Chapter 1 - The Carrier
Bruno barked from inside the rolling carrier.
It crossed the pale-stone terrace toward the pool until Maya rushed from the service entrance, gripped the handle and stopped it against the fixed safety barrier.
“Don’t open it!”
Victoria’s voice cut through the anniversary gala.
Maya locked both wheels before opening the carrier. Bruno stepped out calmly, shook once and went directly to Ethan.
The French Bulldog pressed against his leg.
Ethan crouched.
“You’ve been missing since yesterday.”
Victoria reached toward the dog.
Maya moved between them without touching her.
Something caught in Bruno’s harness slipped free and struck the stone.
A gold cufflink.
Ethan picked it up.
“This belongs to Dr. Mason.”
The veterinarian immediately hid one wrist. Its matching cufflink was missing.
Bruno then walked to Victoria’s champagne shawl and tapped beside it once.
A hotel keycard slid from the fabric.
Ethan looked from the card to Mason.
“Why was Bruno near your hotel suite?”
Neither answered.
The family trustee, Arthur Cole, stepped forward in his gray suit.
“If Bruno were officially gone, Victoria would receive thirty million dollars from the family trust.”
Victoria’s confidence disappeared.
Ethan slowly faced his wife.
“Was this about Mason—or the trust?”
Bruno ignored them both.
He walked beneath the gala table and tapped the locked briefcase three times.
Mason moved toward it.
“That contains confidential veterinary records.”
Arthur stopped him with one raised hand.
“Then it remains closed until the beneficiaries are present.”
Maya studied the carrier.
Its identification tag had been replaced.
May you like
The new tag listed Bruno as deceased.
The date was tomorrow.
