Reed stopped and swallowed. “It broke my heart. I think it would have broken his dad’s heart, too. Why would Austin do that when Coco meant so much to his dad? It makes no sense to me. I know Mack would have wanted Austin to keep Coco and continue his work with the search-and-rescue team. Austin had to know how much it meant to his dad.” He glanced at me. “But maybe it turned out all right after all.”
“I think it did,” I said. “Our whole family loves him, especially my kids. He’s a special dog, and I promise you we’ll take good care of him.”
Reed nodded, grateful I understood how much he needed to hear that.
“Do you have any idea why someone would kill Mack? The police think he let the person in, so he must have known them. Did you see anyone strange stop by the house before that night?”
“No. That’s the thing I don’t understand. Everyone liked Mack. If it was someone he knew, he must not have known them for long.”
“How long have you known the family?”
“We’ve been neighbors for nearly five years. Mack moved in after Austin left for college. His wife had died right before that—cancer, I think—and he wanted to downsize with everyone gone. When Mack retired from his job a couple of years ago, he got interested in the search-and-rescue program. That’s when he bought Coco and trained him for the job. He told me Coco’s a great rescue dog.”
Reed was thinking it was too bad one of the people from the rescue team hadn’t had a chance to adopt Coco. But maybe he was better off with us.
“Thanks Reed… you’ve been helpful. I need to get going, but, if you think of anything else, would you mind giving me a call? Here’s my card.”
He took my card and slipped it into his front shirt pocket. “Not at all. I hope you find the person who did this.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“And… if you’re ever in the neighborhood again, be sure to stop by and say hello.” He ruffled Coco’s fur. “Come see me again, okay buddy?”
Coco woofed, and I heard yup. I smiled and told Reed we would. After thanking him, we began the long walk home. Although I hadn’t learned much to help with the case, I was happy I’d met Reed, and even happier that he’d seen Coco and knew he was all right.
I’d hoped for a better clue, but at least I knew more about that night, and it could still be helpful. We hurried back home, arriving just as Savannah and Josh got up. After coordinating our schedules for the day, I jumped in the shower and got ready for my meeting with Lance Hobbs from the search-and-rescue group.
I’d explained over the phone that we’d adopted Coco, and he’d readily agreed to meet with me, as long as I brought Coco along. He lived on several acres of land, and his large, brick home sat nestled beside a couple of giant trees. As I pulled into the drive, I caught sight of a barn and a large corral in the back.
As I opened the car door to let Coco out, he jumped down and took off before I could stop him. He ran toward the back of the house, and my heart lurched. As he disappeared, I started after him, yelling his name. Just then, a man came from the direction Coco had gone and sent me a friendly wave.
“You must be Shelby. I’m Lance Hobbs. Come on back.”
He waited for me with a friendly smile meant to put me at ease. He was younger than I’d thought, most likely in his late forties, with short, dark hair. He stood about five-ten, and he had the broad shoulders and muscled arms of a hard worker. In his jeans and white t-shirt, his tanned skin spoke of spending a lot of time outdoors.
I greeted him with a quick hand shake and glanced into the back yard to find Coco playing with another dog. The dog was about the same size as Coco, but with longer, black and white fur.
“That’s Scout,” Lance began. “He’s a border collie. He and I helped train Coco.”
“Oh. Now I get why Coco ran off so fast.”
“Yeah. They’re great friends.” He moved toward his back patio, gesturing at me to follow. “Come on over and sit down. I’m anxious to hear how you ended up with Coco.”
I sat down in a cushioned chair beside his, surprised at how comfortable it was, and told him the story. “It’s like he picked us. Anyway, I took him on a walk, and we ended up at Mack’s house. That’s where I met Austin and told him I’d look into his father’s murder.”
Lance nodded, thinking it had been a shock to hear about Mack’s death. That someone had murdered him made no sense. He was one of the best men he’d ever met. It still shocked him that Austin had taken Coco to the pound. Why did he do that? It didn’t make any sense either. He would have gladly taken Coco if he’d had the chance.
This whole thing was messed up. “Well, if you ever feel like he’s too much, I’d be happy to take him off your hands. He’s a great dog.” He glanced my way, thinking that, if Coco had picked me, I must have done something right. “Or if you need a place for him to stay while you’re out of town, he’s always welcome here.”
“Thanks. That’s good to know.”
“So, you’re a private investigator?”
“Yes. I do consulting work for the police, and I have my own agency. But I wanted to look into Mack’s death mostly because of Coco. So what can you tell me about Mack? When did you meet?”
“We met through the K-9 Search and Rescue Team. Mack wanted to get involved, and he contacted me to help him train his dog, so we’ve known each other for a
