Read Online Maximum Security (A Dog Park Mystery) by C. A. Newsome - Free Book Online

come
over.”
    “Promises, promises. You bringing
dinner?”
~ ~ ~
    Peter dug his chopsticks into a
bowl of pad Thai while Lia delicately nibbled the end off her
spring roll.
    "Thai is perfect. How did you know
I was in the mood for pad grapao?"
    Peter leaned over and wiped a bit
of plum sauce off the corner of her mouth with his index finger.
"I'm a detective. They pay me to know these things."
    "Uh-huh, knowing my secret cravings
for Asian cuisine really goes a long way toward keeping our streets
safe."
    “There are times when that's all
that stands between order and chaos."
    Lia snorted at Peter’s earnest
expression. "I refuse to dignify that remark. What's going on with
the bones we found? Do you know who it is yet?"
    "We think so. We're waiting on a
dental comparison, but the timeline fits and he liked to hike in
Mount Airy. I wonder if you knew him."
    "That's a gruesome thought. Bad
enough to find the bones of a stranger. I hate to think the coyotes
were chewing on someone I knew."
    "I have a picture. Brent and I are
going to show it around tomorrow, after we get confirmation. See if
anyone remembers him. Would you mind looking at it?"
    “ID-ing dead people over dinner.
You sure know how to show a girl a good time."
    “You brought it up."
    "Yeah, throw that in my face. It’s
okay. Hand it over."
    Peter pulled up a photo on his
phone and handed it to Lia. She blinked as she took in the piercing
blue eyes that belied middle-age bloat, the receding white hair,
the full lips quirked to one side in an ironic
half-grin.
    “That’s Daisy’s dad. I can’t think
of his name.”
    “George Munce?”
    “Yeah, that’s it. That’s who was
in the woods?”
    “That’s what we
believe.”
    “Geezelpete. That’s who she was
waiting for. No wonder he didn’t show up. Poor woman.”
    “Who are you talking
about?”
    “There was this woman at the park
today, waiting for someone in the picnic shelter. She didn’t have a
dog. Didn’t want to talk. Dressed too nicely for the park. Jim
remembered seeing her before, heading into the woods with someone.
He couldn’t remember who.”
    “Did you get a good look at
her?”
    “I was about six feet away.
Why?”
    “We’ve got to find out who she is.
I need to set you up with a police artist so we can get a picture.”
He reached for his phone.
    “Relax, Wonder Boy. I can draw my
own damn picture.” Lia went into her home studio and brought out a
drawing pad. She flipped to a clean page and swiftly blocked out a
sketch of a heavyset woman sitting at a picnic table.
    Peter watched, fascinated, as a
face evolved from Lia’s brisk lines, features emerging from
nothing. At first the lines were vague, an approximation. Lia went
back in with her pencil and overlaid her sketch with authoritative
marks. She shaded under the nose and chin. She used her eraser to
pull highlights out. He noted the hint of anxiety in the eyes of
the fleshy woman, the nervous tapping of her fingers on the picnic
table, the short, neat nails.
    “This is great. You’re so
talented.”
    Lia sniffed and drew herself up.
“I’m a professional,” she announced in a lofty tone.
    Peter chucked her chin. “We still
need to talk to the police artist. He’ll take you through a process
that will refine this to a photographic likeness.”
    Lia narrowed her eyes.
    “Don’t get huffy. He’s going to
love having your drawing to work with. We still need to have an
E-FIT composite that meets departmental standards.”
    “Departmental standards, my ass,”
Lia grumbled.
~ ~ ~
    “This is really good,” Officer
Foreman said.
    Lia smirked at Peter. He rolled his
eyes. Andy Forman laid Lia’s drawing down next to his
computer.
    “So we’re looking for a
middle-aged woman with light, chin-length hair, squared face, heavy
build. That right?”
    “It lacks poetry, but those are
the basics. Are you going to ask me about her nose now?”
    “That won’t be necessary,” Andy
said. “We gave up the ‘Mr.