“Any sign of the puppies?” Mark asked.
“No, but she’s hurt,” Cindy said, picking up the flashlight Joseph had dropped and playing it over the dog.
“I can’t find any cuts on her face or neck,” Joseph said. “Shine the light here.”
Cindy obediently shined the light right at Clarice’s muzzle. Joseph opened her mouth. Her tongue and teeth were also coated with blood. Joseph stared for what seemed an eternity. “I don’t think there are any injuries inside her mouth either,” he said at last.
“What does that mean?” Vince asked.
“It means that she bit the guy who stole her puppies,” Mark said. “That’s DNA evidence all over her.” He turned to Vince, “Call in forensics.” He turned his attention back to Joseph. “The dog is now evidence.”
“Clarice isn’t evidence. She’s a dog, my dog,” Joseph hissed at Mark.
“Be that as it may, she’s also our first break in this case.”
“Why don’t we get her inside where the light is better?” Cindy suggested.
Joseph clipped the dog leash onto the poodle’s collar, and she followed him back to the house.
They stopped inside the foyer. Cindy and Mark sat on the stairs while Joseph sat on the floor next to his dog and examined her carefully.
“So, if we are looking at a rival breeder,” Mark asked, “why take the puppies when they could have taken Clarice? They’ll have to wait to be able to breed the puppies.”
“These puppies aren’t just special because Clarice is their mother. Their father is an international champion. With him it’s not about the money, although the stud fee is astronomical, but selectivity. His owner will only allow him to breed with females who are also champions. That makes these puppies especially unique.”
“Aren’t all of the dogs registered?” asked Cindy. “I mean, if they want them for their pedigrees, then it’s kind of pointless to steal them, because they’ll never be able to admit who the parents are without being discovered.”
“The breeder could be looking for perfect show dogs. He can doctor their pedigrees and make some good money off winning shows. Once his dogs have a few wins, people will be lining up to pay stud fees, never dreaming the animals were stolen.”
“Okay, so it’s possible a rival breeder wanted the puppies badly enough to kill for them,” Mark said. “But why just take the one yesterday? Why not take them all?”
“Maybe the killer thought he’d have plenty of time to grab the others and was only worried about the one he knew Joseph planned to give away,” Cindy suggested.
“Ah, so when Joseph gave away a different puppy from the same litter, the killer had to get that one as well and then probably realized he couldn’t waste any more time and take the chance of Joseph giving away or selling another puppy.”
“It would make sense,” Joseph said.
Vince arrived. Reluctantly, Joseph handed Vince Clarice’s leash.
“We’ll take really good care of her, have her checked out by a vet and everything. You’ll have her back in a day or so,” Vince promised.
Cindy stared at Clarice’s collar as the dog reluctantly followed Vince out of the house. On Clarice the sparkly red collar seemed fitting; she was the queen of Joseph’s household. From everything Cindy had noticed, the dog was treated like a queen.
“What if there is a simpler answer to this riddle?” she asked as Vince led the dog out.
“How do you mean?” Mark asked.
“Joseph, those aren’t by any chance real diamonds on Clarice’s collar, are they?”
Joseph smiled. “Yes, they are. Why do you ask?”
“Because in my book that’s a much more likely cause of murder than bloodlines,” Mark said, coming fully alert. “Does anyone else know the stones are real?”
“Probably about a dozen people,” Joseph guessed.
“What about the puppies?” Cindy asked.
“They all have collars that look like hers, but the stones are only crystal.”
“What if the killer didn’t know that? What if he thought the puppies were wearing diamond collars too?”
“That could lead to all sorts of unpleasantness,” Mark said.
“But why not just grab the collars and leave the puppies?” Cindy asked.
“To divert suspicion, probably,” Mark said.
“And why not take Clarice or her collar?” Cindy pressed.
“I’m guessing he tried and got mauled for his effort,” Mark answered.
“That would certainly explain the blood,” Joseph said with a sigh.
“So we’re looking for someone who knew that one of the dog collars, at least, had diamonds,” Cindy said.
“I’m looking for,” Mark said, standing abruptly. “You need to go home.”
Mark headed outside for some fresh air. Jewel thief? It didn’t make sense. Something about the whole thing felt wrong somehow.
“What is it?” Paul asked as he walked up to him.
“This whole thing stinks.”
“Yeah, I have to agree with you there. So what do you think is really going on?”
“I don’t know; I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“Don’t you mean your paw?” Paul joked.
Mark grimaced.
5
IT WAS EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WHEN MARK SHOWED UP AT THE HUMANE Society. He recognized the woman working the desk from the charity event.
“Officer, is there something I can do for you?” she said, clearly puzzled at seeing him in T-shirt and jeans. He spent so much time in a suit that the casual clothes felt a bit odd to him too. But he had promised his wife she’d have the entire day, and he intended to keep that promise.
“I wanted to know if all of the dogs from the charity event were adopted.”
“We brought seven of them back here, but six of them were adopted yesterday, I believe.”
“The one that’s left, is there any chance it’s a beagle?” he asked, trying not to hope too much.
A grin spread across her face. “Every chance. Buster is still here and looking for a good home. Do you have any suggestions?”
He smiled. “Actually, I do.”
“Why don’t we go see him and make sure he’s the one you’re interested in?” she said, moving from behind the counter to lead him down a hallway.
He followed her and soon found himself in a room with large dog pens that each had small outdoor runs. There were a dozen dogs present, and in the last pen was Buster, the beagle he had been eyeing at the event.
He knelt down in front of the cage, and the dog threw himself against the bars, licking at Mark’s hand.
“He’s perfect,” Mark said. “I’ll take him.”
“I’m so glad. He’s a really great little dog. Beagles have a lot of energy, and the family that originally owned him just couldn’t handle it.”
“We shouldn’t have any problem with that.”
“All right, let’s go fill out the paperwork.”
Thirty minutes later Mark pulled up outside his house. Buster barked excitedly as Mark carried his crate up to the front door.
“You’re going to blow the surprise,” Mark said.
He walked into the house, put down the crate, and opened it. Buster bounded out with another joyous bark.
“Mark, is that you?” his wife, Traci, called from the back.
“Yes.”
“Do you hear barking?” she asked.
“What?”
She appeared in the hallway, blonde hair up in a ponytail. “I said—” She stopped with a squeal as she saw Buster. She dropped to her knees and patted her legs. Buster went flying to her and began licking her face in a frenzy.
Mark followed and knelt down next to them in the hallway. “His name is Buster,” he said, reaching out to scratch the dog’s head.
“He’s perfect,” she said, tears gleaming in her blue eyes. “How did you know?”
Mark shrugged. “A lucky guess.”
&
nbsp; He thought of all the other tears of joy he had seen Friday night. Rich or poor, man or woman, all were moved by a bond with a furry creature who gave love unconditionally.
Cindy could hear her phone ringing as she tried to unlock her front door. She rushed inside and picked up the receiver just before the machine could.
“Hello?”
“Cindy Preston?”
“Yes,” she said, tossing her purse and church bulletin on the counter.
“This is Jerry, the organizer of the speed dating event last night.”
Was that really just last night? “Oh, yes?”
“We have your matches for you.”
She sat down at the kitchen table, her heart actually pounding. “Okay.”
“You had two matches.”
Two was a lot better than zero.
“Do you have something to write with?”
“Yes,” she said, reaching for pen and paper. “I’m ready.”
“The first is Guy Randall, he’s a computer programmer; you would know him as Gentleman R.”
“Yes, he seemed quite nice.”
Jerry gave her Guy’s phone number, and she wrote it down.
“And the second. His name is Joseph Coulter. He was Gentleman T.”
Cindy couldn’t help the nervous laughter that bubbled to her lips.
Jerry gave her Joseph’s phone number, and she wrote it down even though she already had it.
She sat for a moment, staring at the two names and phone numbers. She knew that Guy and Joseph would be getting her number.
Her phone rang and she jumped before she reached for it. “Hello?”
“Hi, Cindy? This is Guy Randall, from speed dating.”
“The computer programmer, I remember,” she said.
“And you’re the church secretary.”
“That’s me. So what do we do now?”
“I think tradition dictates that we go out to dinner or something like that. However, I’m leaving in a couple of hours, and I’ll be gone for the week, back next Sunday.”
“Well, then I guess we’ll have to wait until you get back,” she said.
“Unless you feel like going to Aspen for the week.”
“Oh, you’re going to Aspen, to ski?”
“To visit family. Everyone takes turns hosting Thanksgiving, and this year it’s Aspen.”
“Oh, well, have a wonderful trip.”
“I know you said you needed more excitement in your life too. My aunt has plenty of spare rooms in her house and she loves to entertain.”
For one wild moment Cindy wondered what it would feel like to say yes, to just be spontaneous and go on the trip. Kyle would go, she thought.
“I’m sorry, Guy. I do need more excitement in my life, but I’m afraid that’s just too much excitement.”
“That’s cool. If you change your mind, this is my cell number.”
“Thanks.”
“So would you be free a week from Friday?”
“I believe so.”
“So dinner then?”
She took a deep breath. “Absolutely.”
“Great, I’ll give you a call next Sunday.”
She hung up and discovered that her hands were shaking. “Lots of people go out on dates with people they barely know, you can do this,” Cindy coached herself. She stared at Joseph’s number and wondered how long until he called. She picked up the phone and dialed before she could change her mind.
“Hello?” He sounded tired. She didn’t blame him.
“Hi, it’s Cindy.”
“I was just about to call you.”
“Beat you to it.”
“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t cope with it this morning.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I just figured I’d get the call out of the way.”
“I know. It’s just with everything that has happened—”
“That’s cool,” she said, feeling slightly sick to her stomach. “We’re friends.”
“Yes, and I value your friendship more and more. Oh, call waiting. Can you hold on a second?”
“Sure.”
Silence descended, and Cindy felt both relieved and embarrassed. She should never have put Joseph’s name down. She didn’t think of him in that way. It had just been so easy given that he was the nicest and least threatening guy in the room.
She heard a clicking sound and then Joseph’s voice. “So something you want to tell me,” he said, his voice amused.
“The speed dating people were on the other line, weren’t they?” she said, feeling her cheeks burn.
“Yup. I was busy apologizing to you for missing church this morning, and you were… asking me out?”
“Getting the call over with is more like it,” she retorted.
“It’s been a terrible couple of days. There’s nothing for me to do but wait. Do you want to go see a movie this afternoon?”
“Depends. Will it be a romantic comedy?”
“No, I swear.”
“Cool.”
“Meet you at Main Place in an hour?”
“Works for me.”
She hung up and walked back toward her bedroom wondering whether this counted as a date.
When she arrived outside the theater and saw that he was casually attired in khaki Dockers and a black polo shirt, she was relieved that she had opted to go for the jeans and burgundy sweater instead of something dressier.
“Hey,” he said, giving her a quick hug.
“How are you?” she asked.
He shrugged. They started walking toward the box office when he suddenly pointed toward a homeless woman, begging by the side of the theater.
“Look!” Joseph said.
“Who is she?” Cindy asked.
“That’s one of the women I paired with a dog,” Joseph said, heading in her direction.
“What are you going to do?” Cindy asked.
“I just want to ask her how it’s going.”
Cindy didn’t want to, but she found herself walking next to Joseph as he approached the elderly woman. The dog was tiny and looked like some kind of Pomeranian mix with reddish fur.
“Could you spare a dollar for an old lady?” the woman asked as they approached, without looking up at them.
“That’s a mighty fine-looking dog,” Joseph said.
“Thank you!” the woman said, breaking into a smile. “This here is Ginger.” She looked up and then scrambled to her feet when she realized who Joseph was. “And bless me, you’re the man who made it possible for us to be together!”
“I only helped,” Joseph said, accepting a hug from the old woman.
The woman turned to Cindy. “And you’re the woman who’s dating this sainted man. You keep a tight hold on him, missy.”
“But—”
“Oh, you can’t fool me. I seen you Friday, and your picture was in the newspaper. Ginger and I had a picture too,” she said, proudly patting the little dog.
“What are you doing here?” Joseph asked.
“Ginger and I are just waiting for Sammy and his Buddy. We’re all going to go for a walk in the park soon. They should be here anytime.”
“Well, you kids have fun,” Joseph said.
“You too,” she said with a big wink.
Joseph took Cindy’s elbow and steered her back toward the theater. “Well, there’s one satisfied customer,” he said.
“She certainly does seem crazy about Ginger,” Cindy said.
True to his word, Joseph bought them both tickets to an action movie, not a romantic comedy. They grabbed some popcorn and sodas and sat down right as the previews began to play.
Previews were one of Cindy’s favorite parts to the movies, but she found herself studying Joseph more than the screen. She couldn’t believe how calm he looked, given everything that had happened. She wondered who the jewel thieves were and how they had come to target him and his dogs. Was it someone he knew or someone who had seen him at a dog show?
Somehow it was easier to conjure
up images of an international jewel thief than it was some random criminal in Pine Springs. Criminals, she mentally corrected herself. Odds were good that there was more than one person in on it. What if Derek was in on it, and that’s why he’s dead? It was almost too clichéd to be true. Inside man tries to double-cross partners and gets killed for it. If that was the case, though, was it possible he had already stolen the real diamond-studded collar?
Did Joseph keep the real one locked up, or did Clarice wear it all the time? If so, was she wearing it the night before when the policeman took her in for examination? She froze at the thought. Could someone be stealing the collar right now? She chided herself for the errant thoughts. If the dog was wearing the real collar, who better to guard it and her than the police? Still, she would have to ask Joseph about it after the movie.
The film finally began, and thoughts of the murder and the diamond collar faded into the background as she became painfully aware that their action film had a strong romantic subplot. She slunk down in her seat, all too aware of the fact that she and Joseph were on a quasi-date. When things turned serious between the two onscreen characters, she could feel her cheeks burning, and she had an overwhelming urge to excuse herself to the bathroom and never come out.
Every time Joseph shifted in his seat, she jumped, worried that he would reach for her hand or put an arm around her. Okay, this is so seventh grade.
Joseph leaned close, and she tensed up. “Are you okay?” he whispered.
She nodded, and it seemed to satisfy him. As he straightened back up, she let out the breath she had been holding.
Okay, time to face the music. Tall, dark, rich, handsome, kind, funny, and absolutely no spark whatsoever. What’s wrong with me? Maybe the perfect guy is Geanie’s type but not mine. Okay, that’s just stupid. Who isn’t looking for the perfect guy?
She stole another glance at Joseph. Maybe he was a perfect guy, just not her perfect guy. The thought should have comforted her, but instead she just felt more uncomfortable and embarrassed. It was a complete mistake to put him down on the piece of paper at speed dating. It had been even more of a mistake to agree to go to the movies with him without specifying in what capacity they were going.
When the film ended, she leaped to her feet and headed for the doors instead of staying to see the credits as she normally would. Joseph caught up with her in the lobby.
I Shall Not Want Page 5