A Shot in the Bark: A Dog Park Mystery

Sunday, May 15

Peter felt like a heel. The birds were chirping, the early morning temperature was pleasant. Viola was enthusiastically tugging her lead as they passed through the gate to the park. And her foster-dad was using her to have a reason to spend time here so he could figure out what was going on with the morning crowd. He was using Viola to get closer to everyone, but especially to Lia. If there had not been a murder, he'd be using Viola to get closer to Lia anyway. Because there was a case, he was keeping secrets from her. Everyone who hung out at this patch of the forest was to some extent a person of interest and he had to be careful.

The motive had him stymied. It could be a jealous lover, but Luthor struck him as a man who believed in self-preservation. So far his investigation revealed a man who kept his women apart. Peter was sure Morrisey's killer had a connection to the park. Since Lia was here daily, he couldn't imagine Morrisey inviting trouble by allowing one of his girlfriends to cross paths with Lia, especially not here.

It could be the money. If only he could figure out where it came from and what it was for. Or the money could have nothing to do with it. It could be a big, fat, sexy red herring. The initial search had missed it. Could someone have planted it later to distract him? Who would have 25K to throw away like that? And how would they know he'd find it?

The four big motives for murder were money, sex, revenge, and power. Occasionally someone killed to protect their ass, but it hadn't happened on his watch. Sex or money seemed the likely motive for offing Morrisey. Maybe a CYA if the money was for blackmail. He wouldn't count revenge out, though it was last on his list. Morrisey seemed the kind of guy who avoided trouble. He might indulge in a little discrete blackmail if the victim were unlikely to retaliate. He was not a guy who tugged on Superman's cape.

Peter's musings were interrupted by a golden body slam. Honey careened off his legs as Viola chased her around him, wrapping his legs with her leash. Peter, still reeling from the hit, toppled. He looked up to see Lia's jade eyes laughing down at him, her hand extended to help him up. He took her hand, not for the assist, but for the opportunity to touch her. Her hand was long and graceful, strong and soft. He felt a jolt when they connected. Her eyes briefly flashed wariness, and he wondered if she had felt the connection as well.

"And that, Detective, is why we remove leashes inside the corral before we enter the park."

"Oh, is that the reason?"

"One of them."

"Will the others prevent me from landing on my ass?"

"They might."

"Then enlighten me. Please." He gave her a pathetic look.

"Okay." She thought for a moment. "You see the corral?"

"Yeah, I got the whole leash-corral connection."

"This is something just as important."

"Do tell."

"A corral has a gate. A gate is a portal."

"Okay," Peter replied, unsure where she was going.

"Dogs guard their space. When they are inside the park, the park becomes their space and the gate is like the front door."

"And?"

"What does a dog do when a stranger comes to the door?"

"They, umm, bark?"

"Yes, and sometimes they get aggressive."

"So dogs in the park guard the gate?"

"Sometimes they do, if they are near it. So it's best to take your dog away from the gate after you enter the park, and don't let them guard. You don't have to worry about Viola with that. But . . ."