all the scents trapped in the fibers of our well-worn carpet. And leaving a slimy trail in his wake.
“Never knew I was until Brutus came along. A friend of mine got him a couple years ago, but found out a few days later he was allergic to dogs. I offered to watch Brutus while my buddy tried to find him a home.” Nate took his usual seat on the couch. Dog plopped his butt onto the ground next to Nate’s feet, nose still having a heyday with the carpet. “But after a few days, I got attached. Now he’s my buddy. Sharp as a whip, doesn’t shed too much. And the best part is, he’s low maintenance.”
I took a seat on the chair across from them and eyed the dog. Nothing about that animal said sharp to me, but I wasn’t about to argue—in fact, I’d promised myself that was one thing I would try not to do this visit. If Nate’s insane plan was ever going to get off the ground, I needed to keep my temper in check. “Uh-huh. So where’d you come up with his name?”
“It’s my favorite college team’s mascot.”
Brutus ? That ruled out the local favorites. I tried to remember the names of the rest of the Big Ten’s mascots. “So…you’re from Ohio, then?”
“My parents were. It’s hard to buck tradition,” he added with a wink.
“Yeah. Funny.” I didn’t know what else to say, since I really didn’t follow sports much.
“So.” He leaned forward and rubbed his hands together. “You ready to dive into the world of undercover work?”
Brutus looked up at the sound, realized there was no treat coming forthwith, and slumped back down onto the floor. Our nice, previously clean floor. I cleared my throat and tried my best to ignore Nate’s four-legged shadow—he’d be gone soon enough.
“I don’t have much of a choice, do I? I mean, it’s either do this, or sit and wait for Grace to wake up and tell me herself. By then she’ll have been framed and be out of a job. Besides, how can I know she’ll be safe unless we figure out who did this to her and stop them from doing it again? Or to someone else?”
Nate nodded in agreement, his jaw set. “Exactly.”
“But I’d feel a whole lot better if you’d explain to me how this is going to work.”
Nate unclipped Brutus’s leash and set it aside to reach for his backpack. “I had a feeling you’d ask.”
I held my breath, waiting for the dog to jump up and go tearing off through the house. My luck, he’d come running back into the living room carrying some embarrassing article of clothing he’d snagged from my laundry hamper—another purple panty incident all over again.
But my worries were wasted. Brutus stretched out onto his side and settled in for a nap. Guard dog, my ass.
“I brought a few things with me that I think’ll work best for us.” Nate retrieved a few small boxes from his bag and set them on the coffee table between us. “See, when I’m not working for the Fort Wayne PD, I’m at the spy gear shop I own with my friend, Charlie. He’s a former detective, specialized in undercover surveillance.”
“Wow, your own shop? That’s pretty cool. Did you guys work together at the police department?”
“Yeah. Charlie was there when I first started. Took me under his wing when I tried my hand at detective work. He taught me everything I know about working undercover. After a while, we both started to see a gap in the market—personalized security systems and tools for homes and small businesses. So we decided, what the hell? Let’s set up a shop.”
Protector and entrepreneur both? Not too shabby. “And how’s that been working out for you?”
Nate shrugged. “At first, most of our sales came by word of mouth. But when those early customers discovered how much we had to offer, our referral business began to multiply. And when business really started to boom, Charlie left the force to run it full time.” Pride shone in his eyes.
“So, why Charlie and not you?”
“Charlie’s a better bean counter than I am.
“Never knew I was until Brutus came along. A friend of mine got him a couple years ago, but found out a few days later he was allergic to dogs. I offered to watch Brutus while my buddy tried to find him a home.” Nate took his usual seat on the couch. Dog plopped his butt onto the ground next to Nate’s feet, nose still having a heyday with the carpet. “But after a few days, I got attached. Now he’s my buddy. Sharp as a whip, doesn’t shed too much. And the best part is, he’s low maintenance.”
I took a seat on the chair across from them and eyed the dog. Nothing about that animal said sharp to me, but I wasn’t about to argue—in fact, I’d promised myself that was one thing I would try not to do this visit. If Nate’s insane plan was ever going to get off the ground, I needed to keep my temper in check. “Uh-huh. So where’d you come up with his name?”
“It’s my favorite college team’s mascot.”
Brutus ? That ruled out the local favorites. I tried to remember the names of the rest of the Big Ten’s mascots. “So…you’re from Ohio, then?”
“My parents were. It’s hard to buck tradition,” he added with a wink.
“Yeah. Funny.” I didn’t know what else to say, since I really didn’t follow sports much.
“So.” He leaned forward and rubbed his hands together. “You ready to dive into the world of undercover work?”
Brutus looked up at the sound, realized there was no treat coming forthwith, and slumped back down onto the floor. Our nice, previously clean floor. I cleared my throat and tried my best to ignore Nate’s four-legged shadow—he’d be gone soon enough.
“I don’t have much of a choice, do I? I mean, it’s either do this, or sit and wait for Grace to wake up and tell me herself. By then she’ll have been framed and be out of a job. Besides, how can I know she’ll be safe unless we figure out who did this to her and stop them from doing it again? Or to someone else?”
Nate nodded in agreement, his jaw set. “Exactly.”
“But I’d feel a whole lot better if you’d explain to me how this is going to work.”
Nate unclipped Brutus’s leash and set it aside to reach for his backpack. “I had a feeling you’d ask.”
I held my breath, waiting for the dog to jump up and go tearing off through the house. My luck, he’d come running back into the living room carrying some embarrassing article of clothing he’d snagged from my laundry hamper—another purple panty incident all over again.
But my worries were wasted. Brutus stretched out onto his side and settled in for a nap. Guard dog, my ass.
“I brought a few things with me that I think’ll work best for us.” Nate retrieved a few small boxes from his bag and set them on the coffee table between us. “See, when I’m not working for the Fort Wayne PD, I’m at the spy gear shop I own with my friend, Charlie. He’s a former detective, specialized in undercover surveillance.”
“Wow, your own shop? That’s pretty cool. Did you guys work together at the police department?”
“Yeah. Charlie was there when I first started. Took me under his wing when I tried my hand at detective work. He taught me everything I know about working undercover. After a while, we both started to see a gap in the market—personalized security systems and tools for homes and small businesses. So we decided, what the hell? Let’s set up a shop.”
Protector and entrepreneur both? Not too shabby. “And how’s that been working out for you?”
Nate shrugged. “At first, most of our sales came by word of mouth. But when those early customers discovered how much we had to offer, our referral business began to multiply. And when business really started to boom, Charlie left the force to run it full time.” Pride shone in his eyes.
“So, why Charlie and not you?”
“Charlie’s a better bean counter than I am.
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