Free A Finder's Fee by Jim Lavene, Joyce Page A

that. Jake says the cure is liniment, massage and a hot bath. I don’t know if I’m willing to try again.”
    Nancy’s expressive eyebrows rose. “He offered to do that for
you
?” She puffed her fake cigarette a little faster. “Sounds like he might be thinking of you as a
little
more than a friend, Dae. Better keep your boots on.”
    We both laughed about that. Nancy went back inside, saying that her hands were freezing.
    I thought about what she’d said about Jake. I doubted that he had any romantic feelings for me. He knew I was dating Kevin, and he’d never stepped out of bounds in that direction. Sometimes people saw more than what was there.
    Treasure and I went back to Missing Pieces. I gave him a tuna treat and he ran around the shop with it for a while. I watched him for a few minutes, enjoying his pleasure. Then I finished straightening up.
    There were no more customers, and I knew I had to go home and face the real mess I’d left behind. There was a ton of laundry that needed to be washed and cat litter to change. I’d done the fun stuff, the work at Missing Pieces, first. Now it was time to go home and do the things I didn’t want to do.
    I packed up Treasure again and we headed down the boardwalk to the parking lot. A large crowd was standing around outside the coffee shop and bookstore. A few of them applauded as Councilman Randal “Mad Dog” Wilson drove up in his custom-made golf cart.
    He waved and approached the crowd. I knew when he got up on the porch above the people that he was about to make the speech Nancy had told me about. I still didn’t see any media there, but that had never stopped him. No doubt he planned to denounce me and urge people to vote for him.
    Some of the people on the blacktop applauded again. Most seemed to be standing around waiting to see what was happening. Mad Dog held his hands out for quiet. I waited to see what he planned to say.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a Duck police car pull into the parking lot on one side of the group. I couldn’t imagine that Chief Michaels planned to give Mad Dog a hard time about holding a gathering there. Duck wasn’t that kind of place.
    Instead, as Mad Dog began speaking about bad leadership, Officers Tim Mabry and Scott Randall approached him from either side.
    “I’m sorry, folks,” Chief Michaels said from the porch. “I’m afraid Mr. Wilson is going to have to come with us.”
    “What? This is outrageous,” Mad Dog loudly complained. “What about freedom of speech?”
    Chief Michaels put his hand on his shoulder. Mad Dog, at six foot four and almost three hundred pounds, dwarfed him. “I’m sorry, Randal. You’re under arrest for the murder of Lightning Joe Walsh.”

Chapter 6

    “T hat’s ridiculous! I didn’t kill anyone. You have no right,” Mad Dog yelled as he struggled with the officers. People in the crowd started pointing and trying to figure out what was going on. More people came out of the coffee shop to see what all the commotion was about.
    It wasn’t a pretty picture. There was no way Tim and Scott could hold him, not with any kind of respect. Mad Dog was strong and bullheaded, according to Gramps. Once he got an idea about something, or someone, he didn’t let go.
    Tim and Scott kept looking at the chief, obviously wondering what he wanted them to do. Mad Dog seemed intent on kicking them down the stairs, but he was a town council member. The two young officers were a little bewildered by their duties at this point.
    Chief Michaels finally bent close to his old friend. He whispered something and put his hand on Mad Dog’s shoulder, as if trying to calm him.
    I had no idea what he’d said to him, but immediately, Mad Dog released Scott from the half nelson he’d had him in. He removed his foot from Tim’s chest.
    Mad Dog stumbled to his feet and held his hands in front of him like a tame albeit dazed gorilla. The chief put on the handcuffs then walked beside him down the stairs and to