The investigation took six weeks.
During that time, I kept Juniper's log every morning and every evening. Dr. Sloane weighed her twice a week. The blue mark never returned. Juniper ate steadily, shed cleanly, and eventually grew enough to fill the width of her enclosure without curling into herself.
The state wildlife office found the original seizure report at a private facility outside Harrow Bay. The report named Northstar's contractor as the company responsible for transporting Juniper after she was recovered from an unlicensed collection site. The locator had been installed without a clear consent record. A technician had signed for it under a contract that described the animal as temporary research property.
The owner of the facility denied authorizing the tracking device. Northst
