She was invited in. She rented a car for the drive—the Zonda would stand out too much in a back-to-nature area. Victoria’s credit-card records showed regular purchases of a premium dog food. Maliha wore a business suit with a jacket and skirt, carried a briefcase, and bought a bag of the food on her way to Carefree. The homes weren’t what she expected. There were large, expensive homes on acreage, many of them built into a hillside with a great view of Phoenix in the distance. True, they were made of adobe and had natural landscaping, but Maliha had already formed an image of earth homes with cacti growing on the roof. It was a tough image to shake, even when she pulled up in front of the Blakes’ three- or four-million-dollar home at the end of a long private driveway. I didn’t have to rent a car. The Zonda would feel at home here. She rang the bell. Looking up at the security camera, she put a big grin on her face and said, “Congratulations, Mrs. Blake! You’ve won a year’s supply of Tail Waggin’ Supreme Balance Kibble!”
