The 12 Quilts of Christmas

by Arlene Sachitano

  Harriet shook her head. Morse continued.

  “To my way of thinking, someone is after Jade, and what better way to get her to show herself but to take her horse and hold it for ransom?”

  Harriet rocked back on her heels.

  “Wow. Someone really doesn’t like her.”

  “Don’t forget Anthony and Valery. I don’t know what’s going on, but this isn’t a coincidence. This has something to do with whatever is happening in town.”

  “Do you need me for anything?” Marcia asked. “The stable owners are out of town for the holidays, so I need to go deal with all this.”

  “What are you going to do?” Harriet asked her.

  “First, I’m going to get the security company out here to repair the cameras and maybe add a few more. Then, I’m calling the company we use to provide guards when we do horse shows here. Until they find out who did this, or at least till the owners get back, I’m going to have someone patrolling twenty-four/seven.”

  “That sounds like a good plan,” Morse said.

  “Do you have another stall for Becky?” Harriet asked. “I’m guessing the police don’t want her back there tonight.”

  Marcia looked down the aisle and tapped a finger on her lip.

  “I think I’ll put her down at the other end, in clear view of that camera. I can move the horse in the stall next to that one around the corner so Major can be next to her. He seems to have strong feelings for her safety. If you can go take Becky, Emily can get the stalls ready.”

  “I can do that,” Harriet said and headed for the arena.

  CHAPTER 22

  “We aren’t going to do anything important at school today,” Luke pleaded with Harriet. “It’s the last day. The teachers are showing movies and stuff like that.”

  He slid into his chair at the kitchen table. Harriet set a box of cereal in front of him and glanced at the wall clock.

  “If I drive you—and you don’t take too long eating—we’ve got just enough time to go by the barn and check on the horses on the way to school.”

  Luke had poured cereal and milk into his bowl before she’d stopped speaking and began shoveling it into his mouth.

  She laughed. “You’ve got time to chew. I’ll take the dogs out and warm up the car.”

  Outside, she tapped a two-word text into her phone and sent it to the Threads while the dogs attended to their business. Coffee? Nine? it read.

  Something happen? came Lauren’s reply.

  Yes, Harriet wrote back and took the dogs inside. Replies came in one after another as she and Luke got in the car and headed for the barn.

  “Do you want me to check your messages?” he asked her.

  “It’ll be the Threads. If you want, you can tell them we’ll meet at the Steaming Cup, if that’s what they’re asking.”

  Luke picked up her phone, and she smiled to herself when he tapped in her security code without asking her what it was; she’d told it to him once before.

  “Aunt Beth and Connie both asked where coffee will be and said they’d tell everyone else.” He wrote a group text to the two of them and told them coffee would be at the Steaming Cup and thanked them for telling the rest of the group.

  “Are you writing a novel over there?” Harriet asked him as he kept typing.

  His cheeks turned pink.

  “They think it’s you, so I’m being chatty like you would be.”

  She looked over at him. “You think I’m chatty?”

  He laughed.

  “You and your friends do talk a little.” He typed another reply. “Jenny has a master gardener meeting and will stop by after that. You told her that would be okay and if she didn’t make it, you’d call her and tell her what you talked about.”

  Harriet shook her head.

  “You are too funny.” She made a mental note that Luke was much more observant than she’d given him credit for.

  She stopped the car at the end of the drive that led to the Miller Hill Equestrian Center. True to her word, Marcia had brought in security guards. A uniformed man stepped over to the driver-side car window and asked her name. She gave him hers and Luke’s. The guard held a clipboard with a list of approved names. He found both of them and noted the time they were arriving.

  “Go ahead,” he said and stepped back.

  “Wow, that’s pretty serious security,” Luke said and looked back at the guard as they approached the barn.

  Harriet pulled into a parking spot and turned the car off.

  “It’s serious business trying to steal an expensive horse from a boarding stable.”

  Marcia came out of the barn as Luke and Harriet walked toward it. He spotted Emily in front of Major’s stall and hurried to join her.

  Marcia raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m guessing he wanted to make sure Major was okay?”

  Harriet smiled.

  “He wanted to skip school and sit by his stall all day. Our compromise was to come by this morning to reassure him the horses are okay and everything is secure.”

  “As you can see, Emily was here at the crack of dawn. She needs to go home and do her schoolwork, too.” Marcia blew out a breath. “I sat up most of the night watching the security cameras, but everything was quiet. With two guards on the property, whoever it was tried to take Becky would be foolish to come back. And the police were here for a few more hours after you left.”

  “Did they figure anything out?”

  “Not that they told me.” She looked down at her boots. “They took tire impressions, dusted half the barn for fingerprints, and ran dogs around the property several times. The dogs followed a trail to where they think the car was parked and then stopped. The video wasn’t clear enough to identify the person or the car that drove up last night.” She looked up at a new camera on the side of the barn. “I asked the security company to install upgraded cameras, and they did first thing this morning.”

  “That only helps if the person doesn’t spray-paint the lens,” Harriet said.

  “True, but maybe we’d have been able to identify the car. The driver was careful enough to not give the camera a look at either license plate.”

  “Sounds like someone who was familiar with the layout here and the camera placement.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. It would be hard to tell who, though. When we hold riding clinics, lots of people come who aren’t regulars and who could have scoped the place out.”

  “I haven’t heard from Jade’s lawyer yet, but it’s only been a few days. I don’t even know if Becky is my problem to worry about.”

  Marcie visibly tensed, and Harriet rested a hand on her arm.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll still take care of her needs until we hear one way or another. Hopefully, that won’t be too much longer.”

  “Good. With all of this, I can’t deal with much more. I emailed the other owners about the new security protocols, and they’ve all been calling to find out what’s going on and wondering if their horses are at risk. Fortunately, there aren’t a lot of other options in the immediate area, or I’m sure some of them would be moving out.”

  “It’s pretty clear Becky was the target, don’t you think?”

  “That’s what I’ve been telling them all. I hope it’s true.” She looked at Harriet. “I’m sorry. I don’t want anything to happen to Becky.”

  “I understand. Do you think I should consider moving her?”

  “Since we don’t know what’s going on, how could you be sure the thief wouldn’t follow her to her new home? And like I was saying, there aren’t any other stables with an arena in this area. You’d be farther away from her if something did happen.”

  “I guess we’ll have to hope the police figure this out.” Harriet glanced at the time on her phone. “I’d better get Luke to school.”

  She walked down to the center of the barn where Becky and Major were now lodged. Luke was in Major’s stall, and the big horse had his head pressed into Luke’s chest. Becky nickered and
hung her head over the stall door as Harriet approached and took a moment to scratch the horse’s ears.

  “Let’s go,” she called to Luke, and with a last pat for both horses, they left.

  #

  The Loose Threads were seated around their customary table in the Steaming Cup when Harriet arrived. Beth pushed a mug of hot cocoa in front of her, and Connie handed her a small scone.

  “So, are you saying someone tried to steal the horse that might or might not be yours last night?” Mavis asked her when she’d finished telling them about the break-in at the stable.

  “That pretty well sums it up.” She sipped her cocoa.

  Lauren arrived, shrugging out of her jacket and putting the strap of her messenger bag over the back of her chair before heading for the counter.

  “But not very many people know the horse is yours, so I think we can assume someone is continuing to attack Jade.” Beth pointed out.

  Carla was at the end of the table, quietly sipping her latte; she set her cup down.

  “Unless it’s Jade that has been doing the stuff to herself.”

  Robin pulled her legal pad and a pen from her purse.

  “Continue,” she said.

  Carla’s cheeks turned pink.

  “I was just thinking. Jade is having money problems, and with two murders in the downtown area, what if she burned her own shop? Everyone would assume it was whoever killed the other two guys, right?”

  Lauren, settled into her chair, took a bite of croissant and set it back down on her plate.

  “She’s got a point.”

  “I figured,” Carla continued, “she probably has fire insurance on her shop, and if her horse is so expensive, it’s probably insured, too.”

  “So, you think she tried to steal her own horse?” Harriet said.

  Robin scribbled notes on her pad.

  “Do we have any proof she actually left the country?” she asked without looking up.

  Harriet sipped her cocoa thoughtfully.

  “Other than the note she left me, no.”

  Mavis took her stitching from her bag and set it on the table.

  “Didn’t you say her lawyer was going to send you some papers about the horse?”

  “Yes, but I haven’t gotten anything yet. It’s only been a few days.”

  Beth stirred her tea.

  “Do you know who her attorney is?”

  “Not a clue,” Harriet answered. “And I think it’s her parents’ lawyer.”

  Robin made another note.

  “Let me see if I can find out anything. If the lawyer is local, I should be able to figure out who it is.”

  “Are her parents working through a church program?” DeAnn asked no one in particular.

  Carla wrapped her hands around her mug as if she needed to warm them.

  “I could call all the local churches and see if anyone knows.”

  Connie patted her hand.

  “That would be very helpful.”

  “What about the horse, in the meantime?” Robin asked.

  Harriet explained about the enhanced security at the equestrian center and also about how Major, the retired police horse, had defended Becky.

  Robin sat back in her chair.

  “Sounds like security is covered. At whatever point the horse becomes yours officially, you need to get her insured. It might not be a bad idea to go talk to your insurance people, so they’re prepared.”

  Connie wiped her mouth on her napkin.

  “If I haven’t told you yet, Valery’s funeral is at two o’clock at the Catholic Church. Is everyone still planning on going?”

  “I am,” Harriet said.

  Lauren glanced at her schedule on her phone.

  “I’m in.”

  Robin and DeAnn did the same, and both agreed they’d be there.

  Carla frowned. “I can’t go. Wendy has a holiday party at the church playgroup at two.”

  Connie patted her hand.

  “I’m sure that’s fine. You and Wendy don’t need to be going to a funeral for someone you don’t even know.”

  Carla looked relieved.

  Harriet stood and gathered her empty dishes.

  “I better get home and get some things done before two, then.”

  Lauren swallowed the last of her latte and joined her.

  “Me, too.”

  Harriet shivered as she entered St. Alexander’s Catholic Church beside her aunt. She had looked up Ukrainian Catholic Church on the internet to make sure basic black didn’t violate any traditions (it didn’t); and as a result, she was dressed in a modest black wool skirt with black tights and a coordinating silk blouse.

  Lauren and Connie stepped through the carved double doors. They were similarly attired in black skirts. Lauren leaned forward and whispered to Harriet, “We look like chamber musicians.”

  “This is the warmest black dress outfit I have,” Harriet whispered back.

  Beth put her hand on Harriet’s arm.

  “Behave yourself,” she said quietly and led them into the third row of pews from the back, sitting down next to Anthony De Marco. Harriet leaned forward to set her purse under her seat, and Lauren followed suit.

  “Check out the young guy in the front row,” Harriet said quietly.

  Lauren raised her head up slightly and peered at the front of the church.

  “Valery’s son?”

  “Looks just like Valery. He’s a lot thinner, though.”

  The officiants entered, and the service began, eliminating any possibility of further conversation.

  Harriet looked around as she listened to the Latin recitation of the Beatitudes. Two large men in black suits sat next to the slender man she assumed was Valery’s son. That seemed to be the extent of Valery’s family. There were several empty pews between them and a group of people Harriet assumed were the church’s regular funeral attendees. Two of the women were customers of her quilting business, and she knew they were part of a group who were called on to fill pews when the church didn’t think the dearly departed had enough family or friends to be seemly.

  An hour and a half later, the last prayers were chanted, a litany was said, and then a prayer of dismissal. They were all invited to repair to a small reception hall in a stand-alone building behind the church.

  “Are we done?” Lauren asked.

  Harriet buttoned her black wool coat. “Since there wasn’t any mention of a graveside service, I’m assuming he’s being cremated. I’d like to go by the reception.” She pulled an envelope from her purse. “Donations to the parish were suggested, and I thought I’d make one. I’d like to offer my condolences to the son, too.”

  Lauren sighed. “I should have known.”

  The two large men in dark suits flanked the younger man when Harriet, Lauren, Connie, and Beth entered the reception hall. Mavis and several more of the Loose Threads had come to the service but left immediately after due to family obligations.

  Beth made a beeline for the coffee and the tastefully done tray of finger foods James had delivered. Harriet headed for the son.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said and held her hand out to the young man.

  He took it. “Thank you. It was quite a shock.”

  The man to his left glared at him and stepped closer. Connie had joined the group, and craned her neck to make eye contact with the man.

  “Are you family?” she asked with a smile and angled herself between the son and his guard.

  “I’m Harriet Truman,” Harriet said to the young man. “I’m one of the quilters that made quilts for the downtown shops.

  “I’m Valery’s son Oleksander. People call me Ole.”

  Lauren came up beside Harriet, standing close enough to the second ‘guard’ that he had to take a step back to avoid a scene if she took exception.

  “I’m Lauren Sawyer, Harriet’s friend. Do you live locally?”

  “Not anymore,” he said and looked away. “It’s really awful. I came to town beca
use my friend Danny passed away. His memorial service is the day after Christmas. I thought I’d spend Christmas with my dad…” He trailed off.

  “You mean Daniel Muhler?” Harriet asked.

  “You knew him?”

  “Lauren and I both did. We weren’t close friends, but my husband owns a local restaurant and has…had Daniel do his printing.”

  Ole’s face turned red.

  “It was such a shock. Everyone loved Danny.”

  “He was working so hard to stay healthy,” Lauren said. “I’ll bet he never imagined his life would be taken from him. It’s sad.”

  Harriet’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything. She felt Connie brush against her back as her friend moved to keep herself between Harriet and Ole and the man in the dark suit she was blocking.

  “That was how Danny and I met, you know,” Ole said. “We were in an HIV support group. I still am, I guess, although it won’t be the same without him. He had to drive to Seattle to find support. Foggy Point is too small for some things.”

  Connie’s man put his hands on her upper arms and picked her up, turning and setting her down behind Harriet.

  “We need to go,” he said to Ole.

  “Thank you for coming to my father’s funeral. It really means a lot to me.”

  Harriet patted him on the back.

  “If there’s anything we can do for you while you’re in town, let me know.”

  “Thank you,” he said and let the men lead him away.

  Aunt Beth joined them when Ole was out of the room.

  “Annie’s, anyone?”

  “Why not?” Harriet said.

  Annie herself sat down with them after asking her barista to bring a pot of her special Christmas tea blend and five mugs.

  “I’m guessing you ladies are here to talk about the funeral we all just attended. Do you mind if I sit in?”

  “You’re always welcome to sit with us,” Beth said.