RUFF JUSTICE by Fiona Grace

Author:Fiona Grace [Grace, Fiona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: GRACE

The door to the Canine Crew headquarters swung open with a bang. Detective Marcus Burns strode in, his expression stormy, and his jaw set. Margo followed close behind, an apologetic look on her face. Evie and Grace exchanged worried glances from across the room, sensing the storm clouds gathering.

Grace winced, remembering how her accidental phone call had blown their cover and likely soured Margo's date with the handsome detective. She squared her shoulders and stepped forward to greet him.

"Detective Burns, what a surprise," Grace said, trying to keep her voice light and neutral. "Please, have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?"

Burns ignored her polite overtures, planting himself in the center of the room like an immovable oak. His arms crossed over his chest as his gaze swept over the three women.

"Since you ladies have taken it upon yourselves to conduct your own little investigation," he said gruffly, fixing Grace with a pointed stare, "I thought it best to update you on a few developments in the case."

Evie's eyes widened, and she shot Margo a look. So much for keeping a low profile. This couldn't be good.

Margo shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Burns' intense gaze. Grace studied Burns, trying to gauge just how much trouble they were in. It wasn't like they meant any harm - they only wanted to help solve the case and clear their names. But she knew all too well how their meddling must look to the seasoned detective.

Grace swallowed hard, steeling herself for the tongue-lashing she was sure was coming. She hadn't meant to complicate things for Margo or antagonize Burns. Sometimes, her impulsive nature got the best of her.

"We appreciate you keeping us in the loop, Detective," Grace said diplomatically, hoping to smooth things over. "We certainly don't mean to step on any official toes. We're just trying to help in any way we can."

Burns grunted, clearly unconvinced. He surveyed the three friends, taking in Evie's worried expression, Margo's guilty stance, and Grace's forced calm. Grace knew they were a handful, that was for sure. But he had to admit—and maybe he would, if he weren’t so annoyed—that she and her friends had a knack for sniffing out leads.

Burns fixed them with a stern look. "Traces of toxic plants were found in Herbert Wilson's system. The same kind of poisoning used in Tom Bradley’s murder, which you three seemed to know an awful lot about."

Tom Bradley—the Canine Crew’s first mystery solved. Grace's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, are you saying it was the exact same plant that killed Tom? That can't be a coincidence!"

Marcus held up a hand. "We don't have confirmation on the specific plant yet. The lab results aren't back."

Margo and Evie exchanged incredulous glances. "You can't possibly think we had anything to do with this," Margo protested, her voice tinged with hurt.

Evie nodded vigorously. "We would never harm anyone, let alone poison them! This is absurd."

Burns's gaze softened slightly as it landed on Margo. A flicker of sadness crossed his features before he schooled his expression back to neutral.

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