Murder in Merino

by Sally Goldenbaum

  Danny took over the kitchen, dishing up the pizza, and Nell began tossing a salad with anything she could find in the refrigerator—arugula, scallions, pine nuts, cheese. They filled their plates and sat around the fireplace, warmed by the comfort of each other’s company.

  Ben looked over at Jules, concerned with all the news she had just begun to process. “How are you doing?”

  Jules had shed some tears. “Jimmy Brogan,” she said, tasting her father’s name on her lips. “I was sure I had some Irish in me. See this red?” She lifted up a strand of hair.

  Rebecca handed her a tissue. “It’s terribly sad, it’s tragic, it’s awful—but there’s plenty of good in all this. You guys—” She looked around at Nell, Izzy, Birdie, and Cass. “You four have given Jules a wonderful thing: a love story. Her parents truly loved each other.” She gave Jules a hug. “And that’s a good thing.”

  They all agreed it was definitely a love story. And a good thing.

  Ben reached in his pocket and pulled out a small box. He handed it to Jules. “The police didn’t need this. And it rightfully belongs to you, Jules. It was intended for your mother.”

  Jules opened the box and took out the ring so carefully chosen for the love of Jimmy Brogan’s life.

  “A love story,” she murmured. She slipped the ring on her finger and looked at Nell. “What happened to Jimmy’s . . . to my father’s parents? Did they know about me, about my mother?”

  “I don’t think so, dear. Jimmy wasn’t close to them. They thought he had dragged their good name through the mud and they couldn’t forgive him for that.”

  “Even if he was innocent?” Rebecca asked, her voice filled with fight.

  “From what people remember and what we’ve been able to uncover in news clippings, they moved away—”

  “And never looked back,” Cass added. Her voice expressed her opinion of the elder Brogans.

  “Jeffrey Meara was a good man, Jules. He was your father’s best friend. You two would have liked each other,” Birdie said. “And I suspect you’ll find a new friend in his lovely wife, Maeve.”

  “And there’s someone else,” Ben said. “It may take Stan Hanson a while to piece his life back together, but he loved your father, too. And I suspect he will want to share many memories with you in time.”

  Jules sat still, soaking in every word as she pieced together her past.

  “Jeffrey Meara was going to tell you exactly what you came here to find out,” Nell said. “He was going to tell you that your father was a wonderful man, that he hadn’t committed any crime, that he was a great friend, and, most of all, how much in love he and your mother were—and how excited they were to be bringing you into the world.”

  She remembered Jeffrey’s discussion with Grace Danvers and the ethical dilemma he struggled with. He had resolved the dilemma one way as a young man, but forty years later his decision was completely the opposite.

  Jules Ainsley had come to Sea Harbor.

  It was the daughter who made the difference.

  Chapter 39

  It was Jules Ainsley’s idea, and one that Ben Endicott declared brilliant. A stroke of genius, he said.

  That’s how it happened that Nell and Ben, on the anniversary of their forty years of marriage, drove a British racing green Sprite through the gates of Ravenswood by the Sea on a gorgeous autumn day.

  And that’s how it happened that friends and family, storekeepers and councilmembers, waitresses and bartenders, children and dogs lined the long, winding driveway of the bed-and-breakfast and cheered wildly at their entrance.

  Birdie had outfitted Ben in a herringbone driving hat that she’d purchased for Sonny on a trip to England. Sonny would have been thrilled, she said.

  And Nell—looking like Isadora Duncan and hoping to avoid the dancer’s fate—looped a long, flowing scarf and a waist-length string of pearls around her neck.

  Izzy had picked out her aunt’s dress, shimmery silk in a deep liquid blue that matched Nell’s eyes.

  Angled over the back of the soft leather seats, catching the fading afternoon sunlight, was a ruby red afghan, the hearts and cables and twisted panels a tribute to forty years of a life well lived and a promise of the years to come.

  Birdie, Izzy, and Cass had given it to Ben and Nell that morning when they were barely awake. The threesome stood on the bottom step and called them down from their bedroom. Mimosas and sweet crepes from the bakery were waiting. And dear friends.

  And an anniversary afghan knit with love.

  It was all quite perfect.

  The day, the event, and the gathering of family and friends.

  A true celebration.

  Nell and Ben spoke little on the drive over, cherishing the only time they’d be alone together that day. Nell leaned her head back against the leather seat, her eyes on the man who had entered her life the first day of a Harvard logic class—and had never left. Ben insisted, however, that he had fallen in love with her before that fortuitous class schedule. It was a beautiful fall day and she was alone, he remembered. She was walking across the quad, her hair tangled by the wind and her high cheekbones blushed by the sun. And smiling. At what? he wondered. The day? The sky? Wicked amazing was how he remembered the day and the woman.

  Forty years ago today . . .

  They were married on the Kansas ranch that Nell’s family owned. It was a unique and splendid affair, with the Boston Brahmins landing their planes on a strip in the middle of a field smoothed clean by Nell’s dad and ranch hands. Guests donned cowboy hats and rode horses and licked their plates clean of barbecue and beans. Nell loved Ben’s desire to embrace her roots.

  She watched the curve of his lips now, reading his eyes as his mind went back over those forty magnificent years—years filled with learning about each other, with suffering through the heartache of failed pregnancies, years of opening their arms to friends and family and to dear Izzy, as close as a daughter could be. A marriage that grew with understanding, with togetherness, with separateness. Years nurturing a dynamic love as strong as the Cape Ann granite that fortified their town.

  Their eyes met now, smiled, and held for a moment as their memories merged.

  Then Ben slowed the car and pulled up in front of the bed-and-breakfast, turning the engine off.

  “One dream to cross off my bucket list,” he declared as he helped Nell out of the car. He bowed slightly to the crowd, then looked up at the sky and tipped his British driving hat to the heavens. “With special thanks to Jimmy Brogan and Jeffrey Meara,” he said in a booming voice that even those standing on the B and B’s porch could hear. “I know you’re up there keeping an eye on us.”

  Maeve stood next to Mary Pisano, beaming. Her Jeffrey was watching; she knew he was. As she told Ben later, “There was no way on earth he’d let that car be driven by anyone without being there to guide it to safety. He had promised Jimmy as much.”

  “Everyone in back,” Mary called, fluttering her hands in the air. Don Wooten stood beside her, taller by a foot and a half, and helped direct traffic.

  As if choreographed, the mass of people moved around the wide, sweeping porch, along the pathway that led around the carriage house, and out to the carefully kept lawns behind the inn. Narrow paths wound like pieces of yarn past flower beds and stone benches, all the way to the backwoods.

  Ben waved at Jules and thanked her with a courtly bow and tip of his cap. She blew him back a kiss, then melted into the crowd to join the celebration. Happier than she’d ever been.

  Mary had wound dozens of trees in the back with tiny Christmas lights and then laced the lights through the gazebo.

  It was as she had promised: simple and casual, but perfect in every way.

  Ben had invited Stan Hanson to come, but the former mayor said the time wasn’t right and Ben concurred. No matter what she had done, Stan loved his wife. She h
ad devoted her life to him, and although it might not have always been a healthy love, it was a deep love.

  Karen had lived only a day, the swelling caused by the accident inoperable. She awoke once, told Stan she loved him, and then she was gone. Stan’s grief was profound.

  Although Chief Thompson and the lawyer Ben had recommended had worked out a deal that wouldn’t involve criminal action, Stan’s reticence to go to the police with his suspicions about Karen, about their past, was a decision that would follow him.

  But Stan would survive this, and no one doubted that he would make up for what he had done in a manner that would benefit Sea Harbor and make him whole again.

  Nell found Ben again, and they stood together on the edge of the crowd. Danny came up, bringing hugs and a smile. She had checked on him the previous day, making sure he was coming. He had missed Friday dinner the week before and it concerned her.

  “I don’t miss Ben’s martinis and grilled fish lightly,” he’d assured her, explaining his absence involved a book signing—nothing more or less. “You’re not rid of me, not by a long shot.”

  She hugged him now, and he read her thoughts. “Don’t worry, Nell. Things will work out, however that’s meant to be.”

  They watched him walk off, waving to friends, smiling.

  “The way I see it, Nellie,” Ben said, “he and Cass are apart, but within reach. They’ll do what’s best for them. Give them time.”

  Nell was trying to do exactly that. As was Birdie. And Izzy.

  She looked around for Izzy and spotted her standing with Sam near the gazebo, watching Abby roll on the grass at their feet. Behind them, the Fractured Fish were tuning instruments, ready to make music.

  Pete strummed and Merry trilled her fingers up and down the keyboard. Andy Risso sat behind them, his blond ponytail moving to the practiced beat of his drums.

  All across the lawn, waiters carried trays of cocktails and Tyler Gibson’s special anniversary drink, a ruby red concoction that he promised they’d remember forever. Jeffrey had taught him how to make it.

  Food stations were scattered beneath the trees—lobster rolls and calamari, Harry’s salads and mounds of fruit in Jane Brewster’s beautiful handmade bowls.

  Nell found Mary Pisano walking along the back porch checking the drinks, the food, the music, the guests. Nell came up behind her and wrapped her in a hug. “It’s absolutely perfect, my dear friend.”

  Mary turned around and hugged her back. “Yes, it is, isn’t it? It’s a perfect celebration. And we have much to celebrate. Amazing friends, good food. It’s not all about you, you know. So let’s get the toast over with, shall we? And then get on with the party and dance the night away.”

  Izzy was already at the microphone, gathering the crowd and promising to be brief.

  Ben walked up to the gazebo and picked Abby up off the blanket, swinging her into the air until her giggles became contagious and a wave of laughter vibrated through the crowd.

  Nell hooked her arm into Ben’s, and before Izzy could have her say, they took the microphone away. Nell kissed her niece on the cheek and whispered, “You’re next, my Izzy.”

  Then Ben thanked their friends for being in their lives.

  “You are the threads that add richness and support and joy to our lives together,” Nell added. And then her voice gave way and she took the handkerchief Mary had ready.

  Ben kissed his wife full on the lips with a passion that had only grown richer over the forty years. The crowd cheered. And that was it. Simple and sincere.

  Izzy was next, with Sam standing next to her.

  “No toast,” Izzy said. “Just love. Lots of it . . . forever and ever. And a gift that you loaned to Sam and me for our own wedding. Here it is, back at you . . .”

  She turned to Pete, who turned to Merry and Andy.

  Izzy and Sam stepped away, their arms looped around each other, their eyes on Ben and Nell. Pete strummed the first chords as Mary brought the keyboard to life and Andy joined in with the drums. Then Pete and Merry took to the microphones and began, their voices filling the air.

  Our love is here to stay . . .

  The song Ben and Nell had danced to on a ranch in western Kansas forty years before . . .

  Not for a year, but forever and a day.

  The same song Izzy and Sam had danced to in Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, just a short memory ago.

  Together we’re going a long, long way.

  Our love is here to stay.

  And they danced the night away.

  Nell and Ben Endicott’s Anniversary Afghan

  Designed for Murder in Merino by Cindy Craig

  Cindy Craig—a gifted designer, teacher, author of The Kids’ Knitting Notebook, and guru of all things knitting—is the manager of the Studio Knitting & Needlepoint store in Kansas City, Missouri. Cindy designed this shawl for Nell and Ben’s anniversary, working into the pattern symbolism of their forty years together.

  The ruby red color symbolizes forty years of marriage. The main section of the blanket—a heart cable—represents marriage as the center of a family’s life. The zigzag cable reminds us of those times in life when a couple travels through curves and turns and unexpected happenings. The two lacy heart panels are symbols of the openness and flexibility partners maintain to ensure a long and honest relationship, and the diamond cable border symbolizes a couple’s relationship to the world in which they live and love.

  For more information about the Studio and Cindy’s creations, please visit their Web site: www.thestudiokc.com

  The Pattern

  This blanket is knit in strips and sewn together. It simplifies knitting a large afghan and also lends itself to a group project. The panels vary in textures and skills required, to keep it interesting. You can customize the finished size of the blanket by adding or reducing the number of panels.

  Finished Size: 48 inches wide by 60 inches tall

  Gauge: 4 sts per inch and 6 rows per inch in stockinette stitch

  Yarn: 20 skeins Trendsetter Yarns Merino 8, 100 percent merino wool—50 grams/skein. Motto 10 ply, 100 yards/skein

  Needle: U.S. No. 9/5.5 millimeter, or needle needed to obtain gauge; a cable needle (cn)

  Crochet Hook: If desired to attach panels

  ABBREVIATIONS

  cn cable needle

  CO cast on

  k knit

  k2tog knit 2 stitches together

  p purl

  rep repeat

  RS right side

  ssk slip, slip, knit

  st(s) stitch(es)

  WS wrong side

  yo yarn over

  2/1 RPC Slip next st onto cn and hold in back; k2; p1 from cn

  2/1 LPC Slip next st onto cn and hold in front; k2; p1 from cn

  2/2 RC Slip 2 sts onto cn and hold in back; k2; k2 from cn

  2/2 LC Slip 2 sts onto cn and hold in front; k2; k2 from cn

  2/2 RPC Slip 2 sts onto cn and hold in back; k2, p2 from cn

  2/2 LPC Slip 2 sts onto cn and hold in back; k2, p2 from cn

  Seed Stitch Over Even Number of STS

  Row 1: *K1, P1; rep from * to the end

  Row 2: *P1, K1; rep from * to the end

  Repeat these 2 rows

  Seed Stitch Over Odd Number of STS

  Row 1: K1, *P1, K1; rep from * to the end

  Row 2: P1, *K1, P1; rep from * to the end

  HEART CABLE PANEL (MAKE 1 10" PANEL)

  CO 58 sts

  Work seed stitch for 7 rows

  Work heart cable pattern stitch until piece measures 59 inches from cast-on edge

  Work seed stitch for 7 rows

  HEART CABLE PATTERN STITCH

  Row 1: (RS) (k1, p1) twice, 2/1 RPC, p3, k4, p3, 2/1 LPC, (2/2 LPC) twice, 2/2 RC, 2/2 LC, 2/2 RPC, 2/1 RPC, p3, k4, p3, 2
/1 LPC, (p1, k1) twice

  Row 2: (WS) (p1, k1) twice, p2, k4, p4, k4, p2, k2, p12, k2, p2, k4, p4, k4, p2, (k1, p1) twice

  Row 3: (k1, p1) twice, k2, p4, 2/2 RC, p4, k2, p2, 2/2 RCP, k4, 2/2 LPC, p2, k3, p3, 2/2 RC, p4, k2, (p1, k1) twice

  Row 4: (p1, k1) twice, p2, k4, p4, k4, (p2, k2) twice, p4, (k2, p2) twice, k4, p4, k4, p2, (k1, p1) twice

  Row 5: K1, (k1, p1) twice, 2/2 LPC, 2/2 RC, 2/2 LC, 2/2 RPC, p1, 2/1 RPC, p2, 2/2 RC, p2, 2/1 LPC, p1, 2/2 LPC, 2/2 RC, 2/2 LC, 2/2 RPC, (p1, k1) twice

  Row 6: (p1, k1) twice, k1, p9, k3, p2, k3, p4, k3, p2, k3, p9, k2, (k1, p1) twice

  Row 7: (k1, p1) twice, p2, 2/2 RPC, k4, 2/2 LPC, p2, 2/1 RPC, p3, k4, p3, 2/1 LPC, p2, 2/2 RPC, k4, 2/2 LPC, p2, (p1, k1) twice

  Row 8: (p1, k1) twice, k2, p2, k2, p4, k2, p2, k2, p2, k4, p4, k4, p2, k2, p2, k2, p4, k2, p2, k2, (k1 p1) twice

  Row 9: (k1, p1) twice, p1, 2/1 RPC, p2, 2/1 LPC, p1, k2, p4, 2/2 RC, p4, k2, p1, 2/1 RPC, p2, 2/2 RC, p2, 2/1 LPC, p1 (p1, k1) twice

  Row 10: (p1, k1) twice, k1, p2, k3, p4, k3, p2, k1, p2, k4, p4, k4, p2, k1, p2, k3, p4, k3, p2, k1, (k1, p1) twice

  DIAMOND TWIST CABLE PANEL (MAKE 2 3" PANELS)

  CO 32 sts

  Work seed stitch for 7 rows

  Work diamond twist cable pattern stitch until piece measures 59 inches from cast-on edge

  Work seed stitch for 7 rows

  Bind off all sts

  DIAMOND TWIST CABLE PATTERN STITCH

  Row 1: k1, p1, k1, p11, 2/2 RC, p10, k1, p1, k1, p1

  Row 2: p1, k1, p1, k11, p4, k10, p1, k1, p1, k1

  Row 3: k1, p1, k1, p10, 2/1 RC, 2/1 LC, p9, k1, p1, k1, p1

  Row 4: p1, k1, p1, k10, p6, k9, p1, k1, p1, k1

  Row 5: k1, p1, k1, p9, 2/1 RC, k2, 2/1 LC, p8, k1, p1, k1, p1