Hare Today, Dead Tomorrow Read Online Free PDF Page B

surrounding the intimidating complex of gray brick buildings that included the Norfolk County Police Department’s headquarters and dashed into the lobby, where a uniformed officer sat at a high, imposing counter that practically had a moat around it. I nodded in his direction, then headed toward the metal detector that led to the elevators.
    “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the officer at the desk sang out. “Where do you think you’re going?”
    “I have an appointment with Lieutenant Falcone.”
    “In that case, I’ll check your ID, call upstairs to confirm your appointment, and then send you through the metal detector.”
    I slid my New York State driver’s license across the counter, then stood calmly in front of him while he made the call. I half-expected a cauldron of boiling oil to be poured on me the moment I was found out.
    “Hey, Joe. I got a gal here name of Jessica Popper who says she has an appointment with Lieutenant Falcone. No? Then I’ll—sure, I’ll hold.” He glowered at me while he waited. It took every ounce of nerve I possessed to continue looking him in the eye.
    “Yeah? Really? Okay. I’ll send her up.”
    He hung up the phone and shrugged. “He says the lieutenant will see you. Fifth floor.”
    “Thanks,” I told him, unable to keep either the triumph or the surprise out of my voice.
    When I exited the elevator, I found Lieutenant Anthony Falcone standing in the doorway of his office. Whether he was waiting there to greet me or to bodily block me from entering, I couldn’t say.
    “Dr. Popper,” he said. Only, thanks to his New York accent, the way he pronounced my name was more like “Docta Poppa.” Smirking as if he were about to say something terribly clever, he added, “The vet with a nose for murder. I see you’re up and around again.”
    “Hello, Lieutenant,” I said, trying to sound friendly. “Thanks for seeing me.”
    “Yeah, well, I figured this wouldn’t take long,” he replied gruffly.
    Falcone stood only about five foot four, so even though I’m not exactly a giant, talking to him meant talking down to him. I was glad that he headed straight for his desk and sank into his chair. Today, as usual, he was wearing a cheap shiny brown suit that made him look like a fashion “don’t.” His equally shiny, blue-black hair was slicked back, giving the impression he was auditioning for Grease.
    But it wasn’t his fashion sense, or rather his complete lack of it, that irritated me. It was his cocky attitude. Maybe it came from being short and slight of build, factors that Dr. Freud could no doubt have gone to town with. Or maybe it stemmed from the fact that his line of work not only entitled him to carry a gun; it also allowed him to boss around other people who carried guns.
    Even so, I was determined to act all sweet and gooey, hoping he’d forget some of our past history. Perhaps even all of it.
    “I’d like to talk to you about a recent case,” I began as soon as I sat down facing his desk, “though I know you haven’t exactly been crazy about my past interest in murder investigations.”
    He grimaced. “Isn’t that what more literary types call an understatement?”
    Literary...or literate? I thought dryly. Fortunately, this turned out to be one of those rare occasions on which I had enough self-control to keep my mouth shut.
    “This is about the Thorndike case, right?” he added.
    I nodded.
    “I thought you and Suzanne Fox might be pals, since both you ladies are veterinarians and all. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if it turned out you two were as thick as thieves. Of course, that may not be the best metaphor, given the situation.”
    “Simile,” I muttered.
    “Excuse me?”
    “As thick as thieves is a simile, not a metaphor.”
    “What, you’re an English teacher now?” Falcone said, scowling. “It’s not enough that you’re a veterinarian and an amateur detective?”
    “You’re absolutely right,” I replied crisply, ignoring the last of