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“Yes”

The relief was al Lander slumped in his chair

“I reviewed your situation prior to uest said “It will take time and ht”

“Whatever it takes,” Lander said He felt so tired He’d done it He could look at Felix’s gravestone now and he could pro

“The proof of their guilt must be irrefutable”

“Don’t worry about that,” Lander said “You’ll have your proof I only hire the best”

Chapter 1

“House Baylor Investigative Agency,” I shouted “Holster your weapons and step away from the monkey!”

The orange tae squirrel, stared at ht blue sky of a late afternoon The two uns

All three wore casual clothes, the men in khakis and T-shirts, the woman in white capris and a pale blue blouse All three were in good shape, and they held their guns in nearly identical positions, with their barrels pointing slightly dohich marked them as professionals who didn’t want to accidentally shoot us Given that none of us had draeapons yet, they must have felt they had the upper hand Sadly for them, their assessment of their personal safety ildly off the mark

Next to me, Leon bared his teeth “Catalina, I really don’t like it when people point guns at me”

Neither did I, but unlike Leon, I would be highly unlikely to shoot each of theh the left eye “for symmetry reasons”

“Montgoations,” the older of the men announced “Pack it in and head back to the mystery machine, kids”

Usually Augustine’s people wore suits, but chasinginferno of Houston’s July called for a more casual attire Leon and I had opted for casual as well My face was dirty, my dark hair was piled in a messy bun on top of my head, and my clothes wouldn’t impress anyone Of the three of us, only Cornelius looked decent, and even he was drenched in sweat

“You’re interfering with our lawful recovery,” I announced “Step aside”

The feent stepped forward She was in her thirties, fit, with light brown skin and glossy dark hair pulled into a ponytail

“You seeirl”

You have no idea

She kept going “Let’s be reasonable about this before the testosterone starts flying This monkey is the property of House Thom It’s a part of a very important pharmaceutical trial I don’t knohat you’ve been told, but we have a certificate identifying the ownership of the monkey I’ll be happy to let you verify it for yourself You’re still young, so a word of advice, always get the proper paperwork to cover your ass”

“Oh no she didn’t,” Leon muttered under his breath

At twenty-one,for their House, or enjoying the luxury carefree lifestyle the powerfulunderesti for the ry and my patience was in short supply Besides, she’d insulted my paperwork skills Paperas my middle name

“This hly trained service animal, certified to assist individuals with spinal cord injuries She was snatched froally sold to your client I have her pedigree report, immunization records, vet records, certificate froned affidavit from her owner, a copy of the police report, and her DNA profile Also, I’ a lawful recovery of stolen property Do not iain”

On ? Rosebud is experiencing a lot of stress”

“You heard the anie,” Leon called out “Don’t we all hat’s best for the stressed-out monkey?”

The shorter of the men squinted at us “Head of the House, huh? How do you even know this is the same monkey?”

Howaround in Eleanor Tinsley Park? “Rosebud, sing”

The monkey raised her adorable head, opened her mouth, and trilled like a little bird

The three MII eic and reason

“This proves nothing,” the woman announced

As it happened so often with our species, logical reasoning was discarded in favor of the overpowering need to be right, facts and consequences be damned