“I can’t imagine anyone having a problem with her.” Seyla’s eyes squinted again. “Wait. You think her death wasn’t an accident?”
“All I know is that a lot of accidents are associated with this place. And way too many deaths.”
/////
Seyla focused on Jax’s words, trying not to notice how great he looked or the way his t-shirt stretched across his muscular chest. A heavy sigh dropped from her lips.
If only he hadn't been there.
If only he wasn't the enemy. “I’ll see what I can find out. What did you want to discuss with me?”
“I’m worried about the public’s safety. Especially my uncle’s. That man raised me, and I’ll do whatever’s necessary to protect him.”
Guilt swept through Seyla. She admired Jax’s loyalty and respect for his uncle, which made her next question all the more difficult. But she had to know. The animals and employees were important, too. “Did Victor know what happened? Or did you tell him?”
Jax let out a harsh laugh and punched some buttons on his cell phone. “Is that your one concern here? Bad publicity? People are depending on you to keep them safe from these animals and you yourself were almost killed by one today.” He pointed at his torn pant leg. “That could have been your neck. Or my uncle’s. The community is operating on trust here, and this place better find a way to hold up their end of the bargain or I won’t have to buy you out.” He leaned forward and stuck the phone in front of her, a picture of a broken fence evident on it. “You’ll be shut down by the state if this keeps happening.”
Seyla stood up, and Cashew scampered off. With her own phone, she dialed Allen Withers’ number. It went straight to voicemail. She redialed. Straight to voicemail again. Groaning, she left a message for him to return the call and hung up. “Why is it I can never get through to him lately?” She pointed to the picture. “Did you put that wooden stake there with the material on it to mark the spot?”
“Yeah. Seyla, I have no doubt it was cut on purpose.”
“Is the damage limited to the outer fence or do both fences need repaired?”
“Whoever did it worked on the inner fence as well but didn’t get far.”
Seyla called Allen’s number again and hung up when the voicemail message played again. She shook the phone in her hand. “He’s avoiding me now. I’m sure of it. I’m also sure hedidn’t say anything to me before I went into the enclosure. He was staring at his phone when I told him we could go. The truth is, he didn’t want to get into trouble by admitting it.”
“Or he planned it that way. How much do you know about him?”
“Not much. I’ve only been here a few months. He’s quiet and grumpy, but that doesn’t say much. He’s that way with the entire staff. Do you honestly think he’s capable of hurting the sanctuary? Of…of hurting me?” Seyla’s stomach quivered at the thought that a person would purposely plan for her to be mauled or killed by Sada. If the cat hadn’t eaten beforehand, he would have been more aggressive. He was toying with her out of curiosity more than anything else. Nevertheless, that curiosity could have ended in her death. And, ultimately, his.
Why did it continue to surprise her when people had evil intentions? Hadn’t she learned that lesson yet?
“It’s possible. Next time he sets down that phone, hopefully today, see if you can access the text messages. If you deem anything suspicious, take a picture. Think you can do that?”
Seyla kicked at a stone in the parking lot. “Yeah. He’s got an older phone and I don’t think he locks it.” She looked at him. “I talked to Vanessa after she stopped by The Trusty Tavern in town. Travis spends the majority of his time there. She said she couldn't tell if it was his voice she heard in the woods or not.”
Jax leaned against the side of the truck and crossed his arms with a sigh.
Seyla averted her eyes to the ground. How could a guy look that amazing after what they’d been through today? Remembering their earlier encounter, she asked, “What happened with Travis after I left?”
He rolled his eyes. “The police took my statement, but let him go. Whatever.”
“Not surprising,” Seyla answered. “He has a buddy on the police force.”
“That explains a lot. Seriously, though, you have to piece together what’s happening here before anyone else gets hurt.”
Seyla wilted a bit. “I-I’m sorry about what happened to your uncle, Jax.”
She glanced up to see his shoulders flex with irritation. “Yet here we are again. Don’t apologize. Get your people out there to patrol the perimeter. I owe your cousin Matt a lot. I know he’ll be upset if you’re upset. That’s the only reason I’m willing to hold off on my offer to buy the sanctuary for now. But I have partners who are pushing for this deal to go through and, first and foremost, I have Uncle Sam to protect. I’ll do whatever I have to do to make that happen. And know this, it’s a deal the founders can’t refuse. They can build somewhere else and have money left over. As long as it’s nowhere near my uncle.”
A lead weight dropped into Seyla’s gut. Of course, he was only here because of Matt. So why did she feel disappointed? He had no interest in her. No doubt he was counting the minutes until he could get away from her and return to the sophisticated, perfect women with whom he spent time.
Wait a minute. What did he say? Alarm bells went off when Seyla played it back in her head. “There aren’t any other areas in Ohio we can build. We’d have to go out of state.”
Jax shrugged his shoulders. “Then I suggest firing Allen if he can’t do his job. You need a person who is proactive when it comes to this stuff. A person who will run the perimeter once a day, minimum. I shouldn’t be the one telling you there’s a hole in your fence.” The volume of his voice rose in increments, rife with frustration.
Seyla held at bay the defensive response on the tip of her tongue. “Don’t you think I want him fired after what happened in there? He was supposed to have my back. Instead, heendangered my life. Problem is, I don’t have the authority to hire and fire. Besides, if I did, wouldn’t it be pretty suspicious if I fired the same employee who got me written up? The director won’t believe me.”