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Authors: Sharon Pape
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way clear of trouble. Even though I still believe the two cases are one and the same, I’m hiring you to find my two dogs and hopefully in the process shut down this horrible dog abduction ring.”
Rory took a minute to fully consider her decision. She’d never dealt with pet-related crimes or with the world of breeders and pedigreed dogs. But then she’d never had to care for a dog before either, and after one night with Hobo she was already feeling pretty confident in that arena. Besides, whatever she lacked in experience she’d make up for with hard work and some on-the-job training. “Okay,” she said, “we’re going to find your dogs.” She spent the next few minutes explaining her fees, including the retainer she required up front before beginning any case. In return, she would keep Tina updated on her progress and provide her with a written log of all the information she acquired, as well as a line-item list of additional expenses she incurred while pursuing the investigation. Tina wrote her a check on the spot.
Over the next forty minutes Rory took down as much background on the case as Tina could supply. When Tina stood up to leave, Hobo hopped off the couch and followed her to the door as if he expected to go with her. She knelt down so that she could look him in the eye and she cupped his shaggy head in her hands.
“No, boy,” she said slowly, in a tone that was both loving and firm. “You have to stay here for now. I promise I’ll come see you soon. Okay?” She paused a moment as if she were actually waiting for his response. Hobo licked her nose and gave her a single wag of his tail, but his eyes looked glum. He lay down on the carpeted floor with a heavy thud, as if gravity had finally gotten the best of him.
Rory stood to say good-bye to Tina. “I think he’d rather be going with you,” she said, wondering if the breeder would be as good at communicating with ghosts as she appeared to be with dogs.
“He knows me better than he knows you, that’s all,” Tina said, her words speeding up again now that she was talking to Rory. Apparently she had different settings for different species. Rory toyed with the idea of requesting the canine speed the next time they spoke.
“He seemed content when I saw him walking with you before,” Tina went on. “His tail was up and there was a bounce to his step. He’s just all muddled right now. Too many changes. Dogs need to have some constants in their lives in order to feel secure. And once they feel secure, they can be happy.”
Rory nodded, since it was her turn to speak and she couldn’t think of anything to say. After Tina’s little speech, what could she say? And how on earth could she ever abandon Hobo at a shelter?
They’d said their good-byes, and Tina was halfway out the door when a question occurred to Rory. “Do you know Marti Sugarman?”
Tina stopped in the open doorway. “Yes, she bought her Maltese from me. Why?”
“She came by Brenda’s house not long after I got there yesterday. She said she’d been a close friend of hers.”
“Yeah, right,” Tina said dryly. “Maybe once upon a time, but they had a falling-out two years ago. In fact, it was because of Tootsie.”
“I think I need to hear the rest of that story,” Rory said, leaning over to grab the pen and paper off her desk.
“Sure. It’s simple enough. Both women wanted puppies from the same litter. Brenda got her deposit in first, so she got first choice and when the time came, she took Tootsie. Of course her name wasn’t Tootsie yet. Anyway, Tootsie happened to be the only show-quality pup in that litter and Brenda had made it plain that she had no intention of showing her. Marti, on the other hand, specifically wanted a dog she could show. I think you can fill in the blanks from there. I didn’t even know they were on speaking terms again.”
Rory thanked her and promised to be in touch as soon as she had something to report. Then she sat down at her
Rory took a minute to fully consider her decision. She’d never dealt with pet-related crimes or with the world of breeders and pedigreed dogs. But then she’d never had to care for a dog before either, and after one night with Hobo she was already feeling pretty confident in that arena. Besides, whatever she lacked in experience she’d make up for with hard work and some on-the-job training. “Okay,” she said, “we’re going to find your dogs.” She spent the next few minutes explaining her fees, including the retainer she required up front before beginning any case. In return, she would keep Tina updated on her progress and provide her with a written log of all the information she acquired, as well as a line-item list of additional expenses she incurred while pursuing the investigation. Tina wrote her a check on the spot.
Over the next forty minutes Rory took down as much background on the case as Tina could supply. When Tina stood up to leave, Hobo hopped off the couch and followed her to the door as if he expected to go with her. She knelt down so that she could look him in the eye and she cupped his shaggy head in her hands.
“No, boy,” she said slowly, in a tone that was both loving and firm. “You have to stay here for now. I promise I’ll come see you soon. Okay?” She paused a moment as if she were actually waiting for his response. Hobo licked her nose and gave her a single wag of his tail, but his eyes looked glum. He lay down on the carpeted floor with a heavy thud, as if gravity had finally gotten the best of him.
Rory stood to say good-bye to Tina. “I think he’d rather be going with you,” she said, wondering if the breeder would be as good at communicating with ghosts as she appeared to be with dogs.
“He knows me better than he knows you, that’s all,” Tina said, her words speeding up again now that she was talking to Rory. Apparently she had different settings for different species. Rory toyed with the idea of requesting the canine speed the next time they spoke.
“He seemed content when I saw him walking with you before,” Tina went on. “His tail was up and there was a bounce to his step. He’s just all muddled right now. Too many changes. Dogs need to have some constants in their lives in order to feel secure. And once they feel secure, they can be happy.”
Rory nodded, since it was her turn to speak and she couldn’t think of anything to say. After Tina’s little speech, what could she say? And how on earth could she ever abandon Hobo at a shelter?
They’d said their good-byes, and Tina was halfway out the door when a question occurred to Rory. “Do you know Marti Sugarman?”
Tina stopped in the open doorway. “Yes, she bought her Maltese from me. Why?”
“She came by Brenda’s house not long after I got there yesterday. She said she’d been a close friend of hers.”
“Yeah, right,” Tina said dryly. “Maybe once upon a time, but they had a falling-out two years ago. In fact, it was because of Tootsie.”
“I think I need to hear the rest of that story,” Rory said, leaning over to grab the pen and paper off her desk.
“Sure. It’s simple enough. Both women wanted puppies from the same litter. Brenda got her deposit in first, so she got first choice and when the time came, she took Tootsie. Of course her name wasn’t Tootsie yet. Anyway, Tootsie happened to be the only show-quality pup in that litter and Brenda had made it plain that she had no intention of showing her. Marti, on the other hand, specifically wanted a dog she could show. I think you can fill in the blanks from there. I didn’t even know they were on speaking terms again.”
Rory thanked her and promised to be in touch as soon as she had something to report. Then she sat down at her
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