by Mary Kruger
“I could kill you myself.” Josh’s fingers gripped Ari’s arm as he marched her toward her office. The murk of the day had faded to darkness, punctuated by flashes of light from the police cruisers parked outside. “What the hell did you think you were doing?”
“You weren’t there, and I had to do something,” Ari said, knowing her defense was weak.
“So you decided to play Nancy Drew?”
“No, Lucy.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I know it was stupid, Josh. Really stupid.” She turned to him. “I guess I wasn’t thinking.”
“You weren’t. We’d’ve gotten her, Ari, without you pulling such a stunt.”
“It worked.”
“You nearly got killed.”
“I also got her to confess.”
Josh pulled at his ear. “Her lawyer’s already making noises about the confession being inadmissible.”
“What? Why?”
“Because it was taped without her consent.”
“Oh, come on! What about my testimony, and Diane’s? No one forced Susan to say what she did. I didn’t force her to come after me, either.”
“You knew she would.”
“No, I thought it would be Kaitlyn.”
“Setting a trap with you as bait? Damn it, that was stupid.”
“Yes, it was,” Ari admitted. “But I never thought it would be Susan.”
Josh wheeled toward her. “You should have left it to us. Ari, I thought you had faith in me.”
That made her blink. “I do,” she protested.
“It was only a matter of time. Kaitlyn did rent that P.O. box.”
“But that only links her to the website, not to the murders, and it doesn’t implicate her mother.”
“We would have gotten a search warrant for her house. Believe me, we wouldn’t have missed that field hockey stick.”
Ari digested that for a moment. Of course they wouldn’t. She really had been stupid. “Do you think you’ll get anything from it?”
“Maybe. She washed it, but where it’s wood my guess is we’ll find some blood in it.”
Ari shuddered again. “Then she’ll be linked to the killings.”
“Yeah. Solid physical evidence. We’ve got her, Ari.”
“Good,” Ari said, and fell still, looking at him.
Josh returned the look, and for a moment they stood facing each other, at loose ends now that the intensity of catching a murderer was behind them. “Well,” Josh said finally. “You’ll finally be getting back to normal.”
Ari tossed a quick, distracted glance around her office. “Whatever normal is. Everything’s upside down.”
“Yeah. Listen, Ari—”
“Detective?” someone called from the salesroom. “Can you come here?”
“Yeah,” Josh called, and then turned back to her. “I’ve got to go. You okay?”
“Oh, yes, fine.” She pulled her Scandinavian cardigan close about her. Somehow, though, she doubted she’d be warm for a long, long time. “Will you let me know what happens?”
“If I can. It’s in the D.A.’s hands now, though. Or the feds. They’re fighting over jurisdiction.”
“Oh. I didn’t think of that.”
“Yeah.” He stood there awkwardly, and the air was filled with unspoken promises. “Well,” he said finally, looking away. “See you around, I guess.”
“Yes. See you,” Ari said, curiously deflated, and watched him walk away.
So it had ended where it began, she thought, standing in the office doorway and looking out at her shop. It felt eerily familiar to see police at work at what was again a crime scene, though she knew that wouldn’t last. Soon Ariadne’s Web would be hers alone again, and life would return to normal. Not unchanged, though. Not even the most optimistic person would say that. What a waste it had been. Though in some ways Edith Perry’s death had benefited people, she still didn’t deserve to die as she had. Nor had Sarah, who had never hurt a soul. Even she herself had been in danger, and her life had been touched in other ways. Her friends had been in trouble. Her daughter still was in trouble, clinging to her, afraid, insecure. That alone was something she’d never forgive Susan for. That was something she’d never forgive herself for.
The biggest life wasted, though, was Kaitlyn’s. In spite of everything, Ari mourned for her. Kaitlyn would probably never have been a top-flight designer, but she still could have had a good career. Instead she had chosen a different way, and her life might as well be over.
“Excuse me,” one of the policemen said, and she moved to the side to let him get on with his work. She sighed. As much as she wanted to keep watch over her shop, she was only in the way. High time she left, and put this strange, unexpected part of her life behind her.
The rain had stopped, Ari saw, as she stopped in the shop doorway to button up her cardigan. There’d be frost in the morning, bringing in more customers. Maybe she had played at being Nancy Drew, she thought, but in her real life she was a designer, a knitter, a shop owner. Dyed in the wool, that was what she was, and what she intended to stay.
As God is my witness, I’ll never be involved in a murder again, she thought, and went out into the night.
Patterns from Ariadne’s Web
I am not a knitting designer, but below I’ve provided three projects that I think you will enjoy. For pictures of these projects, as well as other ideas, please visit my website at www.geocities.com/marypkruger.
PADDED COAT HANGERS
Rug yarn, one skein
Size 10½ needles
Wooden coat hanger, without bar across bottom
Cast on 9 stitches. Work in garter stitch (knit each row) for 35 rows, or until piece is long enough to fit on the coat hanger. Center the piece at the hook; put hook through the middle. Fold piece so that it covers the coat hanger. Using a large tapestry needle and an overcast stitch, sew the short and long edges together.
Note: Adjust number of stitches cast on and number of rows to accommodate the tension of your knitting.
FAKE FUR SCARF 1
2 balls eyelash yarn, such as Moda Dea Flip, or Lion Brand Fun Fur
Size 13 needles
Cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter stitch (knit each row) until scarf is desired length. Adjust number of stitches cast on for desired width.
FAKE FUR SCARF 2
1 skein thin worsted weight yarn
2 balls eyelash yarn, as above
Size 15 needles
Holding both yarns together, cast on 12 stitches, or number for desired width. Work in garter stitch (knit each row) until scarf is desired length.
Hint: As you work this scarf, stop every few rows to tease out the eyelashes with the point of your needle. Otherwise, they will be knitted into the worsted yarn. Use a relatively thin worsted yarn, or the scarf will knit too tightly and will be too bulky.
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