?” Matt smelled a lead. “You mean like animal origins or shipment details?”
“That and research study results or technical papers. Boring mostly.”
This might be the start of something revealing. “I bet you—”
“Bennett!” Rob Jenkins yelled from the hallway. “We’ve got ground to cover.”
Bloody hell. For the sake of his audience, Matt stood with a heavy sigh. “Nice guy, gonna be a real gem to work for.”
The comment sparked another round of annoying giggles as Matt slid his chair back in place. “Nice seeing you ladies,” he said with a tip of an imaginary hat.
He stepped out into the hallway as Jenkins flipped to the last page on a clipboard. He scribbled a signature and handed it over to a waiting lad.
“We’ll start touring on admin floor.” He glanced up and frowned, taking in Matt’s straining shoulder seams. “Sorry, it’s the largest we had on hand. I’ll order a bigger size next week.”
Matt shrugged, then grimaced