Mutt Mysteries

  C HAPTER O NE A tat-tat-tat echoed through the quiet office. Before Cassidy Green, owner of the Amelia Speedway, could answer it, another staccato round of tapping sounded. Her Rottweiler raised his head and looked toward the source of the noise. Cassidy pulled open the wooden door. A woman in a magenta track suit hovered over the threshold, her hand in the air, mid-knock. “Uh, hi,” the woman said. “I’m Marti Davis, and your gal at the check-in table sent me over to see Mr. Oliver.” Cassidy looked over her shoulder at her Rottweiler, lounging in his bed. “I’m Cassidy Green. That’s Mr. Oliver.” Cassidy suppressed a smile. Her staff always sent the problem cases to him. “She sent me to talk to the dog?” the woman sputtered. “Is she nuts?” “How can I help you?” Cassidy asked. Marti made a harrumphing noise and planted one hand on her hip. “I paid for a stall for your Junk in the Trunk rummage sale, and the idiot next to me has taken up three spots. How am I supposed to d...

My Mutt Mystery novellas have starred a Jack Russell Terrier, a Rotteweiler, and an English bulldog as sidekicks. All have been great companions and have helped solved a crime or two. Darby, the JRT, in “Diggin’ up Dirt” in To Fetch a Thief , is based on my Jack, Disney. She and her brother are from the same litter. They’re ten, and still full of energy as ever. When it’s quiet with two Jacks, something is definitely up. My two like to dig in the back yard, especially if they hear moles and voles. One afternoon, I watched them dig out a mole, and it gave me the idea for a murder mystery. Darby helps her person find something spooky in the backyard of their new house. Mr. Oliver, in “The Fast and the Furriest” in To Fetch a Scoundrel , is a full grown, male Rottweiler who lives and works with his person at the fictional Amelia Speedway. He’s in charge of security, and he’s a big pussycat when he’s not on duty. Oliver returns for more adventures in “Wags to Riches” in the To Fetch a ...