Murder On Wild Winds Island

CHAPTER FOUR

I checked my email before going to bed and saw I had one from Gerard.

I felt like Charlie's Angels except they were a lot more glamourous than me and they knew what they were doing.

After two days on Wild Winds Island I'd decided it was time to get on with it and see if I could make it work.

I was still frustrated I'd been left without supervision, but I'd decided to embrace it and see what happened.

'Dear Morgan,

Apologies for the lack of communication.  I hope you're settling in. 

I've had a request from the wild life park.  They've just welcomed a new baby koala and would like you to write a piece about it.  Just the standard cuddly feel good story.

Let me know if there's any problems with that log in.

Kind regards,

Gerard'

I didn't know where the wild life park was, but I was going to find out.

I did some searching online and found their website.  It looked like a beautiful park on the other side of the island.  It wasn't huge, but the animals they had looked healthy and happy.

I wondered if I'd get a chance to cuddle a koala but I decided not to set my heart on it; especially if one of them had just had a baby.

'Hi Gerard,

Thanks for the email.

I'll head out to visit them tomorrow.

Have a great night.

Thanks,
Morgan'

I reread my brief email several times trying to decide if it was too formal or blunt but I went with it anyway.

Whether we were in the same town or not, he was still my employer but he'd clearly paid me to use my initiative. 

I thought about the message from Mum and started to feel a little lonely.  My wallowing was interrupted by Apricat jumping onto my bed and rubbing his big, solid head against my hand.

He curled up next to me and purred louder than any other cat I'd ever heard; even if I was unsure, he seemed happy I was on the island.

I fell asleep questioning my decision to come to Wild Winds Island.  I patted Apricat's soft fur and drifted off to sleep dreaming about confusion and baby koalas.

~

"So as you can see, the koala joey is doing really well and will no doubt be running the whole place in no time."  The woman dressed in khakis said as she smiled at the small group of us and started to take questions.

I'd introduced myself at the entrance to the park as the journalist for the Wild Winds Daily News and had been greeted warmly.

I was pondering the 'daily' part of the name of the paper and wondered if that was really expected of me when I realised the group of tourists had cleared out and the woman who had been speaking about the koalas had asked me a question.

I shook my head, "Sorry, what did you say?" 

It was Autumn but the sun had more bite in it than I'd planned for and I was feeling a little hot and bothered in my long sleeved top.

She smiled, "I said would you like a coffee."

I nodded, "Actually I'd love one, thank you."

She led me to the small cafe I'd seen coming into the park and looked to the young woman behind the counter to take our order.