by M. A. Owens
Detective Trigger
Books 1-6
M.A. Owens
Contents
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Detective Trigger and the Ruby Collar
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Epilogue
Detective Trigger and the Grand Gobbler
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Epilogue
Detective Trigger and the Easy Money
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Epilogue
Detective Trigger and the Legend's Farewell
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
Detective Trigger and the Big Break
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Detective Trigger and the Wild World
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Mind if I ask for a favor?
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1
Arc City. Home to countless flea-bitten scoundrels willing to do just about anything for a quick dime. As for the rest of us, we were lucky to get the scraps. I was just a small-timer, and in more ways than one. Being a little brown Chihuahua put me at a big disadvantage to even the cats around here. And me being a one-eyed private eye didn’t do me any favors either. I was the private detective you’d expect to hire at a discount.
Along with the propaganda-filled morning newspaper, I had the pleasure of reading yet another “Your Bill is Overdue” love letter from my dear old landlord. As I was sitting at my desk contemplating my financial burdens, a sudden knock at my office door startled me.
I cleared my throat. “Come in.”
Let me tell you, this dame practically radiated class. She had a white coat with a few spots here and there. A Chihuahua like me, but with a long, thin face and a tail that curled just a little on the end. She had large black eyes that matched her pricey black dress. She was the kind of dog you’d see in the papers, in one of those big-dollar ads trying to sell me expensive junk.
“Are you Trigger?”
I guess the sign on the door wouldn’t necessarily give me away, especially after taking a good look at this dump I called an office.
“I am. What seems to be the trouble, ma’am?” I asked, motioning to the empty chair in front of me.
She fumbled with her kerchief, dabbing her eyes as she sat.
“Oh, sir, it’s just awful.” She stopped to sob, sniffing loudly and wiping her eyes again. “Dreadful. You see, someone has stolen my most valuable possession.”
I slid a box of tissues to the edge of my desk. “What did the cops say?”
She took one of the tissues and blew her nose, tossing it into the bin next to my desk. “I came to you first. You have a reputation for getting a job done quickly and with results.”
I looked around the office. What a mess. Things knocked over and never picked up again. Dust so thick it looked like a coat of paint. This dame stuck out in here like a sore paw, and I had a hunch she wasn’t giving it to me straight.
“Didn’t go to the cops, eh?” I grunted.
“No, sir. See, this isn’t just any collar. It’s covered with fine red rubies and what’s more, you see�
� well, there just isn’t another like it in all the world. It was my mother’s. And it was all she left to me.”
I looked down at the bill on my desk for a long while as I thought about the countless ways this kind of case could go south. Ritzy dame. Expensive heirloom. Goodness knows who she’s going to say stole—
“Mr. Trigger? Are you interested in taking this case?”
“Haven’t said I’m not.”
“I’m prepared to offer you five hundred dollars for—”
I shot up from my chair as if someone just set fire to one of the old newspapers on the floor. After all, if they did, the whole place would go up in about a minute flat.
“That’s a month’s salary for a lot of dogs. No one offers that kind of dough on a small job unless the pooch they’re offering it to is about a week away from turning up in the Arc River with a fresh pair of concrete slippers sized just for him. Either that, or we’re talking about more than just missing jewelry.”
“Mr. Trigger, I assure you you’re in no significant danger. The criminal I believe stole it is very elusive, but I have never heard of him being violent.”
I sat back down in my chair, producing a shrill squeak from wheels that went too long without a good oiling. Truth is, I was just putting on a show and would take the case no matter what. Half a grand would keep the lights on for months. My options were either get killed on the job or starve to death. Some cases are lousy enough to make even that choice a tough one. Makes it easier for a dog to gamble big when he’s got nothing to lose.
“So, who do you think has it?”
“Rico, the master thief. I’m sure you’ve seen all the stories about him in the newspaper. Who else could find out about such a precious piece of jewelry, and snatch it without a trace?”
Now there’s a name I hadn’t heard in a while. “Rico, eh? Look, no one’s laid eyes on that pooch in years. Almost every cop from one side of this city to the other would give his left paw to be the one that brings him in.”
“You don’t think you’re capable of finding him?” she asked.
I laughed, surprised and impressed by the jab. “Maybe, but it’ll cost. How much are you paying up front?”
“Fifty,” she offered, her voice steady with confidence. Seemed the tears were all dried up now that it was time to talk cash.
“Ha! Lady, I’ll take two hundred up front. And that’s only because I’m such a nice guy.”
“I’ll give you a hundred.”
“Let’s hope the hundred is enough to cover the initial expenses, or we’ll be staring at a dead end. But hey, if you want to take the gamble, that’s your call.” I stood and held out my paw. “You’ve hired yourself a private detective, Miss…?”
She offered her paw in return. “Lily. My name is Lily.”
2
I snooped around the usual places. Museums. “High-dollar” jewelry shops. Wherever I could think of with merchandise worth a lot of dough, at least by Black District standards. I also spent the day interviewing some of Rico’s previous victims. I was just going through the motions. Nobody figured out a way to predict Rico’s next heist, so it all came down to luck. He didn’t make the usual mistakes. He left no obvious clues. He never got carried away on sprees, nor did he taunt the police. He went long periods of time stealing nothing, and he hurt no one while doing it. A real professional. At least the easy hundred would keep food on the table for a while.
Everybody’s always afraid to talk in this city, worried they’re being sized up by one of Mr. B’s goons with some kind of trick question. Can’t blame them for thinking that. That’s usually what it is. He sends lackeys around and they play like they’re some kind of a private eye like me - just to see what they know about this or that crime. Next thing they know they’re getting roughed up, or worse. Can’t say I’d do a lot of talking either if I was in their shoes.
I kept up this routine for about a week. Friday morning, I put the key in my office door and realized it was already unlocked. I pushed it open to find a dog that wasn’t me sitting in my chair. He was a beagle with a black mask and a silly bandit costume you'd expect to see in a low budget film. I knew who it was the moment I laid eyes on him.
“You looking to hire a private detective?” he said.
“A real wise guy, aren’t you?”
“Oh, lighten up, Trigger. Learn to laugh a little. Smile.” He put on a bright one of his own, as if to show me how.
“You come all the way here to give me tips on my smile?”
“Well, it looks like you could use it. But no, I didn’t. Word gets around fast in this city when a dog goes asking questions.”
“Never heard of words causing anyone harm, Rico. You could’ve just stayed in that hole you were hiding in. We both know I would never find you.”
“Well, that may be, but I’m taking an interest in this case of yours.”
“You should find it interesting. You’re the one who stole the collar I’m supposed to find, or so I’m told.”
His eyes brightened up, and that smile stretched even further.
“Sure, I’ve got it. I’m thinking I might even give it to you. What do you think? That got your attention?”
“I think you have an angle. There’s something in it for you. So just get on with it and spit it out, Rico.”
“What if I said I was looking to hire a private detective myself?”
“I’d say you probably give the best comedy advice around, a guy as funny as you.”
“Comedy routine’s over, Trigger. I can go get that necklace for you. You just can’t tell that dame how you got it. As for what I want, there’ll be five grand for you when we’re done. Interested?”
“That’s the kind of cash you get offered for a suicide mission, if you’re fool enough to take it. Get out,” I demanded.
“Come on, you don’t even want to—”
“I said get out!”
He frowned a big fake frown when I pointed to the door. But just as he stood up to leave, there was a knock.
“If you change your mind and want to hear more, tie a black ribbon to your trash can out front,” he whispered. “I know you’ll come to your senses.” Without another sound, he escaped through the back door.
“Come in,” I called out.
It was Lily again. Who else? If only she’d come a few minutes later or earlier, things might have been a lot more interesting.
“Mr. Trigger. I don’t mean to trouble you, but have you any news of my mother’s collar?”
“Not yet, ma’am. I’ve still got a few leads so don’t go giving up hope just yet.”
She reached into her purse and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, handing it over.
“I’m sure this has taken up a dreadful amount of your time, detective. I want to make sure all of your expenses are being taken care of, so consider this advance a token of my gratitude.”
I took the bill and nodded.
“You’re being awfully generous, Ms. Lily. Bit of a contrast from before. Any occasion for such a thing?”
“No occasion, detective. I’ll leave you to your work.”
She turned and walked out. Now things were getting interesting, but interesting is just the thing a dog wants to avoid if he wants to live a long life. Do-good types didn’t exactly have a lot to look forward to in Arc City.
I reasoned through it in my head. Rico figuring out I was looking for him; that was easy. Rico coming to me and floating a five-thousand-dollar job… that’s a little tougher. Lily coming to me and wanting me to find a valuable ruby collar; sure, I get that. But why did the dame come back and offer another hundred after holding out on me the other day? I had a feeling I would regret it, but I only knew one way to put it all together.