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stole money. And no one knew, or if they knew, they didn’t care just as long as he kept bringing home the championships.
    â€œSam,” Grandpa broke in, “you can’t exactly walk into the police station with your stolen disk and hacked-in bank account.”
    â€œWe could take it to the newspapers,” Janie suggested.
    We wouldn’t have to tell them where we got the information. Still, I made a face at the idea of going to the papers. So far, my experience with the press hadn’t been real encouraging. But I did know a certain cop I could probably take this to. He would get the right people on it. “I have an idea.”
    Grandpa picked the papers he had printed out of the tray and looked at me. “Vance?”
    I smiled. Detective Logan Vance and I had a past. We tangled over another murder in town, but once I discovered Vance’s secret life, which he didn’t want any of his fellow cops to know about, I managed to get more cooperation from him. Vance didn’t exactly like me, but he would listen.
    Or shoot me.
    But I was betting I could get him to listen and get an investigation started on Chad. “I’ll stop by the station tomorrow morning and talk to him. I’ll tell him that a client of mine has information that Chad Tuggle is embezzling from SCOLE.”
    â€œReally?” Janie brushed her hair off her face, her hazel eyes brightening with hope.
    Nodding, I said, “I’ll call Gabe and clear it with him tonight. Then after I see Vance in the morning, I’ll call you, Janie. All right?”
    â€œThank you, Sam. Thank you for believing me.” Janie stood, her face shifting into seriousness. “And Sam, be careful. Stay away from Chad, all right?”
    A warning tickled the back of my throat and skittered down my spine. Gabe had warned me to be careful, too. But I knew Chad. I looked out the sliding glass door to where the boys were playing with Ali, then back to Janie. “Do you think Chad’s dangerous?”
    She took a breath. “Probably not. But he’s just so sure he can do anything and get away with it.”
    Fair enough. I nodded and walked Janie to her car. When I came back inside, the kids were coming in the sliding glass door from the backyard.
    â€œMom, what was Janie doing here?” Joel bounced in with the gawky energy of twelve-year-olds who were all arms and legs.
    TJ strolled in with Ali. “I told you, Mom’s on a case.” At fourteen, TJ pretty much knew everything. Then his handsome face tightened. “Ugh, Janie wasn’t here for your dating service, was she?”
    â€œDating services are for losers,” Joel announced. “Being a PI is much better. Gabe is mega cool.”
    Speaking of Gabe, I headed for the phone to call him about Janie’s case. “TJ, what makes you think I’m on a case?”
    TJ leaned his tall, slender frame back against the counter. “ ’Cause you were all huddled with Grandpa on the computer.”
    I smiled at my smart son. “Pretty observant, TJ.” Picking up the phone to call Gabe, I spotted Ali with her slim German shepherd nose pressed into the seam of the refrigerator.
    â€œSome guard dog you are, you big lush.” Gabe had brought Ali to us when we were being threatened a while back. Turns out she’d been tossed out of the police dog program for stealing beer. She’d also saved my life more than once. We all adored her.
    Ali barked.
    â€œLater, Ali.” I dialed Gabe’s number while trying to think up something resembling dinner in my mind. “How about grilled cheese for dinner?”
    Joel looked up from the bag of potato chips he had his hand in. “With fried potatoes? The kind Grandpa makes?”
    Grandpa shut down his computer. “Joel, you wash the potatoes and I’ll slice them.”
    Gabe’s phone rang four times in my ear, and then the answering machine picked up. I wondered where