Secret Keepers and Skinny Shadows: Lee and Miranda by Mary A Russell

That was weeks ago, and I haven’t heard back from them.”
    She shot a wide-eyed glance at Lee and pushed his hand away. “That isn’t unusual, murder cases are considered open until they’re solved. I can understand their reluctance to talk with you, but they should give you something.”
    “I gave my number to the secretary where they could contact me, it would be nice if they would call while I’m here saving me a trip back to this town.”
    The look in Miranda’s eyes softened for a second.
    “You can stay with me as long as you want to, and as long as you remember your place. I now have all the time in the world since I retired.” She said.
    Lee returned the smile, ran his fingers through his hair.
    “Thank you,” he said as he cleared his throat. “Now I have all the time in the world as well.”
    “Why? What do you mean?”
    “The day before I received your envelope in the mail, the publishing house fired me.” Lee looked down at the floor as he spoke. He couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact.
    “What? Why?”
    He looked up in time to see her put her hand on her hip cocking one leg out slightly.
    “My good friend Ray is the one who axed me. He said I was the only editor who still wrote everything out on paper. They invested in expensive computers for me and I never even tried to use them.”
    Miranda threw her hands into the air. The keys in her hand jingled on the way down to her side. “What did I tell you? Years ago I told you, you should learn to use a computer but, oh no, not you. You could get by without learning to use one.” Lee looked back down at the floor. Miranda stepped forward, and with her finger gave a gentle tug under his chin lifting his head up. Lee moved back a couple of inches.
    “As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted, Ray told me they were combining my job with two others and Sally Parker would replace me.” He watched Miranda’s eyes grow to the size of quarters.
    “Your assistant? How humiliating. They really stuck it to you. It almost makes me feel sorry for you.” The corners of her mouth turned down.
    Miranda reached out and took his hand in hers patting it trying to comfort him.
    “Lee I’d like to say I’m sorry, but I did try to warn you. Someday you’ll learn to listen to me. But that did have to hurt.”
    “Is that a bit of sympathy I detect? Thank you but I’m past it all now and what’s important is this murder case.”
    She pulled her hand back from his, moving back to the door.
    “Maybe a bit, but being computer savvy in this day and age is almost a necessity in any business. I’ll be back in an hour or maybe sooner. I have to go. Try to finish reading that stuff before I get back so we can discuss our plans and lay out a course of action going forward.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
                              CHAPTER 14
                                        Present Day
     
    L ee made his way across the expansive Tudor-style living room, stopping in front of the floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto the driveway. He followed Miranda’s expensive car as it disappeared into the heavy mist rolling in off the mountains. He stared up into the sky; he could feel someone watching him—but who and why?
    The silence in the big house was deafening. He didn’t like it. The quiet allowed him too much time to think about the past, present, and future. The past he couldn’t change. The present he could manipulate, but the future, filled him with renewed hope, remembering the vow he made to solve this murder for Joan, he could control and change the direction he was going.
    He couldn’t shake the feeling that his and Miranda’s lives were in danger, especially since the death of the local historian and the warning he gave Miranda. He sensed that everything that happened so far was somehow tied into the murder and the letters. What else could it be?
    Miranda was always a