Free Salvaged to Death by Vanessa Gray Bartal

fence. I might be able to pick it.”
    “Stop it. I can’t resist when you talk about breaking the law,” Hal said.
    “If I’m feeling really naughty, I might rifle through their files and leave them in disarray.”
    “Now you’re just toying with my emotions.”
    Sadie laughed and they walked in silence for a while. When they reached the gate, she pulled out a pocket flashlight and stuffed it in her mouth. She studied the lock. For a paranoid man, Tom Tomkins hadn’t provided much of a challenge with his locks. To secure his precious salvage yard, he had covered it with razor wire but clamped one simple, yet large, padlock to the gate. Sadie had been picking locks since she was a kid—another handy skill Gideon taught her. He often said that the only difference between a good cop and a good criminal was a mound of paperwork. In other words, cops should know how to do everything criminals can do, only they should know how to do it better and do it for all the right reasons. More than once, Sadie had watched her father break into someone’s car using a Slim Jim. It was always to rescue a dog or child, but the lesson stuck: knowing how to break the law was a valuable skill.
    Her picks were in her suitcase. Before she retrieved them, she tested the lock. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she murmured as the lock gave way in her hand. It had been pushed together to make it appear closed, but it wasn’t latched.
    “That’s lucky,” Hal said.
    “Or a trap,” Sadie said.
    “Did anyone ever tell you you’re paranoid?” Hal said.
    “My stalker,” Sadie said. She pulled off the lock and looped it through the fence before opening.
    “You know how much I hate to be the voice of reason, but I seem to remember a psychotically barking dog the last time we were here,” Hal pointed out.
    “I don’t hear him now. We’ll tiptoe and keep our fingers crossed that he doesn’t appear,” Sadie said.
    “Now is a good time to warn you that I have a medical condition where I shove people into the paths of oncoming dogs to save myself,” Hal said.
    “As a doctor, you’d think that you would be able to find a cure for that.”
    “Sadly, there is no cure. Someday I’m going to have a telethon for myself and raise money for a cure. In the meantime, I try to avoid vicious dogs.”
    “That’s probably a good idea even for those who don’t suffer your affliction,” Sadie said.
    The office, unlike the fence, was properly locked. Sadie knelt, pulled out her flashlight, and peered closer.
    “Um, Sadie,” Hal began. He took a step closer and bumped into her, nearly knocking her over, and that was when she heard it—the ominous and low-pitched growl of an angry dog.
    Sadie froze. The dog didn’t scare her, but the powerful flashlight beaming on the back of her head did.

Chapter 6
     
     
    “What are you doing?” Fiona asked.
    “Right now I’m testing the load-bearing capacity of my pants,” Hal said.
    Beside Fiona, the dog’s growl intensified. “Hush, Gidget,” she said, and the growl subsided to a whine.
    “Gidget?” Hal repeated.
    “Tom’s a fan,” she said, but there was a question in her tone, reminding them she was still awaiting an answer.
    “Someone was in the field. He knocked us over and got away. I can’t say for sure it was Bo, but looking around in the office seemed like a good idea.” Sadie thought it was a good idea to tread carefully until she ascertained Fiona’s views on B&E. “I, uh, might have to pick the lock.”
    “Or you could use the key,” Fiona said. She plucked a large ring from her pocket and handed it to Sadie. “I paid the hardware store money under the table to make me a set.”
    “You two,” Hal said as he feigned wiping tears. “I’m just so proud.”
    Sadie stuck the key into the lock and the dog whimpered plaintively again. For the moment, it was obeying Fiona, but how deep was its loyalty? “Is she going to attack us at some point?”
    “Nah. She’s too