Last But Not Leashed by Eileen Brady

Author:Eileen Brady
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2022-07-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Four

Once I got home, my mind kept coming back to Glenn’s reward offer. Twenty-thousand dollars would pay down some student loan principal, with money left over for a vacation. I’d never been to Helsinki.

Sitting down at my computer, I quickly found Glenn’s website explaining the stock and bond and mixed investments portfolio he was looking for. At first glance it seemed hopeless. Whoever stole his computer files and passwords could simply sell off everything or transfer them to another brokerage, likely outside the U.S. Surely some forensic computer guys were hot on the trail? I learned from reading about a Russian ransom group’s hack of an American company that a trail is always left, even if payment is made in elusive Bitcoin.

My doorbell rang, prompting both dogs to start barking. Buddy ran over to the door first, with Mr. Pitt hesitantly standing behind him.

“Hey, it’s me,” yelled a familiar voice.

Buddy immediately started wagging his tail, and even Mr. Pitt appeared less fearful. I opened the door to see Mari standing outside, her rottie, Desi, looking out the window of her massive SUV.

“I’ve been texting you, but you haven’t answered,” she said. “Come on, Buddy, Mr. Pitt. Let’s go potty.”

Right outside my door is a fenced-in dog walk area. Mari shooed them through the gate and then let Desi out. Her dog immediately walked over and touched noses with Buddy, one of his favorite dog friends. Mr. Pitt hung back, the hackles on his shoulders and back standing up.

“It’s okay, everyone. Desi, sit.” Digging into her pocket, Mari gave a dog treat to Buddy, one to Desi, and then called Mr. Pitt over. Reluctantly, he moved closer, nibbling the treat from her hand. “Good boy,” Mari told Desi. “Good boys,” she said to the other dogs.

I noticed a tiny wag of the pit bull’s tail. “Didn’t you tell me this introduction signals everything is good?”

“That’s right.” She let Desi into the fenced area. “Go play, guys.”

First two dogs, then three began to romp, encouraged by some interesting dog toys Mari brought. “They seem to get along fine,” I said. “Oh, let me look at my phone.” I dug it out of my pants pocket and sure enough, I’d run out of charge and not noticed. “Maybe I need a new battery.” The wind stirred up the fresh snow, dispersing it into a fine mist.

“I’m freezing. You bring them in, and I’ll get Desi’s stuff from my truck.” Mari raised the tailgate with her key fob and took off.

“Inside,” I called out. I lifted the lock on the gate and quickly opened my front door. Desi glanced at Mari but followed his buddies inside.

Half an hour later, Mari and I sat in my living room surrounded by snoring dogs. All three showed brachycephalic characteristics, meaning shortened muzzles—the better to snore and snort and drool.

“That’s quite a racket,” Mari commented to me. She lay stretched out on my sofa, feet perched on the coffee table.

“I’m used to it now.” I’d plugged my phone into its charger when we came inside.

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