Maximum Security (A Dog Park Mystery) by C. A. Newsome Page B

lecture. “That was smart thinking. It might
work.”
    “No one we talked to has seen her,
but we’re getting the word out. Someone is going to spot her and
call.”

 
Day 5
Sunday, October 13
    “What’s this?” Jim asked as Lia
pinned a poster to the bulletin board at the park. Chester sat up
on his haunches in front of Lia. She knelt so that he could give
her a kiss. Viola and Fleece eyed each other, as if to say, “Show
off.” Jealous, Honey leaned against Peter, who was along for his
weekly visit to the dog park. He stroked her head.
    “Bailey and I are looking for
George’s dog. You know Daisy, don’t you? Hasn’t Fleece played with
her before?”
    “Sure, I recognize
her.”
    “We spent yesterday afternoon
putting up posters. There’s so much to do still.”
    Jim studied the flyer, scratched
his beard. “What can I do to help?”
    “Next on our list is contacting
the rescues. That might be time consuming. You can only get some of
them by email, and with the others, you rarely get a live person on
the line.”
    “That’s all right, I’ll take care
of it. Just tell me what to do,” Jim said.
    “Great. I’ve got to work today. I
wouldn’t have been able to get going on this until tomorrow
afternoon or later.” She handed him a poster. “Here’s the
information.” Jim folded the poster in quarters with the picture on
the inside, then pulled out a stumpy pencil. Lia listed a number of
rescues he could contact, which Jim wrote on the back of the
poster.
    Terry walked up. “Greetings! What’s
the word?”
    “The word is that George’s dog got
lost when George was killed and we’re looking for her,” Lia said.
“Would you mind calling around to the vets in the area?”
    “The lovely Daisy has gone astray?
I’m happy to help. I can also send a notice to the Northside
newsletter. I’m sure Bits ‘n’ Pieces will run it. They may
even do it as a special notice.”
    “That’s a great idea. Can you
check the internet for ‘found’ notices, while you’re at
it?”
    “Milady, I am at your
service.”
    “Thanks, Terry. I owe you one.”
She handed him a poster.
~
    “Lia! Just the person I want to
see.” Jose approached Lia’s table with Sophie ambling at his side.
Sophie walked up to Lia and presented her backside. Lia leaned over
and gave it a good scratch.
    “Hitting on my girl, Mitsch?”
Peter was sitting next to Lia with the rest of the group around
them.
    Lia elbowed Peter. “Hey, Jose,
what’s up?”
    “Nah, nothin’ like that. I know
you carry a gun.” He winked at Lia, then reached into one of the
cargo pockets on his pants and pulled out a phone. He passed it to
her.
    “What’s this for? Am I supposed to
call someone?”
    “You can call anyone you like, as
soon as you activate it with your number.”
    “You’re giving it to
me?”
    “I got a new one. I thought, I can
trade this one in for next to nothin’, I can mess with selling it
on eBay to some stranger, or I can give it to a friend who doesn’t
have a smartphone. It’s only a first generation Android, but it has
a camera and you can do things you can’t do on the phone you have
now.”
    “You mean like playing Draw
Something with Jim while he’s sitting here right next to
me?”
    “There’s GPS, taking pictures,
looking up stuff on the internet . . . ,” Jose enthused.
    “Spending more money on phone
bills . . . ,” Lia added.
    “Butt dialing . . . ,” Bailey
said.
    “Well,” Terry said. “The
accidental pocket dial is certainly a danger with older models. I
always carry my phone in a pocket on my vest. It prevents such
mishaps.”
    “I’m not going to wear a concealed
carry vest just so I won’t call Peter by accident. I look terrible
in camouflage. Thank you, Jose. This will be fun.”
    “Stick it in a cargo pocket,” Jose
said. “That’ll fix it.”
    “I don’t know,” Peter said,
rubbing his chin. “Maybe I want her butt to call me.”

 
Day 6
Monday, October 14
    “I don’t