“Really.” Mallory steps over the threshold and propels Georgina into the entryway via a forceful prod of her elbow. She lifts Harley’s leash, and his head quirks up. She owes the furball for being so damn cute. “He likes his privacy. I’ll be up in a jiff.”
“Jiff” isn’t something she normally says, but it seems to fit this Mallory based on her cheery wardrobe.
From inside the entry, Georgina says, “Uh, sure, Ozzie can get some establishing shots of the condo, if that’s okay?”
“Ozzie?”
Scrubby beard sticks out a fist.
Mallory awkwardly meets his cupped hand with her own holding the leash.
The police officer talks into her shoulder as she starts down the front walk.
Right leg bent at an unnatural angle, body still, eyes open, opaque and not moving.
Damn you, Heidi Hoffman.
Mallory yanks the door to the building shut and hurries down the front stairs, Harley tight to her heels. She tries to stave off the police officer, but she’s too slow or the officer’s too fast and they meet in the middle of the front walk.
“Mallory Latham?” the woman says.
Mallory tries to remember if she left the condo windows open. How good are camera mikes? “Hmm, good day to you.”
The police officer cocks her head. “Officer Middlebury. Got a minute?”
“I do, but not sure he does.” Mallory lifts Harley’s leash, playing into that flighty persona this Mallory apparently has. “I got so wrapped up in theRealHousewives, I plum forgot the little nugget!”
Right then, Harley has a bowel movement.
The officer says, “That’s settled then, now looks like we got a moment.”
Mallory starts to shrug, but then Harley twirls adorably, and he really is doing all he can to earn his keep. “Breed, right? That’s what you wanted to know? Everyone does. He gets me stopped more often than a bus on Mass. Ave.” She laughs. Officer Middlebury doesn’t.
“How long you had him?” The woman pulls down those sunglasses.
“Not long.” The dog is her link to Grayson. She has to tread carefully. “Actually, I’m just watching him for a friend.” Mallory lowers her voice. “I’m not much of ad-o-gperson.”
“But this friend still asked you to watch him?”
“It was a last-minute thing. Wrong place, wrong time, I guess.”
“When was this?”
Officer Middlebury is acting super casual, like they’re old friends who just happened to run into each other on their way out of a boozy brunch. But the questions are too pointed, and she knew Mallory’s name, and damn you, Heidi Hoffman.
“A couple of days ago.” Mallory sneaks a glance up at her condo. “Listen, I’d like to keep this between us, but it was a work thing with too many cocktails, and well, I happened tobe there the next morning when my friend had to go out of town unexpectedly. I said I’d watch the dog. Good to try new things, right?”
“Depends on what the new thing is,” the officer says. “This friend got a name?”
“Of course.”
“And?”
You already know, don’t you?
“Grayson Fields, but let’s not spread that around. Work colleague, and all.” No response, and Mallory clears her throat. “I’m sorry, I’m going on about the dog and my sex life. Did you need something? Is this about the music next door? Let me tell you, at times it’s breaking the sound barrier.”
Officer Middlebury pushes her sunglasses up on her head in a total power move that makes Mallory’s toes curl.
