The Fake Heiress and Her Purrfect Partner novel Chapter 188

Chapter 188 A Familiar Suspect

Chapter 188 A Familiar Suspect

Nina pulled up a few pictures of gray hoodies on her phone, dimmed the screen, and held it up in front of the kestrel.

“Was the person who hurt you wearing a gray hoodie like this?” she asked.

The kestrel’s head lay limply, but its round eyes followed the screen as Nina scrolled through the images.

It gave the tiniest of nods. “Yeah, that’s the kind of dull gray one…

“He was a super tall guy and got out of a black car.

“The car just dropped him off by the park wall and then took off.”

The kestrel let out a shaky breath. “I saw him with a backpack, climbing over the wall. I got curious and couldn’t help but stare a bit longer.

“Then he pulled out this huge white kite from his bag.”

Its eyes widened. “There was this little black box strapped to the kite.”

“A little black box?” Nina whispered, her voice barely more than a breath. “That’s probably something to set it off.”

The kestrel let out a pitiful chirp, tried to shift but winced as the pain flared up, so it just lay there obediently.

The kestrel grumbled, “It’s all my fault for being too nosy.

“That guy was flying a kite, and I just couldn’t help craning my neck to see what he was up to.”

Nina nodded, getting the picture.

After all, kestrels were a protected species. No one would have the guts to mess with a bird of prey.

The kestrel complained, “Most of the time, when people spot me, they’re just snapping pics and yelling from far away.

“But who could’ve guessed this creep would be so different?”

The kestrel suddenly puffed up, feathers bristling. “He spotted me and straight-up fired steel pellets at me.

“I was never all that good at flying anyway.”

It drooped its head, its voice fading to a whisper. “Missed the dodge, and he got me.

Nina gently stroked the soft feathers around its neck, trying to comfort it.

This kestrel seemed a lot gentler than most other raptors.

Nina asked, “After that guy knocked you out of the sky, did he try to hurt you again?”

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The kestrel nodded. “Yeah. He was coming right for me, but then those elders who always sing and play music in the park showed up.

“He took off in a flash.

“Hmph, he probably got scared after doing something shady.”

Nina pulled out a charcoal pencil and her sketchbook, then began to sketch out the suspect’s face, using the kestrel’s account as a guide.

The way his features lined up kept nagging at her. Something about this guy looked awfully familiar.

Once she had pinned down the exact spot where the suspect climbed over the wall, Nina wasted no time and called Simon.

She asked urgently, “Simon, can you check if there was a black car seen near the southwest side of the park in the half hour leading up to the fire?

“The kestrel said the suspect was about to finish it off after hurting it.

“But then he heard the group of elderly folks who always sing in the park and he bolted.”

Nina sent over the sketch of the suspect she’d just drawn.

Simon replied right away, “Got it. Leave it to me.”

Then he hung up.

Nina kept her hopes in check as she gently gave the kestrel a few drops of water with a syringe. “Get some rest, okay? “Don’t worry. The cops will catch the creep who it su

The kestrel huddled up, feathers fluffed. “I trus.

Successfully unlocked!

Nina noticed the kestrel staring right at her, not blinking once. She guessed it must be hungry.

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Chapter 188 A Familiar Suspect

So she grabbed the recovery meal she’d prepared and held a thin, toothpick-sized strip of meat up to its beak. The kestrel instantly opened its mouth and slurped the meat down.

‘Why does the meat she gives me taste so much better?’ the kestrel thought, feeling a burst of happiness.

It cocked its head. “Honestly, being injured isn’t so bad if it means I get to eat your tasty meat.

“I haven’t had meat this fresh and delicious in ages.”

Nina looked confused. “Did you usually have to eat scraps before?”

The kestrel lowered its head, looking a bit embarrassed. “Honestly… I’m just not as good at hunting or flying as the other

kestrels.

“I can hardly catch any prey, so I end up scavenging through the park’s trash bins for scraps.

“Back when I was little, my parents taught my siblings how to hunt, but I just couldn’t keep up at all.”

Nina saw how shy and timid the kestrel was, totally different from the tough-guy style of Crow and his raptor buddies, and she got it instantly.

This kestrel was basically the underachiever in the raptor honor roll.

It just wasn’t cut out for the wild.

As it ate, the kestrel suddenly looked really down. “Nina, you shouldn’t bother wasting your food and medicine on me.

“With me hurt like this, I don’t even know what’s going to happen to me now.

“Maybe I should just go find a quiet spot and wait it out. That’s what all the old or injured kestrels end up doing anyway.”

Once a raptor got hurt or too old to hunt, they just went off somewhere quiet and waited to die.

Nina gently stroked the kestrel’s feathers, her heart aching. “You silly little thing, there’s no way we’d ever just let you give up like that.

“Just focus on getting better. Once you’re healed, you can stay at the zoo or head to a raptor sanctuary. It’s totally up to you.”

Just then, Crow flapped into the room, looking pretty pleased with himself. “Ms. Summer, the big shots from my crew agreed to guard the seeds at the AgriTech Center.

“Golden Eagle’s on shift today.”

Nina let out a sigh of relief. “I was worried your big-shot crew wouldn’t want to take on security duty.”

Crow tilted his head, looking all serious as he relayed the message.

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