1
"Now you behave yourself, mister. I'm not going to chase after you again, so if you see a cat, forget it!" The shoddily dressed Lieutenant mumbled through a cigar as he stumbled along the walkway, trying to keep up with "Dog" who was busily trailing a scent, his nose planted firmly to the ground.
Columbo had never bothered to give his dog a proper name. He thought about it for a while, he and Mrs. Columbo even made a list of names, but they could never agree on one that suited him.
And it didn't seem to matter what name they tried, none of them piqued his interest, and he never came when called anyhow. So, the Lieutenant would simply call him "Dog" until a more suitable name came to mind.
Well, the dog may have the personality of a wooden spoon, but in the Lieutenants eyes, he couldn't have asked for a more loving companion, especially on such a beautiful day like this.
It was a warm day, but not too warm, at least not for Los Angeles. Just perfect for the park, there was even a nice breeze coming through the trees every now and then.
By this time, Columbo had taken off his jacket and had it folded over his arm as he continued walking Dog around. Eventually, they reached a large field where a few people had gathered. A couple passing a frisbee, a group of children rolling around on the grass, and, what was that on the horizon? Could he be imagining it? Was it only a mirage?
No. No it wasn't. It was something that he and his Dog both shared an intense love for…
An Ice cream stand.
Like an oasis in a dessert, the Ice Cream stand beckoned the Lieutenant like a camel to water.
"Okay, you just stay put, now! I'll be right back! Believe me, it'll be worth the wait!" Columbo said as he tied Dog's leash firmly around a post before quickly scooting off down the path towards the Ice Cream stand. "Oh!"
But before he got too far away, he skidded back towards Dog.
"Guard this with your life!" He commanded Dog as he set his signature raincoat down on the ground beside the canine before quickly resuming his run across the field.
To anyone watching, he looked just as excited as a little boy, despite being a man of some forty years. He even managed to run past some actual children to get towards the front of the line.
"Yeah, one chocolate and one vanilla please, thanks." Columbo barely muttered, as he was almost out of breath from his jog across the park.
The Lieutenant turned briefly to check that Dog was still there. Sure enough, he was still tied down to the post, and barking anxiously for his master to return.
Columbo tutted, shaking his head. Dog never liked to be left alone for too long. It often made his job difficult, but he managed, somehow.
The wait felt like hours, but at last, the Ice Cream man produced two beautiful spheres of creamy goodness, perched serenely on their golden cones. One vanilla, and one chocolate.
"Thank you," Columbo muttered before paying, taking them, and then quickly making off back towards the other side of the park. And he had to move quickly of course, or else the ice cream would melt, and this venture would be all for naught.
However, as the Lieutenant made his way back to the pole, he quickly realized that Dog was gone…
Anxiety immediately set in, but the Lieutenant had been in much hairier situations than this. He had to keep his wits about him, and besides…Dog couldn't have gotten far. He wasn't exactly a speedy creature…
"Dog? Dog?!" Columbo called out, his eyes darting around furiously for that long tail and floppy ears.
There were of course, many other dogs at the park that day, but no basset hounds. None that had Dog's distinctive features.
But Columbo wasn't panicking yet. He had only been gone for two, maybe three minutes at the most. But something about this was bothering him, even if he hadn't fully admitted it to himself yet.
He had tied that leash so firmly to the pole…there was no way Dog could have wandered off on his own. Yes, it was true he tended to do that, especially when he was following a scent, but he wasn't quite strong enough to break off from the leash unless…
Columbo stared back at the pole again. The leash was gone. Someone had purposefully come and untied it, ergo…
Someone had stolen his dog.