Yarn Over Murder

by Maggie Sefton

  Suddenly Mimi stepped inside the main room and waved at Kelly. “Kelly, if you have a minute, can I ask you a question? We can go up front.”

  Curious at Mimi’s suggestion, Kelly dropped her knitting onto the table. No wonder it took her so long to complete a project. So many interruptions. “Sure, Mimi,” she said, joining her friend in the central yarn room.

  “Oh, Cassie, I saw Carl looking over here, big paws on the fence,” Mimi said. “He looks lonely. Why don’t you go give him a pat?”

  “Sure. Can I go into the yard and play with him, Kelly?” Cassie asked as she headed toward the foyer, clearly eager to take Mimi’s suggestion.

  “Absolutely, Cassie. Carl loves to play with kids. They’re way more fun than adults.”

  Cassie laughed that little laugh as she pushed open the front door. Kelly turned to Mimi and noticed a worried expression she hadn’t seen before.

  “Okay, Mimi, what’s up? You’ve never needed me to come up front to ask a question.”

  Mimi’s concern deepened. “You’re right. Dan, Burt’s former partner, showed up a few minutes ago to question Connie. They’re outside at one of those far tables, away from the other customers.”

  “Oh, boy. I guess this investigation has moved into the official phase now. Officer Warren was pretty darn thorough, so I’m sure the detectives are using all her notes. She was always scribbling in that little notebook of hers. She reminded me a lot of Detective Morrison.”

  “What I’m afraid is Dan came because Connie told Officer Warren she went back to Andrea’s ranch after she left you folks. That would have made a third visit to see Andrea. And considering everything you and the others have told me about that Saturday, and all those arguments, well . . . I can’t help but worry about that third visit.”

  “You’re not alone, Mimi. I’ve worried about that, too. Apparently, no one else was there to witness what went on at that third visit. Burt said that Jim told him he left Andrea’s ranch and wasn’t aware that Connie had returned. And it sounds like Dennis was already gone as well. That’s what worries me. No one else was there.” Mimi’s worried expression deepened.

  “What has Connie told you about that third visit? You’re the only one she talks to. She barely speaks to me. I’m sure it’s because I was there to witness the first two blowouts.”

  “She hasn’t told me a thing about that last visit, Kelly,” Mimi said anxiously. “That’s another reason I’m so worried. I’ve tried talking to her about it twice, and each time she just looks away and says she doesn’t want to talk about it. Well, you can imagine how that makes me feel. When I told Burt what she said, he got that worried expression of his. He told me it makes Connie look like she’s hiding something.” Mimi started chewing the side of her lip.

  “I hate to say it, Mimi, but I agree with Burt. It does make Connie look guilty. Heck, she looks guilty whenever I even mention that Saturday. Even if I’m saying we’re all her friends and we all care about her. She still ducks her head and her face kind of screws up like she might cry, and she doesn’t even answer most times.”

  Mimi wagged her head, another sure sign of worry. “You have to wonder what else would cause that guilty-acting behavior. And as much as I hate to even think it, I have to consider the possibility that she pushed Andrea or something. If she did, it had to be in a moment of anger. Connie has a hot temper. Burt and I have seen it flare up for years. Especially if Jim paid attention to another woman.”

  “Did he do that a lot?” Kelly asked, curious.

  “Not when they were first married about fifteen years ago, but if truth be told, Jim did develop a wandering eye. Particularly these last few years. He’s tall, dark, and handsome, and Connie was very jealous and possessive of him. Unfortunately, she’s also got quite a temper. I’ve known Connie for a long time. She was one of my first employees when I had a little shop over in Old Town.”

  Just then, Burt beckoned to them from the loom room. “C’mon out to the café. I have a feeling that interview is winding up, and I think Mimi and I should go outside and talk with Connie after Detective Dan leaves.”

  “Good idea, Burt,” Kelly said, ushering Mimi in front of her as they all three headed toward the hallway and into Pete’s café. Burt beckoned them toward an empty table beside the large windows.

  “See, Dan is standing up now. So I think this is a good time to talk with Connie. In case there’s anything she wants to get off her chest.”

  Mimi took in her breath and drew back, hand to her breast. “Oh, my! Burt . . . do you really think she pushed Andrea?”

  Burt wagged his head in that way Kelly recognized as his resignation to something he didn’t like. “I wish I didn’t Mimi. I don’t know if she did or didn’t. But I think we should offer Connie a chance to tell the truth about what happened in that third visit.”

  Kelly looked through the window, watching Connie’s face. It was red as if she’d been crying. “Oh, brother. It looks like she’s been crying. I don’t know if that’s a good sign or not.

  “It all depends on what Connie has done and what she told Dan,” Burt said solemnly.

  Mimi didn’t say anything, simply patted her hand against her chest and stared anxiously out the window as they all watched the end of Connie’s police interview with Detective Dan.

  • • •

  “Hey, Jayleen,” Kelly said into her cell phone as she stepped inside her cottage. “The fire authorities said they’ve got the Bellevue Canyon fire put out at last. Is that true?”

  “Yes, Kelly-girl, firefighters have beaten down all the hot spots there, so, finally, we have no large outbreaks in our canyon. At last. Wildfire is only burning to the northwest in those remote forested areas.”

  Kelly felt a wave of relief wash over her as she dropped her briefcase bag on her desk chair in the corner. She sank into the comfy cushioned armchair, kicked off her shoes, and stretched out her legs to relax. “Oh, thank goodness. Steve and I have been watching the fire authority meetings on television every night. Thanks to all those firefighters, we made a lot of progress . . . until yesterday.” She sighed loudly. “It shocked me to hear how fast that Glacier View fire moved. With the national commandant now moved to Colorado Springs, there’s a whole different bunch of fire guys talking on TV. So I wanted to make sure I got the straight word from you.”

  “Well, Curt and I have been going out and talking to people every day, trying to get the straight word, as you call it. Some of them get to talk to the firefighters themselves when they’re delivering supplies. One guy said he heard a fireman say the wildfire rolled over that upper ridge of Glacier View like a huge ball of flames. It ate up that newest development of houses in one fiery gulp.”

  Kelly pictured some of those homes and their pretty views and closed her eyes at the image of flames consuming that entire area.

  “Curt covers Landport, and I go into Loveland and Fort Connor and over to the Ranch where the other evacuee shelter is.”

  “What else have you heard?”

  “Well, containment dropped back to 45 percent because of that Glacier View outbreak. They expect hot, windy conditions to continue for a while, so priorities are containing hot spots and the unburned areas within the fire’s interior.”

  Kelly sipped iced coffee from her mug, trying to cool off. In the late afternoon, the cottage was hot, even though the ceiling fans were moving, stirring the hot air. She wouldn’t have braved being here now if she didn’t have to go through some of her file folders in the desk drawers. “Well, that makes sense.” A clanging bell sounded from Jayleen’s end.

  “Hold on, Kelly. A text just came in from Curt.”

  Kelly laughed. “That’s the loudest text alert I’ve ever heard.”

  “That’s so I’ll hear it.” Jayleen paused. “A wildfire broke out in Estes Park.”

  “Oh, no! Is it around the town, or did it go i
nto Rocky Mountain National Park?”

  “No, it’s small and on the other side of town. They’ve jumped on it right away, so they should be able to contain it.”

  “Have fire authorities told you when you folks can return to Bellevue Canyon?”

  “No, not yet. We’re expecting to hear something this evening. Maybe.”

  “Okay, I’ll keep my fingers crossed, Jayleen, that you guys can return to the canyon soon. And that your place is not on the fire authorities’ list.”

  “We’ve been keeping track of everything we hear about. Burt has a big map of Bellevue Canyon, and we’re putting black marks on places we hear rumored to have been lost. Keeping track. So far, there’s no black mark right on my ranch, but there’re others pretty close. We heard one rumor that there may be damage to the property but the ranch house is still standing. I can live with property damage. I’m praying those rumors are right.”

  “Well, I need some good news. So I’m going to take Curt’s advice and picture your ranch house still standing.”

  Jayleen laughed softly. “Bless your heart, Kelly.”

  A thought darted into Kelly’s mind. “By the way, you said you’ve been going over to the Ranch evacuee shelter. Have you seen Jim Carson? He told Burt he was helping out over there in the Salvation Army kitchens at the Ranch. Serving food, I think.”

  “No, I haven’t bumped into Jim yet, but Curt has. Over at the Red Cross shelter. He looked like he was helping over there, too. He must have taken vacation or something to be working so much. Curt didn’t get to talk to him at all because they were so busy, so he just waved. Seems he’s grown a beard.”

  “That’s what Burt said. He finally got a chance to talk with Jim the other day for a few minutes. And Jim told Burt that he and Andrea had an argument that Saturday after we all left. Dennis had left, too.”

  “You know, I saw Burt over at the Ranch yesterday, and he told me all about it. Sakes alive. I figure those two just weren’t thinking straight after all that wildfire chaos. What with Connie coming up and acting like a jackass at my place and driving up to Andrea’s to carry on again. Lord a-mighty! Then for Andrea and Jim to go have a blowup . . . and Jim goes storming off. Can you believe that?”

  “I agree, Jayleen. It had to be all that wildfire chaos and confusion. Nobody who had a place in either of those canyons could think straight. Everyone was just trying to save themselves and their animals.”

  “I’m sure that’s why Andrea fell down those steps. Poor girl. She was probably trying to carry things outside or for the animals. Who knows? But I’ll bet my bottom dollar she was moving too fast and tripped.”

  “And it must have been dusk by then, so twilight makes things look different. Harder to see sometimes.”

  “How’s Connie doing? Burt told me she’s still not acting normal. Still not talking much. Which is certainly not like Connie.”

  “She’s still the same, and maybe getting worse. She’s refused to talk to Mimi about her third visit alone with Andrea up in the canyon. And today, the detective came to question her. And I tell you, Jayleen, Connie did not look good afterward. Her face was red, like she’d been crying. But she still refuses to talk to any of us, not even Mimi. Burt hates to admit it, but it seems like she’s hiding something. And that makes us all feel terrible. Like she really did push Andrea or something. No one will ever know unless she talks.”

  “Lord have mercy,” Jayleen said, shaking her head sadly. She said nothing else.

  Kelly didn’t either. She had nothing left to say. Connie’s behavior spoke loudly.

  Sixteen

  Monday, June 25

  Kelly tabbed through the columns of one of the files on Arthur Housemann’s commercial rental properties, entering revenues received and expenses incurred that month. Comfortably settled in her favorite spot in Pete’s café beside a large window looking out at the gardens and toward the mountains, it was easy to zone out all the café noise around her—even the sound of her name being called. Suddenly, she looked up from the laptop screen.

  “Hey, Kelly,” Burt said as he walked over to her table.

  “Hi, Burt. I didn’t hear you at first. Zoned out with the accounts. Numbers can do that to you.”

  “Well, I’m glad you enjoy it. Numbers can scare me sometimes when I’m doing accounts.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Do you have a minute? I wanted to share a conversation with you, but we need more privacy. This morning the temps aren’t as high as they have been, so it’s actually not bad outside in the shade. Why don’t we go find a table?”

  “Sure, Burt. I’m on top of these accounts, so no problem.” Kelly saved and closed out the spreadsheet, and shut down her laptop. “Save my spot, Julie. I’ll be right back,” she called over her shoulder as she followed Burt toward the café’s front door.

  “See, it’s not bad,” he said as they went down the steps into the gardens. “And my favorite shady table is still free.”

  He headed to a round table beneath the oldest and tallest cottonwood tree in the garden. Its branches shaded most of the patio tables and diners. Situated inside but beside the beige stucco wall that surrounded half of the garden area, Kelly often remembered that old cottonwood shading Aunt Helen, Uncle Jim, her father, and her during hot summers when they would get together for a supper outside. Kelly’s childhood memories would pop up occasionally with a scene.

  “This is one of my favorite spots, too,” Kelly said as she settled into a chair across the table from him “I’m curious, Burt. Yesterday you said Connie didn’t want to talk at all after the detective’s visit. So I’m guessing you had a conversation with your old partner Dan at the department.”

  Burt smiled. “Right, you are, Sherlock. I left Dan a message yesterday after I’d tried to talk with Connie and she went mute like usual. I wanted to find out what Dan thought after his interview with her Saturday. Dan called this morning and said that Connie has definitely raised some suspicions in the department because of those angry episodes with Andrea earlier that Saturday, which all of the witnesses said were very threatening.”

  Kelly sighed. “I was afraid of that, Burt. And I know you were, too. Plus, Connie confronted Andrea a third time.”

  “Exactly. And after that, Dennis Holt found Andrea dead. It definitely raised their suspicions.”

  “Did Dan reveal what Connie told him about that third visit?”

  Burt was about to answer when Jennifer walked up with two mugs of coffee. “It looked positively weird to see you two sitting and talking without coffee in hand. I figured I’d remedy the situation or the Earth would shift alignment or something.” She set the glasses in front of them.

  “You’re clairvoyant, Jen,” Kelly said, grinning up at her friend. “But I didn’t feel the Earth move, so I think we’re safe.”

  “Before I forget, Jennifer, ask Cassie if she’d like to join Mimi, my daughter and grandkids, and me this Sunday. We’re going to help sort clothing donations for the evacuees and wondered if she’d like to help.”

  “Oh, that’s good of you guys,” Jennifer said. “I’ll ask her. I know that this Saturday, Curt and Jayleen asked if she’d like to join up with his family’s troops and help out some of the folks in the Buckhorn area who had burned land. They’re going to cut back burned bushes and start cleanup.”

  “Oh, those are both great ideas. If they need any more help, I’ll check with the gang and see who can help out with both these projects,” Kelly said.

  “Okay, I’ll talk with you two later,” Jennifer said, returning to her other customers.

  “As I was about to say, Dan asked Connie about her last visit to Andrea. Connie told him she returned because she’d calmed down and she wanted to tell Andrea that she loved her husband and ask her to please break it off with Jim. Apparently Andrea listened to her then told her to leave. She’d had enough trauma for one day.”

&nbs
p; Kelly leaned forward, engrossed. A calm Connie begging Andrea to leave her husband alone? She had a problem picturing that. “That’s a surprise. What did Connie do? Did she get angry? Did she leave?”

  Burt shrugged halfway, which Kelly recognized as one of his skeptical gestures. “Apparently, she did. Connie told Dan that she could tell Andrea wasn’t going to talk with her. So she asked Andrea to please tell Jim that she loved him. Since she didn’t see him around, she figured he’d gone. Then she said she left.”

  Kelly pondered that, trying to picture it. “Wow. I hate to admit it, but that doesn’t sound like Connie. Calmly, peacefully backing away and leaving. Tail between her legs.”

  “I hear you,” Burt agreed. “So, naturally, I asked Dan if he believed her or not. He admitted he wasn’t sure. Connie could be telling the truth. The medical examiner said he’d been able to determine that Andrea broke her neck in the fall. The ground was very rocky. So, her death was consistent with a fall under those circumstances. Most people would either die or would be severely wounded from a fall like that.”

  Kelly felt a little shiver inside. An accident like that could happen to anyone. Hurrying down steps, carrying something, perhaps. Too easy to trip.

  “Dan mentioned that the medical examiner also said she landed on her back. He could tell from the injuries and tissue damage, indicating she fell backwards. He added that often when people trip and fall from steep steps they fall forward and hit the ground face down.” Burt stared off into the garden.

  Kelly peered at Burt. “There’s something about that medical examiner’s statement that bothers you, I can tell.”

  Burt caught her gaze and smiled. “You know me too well, Kelly. Yes, something does bother me because it bothers Dan. He said there was nothing else on the ground around Andrea’s body. No boxes, no packages, no items of any kind. Dan said he found that curious. Usually, if someone trips on steps like that, it’s because they’re carrying something in their hands and they’re not as careful. But Andrea clearly wasn’t carrying anything or it would have been on the ground, too. Plus, Andrea had lived there for years. She rode horses and herded alpacas, so she was not a clumsy person. Dan said it made him curious. And anything that makes Dan curious makes me curious.”