Drool Baby (A Dog Park Mystery) (Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries) Read Free Page B

earlier. He often came at 4:00 a.m.
    and usually left before anyone showed up. Jose was his best friend. It was Jose who checked in on him when he was depressed. When Roger lost his job, it
    was Jose who found him a new job doing custodial work at the apartment complex where he supervised maintenance. It was Jose with the patience of Job who
    listened to Roger's stories of the many ways his girlfriend Gina abused him and his frequent announcements of suicidal intent.
    "C'mon, Roger," Jose urged. "We need to get going or we'll be late for work. Don't matter that it's Saturday. Her Bitch-ness will read us the riot act."
    Jose called his gentle mastiff, Sophie, while Roger gathered up a pair of mixed breeds named Maddie and Lacy.
    As she watched their retreating backs, Lia commented, "Suicide before breakfast. Just what I need."
    Anna turned to face Marie and tsked. "He had no business bringing up Bailey. And what did you think you were doing egging him on, Miss Marie Woo?"
    Marie gave Anna her inscrutable Chinese look from under those shocking zebra bangs. "Jose being his friend doesn't help. Lia telling him to get therapy
    doesn't help. Maybe telling him to do it will help. Too bad Terry's not here, he could have given him directions on how to properly commit Hari-kari and
    what kind of knife to use."
    Anna shook her head, setting her shoulder length mane of pale gold hair bobbing. "It's in entirely poor taste."
    "Poor taste is what Roger said about Bailey," Marie said. "What's happening with Bailey, Lia? Has Peter said anything?"
    Lia looked out across the park from her perch atop her favorite picnic table. Her Golden Retriever, Honey was playing tug-of-war over a stick with Marie's
    champion Schnauzer, Nita. Lia's Miniature Schnauzer, Chewy, yipped encouragement from the sidelines. Anna's Tibetan Mastiff, CarGo, lolled at her side,
    aloof from the skirmish. The dogs, at least, understood how one should spend one's time at the park. In the distance, she spotted a pair of dogs, one a
    large hound, all flopping ears and graceless lope, and the other a compact Border Collie with a tidy trot. Behind them Jim stumped along with a walking
    stick.
    "She's still in the psych unit. Last I heard, she hadn't said a word for more than a month. She'll eat if someone puts food in front of her, but that's
    about it. She's not fit for a trial. The case is on hold as long as she's catatonic."
    "Do you have any idea why she snapped like that?" Marie asked. "You're the one who knew her best."
    Lia chewed her bottom lip. The topic was uncomfortable, but talking about it helped. "I can't say. She seemed fine until we were in the middle of building
    Catherine's labyrinth. Then she got moody and edgy. I just chalked it up to working for Catherine."
    Marie made a face. "Catherine was enough to make anyone edgy."
    "She was reading some wacko book about reincarnation and karma. Stuff about using evil to promote the highest good. It was way out there. I don't know
    where she got it."
    "Weird." Marie rolled her eyes.
    "It's complicated. No one's really sure what happened."
    "What happened is she held a gun to your head!" Anna interjected. "There can't be any question about that."
    "Not that," Lia explained. "All the other stuff. They still haven't been able to connect Bailey to Catherine and Luthor, but the DA figures it's a moot
    point until she gets well enough to stand trial."
    "Confusing," Marie agreed.
    Just then, the large hound jumped up on the table behind Lia and lavished her cheek with a wide, rough tongue. She left behind a long, sticky streamer of
    dog drool. Lia swiped her face with the back of her hand and wiped it off on sweat shorts covered with colorful smears of oil paint.
    "Ugh." Anna made a face and scooted away.
    "Sorry about that," Jim said as he trotted up. "Kita, down!"
    Lia put a protective arm around the hound. "She can stay. You're a good girl, aren't you Kita?" she said to the soulful brown-eyed Bloodhound as she
    stroked the