Sleight of Paw by Sofie Kelly Read Free Book Online

lips quivering.
    I started walking back toward Maggie. There were several people at the mouth of the alley. Maggie had her free arm extended, making it clear no one should go any farther.
    “The police are on their way, Ruby,” I said gently.
    She looked at me as though the words had washed over her without registering. “I have a blanket in the truck,” she said, swiping at her face. “I’ll just . . . I’ll just go . . . go get it so we can cover her up.” She started to pull away from me, and I tightened my grip on her arm.
    “Ruby, we can’t do that.”
    She looked at me, stricken, tears tracing a track down each cheek. “I can’t . . . I can’t just leave her . . . there, like a . . . like nothing, covered in snow.”
    I swallowed a couple of times. “I know,” I said. “But we can’t touch anything, not more than we already have.”
    Ruby took a shaky breath.
    “Did you move the . . . Agatha?” I asked. “Did you pick anything up?”
    She shook her head. “I was cutting through the alley because I knew I was late and I’d had to park around the corner. When I saw her and realized . . . it was Agatha, I just ran for help. I didn’t . . . I didn’t touch anything.” She looked back over her shoulder. “Kathleen, are you sure she’s . . . ?” She didn’t finish the sentence, and I hated having to be the one to destroy that faint spark of hope in her eyes.
    “I’m sorry, Ruby. She is,” I said softly.
    She pressed a shaking hand to her mouth. The hand looked raw and red in the icy air.
    Maggie half turned as we reached her. “They’re on their way,” she said.
    I looked from Mags to Ruby and inclined my head in the direction of the café.
    “Can you manage?” Maggie asked, her voice just above a whisper, realizing what I wanted.
    “Police will be here any minute.”
    She nodded and moved to circle Ruby in a hug. “C’mon, Ruby. It’s freezing. Let’s go to Eric’s and get some tea.”
    Ruby hesitated. “I should stay,” she began.
    “I’ll stay,” I said. “I promise I won’t leave until the police get here.”
    Ruby looked down the alley again. Her whole body was shaking from shock and the cold.
    “There isn’t anything you can do for Agatha,” I said. “You’re freezing. Go with Maggie.”
    “Okay,” she said softly.
    Maggie led her away, and I stayed at the mouth of the alley, listening for sirens, my hands jammed in my pockets, shifting from one foot to the other, partly to stay warm and partly to keep the creeping sense of dread I was feeling under control.
    It was only a few minutes more when the first patrol car arrived and parked, nose angled across the sidewalk. I recognized the officer who got out. He’d taken me to be fingerprinted after I’d found Gregor Easton’s body last summer. He’d also been in the library a lot lately, reading everything we had about the law and law school.
    I turned and pointed down the narrow passage. “She’s down there.”
    He nodded. “Please wait here, Ms. Paulson,” he said.
    I watched him make his way carefully back to Agatha’s body. Just as I had, he bent to check for a pulse.
    “Good morning, Kathleen,” a voice said behind me.
    I swung around so quickly I almost lost my balance on the icy pavement. Marcus Gordon caught my arm to steady me. “Careful.”
    I took a step backward and regained my footing. “Thank you,” I said. I tipped my head back to look at him. He seemed bigger than usual in his heavy black parka and black knitted hat. His wavy, dark hair was a bit longer these days—maybe because it was winter?
    “What happened?’ ” he asked, his tone conversational, as though we’d just bumped in to each other on the sidewalk and were discussing all the snow. I knew from experience that once he got immersed in a case, it would be his complete focus and he’d be all business.
    “That’s Agatha Shepherd,” I said, pointing down the alley.
    His deep blue eyes narrowed and he leaned around me for a