1 PAWsible Suspects by Chloe Kendrick Read Free Book Online Page A

were extremely slim. They might have seen something at their vet or at their groomers, but I didn’t know the names of these businesses. Maybe Ida would know where the dogs had gone, but I doubted it. More than likely, I’d have to spend more time on the phone, trying to locate these people.
    I must have drifted off at some point, because I started when the phone rang. I mumbled when I picked it up, but it was the veterinarian from the emergency clinic. “Hello, Mr. Jenkins.”
    I started to correct him, but remembered at the last second that I’d given him a false name when I stopped by to pick up Perry. “Hi, what’s up? Did I leave something there for Perry?”
    “No, but I thought you would be interested. The man who dropped the Scottie off came back this morning to inquire about the dog. He was rather flustered to find that a family member had claimed the dog and returned it home. He was rather puzzled by the whole matter.”
    “Did he leave a name for you?” I hoped that a name would help me to solve this case once and for all.
    “No, but after our last conversation, I switched on the security cameras. I do have footage of him, even if I don’t have a name. If you give me an email address, I’ll be happy to send you the file. You can look and see for yourself.”
    Fortunately, my email isn’t my name, so I gave him [email protected] and made some coffee while I waited for the file. I hummed to myself, thinking that this might all be over in a matter of a few minutes. I’d get the footage, recognize the man who dropped off Perry, and be able to wrap this up in a nice package for the police. I’d be vindicated and the dogs would be safe.
    However, even in the midst of these thoughts, I knew something was wrong. If the man had come by this morning to check on Perry, that meant he hadn’t known of someone else’s involvement until 8am. That still meant that the intruder was unlikely to be the man who dropped off Perry. I wasn’t quick to give others special talents, and seeing the future wasn’t a skill belonging to anyone I knew.
    I cursed a little as I drank the coffee. I was still stuck with a mystery, even if I recognized the man who dropped off Perry. There was no evidence that the man with the dog was the same person who had taken Ruby – except for proximity of the woman to the dog.
    Finally, the email appeared and I downloaded it and began to play it. I recognized the man in the video. It was Ruby Jenkins’ next door neighbor.

Chapter Five
    So now I had a plan of attack. I was going to find the vet and the breeder for more information on the dogs, and then I’d go back to the Jenkins’ house and question the neighbor about Perry. How had he gotten the dog? What did he know?
    I called my mother first, since she was the one who knew Ruby best out of the people I’d met so far. She answered on the first ring. I knew she would. Mom rarely goes out these days. She has groceries and medicines delivered. Anything else she needs, she orders through Amazon. There were publicity stunts a few years back where people planned to live in a house for a year without leaving. My mother had decided to do that as well, except she didn’t make a fuss about it. She just stayed inside indefinitely. On rare occasions, she would go out to the doctor or for an emergency, but they were rare events and getting rarer all the time.
    “Griff, how are you? Have you found the person who took Ruby?” The words seemed casual, but to anyone in our family, the thought of someone being taken was synonymous with fear.
    “Not yet, but I’m getting closer,” I lied. I deliberately did not tell her about the intruder. I didn’t want a situation where my mother didn’t feel safe, even in her own room. Then she’d have no refuge at all. Plus the thought of another child being attacked would be too much for her. She wouldn’t be able to handle the loss of another child. I knew that as sure as I knew Susan was dead.
    “So