The dog perked up, rolled out his tongue, and then froze. He growled and jumped up, grabbing Serena’s handbag with sharp teeth and running around the desks.

“Roscoe!” Dana pushed her chair back and stood. “Stop it.”

He growled and shook his head, tearing the purse. It looked like cloth with an argyle pattern of purples and blues across it. The fabric ripped apart.

Dana went one way and Serena the other, both trying to hem the pooch in.

Angus whistled, but the dog ignored him. Dana’s breath panted out, but she nearly caught him. In a smooth leap, he jumped onto the desks, skidded across, and landed on the other side. With a doggie burp, he dropped the wet, shredded mass to the ground.

“Huh,” Serena said, looking down at the ruins of her bag.

Angus sighed. “I’m sorry. He has a problem with argyle patterns. We believe there was one on a vest nearby when we took that shrapnel overseas, and he freaks out every time he sees it.”

“Is it the colors or the actual x pattern?” Serena asked.

“I think it’s the pattern,” Angus said, shaking his head.

With the argyle safely destroyed, Roscoe padded up to Serena and nudged her hand. The woman patted him, staring down at her ruined purse. “Well, I guess it’s good news I forgot my wallet before leaving the apartment. He only ruined some tissues, gum, and my favorite lip gloss.”

“Man, you have issues,” Dana murmured, staring at the happily panting dog.

“I’ll buy you a new purse,” Angus said, whistling for the dog, grasping his fur, and leading him to the office in the back. “Get in there and take a nap.”

Roscoe rolled his eyes and padded inside the office, brushing by Angus with a twitch of his head. The phone rang from somewhere inside the room, playing a tune about lost boats. “Excuse me.” Angus shut the door and disappeared.

“Hi.” Dana tilted her head, retaking her seat, trying to calm her breath as she studied the newcomer. “You’re good with puzzles?”

Serena pulled out Malcolm’s chair and sat. “I like a good puzzle.”

“So do I. Are you a journalist?” Dana asked.

Serena shook her head. “I have PhDs in physics and applied mathematics with a focus on quantum cryptography, measurement-based quantum computation, and of course, methods for entanglement verification.”

Of course. Dana grinned. “I don’t know what any of that means.”

“It means that I like puzzles.” Serena shared her smile. “I consulted with Angus on a case several years ago where a serial murderer was sending coded messages to the press. It took a while, but I saw the patterns in them, and we figured it out from there.”

“Like with a computer program?” Dana had used all the ones she’d found on the internet.