9780008390662

loose
A new police officer joins us. “Officer Williams.” She nods at Maya. “You’re
with the park, right?”
“Yes. I’m Maya.”
“This . . .” Officer Williams pauses. “We need to get this under control
ASAP. Winds are gonna pick up, and we haven’t even hit the eye. Storm
surge could be an issue. This one’s moving slow.”
“We’ve got a skeleton staff here,” says Maya as the meerkat attempts to eat
her earring. “Early reports say maybe a third of the habitats are damaged or
destroyed.” She shakes her head. “We’ve got some injuries, some possible
fatalities, too.”
“Human?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Anything loose that could be a . . . you know, problem?”
Maya presses her lips together. “Yep.”
“Such as?”
“A couple Florida panthers. Gray wolves. Python, maybe. Possibly an
alligator or two. American alligators, not Chinese.”
“I don’t care if they’re from Canada. If they eat people, we’re in trouble.”
“They don’t. Typically.”
“Typically,” Officer Williams repeats. “Well, that’s reassuring.”