Dial C for Chihuahua by Waverly Curtis Read Free Book Online Page B

problem!” he said. He wriggled around in his chair and pulled a fat billfold out of his back pocket. He flipped it open and pulled out a huge wad of bills. Jimmy peeled off six hundred dollar bills and held them out to me.
    â€œFive hundred for the Tyler case. And a hundred dollar advance for the new gig,” he said.
    â€œBacon!” breathed Pepe in my ear.
    I put my hand out to take the bills, then drew my fingers back. “What about Stewart?” I asked. “Don’t you have to get his approval to send me out on a case?”
    â€œScrew Stewart,” he said. “He might own the agency but I’m the one running it. We’ll just say you are working for Jimmy G. under the table.” And he winked at me. “You’ll be a secret operative.”
    I wavered.
    â€œTake it! Take it!” Pepe said.
    â€œYou’re awfully greedy,” I said to him.
    â€œGeri,” Pepe said, “I am only looking out for you.”
    â€œAre you talking to your dog again?”
    â€œHe seems to think it’s a good idea.” I held out my hand, and he counted the bills into it.
    â€œThere’s $200 more for you, in cash, the day the case is solved,” Jimmy said.
    â€œWhat’s the case?” I asked.
    â€œOh, it’s simple,” Jimmy said. He started pawing through the papers on his desk. “Here it is!” He pulled out another scrap of paper. “Some old broad at a retirement home. Name is Mrs. Snelson. Here’s the address.” He handed it over. “A neighbor’s dog is ruining her flower beds. She wants photos of the dog running around loose so she can report it to the authorities.”
    â€œWe can do it, Geri!” Pepe said.
    â€œYes, we can,” I replied.

    Outside the office I set Pepe down again.
    â€œNice work, Geri,” said Pepe, swaggering a little as we walked down the hall. “We can buy mucho bacon with that money. And the case is right up our alley. This will be easy work for Sullivan and Sullivan, Private Investigators.”

Chapter 9
    â€œYou know, Geri,” said Pepe, as we drove away, “you should have gotten something in writing.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œIt is something I learned from watching Court TV,” he said. “You must always get it in writing. Then if Jimmy G. does not pay you, you can take him to small claims court. Maybe you could even appear on Judge Judy .”
    â€œThat’s a good point, Pepe,” I said. “I’ll ask for something in writing next time. But for now, I guess I’ll just have to trust him.”
    Pepe was quiet for a few minutes. “Still, I think there is something rotten in Denmark.”
    I looked over at my little companion. “Pepe! You know Shakespeare?”
    â€œOf course, I know Shakespeare,” he said. “Are you suggesting I am not an educated dog?”
    â€œWell, no—”
    â€œThat I do not have the intelligence to understand the words of the Immortal Bard?”
    â€œPepe, I—”
    â€œDo you know that Chihuahuas have the highest brain to body ratio of any dog breed?”
    â€œNo, I didn’t know that,” I said. “Believe me, I was not impugning your intelligence. It was just that I didn’t know you could read.”
    â€œOh, I do not read,” said Pepe. “How would I turn the pages of a book? I learn everything I know from watching the television. I find it muy informative.”
    I decided to ignore that comment. Pepe was quiet again, then said, “Still I think your boss is some kind of flim-flam man.”
    â€œMaybe,” I said. “But he’s the one keeping you in dog food right now, Pepe. So don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
    â€œI am only a foot tall. That would be muy difficil for me to do.” He looked up at me. “That was a joke, Geri. Get it?”
    â€œYes!” I laughed. He seemed pleased with