Free Never Steal a Cockatiel (Leigh Koslow Mystery Series Book 9) by Edie Claire Page A

throwing Leigh a meaningful look. Whatever she had to say, she preferred to say it in private.
    Frances’s hawk eyes missed nothing. “Why don’t you take Maura up to your room, Leigh?” she suggested sweetly. “Little Eddie and I can get better acquainted.”
    “You don’t have to do that, Ms. Koslow,” Maura remarked.
    “Nonsense,” Frances argued. “It would be a delightful diversion. You just leave this little cherub with me and toddle along. I’ll give a yell if we need anything.”
    Maura thanked Frances for the offer and lifted the infant out of the belly pack.
    “Come here, Peanut,” Frances cooed, taking him deftly into her arms. She looked up at Leigh and Maura, then shooed them both away toward the stairs. “Off you go. We’ll be fine!”
    Leigh led the only slightly reluctant new mother up the stairs. The small room that had once been Leigh’s own was now outfitted with bunk beds for the grandchildren, so Leigh steered her guest into the sewing room instead, where they settled on a desk chair and a stool. “What’s up?” Leigh asked nervously, wondering why Maura hadn’t wanted to talk in front of Frances. The petnapping rumors were certainly disturbing, but the Koslow Animal Clinic wasn’t directly involved. Was it?
    Maura let out a breath. “Do you know where Mason Dublin is?”
    Leigh’s heart skipped a beat. This wasn’t the line of questioning she expected.
    It did not bode well.
    “I talked to him yesterday,” she answered, considering her words. Lying to Maura was pointless, but she was loath to get Mason in trouble, accidentally or otherwise. “He told me he was flying out to a pawnbrokers’ convention in Las Vegas.”
    Maura’s face bore no expression. “That’s what he said?”
    “Yes,” Leigh answered honestly, her anxiety rapidly increasing. “What’s this about?”
    Maura watched her closely. “Do you know where he is, Koslow?”
    Leigh swallowed with discomfort. “No. I don’t.”
    Maura seemed disappointed.
    “I repeat, what’s this about?” Leigh pressed.
    “Hopefully nothing,” Maura answered, the muscles in her lower jaw working as they often did when she was thinking. “Look, you know I have nothing against Mason. I never have, even if he’s not so crazy about me. I’m not on the job right now and I’m not doing this in any official capacity, but I’d like to speak with him.”
    Leigh tensed. “You want his number?”
    “I have his number. He isn’t picking up. I was hoping you could convince him to call me.”
    Leigh studied her friend’s earnest face. The situation was awkward, to say the least. Leigh was under no obligation to pass along any information about Mason, or any other family member. She did believe that Maura’s motives were good. But good for whom? “You’ll have to give me a little more to go on,” she requested.
    Maura straightened. “Okay. A buddy of mine called this morning; said he wanted to catch me up on a few things before I came in next week. Clearly, he’s betting on the ‘Polanski will come back’ side.”
    “Clearly,” Leigh agreed, smiling a little.
    “So he was trying to whet my appetite,” Maura continued. “He gave me the rundown on a couple of cases, and Mason’s name came up. Mason’s not suspected of anything, but he might know something important. The Bellevue police have already talked to him; nothing I’m telling you is a secret. It’s just that he picked a really bad time to leave town. Whether the timing is a coincidence or not, it looks suspicious. They can’t order him to come back, not at this point. But I’d like to explain to him that he needs to tread carefully.”
    Leigh breathed out slowly. “Does this have anything to do with the break-in at the apartment next to his? Cara told me they called her about that.”
    Maura nodded. Her face took on a pained expression. “The occupant of that apartment has been MIA for a couple days now, which is a problem, because he’s wanted for