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  Death Goes to the Dogs

  A Lizzie Crenshaw Mystery

  By

  Teresa Watson

  Death Goes to the Dogs

  A Lizzie Crenshaw Mystery

  By Teresa Watson

  Copyright 2012 Teresa L. Watson

  This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Acknowledgements

  Several months ago, a good friend, Lonnie Wolgamott, said that Babe, the bloodhound in my stories, didn’t have enough to do, and she wanted to have a bigger role in a future story. Well, here you go, Lonnie! I hope you enjoyed the story!

  As always, there are several people to thank for getting me through another Lizzie mystery:

  My proofreaders/editors: Lonnie Wolgam

  ott, Kristi Spinks, Kathy Evans, Mom and Dad.

  Jamie Livingston-Dierks: thank you so much for allowing your beautiful Gracie to appear on the cover, thank you for designing another beautiful cover, and for taking time out of your busy schedule to format my story.

  To my husband: thank you for being so patient and understanding as I scrambled to get this one finished in time. Love you!

  To my son: thank you for listening to the story and for being a sounding board when I got stuck. Love you!

  To Mom and Dad: for always cheering me on, nagging me when you thought I was slacking off (which was often!), and for all the love and support. I love you both very much!

  To my Dotters group: you all are my biggest cheering section, and I don’t think I would have come this far without all your support! Thank you!

  To Misty Hallmark: Thank you for giving our bad guy a good name! Don’t worry, he will be back in another story!

  Chapter One

  Friday night, 11:30 p.m.

  The man sat in the car, nervously drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Glancing at his watch, he peered into the darkness, wondering what was taking Al so long. They had cased the place for two weeks; they knew who stayed late, who left early, and who stayed all night. All he had to do was slip in, do the job, and slip back out. Five minutes tops.

  He wished he hadn’t quit smoking. The waiting was making him antsy. A cigarette would calm his nerves right now. This was an important job, and if they screwed it up, their boss would kill them.

  Literally.

  Al finally showed up, walking quickly toward the car. He got in and closed the door.

  “Well?”

  “Well what?” Al said.

  “Everything taken care of in there?”

  “Absolutely…I think.”

  “What do you mean, you think?”

  “I couldn’t find my tool, so I used whatever was handy.”

  The man groaned. “How could you forget it? I asked you before we left the hotel if you had everything you needed, and you said yes.”

  “I thought I did!”

  The man slammed his palm of his hand against the steering wheel and cursed. “Did you do it or not?”

  “I’m pretty sure I did.”

  “You didn’t make sure before you left? God, you’re an idiot!” the man said, pulling a pair of gloves out of his pocket. “Stay put. I’ll be right back.”

  Al watched as the man disappeared into the darkness. They had parked two blocks away from their intended target so they wouldn’t have to speed off and draw unwanted attention.

  He hadn’t wanted to come on this job in the first place, but his boss had insisted. “You need to get your feet wet,” the boss had told him. “No free rides just because you’re my sister’s kid. And no screw ups this time!” Al couldn’t blame him for being upset about the accident that happened on his first assignment. On the other hand, it really wasn’t his fault. That bike messenger had come out of nowhere, knocking his boss’ wife into traffic, where she got clipped by a taxi. She only had to wear that cast for two months.

  Al didn’t want to get into the family business, but every other job he had tried…well, let’s just say they all ended the same way. He always got fired.

  The driver’s side door opened and the man got in. He glared at Al as he ripped off his gloves. “You’re a moron, you know that? A complete moron.”

  “What’s wrong? I finished the job, didn’t I?”

  “Oh yeah, you finished what you started.”

  Al breathed a sigh of relief.

  “There’s just one problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You killed the wrong person!” the man yelled as he smacked Al upside the head with his gloves.

  Chapter Two

  Friday morning, fourteen hours earlier

  I parked the pistachio green monstrosity I had been driving for the last month and a half, ever since my mother had confiscated my car. It wasn’t my fault that her car was accidentally blown up; after all, it was her half-sister, Debra Cosgrove, who wired an FBI agent’s truck with explosives. Mother’s car just happened to be there because I was trying to help the aforementioned FBI agent, who was tied to a tree not far from the booby-trapped truck. All I got out of the deal was a broken arm and a bullet in the leg a couple of days later. It’s complicated.

  A car wasn’t the only thing I lost. I also lost my boyfriend, T.J. Reynolds, whose real name was Thomas Jefferson Roosevelt, and who turned out to be an undercover agent. He was using me to keep tabs on Debra, hoping to get valuable information that would help the FBI catch her. I hadn’t heard from him since I had been released from the hospital, and quite frankly, I didn’t care if I ever saw him again.

  Anyway, I was stuck with the truck for transportation. The trees in the park would provide enough shade for Babe, who was coming with me to an interview I had to do with Kathy Lowdermilk, the owner of the Crazy Paws Rescue Shelter. There was going to be a benefit dinner and auction held at the high school gym on Saturday night to raise money for food, vet care, and other things for the shelter.

  I rolled the windows down in the truck, gave Babe a hug, grabbed my laptop bag and headed for the Eat it or Starve café. To be honest, I hadn’t been to the café much since the news got out about T.J. I knew Gladys would gloat, and I had been miserable enough the last month and a half; I didn’t need her to add to my misery.

  Taking a deep breath, I opened the door of the café and walked in. The usual breakfast crowd was there, but I didn’t see Gladys. I breathed a sigh of relief and headed for a booth in the back, hoping people would leave me alone. I slid into the booth, placed my laptop bag on top of the table, and grabbed a menu.

  “Well, well, look who’s here.”

  At the sound of Gladys’ voice, I cringed and fought an overwhelming urge to grab my bag and run for the door. “Hello, Gladys,” I said, forcing a smile on my face. “How are you today?”

  Gladys slid into the bench across from me. “Where have you been hiding?”

  “I’ve been at home, recovering from my injuries. It takes time to recover from a gunshot wound.”

  “Hmphf,” she replied. “I know for a fact you got a clean bill of health from the doctor two weeks ago. Afraid to come in here and face everyone?”

  I bit back a rude comment. “What makes you think that?”

  Gladys looked around the room, and I followed her gaze. Everyone in the room was staring at us. Great, breakfast and a floor show. She leaned forward. “I just want you to know,” she said quietly, “that I truly am sorry for what happened with you and your young man. I think what he did to you was unforgiveable.” She patted my hand.

  I was speechless. “Thank you, Gladys,” I managed to say, “that means a lot. Does everyone feel the same way?”

  She shook her head. “The men are on his side. What do they know? You hold your head up high, Lizzie. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She patted my hand again and stood up. “This is a one-time thing, however. I still don’t like you.”

  I watched her walk back to her table. “Don’t pay any attention to her,” Maddie Ingels, the café owner, said, as she brought me a glass of sweet tea. “She’s always been a disagreeable fussbudget. I’m glad to see you out and about again.”

  “Thanks, Maddie,” I said.

  “You want the usual?” I nodded. “I’ll have it out in a few minutes.” She smiled at me before she walked off.

  I pulled my laptop out to go over my notes before my interview. Maddie brought my breakfast, which consisted of two eggs over easy, hash browns, crispy bacon and wheat toast. I was nibbling on some bacon when a shadow fell across the table. “You need to get out more. You look a bit pale.”

  I sighed and looked up at Jake Mathias. “If I want your opinion, I’ll ask.”

  “A bit grumpy this morning, I see,” he said, sitting down across from me. “Or have you forgotten how to act around real people?”

  Jake was my old college boyfriend. He was a great guy, but a bit too domineering for my tastes. He mapped out our whole life together, wi
thout consulting me about it. By the time I realized he was smothering me, I found out he was going to propose. Let’s just say I bolted faster than Julia Roberts did in “Runaway Bride”. When Dale Gordon, the owner and editor of the newspaper, decided to take a vacation after his wife killed two people, he hired Jake to help me run things. Until Dale decided to come back from his never ending vacation, I was stuck with Jake.

  “Are you ready for that interview with the Lowdermilk woman this morning?” he said, snatching a piece of bacon from my plate.

  I moved my plate to the other side of my laptop. “I’m going over my notes and questions right now.”

  “Are you going to the benefit dinner tomorrow night?” I shook my head. “Why not? No date?”

  “I have to wash my hair.”

  “You’ve been watching too many “M*A*S*H” reruns.”

  “I don’t want to go.”

  “It will do you good to get out of the house.”

  “Why don’t you go?”

  “I don’t have a thing to wear,” he said.

  “Me, either.”

  “I could order you to go. Someone needs to cover the event for the newspaper.”

  “That’s Ellen’s job, not mine.”

  “She is going out of town.”

  “Since when?”

  “Her husband surprised her with a trip to Vegas this weekend. Nonrefundable tickets.”

  “Send Bruce.”

  “Bruce barely knows which end of a camera is up. There is no way he can write an article about this.”

  “Well, that leaves you, Jake,” I snapped. “You need to do more than just sit behind your desk and bark orders.”

  “Fine. We’ll go together.”

  I shook my head. “I am not going out on a date with you.”

  “Who says it’s a date? It’s business. We will be there to work, not to enjoy ourselves. It’s for a good cause. From what I’ve been told, if you hadn’t taken Babe in, she would have ended up at a shelter. Writing an article about the shelter and the benefit can help save another dog’s life.”

  “You’re a real jerk, you know that?” I said, closing my laptop and shoving it into my bag.

  “But I’m a lovable jerk.”

  “That is open for debate,” I said, sliding out of the booth and grabbing my bag. Stopping at the front counter, I paid Maddie and left.

  I walked across the street toward the park and stopped dead in my tracks. Babe was lying under a tree, her leash wrapped around the trunk.

  But my truck was gone.

  Chapter 3

  “Are you sure this is where you parked the truck?” Sheriff Owen Greene said to me ten minutes later.

  “I’m not an idiot, Owen,” I replied.

  “I didn’t say you were. You’ve been under a lot of stress lately…”

  “Stress does not mean I forget things. I left the truck here, under the tree, to give Babe some shade.”

  He looked down at Babe, who looked back at him with her soulful brown eyes. “I don’t know anyone who would want that green monster. No one around here is that desperate for wheels…well, except for you.”

  I resisted the urge to give him a swift kick in the leg. “Are you going to file a report or not?”

  He scratched his beard. “I’ll make a report for you so you can file it with the insurance company, and I’ll tell my people to keep an eye out for it. It shouldn’t be hard to find. It sticks out like a sore thumb.”

  “Meanwhile, I have no transportation, and an interview to get to in two hours.”

  “You’re welcome to borrow my car, Lizzie,” Jake said from behind me.

  As tempting as it was to drive his Porsche, there was no way I could put Babe in a car like that. “That’s nice of you, but Babe wouldn’t fit.”

  “Why don’t you drive Dale’s Chevy? It’s just sitting there gathering dust. The keys are hanging on a pegboard by the garage.”

  “I can’t just take his truck without talking to him first.”

  “I’ll take care of it. It beats walking.”

  He had a point. I wasn’t about to walk across town to the high school. “Fine, but you had better talk to him about it. I don’t want to get in trouble with him when he comes home.”

  “No problem. I’ll run to the house, switch vehicles, and be back in twenty minutes. That gives you plenty of time to drive me back to the house so I can get my car.”

  I watched him leave. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was behind the disappearance of my truck. He had come to my house two or three times a day when I first got out of the hospital, checking to see if I needed anything. After a week of it, I banned him from the house. I was sure there were some ulterior motives for his visits, and I just didn’t have the energy to deal with him, my injuries and my broken heart.

  “What’s going on between the two of you?” Owen asked.

  “What makes you think there is anything going on?”

  “Trix told me he was over quite a bit during your recovery.”

  “He was only around for one week. I told him not to come back unless he got a call from me.”

  “And of course you never called him.”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t need him.”

  “What about T.J.?”

  “What about him?”

  “Have you heard from him?”

  “Why would I? His cover is blown; there’s no reason for him to hang around anymore.”

  “You should at least hear him out, Lizzie.”

  “He doesn’t have anything to say that I want to hear. What are you going to do about finding my truck?”

  “I told you, I’ll have the guys keep an eye out for it. Not much more I can do than that.”

  “The insurance company is going to jack my rates through the roof. Two cars in two months!”

  “I’m sure it will turn up,” Owen said, looking at his watch. “I’ve got an appointment in half an hour. You okay here until Jake gets back?”

  “I’ll be fine. Babe will keep me company,” I replied.

  “It’s good to see you out and about again, Lizzie,” he said before leaving. “I was beginning to get worried about you.”

  “I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. I just needed some time to heal and lick my wounds.”

  He nodded and smiled before he walked off. I wandered over to a nearby bench and sat down. Babe came over and put her head on my leg, looking up at me with her big brown eyes. I absentmindedly petted her.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” Trixie Greene said as she sat down beside me on the bench.

  “I doubt they are worth that much.”

  “Then I’ll keep the penny. What are you doing here?”

  “Waiting on Jake to get back with Dale’s truck.”

  “Why?”

  “Because mine was stolen while I was having breakfast at the café.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Do I look like I’m kidding?”

  “Did you call Owen?”

  “He’s been and gone,” I said. “Not much he can do about it.”

  “You are definitely having a string of bad luck,” Trixie said.

  “Don’t I know it? By the way, where have you been lately? I haven’t seen you in a week.”

  “I’ve been out of town at a convention.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes, seriously. Daniel invited me to go with him.”

  “Wait, who’s Daniel?”

  “This absolutely gorgeous lawyer I met a couple of weeks ago at a Rangers game. I stumbled into his suite by accident, and he invited me to stay and watch the game with him.”

  “What happened to the baseball player?”

  “He got injured in a spring training game. Slammed into the outfield wall and broke his ankle. He went home to California for surgery and rehab.”

  I shook my head. “I cannot keep up with your love life.”

  “At least I have one.”

  “Don’t start with me.”

  “I’m not starting anything.”

  “Good.”

  “I still think you’re a fool to ignore him, though.”

  “You said you weren’t going to start.”

  “Technically, this is the same discussion we’ve been having for almost two months.”

  “I haven’t changed my mind since the last time we talked about it. I don’t want to go out with Jake or anyone right now.”