A Shot in the Bark: A Dog Park Mystery

Thursday, May 26

"Goodness, it's the Phantom Artist."

"Hello, Anna," Lia said as she climbed up on the table.

"Running late today?"

"Slept in."

Anna eyed Lia carefully. "You certainly look relaxed."

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do. What's happened?"

"Nothing's happened."

"Uh-huh. Does nothing drive a Chevy Blazer and stand about six foot two?"

"Where would you get an idea like that?"

"I knew it! Deets! Give!"

"No way."

"You're no fun."

"Go find your own guy."

"Don't let Catherine find out. She'll figure you broke him in just for her."

"Catherine? She's old enough to be his mother!"

"Won't stop her from trying." Kita ran up and leaned against Anna, shoving her head under Anna's hand for a scratch just as Bailey joined them. "Bailey, dear, our Lia's been a busy girl."

"Really? What have I missed?"

"Check the rosy cheeks, the sparkle in her eye . . . ."

"I'm not talking to you two."

"It's okay," Bailey said, "I'm utterly clueless. You can talk to me."

"Anna thinks I have a love life."

"I gathered that. Is she right?"

"Don't know. Maybe. Trying not to think about it. Anna thinks Catherine will try to steal him from me."

"Maybe, maybe not. She's not taken with Detective Hottie lately. That is who we're not talking about, isn't it? If Catherine decided he's distracting you, she's going to be even more put out with him. Of course, she may decide she has to seduce him to stop him from interfering with your work."

"Bailey," Lia laughed, "you're so bad."

"Does he have a brother? I'd like to be distracted, too. I'd even settle for a cousin."

~~~~~~

Brent eyed Peter curiously from the next desk. "Why so glum, Dourson?"

"I'm in a weird situation, Brent. Things have heated up with Lia."

"If you're upset about that, you really do have a problem."

"Not that. She doesn't know about Catherine and Luthor. Technically, she doesn't have a right to know, and I'm not at liberty to tell her. And if she did know, I don't know how she'd feel about finishing Catherine's garden, and I know this project is important to her. But at some point it'll come out and she's going to hate me for not telling her."

"Ouch. Would it be insensitive of me to suggest that you get as much as you can before that happy day?"

"I thought you were an evolved, new millennium kind of guy."

"That's what you get for believing stereotypes. Are you into profiling too? Rousted any innocent Muslims lately?"

"I leave that for the street cops. So how do I handle this?"

"What happened to your oh-so-noble and admirable decision to keep your distance until Morrisey's case was resolved?"

Peter sighed. "She was crying, and I guess I was patting her or something and it just happened."