Spencer moved the envelope out of reach just as Lawson lunged for it. “You’d better start talking, Lawson.”

“I got it mixed up with another envelope. That one’s tax receipts for my accountant. It’s naked photos of me and Sanit. It’s anthrax.”

With such promising treats in store, Spencer wasted no time in ripping the envelope open. He had to bob and weave to avoid Lawson’s attempts to prevent him, but he was smaller and faster. He was also more determined. If something in this envelope related to Ruby, if she was in danger or needed help or—

“It’s a DNA test. A dog DNA test.” He glanced sharply up at Lawson. “You had Wheezy tested?”

Lawson gave up on his attempt to get the paper out of Spencer’s hand. “You said it was what a real friend would do. Behold me in all my real-friend glory. Interesting revelations in there, don’t you think?”

No. There wasn’t anything the least bit interesting or revealing in the test results that Spencer held in his hand. They contained everything he’d suspected from the start: Wheezy was no golden retriever. Oh, there was golden blood in him, definitely, and enough of it to make a convincing show, but strains of Lab, Pekingese, and even a small percentage of Saint Bernard diluted the blood.

“I’m sorry,” Lawson said. “If I’d have known about you and Ruby, if you’d have told me that you didn’t want me to go through with it…”

“What is he?” Caleb plucked the paper from Spencer’s hand and gave it a quick perusal. A low whistle escaped his lips. “Well, I’ll be damned. She’s been playing you this whole time.”

“She hasn’t been playing me. It’s not like that.” Spencer snatched the paper back and ripped it in half. Both Lawson and Caleb watched, silent, as the pieces fluttered to the floor.

“Uh, Spencer? Are you okay?” Caleb asked.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

Lawson cleared his throat. “You know you can’t let that dog enter the show now, right? If word of this got out, we could lose our AKC standing. The rules specifically state that—”

“I know what the rules state.”

Caleb and Lawson shared a look that was impossible to misread. They were pretty sure Spencer had just cracked.

“Maybe she didn’t know,” Lawson suggested, more gently this time. “You said yourself that it’s not her dog, that she’s acting for a third party. It’s possible that this woman she’s working for tricked her into it.”

“She knows.”