Hounded by Death — Barbara M. Hodges

Spirits talk to Dakota Lee. They have since she was twelve years old. Now an adult, she is happy with her life as the owner of, Sugar Babies, a small bakery in the quiet town of Santa Mesa, California. Dakota has accepted her gift for the most part and learned to deal with the sometimes demanding spirits.
An early morning run leads to a gruesome discovery. A dead man slumped in his car, and a panicked basset hound pacing beside it.
The dead man is Detective Rod Kane. After a prickly interview with Kane's partner, Detective Blake Scott, Dakota is ready to put the disturbing event behind her.
When she sees the basset hound in the park the next morning everything changes. Coaxing the hound to her, she hears a man's voice consoling the dog. Seeing no one else around, Dakota knows it is a spirit and asks what the man needs.
Detective Rod Kane has refused this dead mother's offer to join her in the beyond. He can't. Not until he finds out who killed him.
He is startled that Dakota can hear him. Nonetheless, she is his answer. When Dakota asks, "What do you need?"
His answer is "Give JB a home and help me find my killer."