Cast On, Kill Off (A Knitting Mystery)

by Sefton, Maggie

  The front door opened and Oscar stood on the doorstep in his tee shirt and jeans, barefoot and unshaven. He glanced briefly at Kelly, then stared at Leann. “What do you want?”

  “I want to ask you a question, Oscar, and I want you to tell me the truth,” Leann said, her voice lower than normal but there was a strength to it Kelly hadn’t heard before.

  Oscar scowled at her for a second. Suddenly his scowl turned to a leer. “What’s the matter, Leann? You miss me? You wanna come over and see me again?”

  Kelly caught the scent of alcohol and stale cigarette smoke coming from Oscar. Hardly alluring.

  Leann frowned at her old lover. “I want to know if you told the police about my father’s gun collection.”

  Oscar’s leer disappeared, and a scowl twisted his face. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

  “Yes, you do, Oscar. You looked at those guns when you used to come over. There’s no other way the police would know about them. They weren’t registered. You must have told them!”

  “You’re crazy! I never told those cops nuthin’!” Oscar stepped onto the front stoop, right in front of them.

  Leann put her hands on her hips, like an old-fashioned housewife scolding a straying husband. “Don’t lie to me, Oscar. It had to be you! Now, admit it!”

  “I ain’t admitting nuthin’! You’re crazy, Leann! Are you trying to get me in trouble with the cops or something? Damn you!” Oscar raised his arm and moved toward Leann, who was holding her ground amazingly well.

  Kelly immediately moved in front of Leann. “Back off, Oscar!” she warned.

  “Who the hell—” Oscar held his aggressive stance as he peered at Kelly. “Wait a minute . . . I know you. You’re the bitch that helped Zoe run away!” He drew his arm back again.

  Kelly pushed Leann back as she quickly pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket. “You hit me, and I swear I’m calling the cops, Oscar!” she threatened, brandishing her cell phone. “I’ve got cops and lawyers for friends, and your butt will be in jail before you sober up. There’s a witness standing right here.”

  Oscar’s face twisted in anger, his arm holding still. “You bitch!”

  “You think I’m kidding? I’m not.” She pressed 911, then brought the phone to her ear as she slowly stepped back, her other arm outstretched in front of a wide-eyed Leann, who followed her lead and backed up.

  Oscar quickly broke his belligerent pose and scowled at Kelly, then Leann. “You two better get outta here before I get really mad. And don’t come back!” he threatened as he retreated into his house once more and slammed the door.

  Kelly clicked off her phone, then grabbed Leann’s arm and briskly escorted her away from the Yeager front yard and back to her car. Leann got in and started the engine, while Kelly hopped into the passenger seat.

  Leann didn’t say anything for a couple of moments as she drove out of the neighborhood and back into city traffic. Finally she spoke in a quiet voice. “Well, I’ve never seen him like that before. I guess all of Vera’s stories are true.”

  Kelly looked at Leann, wondering what to say. Surely Leann must realize what a foolish thing it was to confront Oscar on his own doorstep. Didn’t she? Kelly wasn’t sure. Leann’s sudden surge of courage was a good thing, and would help her through what was bound to be a grueling police investigation. But courage needed to be tempered with common sense.

  From the back of her mind, Kelly’s inner voice spoke up quietly. That’s good advice. Make sure you follow it yourself.

  Kelly discarded the thought of scolding Leann for her rash idea. Clearly that would be like the pot calling the kettle black, as Jayleen would say. Kelly’s sleuthing efforts in the past had included many rash escapades. Finally she settled on a milder reprimand.

  “Promise me, Leann, that you will never try to confront Oscar Yeager again.”

  Leann’s mouth curved up at the corners a little. “I promise, Kelly. And thank you . . . for coming with me. I appreciate that.”

  “You’re welcome.” Kelly let out a long breath, feeling the tension seep out of her muscles.

  “I told you Oscar wouldn’t hurt me.”

  Kelly turned and stared at Leann as she drove through late morning traffic. Kelly didn’t know what to say to such a statement, so she said nothing. She simply closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  * * *

  “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you here this afternoon,” Burt said as he walked into Lambspun’s main room. “I thought you’d be holed up in your cottage, working away.”

  Kelly looked up over her laptop and smiled at her friend and mentor. “I felt the need for some warm and fuzzy surroundings while I worked, considering the stressful morning I’ve had.” She took a deep drink of coffee from her mug.

  Burt settled into a chair beside her, which told Kelly he had something to say. “Don’t tell me Megan blew up,” he teased.

  “That would have been easier to handle. No, this morning I rode shotgun on Leann’s crazy adventure to confront Oscar Yeager.” She gave Burt a wry smile. “Let’s just say Oscar was none too pleased with her visit.”

  Burt sat up straight. “Good Lord! Did he threaten you or Leann?”

  “Of course.” Kelly shrugged. “That’s what guys like Oscar do. It’s a knee-jerk response to being challenged.”

  “What in heaven’s name was Leann thinking?”

  “She was convinced that Oscar was the one who told police about her gun collection. Apparently her lawyer told her that since the guns weren’t registered, there was no way for the police to trace them to her. Someone must have told them about the guns. Believe me, I tried every way I could think of to dissuade Leann from doing that, but she was determined to ‘ask Oscar to his face.’ She was convinced she could tell if he was lying.” Kelly let out a sigh. “Thank goodness I showed up with Lisa’s dress when I did. Leann was heading out the door.”

  “I’d say Leann was damn lucky you were there. What’d you do? Stand in front of her?”

  “Yeah, and pulled out my cell phone when Oscar threatened us. He had his hand back, ready to swing. That’s when I threatened him. I warned him I had cops and lawyers for friends and his butt would be in jail fast if he hit me. Then I pointed to Leann as witness.” She winked.

  Burt found his smile again. “Good girl,” he said with a chuckle. “Smart move.”

  “I tell you, Leann is back to her feisty former self, all right. It’s a good thing, because it can help her get through the police investigation. That reminds me, have you heard anything from Dan? What did he think of that information about Vera?”

  “Yes, he called a few minutes ago. He was very interested in hearing about pharmacist Christine and her comments concerning Vera. In fact, he planned to question Christine tonight when she reports in to work at Super Duper.”

  “Excellent. You told him that she and Vera were really old friends, right? He doesn’t want her gossiping back to Vera.”

  Burt smiled. “Yes, I told him. Don’t worry, Dan will handle it. But there’s more. When I told him what the pharmacist had said about Vera, Dan was quiet for a minute. Now I know him. That means Dan was sorting through stuff in his mind. Then I asked him exactly how they’d traced the gun to Leann. Was it registered to her father? That’s when Dan admitted the gun wasn’t registered. They’d had a tip Leann had a gun collection. That’s why they went there. And we know Leann acted dazed and confused by their questions.”

  “They were tipped off about the gun?” Kelly exclaimed. “It had to be Oscar. Leann was right!”

  “Actually, no. Leann is wrong. The tip came from someone else.”

  Kelly frowned at him. “Who?”

  “Vera,” Burt said, watching Kelly’s reaction.

  Kelly sat up even straighter, and stared off into the adjoining yarn room over Burt’s shoulder. Vera. She told police about the gun collection? But she’d said she never noticed the gun case on Leann’s wall. Clearly, that wasn’t the tru
th.

  “Wait a minute, Burt. I remember Vera telling Mimi and me that she’d never noticed a gun case on Leann’s wall. Clearly she did if she told police about it. Why would she lie to us?

  Burt shrugged. “I don’t know, Kelly. Maybe she didn’t want people to know that she fingered Leann.”

  Snippets of conversations crept from the back of Kelly’s mind now. Forgotten snippets, appearing innocuous until now. Now they began to coalesce into ideas. Lizzie had said that Oscar lost all of Vera’s money in a bad business deal. Vera hated him. And Vera blamed Zoe, too. Zoe kept badgering Vera, urging her to trust Oscar with the money. Zoe had mistreated Vera, according to Lizzie.

  “You know, Burt, learning this about Vera has jogged loose some other information I’d heard about her. Lizzie told me that Vera hated Oscar Yeager because he took her only savings and lost it all in some business deal. And Lizzie went on to say that Vera blamed Zoe for badgering her into trusting Oscar. And Zoe even took the only piece of family jewelry Vera had. Lizzie said Zoe browbeat Vera into letting her take it because she needed money when she left Oscar.” Kelly caught Burt’s gaze and watched his eyes light up.

  “Oh, really? Well, that’s certainly interesting to hear. I’ll be sure to tell Dan. I could tell he had some questions about Vera, from the tone of his voice. After all, she was also the one who told them about Leann and Oscar’s affair.”

  “Right, I remember her saying that. Now I’m wondering if Vera was merely helping the investigation or planting seeds of suspicion about Leann,” Kelly said. She stared off into the yarn room again as another memory fragment surged forward, demanding attention. “Oh, and I almost forgot. I spoke with lawyer Lawrence Chambers last week about an appointment, and he mentioned one of my friends had called and asked him questions about Colorado inheritance laws.” She paused for effect.

  Burt raised a shaggy gray brow. “Don’t tell me. Vera.”

  “Yeah. She’d asked me to recommend a lawyer so she could make a will. Mr. Chambers said she never mentioned a will. But she did take the time to tell him she was convinced that Zoe’s husband Oscar was sure to be convicted of her murder. Then Chambers repeated Vera’s comments about Oscar’s abusive past.”

  Burt stared off at the windows, then nodded. “That’s very intriguing, Kelly. It seems that Vera has been busy with more than salvaging Zoe’s seamstress business. You know, I think I’ll give Dan a call right now.” Burt rose from his chair, then looked down at Kelly with one of those fatherly smiles that always warmed Kelly’s heart. “Thanks, Sherlock. You’ve done it again. Most people wouldn’t remember comments like that, but you do. And it’s the small pieces of information that help detectives put cases together.”

  “You’re welcome, Burt. Let me know what Dan says,” she said as Burt started to walk away.

  “I will. And I’ll be curious to know if pharmacist Christine confirms what she said about seeing Vera that night. After all, Vera told police that she was home all night, sewing.”

  Kelly clicked back to her spreadsheet. “Give me a call when you hear from Dan.”

  “You bet, Kelly,” Burt called over his shoulder.

  Eighteen

  “Hey, Jen. Can you give me a fill-up, please?” Kelly said as she leaned against the café counter. “I’ve got a bunch of errands to run this morning before I get to work on my accounts.”

  “Sure thing,” Jennifer said as she picked up the coffeepot and poured a black stream into Kelly’s mug. “Since you’re already going to be out, could you do me a big favor? Could you take my bridesmaid headband over to Vera at the shop, please? The ribbon is coming undone, and I didn’t want to try an amateur repair.”

  “Sure, Jen. No problem.” Kelly took a deep drink of coffee.

  “Thanks a bunch. I have it here with me. I was going to take it over this afternoon, but Pete and I have a chance to cater an afternoon tea for some faculty wives at someone’s home. We’ll be busy straight through this morning into the afternoon.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. What happened to the headband? Don’t tell me you and Pete were playing ‘Catch the Bridesmaid,’” Kelly joked.

  Jennifer started laughing. “What was that again?”

  “It’s a new game Lisa and Greg started. Ask her about it,” Kelly said, then took another drink of nectar. Ahhhh. Caffeine.

  “I haven’t had a desperate call from Megan this morning, so I’m assuming Curt and Jayleen’s two-day parent tour helped her relax. Today is all relatives, all the time.” Jennifer started loading breakfast dishes from the counter onto her tray.

  “Haven’t heard a thing, so I’m betting that Megan sees the finish line ahead and knows she can make it.” Kelly leaned against the counter. “Everything starts tomorrow. We’ve got lunch reservations at Babette’s. Bridesmaids, Megan, mom, sister, and Mimi. Then wedding rehearsal in the canyon, then dinner at Jayleen’s.”

  Jennifer lifted the tray to her shoulder and turned toward the alcove section of the café. “I’m so glad Curt decided to contribute his aged prime steaks to the rehearsal dinner instead of the reception. Pete and I are salivating already.”

  “I’ll say. That’s a lot more manageable number than the nearly two-hundred-plus reception guests. There’s no way Curt had enough prime beef in his freezer for that.” She fell into step beside Jennifer.

  “It will be a lot more fun at Jayleen’s. And way more relaxed, too.”

  Mimi suddenly rounded the corner from the hallway and spotted Kelly. “Kelly, I’m so glad you came by. Do you have a minute?”

  Kelly checked her watch. Errands to run. Accounts to finish. She was on the home stretch. “Just a couple of minutes, Mimi. I’ve got a busy schedule today.”

  “This won’t take more than that. Follow me.” She beckoned Kelly down the hallway toward the shop.

  “I’ll drop off the headband, Jen. See you tomorrow,” Kelly said as she followed after Mimi, who was heading to the workroom ahead. “What’s up?” she asked as she entered.

  Mimi was unfolding a soft blue bundle. “I fixed your shawl, Kelly, and I want you to try it on so I can see if it looks all right.” She held up the fuzzy blue triangle.

  Kelly stared at the shawl’s triangle, visually comparing both sides. She blinked. “Whoa, Mimi, they’re even! You fixed it! How’d you do that?”

  “I used some weighted crystal beads that I stitched into the bottom edge about an inch apart on the left side. It was just enough to pull the scarf down another inch or so, with the help of some steaming. That was all it needed to appear even. It’s still a little shorter, but you don’t notice it now.”

  “Mimi Magic,” Kelly said with a grin. “You continue to amaze me.”

  Mimi beamed. “Here, try it on. Let me take a look.”

  Kelly deposited her mug, then held up the shawl, seeing if she could feel a difference. “You know, I think I can feel it, but I’m not sure,” she said, wrapping the shawl around her shoulders.

  Mimi scrutinized Kelly from the back. “You don’t even notice the difference, Kelly. Go take a look in the mirror on the restroom wall.”

  Kelly scurried into the restroom and checked out her rear reflection in the wide wall mirror. Mimi was right. She didn’t even see a difference.

  “It looks great, Mimi. Thank you so much for riding to the rescue once again,” Kelly said as she returned to the workroom. She carefully removed the shawl and handed it to Mimi.

  “It was easy and fun to do, Kelly. Now I’ll steam it once more, then put it in a box with your name at the front, so you can pick it up tomorrow.”

  “Sounds perfect,” Kelly said, checking her watch again. Time was passing. “I’d better get on my errands. See you later. And thanks again, Mimi.” She grabbed her mug and waved good-bye as she sped down the hallway.

  * * *

  Kelly knocked once, then opened the sewing shop front door and stepped inside. She’d spied Vera working away at the sewing machine. “Hi, Vera,” Kelly said as s
he walked into the workroom. “I’m making a quick drop-off of Jennifer’s headband. The ribbon came undone, and she didn’t want to try her own repair.”

  Vera quickly rose from her sewing perch. “That was good of you, Kelly. I’ll be happy to fix it. I made several of those headbands.”

  Kelly handed over the plastic bag. “Here you go. I agree with Jennifer. I wouldn’t want to try fixing those delicate ribbons and flowers. Better to let a pro do it.”

  “It should be easy,” Vera said, slowly removing the headband from the bag. The ribbon had unwound from one end of the band and was hanging down. “Oh, this won’t take long to repair,” Vera said as she examined it. “If you don’t mind waiting, I’ll fix it right now. It should take no more than five minutes. Let me get my thread.”

  “That would be great. Then I can take it to Jennifer while she’s still working at the café.” Kelly settled into one of the wooden chairs beside the worktable. Having an idle opportunity to chat with Vera, Kelly decided not to waste it. An idea teased from the back of her mind. A simple question. Why not?

  Vera walked over to a tall dresser and opened the top drawer, then she drew out a box and settled at the long worktable beside the windows. Meanwhile, Kelly sorted through various ways to approach the subject she wanted.

  “I imagine everyone is getting all excited for the big weekend,” Vera said, threading a needle with thread that matched the ribbon.

  “Yes, indeed,” Kelly replied. “Thank goodness Megan is as organized as she is. So far, there have been no major crises at the last moment.”

  “Megan is a very nice girl,” Vera said, wrapping the ribbon around part of the headband. Then she stitched it in place from the underside. “I’ve enjoyed working with all of you. Leann has said the same thing.”

  Kelly recognized her opening and grabbed it. “Well, it’s been a pleasure working with you and Leann.” Then she let her voice grow concerned. “I’m so very sorry that Leann’s been drawn into that police investigation. It’s such a shame. I don’t see how the police can suspect her.”