Free Fifty Shades of Greyhound (The Pampered Pets Mystery Series) by Sparkle Abbey

could come by the police station and pick up Grandma Tillie’s brooch.
    Apparently, he and the investigative team had decided my grandmother’s brooch had nothing to do with the stabbing. Go figure, huh?
    I was relieved they were releasing it. I knew my cousin, Mel, would have a difficult time breaking into police evidence to swipe it, but I’d feel so much better when it was back in my possession.
    And, of course, now she had Pajama Betty on the lookout for it as well.
    Not one to let any grass grow under my feet, I headed over to the Laguna Beach PD right away.
    A short trip from my office, the Laguna Beach police department was located in a row of brick buildings in the downtown area. City Hall, the PD and the Fire Department were co-located in the complex.
    There was an information desk as you entered the lobby and I approached it. Two familiar faces glanced up.
    Sally looked up and greeted me. “Hi, Caro,” Small and trim, she looked harmless but make no mistake, the lady could hold her own.
    “Hey, how’s our favorite pet shrink?” Lorraine, taller and tougher in appearance, turned from the desk where she was sorting papers.
    “I’m doing well. How are you, and how is Buster?” Buster was her new Pug. He was a sweetheart of a dog.
    “He’s great. I’m so glad to have him.”
    We were on a first-name basis because we’d gotten to know each other when Diana had been falsely accused of murder, and had spent some time locked up in the Laguna Beach pokey. I know it’s hard to picture, but Diana’s one of a kind, and believe me, it had been a one-of-a-kind experience.
    “Is Detective Malone in?” I asked. “He’s expecting me.”
    “Sure, go on back.” Sally gestured. “You know where his office is.”
    Unfortunately, I did. I didn’t really want to examine too closely the fact I had more than a passing knowledge of the location of the Laguna Beach Homicide Division’s office.
    I slipped through the door beside the front desk and walked the hallway to Malone’s office which was just the hole in the wall I remembered. He was on the phone, but gestured for me to take a seat.
    I perched on the edge of the folding chair across from him.
    “Yes.” His face was taut, and his body language said he wasn’t thrilled with what he was hearing on the other end of the line. “Yes, I understand.”
    He ended the call by putting down the receiver with a snap. I wondered if he’d learned the technique from my mama. Not quite slamming down the phone. It was a click. But with enough force that it communicated the disgust, the irritation, the I-am-done-talking-to-you-now finality. It was a skill and a talent.
    Until this minute, I’d only been on the receiving end of the click; I’d never actually seen it done.
    I raised my gaze from the desk phone to the detective behind the desk. His handsome face was expressionless. Judd Malone would make a great poker player. He leaned back in the chair, his posture relaxed and body language neutral. The only “tell” betraying his frustration was the tap of his pen.
    He was obviously not having a good day. I’d just pick up my property and give him his space.
    “I came for my brooch.”
    He made eye contact, his steely blue gaze unwavering.
    “My grandma’s brooch,” I prompted. “You called me.”
    “I don’t have it.”
    “What do you mean?” I scooted forward so fast I almost fell off the folding chair. “You lost it?”
    “No, the Feds have it.” He tossed the papers he held onto the desk. Again, a lot of disgust in the action. Really, he and Mama Kat had it down.
    “What?”
    “The investigation is now a federal case. The Feds have taken all the evidence. I am off the case.”
    “The Feds have my brooch?”
    He nodded. “It’s safe, Caro. They’ll return it when their CSIs are done going through all the evidence.”
    “Excuse me, Detective! The Feds have Grandma Tillie’s brooch?” I knew I was sort of shrieking by now, but you know what? I