Chapter 147: Elaine Rivers Is Missing
Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Elaine Rivers Is Missing
Just as Renee Jennings was about to leave Tiger Park, Rory stopped her.
"Renee, Tiger wants to take a picture with you! Then you can post it online so everyone knows we’re good friends!"
Hearing the commotion, Niner hurried over. "Then Tiger wants a picture with Renee, too!"
When the other tigers heard this, they also started to join in on the fun. Even Sol, who had been in low spirits, pushed his way forward, not wanting to be left out.
Watching this unfold, Renee suddenly found it rather amusing.
’How come all these big tigers remind me of the kindergarteners when I go to pick up Zane and Jasmine from school?’
"All right, everyone can get a picture. Don’t worry," Renee said with a smile, calming the tigers. "There’s no need to argue. We’ll take our time."
At her words, the jostling tiger brothers finally quieted down, obediently waiting for her to organize them.
Looking at the well-behaved tigers, Renee said gently, "Let’s line up by age. The oldest will go first, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Carter sighed. "Does that mean Tiger has to be last?"
Sabin gloated, "Heh heh, I never thought being old had its perks."
After the photos were taken, the tiger brothers clamored to see them.
Renee was happy to oblige, so she sat cross-legged on a rock.
Several of the big tigers crowded around her.
Renee opened the photos one by one to show them.
"Tiger looks so handsome!" Rory said with a touch of vanity.
Hearing this, Renee raised an eyebrow slightly. "You’re mistaken. That’s Niner."
"Huh?" Rory’s eyes went wide in astonishment. "Isn’t that Tiger?"
"Nope." Renee’s eyes crinkled with laughter. "You and Niner do look quite a bit alike."
"Alike?" Rory sounded displeased. "Tiger thinks he’s way more handsome!"
Niner immediately gave him a headbutt. "What are you talking about? Tiger is way cooler than you!"
Rory shot him a glare. "Shameless!"
Niner let out an angry roar. "What’s that supposed to mean? You want to fight?"
Rory huffed haughtily. "Renee’s here. Tiger doesn’t want to fight."
"Fine." Niner also snorted. "Once Renee leaves, Tiger is definitely going to beat you up!"
Rory retorted, "We’ll see who beats up who!"
Hearing the two tigers bickering, Renee said with a sigh, "You two, don’t fight. You look so much alike; would you really be willing to mess up a face that looks just like your own?"
Rory hesitated. "Now that you mention it, I guess I would feel a little bad."
Niner nodded as well. "Tiger, too."
A faint smile played on Renee’s lips. "Then don’t fight."
Rory and Niner both obediently agreed and went back to looking at the photos.
"All right, that’s all of them." Renee slipped her phone into her pocket, stood up, and patted the two tigers on the head. "I should get going."
"Renee," Sol called out to her. "Remember to help Tiger!"
Renee turned and gave him an "OK" sign. "Don’t worry."
As soon as she left Tiger Park, she went to find Evan Griffin in his office.
Evan Griffin poured her a cup of hot tea in a disposable cup, sat across from her, and asked with concern, "Consultant Jennings, what’s the situation with Sol?"
"Don’t be so anxious, Director Griffin. It’s good news." Renee took a sip of her tea. "Sol has a crush on a tiger."
Evan Griffin stared at her blankly, as if wondering if he’d heard her correctly. He spoke hesitantly, "What did you just say?"
Renee said slowly, "Sol told me that when he went to another tiger park a while ago, he fell for a tiger there named Petunia."
"Huh?" Evan Griffin hadn’t expected Sol to fall for a tiger from Lynfell Zoo. "Lynfell Zoo borrowed a tiger from us a little while ago. Sol stayed there for two weeks."
"Sol wants to see Petunia," Renee said. "Can you arrange that for him?"
Evan Griffin thought for a moment, then frowned. "It can be arranged, but the paperwork won’t be quick. Can Sol wait?"
"It’s hard to say." Renee couldn’t be sure either.
"I’ll try to think of something else." Evan Griffin was both overjoyed and worried.
He was overjoyed that one of his tigers was experiencing its first crush.
He was worried that one of his tigers was lovesick.
’So that’s why Sol had been acting so strangely these last few days. He was thinking about Petunia.’
Renee thought for a moment and suggested, "Or maybe they could have a video call? It could help ease Sol’s longing for now."
"Great idea!" Evan Griffin thought it was an excellent plan and immediately called the head of the tiger enclosure at Lynfell Zoo.
He might have thought it was a great idea, but the person on the other end certainly didn’t. "You guys have an animal consultant. What do we have? Who are we supposed to get to hold a phone for Petunia’s video call?"
Evan Griffin was speechless.
He was so thoroughly rebuffed that he didn’t dare say a word in response.
’Whose fault was it that his boy had to fall for their girl?’
Renee suggested in a low voice, "Director Griffin, why not ask them to record a few videos of Petunia for Sol to watch?"
"I’ll give it a try." When Evan Griffin proposed this instead, Lynfell immediately agreed.
After hanging up, Evan Griffin put on an ingratiating smile. "Consultant Jennings, you aren’t busy in a little while, are you?"
"I understand," Renee said calmly. "I’ll leave after Sol has seen the videos of Petunia."
Evan Griffin instantly breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, Consultant Jennings."
"You’re too kind." Renee set down her teacup, leaned back lazily on the sofa, and turned to look out the window at the green leaves swaying gently in the wind.
After a moment, she pulled her phone out of her hoodie pocket and posted the photo of herself with the tiger brothers on TikTok.
Just then, a new message notification popped up on her WeChat.
Renee tapped on it and saw that Henry Stark had sent over Elaine Rivers’s file.
Her last travel record was from February 2nd; after spending the New Year in her hometown, she took a high-speed train to Zenvia.
Her last payment record was on February 13th. She bought fruit at a convenience store for a friend, who she’d asked to look after her pet cat. After that, it was as if she had vanished from the face of the earth, with no subsequent spending or travel records.
Renee’s lovely brows furrowed as she typed quickly: [Did you find anything on Elaine Rivers’s boyfriend?]
Before she could send the message, another text from Henry Stark came in: [The investigation shows Elaine Rivers has a boyfriend named Herbert Lee. He’s a graduate of a prestigious university, works in the finance industry, and is currently working his normal schedule.]
Renee stared at the text, her expression gradually growing solemn.
’Herbert Lee is Elaine Rivers’s boyfriend, and Bubbles said Elaine was going on a long trip with her boyfriend, which is why she left him with a friend to be looked after.’
’Now Elaine Rivers is missing, but Herbert Lee is still going to work as normal?’
Renee gripped her phone, deleted the text she had just typed, and started a new message:
[Henry, can you look into this Herbert Lee? Elaine Rivers’s pet cat said she was going on a long trip with her boyfriend, and a netizen told me that her boyfriend came from the mountains...]
Henry Stark understood what she meant and replied quickly: [Sure.]
Renee closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she found Faye Wyatt sitting on the armchair across from her, watching her. She had no idea when she’d come in.