Never Sorry: A Leigh Koslow Mystery by Edie Claire

Author:Edie Claire [Claire, Edie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General, Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Koslow; Leigh (Fictitious Character), Pittsburgh (Pa.), Women Cat Owners, Women Copy Writers, Women Sleuths, Zoos
ISBN: 9781477518779
Google: RM9tPQAACAAJ
Amazon: 1477518770
Publisher: iUniverse
Published: 1999-01-02T06:00:00+00:00

He smiled, but not sincerely. It seemed more of a polite gesture.

"There's one thing I have to know, though. And I'm not asking for my own petty reasons. I'm asking for my own deadly serious reasons." She took a deep breath. "The prosecution's theory is based on the idea that you and Carmen were involved. And don't play semantics with me. You know what I mean. They think that the three of us were caught up in some love triangle, and that Carmen attacked me, or I attacked her, or some such nonsense. Then of course we nonchalantly hacked her up and fed her to the tigers."

Tanner winced, but Leigh pressed on. He could get squeamish—and she could throw up—later. "Everyone at the zoo has testified that you and Carmen were an item. I want to hear it from you. Were you?"

She stopped, sitting back in her chair and trying not to look as anxious as she felt. She didn't want to ask, and she didn't really want to know. But she had to do both. Warren had been right, blast him. She hadn't been looking at Tanner objectively, and if she didn't wake up soon she wouldn't be up just any creek; she'd be up the Niagara River.

Tanner avoided her eyes. She'd never seen him squirm before. Did he squirm before he lied, or before he told the truth?

He sighed, long and deep. "Look, Leigh. It was true what I said before. Carmen and I were friends. First and foremost. Maybe there was more there occasionally—maybe she wasn't as sure what she wanted. But I knew what I wanted. I didn't want to be tied down to another woman. Period."

The words washed over Leigh in a muddy drizzle. Evidently, her hero had studied at the Bill Clinton School of Semantics. She, however, was an alumnus of the School of Women Who Aren't Idiots. She hadn't believed Clinton then, and she didn't believe Tanner now.

"I see," she said simply. His definition of the word "friend" was now clear. A friend was someone he liked, but had no intention of ever committing to. Sex would not be precluded, of course. It was just another form of friendly recreation—like going to a movie.

She rose to leave. "Leigh?" he said hesitantly. "You believe me, don't you?"

Leigh looked at him sadly, painfully aware of his navy-blue jumpsuit and shackles. Being a prisoner was demoralizing, even if Butler County did have better fashion sense than Allegheny. She couldn't kick a man when he was down.

"Don't worry about what I think," she said, smiling. "Concentrate on getting yourself out of here. Try to figure out how Carmen's and Stacey's deaths could be connected—if they are connected. Can you do that?"

Tanner nodded.

"Good," Leigh smiled again. "If you come up with anything, call me. Or if they won't let you, have your lawyer call mine." She headed for the door, then turned around. "When you're out, we'll do dinner, okay? I'm buying."

She left him smiling, which was at least some small accomplishment.

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