Never Sorry: A Leigh Koslow Mystery (33 page)

Leigh followed Katharine's eyes to Mary Polanski, and wondered what Katharine knew that she didn't. Then a thought dawned. Warren had told her that the fund at Maplewood had been set up by a small group of wealthy benefactors. Could this have been a recent phenomenon, and could they have had a little urging, perhaps?

She looked at Maura, who was as happy as Leigh had seen her in months. Yes, that was what had happened. The Harmon magic. And probably a little chunk of the Harmon bank account as well. She smiled, but kept her thoughts to herself. Warren was right to keep it a secret. Maura could never know.

"Thanks for getting that package to him the other day, by the way," Katharine said cheerfully, trying to change the subject. "I don't think it worked, though."

Leigh looked up. "And what exactly was it?"

Katharine laughed. "What do you think? A beanie baby elephant with a 'Vote Republican' button on its tail, of course!"

Leigh laughed, but with a touch of chagrin. So, they shared the same sense of humor, too.

Cara's family and the Koslows arrived en masse, and soon Leigh's small apartment was buzzing with activity—and pizza consumption. Even Mao Tse seemed to be in a festive mood as she risked the horrors of a crowd to get a closer look at the bizarre bundle in Cara's arms. Katharine announced to the newcomers that her client was now a free woman, and cheers went up from all except Frances, who was busily partitioning Warren into a corner. Probably, Leigh thought, to ask about her legal bills.

Little Mathias took the whole affair in stride, alternately yawning and peering out at the big black fur ball that kept popping up into his field of vision. "She's always liked you," Leigh said to Cara, pulling Mao Tse away from the baby's head. "I guess it figures she'd like your son, too."

Cara smiled, but her eyes were on Katharine, who had finally managed to wrest Warren away from Frances. "I'm glad I finally got a chance to meet your lawyer. She seems quite competent."

"Oh, she is," Leigh said anxiously, looking across the room to where Katharine and Warren stood close together, laughing. Warren put an arm around her waist, and she leaned comfortably into his side.

Leigh felt her face grow hot, and she looked away quickly. Unfortunately, Cara had been watching her and was now wearing a humongous smirk.

"What's that for?" Leigh asked irritably.

The smirk increased. "Well, I'll be damned. You're jealous."

Leigh sniffed. "Me, jealous? Of what?"

Cara rolled her eyes. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. 'Just friends' indeed."

More annoyed than ever, Leigh left Cara's side and went to the counter for another slice of pepperoni. She was
not
jealous. She was merely concerned. Katharine was at least ten years older than Warren, even if she did look good in biking shorts.

Leigh watched as the lawyer settled close to Warren on the couch, her hand resting just above his knee. The pizza Leigh had just eaten churned uncomfortably in her stomach, and her cheeks were practically on fire.

Well, damn
.

She turned away again, nervously refilling her cola to the brim. There was no more point in denying it. She
was
jealous. She was jealous as hell. And she was going to have to do something about it.

She just hoped it wasn't too late.

***

Enjoy all five mysteries in the Leigh Koslow Mystery Series: Never Buried, Never Sorry, Never Preach Past Noon, Never Kissed Goodnight, and Never Tease a Siamese, available now as e-books! To find out more about these and other books by Edie Claire, including her novels of classic romantic suspense and comedic stage plays, visit  www.edieclaire.com , or email the author at [email protected]. Thanks for reading!

Acknowledgments

The police procedure in this book would be based entirely on my knowledge of
Cagney & Lacey
reruns if not for two truly wonderful people, Siri Jeffrey and her detecting husband Joe, who answered every one of my five billion frantic emails with the patience of saints. I would also like to thank Robert Wagner, VMD, Elisa Long, and Lynn Cameron for their equally fabulous attitudes in answering my pesky questions.

Two points of literary license: 1) There is no zoo in Riverview Park—the zoo described exists only in my imagination. The real Pittsburgh Zoo is in Highland Park and bears some resemblance to my fictional one, but astute Tennesseeans may recognize an even stronger resemblance to the Overton Park Zoo in Memphis, where I once served as a volunteer. 2) A word of warning: If you're planning on committing a homicide in Allegheny County, PA, don't expect a petite redhead to pop out of nowhere and arrange your bail. The law says you're not going anywhere.