With a soul-deep sigh, he lay down next to the bench and rested his chin on his front paws. Molly turned her attention away from the dog and eyed the shops across the street. Her spot on the bench was the perfect vantage point.

She pulled her phone from her pocket and pretended that she wasn’t watching the door next to the cute ice cream parlor. The apartment above the shop was leased by Maryann Cooper, who seemed to be a law-abiding, responsible citizen. The same couldn’t be said about her younger brother, Donnie. He had a habit of taking things that didn’t belong to him—like wallets and cell phones and the occasional car—and he hadn’t shown up for his most recent court date.

Molly had a strong suspicion that Maryann knew where Donnie was hiding, and she would leave for her shift at the turkey-processing plant in an hour or so. Since Maryann had been dodging all of her calls and refusing to answer the door, Molly would have to take a more direct approach. She started playing a game on her phone to pass the time while keeping one eye on the apartment across the street, just in case Maryann decided to leave early. Warrant stretched out on his side and dozed, snoring softly.

After a peaceful half hour drifted by, Molly stood and stretched, knowing it was time to move closer to the ice cream shop. Warrant provided an excuse to hang out at the park without looking like a lurker—and he’d also proven to be an excellent conversation starter with people who wouldn’t have given her the time of day if she’d tried approaching them alone—but having the dog along did require some additional planning. Warrant’s top speed was a slow amble, so she had to allow enough time to get him through the park and across the street.

Before she could make her move, an all-too-familiar voice made her groan and plop back down in her seat.

“Molly Pax. Just the person I wanted to see.” John Carmondy started rounding the bench but paused to rub Warrant behind the ears. The dog—traitor that he was—thumped his heavy tail against the ground and rolled over in a plea for belly scratches. To Warrant’s obvious delight, John complied.

“John Carmondy. Just the person I didn’t want to see.” If she’d known that he was going to be at the park, she would’ve stopped and talked to Mr. P, or even helped Charlie with those sticky receipts. Molly sent a quick text and then slid her phone into her pocket. “Why are you here?”

Still crouched to pet Warrant, John grinned up at her. Her dog’s back foot pedaled in the air as John found just the right spot. Molly wasn’t surprised. She was well aware that the man knew exactly how to hit everyone’s buttons. Too bad he seemed to take as much pleasure in pestering her as he did in playing with her dog. “Why am I at the park?” he asked. “Why does anyone go to the park on such a beautiful day?”