by Edie Claire
"I understand perfectly," Leigh retorted. "In fact, I'd say she's a veritable volcano of rage. But you know what?"
He looked at her questioningly.
"That's tough. Maybe giving you a good tongue-lashing is just what she needs."
After a moment, Mason's eyes warmed, and Leigh thought she saw a little of the twinkle come back. "She's a brilliant actress, isn't she?" he said proudly. "That screaming…it rattled Torr good."
Leigh's admiration was tinged with disgust. "You knew she was acting?"
He looked surprised. "Sure. Didn't you?" He paused a moment, his voice turning sober again. "She could have gotten herself killed, Leigh. And so could you. All on account of a two-bit criminal like me." He swallowed. "I can never make that up to you. It's just too much; it wasn't right. I didn’t want things to happen that way."
"Well," she said brightly. "We don't all get what we want, do we? Now are you going to ask to see your daughter, or not?"
He hesitated. "She's got to hate me," he said quietly.
"Maybe she does," Leigh said, smiling encouragement. "But I doubt she will forever."
***
Per request, Warren checked his watch again. "Forty-five minutes now. You think it's a good sign?"
Leigh's brow furrowed. "I wish I knew."
Now that Mason was out of the woods, there was no medical reason for the combined March, Koslow, and Harmon families to remain camped out in the waiting room. But after Mason had asked to see Cara, and after she had hesitated a full ten minutes before going in, and now that they had been alone together for a full forty-five minutes, no one could bear to leave until they knew the end of it.
"I'm sure it will work out all right," Warren said optimistically, giving Leigh's shoulders a squeeze with his long arm. "You want something else from the machine?"
She sat up. "Yes, but I'll get it. I need to stretch." She asked around for any requests, then headed out the door and down the hallway. The cafeteria was closed for the night, but her innate homing mechanism led her straight to a candy machine. She had just inserted her first quarter when a loud, merry sound drifted to her ears from around the corner. It was a laugh. Maura's laugh. Hearty, husky, uninhibited, and thoroughly mixed with the chuckles of one Gerald Frank. Leigh turned around mechanically and walked back to where she had come from, forgetting the lost quarter, much less the Kit Kat bar.
Warren eyed her empty hands suspiciously as she sat back down. "No chocolate left?"
"You're right," she said, not listening. "He does make her laugh."
Her husband smiled. "So, it's a good thing, right?"
She sighed, then looked back at him with a smirk. "I guess I can't very well hold a grudge against everyone who arrests me."
"Sweetheart!" Lydie exclaimed suddenly, jumping to her feet. They all watched as Cara strode back into the room, fifty-five minutes after she had left it.
"Is everything okay, honey?" her mother asked tentatively.
Cara smiled at her. "Of course." She walked over to where her husband sat and lifted Mathias gently from his arms. The toddler stirred, confusion blurring his sleepy blue-green eyes, but he didn't protest as his mother shifted him onto her hip.
"Come on, big guy," she said soothingly, giving him a little bounce. "Let's go meet your Grandpa."
***
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
As always, thanks are gratefully extended to those who have answered my endless questions about police procedure and the law, including Siri and Joe Jeffrey and Scott Robinette. I would also like to mention that I have totally forgiven Ellen Bowermaster for beating me out of that Erin Walton role in 1979. Really.
