Read Online Never Buried: A Leigh Koslow Mystery by Edie Claire - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Edie Claire
Tags: Fiction, General, Thrillers, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Koslow; Leigh (Fictitious Character), Pittsburgh (Pa.), Women Cat Owners, Women Copy Writers
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Leigh gestured for her to be patient. "I wanted to know if we really should be alarmed. The note did concern me."
Cara perked up instantly. "What note?"
Maura looked at Leigh with surprise. "You didn't tell her about the note?"
"Well, no," Leigh said, feeling distinctly uncomfortable, "not right away."
Cara's eyes blazed. " What note ?!"
***
By the time Leigh had completed her confession and Maura had filled in the details she left out, all three women were on their second cup of coffee.
"Well," Cara was insisting, "it seems to me that the next step ought to be taking a good look at Paul Fischer's life. We need to know what might be in this house that someone else could want badly enough to steal a corpse."
"Not just any corpse," Maura pointed out. "This person got hold of Paul Fischer's corpse. Now that either happened totally by coincidence—he ran into some necrophile and offered to buy it off him—or else we've got to assume he stole it ten years ago with some particular purpose in mind."
"If that's true," Cara reasoned, "this is the first time in that ten years that the house has been regularly occupied. Maybe that's what he was waiting for. Or she."
"But what would be the point?" Leigh wondered out loud. "If there was something in the house this person wanted, why couldn't they have taken it out while no one was here? Why wait for someone to move in first? Unless they want the house vacant for some other reason..."
Maura rose and stretched. "You two keep brainstorming all you want. But your main goals should be to keep your security system running and take the extra precautions we discussed. Leave the investigating to the police, okay? Nobody needs to get hurt trying to do our job." She looked purposefully at Leigh as she stressed "our."
"Leigh will behave herself," Cara said with a devious smile. "I'll watch her."
Maura headed for the door. "That was a fabulous dinner, Cara. Thank you again."
"Hey!" Leigh interjected. "I got down the garlic."
"Don't make me laugh, Koslow," Maura snorted, opening the door for herself. "I'll never forget that time you tried to make chili in a hot pot—" she broke off the sentence and turned around. "And by the way... how did that 'roast in the oven' turn out?"
Cara looked questioningly at Leigh, who shrugged and held up her hands. "You can't believe everything you hear, you know."
Chapter 7
At first, the sounds echoing into Leigh's bedroom brought on pleasant dreams of sea gulls and sand. But as the screeching caws intensified, reality took over. Puzzled, she woke reluctantly. No one was watching a Hitchcock movie. Why the racket? She swung her feet onto the plush carpet and crossed over to one of the two windows that faced the Ohio River.
In the dawn light, she could see smoke from Neville Island curling above the trees while the river flowed peacefully below. Considerably less peaceful was the collection of birds clustered around the patio. At least a dozen black crows squawked and fought as they picked at some unidentifiable mess on the concrete. She turned and shoved her feet into a pair of slippers. It wouldn't be the first time she had picked up scattered garbage.
She moved into the hall, and as she passed her cousin's bedroom door, it opened. A groggy-looking Cara slipped out. Even half awake and seven-months pregnant, she managed to look elegant in a pale silk gown. "Are those crows?" she asked, stifling a yawn.
"Yeah," Leigh answered with equal enthusiasm. "In the garbage. You go back to bed, I'll take care of it."
Leigh started down the stairs, and Cara, ignoring the offer, followed. When they reached the back door, Leigh banged on it with her hand to scatter the crows while Cara turned off the security system. The birds grudgingly flew away from the patio, only to resume squawking from the nearby trees.
Leigh unbolted the back door and swung it open. She was right, the crows were picking at garbage. She just wasn't sure whose
Cara perked up instantly. "What note?"
Maura looked at Leigh with surprise. "You didn't tell her about the note?"
"Well, no," Leigh said, feeling distinctly uncomfortable, "not right away."
Cara's eyes blazed. " What note ?!"
***
By the time Leigh had completed her confession and Maura had filled in the details she left out, all three women were on their second cup of coffee.
"Well," Cara was insisting, "it seems to me that the next step ought to be taking a good look at Paul Fischer's life. We need to know what might be in this house that someone else could want badly enough to steal a corpse."
"Not just any corpse," Maura pointed out. "This person got hold of Paul Fischer's corpse. Now that either happened totally by coincidence—he ran into some necrophile and offered to buy it off him—or else we've got to assume he stole it ten years ago with some particular purpose in mind."
"If that's true," Cara reasoned, "this is the first time in that ten years that the house has been regularly occupied. Maybe that's what he was waiting for. Or she."
"But what would be the point?" Leigh wondered out loud. "If there was something in the house this person wanted, why couldn't they have taken it out while no one was here? Why wait for someone to move in first? Unless they want the house vacant for some other reason..."
Maura rose and stretched. "You two keep brainstorming all you want. But your main goals should be to keep your security system running and take the extra precautions we discussed. Leave the investigating to the police, okay? Nobody needs to get hurt trying to do our job." She looked purposefully at Leigh as she stressed "our."
"Leigh will behave herself," Cara said with a devious smile. "I'll watch her."
Maura headed for the door. "That was a fabulous dinner, Cara. Thank you again."
"Hey!" Leigh interjected. "I got down the garlic."
"Don't make me laugh, Koslow," Maura snorted, opening the door for herself. "I'll never forget that time you tried to make chili in a hot pot—" she broke off the sentence and turned around. "And by the way... how did that 'roast in the oven' turn out?"
Cara looked questioningly at Leigh, who shrugged and held up her hands. "You can't believe everything you hear, you know."
Chapter 7
At first, the sounds echoing into Leigh's bedroom brought on pleasant dreams of sea gulls and sand. But as the screeching caws intensified, reality took over. Puzzled, she woke reluctantly. No one was watching a Hitchcock movie. Why the racket? She swung her feet onto the plush carpet and crossed over to one of the two windows that faced the Ohio River.
In the dawn light, she could see smoke from Neville Island curling above the trees while the river flowed peacefully below. Considerably less peaceful was the collection of birds clustered around the patio. At least a dozen black crows squawked and fought as they picked at some unidentifiable mess on the concrete. She turned and shoved her feet into a pair of slippers. It wouldn't be the first time she had picked up scattered garbage.
She moved into the hall, and as she passed her cousin's bedroom door, it opened. A groggy-looking Cara slipped out. Even half awake and seven-months pregnant, she managed to look elegant in a pale silk gown. "Are those crows?" she asked, stifling a yawn.
"Yeah," Leigh answered with equal enthusiasm. "In the garbage. You go back to bed, I'll take care of it."
Leigh started down the stairs, and Cara, ignoring the offer, followed. When they reached the back door, Leigh banged on it with her hand to scatter the crows while Cara turned off the security system. The birds grudgingly flew away from the patio, only to resume squawking from the nearby trees.
Leigh unbolted the back door and swung it open. She was right, the crows were picking at garbage. She just wasn't sure whose
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