Tracking A Shadow: A Jarvis Mann Detective Novel

by R Weir

  “No worries there. He will travel with us from now on. We won’t take the chance again of anyone watching him.”

  Jennifer continued to pet her new best friend. The scene almost brought tears to my eyes as well, but I was too tough to show it.

  “His name is Rufus,” said Dale. “Of course, you can call him whatever you want.”

  “I like it,” replied Jennifer. “Rufus is cool. There will only be one Opus, but Rufus is a good name. It suits him.”

  “He is a barker, which is why they named him Rufus. I know you understand beagles can bark a lot and are pretty high strung. But it’s nothing you didn’t deal with before.”

  “No, we like that about beagles,” said John. “They are wonderful family dogs. He’ll have a good home where everyone will love him.”

  “Let’s fill out some paperwork,” stated Dale, as he pointed at the main office.

  John and Judy stopped to shake my hand, while Jennifer gave me a big hug. As they went toward the office I walked out feeling good. I reached the Mustang knowing what I needed to do now.

  I had been down about this last case, losing some of myself in the mess, losing a woman I’d truly started to care for in the process. There was little to do but feel sorry for myself up until now. I had decided to give it one more chance and call Melissa. Pulling the smartphone out of my pants pocket, it rang. The incoming number was not familiar and didn’t come up with a name on the caller ID. I hit the green send button to answer.

  “This is Jarvis Mann,” I stated.

  “Jarvis, this is Bill,” said a voice I recognized as Bill Malone, the Denver cop who had helped me many times through the years. “I need your help. It’s my son, and he’s in the kind of trouble I’m not sure I can assist him with. Will you help me?”

  I heard the concern in his words, knew the sound, as I’d heard it countless times before from other clients. Redemption was required to reclaim the edge I’d lost. I had to get back into the flow of my life. For better or worse, I was a Private Detective. It is who I was and what I did, and I knew how to respond.

  “I’ll be glad to help,” I replied. “Tell me about it…”

  Thanks for reading Tracking a Shadow. I hope you enjoyed it and would love if you would leave a review on Amazon to help an Indie Author.

  Please check out the short story The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card, where Jarvis Mann helps a young man find a valuable missing Ernie Banks trading card. Now PERMAFREE on Amazon:

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JGEZNSU

  Jarvis Mann will return soon in Twice as Fatal where he works two cases that draw him into a seedy underworld, complicating his professional and personal life.

  If you want to reach out please email me at:

  rweir720@gmail.com

  Follow R Weir and Jarvis Mann PI on these social sites as I appreciate hearing from those who’ve read my books:

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  Curl up to a good book and someone you love. Peace to all…

  R Weir