Detective Trigger: Books 1-3 Read online

  Detective Trigger

  Books 1-3

  M.A. Owens

  Contents

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  Detective Trigger and the Ruby Collar

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Epilogue

  Detective Trigger and the Grand Gobbler

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Epilogue

  Detective Trigger and the Easy Money

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

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  1

  Arc City. Home to countless flea-bitten scoundrels willing to do just about anything for a quick dime. As for the rest of us, we were lucky to get the scraps. I was just a small-timer, and in more ways than one. Being a little brown Chihuahua put me at a big disadvantage to even the cats around here. And me being a one-eyed private eye didn’t do me any favors either. I was the private detective you’d expect to hire at a discount.

  Along with the propaganda-filled morning newspaper, I had the pleasure of reading yet another “Your Bill is Overdue” love letter from my dear old landlord. As I was sitting at my desk contemplating my financial burdens, a sudden knock at my office door startled me.

  I cleared my throat. “Come in.”

  Let me tell you, this dame practically radiated class. She had a white coat with a few spots here and there. A Chihuahua like me, but with a long, thin face and a tail that curled just a little on the end. She had large black eyes that matched her pricey black dress. She was the kind of dog you’d see in the papers, in one of those big-dollar ads trying to sell me expensive junk.

  “Are you Trigger?”

  I guess the sign on the door wouldn’t necessarily give me away, especially after taking a good look at this dump I called an office.

  “I am. What seems to be the trouble, ma’am?” I asked, motioning to the empty chair in front of me.

  She fumbled with her kerchief, dabbing her eyes as she sat.

  “Oh, sir, it’s just awful.” She stopped to sob, sniffing loudly and wiping her eyes again. “Dreadful. You see, someone has stolen my most valuable possession.”

  I slid a box of tissues to the edge of my desk. “What did the cops say?”

  She took one of the tissues and blew her nose, tossing it into the bin next to my desk. “I came to you first. You have a reputation for getting a job done quickly and with results.”

  I looked around the office. What a mess. Things knocked over and never picked up again. Dust so thick it looked like a coat of paint. This dame stuck out in here like a sore paw, and I had a hunch she wasn’t giving it to me straight.

  “Didn’t go to the cops, eh?” I grunted.

  “No, sir. See, this isn’t just any collar. It’s covered with fine red rubies and what’s more, you see… well, there just isn’t another like it in all the world. It was my mother’s. And it was all she left to me.”

  I looked down at the bill on my desk for a long while as I thought about the countless ways this kind of case could go south. Ritzy dame. Expensive heirloom. Goodness knows who she’s going to say stole—

  “Mr. Trigger? Are you interested in taking this case?”

  “Haven’t said I’m not.”

  “I’m prepared to offer you five hundred dollars for—”

  I shot up from my chair as if someone just set fire to one of the old newspapers on the floor. After all, if they did, the whole place would go up in about a minute flat.

  “That’s a month’s salary for a lot of dogs. No one offers that kind of dough on a small job unless the pooch they’re offering it to is about a week away from turning up in the Arc River with a fresh pair of concrete slippers sized just for him. Either that, or we’re talking about more than just missing jewelry.”

  “Mr. Trigger, I assure you you’re in no significant danger. The criminal I believe stole it is very elusive, but I have never heard of him being violent.”

  I sat back down in my chair, producing a shrill squeak from wheels that went too long without a good oiling. Truth is, I was just putting on a show and would take the case no matter what. Half a grand would keep the lights on for months. My options were either get killed on the job or starve to death. Some cases are lousy enough to make even that choice a tough one. Makes it easier for a dog to gamble big when he’s got nothing to lose.

  “So, who do you think has it?”

  “Rico, the master thief. I’m sure you’ve seen all the stories about him in the newspaper. Who else could find out about such a precious piece of jewelry, and snatch it without a trace?”

  Now there’s a name I hadn’t heard in a while. “Rico, eh? Look, no one�
�s laid eyes on that pooch in years. Almost every cop from one side of this city to the other would give his left paw to be the one that brings him in.”

  “You don’t think you’re capable of finding him?” she asked.

  I laughed, surprised and impressed by the jab. “Maybe, but it’ll cost. How much are you paying up front?”

  “Fifty,” she offered, her voice steady with confidence. Seemed the tears were all dried up now that it was time to talk cash.

  “Ha! Lady, I’ll take two hundred up front. And that’s only because I’m such a nice guy.”

  “I’ll give you a hundred.”

  “Let’s hope the hundred is enough to cover the initial expenses, or we’ll be staring at a dead end. But hey, if you want to take the gamble, that’s your call.” I stood and held out my paw. “You’ve hired yourself a private detective, Miss…?”

  She offered her paw in return. “Lily. My name is Lily.”

  2

  I snooped around the usual places. Museums. “High-dollar” jewelry shops. Wherever I could think of with merchandise worth a lot of dough, at least by Black District standards. I also spent the day interviewing some of Rico’s previous victims. I was just going through the motions. Nobody figured out a way to predict Rico’s next heist, so it all came down to luck. He didn’t make the usual mistakes. He left no obvious clues. He never got carried away on sprees, nor did he taunt the police. He went long periods of time stealing nothing, and he hurt no one while doing it. A real professional. At least the easy hundred would keep food on the table for a while.

  Everybody’s always afraid to talk in this city, worried they’re being sized up by one of Mr. B’s goons with some kind of trick question. Can’t blame them for thinking that. That’s usually what it is. He sends lackeys around and they play like they’re some kind of a private eye like me - just to see what they know about this or that crime. Next thing they know they’re getting roughed up, or worse. Can’t say I’d do a lot of talking either if I was in their shoes.

  I kept up this routine for about a week. Friday morning, I put the key in my office door and realized it was already unlocked. I pushed it open to find a dog that wasn’t me sitting in my chair. He was a beagle with a black mask and a silly bandit costume you'd expect to see in a low budget film. I knew who it was the moment I laid eyes on him.

  “You looking to hire a private detective?” he said.

  “A real wise guy, aren’t you?”

  “Oh, lighten up, Trigger. Learn to laugh a little. Smile.” He put on a bright one of his own, as if to show me how.

  “You come all the way here to give me tips on my smile?”

  “Well, it looks like you could use it. But no, I didn’t. Word gets around fast in this city when a dog goes asking questions.”

  “Never heard of words causing anyone harm, Rico. You could’ve just stayed in that hole you were hiding in. We both know I would never find you.”

  “Well, that may be, but I’m taking an interest in this case of yours.”

  “You should find it interesting. You’re the one who stole the collar I’m supposed to find, or so I’m told.”

  His eyes brightened up, and that smile stretched even further.

  “Sure, I’ve got it. I’m thinking I might even give it to you. What do you think? That got your attention?”

  “I think you have an angle. There’s something in it for you. So just get on with it and spit it out, Rico.”

  “What if I said I was looking to hire a private detective myself?”

  “I’d say you probably give the best comedy advice around, a guy as funny as you.”

  “Comedy routine’s over, Trigger. I can go get that necklace for you. You just can’t tell that dame how you got it. As for what I want, there’ll be five grand for you when we’re done. Interested?”

  “That’s the kind of cash you get offered for a suicide mission, if you’re fool enough to take it. Get out,” I demanded.

  “Come on, you don’t even want to—”

  “I said get out!”

  He frowned a big fake frown when I pointed to the door. But just as he stood up to leave, there was a knock.

  “If you change your mind and want to hear more, tie a black ribbon to your trash can out front,” he whispered. “I know you’ll come to your senses.” Without another sound, he escaped through the back door.

  “Come in,” I called out.

  It was Lily again. Who else? If only she’d come a few minutes later or earlier, things might have been a lot more interesting.

  “Mr. Trigger. I don’t mean to trouble you, but have you any news of my mother’s collar?”

  “Not yet, ma’am. I’ve still got a few leads so don’t go giving up hope just yet.”

  She reached into her purse and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, handing it over.

  “I’m sure this has taken up a dreadful amount of your time, detective. I want to make sure all of your expenses are being taken care of, so consider this advance a token of my gratitude.”

  I took the bill and nodded.

  “You’re being awfully generous, Ms. Lily. Bit of a contrast from before. Any occasion for such a thing?”

  “No occasion, detective. I’ll leave you to your work.”

  She turned and walked out. Now things were getting interesting, but interesting is just the thing a dog wants to avoid if he wants to live a long life. Do-good types didn’t exactly have a lot to look forward to in Arc City.

  I reasoned through it in my head. Rico figuring out I was looking for him; that was easy. Rico coming to me and floating a five-thousand-dollar job… that’s a little tougher. Lily coming to me and wanting me to find a valuable ruby collar; sure, I get that. But why did the dame come back and offer another hundred after holding out on me the other day? I had a feeling I would regret it, but I only knew one way to put it all together.

  That night, I tied a piece of black silk to the handle on my trash can out front.

  3

  Monday morning came and I headed into my office early. Sure enough, the scoundrel was sitting right there in my chair again.

  “Looking to hire a private detective, sir?” he asked.

  “This routine again?”

  “Eventually you’ll find it funny, detective. You just need to relax a little. Have a nice strip of bacon sometime. Tastes even better when someone else paid for it.”

  “I didn’t think you were the type to steal anything that wasn’t top-shelf merchandise. Have jobs gotten slow enough for the master thief these days that he’s resorted to stealing breakfast?”

  “I was just suggesting you could be a better host next time, detective. You invited me over, remember? Not even so much as a coffee for my trouble.”

  “You sure like small talk, don’t you?”

  “Don’t you?” he said.

  “Small talk is for dogs who don’t have cases to solve. I invited you back because curiosity got the better of me. By the way, why did you come back? I could’ve had the cops stake this place out and pick you up. Make a big name for myself.”

  “No cops were staking the place out.”

  “I said I could have done it.”

  “You wouldn’t,” he said, without a shred of doubt.

  “You seem awfully certain of that.”

  “Certainty is my trade,” he said with a wink.

  The big grin on that smug face of his really bristled the hair on my neck. He was right. I didn’t have much tolerance for criminals, but in this city, sometimes you had to choose the lesser of two evils, and that’s precisely what I did with Rico.

  I knew it was bait, but I bit. “You know me well by the sound of it. Humor me. Why wouldn’t I do it?”

  “You don’t get along so well with the cops in this city from what I hear. I heard you were a police detective some time back.”

  “Easy now.” I pointed my paw at him, the hair down my back standing on end.

  “From what I also hear, that didn’t end s
o well for you. Do I have it right so far?”

  I slapped the papers off the desk in front of him. They scattered around the room and further littered the already cluttered floor.

  He grinned as big as he could manage, unphased. “You need to do something about that temper of yours. You asked, remember? Maybe you wouldn’t be so sensitive about your past if you did a few more things you could be proud of in the present.” He crossed his arms and leaned forward on my desk, a serious expression washing his grin away. He motioned for me to lean in, so I did. “How would you like to take down Mr. B and his gang? That ought to help you sleep at night.”