Read Skeleton in a Dead Space (A Kelly O'Connell Mystery) for Free Online

early, Miss Kelly?” It was Anthony. “I…I want to talk to you.”
    Surprised, I said, “Sure, Anthony.”
    “And I bet we can bleach those walls and maybe paint Kilz on them—or I’ll look for something else that will do,” he said. “Don’t let them be tearing out those good plaster walls.”
    “Thanks, Anthony.” I felt tears creeping down my cheeks and brushed them away.
    The street was empty of curiosity seekers. When a man stopped me by touching my arm—why did everyone grab my arm tonight?—I almost screamed for Kelly Coconauer.
    “Ma’am, I’m an insurance negotiator.” He thrust a business card at me. “I can help you get a better deal from your insurance company. You know,”—he almost snickered as if it were a joke we shared—“fudge a little on the damage and repair cost.”
    “No thanks,” I said, walking away. But the man reminded me that in the morning my first call would be to the insurance company.
    ****
    The lights still burned brightly in my living room, and Joanie’s car was parked in front. I eased the front door open. Joanie lay on the couch, sound asleep, her arms tight around Em, who was curled up next to her, snoring gently as only four-year-olds can. Both the snack tray and the wine bottle—a one-and-a-half liter one—were empty. No wonder Joanie slept. She didn’t budge when I eased Em out of her arms and, whispering to my child, carried her upstairs.
    “I had a dream, Mommy, and I wanted you.”
    “I’m sorry, baby. I had to go. It was an emergency.”
    More awake now, Em said, “Maggie told me that you would be home soon, and I shouldn’t worry. But I was lonely, so I sat with Joanie. I guess we both fell asleep.”
    “I guess you did.” I tucked her back into her bed. “Go back to sleep now, Em. I’m right here.” I sat, stroking the child’s hair until I heard that regular breathing again.
    Gathering a pillow, sheet and blanket, I went back downstairs. “Joanie,” I whispered, “you spend the night right there.” I spread the sheet and blanket over her and tried to slide the pillow under her head.
    “Kelly?” Joanie said, raising her head groggily. “Em woke up and cried for you, but Maggie helped me. And then we both fell asleep. She’s so adorable, Kelly. I loved holding her.”
    Yeah, and you’d love holding your own baby.
    ****
    No short mention in “Local Briefs” this time. The fire earned a picture on the front of the local section, complete with an 18-point. headline proclaiming, “House Where Skeleton Found Burns; Police Suspect Arson.” Grateful that the picture only showed the massed fire trucks, I began reading. Fairly straightforward, the article suggested that the fire department claimed it was arson because of the coincidence of a skeleton found in the house the day before. They referred to the smell of kerosene in the kitchen, so that must have been where it had begun. Thank God Anthony got out all right.
    When I flipped on the local TV news, things got a lot worse. The cameras caught me looking bewildered, scared, absolutely out of control. The way I remembered the moment, I was calm and collected and answered straightforwardly. That’s not the way it came across on camera.
    “Is that you, Mom?” Maggie padded into the kitchen in her PJs.
    “Yeah, darlin’, that’s me.”
    “You look funny,” she said. “Were you scared or something?”
    “I didn’t think so,” I said, “but now I guess maybe I was.”
    The phone would ring all day, I knew that, but I didn’t expect a call at home. It was Dave Shirley, my insurance agent and a longtime friend. “Kelly, we’re gonna have to get an adjustor in that house first thing. When can you be there?”
    “Whenever you say, Dave. After I get the girls to school. I’ll be there by nine-thirty. Is this okay with the police?” There went the day, sitting in a burned-out house waiting for an insurance adjustor.
    “Yeah. They said we could go in, but we got to leave the