Free Grave Doubts (A Paranormal Mystery Novel) by LYNN BOHART

sighed,
feeling a heavy ball settle into the middle of her chest again. She knew that time
would eventually lift the weight she felt at Diane’s loss. But that time
couldn’t come soon enough.
    She took a deep
breath and surveyed the rest of the kitchen, trying to focus on the task at
hand. Her gaze came to rest on the tall plastic trashcan that stood next to the
kitchen sink. On impulse, she stepped over and lifted the lid, thinking Diane
might have broken the vase and thrown it away. But she was surprised to find
the container lined with a clean trash bag. When Lee had stopped by the night
Diane died, she’d arrived just as Diane was putting in a new trash bag. As they
talked though, Diane had tossed in an empty cat food can and chicken broth box.
Even those were missing now. So where were they?  According to the coroner,
Diane had died between nine o’clock and midnight. So, she wouldn’t have emptied
the trash can a second time. Unless…
    Lee ran outside
to the Pathfinder and grabbed the flashlight from her glove compartment. A
minute later, she was standing by the shed that camouflaged the condo’s two
large trash containers. This was a long shot if there ever was one, and yet, if
she didn’t check now, she might regret it later. According to the sticker on
the side of the dumpster, the trash would be picked up the next day.
    Lee held her
breath and lifted both steel lids. She pushed them back with a bang, giving her
an unencumbered view of the inside. Both bins were filled to the top. Crumpled
brown shopping bags, white plastic garbage bags, and shiny black leaf bags were
scattered across the surface of the first bin, along with old shipping boxes,
and an empty stereo box. Tucked in the corner was a broken lawn chair.
    Lee knew Diane
used only white plastic trash bags with yellow ties, purchased at the same
store. God, that woman was compulsive! Lee figured the bag she was looking for
would be at, or near, the top. It was difficult to sort through everything
while holding the flashlight, so Lee placed the light on the ledge and pushed
up her sleeves. She balanced herself on the wheel and leaned in, carefully
pulling bags and boxes out. Occasionally, she paused to point her flashlight
into the depths of a bag. Several times, she pulled out a false lead. Once it
was a yellow ribbon, another time it was a yellow envelope addressed to someone
in number seventeen. One bag with a yellow tie string surfaced, and she turned
it over. Empty cat food cans and cigarette butts dropped out. She almost gagged
at the smell of rotting tuna, but the cigarette butts confirmed that it wasn’t
Diane’s. Feeling foolish, she threw everything back in and closed the lid. She
turned to the second dumpster. This time, she was a little overwhelmed to find
six or seven bags with yellow ties right near the top.
    She pulled each
bag to the front and searched through the contents as best she could. Coffee
grounds and sour milk spilled over her hands. At one point, she lost her
balance and lurched forward, shoving her left hand deep into the center of a
bag. Her hand encountered something gushy, which oozed through her fingers
making her stomach turn. When she yanked her hand out, there was a sucking
sound followed by the sound of ceramic hitting ceramic.
    Lee forgot her
queasiness and snapped up the bag. She stepped back off the wheel, reaching for
the pavement with her left foot. Instead of pavement however, her foot landed
on something that moved, and suddenly a cat shot into the parking lot with a
high-pitched scream. Lee’s foot flew out from under her as she twisted in mid-air
and fell to the ground.
    With a groan,
she sat up and stretched out her back. She was breathing hard, the bag of
garbage forgotten beside her. When a cool breeze wafted across the trash
containers, bringing the smell of something awful with it, Lee leaned forward
and rested her head on both knees, careful not to touch anything with her hands.
This was crazy, she