A Shot in the Bark: A Dog Park Mystery

Monday, May 30

"Damn." Peter set the receiver down gently, despite the urge to slam it.

"What's up?" Brent inquired from the next desk.

"I thought we were okay, but she's not taking my calls again."

"Okay, Potter."

"Huh?"

"You're in the middle of a Harry Potter scenario."

"What does some kid with a weird scar have to do with me?"

"Literature holds the meaning of life, Dourson. This is just like book five, Order of the Phoenix. Harry's got this big crush on Cho Chang, and she likes him back. But she keeps acting all wiggy because her last boyfriend was killed by Voldemort in book four, and Harry was there."

"You think Morrisey was killed by Voldemort?"

"Of course not, that would be too easy. But I think Lia's acting like Cho Chang. Harry blew it with Cho because he didn't understand her moods and, hey, he had Hermione and Ron to hang with."

"So you're saying I'm an unfeeling jerk?"

"No, I'm just saying she's got to work it out and if that seems like too much trouble to you, then maybe you really belong with Ginny Weasley instead."

"Who's Ginny Weasley?"

"Do you really want a run-down of all the chicks in Harry Potter? Maybe I could hook you up with that tramp, Lavender Brown."

"Go away, Brent. Get a real girlfriend."

"Careful, or I'll sic Hermione on you. She's got one wicked right hook."

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Don't you look all down in the dumps. What's the matter?" Jim joined Lia on top of her favorite picnic table, where she was throwing tennis balls for Honey. Fleece sat in front of her, in expectation of petting.

"I feel guilty." She leaned over and gave Fleece a scratch behind the ears.

"You couldn't possibly be guilty of anything worth feeling bad about."

"I feel so weird. Luthor just died and I'm already having feelings for someone else. That's just wrong."

"Did you really love Luthor?"

"I'm not sure. That's what I feel guilty about. But then I get all mad because now I'm finding out he had other girlfriends and was getting lots of money from somewhere I didn't know about."

"If you didn't love him, looks like there was good reason."

"He acted like he just couldn't live without me."

"Sounds manipulative to me. If he hadn't died, would you be feeling guilty about seeing someone new?"

"I guess not."

"I'm sorry he shot himself."

"But that's just it, Jim, he didn't shoot himself."

"What are you talking about?"

"Damn. I shouldn't have said anything. It just slipped out. It's not public knowledge, but Peter says they think he was murdered."

"Why do they think that?"

"Because he was left-handed and Luthor was shot on the right side. And he avoided guns. And I think he would have been too chicken to pull the trigger anyway."

"Oh."

"Don't tell anyone, please? Peter thinks someone here at the park did it. He says you have to know this place to think of it as a rendezvous point, and they had to know me to steal my cell phone. Someone sent Luthor a text from my phone right before he came here that night."