Make Quilts Not War

by Arlene Sachitano

  “That explains why Patty might want to throw acid on your brother,” Morse said.

  “I don’t know what else to tell you,” Jenny said. “I found out about it when Bobby wrote to me from jail.”

  “Maybe Patty was doing the ‘eye for an eye’ brand of justice. She lost her father, maybe she wanted Bobby’s sister to suffer.” Mavis suggested.

  “How did she even know about Bobby’s sister?” Aunt Beth asked.

  “Hello—the Internet,” Lauren said. “That’s why she waited so long, too. She had to wait until the information became accessible.”

  “That’s a theory,” Detective Morse said. “But it doesn’t feel right. Why now? Forty-four years later.”

  “Mental illness can come on at any age, can’t it?” Harriet asked.

  “Yes, it can, but how would she know how to find Jenny, or the relationship to her brother. I know she could find basic information, but most mentally-ill people aren’t that organized.

  “And I agree basic information about people can be found on the Internet, but that doesn’t tell you their daily schedule or what kind of car they drive. I’ll be surprised if Patty doesn’t turn out to be the tire-slasher, so she had to know which car was Jenny’s.”

  “She could have asked around town,” Harriet suggested. “Or found out her address and then followed her.”

  “Most people don’t have the skill to follow someone without being detected for long enough to learn what you’d need to know,” Morse said.

  Lauren and Harriet looked at each other but didn’t say anything.

  “What about Bobby?” Harriet asked Jenny.

  “We haven’t spoken to each other in years. He showed up in town asking for money, I refused, and he left. I don’t know if he’s still in town.”

  Harriet shared a look with Lauren again.

  “If he’s here, we’ll find him,” Morse said. She stood up. “You probably need to rest. I really did stop by to see how you’re doing. And thanks for the tea,” she added.

  Mavis got up and helped the detective into her coat.

  “Let us know if you find out why this happened to Harriet, will you?” she asked.

  “I’ll do my best to find out, and I’ll share what I can.”

  “That’s all we ask,” Beth said and joined Mavis at the door. They watched until Detective Morse was out the door and into her car.

  “Jenny, I talked to your brother today, and he says he wasn’t asking you for money. He says he was trying to warn you about something,” Harriet said. “Given what happened, I’m wondering if he was going to warn you about Patty the acid thrower or something else entirely. You were there—you have to have noticed that he was the first one to tackle the woman. He was the one who got the acid bottle from her and threw it out of reach. Then he took off.”

  “And I’m wondering why you’re not being truthful about it,” Aunt Beth said firmly. “Maybe if you’d told us about your brother and maybe even talked to him, Harriet wouldn’t be scarred for life.”

  Harriet thought Aunt Beth laid it on a little thick but was glad she was pressing Jenny to come clean.

  “I just don’t want anything to do with him,” Jenny said, the color draining from her face. “He’s been nothing but trouble all our lives.” She turned to Harriet. “I’m really sorry about all this.”

  “He told me he’s getting his life together. He said he’s off drugs. He said he’s been lying low, trying to leave you alone, but he had to make contact now for your own good.” Harriet said. “Don’t you think you need to hear him out?”

  “How am I supposed to find him?” Jenny asked with a sigh.

  “He might be at the Fogg Park campground,” Lauren offered. “Or maybe he’s still hanging around the festival grounds.”

  “Fine. If you can find him, I’ll talk to him. I don’t want to open that chapter of my life after all these years, but if it will help make sure that woman isn’t set loose to hurt anyone else, I’ll try.”

  Harriet sat up straighter in her chair.

  “Don’t even think you’re going along with whoever is going to look for Jenny’s brother,” Aunt Beth informed her. “And just for the record, I think now is a time for us to call Jane. She should be the one talking to him. Or at least be there when it takes place.”

  Jenny’s shoulders drooped.

  “I may not welcome my brother and all his drama back into my life, but if he’s truly gotten his life straightened out, like Harriet says, then I don’t want to mess that up for him by having the police pick him up, even if it is just for questioning. Once they check his record, they’ll assume he’s guilty of something.”

  “Do we have to go looking for him tonight?” Mavis wondered “Patty’s in custody, and it’s not likely she was working with anyone else. Let’s all get a good night’s sleep, and then Jenny can find her brother and see what he was trying to warn her about.”

  “That sounds like a good idea to me,” Beth said.

  “Will everyone be safe?” Connie asked. She looked at Jenny. “Why don’t you stay in my guest room? I think we’d all feel better if you weren’t alone.”

  “I have to admit I’m a little nervous about staying alone at my place,” Jenny confessed. “My husband isn’t going to be home for another week.”

  “I’ll call Rod and tell him to be ready to go to your house with us,” Connie said and pulled her cell phone from her purse.

  “I can cover your booth for part of the day tomorrow,” DeAnn offered Harriet. “Kissa goes to baby playtime at the church in the morning—her therapist told us we should help her spend time with other babies. Since we don’t know what her life was like before we adopted her, she thought socialization with a group of other babies was in order as a precaution.”

  “Precaution against what?” Connie demanded.

  “Nothing specific. She mentioned listening to the other babies talking and learning to share and interact in a group.”

  “She’s a baby,” Connie said. “Young children don’t develop an awareness of other children until three years at least.”

  “I figured it wouldn’t hurt her to go,” DeAnn said. “She seems to like playing around the other kids. So, I’m available in the morning if you want.”

  “I can find a sub for the raffle booth in the afternoon,” Mavis said.

  “I have to check with my client and see if they’ve finished their system test yet. If they haven’t, I could do time in the booth,” Lauren said.

  “Harriet,” Carla said, “if you don’t mind Wendy coming along, I could help you tomorrow.”

  “I would love to see Wendy, and I’d appreciate having a little help. I’m not supposed to move my arm, and I could use a ride to the doctor, if you don’t mind, since I have to have the burn checked and redressed. I’m not supposed to drive when I take the medication they gave me.”

  “Carla can take Scooter out for you, too,” Aunt Beth said. “And I’m going to go get Brownie, and we’re going to both spend the night with you.”

  “That’s not necessary—” Harriet tried to protest.

  “Don’t argue with me. We’re not letting you spend the night alone.”

  Harriet knew by the tone of her voice there would be no changing her mind.

  “Jenny, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go with you when you talk to your brother,” Robin said. “He told Harriet he’s off drugs, but we’re just taking his word for it. Even if he is, with everything that’s happened, I don’t think you should go anywhere alone until we figure out what’s going on.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Aunt Beth agreed. She stood up and wrestled her plump frame into her coat.

  “You’ll get no argument from me,” Jenny said. “I may not want anything to do with my brother, but I’m not a complete fool. Since we don’t know what’s going on, I think we all should be careful.”

  The group nodded their agreement and, one by one, finished their tea and carried their mugs to the kitchen before
putting on their coats and gathering their purses.

  “I’ll wait with Harriet until you get back,” Lauren said to Aunt Beth.

  “Thank you, honey, I’d appreciate it. I won’t be long.”

  “Take your time, Carter is spending some quality time with my neighbor, the little rat. She’s been knitting him sweaters, so he feels obligated to go watch movies with her on Saturday nights.”

  “Of course he does,” Mavis said. Harriet couldn’t tell if she was joking or not, so she didn’t say anything.

  The group finished their goodbyes and left.

  “Did you learn anything from Jenny’s quilt?” Harriet asked Lauren when the rest of the group had dispersed. “It felt weird when I turned it to show the back to that nurse, like there was something stiff in the batting.”

  “There is. The acid turned whatever it is black where it penetrated the backing. It felt like paper of some sort. It wasn’t solid like a big piece of cardboard or anything like that. The way the quilt folded and bent, it had to have been smallish pieces of paper or posterboard.”

  “What do you think it was?”

  “I only got a quick look and feel. It’s not like I got to open a seam or put it under a microscope or anything.”

  “Throw me a bone here; make a guess as to what it could be.”

  “Given how old it is, it could be computer punch cards, index cards, or depending how it was packaged, it could even be money.”

  “Why on earth would Jenny have money or cards of some sort inside her quilt?” Harriet asked, more to herself than to her friend.

  “That would be the question, now, wouldn’t it?”

  “Unfortunately, I think it means Jenny still isn’t telling us everything she knows about what’s happening,” Harriet said.

  “We could get out the spotlight and rubber hose and force her to tell us,” Lauren said with a grin.

  “Short of torture, I’m afraid we have to wait until she’s ready to tell us what she knows. And judging by her recent behavior, I’m not holding my breath on that.”

  “I’ve got to dig out my Star Trek costume when I get home,” Lauren said, changing the subject. “In some circles, the most important event of the nineteen-sixties was the three-year flight of the starship Enterprise.”

  “Gosh, was it really only three years?”

  “It was,” Lauren replied. “Seems like it should have been longer, given the following it still has, but the original TV series was just three seasons. Of course, there were the movies and the spin-off series, but for the purists it was only three glorious years.”

  Harriet didn’t know what to say to that, so she remained silent.

  “Does your arm hurt?” Lauren asked.

  “The medication is taking the edge off, but I can still feel the fire.”

  “Do you want an ice pack or anything?”

  “No, I just want to go to bed. Besides, if I have any hope of going to the concert tomorrow night, I have to convince my aunt it’s not as bad as she thinks, which means no ice pack or other display of discomfort.”

  “Aren’t you just the tough one?”

  “Would you want to miss a chance to go backstage at a Colm Byrne concert?”

  “He’s not my style, but if you like that sort of thing, I guess not.”

  “One of your merry band of protesters told me the band is going to play covers of a sampling of popular songs from the decade.”

  “That might be interesting.” Lauren allowed. “Or it could be hideous,” she added. “If they’re like most tribute bands.”

  “Have you looked up what songs made the top ten for the decade?” Harriet asked, knowing Lauren’s love of data.

  “As a matter of fact, I did look up the top one hundred songs. Somehow, I can’t see Colm Byrne doing Aretha Franklin or Marvin Gaye. Likewise, Simon and Garfunkel had a range between the two of them that most people can’t imitate. ‘Louie, Louie’ has been played by every high school band every year since the Kingsmen recorded it, so they can probably do that one.”

  She continued her analysis of the songs and her opinion as to the likelihood of Colm Byrne being able to cover them adequately until Aunt Beth returned.

  “If you don’t need anything else, I’m out of here,” Lauren announced when she came back in from taking Scooter for his last walk of the night.

  “Thanks for all your help,” Harriet said and yawned.

  “Try not to get in any more trouble until tomorrow,” Lauren admonished as she gathered her bag and left.

  “Let’s get you to bed,” Aunt Beth said when she’d taken her coat off and stowed her overnight bag in her bedroom. She followed Harriet upstairs carrying Brownie under her arm, Fred and Scooter following behind them.

  Chapter 20

  Carla brought a bag of doughnuts with her when she and Wendy arrived the following morning. She set the toddler on the kitchen floor with a brightly colored toy piano keyboard then went to the stove to make tea.

  She put three cups on the table then put four doughnuts on a plate, emptying the bag, and set the plate in front of Harriet, who was sitting in her customary spot.

  “How thoughtful,” Aunt Beth said as she came into the kitchen. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to take mine to go.” She took her cup to the sink and poured the hot tea into a travel mug, picked a plain doughnut up in a napkin, and left, shouting a quick goodbye when she reached the door.

  Carla broke another plain doughnut into thirds and handed a piece to Wendy. When Wendy was settled, she went to the diaper bag and pulled a second white sack from under the toddler’s diapers. She silently unloaded two apple fritters, three jelly doughnuts and a cinnamon twist, putting each on the plate, and returned the remaining plain doughnuts to the bag.

  “Well, well, aren’t you—” Harriet started.

  “Sneaky was what you were going to say,” Carla said with a small smile, her cheeks pinking as she spoke. “With everything going on at Aiden’s, I needed this.”

  “Whatever the reason, I appreciate the extra sugar and fat today.”

  “How’s your arm?” Carla asked.

  “I’ll live, but it’s not fun. It feels hot this morning. Enough about me, though. Anything new with Michelle?”

  “Aiden hasn’t kicked her out or anything, but I can tell he’s getting tired of all her drama. She’s called him home from work twice for an imaginary crisis, and that’s in addition to the food poisoning last night.”

  “I hope he figures it out, for all of our sakes.”

  “Do you miss him?”

  “Ah…” Harriet started.

  A knock sounded on the studio door, saving her from having to answer, and Carla went to answer it, returning after a moment with Tom Bainbridge. Scooter wagged his tail but didn’t get out of his fleece-lined dog bed.

  “You were the talk of the festival last night,” he said. “I thought I’d come by and see what happened and how you’re doing.” He pulled a small gold foil-wrapped box from his pocket. “Here, this should make it feel better,” he added and handed her the box.

  Harriet took the box and, recognizing it, held it to her nose.

  “Mmmmm, chocolate.” She smiled as she took a deep breath.

  “Let me help you,” Tom said and slid the gold ribbon from the box, then lifted the top, revealing a half-dozen plump truffles. His hand brushed hers as he completed the motion, sending a jolt of electricity through her that had nothing to do with pain or her burn.

  “Do you feel well enough to come to the concert tonight?” he asked, the concern plain in his voice.

  “I do, unless the doctor forbids it.”

  “Is it okay if I lay Wendy on a bed upstairs to change her?” Carla asked, scooping up the toddler and taking a clean diaper and a travel pack of baby wipes as she spoke.

  “Sure,” Harriet said, not fooled by her friend’s move to give her and Tom a little privacy.

  “How are you really?” he asked when Carla was out of earshot. He pulled a ch
air beside Harriet’s and sat down.

  “I won’t really know until I see my doctor this morning. My arm is sore, but I think at least part of it is from the scrubbing they gave it as opposed to the burn itself. They said something about abrading away the damaged tissue to help the skin graft they expect I’ll need.”

  “Sounds awful,” Tom said in the whispery voice he used only when they were alone. He leaned in and put his arm carefully around her shoulders, pulling her gently to him. She laid her head on his shoulder, her heart thudding in her chest.

  “The sad part is, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I mean, I’m glad it was me instead of Jenny if someone had to be hurt, but I would rather have had neither one of us be a target.”

  “You’re lucky it was only your arm. From what I heard from the other vendors, the lady had a pretty big jug of acid with her.”

  “It was just a large water bottle, but I was fortunate—someone asked to see the back of the quilt just as acid lady was beginning her attack. I had pulled the corner up to show the back just as she threw the liquid. The quilt was wrapped around me, protecting most of my body.”

  “Why on earth would someone want to harm Jenny, of all people?”

  Harriet was quiet.

  “What do you know?” Tom asked.

  “Nothing for sure. We just think Jenny isn’t being forthcoming about her past. Lauren looked the attacker up on the Internet, and it seems that Jenny’s brother was involved in an incident that ended with the woman’s father being killed. Jenny’s brother didn’t kill him, but he was jailed for two years for his involvement.”

  “So, why come after Jenny? Why not her brother?”

  “That’s why we think there’s more to the story than Jenny is telling.”

  “Clearly,” Tom said and snuggled Harriet more tightly to him. He took his forefinger and tilted her chin up then laid a gentle kiss on her lips. She didn’t protest, so he deepened the kiss, only ending when they heard the artificially loud sound of Carla’s voice as she reached the top of the stairs.