To Sketch a Thief Read Online Free PDF Page B

“exactly as I found her.” She’d be damned if she was going to be pleasant to this boor. She took less than a minute to tell him where she and Marti had been in the house and that she’d secured Hobo in the backyard.
    Harvey wagged his head as if he were tired of suffering the fools of the world and made his way up to the front door. “Hang around,” he threw over his shoulder as he walked inside. “Homicide’s gonna be here soon.”
    “Thanks for your help, ladies,” Danny murmured before following his partner into the house. He said it with the easy grace of one who’s had a lot of practice smoothing ruffled feathers.
    “I have to wait here for some other detectives?” A peevish tone had crept into Marti’s voice, and she was starting to sound more put out than saddened by her friend’s death.
    Rory nodded. “The detectives from Homicide will need to speak to us. If you have another appointment, you should cancel it A murder investigation takes precedence over pretty much everything else, short of a stroke or a heart attack.”
    Marti made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a sigh and went back to her seat on the front stoop. Too restless to sit down, Rory walked around the side of the house to check on Hobo. He met her at the gate, tail wagging, butt wiggling with pleasure at seeing her. She was surprised by the enthusiasm of his greeting, until she realized that on this sad day she was the most familiar face around. Well, Marti was there of course, but either his nose hadn’t told him she was nearby or she wasn’t on his list of favorite humans.
    She hung out with him there, the chain-link fence between them making her feel like she was visiting a prisoner at a work camp. Ten minutes later she saw Leah’s unmarked car arrive, her partner Jeff riding shotgun. In spite of how much Rory enjoyed being self-employed, she sorely missed her closest friend. When she’d left the police department, they’d vowed to see each other regularly. But life had a habit of getting in the way, especially for Leah, who had a husband and three kids. So they did their best to enjoy whatever time they spent together, even if it was during the course of work.
    Leah walked across the lawn to Rory. She was wearing her business face, her wild curls pulled back in a sturdy clip. Off duty, Leah left her hair unfettered so that it framed her face and softened her angular features. She’d recently complained to Rory that the few gray hairs she’d had at thirty were well on their way to claiming dominion over the brown hair of her youth. Any day now she’d be joining the ranks of the dye dependent.
    The two women hugged and Rory provided her with what little information she had. By the time they’d walked back to the stoop, Jeff was done questioning Marti. He handed her his card in case she thought of anything else that might be helpful.
    “Why don’t you go on inside?” Leah said to him. “I’ll be right there.”
    “So that’s it?” Marti asked, glancing longingly at her green Highlander parked across the street.
    “Wait a minute,” Rory said. “What about Hobo? Do you think you could take him home for the night?”
    “Hobo?” she repeated, as if it were the strangest request she’d ever heard. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. No, no, that’s not a good idea at all.”
    “But he knows you and it doesn’t have to be a permanent thing. Just to get him over this rough spot. I’d hate to have to turn him over to Animal Control after what he’s been through today.”
    “He doesn’t get along with my dog,” Marti said, her mouth setting in a stubborn line.
    “But surely you could manage for one night, considering the circumstances and all. I’m sure it’s what Brenda would have wanted,” Rory added, playing what she thought was her trump card.
    Marti wasn’t budging. “I’m afraid it’s out of the question,” she said, her words snapping like a flag in a high wind. “Am I allowed to go