That didn’t mean Cooper had any doubts about the relationship. Park was a grown-up and had shown time and time again that he wanted to be with Cooper. Who the fuck was Cooper to tell him he was wrong?

What he did wonder, though, was as a partner, as a fiancé, as a husband, what was his responsibility in stepping out of his own comfortable habits and healing some of that hurt? What about as Park’s supposed alpha? As far as building a pack went, Cooper had contributed Boogie, and though she certainly doted on Park, that wasn’t exactly the same thing, was it?

“There’s Sophie,” Park said, breaking Cooper out of his thoughts. He turned to greet his sister-in-law.

“Hey! You made it!” she said, waving as she approached. “I was surprised to get your call.”

“Surprise does seem to be de rigueur this season. I really appreciate you agreeing to show us around,” Cooper said.

“Are you kidding? I practically had to lock Dean in the bathroom to keep him from coming along, too. He’s been whining about being voted off the quest all day. Although I’m not clear exactly on what you expect to find.”

“Information, mostly,” Park said. “How long James has been working here, if he has an office, where he spends the majority of his time.”

If Eli was correct and James was stashing the recording somewhere here at his work, their best bet was to trace his steps as quickly and thoroughly as they could before he was alerted to their presence. Cooper pulled out his phone and showed her the picture of James he’d had Eli forward both him and Park this morning. “Ever see this guy around?”

Sophie squinted. “I think so. But you’ll have better luck talking to one of the other keepers. I can find someone for you to ask.” She led them down the trail.

“You’re the vet on set for some kind of video project, right?” Cooper asked as they walked.

Sophie laughed. “Not exactly. The zoo already has a great medical team here. But they’re hugely busy and my research back in the day specialized in the effects of stress on captive reptiles. Because the crew is primarily handling those, I was brought in to consult.” She shrugged. “Honestly, I was kind of surprised to be asked. But it’s been lots of fun.”

“What is it exactly that they’re filming?” Park asked.

“The zoo is partnering with a conservation organization to raise money: Wild Nature Conservation. The director of the org is some ex-TV star, so they’ve been filming a series of quick little shorts with her for the website as an educational campaign and kicking it all off with a big fundraising party tomorrow.” She grinned. “It’s a haunted Halloween gala, actually. There will be a couple keepers onsite with some of the more manageable animals. Tickets are eight fifty a pop. Dean and I are getting in free.”