Sparkle Read Free Page B

slightly as he fumbled for it, grateful for anything that might take his mind off the scene he’d left behind.

Chapter 3
    Jolie Walker, wearing her brown Woodfield Park Zoo uniform, stood in front of the chimpanzee habitat. She smiled in anticipation as she made a call.
    “Sparkle Cleaners, Joe speaking,” came the flat, tired voice at the other end. As always, Joe sounded as though he was doing something else and couldn’t wait to end the conversation. Jolie knew him well enough to get to the point. Today, maybe, she’d give Joe something to smile about.
    “Hi, Joe. It’s Jolie, from the zoo. I’m calling about Eddie.”
    “Oh, great.” Joe sounded irritated. “Is something wrong? Please tell me you’re going to be there tomorrow, Jolie. It’s not going to be pretty if Eddie doesn’t get to see you.”
    “No, don’t worry. I just wanted to let you know we got the grant. It’s going to cover my salary to take Eddie on his tour every week.”
    “Oh, wow.” Joe’s tone softened. “So…what do I have to do?”
    “Nothing, Joe. Just bring him. Like always.”
    “Just like that?”
    “Yep,” Jolie said. “Isn’t it great? For the next year, anyway.”
    For Jolie, it meant an automatic boost in pay. For Joe, it meant he wouldn’t have to worry about Eddie spazzing out and throwing a fit if Jolie wasn’t there. For Eddie, it meant the world. After Joe, Jolie Walker was Eddie’s favorite living person.
    “So…that’s great. I’ll tell Eddie,” Joe said. “I can tell him—it’s a sure thing, right?”
    “Sure as they get.”
    “Okay, then. See you tomorrow.”
    “Okay. Bye.” Jolie hung up.
    She’d gotten through to Joe, she could tell.
    “Hey there, Jolie. Can I talk with you a minute?”
    It was Mark Bender, her boss. Mark had recently taken on the assistant head zookeeper job. He’d been at Woodfield for about four months, and he was still having some trouble finding his place. He’d completed his MS in zoology from the University of Idaho the previous summer. Before that, he’d spent a couple of years working as a zookeeper in Salt Lake City, after getting his BS at Brigham Young. He’d grown up with animals all his life, was a 4H junior farmer and the whole bit, and early on told Jolie one of the reasons he’d wanted to come to Seattle was for the great fishing—although the hunting was apparently not as good as in Idaho.
    “Sure, Mark, what is it?”
    “Well…you were just talking to that guy, that guy’s brother…”
    “Joe. Eddie’s brother.”
    “Right. Eddie.”
    Mark wasn’t a Mormon, but he was damn conservative for Seattle. He was trying hard to fit in, though. He’d come along for beers with the zookeepers after work on several occasions, and Jolie noticed he didn’t seem to have much tolerance for alcohol. After a beer or two, he’d start getting kind of loud, even slurring a bit. Then he’d catch himself and excuse himself for the night. One time, she’d asked him if he was okay to drive. He’d looked at her with the oddest, half confused-half irritated expression, mumbling something barely audible before heading out the door.
    “I was just letting him know that the grant came through and I’ll be taking Eddie around every week.”
    ‘Yes. Well that’s great, Jolie. Listen, though. I’m not sure how to say this, but the kind of disability this young man—“
    “Eddie.” Jolie smiled at Mark’s use of “young man.” They had to be practically the same age.
    “Right, what is Eddie’s diagnoses, exactly?”
    “Why?”
    “Well…I was wondering, has he ever…acted out in any way?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Has he ever displayed any…violent tendencies?”
    “Omigod, no. Eddie’s a lamb. He’s the sweetest, gentlest person you ever want to meet.”
    “I know, but, I actually have a little experience with this kind of—is he autistic, or what?”
    “It’s a little sketchy, Mark. Something happened to him when he was a kid. It’s