I ran for him and scooped him up seconds before he lunged into the muddy water. My boots touched the edge, sending up the smallest of splashes over their leather.

"I haven't had time to waterproof these yet." The air smelled of ocean water and fresh spring. Soon we'd have flowers poking through the ground.

As long as NB didn't soak up all the water in his fur.

He wiggled in my arms, trying to get down, but he wasn't getting in my car wet and dirty, so I won as I safely tucked him into the passenger seat and let him lick at the window. "You really are weird, but you're my weird. I guess."

By the time I reached my office-which wasn't a long drive-NB had tongue-painted a beautiful Christmas tree image complete with gifts waiting under it. Two yellow construction vans had parked in the best spot next to the door, so I stayed a full row away from them. Hopefully, it meant they were inside working on my ceiling. I needed my quiet space again.

"Good work, big guy," I said as I carried NB out of the car and set him on the ground, digging for his leash and wrapping it around my wrist.

We were halfway to the doorway when a "Vonnie!" stopped me in my tracks.

NB tugged headed toward a huge puddle in the middle of the lot where the surface settled lower than the area around it, becoming the perfect place for water to gather. "Absolutely not."

My dad watched the exchange between us as I tugged on NB's leash and he continued to lunge forward, attempting to break free.

"Is he okay?" my father asked.

I glanced up at my dad, already annoyed. "Yes, he's just really invested in the water quality this year."

Rain trickled but hadn't yet become more than a heavy mist, so I stayed outside. If I let my father in my office, he'd see the work crews and undoubtedly tell them how they needed to improve something on their job site. I didn't want them to leave a dead fish in the walls when they finished. If getting a little wet saved me from decaying fish smells later, I'd make the sacrifice.

"What have you found out about Allen and this messy business with Coach Torres?" he asked without the usual pleasantries. Probably because of the rain.

My arm jerked forward as NB jumped at the puddle like he might magically erase the distance between them. "Honestly, Dad, it's not looking great for Allen. You should see the things he's written online about the coach."

My father's eyes lit up, and he almost smiled. "I knew it! I told your mother he was no good, but she won't listen. You girls are my everything. Neither of you should be connected with a murderer."

He gave me a weird glance, and I crinkled my nose. "Only Vivi is hooking up with a suspected murderer." What had he heard about Broadrick?

NB sat on the wet ground and stared at the puddle with sad eyes.

"You never tell us what you're doing, so how would we know?" He stared at me, waiting for and expecting an answer.

I didn't have one. Time to divert.

"NB has a new dog sitter."

The tension in his face relaxed a little. "Oh, that's nice. Do you like them?"

"No. Not really." Sidney was too nice. Overly nice people worried me. What was she hiding? And if it wasn't deep dark secrets, it had to be drugs. And good ones. Not doctor prescribed. "Why are you off, Team Allen?"

I had to get us back on topic, so he didn't ask more questions about my life. This was about Vivi and her lackluster ability to pick a boyfriend.

Dad's face returned to tension, and new wrinkles popped up on his forehead. "He raised his voice at your sister last night."

"Well, he is under a lot of stress." Being a murder suspect did that to people. Especially if they were innocent. I raised my voice at Vivi a lot when I had to be around her for extended periods. She did that to people.

He scoffed and threw his arms out wide. His thin spring coat was half covered in misty rain. "He's unfit."

Hmmm. "He seemed to strongly dislike Coach Torres."

"I knew it!" He snapped his fingers, and NB took that as a signal to make another leap toward the puddle. "He did it. You must prove he's a killer."

The leash slipped from my fingers, and I squeezed it tightly in just enough time to stop him from getting loose. "I didn't say that."

I didn't not say it either, but I definitely didn't say it.

"He yelled at Vivi because she wanted to study for a final rather than hang out at his house. What kind of boyfriend gets mad at someone for wanting a good grade?"

I bit my bottom lip. Someone who had a pending murder charge, needed comfort, and knew Vivi had another month before final exams. The whole stress thing came into play again. Not saying that it was right for Allen to raise his voice at Vivi, but again... the stress. I wouldn't point that out to my father, though. Once he got on a train of thought, it was hard to get him off of it.

Sometimes he took the term "father knows best" too literally.

"Allen seems like a stressed-out high school student who found his baseball coach dead." And a gruesome death, too. He needed counseling, not handcuffs.

"Vonnie, help the police put him behind bars so your sister isn't next on his hit list." It almost sounded like begging. Whatever happened between Allen and Vivi must have been worse than he said.

My shoulders sagged. "Okay, I'll see what I can do about putting the murderer behind bars." I was already doing that anyway.

He nodded once. "Good. I knew you wouldn't let me down."

At least my dad respected and believed in my PI abilities. If I had to find a positive in the shitty situation, I had one. Which was more than my mother who wanted me to look after a fish.

NB went from sitting quietly on the wet sidewalk to taking a flying leap with no warning. His jerky movement yanked the leash from my hand, and I tripped to the side as he ran across the lot.

"No!" I yelled, trying to get him to stop, but he was a dog on a mission.

A mission to jump in a damn mud puddle. He sprinted across the lot, his leash sailing behind him, and me a good fifteen paces too slow. At the last possible second, NB made another jump and landed in the dirty water with all four paws at the same time.

Water splashed up around him, creating waves in the small parking lot pond.

"NB, no!" I tried again, but he was beyond hearing.

He did a barrel roll in the water, coating his fur in yuckiness. His leash wrapped around his body, but he didn't care.

I sighed and tossed back my head with a groan. Nobody had time for this today.

My dad came to stand beside me and watched his grandson make a mess of himself. "You need to keep a better hold on that leash."

"Thanks, Dad." Always so helpful.

He whistled to get NB's attention, and the dog actually stopped splashing around like he'd become a duck. Why didn't he listen to me that way?

"Come on, NB," I said and waved my hand.

He tilted his head at me and then trotted out of the puddle like he wasn't in serious trouble.

My dad shook his head. "You just have to know how to get their attention."

"Right." I grabbed NB's leash with two fingers, trying not to touch the grossness too much. The puddle water had soaked into the cloth material and now dripped out as I walked NB and my dad toward the building.

He stopped at his car. "I'm going to head home unless you want me to chat with the construction crew," he said, giving the vans a heavy look. "They've been taking an unreasonable amount of time on your project."

"Oh no. It's fine. I've got it under control, and they should be done any day." No one had actually given me a timeline on the project, but the insanity had to be over soon. Right? "Plus, I have to chat with the principal. Very busy today." Dad opened the car door as the rain picked up, becoming actual drops of water. "Let me know if you end up needing help. I can hurry them along."

"Sounds great," I lied.

A seagull cawed overhead and flew out over the ocean as my dad closed his car door. NB and I stood at the main door and waved goodbye.

"You are going to be a good boy and sit under my desk and dry off," I scolded NB as we walked into the building.

A saw blasted to life in front of us as we walked in, sending a plume of sawdust into the air. I stood in horror as it floated down to the surrounding floor, most of it getting stuck in NB's coat like he was a literal magnet for the stuff.

The man in a bright yellow construction hat held up his hand and turned off the saw with an annoyed expression. The air smelled of wood and the pieces coated my hair and the tops of my shoes, making everything feel grimy. "You can't be in here without a hard hat and steel-toed shoes."

"But that's my office," I said, pointing at the door. "I'm Vonnie."

Half his face crunched up. "I don't care if you're the president. You don't get in without the proper protective gear. I don't need the state busting my ass for a violation."

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, hurried a count to three, and then gave up. Not all days were meant to be productive days. I just couldn't afford a lazy one today.

"We are in serious trouble, NB." How could I do all the things I had to accomplish with a dog full of wet sawdust and no office?

How did I fix the situation before Broadrick found out? He'd want Sidney to move in with me while he was gone if he saw NB in his current condition. He might have thought he was doing me a favor by trying to help, but it made me feel like he thought I couldn't handle things on my own.

I could.

I did every day before he showed up.

Things were just hard right then. Really hard. Like life had it out for me hard.

My phone rang, and I moved NB's leash from one hand to the other, giving him time to jerk free once more. He took off, headed for a different, but just as muddy, puddle on the other side of the parking lot.

Like I'd conjured him myself, Broadrick's name showed up on the screen right as NB hit the puddle with a doggy belly flop. Water sailed into the air and landed on top of him.

Rain filled the corners of my eyes. Definitely rain and not tears.