Tattered Legacy (A Nora Abbott Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page A

gathered.
    “She couldn’t leave well enough alone.” Rachel’s glare was so fierce a few people turned to look at Nora.
    Rachel started to shake. All at once, her knees buckled. The man behind her leaped forward and closed his arms around her. She leaned into him and buried her head on his shoulder. He spoke in a clear, strong voice. “Rachel would be pleased if you’d join us for a reception at Read Rock Bookstore on Main Street.”
    Rachel’s eyes looked vacant in her pale face, as if she’d used up every bit of emotional strength she possessed. She dropped her head, and the man took hold of her hand, and led her toward the trail.
    Nora glanced up and met the malevolent stare of the man with the black cowboy hat. His dark eyes bored a hole through Nora’s forehead. He slammed his hat on his head, pulled it low over his eyes, and stomped away.
    He must have picked up on whatever ill will Rachel had directed her way.
    A small group of people spoke quietly, several of them with wet eyes, some sniffing. “Obsessed with the film.” “Probably exhausted.” “Wonder what will happen with the film?”
    Most people dribbled away from the clearing with heads down. If they spoke at all, their words were too quiet for Nora to hear.
    Eventually the mourners disappeared, leaving Nora shaken. She lowered herself to the ground, and Abbey rose from his spot under the tree. He sauntered over to her and accepted her caress.
    Before Rachel faded, she’d been angry with Nora. Did she think Nora was responsible for Lisa’s death? Lisa had begged Nora to fund the film. Had Lisa jumped in over her head, making her careless?
    The sun danced through the branches. Humidity from a recent rain weighted the air and brought out the spice of sage and muted scent of damp sand. Life continued in an almost insulting way.
    Nora wouldn’t have been able to stop Lisa even if she hadn’t funded the film. Lisa would have found another way.
    Still, Nora’s being here stabbed Rachel like a splintered arrow. Nora didn’t want to cause her any more pain. She decided to quietly head back to Boulder.
    She stood and brushed the dirt from her hiking shorts. A flash of blue caught her eye. Her heart jumped to her mouth, and she went numb.
    Maybe her kachina was here in the sacred lands of the Southwest. With a growing hope that mingled with dread, Nora faced the spot where she’d seen the color. She stared in the bushes at the edge of the clearing and exhaled. No kachina. Her heart sank just a little.
    But the blue hadn’t been her imagination.
    A wooden box with a beautiful inlaid band of blue sat on a rock by the creek. Nora approached it, Abbey at her heels. It sat alone, oddly at home in the natural setting. Sunlight danced along the inlay. Rachel had been so lost, she must have forgotten this.
    Nora placed a hand on the sun-warmed surface of the box and sank to her knees.
    It was Lisa.

Five
    The weight of Abbey’s head rested comfortingly in her lap. Tiny wrens and warblers chirped and flitted amid the branches. The sun warmed the crown of Nora’s head. The willows swayed gently, their wispy green leaves contrasting with the deeper green of the new grass peeking out from the sand. The creek chattered along the bend. To the life in the clearing, it was just another day.
    The kindest thing for Rachel would be for Nora to skip the gathering at the bookstore and head back to Boulder. But Nora couldn’t leave Lisa out here. She tightened her lips.
    Nora shifted to stand, disturbing Abbey. He pulled himself up and shook, starting at his head and vibrating all the way to his tail.
    “Guess we’re going to Moab,” she told him.
    Nora picked up the polished wood box. Its heavy weight surprised her. The beauty of the intricate Native American inlaid border in blue and black suited Lisa’s taste. It seemed impossible that Lisa’s vibrancy and energy hsd been reduced to this.
    Nora trudged up the path to the empty parking lot at the trailhead. The