1 PAWsible Suspects Read Online Free Page B

head for it.”
    I smiled. “Either you’re a dog person, or you’re not.”
    “I’m not. I’m happy to be around people, and forget the pets. Don’t tell Della I said that though. I think she knows that I don’t like her.” She eyed the dog, which was still sitting on my lap and accepting the stroke of my hand against her fur. Della didn’t even bother to look at Ida, which gave a good indication of how she felt about the situation. She knew who liked her and who didn’t.
    “Della, will you be okay here?” I asked. The dog turned at the mention of her name, and her wise, dark eyes looked at me as one who had seen it all. The dark brown orbs were sage and sad at the same time. Scottie eyes often looked this way, and I love to gaze into them. They remind me of things that I would never know.
    I decided to bust the dog out of there, and I cleared my throat. “Della said that she really misses Perry and would like to be with other dogs. She’d like to go home with me, if that’s okay with you?”
    I wasn’t sure if Ida Jenkins believed in my abilities, or if she just wanted Della gone, but her response to the question was to hand me a huge bag of food, bedding, and medications. “Here. Just leave me a number where I can find you. You said that you know Ruby’s friends, right? That should be fine with her.”
    I nodded, thinking that it wasn’t what I’d said, but it was in fact the truth. My mother was friends with Ruby. I noticed my use of the past tense and wondered if I’d done that based on some subconscious thing I’d noticed, or if I just put people I didn’t know in a different tense. I took the bag and the dog and headed out to my car. Della sat on my lap the whole way home.

Chapter Three
    Between taking care of Della and my other pets and trying to think of why a woman who never left her pets had gone out and not returned, I spent a fruitless evening. Della had little else to tell me. She was well-groomed. Her tags were up-to-date, and she’d had her rabies shot last summer. She had an attractive, if somewhat gaudy collar with a collection of baubles, including a large broach on it that clinked when she walked. Bruno was her best friend in less than ten minutes, and their constant game of chasing each other made it difficult to think. Finally I gave up and went to bed.
     
    I was still on my second cup of coffee when the doorbell rang. I opened the door cautiously, leaving on the chain. It was the woman police detective from the Jenkins house. She was wearing another pantsuit, but it was navy blue this time. The silver eyes were narrowed, and the flawless skin was puckered up around her frowning mouth. This was not a friendly visit. She meant business.
    “Do you have that dog in here?” she asked without a hello.
    “If by ‘that dog’ you mean Della, then yes, I do. Ida Jenkins asked me to take her until her sister is found.”
    “Oh what? The little Scottie didn’t ask to come home with you?” The sarcasm practically dripped from her voice. It did nothing to diminish my ardor. She still looked attractive, even as she ridiculed my work. It was hard to get too angry, when technically she was right.
    “Actually, she did. She missed Perry and wanted to be with other animals.” I gave her a big smile to see if that would lighten the mood.
    “Did she mention the part where this little stunt could be considered tampering with evidence?” she asked.
    “If this was evidence, why did you let Della go home with Ida Jenkins? Wouldn’t you have kept her in custody? A relative is a much stronger suspect in a crime than a random guy who talks to pets.”
    The woman growled, which made the dogs stop chasing each other long enough to stare at her. They weren’t used to me talking dog, either barking or growling. After a few seconds, they forgot about it and went back to chase.
    “We don’t take animals into custody. It’s not like they can be tried for a crime or held as a material witness.