“Yeah, sure.” We both pulled out our phones and exchanged texts with our numbers and addresses. “What is your dad’s name?”
“I’ll text it to you, along with the address to this house.”
A second later, the name, Mack Haywood, along with the address to the house, appeared on my screen. “Got it. Thanks.” I slipped my phone into my pocket. “By the way… did your dad train Coco? He’s pretty amazing.”
“Yes, he did. After he retired, he volunteered for a search-and-rescue group. He got Coco and trained him for that group. He’s always loved the outdoors, so it was like a second career for him. Coco’s just two years old, but he’s been involved in several searches already.”
“It sounds rewarding.”
“Yeah, at least my dad thought so, but there were times it didn’t turn out right.” An unbidden memory of heartbreak surfaced, but he abruptly shoved it away. “Anyway… it’s good to know that Coco ended up with someone like you. I knew he’d be happier in a new home.”
Guilt that he’d dropped Coco off at the shelter still gnawed at him, especially since the dog meant so much to his dad. But he just couldn’t handle the fact that the dog was alive and his father wasn’t.
“My kids love him, so I think you made the right choice. We’ll take good care of him; you can count on it.”
Relief washed over him. “Thanks.”
“You bet. I’ll get started on my investigation, and I’ll keep you in the loop.” At his nod, I glanced at Coco. “All right, buddy. Let’s go home.” Coco yipped home and followed me out the door. Grateful that he followed so easily after his earlier agitation, I told him what a sweet, wonderful dog he was. He barked yup, and I grinned, totally convinced he knew he belonged with me now.
We backtracked out of the neighborhood and began the long trek home. It surprised me that we’d gone so far, but at least now I understood why. Had Coco known where he was going all along, or was it just a coincidence? Whatever it was, this dog seemed to have freaky skills. Maybe that’s why we got along so well. Of course, if he was a search-and-rescue dog, it made sense.
By the time we got home, I’d already texted Chris to tell him I’d be late. We rescheduled for eleven, which gave me enough time to take a shower and get ready. The kids were eating breakfast when I got home, so I told them all about Coco and his previous owner.
“Poor Coco,” Savannah said, smothering him with all kinds of affection. He seemed to enjoy it with his tail thumping so hard.
“So, do you think he saw the killer?” Josh asked, thinking Coco was smart enough to identify the killer if he got close enough.
“It doesn’t sound like it,” I said. “Austin said his dad put Coco in a room and shut the door, but I wouldn’t rule it out. Who knows? He might have seen the killer first, or, at the very least, heard him. Anyways, I told Austin that I’m a private investigator and I’m going to look into it.”
“Cool. Was he okay with that?” Savannah asked. At my nod, she continued. “Then I’m sure you’ll figure it out, and maybe Coco can help you. Right Coco?”
He woofed yup, and Savannah grinned. “See—he’s ready to help. Maybe we could help you, too?” she widened her eyes with a hopeful look.
I chuckled. “We’ll see. Right now I’ve got a meeting with Uncle Joey, and I’m already late.”
We discussed all our schedules for the day, and I hurried upstairs to get ready. With any luck, the meeting would be quick, and I could head over to the precinct and take a look at the case files for Mack Haywood.
My outing with Coco, and finding out his former owner had been murdered, helped put my worry about the meeting with Uncle Joey into perspective. Meeting with him wasn’t a life-or-death situation, and being the executor of his estate wasn’t anything to worry about. I could handle it.
I pulled into the parking garage at Thrasher Development and rushed to the elevator with only five minutes to spare. Jackie waved me toward Uncle Joey’s office, telling me Chris was already there. I stepped inside, and Chris let out a relieved breath.
“There she is,” Uncle Joey said, standing to greet me. “Come in and sit down; we’ve got a lot to talk about.”
At his no-nonsense tone, my stomach twisted, sending unease down my spine. His mind was shuttered up tight, so I couldn’t get a read on him, but I could tell it was a grave matter.
Chris was an open book, but the pages were empty, since he had no idea what Uncle Joey ultimately wanted with us either. I sat beside him and glanced at Uncle Joey.
“I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on,” Uncle Joey began. “But I’ve put a lot of thought into this, and I think it’s the right thing to do.”
His gaze caught mine. “A lot of things have happened in the past year, and I’ve done some… soul-searching. I’ve decided that I need to make some changes in my organization. After evaluating several of my operations, I’ve seen that I can still come out ahead without some of the… shall we say… shadier aspects of the business.
“To that end, I’m working to consolidate my business dealings into a more legal, but still highly profitable organization. It might take some time, but I have some serious plans to make it happen. That’s where you come in, Shelby.”
He clasped his fingers together before catching my gaze. “I want to make you my successor.”
My eyes widened in horror, and I felt the blood drain from my head. “What?” Similar panic came from Chris, but Uncle Joey just waved his hand and smiled.
“It’s not as bad as you think. It’s generally in name only.” He frowned, thinking that most people would jump
