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times. I hadn’t seen a dog at the door, which meant it was likely that he didn’t have a dog. No dog in the world can resist a doorbell and a stranger at the door.
    He pursed his lips for a second. “I don’t have a dog. Sorry. Though you should talk to my sister. She’s got four of them. Loves them to death and treats them like kids. Last year she brought them over to the house dressed for Halloween. It was scary.” He took out his phone and tapped a few times.
    He held out the phone which was on camera roll. I saw the photo that was up. Four little terriers had all been dressed in various costumes with a woman who was only slightly older than me. That must be the sister. Since he was talking about her coming over for Halloween, she must still live in the Toledo area. Looking at the photo, I vaguely remembered this girl. She’d been an acquaintance of Susan’s, either someone who had been to our house or who I’d seen on multiple occasions hang out with Susan at school. I wondered if anyone could say that about my own school photo. Would people think that I still looked like the kid from high school? I hoped not. That kid was frightened of his own shadow, afraid that he would be next – swiped from the street by an imaginary kidnapper who had only existed in my mind and the minds of the media. That villain had never existed, and I was going to find out why.
    “Would you mind giving me her number or email? I’m sure she’d like to have me talk to her dogs. My first consultation is free – plus it would be good to see her after all these years.” People are always more willing to share contact information if there has been a connection before. It seems less like stalking, even if it has been years since any meetings.
    He wrote down an email address on a scrap of paper and handed it to me. “Here. You can tell her that I gave you the information. She’ll appreciate it, I’m sure.” He looked at his watch again. “I’m going to be late to an appointment if I don’t get moving. It was nice to see you again, and good luck with the business.”
    I walked back to the car. Sheila had the seat reclined and her eyes were closed, but I knew that was just a ruse. It did reduce the chance of Gillespie seeing her from the road though. Comfort and a cover. “No pets, but he remembered Susan’s disappearance. I’m not sure what to make of that. He didn’t want to talk about the murder at all. He cut it short to go to a meeting,” I said as I sat down in the driver’s seat of the car.
    Her eyes remained closed, but she spoke. “Of course he didn’t. Let me give you one fact, and one thing that will soon be fact. A dog was in the upper window of the house. He’s not there now, but when you pulled up, I saw a dog in the window. So I thought you had an easy in. He lied to you. Secondly, I’m willing to put $20 down that says he doesn’t leave the house. Pull around this corner, and we’ll find out in a few minutes.”
    I did as she said, pulling around the corner, so that we could still see the house, but we weren’t immediately visible to anyone pulling out of the driveway. We waited. While I liked to be more active when I was looking into a case, Sheila had developed her skills the old-fashioned way of police work and waiting. I got comfortable in my seat for a wait.
    “So what did he say about the murder? Anything?” Sheila asked finally, breaking the silence.
    “He didn’t want to talk about it. He was fine with talking about my sister’s disappearance though. I thought that rather odd.”
    “So where to after we finish watching him not leave?” she asked. I was a bit surprised to hear this question. Normally, she was the one who was calling the shots, but after the attack, she was letting me take control. I wondered how soon the roles would revert back to her taking charge of the case and relegating me to the Watson role.
    “The sister’s house. She’s a huge dog lover, so I figured I could do my