Dog Gone Lies (Pacheco & Chino Mysteries Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Guess I need the check and someplace to take a nap.”
    She smiled. Ray liked the smile. You never can be sure with waitresses if they’re flirting or not; but Ray sure thought so.
    “I don’t remember seeing you in here before, Sue. Are you new?”
    “Boy, I wish I was new—but mostly I’m old and tired. As far as the Lone Post, I guess I’m new. Started about two months ago. Moved out here from Florida and before that I was in New York City. Just can’t seem to find where I belong. I was driving through on the highway thinking I might stop in Albuquerque or maybe drive on to Denver when I got off at T or C looking for lunch. Decided this local place looked like it would have good food. There was a sign in the window that they were looking for a waitresses, and presto here I am.” With that she gave a little curtsy.
    Sue was very attractive and no doubt had some interesting history. Ray thought he should be careful. She had the look of someone who had seen some troubling times.
    “Well, nice to meet you, Sue. I used to be the sheriff of Dona Ana County which is the county next door where Las Cruces is located. Retired a few months ago and moved into one of the lake cabins up here—still not all settled in, but getting closer.”
    “You moved up here with your family?”
    “No. My wife died about six years ago and our son is an attorney in Boston—so it’s just me.” Ray knew she was fishing, but he didn’t mind.
    “Well Ray, you’ll have to come back in and let me wait on you again. I’m here Tuesday through Saturday from six a.m. to four p.m. I wish you luck with your retirement.”
    “Thanks, Sue. I’m sure I’ll see you again.”
    Ray left and went to his Jeep. He sat in the car a minute pondering what had just happened. He knew she had invited him to come back, but was that just for good tips or was there something going on here? Ray thought:
you crazy old man, you need to go home and take a nap
. Not prone to ignore advice from his inner voice, he went home and took a long nap—he was actually very tired.
    It was getting dark when he woke. He was a little embarrassed that he’d slept that long. Being out on the lake in the sun had really taken it out of him. Something had made a noise to wake him, but he couldn’t remember what it was and couldn’t hear anything now. Maybe just part of a dream.
    Even after that huge lunch, he was giving thought to dinner—something a little lighter would be in order. Pan-fried fish would be good with brown rice. The fish was frozen but he could thaw it some in cold water and then fry it in a little olive oil. He headed out to the barn-like outbuilding.
    The cabin and the outbuildings had been abandoned for almost thirty years before the relatives of the owner had discovered the cabin. The owner’s son hadn’t known that his father owned the cabin and, for his own reasons, the father had ignored it for many years. Ray had purchased it from the son and learned that during part of that time an illegal drug running operation that involved the local Sierra County sheriff had used the outbuildings for storage.
    The drug dealers had made significant improvements to the outbuildings, with new floors and new power lines. It made some impressive storage for Ray. He located the fish he was looking for and headed back to the cabin. As he approached, Ray caught sight of movement on the wraparound porch. He couldn’t make out what it was, but was sure that it was some kind of animal. He hadn’t taken his old service revolver with him to go to the outbuilding, so he was hoping that whatever it was would be more afraid of him than he was of it. Maybe it could just be scared off.
    Ray approached the porch cautiously. As he got close, he heard a
thump-thump
sound, like something being hit against the wall or floor in a rhythmic beat. Even though it wasn’t completely dark yet, he couldn’t make out what was on the porch or if it was the source of the sound. Ray was a