by Bill Bernico
I turned to Emily. “Bud doesn’t think I pay attention when we talk at work, but it seems to me you prefer gin and tonic.” I handed her the gin glass and turned to Eric. “You, you’re easy. You’re a beer man, Bud Light if I’m not mistaken. I gave Eric the bottle and turned to Leslie. “Since you’re almost all Eric talks about these days, I’ve learned that you are a rum and Coke drinker. Was I right?”
Leslie took the glass from me, tasted it and smiled. “You missed your calling, sir,” she said. “You should have been a bartender.”
I handed Gloria her glass of diet soda without announcing it to the rest of the group. She actually preferred Johnny Walker on the rocks, but had switched to soda while she was nursing Olivia. That left the glass with the chocolate milk for me and a smaller one for Matt. I set the tray down, raised my glass and said, “To good friends, now and always.” They all raised their glasses and drank along with me.
The following Saturday Bud started work at seven p.m., just before sundown. He staked himself out across the street and down the block from Marty Alden’s perfectly manicured lawn and waited. He sat there until the sun came up again and no one came by to bother Marty’s yard. He drove home and slept until noon on Sunday.
Monday morning Bud walked into the office to find me on the phone. He hung his hat on the rack and sat behind his desk, waiting for me to finish my phone call. Two minutes later I hung up the phone and turned to Bud. “Anything exciting happen Saturday night over at Marty Alden’s?” I said.
Bud shook his head. “Not a thing,” he said. “I’ve been on boring stakeouts before, but this one took the cake. Why?”
I gestured toward my desk phone. “That was Lieutenant Anderson that I was just talking to,” I said. “They’ve got Marty in custody.”
“Marty?” Bud said. “For what?”
“Murder,” I said.
“Murder?” Bud said. “Who did he kill?”
“The bike rider who’s been messing up his perfect lawn,” I said. “Shot him dead on the spot.”
“Marty shot a kid?” Bud said.
I shook my head. “Turns out it wasn’t a kid at all,” I said. “It was a jealous neighbor who didn’t like the attention Marty was getting for his well-kept yard. I’ve heard of all kinds of reason for murder and for neighbors fighting, but never jealousy over a yard.”
“When did this happen?” Bud said.
“Just last night,” I told him. “I don’t know how this neighbor knew, but he suspected that Marty would have his place staked out on Saturday so he laid off and waited until Sunday night before he decided to tear up the grass with his mountain bike with knobby tires. Did a hell of a job on it, too, from what Eric tells me. On his last lap around the yard, Marty came out of his house with a .22 rifle, hoping to scare the guy away with a shot over the guy’s head. Marty slipped in one of the ruts the vandal made with his bike and the gun went off prematurely, hitting the biker in the neck. He died right there on Marty’s lawn.”
“Live by the rut, die by the rut,” Bud said. “There seems to be a little poetic justice there.”
“Very little,” I said.
Bud turned to me. “Next time we get offers for two cases at the same time, you can have first choice.”
“I’ll take it,” I said and plopped down on the leather sofa.
107 - K-9 Cooper
I walked the halls of the twelfth precinct in search of Lieutenant Eric Anderson, who had asked me to meet with him on this crisp September morning. I wasn’t able to find him in his office and tried the front desk. The sergeant there told me that the lieutenant would be waiting for me in the parking lot behind the building. When I exited the back door I saw him standing there with another officer, who had a firm grip on a leather leash. At the end of the leash stood a large wolf. At least that’s what it looked like from where I stood safely out of its reach. As I got closer, the dog’s eyes followed me as I walked past it and took up a position alongside Eric.
“What’s going on here, Eric?” I said. “And what’s with the wolf?”
Eric glanced quickly at the officer holding the leash and then back at me. “That’s not a wolf,” Eric said. “That’s Daisy. She’s Officer Thurgood’s partner. Eric gestured toward the officer holding the leash. “Adam Thurgood,” Eric said. “I’d like you to meet Elliott Cooper.”
Thurgood leaned in and extended his hand to me. Daisy remained in the sitting position. I shook the officer’s hand and quickly stepped back again. “Daisy won’t hurt you,” Officer Thurgood said, “Unless, of course, you try to attack me.” He smiled. I didn’t. “Go on, you can pet her if you like.”
I pulled my hand ever further out of reach. “I’m good,” I said. “You can just tell her I said hello.”
Thurgood released his grip on the leash and said in a firm voice, “Daisy, hold.” He pointed to me and the dog walked right up to me and sat looking up at me face, her tongue hanging out. I looked at Thurgood and he winked back at me. “Relax, Elliott,” he said. Hold your hand out to her.”
I hesitated, looked at Thurgood, who nodded, and then held one hand in front of the dog’s face. Thurgood gave the dog another order. “Daisy, kiss.” The dog sniffed my hand and gave it several small licks and then waited for Thurgood’s voice to instruct her further.
I pulled my hand back and wiped it on my pants leg. I looked at Eric. “This is what you called me down here for?” I said.
“Not exactly,” Eric said. “I was hoping you might want to go on a ride along with Officer Thurgood and Daisy today.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why?” I said.
“We can talk about that when you get back, Elliott,” Eric said. “I’d consider it a personal favor if you would.”
I looked at Eric again and then down at the dog. I exchanged glances with Thurgood, who smiled politely. “I guess I could spare an hour or two,” I said. “Just let me call Bud and tell him not to expect me back until noon.” I called my office and Bud answered right away.
“Cooper Investigations,” Bus said. “How can I help you?”
“Bud,” I said, “It’s Elliott. I’m going to be tied up for a couple of hours down here at the twelfth precinct. Can you keep an eye on things until I get back? I should be there by noon.”
“Sure,” Bud said. “What’s happening there?”
“Eric won’t tell me yet,” I said. “Wants to keep me in suspense, I guess.”
“Okay,” Bud said. “See you around noon.”
Thurgood opened the back door of his cruiser and released the leash. Without being told, Daisy jumped up onto the back seat and panted. Thurgood closed the door and then opened the front passenger door. “You can ride up in front with me,” he said.
“Gee, thanks,” I said and slid in.
Thurgood slid behind the wheel and started the powerful engine. Eric sidled up to my window and leaned down. “Thanks, Elliott,” Eric said. “You won’t be sorry.”
“Too late,” I said.
Thurgood pulled out of the parking lot and into traffic. He turned to me. “Better buckle up, Elliott. It’s the law.” He chuckled to himself and then added, “So tell me, Elliott, Eric tells me you’re a private eye. How long have you been doing that?”
“About twelve years now,” Elliott told the cop.
“What a coincidence,” Thurgood said. “That’s about how long Daisy’s been on the job now.”
When she heard her name, the dog panted faster, her tongue drooping over the side of her jaw.
“Twelve?” I said. “Isn’t that like eighty-four in human years? That’s a little old for a dog to be working, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Thurgood said. “This is Daisy’s last year before we retire her.”
“Is that right?” I said. “Does she get a gold bone and a pension, too?”
“Not exactly,” Thurgood said.
The radio in the cruiser sounded. “Dispatch to One Adam Six.”
“One Adam Six go,” Thurgood said.
/> “One Adam Six, meet One Adam Fifteen on tact two.”
“One Adam Six, copy that,” Thurgood said and then switched channels on his radio. “One Adam Six to One Adam Fifteen.”
The other patrol car responded immediately. “One Adam Six officer needs backup at Sunset and Western, code two.”
“One Adam Fifteen, copy that,” Thurgood said. “ETA two minutes.” He returned the microphone to the clip and sped up down the street. A minute and a half later Thurgood pulled up behind a black and white patrol car and got out. There was another officer waiting for him at the curb. I slid out of the passenger side and waited next to the car. Thurgood and the other officer talked for a few seconds before Thurgood returned to the car and opened the back door.
“Daisy, out,” he said and the dog leapt out of the car and took up her position alongside Thurgood. Thurgood grabbed the leash and followed the other officer toward a warehouse. He looked back at me and gestured for me to follow. The second office from One Adam Fifteen was waiting just outside the door to the warehouse. As we approached him I could see him pull a piece of blue cloth from his pocket and hand it to Thurgood, who immediately held it under Daisy’s nose before giving her the order, “Daisy, find.”
Thurgood held tight to the leash as he followed the German Shepherd into the warehouse. His right hand held tight to the .38 service revolver and Daisy pulled him further into the building. I followed Thurgood through the aisles of wooden boxes while the other two officers covered each side of the building from the outside, making sure that the man they were looking for didn’t try to escape through a window or door.
I had a grip on my own .38 as I walked through the darkened corridors. Daisy had picked up the pace and the distance between me and Thurgood had widened considerably. In another minute I’d lost sight of the officer and his dog. I stopped where I was and listened. I thought I could hear movement somewhere behind me. I was able to narrow down the noise to an indeterminate spot somewhere behind me, but I came to that realization a second too late. From somewhere above and behind me the man had leapt onto my back and knocked me to the floor. My gun went skittering across the floor as I lay there on my stomach, the air knocked out of my lungs.
By the time I was able to catch my breath and turn over I could see the man standing over me, his .45 pointed at my head. I winced and held up one hand to shield my face, as if that would do any good. I braced myself, expecting the feel the bullet tear into my body at any moment. In an instant, a brown and black form flew by me in a flash and by the time I realized what it was, Daisy had the gunman on his back, her jaws locked around the wrist that held the gun.
Thurgood hurried up to the spot where I lay. “Elliott,” he said. “Are you all right?”
I said I was and got to my feet, brushing dirt off my pants and shirt. I looked down at the gunman’s face, which was frozen in terror.
Thurgood looked down at the man. “I’d say if you want to keep that hand, that you’d better drop the gun, otherwise Daisy may decide to have you for lunch,” he said.
The gunman quickly released his grip on the .45 and Thurgood snapped it up. He looked down at his dog and said, “Daisy, release.” Daisy’s mouth opened and the gunman pulled his wrist back as fast as he could. “Daisy, off,” Thurgood demanded and the dog stepped off the gunman’s chest and sat alongside her partner. Thurgood pointed his .38 at the man on the floor. “Roll over onto your stomach and put your hands behind your back.”
The man hesitated for a moment and looked at his surroundings. “Daisy, watch,” Thurgood said and the dog fixed his stare on the man and growled a deep throaty growl. The man complied and rolled over, placing his hands behind him. Thurgood snapped on the cuffs and pulled the man to a standing position. He grabbed his shoulder mic and called to the officer outside that he had the suspect in custody. The two officers entered the warehouse and took the suspect off Thurgood’s hands.
Adam Thurgood laid his hand on Daisy’s head and stroked the short brown hairs. “Good girl, Daisy,” he said and reached into his pocket, producing a small dog treat. I was amazed at how gently the dog took the treat from Thurgood’s hand. She chewed it briefly and swallowed, her tail wagging afterwards.
“And that,” Thurgood said, “is what Daisy does for a living. “Come on, Elliott, we deserve a break.”
I followed Thurgood and Daisy back out of the warehouse and out to the cruiser. Instead of opening the back door for Daisy, Thurgood let the dog sit on the grass near the curb. He handed me one of the dog treats. “No thanks,” I said. “I’m trying to cut back on dog treats.”
“It’s not for you, Elliott,” Thurgood said. “I’d like you to give it to Daisy.”
I caught Thurgood’s glance and could tell that he sensed my apprehension and putting my hand near the dog’s mouth. “Go on, Elliott,” he said. “Daisy won’t hurt you.”
I held the dog treat in my flattened out hand, as if I was feeding a sugar cube to a horse. I looked back at Thurgood for a second. He assured me that Daisy would be gentle. I squatted down, eased my hand closer and when I got close enough for Daisy to take the treat, she gently nuzzled my hand and wrapped her tongue around the treat, pulling it into her mouth and chewing. When she had finished swallowing, she eased closer to my hand again and licked it. I found an inner confidence and placed my hand on top of Daisy’s head, stroking her fur and talking to her in a low, soothing voice. The dog responded with several wags of her tail and then stepped up closer and laid her head on my thigh, looking up at me with soft brown eyes. Directly above her eyes were light brown eyebrows that stood out against the black fur on her head. She shifted the eyebrows this way and that and I couldn’t help but laugh at the movements those eyebrow made. I patted her head some more and then felt brave enough to rub her chest. She seemed to like that even better and wagged her tail faster.
“Looks like you’ve made a friend,” Thurgood said.
“It’s amazing,” I said, “that she can be so ferocious with the guy on the floor and yet be so gentle otherwise.”
“It’s how she was trained,” Thurgood said and then paused before adding, “I have another place I’d like to take you to. Come on, it’s not too far from here.”
“Is this another secret?” I said, “Like the secret Eric’s keeping from me regarding the purpose of this whole ride along?
“It’s not that secretive,” Thurgood said. “In fact, after our next stop I can fill you in completely.”
“Fair enough,” I said, gesturing toward the patrol car. “Shall we?”
Thurgood drove just five blocks and pulled into the parking lot of the neighborhood community hospital. He got out and opened the rear door, grabbing Daisy’s leash and easing her out onto the sidewalk. I walked along with Adam as he brought the dog inside the hospital.
“What are we doing here?” I said. “Were either of you hurt at the warehouse?” Right after I said it, I realized that if Daisy had been hurt, she’d have been brought to a veterinarian and not to a hospital.
“No,” Adam said, “We’re both fine.” He led me down a hall to a set of double doors labeled ‘Pediatric Ward’ and pushed the doors open, allowing Daisy to pass through. Once inside I could see rows of beds on either side of the room. The children’s faces lit up when they saw the dog walking down the middle of the room. Several of them sat up, broad smiles filling their faces. I could hear some of the kids calling out to the dog or whistling. Daisy remained at Thurgood’s side.
When we got to the end of the room, Adam turned at walked between the first two beds with Daisy at his side. He turned toward the first bed, which contained a young girl, perhaps six-years-old, and looked at his dog. “Daisy, up,” he said, and the dog put her two front paws up on the bed. She laid her head within reach of the little girl, who stroked Daisy’s head and talked to the dog in an excited voice. The dog responded with a furious wag of the tail and licked the girl’s hand. The little girl giggled and patted the dog’s head again before Thurgood
turned toward the second bed and instructed Daisy to put her front paws up on the covers. Daisy repeated her greetings with the occupant of this second bed, a small boy of no more than four.
The boy hesitantly reached for the dog but quickly pulled his hand back before Daisy could lick it.
Thurgood looked at the boy and said, “Go ahead, Daisy just wants to give you a kiss.”
The boy eased his hand closer to the dog, who promptly licked the boy’s hand. He squealed with delight and allowed Daisy to lick him again before patting her head.
Thurgood made the rounds to all of the kids before the visit had ended. In some cases he’d given the kid a dog treat to give to Daisy and the kids really seemed to enjoy that. Thurgood explained to the kids that Daisy was a working dog and that she helped him do his job as a policeman. There were several questions about Daisy’s breed, age, training and whatever else these kids could think of.
Thurgood said goodbye to the roomful of kids and then looked down at the dog. “Daisy, speak,” he said, and the dog gave two short barks toward the kids, who all said goodbye to Daisy before she left the room. Out in the hall again, Adam instructed Daisy to sit and then turned to me. “Now you’ve seen both sides of Daisy,” he said. “What do you think?”
“I think she’s amazing,” I said. “What a dog. Wait until I tell Gloria about her.”
“Gloria?” Thurgood said.
“My wife,” I explained. “Oh, and my boy, Matt will be interested to hear about Daisy, too. He’s been after me for the past year to get him a dog. Maybe I could find him one like Daisy.”
“Funny you should say that,” Adam said.
“Why’s that?” I said.
“Remember earlier when I told you this was going to be Daisy’s last year before we retire her?” Adam said.
“Yes,” I said.
“Actually,” Adam said, “Today is her last day with the force. When we get back to the station we’re going to have a little ceremony for her with a few treats and then she’ll be removed from the roster. I tell you, I’m really going to miss her. We’ve been together for quite a few years.”
