Free Three Dog Day by Lia Farrell

those knives in the past year. If need be, go to the stores for the information, and if they aren’t cooperative, tell ’em you’re working a murder case.”
    â€œ I’ll get started right now.” George looked down and began assiduously typing on his desktop computer. After making sure George was truly looking up nearby sporting goods stores, Ben went down the hall to see what Cam had found. So far, she told him, she had drawn a blank.
    George knocked on his door about an hour later.
    â€œ The knife Dory found is a Boker six inch. I found two stores that carry that type of hunting knife in the area. They’re required by law to keep information on gun sales, but not on knives. They have a list of names of gun owners in the Rosedale area with addresses. I thought I’d start with a hunting supply store called Meeker’s—it’s out in the township near the Clifton property. I’ll see what they have on Mr. Jerrod Clifton and anybody else who’s a gun owner in that general locale. The store owner said that people who buy hunting rifles often buy knives like this for field-dressing deer.”
    â€œ Good work, George. You and Deputy Gomez can head out there. Grab lunch on the way. Mr. Meeker will be much more accommodating to an attractive female deputy.”
    â€œ I bet,” George smiled but then his mouth drooped and he bit his lip. “My wife won’t be too happy about me having lunch with Deputy Gomez, though.”
    Ben put his hand over his mouth to hide his amusement. Mrs. Phelps would be giving George a lot of credit if she thought he could ever get close to, let alone seduce, the lovely Cameron Gomez.
    â€œ Tell the Missus I ordered you to go to lunch with Deputy Gomez. In fact, I might make Cam your new partner,” Ben said, lips twitching. “If your wife has an issue, she can take it up with me.”
    â€œ Okay, boss.”
    â€œ And when you and Cam are done with that, swing by the Clifton property and see if Jerrod’s back yet. Put a citation on his door ordering him to appear at the office. It’s mostly farms in that area, but talk to the nearest neighbors on both sides to see if they saw any unusual activity around Clifton’s place since the first of the year.”
    Detective Fuller appeared in Ben’s doorway a few minutes later. “I tracked down Jacko Jones. His girlfriend answered the phone at his apartment.” Rob had a piece of paper in his hand. He glanced down at it, then back at his boss. “Delightful woman. She said, and I quote, ‘That sorry piece of shit hasn’t been home in three days. Check the worst bar in town and he’ll be under it.’ I guess that means Bar-None.” Rob apparently knew the local bars well. Bar-None was a watering hole for the serious imbiber.
    â€œ You can take this one by yourself, Rob. But if you go in uniform, that place will empty right out. Just go home first and put on some old clothes before you head over there.”
    â€œ Yeah, probably need something I can burn afterward. I’ll let you know what I find.” He gave Ben a quick salute, turned on his heel and was gone.
    Rob called back several hours later. He had tracked down Jacko and persuaded him to drink some coffee. Once he had sobered up, Jacko admitted to being aware of a copper theft ring operating in the vicinity of Rosedale.
    â€œ He offered to give me details about some people he thinks are involved, but he wanted money and for us not to look too closely into whatever role he ‘might’ have had in the operation. What do you think, boss?”
    â€œ Okay,” Ben said, “money’s probably the only way to get the information out of him. But try to limit the damages, will you? And tell him I’ll let him go this time. He’s probably not smart enough to run an operation like large-scale copper theft. But maybe he can help us nail some of the lower echelon and