to replace more windows, I’ll be sure to call you.”
The gray-haired man smiled at her. “Always good doing business with others like us. You look so much like Ivy that you must be her great-niece. She was always talking about how much fun she had with you when you stayed with her.”
Brooke smiled. In Phoenix, they only had a small pack of wolves, and they didn’t have so many wolves that had different skills to call on. She was glad she could get help from the wolves in the area. It was nice her great-aunt had a good reputation and Brooke was able to benefit from it.
She sure hoped Josh would solve the theft of the reindeer calf, she thought as she let potential customers into the shop to look around.
“Did a vandal do that?” one of her customers asked, motioning to the door.
“Someone who wanted to get into the shop before I was open for business.”
“What is the world coming to?” the woman asked. “I wanted to see if you had any old-time Santas. The kind that have the long cloak, rather than the newer style of Santa costume.”
“I do. Antique and replicas.” Brooke took her to a cabinet full of Santas. “Is this what you’re looking for?”
“Oh yes. My daughter collects the vintage ones.”
“I’ll let you look at them then. I need to warm the baked goods and fix a pot of hot chocolate while you’re looking them over.” Brooke headed for the kitchen and said to another customer, “Are you searching for anything special?”
“Just browsing, thanks.”
“If you need anything, just let me know.” Brooke set out the cinnamon rolls she’d bought from the bakery and the hot chocolate, finally having a moment to come to grips with what had happened to her that morning. She couldn’t believe her great-aunt had bought several boxes of pottery filled with drugs! Brooke still felt a little shaky over the whole matter. She was grateful the DEA special agent in charge was one of their kind, because she was sure that would help keep her great-aunt’s name in the clear. Although her great-aunt would most probably be in the news as an older woman duped into buying merchandise filled with drugs.
Brooke just hoped there wasn’t any more of it on its way.
Chapter 6
As soon as Josh arrived at the scene of the crime, he spoke to everyone at the jewelry store. He recognized the man who had been shot as a repeat offender—armed robbery being his specialty. His partner in crime had gotten away. The EMTs stabilized and loaded the wounded robber into the ambulance.
“Did he say anything?” Josh asked one of the first police officers who had arrived at the scene.
“He was mumbling about Ackerson always getting away and that he had all the luck.”
“Ackerson,” Josh said, writing the name down. “No first name?”
“No, sir. Once he mentioned his partner’s name, he wouldn’t say anything more about him as if he realized he shouldn’t have said that much. I think he was pissed off and in so much pain it just slipped out.”
“Did you get a description of the guy that got away?”
“The clerk said Ackerson had blue eyes and was wearing a black ski mask. The clerk said he saw a dark-brown mustache above the guy’s lip. He was dressed in blue jeans, heavy black boots, black ski gloves, and a dark-gray parka.”
“Thanks.” Josh spoke with the store clerk, two customers, and the owner, took all their statements, and looked over the security video. The shop owner had only been defending himself when the two men broke into his shop and raised loaded guns at him. Ackerson shot the security camera and fired a round at the shop owner, but he missed, hitting the wall behind the man. The shop owner grabbed his 9mm hidden underneath the counter and fired back, hitting Ackerson’s accomplice, a man named Curly Buckner, in the chest. At least Josh knew Ackerson’s scent now, and he hoped they could find the robber in the database. And they knew he had a mustache, maybe a beard, and probably brown hair.
Josh went back to his office and filled out paperwork for the rest of the morning. He didn’t find anything on the name Ackerson in the database though.
Adam Holmes, a red wolf and fellow police detective, Josh’s partner, joined him. “Hey, if you’re caught up, do you want to grab a bite to eat?”
“I can’t. I’m still checking into the business with the stolen reindeer calf.”
“I