Read Online Never Buried: A Leigh Koslow Mystery by Edie Claire - Free Book Online Page B
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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garbage it was.
"Cara," Leigh asked with a yawn as her cousin joined her outside, "When did you throw out fish?"
Cara stepped over to investigate the assortment of fish and fish portions scattered over her patio. "I didn't," she said matter-of-factly. "I hate fish, especially lately."
Leigh raised her eyebrows. Cats were prone to dragging in their kills, but even if Mao Tse were allowed outside, which she wasn't, the odds of her catching half a dozen fish in the Ohio river were not worth contemplating. Furthermore, no other pet she knew made fishing a regular pastime. Perhaps a dog dragged someone else's garbage over?
Cara stooped and poked at a nearly whole fish with her toe. Her eyes narrowed. "Leigh," she said intently, "look at this."
Leigh walked to her side and squatted down for a closer look. The fish was missing one eye and a good bit of brain tissue, but its scaly side was intact, marked with red paint. She squinted at the red streaks. "It looks like a U," she announced.
Cara grabbed a stick from the grass and picked at the edge of another fish to flip it over. "And here," she said, "this one is marked, too. It looks like somebody tried to make a six, or a G." Leigh and Cara exchanged a brief glance, then began gathering the fish and turning them paint side up.
There were five fish in all, but thanks to the crows, several were no longer in one piece. Leigh undertook the anatomic reconstructions while Cara puzzled over the red markings. When fish number five had most of its body reoriented, the women stood back.
"We have two T's, a G, a U, and an E." Cara announced. "Lovely. Any ideas?"
"Well," Leigh said intelligently, trying to pretend she was looking at a puzzle book rather than a bunch of mutilated fish, "how about GUTTE? Maybe that means 'gut me' in French?"
Cara laughed. "I'm afraid not. Try again."
"TUTEG?" Leigh hypothesized. "UGTET?"
"Maybe it's two words," Cara said thoughtfully. "Like EAT GUT without the A." She raised her head and her eyes met Leigh's as a new possibility struck them. Wordlessly, they began searching again. After a few moments, Leigh found the majority of a sixth fish under a shrub.
"Well," she announced, pushing it next to the others with a stick. "It's not an A, it's an O."
Suddenly, her blood ran cold.
GET OUT.
Get out of my house .
Leigh said nothing as she tried to decide whether to share her thoughts. But Cara soon sighed in disgust and dropped into one of the patio chairs. "You know," she said in a tired voice, "this is really getting on my nerves."
Leigh looked at her questioningly.
"Oh, please!" Cara said with a wave of her hand. "Don't pretend you don't know what it means! You're the word-game master, not me."
Oddly, Leigh couldn't think of anything to say. How exactly should one respond to a threat spelled out in fish?
"Of all the idiotic wastes of time," Cara continued, glancing at the newly risen sun. "I could have slept in this morning."
Leigh's eyes widened. "You don't sound as though you're taking this too seriously."
Cara laughed and spread out her hands. "You call this serious? Painting letters on fish? I call it...well..." she faltered, searching for the right word. "I call it just plain stupid!" She put her hands by her sides for leverage and rose from the chair. "I'm going back to bed."
Leigh blinked. "Cara," she said maternally, "you can't tell me you don't find two threats in three days a little disturbing."
Cara stopped momentarily in her progress toward the back door. "Disturbing, yes. Convincing, no. Although I must admit the tactics are original."
Leigh dropped her shoulders in disbelief. Was she the only person in the world who knew when to be scared? "Cara, you can't just forget that, for whatever reason, someone wants you out of this house."
Cara stopped with a sigh. She really did look tired. "So, someone wants me out of this house," she began calmly. "Well, tough. I happen to want me in this house. I've spent a lot of time dreaming
"Cara," Leigh asked with a yawn as her cousin joined her outside, "When did you throw out fish?"
Cara stepped over to investigate the assortment of fish and fish portions scattered over her patio. "I didn't," she said matter-of-factly. "I hate fish, especially lately."
Leigh raised her eyebrows. Cats were prone to dragging in their kills, but even if Mao Tse were allowed outside, which she wasn't, the odds of her catching half a dozen fish in the Ohio river were not worth contemplating. Furthermore, no other pet she knew made fishing a regular pastime. Perhaps a dog dragged someone else's garbage over?
Cara stooped and poked at a nearly whole fish with her toe. Her eyes narrowed. "Leigh," she said intently, "look at this."
Leigh walked to her side and squatted down for a closer look. The fish was missing one eye and a good bit of brain tissue, but its scaly side was intact, marked with red paint. She squinted at the red streaks. "It looks like a U," she announced.
Cara grabbed a stick from the grass and picked at the edge of another fish to flip it over. "And here," she said, "this one is marked, too. It looks like somebody tried to make a six, or a G." Leigh and Cara exchanged a brief glance, then began gathering the fish and turning them paint side up.
There were five fish in all, but thanks to the crows, several were no longer in one piece. Leigh undertook the anatomic reconstructions while Cara puzzled over the red markings. When fish number five had most of its body reoriented, the women stood back.
"We have two T's, a G, a U, and an E." Cara announced. "Lovely. Any ideas?"
"Well," Leigh said intelligently, trying to pretend she was looking at a puzzle book rather than a bunch of mutilated fish, "how about GUTTE? Maybe that means 'gut me' in French?"
Cara laughed. "I'm afraid not. Try again."
"TUTEG?" Leigh hypothesized. "UGTET?"
"Maybe it's two words," Cara said thoughtfully. "Like EAT GUT without the A." She raised her head and her eyes met Leigh's as a new possibility struck them. Wordlessly, they began searching again. After a few moments, Leigh found the majority of a sixth fish under a shrub.
"Well," she announced, pushing it next to the others with a stick. "It's not an A, it's an O."
Suddenly, her blood ran cold.
GET OUT.
Get out of my house .
Leigh said nothing as she tried to decide whether to share her thoughts. But Cara soon sighed in disgust and dropped into one of the patio chairs. "You know," she said in a tired voice, "this is really getting on my nerves."
Leigh looked at her questioningly.
"Oh, please!" Cara said with a wave of her hand. "Don't pretend you don't know what it means! You're the word-game master, not me."
Oddly, Leigh couldn't think of anything to say. How exactly should one respond to a threat spelled out in fish?
"Of all the idiotic wastes of time," Cara continued, glancing at the newly risen sun. "I could have slept in this morning."
Leigh's eyes widened. "You don't sound as though you're taking this too seriously."
Cara laughed and spread out her hands. "You call this serious? Painting letters on fish? I call it...well..." she faltered, searching for the right word. "I call it just plain stupid!" She put her hands by her sides for leverage and rose from the chair. "I'm going back to bed."
Leigh blinked. "Cara," she said maternally, "you can't tell me you don't find two threats in three days a little disturbing."
Cara stopped momentarily in her progress toward the back door. "Disturbing, yes. Convincing, no. Although I must admit the tactics are original."
Leigh dropped her shoulders in disbelief. Was she the only person in the world who knew when to be scared? "Cara, you can't just forget that, for whatever reason, someone wants you out of this house."
Cara stopped with a sigh. She really did look tired. "So, someone wants me out of this house," she began calmly. "Well, tough. I happen to want me in this house. I've spent a lot of time dreaming
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