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crew were gone, but Malone was loitering in front of Bow Wow. Now what?

Chapter Seven
     
    I LED MALONE inside. Missy charged for her water bowl and splashed water everywhere under the pretense of drinking. Malone cased the place without turning his head.
    “I see you got the call you could open the shop.”
    “No. I was next door with Darby. Just luck that I was leaving at the same time ya’ll finished. Did you suddenly get a dog, or are you here to ask me more questions?”
    He pulled out a beautiful, pink-diamond tennis bracelet from his pocket. “Do you recognize this?”
    Of course I did. I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “How’d you get it?”
    “Do you know who it belongs to?”
    I’d read enough mystery books to know he already knew, no sense in evading his question. “Tova Randall.”
    “How do you know it belongs to Tova?”
    “She wore it last night at the party.”
    He dropped the jewelry into a small baggie then returned it to his pocket. “Thanks.”
    “Any news on how he died?”
    He picked up a pink birthday hat. “Nothing solid.”
    “When I felt for a pulse, I noticed he was wearing a dog leash.”
    He didn’t blink, just stood there. Like a very irritated cop. The party hat in his hand only made him look more dangerous.
    “And,” he prompted.
    I walked over to the green leads I’d restocked last night. “I’m almost positive it was this one.” I traded the lead for the hat.
    “Do you track who you’ve sold these to?”
    “Sort of. I can tell how many I’ve sold, when and if they paid by credit card, cash, or check. If they paid by credit card or check, I can find out who purchased one.”
    “Do you remember who you sold one too recently?”
    “I sold one to Jack O’Doggle last week.”
    “Anyone else?”
    “I can print a list.” I headed for the office.
    “Hold on. I have an appointment. Pull your records. Do not do anything other than bring them to me. In person. Not by email. Got it?”
    “Sure.”
    We both knew I’d study the list before I handed it over. I couldn’t help it. I was naturally curious. Malone considered me unnaturally nosey. The problem was, he needed me.
    It was a heady feeling, knowing I had something he wanted. I liked it.
    AFTER A BUSY DAY of dodging questions and hand-selling Ava’s new line of doggie clothing, Missy and I happily settled into a quiet night at home. Missy snored in her bed while I sipped my favorite cabernet curled up on the couch.
    I checked my cell for the hundredth time, making sure I hadn’t missed Grey’s call. To the outside world, Grey was out of town on a business trip for his art gallery, ACT (which stood for Art Crime Team). In reality, he was in Chicago working on an art fraud case for the FBI.
    Obviously, he couldn’t share details, but it came down to this: someone lied about something they stole to cheat another party out of their property. That’s white-collar crime according to the FBI. (Seriously, it’s on their website.)
    I set my wine on the end table next to my cell. I’d almost forgotten the list of customer names I’d brought home—people who’d bought one of the deadly green leashes recently.
    I quickly retrieved it from my bag then returned to the seat, pulled the blanket off the back of couch, and tossed it over my legs.
    I studied the names on the depressingly long list. Fifteen identifiable customers out of twenty-five sales. The rest had paid cash. Right there in black and white was Jack O’Doggle, the only name I recognized. Malone had his work cut out for him. Was someone on this list a killer?
    My cell rang. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it was Grey. “Hey.” I tried to sound like I wasn’t sitting by the phone waiting for his call. Which I wasn’t. Really.
    “Hi. Are you home?” he asked.
    “You bet. Curled up on the couch. How about you? Back at the hotel?”
    “Not yet. Soon. Things didn’t go as planned. I may not be home for few more days.”
    He sounded tired. If I