Page 54 of Cole

Something warm flickered in Cole's dark eyes. "I'd like that too."

She set up the video call on her laptop, positioning it on the counter where she could work while talking. The familiar ringtone seemed to echo in the small cabin, and then her mother's face filled the screen. Karen Lynch, with the same blond hair as Janice, though now streaked with silver, had kind blue eyes that immediately sharpened with concern.

"Sweetheart! We've been worried sick. Your father and I have been—David! Come here! It's Janice!" Her mother turned away from the screen, calling into the depths of their home before looking back into the computer camera. "Are you okay? We haven't heard from you in days and with this storm⁠—"

"I'm okay, Mom." Janice felt tears prick at her eyes, unexpected emotion welling up at the sight of her mother's familiar face. "I'm okay, but... a lot has happened."

Her father appeared behind her mother, his weathered face creased with worry. David Lynch had the perpetually rumpled look of a man more interested in caring for his furry patients than in appearances, with his gray hair sticking up at odd angles. "Jannie-bug, what's going on? You look exhausted."

Janice took a deep breath and began to explain. The contamination she'd discovered. The illegal mining operation. The threats, the university pressure, the storm that had trapped her. She watched her parents' expressions shift from concern to shock to barely contained fury as the story unfolded.

"Those bastards," her father muttered when she described the dead wildlife. "Poisoning protected land, killing animals⁠—"

"David," her mother said quietly, but her own jaw was tight with anger.

"And you've been dealing with this alone?" Her father's voice cracked slightly. "Why didn't you call us sooner?"

"I wasn't alone." Janice glanced over at Cole, who had risen from the sofa and moved to stand just outside the camera's frame. "Dad, Mom, there's someone I want you to meet."

She gestured for Cole to come closer, and he stepped into view, positioning himself beside her. Janice watched her parents' faces as they took him in, confusion filling their expressions.

"This is Cole Iverson. He's with Lighthouse Security Investigations. He came to help me when... when things got dangerous."

"Dr. and Dr. Lynch," Cole greeted them respectfully. "It's good to meet you, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

Her mother's sharp eyes moved between Cole and Janice, and Janice knew that look. Her mom was cataloging every detail, drawing conclusions about exactly how close her daughter and this man had become.

"Thank you," her mother said finally, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you for taking care of our girl. And please call us Karen and David."

"She's pretty good at taking care of herself," Cole replied, and Janice felt warmth bloom in her chest at the simple acknowledgment. "I'm just backup."

Her father cleared his throat, visibly pulling himself together. "So what's the plan now? You said the university is compromised. You can't send samples through their channels."

"That's why I'm calling." Janice turned back to her sample containers. "I collected tissue samples from some of the dead wildlife today. Liver, kidney, blood. But I need a lab I can trust to analyze them, and right now I don't trust anyone connected to the university."

Her parents exchanged a wordless look of communication that came from many years of marriage and partnership.

"Send them to us," her mother said firmly. "Our lab can run the toxicology panels. Heavy metals, organ function markers, histopathology. We have everything we need."

"And we're not connected to any institution Penson could pressure," her father added. "Private practice, independent lab. The chain of custody stays clean."

Relief flooded through Janice so intensely she had to grip the counter for support. "Are you sure? This could get complicated. If Penson finds out you're involved⁠—"

"Let him try," her father growled. "I'd like to see some corporate criminal try to intimidate me in my own clinic. I've faced down angry bulls and territorial stallions. Some rich bastard in a suit doesn't scare me."

"David," her mother said again, smiling now. "What your father means is that we're happy to help. This is exactly why we got into veterinary medicine… protecting animals who can't protect themselves."

Janice felt tears threatening again and blinked them back. "Thank you. Both of you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"That's what parents are for, sweetheart." Her mother leaned closer to the camera. "Now, walk me through what you've collected. Let's make sure you're preserving everything properly for transport."

Janice pulled on fresh nitrile gloves and began laying out her samples. "I collected liver and kidney tissue from a red fox, two herons, a kingfisher, and a deer. Everything's been preserved in ten percent neutral buffered formalin for histopathology."

"Good," her mother said approvingly. "We'll be able to see the tissue damage under microscopy."

"I also collected fresh tissue samples that I've kept on ice." Janice held up several smaller containers. "For those, I wanted to do heavy metal quantification, so I needed unfixed tissue."

Her father nodded. "Smart. What's your preservation protocol for the fresh samples?"