Park shook his head, and Cooper intervened. “Nature documentaries sound like cool work.” Frankly he didn’t know jack squat about them. His preferred movie genres usually involved a lot more dialogue and hard drinking than the average panda got up to, but he figured if he wanted them to buy that he was the sort of person to find the jungle tour thrilling enough to come back for seconds, he’d best show a little enthusiasm here as well. “Do you usually film in zoos?”

“God, no,” Hirano said. “Filming a wild animal free in its own habitat is the only way to get a true representation of their natural behaviors, social dynamics.” She gestured at the Andean bear, who had started pacing his cage. “The only true thing footage of this guy tells your average viewer is that his species is in trouble.”

“Not really what I expected to hear from the zoo’s primary publicist,” Park said wryly.

“On the contrary, after twenty years in the field, I believe in supporting our commitment to conservation research more than ever,” Hirano said promptly. Then added, “Plus, my partner’s not too keen on me going on six-month stakeouts in the wilderness just in the hopes of catching that perfect shot of moose bucks sparring or wolf pups emerging from the den. After my accident, I promised her no more. Now the most frustrating part of my job is trying to track down flighty philanthropists who commit to filming and then don’t show.” She squinted at Park. “I swear I’ve seen your face before. Modeling? Porn?”

Park smiled. “I’m flattered, but no. Maybe we crossed paths in the wilderness sometime.”

Beside him, Sophie laughed, which she quickly turned into a cough. “I should probably be getting back to work soon,” she said, glancing questioningly at Cooper, who nodded, grateful for her help.

“No problem,” Ryan said, checking his watch. “I’d be happy to give you guys a tour. As long as you don’t mind waiting while I do the sea lion feed—”

Behind them, the bear suddenly slammed against the cage, startling everyone, and let out a deep lowing sound.

“That’s odd,” Ryan said, frowning. “He’s normally pretty disinterested in people. I’ve been dealing with reports of atypical behavior all day.”

“Animals always know when something is up before you do,” Hirano said, looking grim. “Who’s on shift today? James?”

Cooper carefully didn’t react.

“No,” Ryan said, checking the clipboard in his hand. “Selena. Though I’m sure James is around somewhere. It is a filming day, after all.” He chuckled, and even Hirano looked briefly amused.

“Come on then.” Ryan clapped his hands. “The sea lions get grumpy if they don’t keep to their schedule. After that I’ll give you the deluxe behind-the-scenes tour.”