Kelly watched the anxiety move across Geraldine’s face. “Now I understand why you’re so worried.” She paused. “Have you told anyone else about this, Geraldine?”
“I’m going to tell Burt. Maybe he can talk to Reggie. I can tell Reggie is scared, but the police are bound to find out about that argument in the bar. He needs to talk to them first.”
“I agree. Check with Burt. He may be out doing errands for Mimi this morning, but he should return soon.” The familiar music on her cell phone sounded, signifying an incoming call. She glanced at the screen and recognized Don Warner’s name. “Gotta take this call, Geraldine. Burt should be here soon,” she said as she quickly rose from the table. Heading toward the front door and the privacy of outside, Kelly clicked on. “Hello there, Don. How’s it going with your troops?”
Don Warner’s laughter sounded. “I’m not certain any of them are disciplined enough to be called ‘troops’ but they’re efficient enough.”
Kelly pushed through the heavy front door and aimed for the empty chair in the front shaded seating area. “Ooooo, damning with faint praise. You are a harsh taskmaster, Don.”
This time Warner’s laughter was so loud, Kelly had to hold the phone away from her ear.
• • •
“Hey there. How’s Greg doing?” Kelly asked over the phone while she slid a tray of sliced beef from her fridge’s meat compartment.
“He’s feeling better, thank goodness,” Lisa answered. “The physical therapy is going better now that his bruised and battered muscles are starting to heal.”
“That’s good. Now things will go easier. He needs a break.” Kelly placed the mustard then the mayonnaise on the kitchen counter then reached for the plastic container of sliced roast beef.
“Boy, doesn’t he ever,” Lisa agreed. “He’s trying as hard as he can, I can tell. Beads of sweat pop out on his forehead during every one of those PT sessions.”
Kelly opened a loaf of dark rye and smeared a healthy amount of mayo on one slice of bread, then smeared mustard on the other slice. “Wow, he really is working. It wasn’t that hard when I had to rehab my ankle if you remember.”
“Yeah, poor Greg has to rehab a broken leg as well as a broken arm. I confess I’ve never had any patients with that many injuries for several years. Years ago I had a patient who’d been in a car wreck. That was bad.”
“I bet. Are those other therapists a little intimidated with your sitting right there, watching them?” Kelly’s knife cut out two bright red tomato slices then she placed them and the roast beef on the bread and closed up her sandwich. She took a big bite and savored while she listened to Lisa chuckle over the phone.
“No, they’re not. We’ve all known each other for years, and have been in therapy practice for the same length of time, just about.”
Kelly took her time swallowing. “I didn’t drop the connection. I just took a bite of my roast beef sandwich. Steve’s staying over in Denver for another meeting on that mountain property tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Tomatoes looked divine last time I was in the store.”
Kelly picked up on that admission. “Lisa, when’s the last time you ate something?”
“Ummmm, a couple of hours ago. I’m good.”
“Sure you are. Tell me what you ate. Don’t lie.”
Lisa’s soft laughter came over the phone. “You’re beginning to sound like Megan. Megan in Mom Mode, that is.”
“Don’t try to deflect my attention. It won’t work,” Kelly warned then took another bite of her delicious sandwich.
Lisa laughed louder. “Okay, okay. I had a bag of peanuts from the hospital vending machine. And before that, I had a bag of potato chips. Satisfied?”
After a slight delay for savoring, Kelly countered, “Not in the slightest. You head over here right now and have one of these great sandwiches. Visiting hours are probably over anyway.”
“I’m okay, really—”
“Don’t argue with me.”
Lisa gave a short laugh. “All right, all right. I’m too tired to argue with you.”
“Wise decision. Besides, you get to pat Carl when you come. Rubbing doggy heads makes everyone feel better in stressful times.”
“Scientific study, huh? What’s the big guy doing?”
“Right now, he’s sitting and staring at me eating this roast beef sandwich. Obviously hoping I’ll drop a morsel. Not a prayer, Carl.” She took another bite and watched Carl’s attention never deviate from the sandwich.
Carl, for his part, exercised remarkable restraint. Patiently watching the delicious-looking sandwich disappear. Oh, no! It was almost gone. Carl’s anxious expression intensified. Rottweiler eyebrows crowded together in consternation.
“Awwww, give the big guy a morsel, you old meanie,” Lisa scolded.
“You want a taste? Do you, Carl?” Kelly asked, then pulled off a piece of roast beef from the tray. Steve wasn’t here to watch her blatant spoiling of The Dog.
Carl jumped up from his sitting position, stubby tail wagging. He could tell his pitiful pose had worked. Food was forthcoming!
“Here you go. But first, sit.” She held the half slice in the air.
Carl’s bottom hit the floor quickly. Head up, long pink Rottie tongue licking his lips in anticipation.
“Making him work for it, huh?” Lisa teased.
“You bet. Good dog, Carl. Here you go.” And she dropped the luscious piece of roast beef into Carl’s waiting mouth. He closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the treat.
“Okay, I’ll come over for a few minutes for a sandwich and pat Carl. Then I’d better get back and try to study a little before I go to bed.”
“Sounds good. I’ll pour us a glass of wine.”
“Better not. I’ll never get any studying done then,” Lisa said with a laugh.
• • •
Kelly pulled her car into an open parking space in front of the Lambspun shop. Midmorning and she’d finished a conference call with Don Warner’s staff and checked on an investment property for Arthur Housemann. Not much was happening in either business. Probably the late summer August doldrums attacking. Kids getting ready to head back to school and school shopping were the prevalent activities on most people’s minds.
Parents and merchants. Schoolteachers and sports coaches. Everyone was gearing up for a whole new school year. Football games were scheduled. Other fall sports teams had also started practice in mid-August. Cassie’s softball team and Eric’s soccer team had games scheduled twice this coming week. Friday night football games were on everyone’s calendar. Let the season begin!
Kelly stepped out of her car and flipped the lock. Spying Burt walk out of the garden café area, she called out, “Hey, Burt, how’s it going?”
Burt beckoned her over as he headed for his parked car. “Hi, Kelly. I’m glad I caught you. Geraldine told me all about her cousin’s son Reggie yesterday. She said she’d spoken to you earlier. I thought you’d be interested to hear that Dan and his partner went to talk to Geraldine yesterday evening after she’d gone home.”
“Oh, good, good. I could tell she wanted to get all that off her chest, even though it involved Reggie. She told him he should speak to the police first. But I guess he didn’t.”
“Well, that’s hard for most people to do, Kelly. Especially hard for a young guy who had to admit he’d gotten into an argument with Neil Smith at a bar. He knew he’d get on the detectives’ ‘watch’ list after that.”
Kelly watched Burt’s expression. “What do you think so far, Burt? It certainly sounds damning. Geraldine admitted she’s worried that Reggie actually went after Smith with his car.”
“I don’t know, Kelly. We’ll have to wait and see what Dan thinks. He’ll be questioning Reggie. I could tell that Geraldine was really worried about him. She said he’s only in his mid-twenties, so he�
��s young. Sometimes young guys do impulsive things. Reggie certainly had a good reason to be angry at Neil Smith, considering Smith assaulted Reggie’s sister.”
Kelly remembered something else she wanted to ask Burt. “Have the police had a chance to talk to the few businesspeople along that street? I think there are also a couple of small older houses along that stretch of street, too.”
“Matter of fact, Dan did say he sent a couple of his officers out to canvass that entire street again. Starting with the corner where Greg was hit and farther back along that stretch to where Neil Smith’s body was found. They also did another peripheral check around the location. So far, Dan said only a handful of people admitted being in the vicinity that night. And none of them saw or heard anything. Just like the others that were interviewed earlier.”
“I’m not surprised. Not many people actually live along there anymore. In fact, if I remember Fort Connor history correctly, the last time a lot of people actually lived there was probably at the turn of the century. The twentieth century, that is. We did turn another century a few years ago.”
Burt chuckled. “You’re right. After all, it used to be a quasi-industrial area with the flour mill and some other small businesses bordering it. Most of the people the police interviewed said they were walking to their cars that were parked closer to the flour mill or other businesses. Some worked on that new construction. I do recall some old-timers who lived in a few of those tiny houses along Cherry Street, near the corner. But those buildings were torn down last year with the start of the new construction on Taylor Street and Abercrombie.”
“Progress. Well, that new building is turning out really well so far. Especially with the rooftop café right next to the original streets of Old Town. Boy, if that café had been open and full of people, you’d have a whole bunch of witnesses. And all those side streets would be lined with parked cars, which means people would be out in the streets walking to their cars.”
“You’re right. But right now, it’s still a construction area and not many people are walking the streets at night.”
“When do you think Dan and the department will question Reggie?”
“Pretty soon, I would think. After all, Reggie is the second lead they’ve gotten on the case. Felix Marsted being the first. I know Dan, and he will definitely follow up soon.”
Fifteen
Kelly was headed down the corridor leading from Pete’s Café into the Lambspun shop when a small tornado whirled around the corner. Cassie. Kelly quickly leaped to the side to avoid a collision. “Whoa! I didn’t know a cyclone was in the shop.”
“Ooooops! Sorry, Kelly. Didn’t mean to run you over,” Cassie said with a short laugh. “One of my friends from the team. You know, Carla. She’s having a bunch of us from the team over to her house for a sleepover. But first her mom is going to take us all to the mall to a movie! Then we’re going to check out that new sports store.”
Kelly heard the excitement in Cassie’s voice. “Wow, Carla’s mom is one brave woman. It’s hard enough to handle all you guys on the field. No way would I try to take all of you to the mall. It would be like herding cats.”
Cassie laughed out loud. “Oh, that is funny! I gotta tell them you said that. Coach Flynn thinks we’re a herd of cats.”
Kelly continued walking down the corridor into Lambspun shop. “No way are cats a herd. They’re too independent. One is hanging on to a tree limb, another is hiding beneath a bush waiting to jump out at you, and another one would be sleeping in the sun on the porch. That’s you guys.” She stepped into the central yarn room, Cassie beside her.
“Love it. I’ll tell them. Are you going to see Greg at the rehab center tonight?”
“Yeah, we all thought we’d meet for an early taco and burrito dinner at that new Mexican café off Jefferson near Old Town. Then we can all go to see Greg. We’ll have to go into his room in shifts, but that’s okay. Have you been to see him again?”
Cassie nodded. “Lisa took me over this morning. Just the two of us. Greg’s still got purple splotches all over, but they’re starting to fade a little, I think. I wasn’t up close to him before, but Eric and I got a good look from the doorway when he was first in the hospital.”
“Bruising takes a long time to go away entirely,” Kelly said. “You can tell how deep those bruises were from the color. Deep purple is a pretty bad bruise.”
“You know, you were right. Greg wanted to hear how my games were going. He halfway smiled, I think.” Cassie started to head back toward the corridor. “Gotta run. Carla and her mom are going to meet me outside in the patio garden near the parking lot.”
“School starts in a couple of days. You’re excited, I can tell,” Kelly said. “You’ll all be high school freshmen.”
“Oh, yeah.” Cassie bounced a little from side to side. “High school at last! Yay!”
Kelly laughed softly, watching Cassie’s excitement. “Lots of new people to meet, and new friends to make. It’ll be exciting for sure.”
“You bet. See you later, Kelly,” Cassie said then headed down the corridor once again.
Kelly strolled through the yarn room on the way to the knitting table. Stroking an especially luscious shade of deep turquoise blue yarn, she noticed a bright shamrock green skein of the same wool. To the left of that was a bin brimming over with skeins of burnt orange. Admiring how the Lambspun elves had started incorporating fall colors into the remaining bins and shelves of summer bright yarns, Kelly meandered through the room, sipping coffee and stroking yarns.
“Oh, good. I was hoping I’d find you here, Kelly,” Burt’s voice sounded behind her.
“Sneaking up from behind, eh, Burt? You didn’t make a sound. Are you wearing sneakers or something?” Kelly teased as she continued toward the knitting table. Dumping her briefcase, she pulled out a chair.
“I guess I’m getting sneakier in my older years,” Burt said with a big smile.
“Now, now. None of that talk about getting older,” Kelly scolded, wagging a finger at her mentor. “You and Mimi are ageless.”
Burt gave a little snort. “Ha! Nobody’s ageless, Kelly. Age cometh to all men in time.”
“Are you quoting the classics or the Gospel according to Burt?” Kelly teased, leaning back in her chair.
Burt laughed out loud. “Gospel, huh? I’ll have to tell Mimi. That’s a good one.”
Kelly simply saluted Burt with her coffee mug then took a big drink. “How’s Dan doing on that investigation?”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you. I heard from Dan this morning, and he said he was able to question Geraldine’s cousin’s son yesterday evening regarding Neil Smith. And it sounds like Reggie didn’t do well at all. Dan said he was really nervous and jumpy and squirmed around in his chair.”
“That doesn’t look good.”
“You’re right, Sherlock. And as of right now, he still has no alibi. Reggie claims he was at a party that night, but he couldn’t remember anybody’s name who was there. Naturally, he’s going to attract Dan’s and the other detectives’ attention.”
“That’s for sure. Does Reggie even remember where the party was that night?”
“He sure does, and that doesn’t help him at all. It turns out the party was at Linden’s Bar and Grill right there in Old Town. Only a couple of blocks from the Halftime Bar, where Neil Smith liked to hang out.”
“Oh, brother,” Kelly said with a crooked smile. “It looks like Reggie will move front and center on Detective Dan’s radar screen.”
“For right now,” Burt said, cocking his head to the side. “But that might change. If Reggie happens to remember someone who was at the party with him and gets that person to give a statement to police, then bam! Reggie’s got an alibi. And we are back to square one. Unknown hit-and-run driver.”
Kelly frowned. “And there’s been no sign of a car with that kind of front
end damage. It would certainly be noticeable because the driver ran down Neil Smith then hit Greg on the bicycle. That’s a lot of damage.”
“I agree with Dan, Kelly. The driver has that car locked away in a garage somewhere. It may never see the light of day again.”
“You mean the driver would just let it sit there and rot?”
“If it means the difference between going to prison and being a free man, you bet. That’s an easy choice for some folks.”
Kelly nodded. “Yeah, I think you’re right, Burt. Fort Connor may never see that car again.”
• • •
“Whoa, you are looking better,” Steve observed as he and Kelly walked into Greg’s room at the rehab center. “That sure is an improvement.”
“The bruises are slowly getting less purple,” Lisa said as she sat beside Greg’s bed where he lay at an incline. Left arm wrapped from armpit to wrist in a combination cast. His left leg hung suspended from a metal stand on the other side of the bed. A thick cast encased Greg’s leg from the top of his thigh down to his foot.
“Looking good, Greg,” Kelly said. “Definitely looking good.”
“Getting pretty?” Greg joked in a voice that sounded a little less hoarse.
Greg was starting to make jokes again. That was a very good sign. “We won’t go that far,” Kelly said with a laugh. “Ruggedly handsome is more like it.”
“You were pretty scary looking for a while,” Steve said.
“He’s definitely looking better. I’ve been watching those bruises fade a little every day,” Lisa added.
Greg pointed to Lisa with the thumb of his good hand. “My therapist. She doesn’t let me get away with anything.”
Kelly laughed. “Well, if you’re causing trouble now while you’re lying in bed with one leg hanging in the air, I don’t even want to know what will happen when you get that scooter chair you’re thinking about.”
Steve and Lisa both laughed with Kelly. She could tell Greg was trying to laugh, but all he managed was a low chuckle.
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