Read Online The Grave Soul by Ellen Hart - Free Book Online

sweetheart.”
    â€œNo … don’t hang up.”
    â€œI love you so much. Don’t ever doubt that. Give me this time, Guthrie. Don’t call or text. Just let me have these few days. Okay?”
    â€œI don’t know. Kira, I’m scared.”
    â€œWhy? That’s crazy. I’ll see you very soon.”

 
    11
    Jane found Guthrie sitting alone at a back table in the Hewitt & Hewitt Tearoom, staring intently at his laptop. This was her first visit, although after seeing the place, it wouldn’t be her last. She counted fourteen tables scattered around the room, all but three filled with customers enjoying tea and baskets of fresh bread as they talked to their companions or lingered over the morning paper.
    The bold, eclectic decor was what impressed her most. Indian and Asian elements had been mixed together, though the Indian detail, especially the wall art and the hand-loomed, block-printed tablecloths, predominated. For a moment she had the sense that she’d stepped into an Indian curio shop during the British Raj. A large statue of Siddhartha Gautama had been given pride of place near the front. The sitar music floating through the air was soft and soothing, making her wish she had the time to sit, relax, and enjoy a cup of tea herself. Alas, this initial visit would have to be short. She had information to deliver, and then she needed to get over to the restaurant for that interview with City Pages .
    As she approached Guthrie’s table, he looked up.
    â€œOh, Jane. Hi.” He started to rise.
    She motioned for him to stay seated. Folding herself into a chair across from him, she removed the photos he’d given her from her pocket. Since she wouldn’t be taking the case, she needed to give them back. She also felt he deserved to hear Nolan’s conclusions. “Did you get a chance to talk to Kira about your concerns?”
    He shook his head. “Her grandmother called Wednesday morning and asked her to drive to New Dresden for a family meeting. I didn’t find out about it until I got home that night. She won’t be back until Monday.”
    â€œHow far away did you say New Dresden was?”
    â€œTwo and a half hours, give or take.”
    She handed him the photos. “I showed these to my partner. He used a loupe to look at them and then he asked me to do the same.”
    â€œAnd?”
    â€œWhat you see with the help of magnification is the extensive bruising around Delia Adler’s neck. Nolan thought it was clear evidence of strangulation.”
    Guthrie’s startled eyes took a moment to focus. “Then … it’s true. Kira’s dream. Her mother was murdered.”
    â€œYou mentioned that there was a police officer present the day her body was found.”
    â€œThat’s what Kira remembers.”
    â€œIf that’s true and he saw the marks on Delia’s neck, then the next question is, why wasn’t the death ruled a homicide? Since it was an unattended death, a medical examiner would also have been called to the scene. There’s no way he could have missed those marks. Whoever helped remove her body from the side of the ravine, whether it was family or the authorities, they had to know it was a murder. The funeral director, the one who prepared her body for viewing, would also have known.”
    â€œHer body was cremated,” said Guthrie.
    â€œWhy doesn’t that surprise me? I’m stating the obvious here. You’ve stumbled into one major cover up. Probably includes not only the family, but public officials.”
    Guthrie stared at his laptop screen. “Jane, you’ve got to help me. I can’t handle this alone. I don’t have a lot of money, but I could pay you in installments. I don’t care anymore if Kira’s on board or not. Every minute she spends in that town, I feel like her life’s in danger. I mean, I know her family loves her. But what if she