A Crafter Quilts a Crime

by Holly Quinn

  “Wait a minute!” Ellie slapped a hand to her forehead. “We’re idiots! The exact address of where we are right now is written on the trail map. All we need to do is Google the address, and it should show a homeowner’s name. No?”

  “Nah, Google won’t share a name, I don’t think,” Sammy said, shaking her head.

  “No, Google won’t—but county tax records will. I bet Randy has access to that.” Heidi flung a finger in Ellie’s direction. “Let’s get outta here before we get in trouble for breaking and entering yet again.” Heidi and Ellie turned in the direction of the front door.

  “Don’t you think the police would believe me about Marty kidnapping me and leaving me here to die out in the cold?” Sammy said as she watched her sister and cousin move away from her. “Don’t you think they’d understand why I entered this house in the first place?”

  “No,” Heidi and Ellie said simultaneously, then looked at each other and laughed.

  “With the three of us here inside this house, that is highly unlikely,” Heidi added over her shoulder as she looped her arm through Ellie’s to guide her forward. “We seem to be on the not-so-hot list with the Heartsford Police Department at the moment.”

  Sammy couldn’t argue with that one. “Yeah, I suppose. I’ll have to call Nash on the way home and fill him in. I have to be honest, I’m not looking forward to that conversation.”

  Especially since she was hungry, tired, cold, and desperately in need of a cup of coffee and a hot shower. She didn’t think Detective Nash would let this latest fiasco go easily. She’d much rather curl up under the warm covers of her bed.

  Sammy was closing the drawer and looking up at a collage of photographs covering the ghastly old-fashioned wallpaper when a snapshot tucked in the corner of the frame caught her eye. The photo depicted a young man standing by a large pig holding a 4-H ribbon, a buddy’s arm wrapped around his shoulder. The two were grinning from ear to ear. The young man was tall, but his features looked oddly familiar. Where had she seen this kid before?

  Recognition hit like a bolt of lightning.

  Jackson?

  Heidi and Ellie were already walking toward the front of the house and were just about to reach the door when Sammy stopped them with a squeal. “You guys! You’d better come back here!”

  “What is it?” Heidi unlooped her arm from Ellie, turned, and slowly retreated into the room.

  Sammy shook a finger in the direction of the collage. “The photo. On the wall. I think that’s Jackson,” she uttered in almost a whisper, covering her mouth as if trying to contain the shock. “The other kid looks familiar too.”

  “Jackson? Why would there be a photo of Jackson on the wall in this house?” Ellie scrunched her nose and scratched the side of her head as she followed Heidi back into the room.

  Sammy’s eyes darted around the open space as she tried to put the pieces together in her mind. She pointed an index finger toward the dark wooden frame. “Jackson and a buddy from 4-H. Heidi, do you recognize them? This must be his friend’s house or a relative or something. You guys, something weird is going on here.” Sammy chewed the inside of her cheek nervously.

  Heidi looked at the photo and then made eye contact with Sammy. “Yeah, it’s Jackson. And swine boy.” She returned her gaze to the collage and squinted her eyes to confirm. “That’s definitely Adam.” She cleared her throat. “It is an odd coincidence to find a photo of them on the wall, but Jackson did mention Adam is one of Marty’s card buddies, did he not?” Heidi placed her hands on her slender hips and sighed heavily. “This isn’t looking good, is it?”

  “Uh-uh.” Sammy said.

  “Actually, I’m not really surprised. Jackson said Marty and Adam were card buddies, and Jackson is Marty’s brother-in-law. These guys are all intertwined somehow.”

  “Well then, why is one of them inside this house cutting up magazines and crafting weird cryptic ransom notes?” Sammy’s lip curled in confusion. “And I just thought of something else. How could I be so stupid? When Adam came into my shop, he said pharmacy drugs are like lethal poison! Don’t you find it weird he was talking about poison, even if it was only in jest? Why would he say something like that?”

  “We’d better get out of here.” Ellie caught on to her sister’s apprehension and encouraged her with a tug of her coat sleeve. “Come on, you guys, we need to leave this intel to the police.”

  “Ellie’s right.” In spite of herself, Sammy found herself acquiescing, because something weird was going on. But one thing was for sure: either Marty, Adam, or Jackson had had something to do with Wanda’s death. There was just no other explanation. The question was: which one of the three? And why?

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The return journey to Heartsford was quiet. Both Sammy and Ellie dozed in and out of consciousness, despite the bumpy ride in Heidi’s Jeep. The cat nap was just what Sammy needed, as she knew Detective Nash would be meeting with her at home in less than an hour and she needed to prepare herself both physically and mentally. As soon as they’d locked up the farmhouse and the barn, she’d borrowed Ellie’s phone to call him and received an expected earful from the officer.

  Due to the winter parking restrictions during severe weather, her car had been towed away from the front of the Wadsworths’ Queen Anne Victorian. The plows hadn’t been able to get a proper sweep through the narrow road, apparently. Nash patiently informed her that she’d broken the law yet again and would have to pay a fine to retrieve her car. He also mentioned he’d been trying to get ahold of her via cell phone and he’d done his best to warn her ahead of said fine. And his biggest question: why was her car located there in the first place?

  Now they needed to meet to discuss things. Especially with the latest development, she had decided not to share everything over the phone. If she did, he might go totally ballistic and put a warrant out for her arrest. Even though in her eyes her kidnapping wasn’t the least bit her fault, she doubted the detective would see things from her point of view. She thought seeing him in person might be a way to diffuse the situation.

  When the Jeep arrived in front of Sammy’s house, Heidi looked through the rearview mirror and said, “I’ll run over to Lynn’s and pick up Bara for you and drop him off here, since you don’t have a car. Then when I bring him home, I can take you to the tow lot to pick up your car. I might take a nap first, though.” She chuckled. “Hopefully by then, your meeting with Nash will be over. Sound good?”

  “Sounds terrific.” Sammy clasped her hand to her heart. “Thanks, Heidi. I miss my pup so much!”

  “Oh, and you’ll be happy to know there’s a surprise waiting for you inside the refrigerator,” Ellie said, shifting in her seat to regard her. After interrupting herself with a muffled yawn, she added, “Meatball soup that was en route to church for our potluck event, but when Heidi and I began looking for you and came over here, I quickly abandoned that idea and stuffed it inside your refrigerator. I called the church office and told them I couldn’t drop off a meal, as I had a family emergency. You’re welcome.” She smirked and then shifted back to gaze out the windshield.

  Sammy jutted a thumb in the direction of her rented Cape Cod. “Are you sure you don’t want it back? I can go get the soup for you.” Although she secretly hoped her sister wouldn’t want it back. Warm soup in front of the fireplace sounded very appealing.

  “Nah.” Ellie swatted away Sammy’s offer with a hand. “You know I always make a double batch of everything and freeze whatever’s left over. I would’ve brought the other half to the church, but it was already frozen. No worries. Enjoy it. Hopefully it’ll warm you up after this crazy excursion.” She leaned her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes again.

  “Okay then, I won’t argue about it. I don’t think I have much in the way of groceries in the fridge anyway.” Sammy unclicked her seat belt and opened the back door.

  “Trust me. You don’t.” Ellie laughed, but her eyes remained closed.

  “Thanks
, Ellie. I think soup is just what the doctor ordered. Now that I’m home, my appetite is definitely returning too.” Sammy stepped from the Jeep. “Thanks for the rescue, girls. You both get some rest, okay? I’ll see you later.” She shut the back door, smiled, and waved as the Jeep retreated from her driveway. Her sister and cousin returned the wave.

  Since Sammy’s keys were lost in a snowbank in front of the Wadsworths’ Victorian, she was thankful she’d left a spare house key beneath the fake rock on the porch. She didn’t even have to kick the snow off to reveal it, as Ellie and Heidi had evidently used the spare key recently to enter her house. Somewhere in the house she’d stashed a spare for her car too; hopefully she’d be able to locate it before Heidi returned.

  Sammy opened the front door and felt the comfort of home surround her like a warm hug. She removed her coat and hung it on a nearby hook, then switched on the gas fireplace. A whoosh of warm air filled the living room with instant coziness. The events of the last few days had left her weary, and suddenly her muscles seemed to ache, as if she were suffering from the flu. She abandoned the licking flames of the fireplace, hauled herself up the oak staircase that led to the bathroom at the top of the stairs, and stripped off her disheveled clothing. As soon as she turned on the shower, the steam from the faucet filled the small bathroom, and she took it in reverently.

  Sammy stood under the hot water with a whole new appreciation. If she’d had the time, she would’ve stayed in there all day, trying to rid herself of the feeling of the germy camper. She shuddered at the disgusting thought as she lathered up her favorite handmade citrus soap from Community Craft. After her body was finally thawed and refreshed, she stepped from the shower and wrapped up in an oversized towel. She combed her long auburn hair with a pick, removed the wetness with a few swipes of the blow-dryer, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. The shower had eased her aches and pains, which revived her at least enough to function under the impending firestorm of Liam Nash. However, she certainly didn’t look rested, as heavy dark-gray shadows had appeared beneath her eyes. Would he blame her for being kidnapped, or would he have compassion on her? She wasn’t sure but suspected it wouldn’t be the latter.

  Her body began to shiver again as the steam quickly evaporated and morphed to cold air, so she removed the wet towel, reached for her bathrobe on the hook behind the door, and wrapped herself in luxury. The soft fleece seemed to hug her, and if the detective hadn’t been on his way over, she would’ve stayed wrapped in the robe for the remainder of the day. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option and she’d have to change clothes. She rubbed a little blush on her cheeks to brighten her slightly pallid complexion after her ordeal. Her eyes were tired and gritty, so she decided she didn’t need to impress the detective with liner or mascara. She did, however, dab the gray circles with cover-up as best she could, though it scarcely hid the shadow. She smirked at her reflection and gave up.

  Oh, why was she worried about it? Detective Nash had seen her look far worse. Besides, she had made peace with trying to impress Liam with her looks—that was coming to an end, and soon. It wasn’t her style to be some made-up beauty queen anyway, so what was she trying to prove? He could take her as she was—or not at all. Not that it mattered. She didn’t see any chance for their relationship to progress, especially when he had seemed so disappointed in her the other day.

  She almost didn’t want to spend any additional time with him for fear of seeing that reaction again. That wasn’t an option either. If she didn’t explain herself fully and tell him why her car had needed to be towed away from the Wadsworths’ estate, she’d never earn the respect of the detective again. Plus, she had pertinent information related to his case, and she wouldn’t hold back this time. She just wasn’t sure how she’d explain it all without him losing his cool.

  After brushing her teeth, Sammy looked at her image one last time before abandoning the bathroom and stepping into her nearby bedroom to get dressed. She chose her most comfortable pair of jeans, the ones with the hole in the knee, and long-sleeved white Cuddl Duds beneath a pale-pink zip-up. She hoped the pink would help lift the color to her tired, washed-out face.

  Before she even had a chance to slip on her socks, the doorbell chimed, alerting her that her guest of honor had arrived. She breathed deep and stepped into her fuzzy slippers as she ran her hands nervously though her damp hair and brushed her long bangs away from her eyes. She took another deep breath before making her way down the oak stairs.

  When she opened the door, the detective was playing around with the buttons on his cell phone and seemed distracted. She gestured him inside and then closed the door, hoping to keep the cold air out and the cozy fireplace heat in. “I was just about to reheat some homemade soup. Do you have time? Would you like some?” she offered.

  Nash rubbed his hands together as if to warm them. “You know what, I think I’ll take the time and take you up on that offer.”

  He smiled, but it seemed strained. Was that because he was still frustrated with her or because he was frustrated with the job? This was concerning, because she didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot yet again.

  “Why don’t you warm up by the fire and I’ll bring you a cup?” Sammy gestured a hand toward the fireplace, and he followed her direction and stepped farther into the room.

  “Where’s the pup?” His eyes darted around his feet and then back at her.

  “Well, as I mentioned over the phone, I have some things I need to share with you. I thought it best to share them in person.”

  Confusion swept across the detective’s face. “What does that have to do with Bara? Is he at the groomer? The vet? I hope he’s not sick.”

  “No, I’ll explain everything. Just give me a moment, okay?” Sammy moved quickly into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. She retrieved the Tupperware container of soup, dumped it into a saucepan, and flicked it to simmer. While the soup slowly warmed, she returned to the living room and sat down on the love seat. The detective was seated comfortably on the recliner, scrolling through his phone.

  “Any word on Marty?” Sammy asked tentatively.

  “No. As you know, the FBI is involved and has been searching for him, and we have a BOLO out on his wife’s car. A BOLO is …”

  Sammy put up a hand to interrupt. “I know, ‘be on the lookout.’”

  “Yes,” he interjected. “We’ve been keeping our eye on the Wadsworth home, and his wife’s car seems to be missing suddenly. You didn’t happen to steal it, did you? Although I didn’t see it in your driveway, I suspect you’re smarter than that.” He held his arms tight to his body and then smirked, seeing the shock on her face. “Hey, I have to ask. After all, it was your car abandoned out in front of their house, and I’d really like to hear why. This better be good.” His eyes grew intense, and he shifted forward on the seat and leaned on his arms with his hands folded, waiting with bated breath.

  “What? Me?” Sammy held a hand to her heart. “Heavens, no!”

  The mere suggestion almost knocked her from her seat. She wondered if his friend Ginger from the FBI had insinuated that Sammy was the reason Wanda’s car was missing from the Wadsworth household. She decided to check on the soup. Maybe giving him something to eat would soften his reaction when she fessed up to what had really happened. She had a feeling this wasn’t going to go well.

  Sammy rose from the love seat. She was overtired and unprepared for an argument. If only she could retreat to her bedroom, lie down, pull her comforting quilt around her, and rest.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To the kitchen. I need to check the stove.”

  Sammy limped out of the room and tried to catch her breath before reacting poorly, as she felt her temper beginning to flare. How could he accuse her of such a thing? Is this really what he thinks of me? Capable of grand theft auto? For heaven’s sake, really?

  Instead of giving her a moment alone to calm herself, though, he followed her into the kitchen.


  “What’s going on with you?”

  Sammy stood at the stove, reached into a nearby drawer for a large spoon, and began to stir the soup bubbling in the saucepan, her back turned away from him. “What do you mean?” she asked lightly, trying hard to calm her tone.

  “I mean you’re acting strange.”

  Liam moved closer, so close she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. Her body reacted to the closeness, and she wanted to turn from the stove and fall into his protective arms. She desperately wanted to feel what it would be like to be held by him for more than just a second, especially now, after all that had happened had left her raw.

  But she wouldn’t allow herself. Instead she continued to stir and said, “What do you expect? You basically insinuated I was capable of stealing a car, like I’m some sort of criminal!” She moved the spoon more rapidly and harder in the saucepan, and the soup spattered, causing it to splash and scald her arm.

  “Ow!”

  The detective reached over her shoulder, removed the spoon from her hand, and turned her away from the stove as she licked the warm soup from her arm.

  “Talk to me.”

  “I’m going to talk to you, but to be perfectly honest, I’m a little afraid.” Sammy paused. “Because, truth be known, I don’t want to disappoint you again.”

  There, she’d said it.

  “Disappoint me?”

  “Yeah, that’s right. I care what you think. Despite what you believe … I really do care.” She bit her lower lip nervously. “That really hurt, what you said in there.” She flung her hand in the direction of the living room. “Maybe I’m just overtired,” she added under her breath.

  After a pause, she continued, “I’m not a criminal, Liam. I’m only trying to help find justice for Wanda. I’ve only ever tried to help. That’s who I am to the core.” Her lip trembled slightly, and she thought if she didn’t get it together, she could actually start to cry. “And you insinuating that I could be capable of a crime … What? Really? You don’t know me at all.” She turned her back on him, her shoulders drooping, and plunged the spoon back into the saucepan.