The Silence of the Chihuahuas by Waverly Curtis Page B

frightened. Some danger lurks near your home. In the bushes.”
    I thought of the mysterious phone call and looked at Felix who looked at me with the same sort of surprise in his eyes that I felt.
    â€œAnother dog has claimed his territory.”
    Oh, that was disappointing. No dog had claimed his territory. Unless she was referring to Fuzzy, but Pepe had never seemed fond of Felix. I didn’t think he considered Felix his property, the way he considers me his property.
    â€œSomething evil has happened,” Miranda went on, quivering all over. “A horrid crime. The perpetrator acted viciously, fueled by greed and frustration. I believe it was a murder!” She opened her eyes with a start and looked directly at me.
    â€œIt’s true,” I stammered. “Pepe and I found the body of an old lady who was killed in her kitchen.”
    â€œYou know who did this!” she said, pointing one long, bony finger at me. “And your dog knows as well. But he is keeping silent out of loyalty.”
    â€œWhy?” I asked. But I knew immediately. Pepe would be able to smell Brad’s scent on the old lady. Had Brad really killed Mrs. Fairchild? I thought about what Rebecca had just shared with me. Could Brad have gone over there to collect the rest of the rent money he needed and gotten so angry when Mrs. Fairchild refused to pay him that he had hit her over the head?
    â€œBravo!” said Caro, clapping her hands.
    The director nodded his head at Miranda. “Magnificent. That would certainly keep the viewers tuned in.”
    I saw that Felix looked disappointed. His explanation was not dramatic enough to capture the ratings the show needed to succeed. I was secretly rather happy about that.
    â€œSo what do you recommend she do?” the director asked the assembled experts.
    â€œShe must solve the murder!” declared Miranda. “On her own! To prove that she deserves the loyalty of this magnificent creature!” She waved her hand at Pepe, who was staring up at her.
    Caro repeated her suggestion that I mend the frayed relationships in my life.
    â€œShe needs to spend more time with her boyfriend, relaxing,” said Felix with a big smile. “Once she’s happier and more relaxed, she’ll be able to tune in to her best friend’s messages.”

Pepe’s Blog: Get Your Blog Posts Read!
    Some police departments use psychics to help them solve crimes. Perhaps this is useful for them, given their tendency to rely strictly on science and rationalization. A dog has so much more information to use to solve crimes: scent and intuition, empathy and energy. We have no need of psychics, who, perhaps, now that I think of it, are simply humans who are more like dogs than other humans in their ability to sniff out clues in body language and energetic exhalations.
    During a previous case we worked with a famous pet psychic known as Miranda Skarbos. Her efforts to “read” me have been, for the most part, inaccurate. She does score a good hit every now and then, but “frightened?” Ha, Pepe Sullivan is never frightened. Wary, perhaps. And she was certainly closer at guessing what was going on in my life than either Felix (please! Spending more time with him! Geri needs to spend more time with me!) and Caro Lamont (who seems like a nice enough lady but all of her advice was for Geri, as it should be, because we all know that there are no bad dogs, only bad owners). But I digress.
    As I wandered back through the house on my way home with Geri, my mind now occupied with crime rather than Siren Song, I smelled that haunting smell again and realized where I had smelled it: on the body of Mrs. Fairchild. The same person who had killed Mrs. Fairchild had also been in Rebecca Tyler’s house. I need to let Geri know this. She needs to read my blog. How do I get her to read my blog?
    I will have to do some research on Search Engine Optimization to see if I can get my