Free Death of a Dog Whisperer (9780758284570) by Laurien Berenson

back door. The Poodles knew what was coming next. Running as a group, they raced out to the middle of the two-acre yard.
    Sam cocked his arm and let fly. He sent the first ball long and wide toward a stand of trees. The second he hefted directly into the middle of what had once—briefly—been my vegetable garden.
    â€œGood thing I didn’t plant anything this year,” I mentioned as the pack split in half and three Poodles went scrambling in that direction.
    â€œCorrect me if I’m wrong,” Sam said mildly. “But I don’t believe you planted anything last year either. Or the year before that.”
    â€œGardening is a highly overrated skill.”
    â€œSays the woman with the black thumb.”
    â€œHey, at least I know my limitations.”
    Casey was the first to return with a ball. She dropped it into Sam’s hand. He waited for the other Poodles to get back into position, then threw it again. Tar was on his way back with the ball he’d fished out of the trees. Raven and Eve trotted along behind him.
    â€œBeer?” I asked.
    Sam nodded without turning around. He was busy lining up his next throw.
    I was back in less than a minute and slipped the cold bottle into his hand. Sam was staring off into the distance. Noses lifted and sniffing the air, all six Poodles were now circling the thick trunk of the ancient oak tree that held Davey’s tree house.
    â€œBad throw?” I inquired.
    Sam shook his head. “Squirrels. Two of them. I think they’re up in the tree laughing at all of us.”
    I plopped down on a chaise lounge and stretched my legs out in front of me. “I’m sure they’re laughing at Tar,” I said.
    That silly Poodle was leaping up and down like a pogo stick at the base of the tree. Faith, the oldest and wisest of the crew, knew better than to waste her energy on a vain hope. She left the others and came back to join Sam and me on the deck. I patted the chaise beside me. Faith hopped up and lay down, pressing her warm body along the length of my legs.
    â€œBob called while you were out,” Sam said. He picked up a deck chair and angled it in my direction, then took a seat as well. “He wanted me to tell you that he’d managed to locate some people named the Morrises . . . ?”
    â€œThat’s great,” I said. “It’s about the ring.” I had told Sam about Bob’s unexpected find the day before. “Dan and Emily Morris are the people he and I bought the house from years ago. We’re hoping they might know something about how the ring came to be there.”
    Sam nodded. “According to Bob, the family lives in Cos Cob. Right now, they’re away on vacation with their kids. Home again in a couple of weeks, and happy to talk to you then. Bob said he didn’t tell them what it was about, just that it had something to do with their old house.”
    â€œThat works.” I paused for a long, cold, drink. “The ring’s been hidden for at least a decade and possibly a whole lot more. A few extra weeks isn’t going to make any difference.”
    â€œYou have to wonder why the ring was never found before,” said Sam. “Surely whoever lost it must have looked for it.”
    â€œI’ll let you know as soon as we find out the answers,” I said lazily. “It’ll be fun having a little project for the summer to keep me busy.”
    Sam smiled. “Because two kids, six dogs, and Aunt Peg isn’t enough?”
    â€œNot to mention you.” I reached over, grasped his hand, and pulled him onto the chaise beside me.
    Faith lifted her head and grumbled an objection under her breath as the chaise creaked and groaned beneath the three of us. Then she sighed and slipped off the other side. I scooted over to make room for Sam. He settled in beside me and I rested my head on his shoulder.
    It was the perfect summer afternoon. The sun was high and warm in the