Sneak Thief (A Dog Park Mystery) Read Free

energy.”
    Desiree shuddered and turned to Terry. “How do you and Lia know each other?”
    â€œI was just an innocent lad—” Terry began.
    â€œDon’t listen to him,” Lia said, pointing at Terry with her fork. “We’ve known each other for years from the dog park.”
    â€œIs that the Mount Airy Dog Park? I’ve wanted to go there since I got Julia.”
    â€œYou should join us,” Terry said. “Oops, time to get back to work. Lia, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
    Desiree watched Terry exit. “He likes guns and worships monsters. You’re friends with this guy?”
    â€œI figure he’ll be useful during the coming zombie invasion.”

    A trio of black noses forced the front door open as Lia unlocked it. Lia bent down to pet Honey, her Golden Retriever and Chewy, her Miniature Schnauzer. A medium-sized dog with plush black fur shoved between her and the others, whimpering excitedly as she shimmied her butt and licked at Lia’s hand.
    â€œLook at you, Viola. If you’re here, your daddy must be here, too. Where is he?”
    Detective Peter Dourson stretched his rangy, six-foot-two frame on the couch, watching basketball on the flat screen TV he’d given Lia for Christmas. Lia said hello to the dogs and let them out the back door, then sat down beside him on the edge of the Mission style couch and brushed the hair off his forehead.
    â€œChief Roller’s going to be after you to get it cut any day now. Shame. The retro Beatle bangs are cute.”
    Peter grunted and kept his eyes on the screen as LeBron James faked out a pair of Celtics and made a dash for the basket. The Cavaliers made the expected two points and Peter clenched his fist in a modified fist-pump.
    â€œYou break into my place and all you’re going to do is grunt at me?”
    â€œSorry, Babe.” Peter turned his head to look at her. While Eric’s eyes reminded her of autumn, Peter’s were a luminous indigo exactly the shade of twilight in a Parrish print.
    â€œI spent the last several hours deciphering handwriting on thirty-year-old reports that were never entered into the system. I’m exhausted and my eyes are bleeding. This case has me stumped as a preacher in a whore house.”
    â€œConsidering what some preachers get into, not very then.”
    â€œThis preacher was my Uncle Clarence on my mother’s side.”
    â€œOkay, that’s different. Why does Roller care about 30 year old crimes?”
    â€œThis came from higher up. One of our esteemed state supreme court justices is an ancient gentleman named Wilber Hatch. He was once the very proud owner of a lovely little Renaissance bronze of the goddess Diana, rumored to have belonged to King Louis the something of France. The statue and numerous other family heirlooms disappeared while Hatch’s 17 year old grandson was visiting. The grandson was doing drugs at the time and Grandpa let him stay while he sorted his head out.
    â€œHatch has always been convinced his grandson did it. James Hatch, the grandson, continues to maintain his innocence. There’s been a rift ever since. James Hatch is now an assistant district attorney.
    Last week the statue showed up at Christie’s and Wilber nearly had a stroke. He and James are both anxious to discover the truth.”
    â€œWhy can’t they just ask the person who put it up at Christies?” Lia asked.
    â€œHe was in kindergarten when it was taken. He’s the executor of his uncle’s estate, and uncle can’t enlighten us unless Bailey can get some help from one of her pals.”
    Peter sat up, the vertebrae in his back audibly popping as he stretched.
    â€œWe pulled Cynth in to do some computer analysis. She ran some statistics just for fun and discovered a pattern. High-end burglaries. Antiques, fossils, jewelry, small stuff, very selective. It’s been going on for years, right under our