Read Online Clawed: A Gin & Tonic Mystery by L. A. Kornetsky - Free Book Online
Authors: L. A. Kornetsky
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join the discussion, or did you just want to say hi to Georgie?”
The cat let out a faint mrrowr—also unusual for her, since she wasn’t much of a talker—and settled back into Teddy’s lap, her tail curled primly around her hindquarters, her gaze on the screen, as though to say that the conference could now proceed. Despite the seriousness of the matter, Teddy had to chuckle. Well, every PI had a sidekick, right? They had two. And Georgie at least earned her keep, playing guard dog and conversation starter, as needed.
“So we’re not going to investigate this ourselves,” Ginny said, going back to their pre-interruption discussion. “Not in any kind of official or semi-official capacity. Because that would be foolish. And also dumb, getting in the cops’ way. Right?”
“Right. We’re just . . . looking into things, in case there’s something we can figure out, that we can pass along to help clear you of suspicion. Then the cops can go do their part of the job, and catch the actual killer instead of side-eyeing you, and you can get back to work without this hanging over your shoulder annoyingly.”
“Right.” Ginny nodded again. They were in complete agreement. “So, first step is . . . what? Find out who actually owned the house, and if the dead guy was the owner, or renter, or happened to be passing through in time to get killed?”
Penny mrrowed, louder this time, and Georgie answered her with a snort, settling back down into Ginny’s lap. “Shush, kids,” Ginny said, knuckling the top of the dog’s head affectionately.
“Finding the owners will take you ten minutes of digging, and you’ll do it before you go to bed,” Teddy said. He was actually surprised she hadn’t done it already, but being side-eyed for a murder could throw anyone off their game, even Ginny. “I think the first thing you need to do tomorrow is Operation Neighborhood Walk.”
“I suck at Operation Neighborhood Walk,” she said glumly. “You’re better at it.”
“Yah well, I’m here and you’re there. Suck it up, Gin. It’s not like you’re doing the hard work, anyway. Georgie is.”
She opened her mouth to protest, then made a “yeah, you’re right” face, and nodded.
* * *
Penny purred, gently kneading her front claws into Theodore’ s leg, while her ears twitched back and forth, picking up Georgie’s voice under the humans’ speaking.
“She didn’t let me go with her,” Georgie was complaining. “I had to stay in this room all day! ”
“Make her take you tomorrow,” Penny said. “Soil the carpet if you have to.”
“I couldn’t do that!”
“You’d rather be left behind? ”
Georgie grumbled, and licked Ginny’s hand as though to apologize ahead of time.
“Just . . . She likes taking you places. Be enthusiastic. Suck up to her, make her think you don’t like being left alone.”
“ I don’t!”
Penny sighed. She was fond of Georgie, but some days she just wanted to bat the dog’s ears, hard. “Then it should be easy, right? You need to do this, Georgie . I’m here; I can’t do everything this time.”
Georgie settled back into her human’s lap and rested her nose on the edge of the keyboard, so all Penny could see was the top of her head. “All right. But I don’ t like it. And if she’s mad at me, I’m blaming you.”
Penny’s tail twitched, the only sign she gave that she was amused. “Fair enough.”
5
S he was chasing after a large orange bird with plastic wings that couldn’t quite get it off the ground but kept it just out of reach, and Georgie was no help, sitting on the sideline with her tongue hanging out, laughing at her owner’s efforts.
“Don’t use your hands, use your nose,” the dog suggested, and Ginny has just enough time to consider that before she realized how absurd the whole thing was, and the alarm on her phone went off.
Ginny managed to grab at the offending noise without having to look. Turning it off,
The cat let out a faint mrrowr—also unusual for her, since she wasn’t much of a talker—and settled back into Teddy’s lap, her tail curled primly around her hindquarters, her gaze on the screen, as though to say that the conference could now proceed. Despite the seriousness of the matter, Teddy had to chuckle. Well, every PI had a sidekick, right? They had two. And Georgie at least earned her keep, playing guard dog and conversation starter, as needed.
“So we’re not going to investigate this ourselves,” Ginny said, going back to their pre-interruption discussion. “Not in any kind of official or semi-official capacity. Because that would be foolish. And also dumb, getting in the cops’ way. Right?”
“Right. We’re just . . . looking into things, in case there’s something we can figure out, that we can pass along to help clear you of suspicion. Then the cops can go do their part of the job, and catch the actual killer instead of side-eyeing you, and you can get back to work without this hanging over your shoulder annoyingly.”
“Right.” Ginny nodded again. They were in complete agreement. “So, first step is . . . what? Find out who actually owned the house, and if the dead guy was the owner, or renter, or happened to be passing through in time to get killed?”
Penny mrrowed, louder this time, and Georgie answered her with a snort, settling back down into Ginny’s lap. “Shush, kids,” Ginny said, knuckling the top of the dog’s head affectionately.
“Finding the owners will take you ten minutes of digging, and you’ll do it before you go to bed,” Teddy said. He was actually surprised she hadn’t done it already, but being side-eyed for a murder could throw anyone off their game, even Ginny. “I think the first thing you need to do tomorrow is Operation Neighborhood Walk.”
“I suck at Operation Neighborhood Walk,” she said glumly. “You’re better at it.”
“Yah well, I’m here and you’re there. Suck it up, Gin. It’s not like you’re doing the hard work, anyway. Georgie is.”
She opened her mouth to protest, then made a “yeah, you’re right” face, and nodded.
* * *
Penny purred, gently kneading her front claws into Theodore’ s leg, while her ears twitched back and forth, picking up Georgie’s voice under the humans’ speaking.
“She didn’t let me go with her,” Georgie was complaining. “I had to stay in this room all day! ”
“Make her take you tomorrow,” Penny said. “Soil the carpet if you have to.”
“I couldn’t do that!”
“You’d rather be left behind? ”
Georgie grumbled, and licked Ginny’s hand as though to apologize ahead of time.
“Just . . . She likes taking you places. Be enthusiastic. Suck up to her, make her think you don’t like being left alone.”
“ I don’t!”
Penny sighed. She was fond of Georgie, but some days she just wanted to bat the dog’s ears, hard. “Then it should be easy, right? You need to do this, Georgie . I’m here; I can’t do everything this time.”
Georgie settled back into her human’s lap and rested her nose on the edge of the keyboard, so all Penny could see was the top of her head. “All right. But I don’ t like it. And if she’s mad at me, I’m blaming you.”
Penny’s tail twitched, the only sign she gave that she was amused. “Fair enough.”
5
S he was chasing after a large orange bird with plastic wings that couldn’t quite get it off the ground but kept it just out of reach, and Georgie was no help, sitting on the sideline with her tongue hanging out, laughing at her owner’s efforts.
“Don’t use your hands, use your nose,” the dog suggested, and Ginny has just enough time to consider that before she realized how absurd the whole thing was, and the alarm on her phone went off.
Ginny managed to grab at the offending noise without having to look. Turning it off,
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