The Huntsman Read Free Page B

a sound. I know you can do
it, Ashley. Are you ready?” She bit her lip and nodded.” Miranda gripped the
hand and shoulder of her good arm. “Here we go. One, two, three.”
    The young girl’s mouth opened. For a moment Miranda thought she
would scream and startle the hippo. She struggled to her feet in obvious agony
but made no sound. Miranda guided her out. Ben made no move.
    Outside, the zoo’s gathered staff broke into cheers and applause.
While the EMT’s placed Ashley on a gurney and loaded her into the ambulance,
Miranda gave instructions to secure the pen area. She waited for the medics to
finish stabilizing her intern then clambered in. Miranda brushed a hair from
Ashley’s forehead, smiled, and held her hand. Before the rear door closed, Greg
and the cameraman rushed up. “Smile. You’re going to be a front-page hero.” She
glowered at him.

CHAPTER
3   Inside an Enigma
     
     
    Clifford
Easton pulled his glasses farther down his patrician nose, flipped past the
Miranda-Logan-splashed front page. Inside, the Columbus Dispatch had even
recounted her exploits as a young intern, hyped with several photos of her
precious hippo. Already something of a celebrity since that incident, now she
had become a star. He grudgingly admitted the publicity had to be a net
positive for the zoo but would also make dealing with her more difficult. A
sigh accompanied the page turn. A deeper one escaped when it revealed more
stories detailing the rescue. His eyes rolled at every mention of heroic.
    Not
for the first time he railed against his predecessor who’d given her free rein
to do as she pleased. Her continued defiance made for a public safety
lawsuit-in-waiting and undermined his authority. This incident only confirmed a
ticking time bomb worked on his staff. She spared no opportunity to ignore his
directives but not in an insubordinate, disrespectful way. She listened
politely, promised compliance, pledged her support, and then ignored him. Her
many friends on the zoo’s advisory board maintained a protective blanket over
their star zoologist but he smiled at the thought manna had just dropped from
heaven.
    “Mr.
Easton, your 2pm, Dr. Logan, is here.” Clifford pressed his intercom.
    “Thank
you, Pam. Send her in please.
    Outside,
Pam smiled at Miranda and whispered conspiratorially. “I cheer when you stand
up to his crap. He’s such an arrogant jerk.”
    “It’s
not hard. His gender limits him.” Pam stifled a giggle and buzzed her in.
    “Good
afternoon, Dr. Logan. You look none the worse for wear after your heroic
exploits. Congratulations.”
    “Thank
you, Clifford. Work keeping you up late?” Easton sighed.
    “It
never ends. Solve one problem and another pops up. Speaking of which, have you
determined how that hippo entered a stall with a staff member inside?”
    “Ashley’s
going to be fine, thank you. As it turns out, someone entered a wrong time on
the maintenance schedule. The computer flashed a message the gate needed
opening and the on-duty technician pressed Ok. I’ve ordered an immediate
suspension of all electronic monitoring and my two deputies are re-implementing
the old manual system.”
    Clifford
maintained an outward calm but seethed inside. “Shouldn’t you have consulted me
before making changes to a system the zoo spent $4 million implementing?”
    “Well,
as you indicated, you’re up late with one problem after another. I thought
you’d welcome my easing your workload.” Easton stared at her.
    “Dr.
Logan. You cannot conduct your affairs as if you’re running an independent
operation.”
    “I’m
working as part of a team. When each member does the job they’re responsible
for, the entire team benefits.” Easton stared at her.
    “We
have a chain of command here, Dr. Logan. It exists to facilitate two-way
communication.”
    “I
can see how my actions might be interpreted as undercutting the chain of command.
I do apologize, Clifford. I assure you I had no such