Skein of the Crime

by Maggie Sefton

  That now-familiar cloak of guilt dropped over Kelly’s shoulders again. It felt heavier this time. “I was at Curt’s ranch having dinner with them. Then I dropped by Mimi’s and Burt’s to talk about stuff,” Kelly explained. “I wish you’d called earlier. Then I could have cancelled the stop at Mimi’s.”

  Steve finished swallowing, then looked at her with an annoyed expression. “Or, you could have your phone with you. Where was it this time? In the car?”

  Kelly noticed his tone of voice but ignored it as she walked toward the kitchen. “It was in my jacket, but that was hanging in Mimi’s foyer so I couldn’t hear it ringing. Like I said, if you’d called earlier, I wouldn’t have gone out. I’d be here. But I never figured you’d be coming back on a Monday night.”

  “There’s no way for me to call earlier because these breaks just suddenly come up in the schedule. No way to know ahead of time. Turns out I finished the entire project early, and Fred told me to take the rest of tonight off.” He took another bite of pizza.

  Kelly watched him chew. His cool tone was bothering her. She’d been hearing more and more of it lately. And she didn’t like it. She’d try apologizing again. See if that thawed him.

  “Steve, I’m sorry I missed your call. But I just can’t walk around with my cell phone in my hand all the time.”

  “Ever heard of pockets?” He tilted his cola can and drank deeply.

  Kelly counted to ten. Then twenty. “Okaaaay, I promise I’ll keep my phone in my pocket from now on. Providing I’m wearing something with pockets. But it never occurred to me that you’d come back on a Monday night. So naturally, I wasn’t prepared for your call.”

  Steve didn’t answer for a moment, simply finished off his pizza, then took another slice. “When did you finish dinner at Curt’s?”

  “About seven thirty. Then I went over to Mimi’s and Burt’s to talk about stuff. You must have called right after that.”

  “Yeah, around then. What sort of stuff? Something happening with the shop?”

  Kelly shook her head. “Naw, I just wanted to see if Barbara’s son Tommy had talked with Burt. I was curious how Tommy was doing after the police questioned him. They wanted to know his whereabouts the night Holly died.”

  Steve screwed up his face. “Police? Who’s Holly? What are you talking about, Kelly?”

  Kelly realized Steve didn’t know anything about Holly’s death except that she was the same girl who’d appeared in Kelly’s backyard three weeks ago. Steve didn’t know who Barbara or Tommy were, let alone their connection to Holly or to the people at Lambspun. And Steve certainly didn’t know that Kelly had been sleuthing for details about Holly’s last night alive.

  “Holly was the girl they found dead on the trail a few weeks ago, remember? She was the same one who showed up on my patio. One of Mimi’s teachers has a son, Tommy, who was Holly’s boyfriend. Tommy’s in med school in Denver and asked Burt and me if we would try to find out who gave Holly those pills. At the party, that is. She was at a big party that night.” Kelly stopped talking because the expression on Steve’s face had gone from puzzled to annoyed once again.

  Steve dropped the pizza slice to the counter. “I don’t believe it. You were out sleuthing tonight when you could have been here? What in hell is the matter with you, Kelly?”

  Kelly stepped back. Whoa. She wasn’t expecting an angry reaction. “What do you mean? There’s nothing the matter. Tommy is up to his neck with medical studies, and Burt and I are trying to help, that’s all.”

  Steve stared at her, clearly getting angrier. “You’re out helping other people when you could be here with me. Dammit, Kelly! I need your help, too!”

  That did it. Steve’s flash of anger sparked Kelly’s own. “You won’t let me help you!”

  Steve’s dark eyes flashed. He pushed away from the counter. “I told you I’m not going there, Kelly.”

  “But, why? Working those two jobs is grinding you down so far I don’t even recognize you anymore,” Kelly charged. “Hell, if you don’t want to borrow money from me, then borrow it from Curt. That way you wouldn’t have to work the second job. It’s stupid.”

  Thunderclouds darkened Steve’s face. “I don’t wanta talk about it. I’m going to watch the game and sleep on the sofa,” he said, storming out of the kitchen.

  “Fine! Sleep on the sofa. It doesn’t make what I said any less true,” Kelly shot back, her pulse racing. Her Irish was up and that was always dangerous, as her dad would say.

  She marched to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of their favorite ale and a foil-wrapped package. Stalking out to the living room, she placed one ale and the package on the coffee table. Steve had already sprawled on the sofa.

  “I made Helen’s gingersnaps for Megan and Marty’s party, and I saved you some. Enjoy.”

  With that, she grabbed her laptop and stalked off to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Might as well spread some of that guilt around.

  Fifteen

  Kelly looked up at the burst of wind and energy that blew into Lambspun’s main knitting room. “Hey, Megan, we haven’t seen you around here during the day for a while. Have you and Mimi finished the wedding prep list already?”

  Megan dumped her large knitting bag on the library table and fixed Kelly with an incredulous gaze. “You’ve got to be kidding. I’m only on wedding cakes, third on the list. It’s hard finding time to balance work and interviewing vendors every day. I’m beat.”

  “Well, sit down and catch me up. We haven’t had a chance to talk at practice or game nights lately.” Kelly returned to the bright red yarn on her circular needles. “What’s happening? Have you found a favorite bakery?”

  Megan rolled her eyes and plopped into a chair on the other side of the table. “Oh, I’ve got plenty of favorites, but they’re all so expensive. Mimi almost had a heart attack when she found out how much wedding cakes cost.” She gave a dramatic shudder.

  Kelly played along and pretended to flinch. “Okay, tell me. I’m ready.”

  “Some of the fancier cakes can cost six dollars per slice. Now, multiply that by the number of guests, and you get the picture.”

  This time Kelly didn’t have to fake the flinch. The accountant in her took over. “What! I don’t believe it.”

  “Believe it,” Megan intoned, digging in her knitting bag. She withdrew a rose-pink half-finished sweater. “If you have two hundred guests, then the cake will cost over twelve hundred dollars. And we’re gonna have at least two hundred guests. More, probably.”

  “What if some of us take a pledge not to eat cake, will they give you a discount?” Kelly teased, slipping a crimson wool stitch off her needle.

  A smile peeked out finally. “I don’t think it works that way, Kelly. Plus Marty has lots of nephews and nieces and cousins, so there will be bunches of kids there. And you know how much kids like cake.”

  Dollar signs flashed before Kelly’s eyes. “Whoa, I see what you mean. By the way, have you come up with a preliminary budget yet? Sounds to me like you need to.”

  Megan kept her attention on her knitting. “We’re working on it. We’ve come up with a list of things we really, really want for the wedding. You know, like food, drinks, music, flowers . . .”

  “And a wedding dress, or were you planning on wearing that bedsheet?”

  “Don’t remind me. I cannot believe we have to go looking for wedding gowns again. And in Denver, next time. But Mimi insists. I swear, I can’t face any more tulle or ruffles for a while.”

  “Don’t take it out on the tulle,” Jennifer countered as she hurried into the room and dumped her knitting bag. “It’s not the tulle’s fault you’re on wedding prep overload.” She pulled out the chair beside Kelly.

  “I can’t help it, guys. Lace and ruffles give me an itch. I’d much rather interview bakers and hotel managers.” Megan’s lightning quick fingers moved, stitches forming faster. Kelly had noticed long ago if Megan was upset or excited about something, she knitted even f
aster than usual.

  “How’s the banquet room search going?” Jennifer asked, pulling a burgundy-and-gold scarf from her bag. A match for her burgundy sweater, no doubt.

  “Nowhere, I’m afraid. We’re on the waiting list for the two largest hotels in town, but there are at least three or more people ahead of us. It doesn’t look good. We may have to rent one of those church halls.”

  “That’s not bad, Megan,” Kelly offered, more red stitches forming on her needles.

  “I know, I just wanted something really pretty, since we can’t be outside.”

  “Why not? Are those park places reserved, too?”

  “They’ve been reserved for months. That lodge near the river and the National Park entrance is booked out the yingyang. We’d have to delay the wedding another year to snag that spot.”

  Kelly heard the familiar sound of her cell phone and quickly dropped her knitting. Digging out her phone, she pushed away from the table. “Excuse me, guys.” Patty’s name and number flashed on her phone screen.

  “Hey, Patty, how’re you doing?” she said as she walked into the central yarn room.

  “I’m okay, I guess. Do you have a moment to talk? I have to work at the steakhouse in that shopping center near the shop, and I wondered if you were at Lambspun.”

  “Yeah, I’m here taking a knitting break. What’s up?”

  “Kind of hard to explain over the phone. I’ll meet you in Pete’s café in half an hour, okay?”

  “I’ll be there,” Kelly promised, wondering what was bothering Patty. She sounded different.

  “Is that Patty, the covert college agent?” Jennifer asked as Kelly returned to the table.

  “Yeah, the same Patty.”

  “Who’s this?” Megan asked.

  “She’s one of Tommy’s friends. Tommy is Barbara’s son, remember?” Kelly explained, picking up her knitting where she left off.

  “Ohhhh, yeah, now I remember. He’s in medical school, and Holly was his girlfriend.” Megan shook her head. “So sad to die that young.”

  Jennifer’s fingers moved at their usual warp speed. “After Holly’s death, Kelly and I went over to the Grill one afternoon to have lunch and interrogate one of the waitresses. Based on covert college agent Patty’s observations.”

  Megan looked up with a puzzled expression. “Who were you interrogating? What in the world are you sleuthing, Kelly? I thought you said that girl died from an overdose.”

  “Nothing, really.” Kelly tried to downplay Jennifer’s description, even though it was accurate. “I’m just poking around into some stuff, that’s all.” She tried to affect a nonchalant tone.

  Megan glanced from Kelly to Jennifer and back. “She’s got that look, Jennifer. Ordinarily I’d be on her case trying to find out what she was up to, but I have got entirely too much aggravation in my life right now with all this wedding preparation. You’ll have to ride herd on her.”

  “Excuse me?” Kelly said archly. “I do not need herding.”

  “Yeah, you do,” Megan retorted, not even glancing up from her knitting.

  “I’m on it,” Jennifer promised. “If I need help, I’ll call in Pete.”

  “Hey guys, I haven’t done anything,” Kelly protested. “I’m only talking to people, trying to help Tommy.”

  “Speaking of talking to people, I have got to find Mimi. She was going to check on florists.” Megan dropped her knitting to the table and was out of the room in a flash.

  “Who was that masked woman?” Jennifer joked, glancing in Megan’s wake.

  “I don’t know, but she’s in hyperdrive. Let’s hope she saves some of that energy for practice tonight,” Kelly said, picking up her knitting where she’d left off.

  “What are you knitting?” Jennifer asked.

  “I thought I’d knit another winter hat for myself and felt it. Now that I’ve learned how, I want to do it again.”

  She and Jennifer knitted quietly for a few minutes. Different thoughts darted about Kelly’s mind, but one image lingered. She glanced over her shoulders to see if customers were browsing nearby. No one in sight.

  “Steve and I had a fight last night,” she said softly.

  Jennifer glanced up. “What about?”

  Kelly let out an aggravated breath. “He was all over my case because I missed one of his last-minute phone calls again because I didn’t hear my phone ring. I was over at Mimi’s and Burt’s. If he would call earlier, there’d be no problem. But he swears he doesn’t know until the last minute.” She frowned. “It’s so frustrating.”

  “Well, I’m sure it’s frustrating for him, too. That’s why he snapped at you. I’m assuming he snapped.”

  “Oh, he did more than snap. He went all sarcastic on me. When I told him I couldn’t carry the phone around with me all the time, he asked if I’d heard of pockets.”

  Jennifer smiled as she continued knitting. “That’s pretty funny.”

  Kelly snorted. “Not at the time. It was annoying as all get out and made me mad.”

  “So you snapped.”

  “No, I didn’t, as a matter of fact. I simply suggested he call earlier before I go out in the evening. I don’t sit at home all alone at night, and he knows it.” She exhaled a loud sigh. “Then he asked where I’d been, and I told him I was at Mimi’s and Burt’s talking about stuff. When he pushed, I told him I was checking things for Tommy since he was in med school. You know . . . the whole story.”

  “Oh, yeah. And I’m sure Steve understood, right?”

  Kelly caught Jennifer’s teasing tone. “Ohhhh, yeah. He was angry. He couldn’t believe I was out sleuthing around, helping other people when he needed my help. That’s exactly what he said.” She let out an impatient breath, then took a deep drink of coffee.

  Jennifer glanced up in concern. “Uh-oh.”

  “Uh-oh is right.” Kelly set the mug on the table with a thump. “That’s when I said he wouldn’t let me help him. And that’s when he really got mad. He refused to talk about it and stalked out of the kitchen.”

  “And you said . . . ?”

  “I told him it was stupid to be exhausting himself working that second job when he could borrow money to get through this rough time. If he didn’t want to take it from me, he could borrow it from Curt.”

  Kelly took another drink of coffee, trying to wash away the taste and memory of those angry words from last night. But they were stronger than caffeine. When she didn’t say anything for a minute, Jennifer prodded.

  “What happened then?”

  Kelly shrugged. “He announced he was sleeping on the sofa. So I gave him a beer and the cookies I’d saved for him, then took my laptop into the bedroom. And that was that. He was already gone this morning when I got up.”

  Jennifer returned to her knitting. “Everything you said is true, Kelly. And Steve knows that. That’s probably why he got so mad. You hit a nerve.”

  “Yeah, well, he hit some, too.”

  “Try not to dwell on it. It’s only natural you two are going to have some friction. He’s under a lot of pressure right now, and that puts pressure on you.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m getting tired of hearing that. I’ve bent over backwards trying to be understanding, and he jumps all over me. Frustrating doesn’t begin to describe it.” She glanced at her watch. “I’d better go over to the café. I told Patty I’d meet her there.”

  Jennifer checked her watch and shoved her knitting into her oversized bag. “I’d better check in at the office. There are a few more listings now, so I should check them out.”

  Kelly headed toward the central yarn room, Jennifer beside her. “Has Pete made those brownies for the party yet? I’d like to snitch one if I can.”

  “Too late. Brownies were made, wrapped, and left for Jayleen to pick up yesterday. I think Pete did them at night so none of us would be tempted. Marty probably would have left his law office early if he knew brownies were in the vicinity.” Jennifer pulled her phone from her bag. “Take care, Kell
y. Try not to let it get to you.”

  “That’s why I wanted the brownies. Chocolate always helps with frustration.”

  Kelly headed down the hallway. Scanning the café when she entered, she selected a small side table in the alcove. It was quieter there.

  Waving her empty mug at the waitress, Julie, Kelly settled into a straight-backed chair and returned to her knitting. Now that she’d learned how to felt, the irresistible urge to do it again took over. Since she’d become reasonably proficient knitting hats, it was a natural choice. She’d felted Steve’s knitted hat and it came out really well. Now, she’d try it for herself.

  Julie refilled her coffee, and Kelly picked up her stitches and knitted peacefully for a few moments until she spotted Patty approaching.

  “Hey, sit down and relax.” Kelly gestured to a chair. “You sound hurried.”

  Patty dropped her backpack and sank into the chair across from Kelly. “I’ve been running errands, but that’s not what’s bothering me.” She leaned forward over her folded arms. “I heard something this morning that really bothered me, Kelly. And . . . and I don’t know what to make of it. It’s about Holly.”

  Kelly let her knitting drop to her lap. “What did you hear?”

  “I spotted one of my friends I don’t get to see too often. She went to school with Tommy and Holly and me. Anyway, it turns out she was at the same party that night. I don’t remember seeing her there, but it was so crowded it was hard to find people. Anyway, Francesca wanted to know how Tommy was doing since she had been out of town for the funeral. I said not good. He was still trying to find some peace of mind about it all. Then I asked Francesca if she remembered seeing Holly at the party and if she noticed who Holly was talking to.”

  “Did she?”

  “She said she saw Holly standing outside on the lawn when she arrived. Francesca joked with Holly, saying she was coming and Holly was going. Holly said she was ‘pretty drunk’ already. Francesca asked if Tommy was coming to pick her up.” Patty’s voice dropped dramatically. “And Holly told her Tommy was studying in Denver, but his mother was coming to pick her up. Then she laughed, kind of funny-like.”