While looking for a lost cat, Alex finds a weak and injured Great Dane. The dog has no collar, no tags, and no microchip. And the only person looking for him is a man who might have murdered his own wife.
Within 24 hours, Alex has a hunted dog, a cryptic message, and a hitman after her. She realizes the only way out of this mess is to solve the mystery of the lost Great Dane.
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“Are you sure?” I asked. The only response was a sharp bark
and pawing on the ground. Hero is a trained search-and-rescue dog, and he is
very good at his job. He barked a second time and sat by the fence. I leaned
over and gave him a brisk pat. “Okay, give me just a minute.”
Retrieving my cell phone from the pocket of my jeans, I
placed a call. Although the property looked deserted, I wasn’t about to go
traipsing around without verification. Claire answered on the first ring.
“Lost and Found Pets. This is Claire. How may I help you?”
Claire is my complete opposite. She is short and just a
little chubby. She has long blond hair, pretty blue eyes, and a sweet smile.
Her bubbly personality comes through with every word she speaks. She is
friendly, kind, and supportive. How the two of us became friends is still a
mystery to me.
“I need you to do a property search,” I said as soon as she
finished her greeting. “Hero found Mr. Fluffy’s trail, but it leads to a fenced
property.”
“What’s the address?”
I gave her the particulars and waited while she performed
the search. Mr. Fluffy was the lost cat that I was currently trying to locate.
The Lost and Found Pets agency tries to live up to its name. We attempt to find
lost pets.
I have always loved animals, and I discovered that there was
a need for someone to look for lost pets. People love their animal companions.
They are willing to pay a great deal of money to find their furry friend. Our clientele
consists mostly of those who have money to burn and prefer someone else do all
the work. They may be young, up-and-coming professionals who want someone to
come home to but don’t have the time to search for them should they get lost,
or the elderly whose loss of a pet upsets them so much they have difficulty
navigating a basic search for an animal. We also get clients who have exhausted
all their own resources and turn to us as a last resort. Lost and Found Pets is
a licensed private investigations firm. We are just very specialized.
“It looks like the last owner died about three years ago,
and the property hasn’t been claimed. There are a couple of years of back taxes
on the books but nothing else. I’m surprised no one has claimed it yet. It’s in
a prime spot.”
“Okay, that’s what I needed to know. Thanks, Claire.”
Hero and I were standing on what was probably once a gravel
road. Now it was just a large opening dividing several acres of land. I
couldn’t see a gate or opening anywhere. It was probably on the other side of
the property. If we went around, Hero might have lost Mr. Fluffy’s scent so I
reached into my backpack and pulled out a pair of wire cutters. Searching for
lost pets often takes me to hard-to-reach places. I carry a whole arsenal of tools.
I made quick work of the fence. Hero bounded through first. He is a large brown
German Shepherd, but I had to cut the fence even more before I could squeeze
through.
After stepping through the fence, I gave Hero the command,
and he took off running. I followed a little more slowly, hoping to avoid the
muddier areas. Hero headed to the back of the barnlike structure. It was small
and falling down. Whoever had owned the place hadn’t done any work on it in
years. I heard Hero bark and sped up my pace. When I rounded the corner, I saw
at once that I didn’t need to hurry.
“Damn it,” I said softly as I approached the doorway to the
barn. The poor cat was dead. His collar had caught on a nail, and it looked
like he might have choked to death. There were signs of a struggle. His collar
was torn in places, but he hadn’t managed to tear it completely. Mr. Fluffy had
been an indoor cat, and his collar was pretty but not designed to break away or
stretch. He hadn’t been dead long as his body was still intact. The owners had
only realized he was missing that morning. They contacted me midday after a
brief search. It was a very typical scenario.
About 50 percent of the time, we are able to find the lost
animal. Unfortunately, sometimes we find them too late. Like now. I blinked
back tears as I pulled a plastic container from my backpack and gently placed
Mr. Fluffy inside. Most of my clients don’t want to see their dead pet, but
sometimes they need proof that the animal is actually gone. Hero whined softly.
I handed him a treat, which he took but ate slowly, giving me a sad look. I
rubbed his head.
“I know, boy. Me too.”
wonderful book!!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun book.
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting! Thank you :)
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