Excerpt: Dog Days

Eli's office wasn't exactly classy, but it wasn't an apartment/office, either. The dachshund yipped excitedly around Guy's feet, making him glad again for the mute button that his came equipped with.
“Lukas, Lukas!” Eli yelled, his rumpled hair testimony to the fact that he'd just woken up. “Just calm down, will ya.”
“Dogs,” he said. “Jeez.”
“Yeah,” Guy said. “I actually want to talk to you about that at some point.... but first, you remember the Anny May case?”
“Do I remember it? Hell, Guy, could either of us ever forget that case?” There was a pause, unusual for Eli. “Yeah, yeah, I remember it. Tragedy. A train wreck. Hell, Guy.” He looked unnerved. “So why you want to bring that up again?”
“Well, it relates to the first issue—dogs, Eli. You know how they work?”
“Do I know how they work?” The dachshund ran around their feet excitedly, and he stared down at it with mild distaste. “Do you think this one would run around in circles if I knew how they worked? But I bet you're not talking about the flesh and blood variety.”
Guy wondered how Eli had made that conclusion, then remembered that he was a PI, too. Although Guy never seemed able to make those conclusions himself, and he was technically in the same business.
“Yeah, it's a dog with a capital TM,” said Guy, thinking he was being clever at first and then feeling like a jerk when he saw the look of pained distaste on Eli's face.
“I see,” said Eli. “Did you just pick one up?” He sounded incredulous and kept trying not to look at Guy's scuffed shoes, but his eyes kept flickering between the red sock sticking out of the front of Guy's toe and the ill-matched patch on his sleeve.
“I've been meaning to get one of those,” Eli eyed the patch of carpet behind Guy, as if wondering if the dog had camo or perhaps even an invisible mode. “Is that what brings you down here?”
“No, no, it's about Anny. I know we thought we were done with that one, but I asked the dog what case I should go for. He put his paw down on the Anny May case, Eli.”
Eli shot Guy a look that he was all too familiar with.
“Guy, Anny's dead. Hell, six other girls are dead. And trying to find that guy—no offense—is just going to lead to more of the same."