Page 7 of Vanish From Sight

“Yes. They took my dogs straight out of my yard.”

“Have you shown that to the police?”

“You’re not listening. They don’t do anything.” Hannah released a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry to be so sharp. I… I haven’t slept well since they were taken. I just can’t believe anyone would do this.”

Lena understood how deeply attached folks were to pets. Ethan had been asking for a dog since Noah had brought Axel around. The problem was they lived busy lives. Dogs needed stability. Not someone who would see them for a few hours in the evening and then leave them all day. That wasn’t fair. That was also the reason why shelters were full of animals. People got caught up in the adorable phase, when a dog was just a pup, and then realized fast that they weren’t just a lot of work, they were costly. Vet bills. Food. Grooming. In many ways it was like raising a child.

Lena took a gulp of her coffee only to realize it was cold. She grimaced as she swallowed.

“Are you still there?” Hannah asked.

“Yes. Yes. Your two dogs. What breed are they?”

“French bulldogs. Listen, I understand you’re busy but I don’t know anyone else to turn to. I figure the more people who know, the more eyes there will be out looking for those who do this.”

“Do you know anyone who might have wanted to take them?”

“No.”

“Look, I know a few people in the police department. I couldhave them look into it. If you want to send over the video, your address, the date of when they were taken and a photo, and let us know any identifying features the dogs have, I will see what I can do. No promises.”

“Thank you.”

She hung up and sat there chewing it over.

“Who was that?” Maggie asked.

“Uh?”

“On the phone.”

Lena leaned back in her leather chair, twiddling a pen between her fingers. “A woman wants us to cover a story of dogs being stolen in the region, specifically two of hers. You heard about anything like that happening around here?”

“For sure. As of late though?” Maggie shook her head. “Nothing. I mean I’ve heard of dog thefts happening around the country but not around here for a while. There you go. Maybe you should look into it.”

Lena scoffed. “With this case of a missing woman on the table right now, I’ve got a better idea, have Carl deal with it.”

“No. I think you should.”

“Maggie.”

“Don’t Maggie me. Since you’ve been back, you’ve barely taken any time off.”

“That’s because I have two kids to take care of.”

“But now you have Aiden to help.”

“We’re engaged. Not married.”

“Still. I saw the way that last case chewed you up.”

“It was Noah’s brother. My ex-brother-in-law.”

“Carl will handle the missing woman. I want you to deal with this lady’s situation. We need the people of the town to know that we care and there isn’t anything better for that than you breaking wide a story of dogs being thieved.”

“Maggie. C’mon. I’ll do it after this.”

“You’re not a cop.”