Cast On, Kill Off (A Knitting Mystery)

by Sefton, Maggie

The balmy evening weather beguiled everyone. September was usually a beautiful time of year in Fort Connor. Early fall kept the warm temperatures and flowers blooming all over the city. And yet, the early mornings gradually grew a bit chillier as the month wore on. So, too, the evenings. Usually by mid-October, it became “too nippy,” as Mimi would say, to dine outdoors in the evenings. But sometimes the Weather Gods smiled, and the warm temperatures stayed throughout October and into November.

  Kelly loved the changing seasons. She could detect the scent of approaching fall in the early morning air when she took her daily workout run on the trails alongside the Cache La Poudre River, which ran diagonally through the city. The river flowed into Fort Connor from the mouth of the Cache La Poudre Canyon on the northwest side of Fort Connor. Kelly and her friends loved that canyon. It was designated a natural wilderness along with the river, which had carved a path through the canyon millions of years ago. She escaped into the canyon whenever she needed to think. She’d drive up, up, up until she found a deserted scenic spot with parking. Then she’d find an inviting boulder and sit. Sit and stare at the rushing water as the river raced past. Sit and think.

  Even in the winter, beneath the ice patches, the river flowed, heading to the east. Out of Fort Connor, joining the South Platte River and out of Colorado, merging with the Missouri River, which carried those rushing waters and emptied them into the great Mississippi, heading south to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

  Kelly heard the sound of Latin music coming from a club across the plaza, and a memory surfaced, which brought a smile.

  “That sounds like a salsa beat,” she said before choosing another pizza slice. “I remember when Jennifer was dancing outside that club one Friday night, and then danced over to our table. Wow . . . that was my first summer here in Fort Connor. Right after Aunt Helen’s death.” She sank her teeth into the cheesy pesto.

  “Whoa, that was nearly four years ago.” Megan glanced up. “You came back for your aunt Helen’s funeral, and you liked it here so much, you stayed.”

  “After solving Helen’s murder, you mean,” Lisa added with a wink, then tipped back her microbrew.

  Marty swallowed his bite of pizza then chased it down with a beer. “Man, you were sleuthing back then?”

  “Ohhhh, yeah,” Megan and Lisa chorused together, then laughed.

  “Hey, I couldn’t help it, the cops had the wrong guy in jail.” Kelly gave a little shrug as she turned the brown bottle with the mountain bike label. “That was a while ago, guys. Ol’ Marty wasn’t in the picture then.”

  Greg sank back into his chair with another pepperoni slice. “Ahhhh, those were the days. Peace and quiet. More food.”

  “Sounds boring to me,” Marty said. “Was Megan seeing anyone then? Anybody I have to challenge for her hand?”

  “Dude, you’ve already got her hand. And the rest of her, too.”

  Kelly snickered over her pesto slice as Lisa tossed a wadded napkin Greg’s way. Kelly remembered before Marty came along, Megan suffered from an acute case of shyness whenever she went on a date. She froze and went mute. She was no longer the lively, talkative Megan they all knew. Until . . . Marty. Steve said Marty had sneaked up on Megan. She never even noticed he was interested in her until he’d already become a friend and tennis partner. Meanwhile, watching Marty “court” Megan had provided a source of amusement and delight for Kelly and all of Megan’s friends. Megan never saw him coming. So shyness never reared its head.

  “There’s no one to challenge, Marty,” Megan said with a knowing smile. “Before you stumbled onto the scene—”

  “And broke half of Curt’s Christmas tree decorations,” Lisa added with an evil grin.

  “And ate all the leftovers while Steve and I were freezing to death outside putting up the lights,” Greg scowled.

  “Who me?” Marty asked innocently, hand to chest.

  “Yeah, you,” Kelly said, laughing. “Spot the Wonder Dog.”

  They all guffawed at the memory of Marty, entertaining Curt Stackhouse’s grandchildren as Uncle Marty, alias Spot the Wonder Dog, galumphing about Curt’s ranch house that evening.

  “Please, don’t remind me!” Megan cried, hands outstretched. “Ye Gods! I’m marrying Spot the Wonder Dog! Ackkkk!”

  “You’re a lucky woman,” Marty said, wagging his finger. “Not every woman has such a multifaceted fiancé.”

  Greg wagged his head. “Man, you were a disaster. What a mess.”

  “Don’t remind me. I may change my mind and call off the wedding.” Megan took another bite of pizza.

  “Too late. Caterers are booked. Money’s been paid. Gowns bought and paid for. Wedding cakes. Music. Minister,” Lisa retorted. “Besides, we’ve grown used to ol’ Marty.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Greg tipped back his beer.

  Marty, as usual, let all insults slide off, unperturbed. His smile intact. “So there are no suitors I have to challenge? Good. They’d have to wait until I finished my pizza anyway.”

  A memory from the past floated before Kelly’s eyes, and she couldn’t resist. “Well, now that you mention it, there was that cute Wyoming cowboy up at Cousin Martha’s ranch.”

  “You mean your ranch,” Greg countered.

  “Oh, yeah. I remember you telling us about him.” Lisa looked up, eyes twinkling.

  “Oh, please,” Megan said, a blush starting. “He wasn’t interested in me.”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “That was in Megan’s shy period.”

  “Okay . . . I gotta hear about this. Wyoming cowboy, you say?” Marty leaned his elbows on the table.

  “Jennifer said he was cute as the dickens, too,” Lisa teased.

  “After he tasted Megan’s biscuits, he was in love,” Kelly said, grinning.

  “Oh, please!” Megan protested, blush deepening.

  Marty drew back with a look of horror. “You made biscuits for him!”

  Megan simply rolled her eyes, while the rest of them laughed.

  “Okay, that settles it. I gotta go challenge him.” Marty pushed back from the table. “Where do I find this guy in Wyoming?”

  “Marty, don’t be ridiculous,” Megan chided.

  “Dude, don’t even think about it. That guy is a real cowboy, riding herd on Kelly’s cattle and taking care of her ranch. He’d beat you up with one hand while lassoing a steer with the other.” Greg drained his beer.

  “Not if I sneak up on him,” Marty said, clearly rethinking his idea. “I’ll make a plan. After I finish the pizza. And my beer.”

  “Actually, Curt sold off all the cattle a couple of years ago. But Chet Brewster is still managing the ranch part-time whenever there’s hay to be baled and sheep need shearing. He arranges all that.” Kelly twirled the nearly empty bottle on her knee.

  “I thought you sold that house to the Wyoming charity,” Lisa said. “How come they don’t do that for you?”

  “Because they’re operating a home for troubled girls, so they’ve got their hands full with just feeding the sheep and making sure the barns are locked at night. I still own the ranch and the sheep.”

  “Oh, yeah, you don’t want those predators getting in at night,” Marty added, his last pizza slice half eaten. “I remember how upset Uncle Curt would get whenever one of my cousins slipped and forgot to lock up. Big cats are watching.”

  He devoured the last morsel.

  “The directors of the home have told me how much the girls enjoy working with the sheep, so I just hope they stay alert at the same time. It seems to work out for all of us.”

  “Those Wyoming gas wells still pumping away on the rest of your property up there?”

  Kelly had to smile. Those royalty checks had saved her when she was first working on her own as an accountant three years ago. After working briefly for several alpaca ranchers, Kelly was able to return to her area of expertise—financial accounting for larger businesses. She’d missed the challenge.

  “Ohhhh, yeah,”
Kelly said, then took a sip of beer. “They’re a nice cushion as long as the gas keeps flowing. But there’re no guarantees. The gas could run out. That’s why I joined up with those two clients, Housemann and Warner. Plus, it got me back into corporate accounting, which I’d missed.”

  “Plus, it’s given you the chance to be in Denver more, so you and Steve can see each other for dinner or lunch.”

  Kelly shook her head, while the rest of her friends smiled. “You never stop, do you, Megan? Yes, that, too. Steve’s out of town till next week. Off to Oregon for some special builders’ conference.”

  “Damn, that means he’ll miss the game,” Greg said.

  “Boy, he’s really doing a lot of conference stuff or whatever these last few months,” Marty said, holding up his empty bottle for the waiter to see.

  “Yeah, he and Sam are expanding the business, kind of,” Kelly said, claiming another pizza slice.

  “Remodeling, he told me,” Greg said. “I didn’t know they had conferences on that.”

  “Actually, they’ve got the chance to do a new custom home for an old friend of Sam’s. And the guy and his wife want a lot of the extras and high-end touches. So Steve’s been checking out all the high-end builders and conferences he can find.”

  “Sounds like Steve,” Lisa said, handing the waiter her empty bottle.

  “Thorough to a fault,” Megan added, snatching the last pesto slice.

  “Yeah, he told me he had several conferences lined up,” Marty said, then sank back into his chair and sipped his beer. Hunger apparently assuaged for a while.

  “He’s been to two already,” Kelly said. “After Oregon, he’s got another two. One in Phoenix and one in Texas.”

  “Sounds like you’ve memorized his schedule,” Greg joked, lifting his microbrew.

  “Accountant memory, can’t help it,” Kelly teased, tapping her forehead. “Besides, we talk on the phone regularly, and he tells me what he’s doing.”

  She turned to accept another Fat Tire ale from the waiter. Meanwhile, her friends all exchanged glances and smiles.

  Kelly sensed their stealth communication. She was on to them.

  “I can tell you guys were smiling at one another just then. You can stop now. I swear, you’re a bunch of hovering mother hens.”

  “Man, how does she do that?” Greg asked Marty. “That’s spooky.”

  “Good instincts,” Marty said, grinning.

  “Keeps me out of trouble,” Kelly said, and quickly switched subjects. “I didn’t talk to Jen yesterday or today, so I take it she and Pete are on a catering job tonight.”

  “Right. They’re doing a big dinner at some professor’s house north of town.”

  “Ah, yes, new academic year starting. New faculty is in town,” Greg added.

  “Well, at least we can all enjoy watching Jennifer and Pete,” Megan said slyly. “While Kelly and Steve are still dancing around each other, driving us all nuts, we can watch sane and rational Jennifer and Pete grow closer and closer.”

  Kelly took a deep drink of her favorite ale. “I’m sorry Steve and I are causing you mental distress,” she said in a mock solicitous tone.

  “Hey, those two are perfect for each other. Pete’s been crazy about her since forever,” Greg added.

  “Ummmm, how close are we talking about here?” Marty asked with his familiar impish smile. “Are they really close? I mean, close together together?”

  They all laughed out loud at Marty’s sly reference.

  “Dude, you are so lame,” Greg teased.

  “Yes, they are together together,” Lisa added with a wicked smile.

  “Oh, good. That’s one less thing to worry about,” Marty said with a big grin. “Who’s up for dessert?”

  This time, Kelly rolled her eyes, then joined her friends’ laughter.

  Three

  Kelly walked into the Lambspun foyer, empty of customers at the moment. Since it was only nine fifteen in the morning, she wasn’t surprised by the lack of customers. They would start to trickle in over the next hour, then the trickle would become a regular flow as the day progressed.

  She headed into the main room and dropped her knitting bag and over-the-shoulder briefcase onto the long table. Perfect, Kelly thought. She could work on her clients’ accounts in the peaceful shop for a couple of hours before making phone calls. She pulled her laptop from her briefcase. Now all she needed was some of the café’s strong, rich coffee, then she’d be set to work.

  Grabbing her huge carryout mug, Kelly headed through the shop, angling toward the hallway which led to Pete’s Porch Café, located at the back of Lambspun. The grill cook, Eduardo, made coffee exactly the way Kelly liked it—black and extra strong. Definitely not for the fainthearted. As she neared the yarn room with the extra-large loom, Mimi rounded the corner, arms filled with skeins of colorful tempting yarns.

  “Hey, Kelly, good to see you here early,” Mimi beamed. “Are you working in the shop today?”

  “For a while. Then I have to return home for phone calls and to catch up with my own accounting. I tend to forget that,” she said with a smile.

  “You’re entitled, Kelly. You work so hard for those two clients of yours. Especially that Warner Development in Denver. You’re always traveling there—”

  Mimi’s sentence was interrupted by the sound of the shop’s front-door bell tinkling, followed by Zoe Yeager rushing into the shop, looking uncharacteristically disheveled, her face flushed.

  “Oh, Mimi! Thank God, you’re here!” Zoe cried, rushing up to them. “I’ve got to talk to you! I . . . I left Oscar!”

  Mimi sucked in her breath, eyes wide as saucers. “Oh, Zoe! Thank God! At last!” She dumped the skeins of yarn onto a nearby table and grabbed Zoe in a big hug.

  “I was so scared, Mimi! I just grabbed my purse and ran out the door. Oscar learned about my winning that trip to New York for the contest, and he was furious! He came home after work yelling and screaming. I’ve never seen him so mad. I—I didn’t know what he’d do, so I ran! I spent the night at Vera’s apartment.”

  “Why don’t we take Zoe into the café,” Kelly suggested, hearing the front-door bell tinkle again and the voices of entering customers.

  “Yes, yes, that’s a good idea. A nice cup of tea would help,” Mimi soothed. Then you can tell us what happened.” She began to guide Zoe toward the hallway. “You come, too, Kelly. Zoe needs to be surrounded by loving people right now. Rosa can take care of customers.”

  Kelly followed after Mimi and Zoe into the back of Pete’s Café. Mimi selected an empty corner table in the alcove, away from other tables. The morning rush was still going strong. Spotting Jennifer give them a wave, Kelly hurried over to her friend.

  “Hey, I was just coming over with coffee,” Jennifer said, pot in hand.

  “Listen, Zoe’s left her abusive husband, and she looks scared. We’re trying to calm her down. Mimi suggested hot tea. Why don’t you bring two cups of Mimi’s Earl Grey for them, and the usual for me.”

  Jennifer nodded. “I’ll set a tray on the nearby table, and you can serve it, okay? That way I won’t interrupt Zoe. You can fill me in later.”

  Zoe was talking in an excited voice when Kelly hurried back to the table.

  “I swear, I’ve never seen Oscar so mad! He’s never wanted me to travel without him. That’s why I didn’t tell him about winning that New York trip. I’d planned to tell him I was helping some bride with her wedding party. I don’t know how he found out, but he came home yesterday in a rage. Yelling at me! He said I couldn’t go without him! He wouldn’t let me. I . . . I didn’t know what to do! That look in his eyes scared me. Then a little voice inside said, ‘Get away!’ So when he went into the kitchen to get a drink, I ran out of the house, jumped in my car, and drove off. He was running down the sidewalk screaming as I drove off!” She put her face in her hands. “I don’t know what to do. I—I don’t want to go back to Oscar. I can’t anymore! I’m too scared.”

  Mimi
grasped both of Zoe’s hands, cupping them with hers as she leaned closer. “Zoe, you did exactly the right thing. You got out of that abusive relationship. He has hit you time and again, and there’s no telling what he would do in a situation like this.”

  “But I’m scared of what Oscar will do now! What if he comes after me!”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll get you to the women’s shelter here in town—”

  Zoe didn’t look convinced. “But what if he finds me!”

  “He won’t, Zoe,” Mimi insisted. “The women’s shelter has an unknown address and no one except the people who work with the women know where it’s located. I don’t know where it is, and I’ve supported the shelter for years. But I know who to contact. And she’ll meet us and take you there herself.”

  Kelly watched Zoe stare into Mimi’s face, her eyes searching, clearly frightened. “Mimi’s right, Zoe. I’ve heard Lisa talk about the shelter. She also knows some of the counselors who work with the women there. They’re good people.”

  “You’ll be safe at the shelter, while you start planning for the future,” Mimi said. “I agree, you should not go back to Oscar. You need to talk with a divorce lawyer. Do you know any? If not, I know of several very good divorce attorneys.”

  Zoe looked anxious. “No, I don’t. But I’ve got a friend who works for a lawyer. I could ask her.”

  Mimi gave Zoe’s hand a reassuring pat. “That’s a good place to start. You can call her and get some names. Meanwhile, I can get the names and numbers of the three best divorce attorneys in town.”

  “I think I’ll take your recommendation, Mimi. You’ve been in Fort Connor longer than my friend. I trust your judgment.”

  “Thank you, Zoe, I’ll give them a call and see if anyone has time to see you today,” Mimi said, giving Zoe a reassuring smile. “You need legal advice, and the sooner the better. Meanwhile, I’ll also contact the woman I know who works at the women’s shelter and find out the procedures for getting you into their facility and protection today.”

  Kelly watched Jennifer set a tray filled with mugs of tea and coffee at a nearby table, then slip quietly away. “Mimi is a great source of advice, Zoe,” Kelly offered. “She’ll make sure you’re all right. And Jennifer has brought us some tea and coffee. You could use something soothing.” She pushed back her chair and retrieved the tray, setting it down in the middle of their table. “Earl Grey for you two and Eduardo’s strong brew for me.”