Kelly smiled. “Our kids are like little brothers and sisters to Cassie and Eric. Plus, those two are saving money like crazy. They’re hoping to take a short honeymoon trip before university classes start up again.”
“Well, that makes sense. Good thinking.” Steve took a deep drink of his coffee. “Okay, we’ve got three kinds of pizza, salads, and a bunch of chips and dips, so we should be all set, even with old Marty grazing through the kitchen.”
Kelly chuckled. “The perpetually empty stomach. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.”
Just then, Jack burst into the kitchen from the backyard, Carl galloping behind him. “Mom! Dad! You gotta see this new dog next door! He’s huge! And all big and hairy!”
“Wow! He sounds awesome!” Steve exclaimed as he set his coffee mug on the kitchen counter. “Let me take a look.” Jack raced back outside again with Steve right behind him. Meanwhile, Carl trotted over to his big water bowl, slurped up several large gulps, and then joined Kelly in the kitchen.
Kelly watched Carl survey the kitchen counters, which had several pizza boxes spread everywhere. “Yes, those are all boxes of pizza, but don’t get any ideas, Carl. They’re for the guests tonight. Not silly dogs.”
Carl glanced up at Kelly, then surveyed the counters again. “And, no, I’m not about to leave you alone in the kitchen with baked pizza. I’ve learned your tricks, Carl.” She wagged a finger at her dog. “You’re going to spend the summer evening outside. That’s the only way the pizza will be safe.”
Carl gave Kelly a sulky look and settled on the kitchen floor, front paws crossed. Then he lay his head down on his folded paws.
Kelly smiled at her pizza-loving dog. “Are you plotting, Carl? Good luck. Because old Marty will be one step ahead of you. He’ll be patrolling the kitchen all night.”
At that, Kelly swore she spotted a doggie frown.
* * *
• • •
Kelly pulled into a parking space in the driveway of Lambspun knitting shop. Turning off the ignition, she slipped her cell phone from her briefcase bag and clicked it on. Years ago, she had broken the habit of talking on the cell phone while she was driving. Plus, the state of Colorado imposed fines on anyone ignoring their restrictions against doing so.
A missed phone call from Burt, she thought with interest. She pressed the return call symbol and waited, not patiently.
“Hey there, Kelly,” Burt’s voice came on. “Sorry I didn’t return your call last night. Yesterday afternoon Mimi and I went to visit some old friends who live in Poudre Canyon. We all had so much fun laughing over old times that it got later than we liked. So our friends invited us to stay over.”
“I think you and Mimi should do that more often, Burt,” Kelly suggested. “Get away into the canyon once a month or so. Go fishing. Or just sit in a lawn chair next to the Poudre River and listen to the water flow past.”
“You know, that does sound peaceful. Let’s see if I can pry Mimi away from the shop another weekend.”
“So you heard my message, I take it. I have to admit I was surprised when Eduardo and Larry said that.”
“Yes, it surprised me to hear it, too. Did you ask Jennifer if she’d noticed anything going on between Julie and Bridget?”
“You know, I didn’t. Jennifer was more broken up than anyone by Julie’s death. Julie was like a little sister to her, so I didn’t want to involve Jen in any of this speculation. That’s all it is, really. Just speculation. I didn’t want to upset her.”
“I agree, Kelly. There’s no reason to upset Jennifer with the kind of brainstorming that you and I do sometimes. Normal people don’t do that. In fact, they don’t even notice the things that you and I notice.” Burt’s chuckle came over the phone.
“I guess we’re just not normal, Burt. But I prefer to think of us as dyed-in-the-wool puzzle solvers. Determined puzzle solvers who have really vivid imaginations,” Kelly said with a laugh.
Burt’s laughter sounded over the phone.
* * *
• • •
Kelly took a sip of iced coffee as she leaned back in her chair at a table in the café’s garden patio. A light June breeze rustled the large leaves in the tall cottonwood trees that rose above her head. Kelly glanced up at the sky. Still Colorado Blue. No sign of storm clouds . . . yet.
She tabbed across the various columns of the spreadsheet open on her laptop, entering revenues received and expenses paid for Don Warner’s latest shopping center development. Fully immersed in the numbers, Kelly didn’t hear her name being called at first.
“Hi, Kelly,” the voice called again. “I see that you’re lost in that accounting cloud.”
Kelly quickly looked up and grinned at Colorado cowgirl Jayleen as she sauntered over to the table. “Hey, Jayleen. It’s good to see you. How’re you doing?”
Jayleen sank into one of the patio chairs across the table from Kelly. “I’m doing better than fair to middling, so that’s pretty darn good.”
“You keeping Curt in line?” Kelly teased her friend.
Jayleen gave a short laugh. “Well, now, that’s one heck of a big job. So big I don’t even try. Curt does just fine without my help.”
“How are things going for Cassie and Eric’s celebration?”
“Real well, now that they’ve finally given us a date. They want to schedule it in the middle of July, outside in Mimi and Burt’s backyard, like Jennifer and Pete and you and Steve. And they’ve already reserved a married student apartment so they can move in after the wedding.”
“That will be really nice. July hot, but still beautiful weather,” Kelly said with a grin.
“Curt and I have lined up all the outside participants, like the preacher and the food and the music. The kids told us who they wanted, and we got ’er done.” Jayleen gave a satisfied nod. “Jennifer told me Eduardo and that new guy Larry sound excited about the chance to celebrate with us.”
“Oh, and the new cook Larry promised to bake a wedding cake, too,” Kelly said.
Jayleen nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Larry told me that, and he looks real excited about doing it, too.”
“Excellent. So everything is coming together,” Kelly said with a smile. “I’m sure that’s why Cassie and Eric asked you and Curt to organize everything. They knew you two would do a great job.” Kelly smiled.
“Well, Curt and I wanted to make sure we gave those two a wonderful celebration, because they’ll have a heap of other challenges along the road.”
“Oh yes,” Kelly agreed. “No one escapes life’s challenges. One of their biggest will be making sure nothing interferes with their college studies. Both of them will be juniors this fall, so all their classes will be harder and require more work. Those last two years in college will be challenge enough, even for Cassie and Eric.”
“That’s for sure.”
“Well, let us know if you need anything. Steve and I love those two and want to help with the celebration any way we can.”
Jayleen gave a nod. “Don’t worry, we will. I can’t think of anything right now . . .” She paused for a couple of seconds. “Come to think of it, there is one thing you and Steve could do.”
“Name it.”
Jayleen gave a big grin. “Make sure you leave old doggie Carl at home. I still remember the first time this entire crew had a big outdoor celebration with food. Years ago at Curt’s ranch. As I recall, old Carl made off with one of Curt’s prime steaks.”
At that, Kelly threw back her head and joined Jayleen in rowdy laughter at the memory.
* * *
• • •
“Here’s your late lunch salad,” Jennifer said as she placed Kelly’s large salad on the café patio table. “Candace will come out with a pot of iced coffee in a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, you’ve got fresh water. So hold off the caffeine cravings for just a little bit longer.”
“I figured,” Jennifer said, then settled into the chair across the table from Kelly.
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” Kelly said as she picked up her fork. “I love company for lunch.”
“Larry made the salad, so I’m curious how you like it.”
“All right. I’ll do a taste test.” Kelly concentrated on the combination of tasty leafy greens, diced chicken, sliced pecans, tomatoes, slivers of celery and mushrooms, and sprinkles of white cheese. After several samplings, Kelly glanced over at her friend with a smile. “Tell Larry, ‘Good job!’ That’s a very tasty salad. What’s the white cheese? Havarti?”
“I think so. Larry is very creative, and he’s really carving out a nice spot for himself in the kitchen, I’ll say that. We certainly need the consistency considering the, shall we say, recent fluctuations in staff.” Jennifer released a long breath.
“Catch me up on what’s happening while I enjoy Larry’s efforts,” Kelly said, returning to the delicious lunch salad.
“Well, Pete has had to go way far back in his list of temporary waitress staff. Bridget didn’t show up this morning, so Pete was calling everybody on his list, but everyone was working. Candace offered to call her roommate who used to waitress a few years ago. Thank goodness she showed up.”
Curious, Kelly quickly swallowed some tasty spinach and Havarti cheese. “Really? That sounds unusual. Has Bridget ever walked out on you folks before?”
Jennifer shook her head. “Never. Most experienced waitresses don’t do that unless there’s an emergency, but something may be going on, because Pete said he spotted a man talking to Bridget in the parking lot yesterday after we closed for the day. Pete said he didn’t pay much attention, because he was driving out of the parking lot on the way to buy supplies.”
Despite the tastiness of the yummy lunch salad, Kelly’s little buzzer went off again. She wondered who the stranger was.
Jennifer glanced toward the parking lot. “I’d better get back inside and help with the cleanup. Besides, I see Burt walking over, so he can pick up the conversation.” She started to rise from the patio chair.
“Stay where you are, Jennifer,” Burt said as he strode up to the table. “You’ll be as interested in what I have to say as Kelly.”
“All right, Burt,” Jennifer said as she settled into her chair again. “You’ve certainly aroused my curiosity.”
“Mine, too,” Kelly said as she pushed the half-finished salad aside.
“I’m glad I can update both of you, so you’ll know the latest developments in the investigation of Julie’s death.” Burt settled into a patio chair and leaned forward in his familiar talking position. “I just had a call from Dan. The receipt for the purchase of the nine millimeter SIG Sauer handgun that was left in Julie’s car finally went through all police identification systems, and you’ll never guess who purchased the gun.”
Jennifer simply stared at him, eyes wide. Kelly finally answered. “You’re right. Neither of us can guess. Who was it?”
“Bridget. Her legal name is Susan Bridget Jacobson.”
Kelly sat up straight. “Really?”
Burt nodded his head. “Yes. Police matched the signature to her driver’s license, and it’s a perfect match.”
“Oh my word . . .” Jennifer said quietly, staring into the garden.
“That has to be the same gun Bridget had talked about giving to her brother,” Burt continued. “Apparently, that story was all a lie that Bridget made up when grill cook Larry happened to see the gun in Bridget’s big bag.”
All of the loose ends and snippets of conversations Kelly had sorted through in her mind started to fall into place. That’s why her little buzzer kept giving her a jab.
“Good Lord,” Kelly said quietly. “Bridget never did get over Andy leaving her for Julie.”
“It would seem not,” Burt said. “It looks like that rejection festered.”
“Especially when Julie became pregnant,” Jennifer ventured in a soft voice as she stared out into the patio garden.
“But to kill someone,” Kelly mused out loud. “That takes more than simple resentment. That takes a real hatred.”
“Good Lord, yes . . .” Jennifer breathed.
Kelly turned to Burt. “That’s got to be why Bridget isn’t here today. Jennifer said Bridget had never skipped out on them before.”
Burt smiled. “You’re absolutely right. Dan and the detectives figured it would be easier to show up at Bridget’s apartment early today instead of appearing here at the café. That would draw a lot of attention.”
“Plus, it would leave us scrambling to take care of customers,” Jennifer added. “It was hard enough to find someone early in the morning. The middle of the morning would have been impossible, and we would have had customers walk out.”
“Dan also took that into account, he told me,” Burt added.
“Dan’s a good guy,” Kelly added. “Tell me, did Bridget go with them willingly?”
Burt gave her a crooked smile. “She did after Dan showed her the arrest warrant. He’d been to a judge beforehand. Bridget’s signature on the receipt for the murder weapon was sufficient for the warrant.”
“Did . . . did Bridget confess?” Jennifer asked. Her face still betrayed her shock at what she was hearing.
“Not really,” Burt replied, “but she did admit enough to confirm police suspicions.”
“I bet she lawyered up then,” Kelly observed.
“You’re right,” Burt grinned. “And by the way, Dan wanted me to tell you how much he appreciated all the leads you provided, Kelly. He added that he’d missed your cooperation these last four years. So he wanted me to extend to you a big thank-you on the part of the police department.”
Kelly felt the warmth of Detective Dan’s appreciation wash over her, and she could feel her face flush slightly. “Thank you for telling me that, Burt, and please extend my thank-you to Detective Dan for his kind comments. I appreciate that more than you know.”
“I will, Kelly, and for the record, let me say that I have appreciated being the bearer of your astute conclusions about various murder investigations over the years. They have led to the solving of numerous crimes and provided police with clues and leads they may never have had without your help. So on behalf of the department, thank you, Kelly.” Burt bowed his head a bit and gave her a big smile.
“Oh goodness, Burt,” Kelly said, leaning back in her patio chair. “I’m speechless, and you’d better stop right now before I start getting misty.” She laughed softly.
“Well, I already am, so you two can join in anytime,” Jennifer said, dabbing a tear away.
Kelly reached over and gave her dear friend a Mother Mimi pat on the arm. Then raised up her nearly empty glass of iced coffee. “To all of us. The determined puzzle solvers of the world.”
Burt chuckled, and Jennifer wiped away a couple more tears as Kelly drained her iced coffee.
Twenty-one
Kelly glanced around Mimi and Burt’s backyard. Amazingly, July had cooperated and brought an absolutely beautiful sunny, but not sweltering, summer afternoon. There was even a little breeze that flitted through the dark green leaves of the cottonwood trees every now and then.
She took a sip from her glass of Fat Tire ale as she strolled through the backyard. Spotting Marty and Megan leisurely walking through the shady area, Kelly couldn’t miss the enormous slice of strawberry frosted wedding cake on Marty’s dessert plate.
“Oh my word,” Kelly declared as she approached her two friends. “Is that another slice of wedding cake, Marty? I thought I saw you finishing off a slice only a few minutes ago.”
Still blissfully savoring, Marty only smiled in response. But Megan spoke up. “You would be right, Kelly.
” Megan wagged her head, clearly surprised by her husband’s appetite that day. “The new grill cook, Larry, is obviously a skilled pastry chef in addition to mastering the grill.”
Kelly laughed softly, watching Marty attempt to swallow. “I remember Larry saying that his mother was a skilled pastry chef, and that’s why he loves to bake cakes.”
“Well, he’s certainly good at it. Even I haven’t seen Marty eat this much,” Megan said.
“Strawberry,” Marty said with a pink-toothed grin after he swallowed.
Kelly spotted an empty lawn chair and settled into it. Marty and Megan did the same, sitting near Kelly. “This has been a perfect celebration on a perfect day,” she said, glancing at the Colorado Blue sky above. “Cassie and Eric are radiant, they’re so happy.”
“Jennifer and Pete are beaming. If they smiled any wider, their faces would crack.” Megan gave a little laugh.
“Hey there,” Lisa’s voice called nearby.
Kelly glanced toward the back of the yard and saw Lisa and Greg approach. Greg, like Marty, held a plate with an extra large slice of strawberry wedding cake. Kelly detected the signs that Greg had made steady progress in devouring his slice of cake.
“Oh my, here comes the other half of our cake-crazed twosome,” Megan observed. “Hey there, you two,” she called as Lisa and Greg approached.
“Hey, everyone,” Lisa greeted them with a smile as she walked up. “It looks like we’ve already started one of our gathering circles.” She and Greg grabbed some of the plastic lawn chairs that dotted Mimi and Burt’s backyard and settled into the widened circle.
“Hey, folks,” Kelly greeted them with a smile. “We were all commenting on what a perfect day this has been for Cassie and Eric.”
“Definitely,” Lisa agreed. “And doesn’t Cassie look beautiful in that summer white dress she and Jennifer picked out?”
“Oh yes,” Megan said, her smile widening. “I’m so glad Jennifer and Pete convinced them to let us arrange a celebration. It makes the day extra special.”
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