Bitter Sweets

that issued from him sounded as though it were rumbling out of a deep cavern. With a nerve-jangling revelation, Savannah realized this was probably the most dangerous animal she had ever encountered...including that copperhead that she had nearly stepped on barefoot as a kid while picnicking beside the Mississippi River.

    But just when she was sure the dog was going to chomp a plug out of her, his nostrils flared and began to twitch.

    “Yeah...that’s it. Smells great, doesn’t it?”

    Beowulf seemed to agree. Gingerly, he put out his tongue and licked the edge of the meat.

    The long, fringed black tail began to wave from side to side. A good sign, Savannah thought with a modicum of relief. Maybe she would have the opportunity, like every other “normal” person, to die of a terminal illness, in an automobile crash, or of old age.

    That was comforting. She wasn’t sure they let you into heaven if you expired from being eaten by an Akita who seemed to think he was a mountain grizzly.

    Once she was sure she had the dog’s full attention, she dropped the meat onto the porch and took a tentative step closer to the door. As Gran had predicted, the liver ploy had worked, and Beowulf paid her no mind as she proceeded to try to pick the colonel’s lock.

    “Dang it,” she muttered after the third attempt failed. Back in the olden days, when she had held a search warrant in one hand and her badge in the other, this sort of nonsense hadn’t been necessary. It wasn’t easy, being Jane Q. Citizen.

    Click. She heard the tumbler move. “Bingo,” she said, twisting the knob. The door slid open.

    She ventured another quick glance at Beowulf, but he was in doggy-ecstasy, licking every molecule of liver from the cement with his long, red tongue.

    Quickly, she slipped inside the house, making sure the door was securely closed behind her. She couldn’t afford to have the dog follow her, because she only had one more piece of liver left, and that was to help her make her escape.

    First, she tiptoed through the house, checking to be certain that no one else was about. In every room, she felt watched by the dozens of clock faces and wondered what the lord of the manor would say if he could see her now.

    Best not to think of that at the moment , she told herself. She had always hated this part of the job. Even with a badge and a judge’s authorization, she felt uncomfortable invading a person’s home...if that person was someone she liked.

    And, whether she wanted to admit it or not, whether he had murdered his former son-in-law or not, she did like the colonel. She couldn’t help it. The man radiated a quiet grace, strength and confidence of a bygone era. He was a hero, straight out of central casting, and she was in awe of him, no matter what he had done.

    Besides the fact that she was violating Neilson’s privacy, she didn’t relish going on a search when she wasn’t sure what she was looking for.

    A cursory glance into each room told her nothing, except that the colonel was obsessively neat in his housekeeping habits.

    In the guest room closet, Savannah found a collection of Barbie dolls and girls’ clothing. But that was to be expected of a man who doted on his granddaughter.

    “Christy, where are you, sweetie?” Savannah murmured as she touched one of the dolls, which had long red hair like its mistress. “Please be safe until we can find you.”

    With a heightened sense of urgency, Savannah hurried into the living room, where the colonel had served them refreshments before. She didn’t have time to dawdle. For all she knew, he had just slipped out to the local market for a quart of milk and was already on his way back.

    The last thing she needed right now was to spend time in the county jail for breaking and entering. No...that would make Captain Knothead Bloss far too happy.

    Again, she was drawn to the medal, proudly displayed in its case. In all the years of dealing with the public, Savannah had never gotten over the dichotomy of the human spirit. It seemed even the best among us could commit the worst of sins.

    Working her way around the room, she pulled out drawers, opened the closet, checked beneath furniture. But nothing seemed out of order.

    As she approached the piano, she flashed back on her conversation with Dr. Liu over the body of Earl Mallock.

    “Piano wire,” Jennifer had said. “His wrists and ankles were bound with piano wire.”

    A buzz against her ribs made her