Angora Alibi
Page 30
And somehow, perhaps resulting from a talk between Ben and Jerry Thompson, the police had been able to keep it out of Esther’s hearing range and out of Mary Pisano’s column that the father might have been an unsuspecting Gloucester fellow.
Tyler Gibson might never know. Or he might, if Esther uncovered the truth—and decided that truth was the better part of valor. Perhaps there was an important lesson in it all for her cherished grandson.
But Justin Dorsey, standing outside the door, waiting to fix a computer, did know.
And so Tami’s troubles began.
“I don’t think any of it bothered her—not even the fact that two people had been needlessly murdered to protect her lie,” Nell had said.
“The woman didn’t take chances,” Birdie concluded, “even if it meant killing an innocent old man.”
“Would his testimony have been taken seriously?” Cass wondered.
Ben shrugged. “Who are we to say eyesight is more dependable than scent? Coming from someone like Horace, his words might have been the nail in Tamara’s coffin.”
• • •
But it was over, at last, and on a cool lovely Saturday a few weeks later, exactly at sundown, Laura and Elliot Danvers welcomed Abigail Kathleen Perry, her dog, Red, and her parents, Izzy and Sam, into their home.
The rolling grounds, in a hilly neighborhood overlooking the ocean, were filled with balloons and music—and there would be dancing later, Laura said as she took the tiny Abby into her arms and whirled her out onto the patio. When she handed her back to her father, Laura’s face was wet with tears.
“What is it about babies?” she asked, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand.
But they all knew what it was. It was about innocence and joy and a future.
It was about life.
Izzy hugged Laura close. “You’re amazing, you know. To do this after the sadness that has been brought to your family.”
Laura shook her head. This was exactly what she should be doing. “Uncle Franklin is going to be fine,” she said. “We’ve had some long talks, and even convinced him to stay with us for a couple of nights. Remember what I said about realizing money isn’t always the answer? I think he’s beginning to get it. Take a look.” She nodded toward the stretch of lawn beyond the patio.
Franklin Danvers sat on an old-fashioned swing hanging from two giant maple trees. And on either side of him was one of Laura’s young daughters. As Izzy watched, Gabby Marietti approached the swing, her mass of hair haloed by the setting sun. She said something that brought a smile to Franklin’s serious face, and then she squeezed in beside them, the girls squealing a welcome.
“Babies and children have healing powers,” Laura said simply.
Every room in the Danvers home was filled with vases of bright summer flowers—roses and cape daisies, pink and blue hydrangea blooms, tulips, and pansies from the garden. Children ran freely and a crib was set up in the sunroom, should it be needed.
And on the patio, long tables groaned beneath platters of lobster rolls, calamari, cheesy fries, and bright-colored salads.
Laura’s husband, Elliot, was everywhere, fixing drinks, greeting guests, and making sure the platters remained full.
Esther Gibson strolled over to Nell, her eyes misty. “I love babies, you know. And look what they grow up to be. Sweet grandbabies.”
They all laughed as she looked over at Tyler Gibson, twisting his legs into a crazy kind of dance with Willow, Pete, and Merry Jackson, his hair flopping to the music.
Ben and Sam ushered them over to a table beneath a tree, where Danny and Cass had filled plates for everyone with lobster rolls and cheesy fries.
Izzy settled down with Abby on her lap, her small, sweet body resting on the yellow cable blanket that Nell had knitted over the months as she’d entertained dreams of this baby, the baby girl who was now the center of their lives. Red sat at her side, dreaming dreams for this child of grace. Simply a miracle, she thought.
Close by, Birdie chatted with Henrietta O’Neal and the man she now introduced as her new gentleman friend. In a rare, uncharacteristic gesture, Martin Seltzer lifted Birdie’s hand to his lips and kissed it gently. Then he turned and looked over at the tree—to Cass, to Nell, to Izzy. To Franklin Danvers.
The nod of his head and a slight smile told them what was in his heart and on his mind. And they all nodded back, ridiculously happy that this once-cranky man had been given a new lease on life, for however long that might be. Beside him, watching, Henrietta chuckled, and then she told him it was time to eat. He was as skinny as a rat’s tail, she said.
Sam looked around. “My daughter—where is she?”
This time it was Lily who had whisked the baby away. She was standing alone on the edge of the patio, holding the baby in her arms, humming to her. A song perhaps her father or mother had once hummed to her. Their eyes seemed locked together. When Janie and Tommy joined her, they looped their arms around each other, bound together by an infant’s smile.
And then Sam was back, taking Abigail into his arms, not able to be away from his daughter for long.
“Attention,” Laura said. Behind her Elliot and his girls happily pounded on an old washtub with wooden spoons to hush the crowd.
“The sun is about to set,” Laura said, her practiced speaker’s voice reaching to the ends of the yard. “It’s time to raise our glasses and toast the new baby who has come into our lives. To Abigail Kathleen Perry—peace and love and happiness.”
Shouts of “Welcome” echoed throughout the yard as Sam stood proudly with his baby girl in his arms.
“But wait, wait, a surprise,” Laura said. She stepped aside and pointed toward the center of the patio, where Pete, Merry, and Andy had set up their equipment and were testing the microphones. They bowed slightly to the applause.
“This is a gift to Abigail Kathleen from the Fractured Fish,” Pete said into the microphone. Behind him, Merry trilled chords on her keyboard and Andy rolled the drums.
And then Gabby appeared out of nowhere, her black hair flying. She took the microphone from Pete’s hand and lifted her head, her eyes on the baby in Sam Perry’s arms. And in a full, rich voice that went clear up to an emerging moon, she belted out “Welcome to the World,” filling the air with the lilting song.
Sam pulled Izzy from her chair and wrapped his other arm around her, with tiny Abby cradled between them, her face turned up. Next to them, Red kept the beat, his tail thumping on the grass.
Then they began to dance—the new family, twirling around.
And Gabby sang on: “Welcome to the world / That will hold you tight.”
Her arms motioned for the others to join in—family and friends, old voices blending with new, welcoming Abby into their lives. “Come dance. Rejoice,” her motions said.
“Love is all around you / And here to stay.”
Abigail’s First Baby Blanket
Yarn: worsted weight. Approximately 1,200 yards
Needles: #10
Cable needle
Gauge: approximately 4 stitches = 1 inch
Seed stitch: K1, P1 across the row. On the next row, knit over the purl stitches and purl over the knit stitches.
Section 1:
Cast on 78 stitches. Work in seed stitch for 16 rows.
Row 1: Keep the first 12 stitches in seed stitch, K12, P1, K16, P1, K12, P1, K16, P1, K6.
Row 2: P6, K1, P16, K1, P12, K1, P16, K1, P12, keep the last 12 stitches in seed stitch.
Rows 3, 5, 7, 11, 13: same as row 1.
Rows 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14: same as row 2.
Row 9: seed stitch on first 12 stitches. K12, slip 8 stitches to a cable needle and hold in back. K8, K8 from the cable needle, P1, K12, P1, slip 8 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, K8, knit 8 from cable needle, P1, K6.
Repeat rows 1–14 12 times (or desired length). Work rows 1–4 and finish with 16 rows of seed stitch.
Section 2:
Cast on 60 stitches. Work 16 rows
of seed stitch.
Row 1: K6, P1, K16, P1, K12, P1, K16, P1, K6.
Row 2: P6, K1, P16, K1, P12, K1, P16, K1, P6.
Rows 3, 5, 7, 11, 13: same as row 1.
Rows 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14: same as row 2.
Row 9: K6, P1, slip 8 stitches to the cable needle and hold in back, K8, K8 from the cable needle, P1, K12, P1, slip 8 stitches to the cable needle and hold in back, K8, K8 from the cable needle, P1, K6.
Repeat rows 1–14 12 times or desired length. Work rows 1–4 and finish with 16 rows of seed stitch.
Section 3:
Same as section 1 but do the seed stitch on the opposite edge so you will have a seed stitch border all the way around when finished.
Note:
The sections can be knitted together on a circular needle rather than in separate sections. Cast on the number of stitches for three sections and set up the cables, then continue the instructions for the rest of the blanket. Enjoy!
Designed by Dawn Slugg of Ruhama’s Yarn and Needlepoint Shop, Milwaukee, WI 53217
www.ruhams.com
Ben and Nell’s Grilled Tuna Steaks
(a Friday-night favorite)
Serves four people. Nell and Ben usually triple the recipe and often make extra aioli sauce.
4 one-inch thick tuna steaks
½ cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
Marinade
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T Dijon mustard
2 T fresh basil
1 T chopped parsley
2 t fresh chopped thyme
3 chopped garlic cloves
Preparation
Mix marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
Put mayonnaise in a medium-size bowl; add 2 T marinade and mix well. Set aioli sauce aside.
Put salt and pepper on tuna steaks and add to the marinade; turn to coat completely. Marinate at room temperature for one hour, turning several times.
Prepare grill. Add steaks and cook about 3 minutes on each side. Top with aioli sauce and serve.