Better Left Buried Read Online Free PDF

patina obscured the deceased’s name. Part of the fun of grave stone rubbings was bringing up epitaphs and dates that couldn’t be seen otherwise. “Speaking of Bennett, is your mother going to show up for tomorrow’s appointment?”
    “Not a chance and I don’t want her to. Not in the shape she’s in.” Harmony set the flashlight down and took the rubber band from around her paper.
    Brea tore two pieces of masking tape off a roll and fastened a blank sheet to the face of the headstone she dusted off first. “Flashlight!”
    A set of approaching headlights caused her to call out the warning. They turned off their flashlights and waited for the car to round the corner. Even in the freezing cold, when no one in their right mind would be out, and with them as far from the road as they could get, there was still the fear of being spotted and having the cops called on them.
    “Clear.” Harmony turned hers back on.
    Brea dug through her tin for the flattest piece of charcoal and gently rubbed it along the paper. She worked from the outside in, in slow circles. A name emerged: Norma Cooper, born in 1818 and died in 1834. Brea did the mental math. Norma died at sixteen-years-old, the same age she was now. She wondered how. “Ever think of looking these people up? I think it’d be cool to find out their stories.” Harmony was staring at clock on her phone. “Harm—?” Her eyes went wide and her jaw clenched. “Harmony!”
    “What?” She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
    “You okay?”
    “ Splendid .”
    Brea knew better. “Want to talk about it?”
    “ It ?”
    “The appointment, your mother, whatever’s bothering you?”
    “Nothing’s bothering me. I’m overtired. I haven’t been sleeping much lately.”
    “You’d tell me if it were something else?”
    Harmony tore down her paper and crumpled it into a ball.
    “Harmony, you’d tell me, right?” Brea held her shoulders squarely and searched her eyes for an honest answer.
    “Yes, I’d tell you. We should go before your mother puts bars on the windows.”
    Brea smiled. The idea wasn’t that far-fetched. “You’re probably right. What time is it anyway?”
    “2:34.”

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    “Adam, wake up.” Harmony shook him, but it was like waking the dead. “Walter’s on the phone. He needs to talk to you.”
    He rolled his eyes open and held out his hand.
    “Hello .”
    Harmony climbed off the bed and picked up his jeans, making a show of taking his keys out of the pocket and setting them on the dresser. She’d put everything back exactly how it was and even drove without adjusting the truck’s seat to keep him from being suspicious. She felt a little bad about drugging him, but told herself that at least he’d finally gotten a good night’s sleep. It was nearly 3:30 AM when she crept back into the apartment and the few hours of uninterrupted sleep that followed rejuvenated her more than she’d have thought possible.
    “Walter, I really can’t . Yes, I understand, but we have an appointment this morning.”
    “What’s going on?” she asked. “What can’t you do?” Adam waved his hand for her to be quiet. He was fully awake now, and a bit annoyed. She was getting there. Adam telling Walter he couldn’t do anything was out of the question. He’d been too good to them and never asked for anything in return. She went into the kitchen and picked up the other phone.
    “Walter, it’s Harmony. What do you need? Is there anything I can do?”
    “Talk that boyfriend of yours into getting over here for starters. We’ve got a line out the door.”
    S he assured him that Adam would be there within the hour and started a pot of coffee.
    “What did you do that for?” Adam said. “You have your appointment with Bennett this morning.”
    “That’s right. I have an appointment. And I’ll take the bus, it’s no big deal. Walter never asks for anything and we could use the money.”
    “Speaking of.” Adam took his