Gedachtegoed

Previously on ‘Zookeeper Ernie’:

After Lucy revealed to her husband Alex that she was leaving him for a zookeeper named Ernie, Alex killed Lucy and hacked her up with a saw. He then declared Ernie would soon follow.

Now, on an all new ‘Zookeeper Ernie’, the story continues.

Sun up. An old and rusty rowing boat rests calmly on the surface of the water. In the boat sits a man, in his late fifties, all packed for a day’s worth of fishing. He wears a fisherman’s hat, and an olive green vest. They’re not biting, the old man thinks. The old man looks up at the sky, and then back at the water. Probably the weather, he thinks. He picks up a can from the bottom of the boat. From the can he takes a worm, which he puts on his fishing hook. He then throws his rod back in the water. The old man sits so perfectly still, that a reflection of the dawning sun can be seen on the surface. It’s quiet and chilly. The only sound noticeable is the wind lightly shaking the oaks on the side of the pond, brushing through their leaves. The old man buttons up his vest. Didn’t come here to catch a damn cold, he thinks.

Then a roaring sound is heard, and the oaks all start shaking more heavily. The old man looks as far as he can to see where it comes from, but his eyes aren’t what they once were. Upon the clear white morning sky he sees a blurry dark object, closing in on the pond. It’s a helicopter. The chopper comes closer and closer to the old man, flying at full speed and ten feet above the boat at the most. The surface of the water is now full of wrinkles and the sun’s reflection has disappeared. The old man accidentally drops his rod in the water, grabs hold of his hat with one hand, and follows the chopper with his eyes as it passes over his head. The chopper flies towards the trees on the other side of the pond, and lowers into the trees until it has disappeared from the old man’s sight. The roaring sound has stopped. The old man takes his hand of his hat and a moment to breathe. He searches for the rod he dropped in the water, only to find it drifting about five feet away from the boat. He picks up the paddles, and starts rowing towards the rod.

‘Detective Vincenzo! Sir!’

The old man turns around and sees a young man dressed in a black suit rowing a boat, older than his, towards him.

‘I’m not a detective anymore, kid. Those days are over.’

‘I’m sorry, sir. You’re a hard man to reach.’

‘I’m retired. That’s the point.’

‘I was sent here by Captain Jeffries. Permission to board, sir?’

‘Denied. You’ll kill my boat.’

‘I understand, sir.’

‘Are you gonna tell me what this social call is all about? You came with that chopper I suppose?’

‘Yes, sir. As I said, I was sent by Captain Jeffries. We have a situation.’

‘A situation? Anything that slime Jeffries works on is bad news. Count me out.’

‘I kindly request you to come with me so my superior officers can brief you, sir. You’ll still have time to decide later. But now, time is of the essence… sir.’

‘Listen kid, I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what this is all about.’

‘Well… I’m not supposed to tell you this… but here goes: There’s a situation down at the Los Angeles Zoo.’

‘So call animal control. You came all the way to Canada to tell me that?’

‘A zookeeper found severed female body parts on the zebra hill. Claims it to be his girlfriend.’

‘So get a freshman on it. You look like you could use a promotion. Get out there, crack the case!’

‘You don’t understand, sir. This case affects you on a personal level…’

‘What do you mean? Personal how?’

‘Sir… The woman we found on the hill… It’s Lucy. It’s your daughter, sir.’

To be continued…

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