Never Buried: A Leigh Koslow Mystery by Edie Claire Page B

calculating tone. He had clearly been over these thoughts before. "But with Paul Fischer supposedly cremated and buried, no one would have any reason to be looking for him." He paused a moment. "Maura Polanski didn't recognize him. Hell, even Mellman didn't recognize him! But then, Donald's never been too good with faces. Now Chief Polanski, he would have known in a minute, God rest his soul."
    Vestal's voice trailed off in thought, but soon he remembered who he was talking to. He cleared his throat and sat up, fatherly once again. "You realize that whoever had the body must have known whose it was," he said carefully. "They did leave it at Paul Fischer's old house. Frankly, that makes me a little nervous for you and your cousin. There are a lot of crazy people out there."
    Leigh couldn't disagree with that. She nodded appreciatively, then rose to leave.
    "Thank you for trying to help," she said sweetly.
    Vestal beamed. "Anything else I can do, you just let me know. You girls be careful, now."
    "We will be."
    Vestal opened the heavy oak door and Leigh started to scoot outside, but he gently grabbed her elbow. "By the way," he said quietly, "How did they identify the body?"
    Leigh stiffened as she heard a familiar voice echoing down the hall. Maura hadn't seen her yet—which was good. Something told her the policewoman might not be thrilled with her and Vestal's little chat.
    "I'm sorry Mr. Fields," she said quickly, "but I just remembered I left a roast in the oven. I've got to go!" She dashed across the hall and into the lounge. "My car's out here," she lied, "I'll just go on out. Thank you again!"
    With a smile and wave befitting Melanie Wilkes, she was gone. She started the Cavalier and smirked with pride. Perhaps she should become an actress. She'd never put a roast in an oven in her life.
     
    ***
     
    When Leigh returned to the house, she found Cara in the kitchen creating a marvelous-smelling pot of spaghetti sauce. "What's the occasion?" Leigh asked with a smile.
    "A craving, naturally." Cara stirred the concoction gingerly and tapped in an extra dash of Oregano.
    "Smells great. I could eat the whole pot myself."
    "Oh?" Cara's eyebrows lifted, "you're not having cravings now too, are you?"
    "If I am," Leigh retorted, "it'll be the start of a whole new religion."
    Cara laughed. "Would you mind climbing up to that top shelf and handing me the minced garlic? It's by the candles."
    Leigh knew better than to ask why. She found the bottle and handed it down, then sank into a chair.
    Cara put a lid on the pot and sat down across from her. "Are you going to tell me what you and Maura found out today," she asked pleasantly, "or am I going to withhold your dinner?"
    Where to begin ?
    Cara tried to help. "The body is Paul Fischer's, isn't it?"
    Leigh stared. Cara didn't even know about the note, much less the coroner's report. "What makes you think that?"
    Cara's response was matter of fact. "As I tried to tell you this morning when you went into caffeine withdrawal—by the way, I bought regular—I'm convinced that Mrs. Rhodis is right and that something is hidden in this house. Something somebody else wants. The gender and age of the body seemed right for Paul Fischer. I think serving up the body of the house's last resident was a scare tactic to make us move out."
    Leigh was in awe. "Well, you're right. The body is Paul Fischer's."
    Cara smiled with pride, though the implications seemed nothing to be happy about.
    "We need to take this seriously, Cara. Whoever wants us out of this house is perverted enough to steal a body. Who knows what else they might do? Maybe you should think about staying at your mother's for a while."
    Cara's eyes blazed. "I'll do no such thing! I will not be frightened out of my own home by some nutball. I've wanted this house forever, and if there's something here to find, I'm going to find it first. I own the contents of this house, and I intend to keep them!"
    Leigh had known her cousin long enough