Read Online Never Sorry: 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, Zoos
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she looked awful, with blue-red bags under both eyes.
"Are you all right?" Leigh asked, concerned. "You're not working double shifts again, are you?"
Maura shook her head and finished swallowing a hefty mouthful. "No, we're staffed now." She paused uncomfortably. "It's Mom."
Leigh's heart felt heavy. Maura had lost her father, a police chief and community idol, just last year. Now her mother was battling Alzheimer's, and deteriorating quickly.
"Her sense of day and night is off," Maura explained. "She keeps waking up and trying to leave the house. My aunts used to stop her when I wasn't home, but Charlotte's hearing is going, and they're exhausted besides. Mom's been out twice in the last week."
Warren and Leigh both listened with sympathy. Maura had left the city force, and her plans for making detective, to take a position on the suburban force of her home borough of Avalon. Twenty-four-hour close proximity was the only way she could adequately care for her mother at home. Though the two aunts who lived in the other half of the Polanski duplex tried to help, they were elderly themselves.
"Maura," Leigh said seriously. "Don't you think it's time?"
The policewoman's eyes moistened. "Maybe." Her tone indicated that the discussion was over for the time being.
Leigh knew better than to push, so she returned to her pizza and polished off half of it with ease. She put her dirty dishes in Warren's dishwasher and slipped a five surreptitiously into his cookie jar. For a financial genius, Warren was exceptionally generous, but she had always insisted on paying her share, which is why the thought of a hefty legal tab galled her. She had nothing to pay it with, and she had no choice but to accept a loan. It was a rotten feeling.
"Katharine Bower's the best," Warren was telling Maura, "so unless our Leigh actually is a homicidal maniac, I'm sure everything will be fine."
"That's a big 'if,'" Maura joked. "You know these creative types and their violent outbursts."
Leigh glared at them both. "Thanks for the moral support. By the way, Warren, do you have any idea why Detective Frank hates my lawyer?"
Warren gave her a puzzled expression. "Who says he does?"
"Nobody. But I could tell. There's history there, trust me."
They both looked at Maura. "Do you know Frank?" Leigh asked.
Maura cleared her throat. "Not personally. I've heard good things about his work. He's thorough." She stopped talking, but it was clear there was more.
"Spill it!" Leigh insisted impatiently. "Does he hate all women lawyers or what?"
Maura's eyebrows rose as Leigh's words hit near the truth. "All right," she sighed. "I'll level with you. Frank's got a rep as a misogynist. He went through a nasty divorce a few years ago—nearly bankrupted him. I think he's fair enough, but in your situation, I wouldn't push his buttons."
Leigh sat and stared. So it wasn't her imagination. Frank hadn't liked her from the get-go. This was all she needed.
Warren attempted to lighten the mood. "Leigh will be an angel in khaki, won't you? Anyway, I'm sure Frank will fixate on a more likely suspect soon. One with a motive, for instance."
Leigh's stomach had begun to complain after the misogynist comment, and was now back to peak acid production. She hadn't told Frank—or her lawyer either, for that matter— everything about her past with Carmen. It had seemed wise at the time, but now she wasn't so sure.
"Maura," she asked nervously, "do you think Frank would care, I mean, would the trouble I had in high school be relevant?"
The policewoman looked at her, puzzled. Then she smiled. "Oh, you mean the possession thing?"
Leigh nodded.
Maura chuckled under her breath. "Come on, Koslow. You were seventeen and you were acquitted. Get over it already. Nobody cares."
"Frank will."
"Why should he?"
"Because the whole thing was Carmen Koslow's fault."
Chapter 7
Maura was silent for a moment. "Maybe you'd better tell me the story again," she said
"Are you all right?" Leigh asked, concerned. "You're not working double shifts again, are you?"
Maura shook her head and finished swallowing a hefty mouthful. "No, we're staffed now." She paused uncomfortably. "It's Mom."
Leigh's heart felt heavy. Maura had lost her father, a police chief and community idol, just last year. Now her mother was battling Alzheimer's, and deteriorating quickly.
"Her sense of day and night is off," Maura explained. "She keeps waking up and trying to leave the house. My aunts used to stop her when I wasn't home, but Charlotte's hearing is going, and they're exhausted besides. Mom's been out twice in the last week."
Warren and Leigh both listened with sympathy. Maura had left the city force, and her plans for making detective, to take a position on the suburban force of her home borough of Avalon. Twenty-four-hour close proximity was the only way she could adequately care for her mother at home. Though the two aunts who lived in the other half of the Polanski duplex tried to help, they were elderly themselves.
"Maura," Leigh said seriously. "Don't you think it's time?"
The policewoman's eyes moistened. "Maybe." Her tone indicated that the discussion was over for the time being.
Leigh knew better than to push, so she returned to her pizza and polished off half of it with ease. She put her dirty dishes in Warren's dishwasher and slipped a five surreptitiously into his cookie jar. For a financial genius, Warren was exceptionally generous, but she had always insisted on paying her share, which is why the thought of a hefty legal tab galled her. She had nothing to pay it with, and she had no choice but to accept a loan. It was a rotten feeling.
"Katharine Bower's the best," Warren was telling Maura, "so unless our Leigh actually is a homicidal maniac, I'm sure everything will be fine."
"That's a big 'if,'" Maura joked. "You know these creative types and their violent outbursts."
Leigh glared at them both. "Thanks for the moral support. By the way, Warren, do you have any idea why Detective Frank hates my lawyer?"
Warren gave her a puzzled expression. "Who says he does?"
"Nobody. But I could tell. There's history there, trust me."
They both looked at Maura. "Do you know Frank?" Leigh asked.
Maura cleared her throat. "Not personally. I've heard good things about his work. He's thorough." She stopped talking, but it was clear there was more.
"Spill it!" Leigh insisted impatiently. "Does he hate all women lawyers or what?"
Maura's eyebrows rose as Leigh's words hit near the truth. "All right," she sighed. "I'll level with you. Frank's got a rep as a misogynist. He went through a nasty divorce a few years ago—nearly bankrupted him. I think he's fair enough, but in your situation, I wouldn't push his buttons."
Leigh sat and stared. So it wasn't her imagination. Frank hadn't liked her from the get-go. This was all she needed.
Warren attempted to lighten the mood. "Leigh will be an angel in khaki, won't you? Anyway, I'm sure Frank will fixate on a more likely suspect soon. One with a motive, for instance."
Leigh's stomach had begun to complain after the misogynist comment, and was now back to peak acid production. She hadn't told Frank—or her lawyer either, for that matter— everything about her past with Carmen. It had seemed wise at the time, but now she wasn't so sure.
"Maura," she asked nervously, "do you think Frank would care, I mean, would the trouble I had in high school be relevant?"
The policewoman looked at her, puzzled. Then she smiled. "Oh, you mean the possession thing?"
Leigh nodded.
Maura chuckled under her breath. "Come on, Koslow. You were seventeen and you were acquitted. Get over it already. Nobody cares."
"Frank will."
"Why should he?"
"Because the whole thing was Carmen Koslow's fault."
Chapter 7
Maura was silent for a moment. "Maybe you'd better tell me the story again," she said
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