The Dog Who Knew Too Much (30 page)

Authors: Carol Lea Benjamin

BOOK: The Dog Who Knew Too Much

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“Meaning?”

“Meaning she didn't send in confirmation for her room, and I haven't been able to reach her.” She looked at her watch, as if the answer might be written on its face. “She was supposed to deliver the opening talk, on breed character. So if need be, could you do that? I can put it later in the week if that would help.”

“No problem.” Sam's check was still in my hand. “Who was scheduled to do it?”

“Tina Darling. Do you know her?”

“We've met. You mean she's missing, Sam?”

“Well, I wouldn't say
that
. All I know is that she hasn't sent in her room form, nor is she returning phone calls. As the organizer, I have no choice but to assume she's not coming and to cover her talk times, don't I? It's only good business. Rachel, people are flying in from all over the country, even from England if you count Marty Eliot, but he's here lecturing more than he's there practicing, so that probably doesn't count. Still, I can't just tell them all there are holes in the program, go shopping at Bloomingdale's, can I?”

She looked at the check, still in my hand.

“Of course, I'll
pay
you for the extraâ”

“That wasn't my concern. Of course I'll do it, Sam. Whatever you need is fine.”

“Super. I already have someone to cover the slot on dealing with aggressive dogs. That's another topic we can't afford to omit.”

“I see your point, of course. You have to have a backup, just in case.” I folded the check in half and put it into my jacket pocket.

“You'll never guess who.” She leaned forward, clearly pleased with herself.

I looked up. “You mean for the talk on aggression?”

Sam licked her red lips, the cat who'd just stolen the cream.

“He never does these kinds of things. Chip Pressman.” She was grinning. “He's hard to get,” she whispered.

Tell me about it, I thought.

“I've been after him for years. Seeâlose some, win some. It all works out.”

I felt Dashiell's head lift up, brushing my leg. I knew if I looked down, he'd be looking back at me as if to ask what had happened to speed up my breathing.

“Still,” Sam said, as much to herself as to me, “it's a pity about Tina. She's a wonderful speaker, astonishing for someone so young. She simply mesmerizes the audience.”

“Maybe she'll still show. Maybe she's away, and planning to be back in time for her talk.”

“Perhaps. I left her several messages, and I'm holding a room for her, just in case. But I can't take chances with the program.”

“No, you can't.”

“Of course, you'll stay at the Ritz, all expenses paid,” she said, “including Dashiell's. Since the Four-Legged Gourmet wanted to be the only booth with food our last day, I insisted they supply food for all the participating dogs, gratis. We can't expect people to schlep their own dog food, can we? And I got another supplier to make up great sweatshirts for us. Wait until you see them.”

She was some piece of work, Sam Lewis. Like many a bitch I'd trained, it seemed Sam too could and would do whatever it took to get her wayâintimidate, whine, beg, plead, threaten, fool, even seduce.

I had once seen a little bitch flag a male, tossing her tail to the side, a sign she was willing to mate, in order to get the bone he had and she wanted. It worked, too. Of course, as soon as the prize was in her possession, she changed her tune, acting as if she thought he were a periodontist.

I wondered what my new employer's follow-up would be, if she too showed her canines after she'd gotten whatever it was she wanted. After all, when you captured your prey with honey, or as in this case, money, that wasn't the end of the story. But whatever that turned out to be, from what I'd seen so far, to help my audience really understand alpha, I could simply show them Sam.

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Acknowledgments

The school of T'ai Chi Chuan, New York City, especially Pat Gorman for her giving nature and extraordinary ability to teach and inspire, George Fletcher for the lovely way he grew along with his students, and Jackie Harris, classmate and friend

For the generous sharing of information and insights, Joel McMains, former deputy sheriff; George Axler, graphologist; Larry Berg, cynologist; Detectives Joseph Barker, Daniel O'Connell, and Bob Moller of the Sixth Precinct; Barbara Jaye Wilson, fellow mystery writer; and Beth Adelman, whose interests and talents coincided in the most serendipitous way with the needs of this book

Mystery Writers of America, Private Eye Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the Authors Guild, and the Dog Writers Association of America, professional organizations that help writers be considerably more savvy in a dog-eat-dog world

Gail Hochman and Marianne Merola at Brandt & Brandt

Michael Seidman, maven d'editing

My friends and family, especially my sister Mimi and Stephen Lennard, my sweetheart

And Dexter and Flash, because if there's Zen at the top of the mountain, some dog brought it there

About the Author

Carol Lea Benjamin is the author of the Rachel Alexander and Dash mystery novels, which feature a Greenwich Villageâbased private investigator and her pit bull sidekick.
This Dog for Hire
, the first book in the series, won the Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel. Benjamin has also been a teacher, worked as a private investigator, trained dogs, and written dog-training manuals such as
Mother Knows Best
:
The Natural Way to Train Your Dog
. She lives in New York City with her husband and two dogs.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover design by Neil Alexander Heacox

ISBN: 978-1-5040-0645-3

This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

345 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com