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Jean Lauzier is co-founder of StoryCrafters.net, an online group for writers and also teaches writing workshops there. She has been published by Silver Moon Magazine, Long Story Short and Inspired Moms to name a few. Her short story Secret Santa also appears in the By the Chimney with Care Christmas anthology. Jean is a Long Ridge Writer's Group graduate and student along with a writing instructor for the Long Story Short School of Writing.

Ling Wu yanked the truck door open, grabbed the rifle in the window gun rack and ran across the almost empty parking lot. Gravel kicked up under his work boots as he sprinted past the office building, down a worn path and almost skidded to a stop. Chain link stretched upward then angled inward over a concrete moat. On the far side of the moat paced a large tiger. He snarled as Ling raised the rifle and placed the barrel through the fencing. Ling sighted on the tiger's shoulder then squeezed the trigger. The tiger jumped sideways as the dart struck, ran away from the moat and then slumped down in the grass asleep.

"Sorry, Samson." He held the rifle at his side, took his cell phone from his pocket and dialed 911.

Alex Hunter slowed the yellow Hummer and drove through the wrought-iron gates of The Golden Acres Tiger Refuge. She made her way down the narrow blacktop drive that wound its way around pine trees. "...burning bright, in the forests of the night...." she muttered under her breath. Driving around a curve she came to a stop next to a silver Cadillac. Alex turned off the engine, slid out the ashtray, chose a yellow ponytail holder and surveyed the parking lot. A dark green truck sat next to the Caddy, both in front of a small building with "Office" painted on the door. Pulling her hair up, she nodded to the man waiting at the top of the steps and looked him over. Short dark hair laid perfect, grey flannel shirt tucked neatly into faded jeans that rested atop scuffed leather work boots. Grabbing her field kit, she slid out the door and made her way toward the office. She trailed her fingers across the hood of the Caddy, then the truck while gazing around the parking lot. Tires crunched behind her on the gravel. An ambulance pulled in behind her and came to a stop. The driver stepped out and nodded at Alex.

"Ah, perfect timing. I'm Ling Wu, curator of The Golden Acres Tiger Refuge." He bounced down the steps and across the lot toward them. "Come, follow me, I'll take you to her." He motioned for them to follow as he led them down a gravel path. "I arrived early this morning. We are closed on Sundays but planned a meeting with Mr. Johnson."

"We who and who is Mr. Johnson?" Alex shifted her field kit from one hand to the other, and then brushed a strand of stray hair from her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Mrs. Houseman and I. Mr. Johnson is our architect. We need more exercise areas for our tigers." Ling smiled at her. "This way please." He led them down a gravel path past a glass top table with padded chairs. "When I didn't find Ms. Houseman in the office I went looking for her. I noticed Samson pacing by the moat and checked there first. When I saw her body I got a tranquilizer gun from my truck and darted him." They walked along the fencing, Ling's fingers trailing across the links. "When he went down, I went in and checked for a pulse but she was already gone." They came to a gate. Ling opened it and motioned for them to go in, then followed. "I called nine one one then waited for you to get here." He led them toward the moat.

Alex stopped and held up a hand. "Hold on a sec. Let me get pictures." She set her case in the grass, removed a camera and took pictures of the ground around the moat, the moat and finally Ms. Houseman. She nodded at the men and they proceeded to get the body out of the moat. Alex gazed around the fenced area. Walked around and searched the grass. She came upon a scuffed area with bloody grass. Took more pictures. Alex looked at Ling who stood watching her. "How long will the tiger be out?"

"Good. I need to get some measurements and pictures." She walked up to the sleeping tiger, circled him. "He's a Siberian. Big one too."

"My dad loved them. He started out as a vet but specialized in big cats." She laid a measuring tape next to him then whistled softly. "Wow, he's big. Ten feet, three inches. Do you know about how much he weighs?" She looked over at Ling.

"We vetted him approximately two months ago. He weighed in at six forty-five then." He shook his head. "I remember because he is our biggest tiger.” The EMTs carried the body of Ms. Houseman by. Alex watched Ling frown as he stepped aside.

Alex noted the weight then walked to the front of the tiger. She knelt down, set her notepad on the grass and pulled on a pair of rubber gloves. "What immortal hand or eye…."

"The Tiger by William Blake. It is one of my favorites." Ling smiled down at her. "I didn't realize police officers quoted poetry."

Alex looked up at Ling, frowned, then shook her head. "It was my dad's favorite. He would quote it...at times." She smiled. "I always tried to finish the line before he did." Picking up a blood-stained paw, she pressed on a toe and extended the claw. She measured each claw along with the paw itself and scribbled notes on her pad. A blood sample from the fur went into her kit. She repeated the process with the other three paws. Finished with his feet, she placed his paw on the ground and gave his shoulder a pat. "I need a hand please." She directed Ling to hold Samson's head, then pulled back the lips and looked at the teeth. "My, what big teeth you have…." Alex measured the canine teeth, made a note, and took several close-up photographs. She took his head from Ling and ran her fingers through his fur up around his ears. "He's beautiful." Carefully she checked his eyes, then gently laid his head on the ground and gave him a final pat. "I want him put in quarantine and this area closed off and left unused."

"That won't be a problem. I'll have him moved to our isolation ward. It's empty now."

She gathered her supplies and packed them away. Standing, she gazed around the area again. "Okay, I'm done for now. I'll let you know what Animal Control plans." They walked out of the area together and met two workers. Ling motioned for them to stop. He turned to Alex.

"Thank you for coming so quick. I'll have Samson moved and wait for your call." He turned to the men and instructed them to get a carrier and move Samson to isolation as Alex walked toward her Hummer.

Tuesday afternoon Alex sat at her desk, shaking her head. A stack of books occupied one corner and photos lay strewn across the top. "This can't be right." She picked up a photo of Samson's teeth. Reaching down, she opened a desk drawer and fumbled through it. She pulled out a magnifying glass and examined the picture. "This is so not right." Alex flipped through her notes, shook her head again and picked up the phone. "Mr. Wu, this is Officer Hunter." She picked up another photo. "Yes, I'm doing fine. I need to come back out and check the scene of the attack." Scooping up the photos she put them in a file folder. "No, that is fine. You don't have to be there. It won't take but a few minutes anyway." She dropped the file in a drawer, closed and locked it. "Thank you, I'll be there in about twenty minutes." Hanging up the phone, she grabbed her keys and looked up into the face of the shift commander.

He slammed an open file on her desk in front of her. "Explain who you talked with for forty-seven minutes in Germany." He leaned down, planted both hands on the desk and glared at her.

"The previous owners of the tiger. They raised it from a cub. I needed to know why they turned him over to the refuge."

"I gave you a simple cut-and-dried case. The tiger did it. If you want another case as detective you better close this one. I'll expect your final report on my desk today."

Alex stood, pushed her chair under the desk, then gazed into his eyes. "We don't always get what we want. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a case to solve." Brushing by him, she strode down the row of desks and out the door.

Alex pulled up to the open gate and drove through. She parked in front of the office, grabbed her field kit from the back and strolled inside. A small bell tinkled as the door opened and closed.

"Just a moment and I'll be with you,” a female voice called from the back room.

"No hurry." Alex called back and looked around the room. Display cases lined one wall. A desk sat opposite a wall covered in tiger posters, pictures and statistical charts. Alex made her way to a skeleton display and ran a finger down the spine.

"Hi. You must be Officer Hunter." A tall, thin redhead came from the back carrying a stack of books. "I'm Mary Sanders. Mr. Wu said you would be stopping by. I'm to help you however you need." She smiled. "It sure is a shame about Ms. Houseman. She really loved those tigers."

"My dad did too. He traveled all over doing tiger rescue and consulting on rehabilitation. He always brought me a figurine. I have a shelf full of them." Alex studied the woman. "Did you ever meet Ms. Houseman?"

"Oh yes. Lots of times. She would come out and visit the tigers. Always wore something with tiger stripes. Samson was her favorite I think." She shook her head. "I don't know why he would turn on her like that. Mr. Wu says sometimes they just turn. Something about being a wild animal in captivity but I don't know." The phone rang and she answered it with a smile. "GATR...one moment please." She placed her hand over the mouthpiece and looked at Alex.

"I'm going to go look at the attack scene again. I won't be long. You take your call and I'll say bye on the way out." She strode to the door and looked back at Mary. "Thanks for all your help."

Alex opened the gate to the tiger area and walked in, latched it behind her, then strode toward the scuffed grass. Walking around the dried blood, Alex stared at the ground. She knelt, pulled on a pair of gloves and started running her fingers through the grass. Her glove snagged, and she reached down and picked up a small white crescent-shaped piece. A frown crossed her face as she turned it in her hand. A small white bone lay pressed into the grass and she picked it up also. She placed them in an evidence bag, filled out the label and placed it in her kit. A twig snapped and she whirled toward the sound. "Oh sh…Samson." She stood and pulled her can of pepper spray from its holster. Took a step backwards toward the gate.

Samson broke into a lope coming at her. She stopped. “He's just a big ol' purr baby...wouldn't hurt a flea." Heart pounding, she stood still, pepper spray extended. Rubbing her palm on her jeans she reached down, unsnapped her holster, and wrapped her hand around the grip of her weapon. He ran across the grass covering the distance between them. Alex held her breath, her stomach knotted. "Ears flat means angry." With a flick of her wrist she tossed the can of pepper spray behind her, drew her weapon and slowly raised it.

Samson slowed, walked up to her and rubbed up against her leg. With a sigh, she holstered her weapon. Samson wound himself around her legs, then back around to her front. She reached down and rubbed his head. "You are not supposed to be here." He jumped up and wrapped his paws around her waist as she steadied herself. Grabbing his ruff of fur she looked into his amber eyes and listened to him purr. "You're nothing but a big ol' purr baby all right." She scratched him behind the ears, then made her way under his chin. "Yeah, I like you too." She pushed him down onto all fours, then wrapped her arms around his neck. Sliding a hand down his leg, she picked up his right paw and examined it. She released his foot, gave him another rub and laughed as he licked her face. "Great, tiger drool. Thanks, Samson." Alex wiped her cheek on her shirt, then picked up the can of pepper spray and put it in her pocket. Heading toward the gate with Samson at her side, her hand rested on his head. At the gate she paused, knelt down in front of the tiger. Looking him in the eyes, she took his ruff in her hands. "I promise...I'll get the guy who did this. Now, to find out who and why." Samson tried to give her another tiger kiss; she rubbed his head then strolled out the gate, wiping her face.

Three days later Alex pulled up to the Refuge office and got out of her Hummer. A patrol car parked next to her and two officers got out. The bell jingled as they walked in; Ling looked up and turned pale. Alex walked over to him, pulled his arms behind him and secured them with her cuffs. "You're under arrest for the murder of Mrs. Houseman. Her attorney will be filing charges on behalf of her estate for fraud and mismanagement of trust funds also." She listened as one of the officers read him his rights. The officer took his arm, started toward the door, then paused when Ling stopped and looked at Alex.

Alex looked Ling in the eye. "Did you know just like no tiger has the same stripe pattern that their paws are different? All the claw marks on the body were made with a right paw with a missing middle claw. Samson has all of his. Not only that…"––she walked over to the skeleton on display––"did you know your skeleton is missing a toe? I found it in the grass the other day. Samson has nice sharp canines. The bites on Mrs. Houseman are shallow and with a broken tooth. Just like the one on this skull. Nowhere near enough force to break her neck."

"I talked to his previous owner. They swore he would never hurt anyone. The only reason they brought him here had to do with a job transfer overseas." Alex nodded at the officer. "Help me get this skeleton in my Hummer then take him to the station. I'll meet you there––I just have one last thing to do."

Alex unlatched the gate and strolled into the tiger pen and met Samson coming at her. He leaped up, put his paws over her shoulder and licked her face. She steadied herself with a laugh and rubbed around his ears. "We got him, Samson. The attorneys will appoint another trustee and I'll be back every so often to check on you." He rubbed his head on her chest and purred. "In fact, I just may apply for the position." Alex pushed him down and they walked to the gate, her hand on his head. Giving him a final rub, she went out the gate, latched it securely, then walked toward her Hummer with a smile.