Footsteps woke me. I sprang to my paws. Still night. I sniffed. No stranger, no danger. Annalynn was pacing again, grieving for her dead mate.
Phoenix, my human, stirred. No need to wake her. I would comfort Annalynn. I trotted across the hall to her.
She knelt to hug me. “Oh, Achilles, I miss him so. The congressman’s accident last night brought back that horrible moment I heard Boom had died.”
I whined my sympathy and licked her hand.
She gave me a gentle shove. “I’m okay, sweet boy. Go back to sleep.” She closed her door the moment my tail went through it.
Her door was still closed at daylight. Phoenix and I kept quiet until we went outside. As usual, she wore her gun under her jacket. As usual, I checked for intruders while she stretched. Then I took her on our morning run. I headed for the park to meet my friend Toby. There Phoenix threw my Frisbee for us to catch. I gave him a head start. After all, a Belgian Malinois is much bigger than a terrier.
When I came up to take my human home, Toby’s human was sniffling. Phoenix patted the woman’s shoulder.
After I led Phoenix away, she said, “I hope the dog walker’s wrong, Schatzi. She thinks the congressman’s death wasn’t an accident. If Annalynn hasn’t heard that from her political contacts, I won’t tell her. No need to know.”
I barked my disapproval. Annalynn got angry when Phoenix said “no need to know.” So did I. Secrets meant trouble.
We had a quiet morning. Annalynn talked on the phone. Phoenix worked at her computer. I patrolled for cats, chased squirrels, and practiced running hurdles. Bored, I barked for Phoenix to join me. I tempted her with a clean tennis ball.
“Sorry,” she said. “I have to find an abused wife a safe place to live.” She rubbed behind my ears. Wonderful. “This afternoon we’ll go inspect where the congressman’s car crashed. That should be interesting.”
I looked forward to going. Until Phoenix got behind our car’s steering wheel and told me to curl up at Annalynn’s feet. Only a terrier could fit in that space. I whined.
“It’s a short drive, Achilles,” Phoenix said. “Ride there or stay home.”
Annalynn moved her seat back to give me more room. “Come, Achilles. We need you.”
I jumped in, settled on Annalynn’s feet, and studied them. Phoenix was calm. She hadn’t put my bullet-proof vest on me. Annalynn was sad. She didn’t wear her gun. I relaxed.
Soon the car stopped. A back door opened. Two women climbed in and sat on my seat. I put my paws on Annalynn’s knees to raise up to see the passengers.
“Down,” Phoenix said to me.
The two women ducked out of sight.
Odd. I dropped down.
Annalynn talked with the women in my seat. I didn’t understand their words, but I heard grief. I sat up to rest my head on Annalynn’s arm.
I smelled fields. I don’t like fields. Bad humans shoot at us in fields. The car went down a giant hill. Phoenix stopped the car at the top of the next hill. Cats and toads! We knew this hill. A bad, bad place. I whined a protest.
All four doors opened. I hopped out so Annalynn could move. Smells smacked my nose. Many people and cars had been here. Bad! We should go home. I pushed past Annalynn to jump back into the car. I ignored her coaxing me to come out.
Phoenix came to me. “It’s okay, Achilles. No shooter today.” She held up the thin gloves she wore for searching. “We came to find.”
I loved to find. And poor Phoenix couldn’t smell drugs or explosives. I jumped out. We walked down the hill. One woman cried. She and Annalynn went back to the car. Phoenix walked off the road into a field. A car had run over baby trees. A mistake? A bomb? I loped down the car’s path sniffing for explosives. None. No drugs either. I turned back toward Phoenix.
“You’re right, Achilles. No marijuana, no meth, no bombs. Find a glove, please. Find—uh—whatever doesn’t belong here.”
I didn’t understand. Was this a new game? No, not a game. I put my nose to the ground and moved in bigger and bigger circles. An unexpected odor. Crushed grass covered a cell phone. Not a weapon, but not right. I signaled Phoenix.
She praised me. We all three searched. The woman found a glove. I, of course, made the big find, a thermos of coffee. I smelled it from far away. Too far away.
Phoenix picked it up and took off the top.
Whew! Danger! I barked and nudged her hand to warn her. She put the lid back on. “Thanks, Achilles.”
The trouble started there.
Phoenix Smith rather than Achilles tells the story in Show Me the Sinister Snowman, the fifth book in the “Show Me” mystery series.
Former CIA covert operative Phoenix Smith must play detective again when Achilles, her K-9 dropout, sniffs out a unique murder weapon at the scene of a congressman’s “accidental” death. Suicide? Murder? Collateral damage? Phoenix suspects either a corrupt political insider or an enraged abusive husband set out to kill. To catch the culprit and protect intended victims, Phoenix and Achilles accompany her friend Annalynn to a candidates’ gathering at the late congressman’s antebellum mansion in rural Missouri. A blizzard traps them in the isolated house with multiple suspects dissembling inside and a snow-loving psychopath lurking outside.
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About the author
Carolyn Mulford worked on four continents as a nonfiction writer/editor before switching to fiction. Her award-winning Show Me series features Phoenix Smith, a former CIA covert operative who returns to rural Missouri and adapts her tradecraft to solve crimes with old friends and a K-9 dropout. You can read the first chapters of the five books in the series on her website at carolynmulford.com.
Giveaway: One person (a U.S. resident) who leaves a comment by May 30, 2017 will be selected at random to receive a print copy of Show Me the Sinister Snowman Good luck everyone!
All comments are welcomed.
This book has such an intriguing title.
Sounds really good. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
Sounds interesting. Love reading the viewpoint of the dog! Thanks for the introduction to a new series for me, Dru Ann. Thanks Carolyn, for the chance to win a copy.😊
The point of view is different! Dog lovers will love it.
Love stories with dogs.
Fascinating idea! I’d love to win this.
Thanks, Dru, for letting Achilles tell the story from his point of view.
Love the point of view from Achilles, dogs are fantastic. Thank you for the chance to read all of this story.
This is an interesting concept, telling the story from the dog’s POV. Another series to add to my ever growing list!
Thank you Dru Ann for the introduction to the characters in Carolyn Mulford’s latest book. I found the use of a dog as the narrator to be interesting and would love to be able to hear or should I say read more. Thank you for the giveaway.
I already have a copy of Show Me the Sinister Snowman, so don’t include me in the giveaway. I just wanted to say that it’s a suspenseful and enjoyable read, as are the other books in the Show Me series.
I liked it too.
This book sounds unique and very special. I would enjoy it greatly. Thanks for this wonderful giveaway.
This is a new author to me, and let me say that this book sounds so thrilling and exciting! I love that it is told from the dog’s point of view. Thank you so much dear Dru for the chance to win!
Another new-to-me author to try. Sounds great. Thanks for a chance to win a copy.
This book sounds like something I would very much like to read. I would like to be entered for the giveaway. Then be able to read and tell how I liked it. Thanks!
Love the dog’s point of view.
New author for me – enjoyed Achilles’ point of view.
I have never read any of the book in this series. It looks great. I love the title! Thank you so much for the chance to win!
Sounds like a thrilling read.
I really enjoyed the story being told from the dog’s point of view. Carolyn is a new author to me and I would enjoy reading her book.
Intriguing perspective. I’d love to win.
I, too, have read all of Carolyn’s “Show me” mysteries and have enjoyed them, especially Achilles. He balances Phoenix’s rather cautious approach to human relationships, and it was interesting to see what she thinks he thinks.
Yes, this was a fun post to read.
Love it! It do look good! Have yet to read this author. Do hope this will be a start.
Sounds thrilling. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
I got my sister hooked on this author’s books & now I have to catch up. Thanks for the chance to win.
I generally like to read “animal mysteries” with a cat as the one who helps solve mystery, but I’ll try one with a dog this time.
Loved the point of view of this post. This is a book I haven’t heard of – thank you for sharing it with me!
Sounds fascinating! Curious to read when told from a dog’s point of view.
New author. New read. What can I say? It looks like an exciting read and I cannot wait to see what the unique murder weapon was. Someone pull an icicle down and stab him or what?
**** WINNER ****
Show Me the Sinister Snowman by Carolyn Mulford is gram
Congratulations!