by Maria Pease
“You see them right now? We’re on our way!” Alana was so excited, she could barely speak. She finally just said, “Let’s go!”
I grabbed my bag, locked up, and we headed down Meadows Parkway to the Paseo Del Sol neighborhood near the park.
“What street did they say they were on?” I asked.
“She said the vehicle was heading down Angelo Drive.”
“Did she say which way? We could head down from the other direction.”
“She didn’t say.”
“Okay. Let’s see what we find.”
As we turned onto Angelo Drive, we saw a white van with a house painting logo on the side in front of a house. A man was standing by the rear doors. Suddenly, another man came running out from the side gate with what looked like a French Bulldog puppy. The accomplice pulled the door open and the running man tossed the puppy inside. In an instant they were off.
“Let’s go!” I said as Alana put it in gear.
They raced out onto Meadows Parkway, made a left on to Rancho California Road, and picked up the 15 freeway, merging on to 215 East.
We stayed close, wondering where we were headed.
They barely slowed as they took the San Jacinto exit.
“Geez! Where the hell are we, anyway?” Alana asked.
“Deep in the desert. Stay with them. Let’s see where they end up.”
Before we knew it, the van headed down a dirt road lined with farms. We slowed but kept them in sight. When they pulled into a gated driveway, we watched as they moved down to a brown barn.
“How are we going to see what’s going on?” Alana asked as she pulled to the side of the road.
“Come with me,” I said, digging through my bag to make sure I had my new toys.
We moved along the fence that enclosed the property and found a small opening in the wooden fence. I crawled through and Alana followed. The area was compartmentalized into various sized pens and the brown barn sat at the back side of the property. We stayed along the fence and moved to the back of the barn where we heard high-pitched barking along with a woman’s voice.
“Good job boys,” she said.
Alana looked like she’d seen a ghost.
I knew I’d better get her out of there before someone caught sight of us. “Go!”
“No. We have to see –”
The expression on her face had me turn on my heels. I found myself face-to-face with the chubby man I’d seen waiting at the van. Before he had a chance to lunge at me, I grabbed my stun gun and in one motion, pressed it into his neck.
He dropped to his knees without a sound.
I took a quick glance around and turned to Alana.
Her mouth gaped open in disbelief.
I took her arm and moved back out the way we’d come.
Alana fumbled with the keys, tossed them to me, and we jumped in the car and got out of there.
“Oh my God! You killed him!”
“It’s a stun gun. I just electrified him. He’s going to be fine,” I assured her.
“He didn’t look fine.”
As we made our way into town, I was worried about Alana. She hadn’t said a word, and she still looked pretty freaked out. I wanted to get a take on her before I sent her home. “How about a bite to eat?”
“Um, I guess.”
I headed to Bongiorno’s Pizzeria and although I could’ve used a drink, we settled for a couple of slices and some iced tea.
Alana seemed to have settled down a bit and had regained the color in her face.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. You’re sure you didn’t kill that guy?”
“He’s fine.”
“What is that thing?”
“It’s a stun gun. I just got it.”
“Have you ever used it before?”
“No. That guy broke it in for me.”
“It won’t kill someone?”
“Nope. It electrifies them just enough to get away.”
“I have to say, when I saw that guy, I thought it was the end for us.”
“Good thing I had it with me.”
“So, now what? It sounded like there were a lot of dogs in there.”
“We’re going to have to figure out a rescue plan. At least we know where they are.”
“What if they move them?” She asked.
“Shit! I’ll be right back.”
I checked my phone and saw a message from Chanel, telling me she had to re-schedule to tomorrow evening, same place and time… something about a previous dinner date. I was relieved because Alana was right; when the big guy woke up, he was going to talk. If we wanted to get those dogs out, we’d have to do it tonight. We finished up and headed for the office.
Frank was hanging up the phone as we walked in. “Hello, ladies. Where have you been?”
‘Working the dog-napping case. Frank, we found them.”
“Nice work. How’d it go down?”
“We didn’t get them yet. Sam electrified the big guy, though. You should’ve seen him go down.”
Frank looked at me. “You electrified some guy?”
“I tried out my stun gun. It works!”
Frank shook his head. “Really? After our talk, you got a stun gun?”
“Baby steps, Frank.”
“All right. So, start from the beginning. Fill me in.”
We recounted the day, minus taking the guy down in the park. The events led us all to the same conclusion. We’d head back tonight and rescue the dogs before they were moved. We had no idea how many dogs we’d find, but it didn’t matter. We had to be sure they were returned to their rightful owners.
“They probably have a padlock on the door, so we’ll have to be prepared,” Frank said, adding, “I’ll bring some tools in case we come across any additional deterrents. Let’s meet back here in two hours. We’ll caravan over.”
In the Jeep, I caught a glimpse of a black SUV rounding the corner. I watched in my rearview mirror as Cookie and Hector moved up to the office and disappeared behind the door. I didn’t know what was going on, but I was beginning to feel very left out. It bothered me that after all that talk about trust, Frank didn’t trust me enough to tell me what was going on. He’d never even mentioned his connection with Cookie and Hector, and I wondered why.
My friend and next-door neighbor, Kim, was taking her garbage cans out when I pulled up, so I invited her in for a cup of coffee. I learned about the latest in Kim’s love life and to be honest, it was very bleak.
She’d started online dating and although I was the private investigator, her life seemed much more dangerous. So far, her experiences had led her to jump out of a car at a light, climb out of a ladies room window, and taking a call from her uncle Harry, never to return to finish her dinner. Of course, we laughed about it, but I knew deep down that Kim was getting tired of all the games.
Noticing the time, I headed up to get a quick shower before going back to the office to meet with Frank and Alana. As I got ready, I turned on the television and found an episode of Dateline. Brushing out my hair, I heard something that caught my attention. Lester Holt was interviewing an investigator who’d solved the case of an exotic animal theft ring. The investigator said animal theft came down to money, and in order to put away everyone involved, he’d set up an undercover sting.
He explained the officers had posed as wealthy buyers. They’d worn wires and had recorded the negotiations. Ultimately, they’d been able to arrest everyone in the ring, all the way to the top. It had been the largest animal theft case in the UK, and it had put a spotlight on the lucrative business of animal theft.
“I have a new plan,” I said, pushing through the door. I quickly explained what I’d heard on Dateline. Frank and Alana agreed that to put a stop to the dog-napping, we had to put everyone involved away. We decided to set up an undercover sting of our own.
Chapter 46
With our plan ironed out, Frank wired me for sound and put a grey pendant necklace aroun
d my neck. “It’s a camera,” he said.
“That’s incredible!”
“Seriously? There’s a camera in that?” Alana said, inspecting it.
“Yes.”
“It’s really pretty. No one would guess it’s a camera.”
Once we were inside Frank’s truck, he checked that both sound equipment and camera were working before heading out to the barn in San Jacinto. We drove in silence. When we pulled up, I briefed him on the layout of the place. We agreed I’d go in alone and Frank and Alana would stay in the truck, listening and watching.
“You’re going to need this.” He handed me a red woman’s wallet.
“How much is in here?”
“Six grand. Try not to spend it all in one place.”
The front gate was unlocked, so I went inside and headed to the barn. My heart thumped hard in my chest as I got closer and I instinctively checked for my stun gun. I reached for the door, pulled it open and scanned the room. Dogs were everywhere, but for some reason, they were all silent. I saw a stream of light on the back wall and headed toward it. A few of the small dogs began to bark.
A blonde woman appeared in the doorway. “Do you have an appointment?” she asked, in her sweet southern accent.
“No, but I was referred. Can I buy a dog from you?”
“Come on back. Just be careful not to step on any of the little guys. They tend to get under your feet without warning.”
Inside the small office, panic set in when I saw the two dog-nappers from Angelo Drive, one of whom I’d brought down with my stun gun. I didn’t see any sign of recognition from him and wondered if it had something to do with the current I’d sent through him. I took a deep breath as I accepted the seat across from the woman’s desk.
“Name?”
“Laci. You are?”
“You can call me Pamela. What type of dog are you looking for?”
“I’m not sure. I thought maybe I could take a look?”
She scratched her head and stood up. “Sure, why not?”
We walked out, and she leaned up against the door as I walked around the different dogs, trying to put each in my view of my camera necklace. In the corner, I spotted a little black Pomeranian and remembered that our client, Justin Bradley, had given Frank a photo of his dog, which looked a lot like this one. I pointed to the dog.
“Oh, he is adorable! Can I hold him?”
“Suit yourself.”
I picked up the dog and cuddled him. “Max?” I said quietly, watching his ears perk up. “Oh, I have to have him! How much is he?”
“Let me check,” she said, stepping into the office.
Cradling Max, I stepped over to the office door.
“He’s fifteen hundred.”
“He’s a purebred, right?”
“That’s right,” she said.
“Do you have the papers?”
She gave me a deadpan look. “No, I don’t have papers. You want the dog or not?”
“Yes, I want the dog.”
“It’s fifteen hundred.” Under her breath, I heard her mumble, “Papers. Yeah, right.”
I counted out the fifteen hundred and placed it on the desk in front of her.
She scooped it up, counted it again, and put it in a mint green metal lock box.
I stood and headed for the door. As I approached, one of the men looked at me, and I hoped what I saw in his eyes wasn’t recognition. I tensed then quickened my pace before I realized that might look suspicious. I purposefully stopped and looked confidently at the woman.
“Thank you, Pamela.” I nodded at the men, who were both looking at me.
Max and I headed for the door as Pamela called out to me.
“Be sure to let your friends know where they can get good, quality dogs.”
Once outside, I handed Max to Alana and jumped in the truck.
Frank pulled out, glancing at me. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Nice job. We got a good look at the place and you captured the whole transaction on video.”
“So, what’s next?” I asked.
“We’re going to put Monique inside next, then a few other cops who will do the same. Once we have enough for the prosecutor, we’ll raid the place and send them away.”
“Sounds good. I just hope we can get them before any of the dogs are sold and disappear forever,” I said.
“Is this Justin’s dog?” Alana asked.
“It looks just like the photo he gave me,” Frank said. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
Alana held Max as he slept in her arms. She had a smile on her face that wouldn’t quit, and I knew it was going to be tough for her to hand him over to Justin when the time came. Since it was getting late, we’d wait until tomorrow.
Back at the office, Frank took the wires off me and I gave him the mini cam necklace. He stashed them away, locked up, and we headed to our respective vehicles.
“Alana, do you want to take Max for the night? It’s too late to call Justin.”
“Really? Yes, I’d love that!”
“Okay, ladies, I’m off. See you in the morning. We’ll call Justin then.”
When I stepped out of the Jeep, I had a strange feeling I was being watched. I shivered before quickly heading inside, locking the doors behind me. I tried to brush off the feeling, attributing it to the adrenaline rush from the sting operation, but I wasn’t sure if I was buying it. I grabbed a glass of water, headed straight up to bed, and despite my paranoia, was out like a light.
Sitting straight up in bed, I was panicked that I hadn’t checked on Mrs. Bennett’s plants. It was just after 7:00 AM, so I got up, brushed my teeth, and headed down for coffee. As I waited for it to brew, I found the key, just where I’d left it on my counter. Taking my coffee upstairs, I jumped in the shower and was ready in record time. I put on black jeans, a white sweater, and my sneakers, and took a coffee to go.
It was no surprise Mrs. Bennett’s gardens were immaculate. After all, it was her specialty. Stepping on the porch, I gathered the papers and put the key in the door.
As I stood inside her house, something felt… wrong. How was I the only one Mrs. Bennett trusted besides her ill neighbor? Shaking it off, I walked through the house looking at all the plants. She had them on window sills, tables, the kitchen counters and in her small sunroom off the kitchen. It will take forever to water them all.
Checking outside I found a hose coiled neatly by the spout on her back patio. To expedite the process, I gathered all the plants and lined them up on the patio noting I’d need to bring them inside before dark.
The office was empty when I arrived, so I started a pot of coffee and got myself organized for the day. I checked our Facebook page to see if Wally had been active and found a few messages to Katy, seemingly baiting her to meet with him.
Alana had perfected the art of creative excuses and had been able to do it in a friendly, non-threatening way. Apparently, it was working because Wally had kept the communications open.
I moved on to my email and found several messages from Jan, asking me to call her. I dialed her number and she picked up on the first ring.
She filled me in on some details about working with Chanel, such as her disregard for wasting others’ time.
“Bring a book,” she offered. “I’ll send you an email with additional information.”
I was beginning to feel like this was going to be a big pain in my ass. I just had to remember I was in search of the truth.
Alana arrived with the puppy in tow. “Good morning.” She dropped her bag on my desk and set Max on the floor.
“How’d it go?” I asked.
“That little guy kept me up all night.” She pointed at him as he sat at her feet, wagging his tail.
“What was the problem?”
“He whined all night. I’m exhausted.”
“He must miss Justin.”
“When can we call him?”
I looked at the time. “Frank
should be here any minute. We’ll call then.”
As promised, Jan had sent me a cheat sheet on how to work with Chanel to make it the least annoying experience possible – her words, not mine. I skimmed the list and found one word came to mind. Narcissistic. The list sounded like it had come from the pages of Psychology Today and reading it, I hoped I’d have the patience to keep my cool. With what I had learned about her background, it made sense. She’d carved out her own path and had done it against her father’s wishes and without his bankroll to finance it. Alone, she’d made herself a success. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was what it took.
Frank was on his cell phone when he came in, and the conversation seemed strained to say the least. Without any greeting, he moved to the conference room and slammed the door.
Alana reached down and scooped up the puppy.
I took a deep breath, hoping it wasn’t Monique on the other end of the line; we needed her on this case.
By the time Frank had emerged from the conference room, he’d calmed down and all was right with the world again.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Fine.” He forced a smile. “Did you call Justin and his mom about the dog.”
“I was just going to do that,” I said.
It didn’t take long for Justin and his mom, Rachel, to arrive. I’d made it clear that although the dog looked like Max, we weren’t positive it was him. The look on Justin’s face removed any doubt.
Justin was thrilled for the return of his beloved pup but was concerned about all the other dogs.
We assured him we were on the case and would get them home safely.
Frank had received confirmation from Monique that the sting was on and she’d update us as things proceeded. With that, I packed up my files.
“Are you going somewhere?” Frank asked as Alana eyed me.
“I need to take care of a few things. Can you keep me updated on the dog-nappers?”