Knit Fast, Die Young

by Mary Kruger

  Josh grinned at her. “Good choice of words.”

  “Josh, could she have done it?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “I think she has it in her, and I think she would do it in a sneaky way.”

  “Mm.” Beth had struck Josh that way, too. He wasn’t about to tell Ari, though, that the crime seemed to be one of opportunity. “Is she being very friendly to the others?”

  “No. She’s saying snarky things whenever she has the chance, particularly to Debbie. There’s no love lost between them,” she said. “Turn left here.”

  Josh turned onto a side street that led toward Freeport’s waterfront. “What about Debbie?”

  “She’s pretty much ignoring Beth, although she’s said a few things back. Josh, she mostly acted…weird.”

  “Who, Debbie?”

  “Yes. Like she was crazy. Manic. It was as if she was happy that Felicia was dead.” She was quiet for a moment. “Except that she fell apart when Winston arrived.”

  “Mm.”

  “Could it have been an act?”

  “Which part? The craziness or the collapse?”

  “The collapse. It didn’t seem fake, but…” She trailed off. “Josh, does she have a motive?”

  “How did she strike you apart from that?” he said, not answering her. “Was she upset about Felicia?”

  “She seemed mostly excited about running the magazine.”

  “Yes, that’s a possible motive,” he conceded. And it was odd that Debbie had been so open about it with the other women. He wondered what she loved more, the magazine or Felicia. “Tell me about these people.”

  “What people?” Ari asked, sounding surprised.

  “These magazine people. What are they doing here?”

  “I’ve been wondering that myself,” she said. “They said they came to the festival to write about it, but why? It’s not that big or important.”

  “Is there anything about it that makes it stand out?”

  “Well, it is one of the oldest in the country, and one of the longest running, too. Continuously, I mean. So I guess that makes it interesting. Still.” She frowned. “I can see why Beth would be here. Her magazine sent her to do an article. It even explains why Debbie is here. But Felicia?” She frowned. “Why would the owner of a successful magazine come to our small festival?”

  “That’s something we’re wondering ourselves. What about the other people?”

  “I’ll find out soon enough. Well, you know Diane, of course. You know she didn’t do it. And Rosalia and Nancy didn’t have anything to do with Felicia.”

  “That we know of.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “It’s early yet. Is that the Edgewater?”

  Ari glanced where he pointed, at a stone and shingled house. It was old and sprawling, set back from the street with a broad lawn in front. Rhododendron bushes stood to either side of the front steps like sentinels, and sodden daffodils drooped in the narrow flower beds that edged the house. Across the street from it was a seawall, and beyond that the harbor, which gave the house its name. “Yes. It’s supposed to be very nice.”

  Josh nodded, and turned the car into the small parking area across from it, facing toward the rough gray water. “Let’s sit here a minute.”

  Ari sighed. “Let me guess. You’re not going to let me go in with you, are you?”

  “No.” He unbuckled his seat belt and turned toward her. “Ari, what I really need is any information you can give me about the people in that barn.”

  “I really don’t know anything about them, Josh.” She spread her hands. “They all seem nice. When I was wet this morning, Lauren—Lauren Dubrowski—put one of her afghans around me. She didn’t have to do that.”

  “And?” he said, when she didn’t go on.

  “Well. Do you know that she lost a job because of Felicia? Or at least she thinks she did.”

  “Yeah, we know. How did she react to that?”

  “I think she’s still mad about it, Josh, though she seems to have a better job now.”

  “So she was mad at Felicia,” he said thoughtfully. “Just about the job?”

  “Yes. What else is there?” She studied him. “What is it you’re not telling me?”

  “Nothing. So.” He held up his fingers and began counting off. “Diane, Rosalia, Nancy, Beth Marley, Debbie Patrino—who am I missing?”

  “Me.”

  He shook his head. “Not you. Oh, yeah. Annie Walker.”

  Ari frowned. “I don’t know anything about her, Josh.”

  “Didn’t you talk to her?”

  “Yes, a little, but she’s pretty much kept to herself.”

  “Why?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. She was pleasant enough this morning, but this afternoon she’s not talking to anyone. I did notice her do something strange, though.”

  “What?”

  “When Winston came in, she was glaring at Debbie, like she was really angry.”

  “Did she know Debbie before?”

  “She could have. She says she remembers me from New York.”

  Josh stopped in the act of reaching for the door handle. There was something he had to ask, and he didn’t want to. “Ari, how well did you know Felicia?”

  She looked at him in surprise. “Not well. Why?”

  “How long did you live in New York?”

  “I don’t think I like where this is going,” she said, her eyes narrowed.

  “You were there…a year? two years?”

  “Not quite a year. And, yes, I did know her. You know that already.”

  “Mm-hm. Did she give you a hard time, too?”

  “She gave everybody a hard time, Josh.”

  “Hard enough to chase you away?”

  “What?” She stared at him. “What do you mean?”

  “Is she why you left New York?”

  “Felicia? No, of course not. She never did anything to me.”

  “No?”

  “What is this, Josh? You know I didn’t kill her. What reason would I have?”

  He stared forward, through the rain streaming down the windshield at the storm-tossed water. He had to ask these questions. Of course he knew Ari hadn’t killed Felicia. She didn’t have a reason—at least not one that he knew of. But he did wonder why she’d left New York, and if Felicia had anything to do with it. “Did you ever have any of your designs reviewed in her magazine?”

  “No, I knew her only through Knitting Guild meetings. I didn’t like her—oh, all right, I was scared of her just like everyone else.”

  “Yet you weren’t afraid of her today,” he pointed out.

  “No, because I’ve changed a lot since then. I’ve been through more, and she has—had—no power over me.” She huffed out her breath. “Josh, I was not about to let some la-di-da New Yorker come into my town and look down on me.”

  He nodded. “Why did you leave, though?” he asked, more for himself now than for the investigation. “I thought you were successful.”

  “Not very.” She was looking out her window. “I had that one piece in Vogue Knitting and I did sell a few designs freelance, but companies weren’t exactly knocking down my door. It’s expensive to live in New York, Josh, even with roommates.”

  “Did Felicia have anything to do with it?”

  “What, with my failure? Not that I know of. It’s just a very hard business to succeed in. I gave it a shot, and then I came home. Felicia was right about that,” she added. “This morning she said I ran away, and I did.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “What haven’t you told me?”

  “Nothing,” Ari insisted.

  “I don’t mean about Felicia.”

  Ari crossed her arms over her chest. “Nothing that has anything to do with Felicia.” Her gaze bored into him. “Why do you care, anyway?”

  God knows, he thought, and reached for the door handle. He believed Ari. She had no reason to lie about her experiences in New Yor
k. Yet he felt she was holding something back. “I’ve got to go talk to Barr,” he said.

  “Is it really that important that you had to come here rather than talk on the phone?”

  “Yes,” he said, and got out, shutting the door quickly behind him. He battled the storm, worse here with the wind whipping across the water, and climbed the steps to the Edgewater’s porch. A few moments later he was shown into the sunroom. Large windows curtained by sheer lace draperies looked over the same scene he’d studied earlier. He could see his car, with Ari an indistinct figure inside it. He hadn’t really learned anything concrete from her, and yet she had given him a bit more insight into the suspects. Beth was surly, Debbie a little strange, the locals seemed uninvolved, Lauren Dubrowski had reason to dislike Felicia, and Annie Walker didn’t want to get involved. He didn’t blame her for that.

  Winston was seated in a white wicker chair facing the windows. He still wore his beret, though he’d shed his overcoat to reveal a well-cut suit of navy worsted. He looked shrunken somehow, and paler, but his face was resolute.

  “Mr. Barr,” Josh said, pulling another chair closer. It had a brightly colored cushion that was probably cheerful in the right weather. “How are you?”

  Winston nodded. “This is a comfortable place.”

  “Good.” Josh was a bit surprised at his own attitude. Usually he wasn’t so gentle with witnesses, even those who had recently suffered a bereavement. “You said you had something to tell us,” he said, getting right to the point.

  “Yes. I think I may have seen Felicia’s daughter.”

  “When?”

  “One day when I was returning from work. My driver had pulled up in front of our building. Felicia was just under the canopy, talking with a young woman.”

  “Could you see her face?”

  “No, she had her back turned to me,” he said regretfully. “I had the impression she was angry. Certainly Felicia looked upset.”

  “Why would you think she was Felicia’s daughter? Didn’t anyone from the magazine ever come to your apartment?”

  “Rarely, though sometimes we got calls from unhappy designers or vendors. We’re very careful to screen our calls. It’s difficult when someone is in the position Felicia was.”

  Josh nodded. “Could you describe the girl?”

  Winston spread his hands. “I didn’t see her well. I’d say she was of average height.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Five six or thereabouts. She was a bit taller than Felicia.”

  “Mm-hm. Thin or heavy?”

  “It was hard to tell. She was wearing a bulky coat, but she didn’t seem overweight. It was winter.”

  “And her hair?”

  Winston shook his head. “She had a hat pulled down, so I couldn’t see it. A knitted hat, of course,” he added.

  “Did she see you?”

  “No, but Felicia did, when I got out of the car. She said something, and she looked angry. The girl pulled back, and then she turned.”

  Josh leaned forward. “Could you see her face?”

  Winston shook his head regretfully. “No. She was to my side when I got out of the car, and that’s the way she turned. Her back was still to me. But I’d remember her walk,” he went on. “Very strong, very determined. Of course, she might just have been trying to get away from me.”

  “Why?”

  He shook his head. “I assume because she didn’t think I knew about her.”

  “What did Felicia have to say?”

  Winston shook his head. “That it was something to do with the magazine. But she was upset all evening. I didn’t believe her. No,” he added softly, “I didn’t believe her.”

  Josh bent forward, forearms resting on his thighs. “Mr. Barr, how certain are you that this was Felicia’s daughter?”

  “Nearly positive, Detective. You see, she walked the way Felicia does, and there was something about the set of her shoulders.”

  “I see.” Josh leaned back. “Would you recognize this girl if you saw her again?”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps if I saw her walk.” He rested his head on the back of the chair, his color worse than ever. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to excuse me. I’m rather tired.”

  Josh looked at him closely, and then nodded. “I won’t take any more of your time, sir,” he said, getting up. He’d get no more from Winston Barr today. “But I’d like to set something up for you to look at some people.”

  Winston’s look was keen. “The remaining suspects?”

  “Yes sir.

  He nodded. “I’ll do whatever I have to. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

  Josh reached out a hand to help the other man to his feet, and then withdrew it in the face of Winston’s innate dignity. He was handling a difficult situation with a great deal of grace. “I’ll be talking to you,” Josh said, and went out.

  Ari was sitting with her arms still crossed when Josh got back into the car. “Anything?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Not that I can talk about,” he said, starting the engine.

  She looked at him curiously. “Now you’re holding out on me.”

  “I have to. Damn, I hate going back to that place.”

  “So do I.” She sighed and brushed back a strand of her hair. “Josh, when are you going to let us go?”

  “Soon, I hope,” he said, and lapsed into silence as he considered what he’d learned from Winston. He was relieved that Ari was quiet as well. He was tired. They were all tired. Unfortunately his work wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.

  Back at the Yarn Festival, Josh escorted Ari to Barn B and then returned to sit with Charlie and Detective Briggs. He told them in as much detail as he could what he’d learned from Winston. When he was done there was silence. “He knows something,” Briggs finally said. “You should have brought him back.”

  Josh shook his head. “He wouldn’t have been able to tell us anything tonight. He was practically asleep on his feet.”

  “We still have tomorrow,” Charlie said. “We’ll set something up for the morning, while everyone’s still here.”

  “Where’d we find for the out-of-towners to stay tonight?” Briggs asked.

  “The Welcome Inn. They already had reservations.”

  “The motel near the highway?”

  “Yeah. We’ll have people there watching them, of course, and patrol cars driving by the local people’s houses at regular intervals.”

  Briggs rubbed at his chin. “All right,” he said finally. “I guess I see your point. We’ll let them go for tonight, as long as the out-of-towners go straight to the motel and not to New York.”

  “I’ll station a car at the motel to make sure everyone gets there.”

  Briggs nodded. “We’ll give backup. All right. Let’s go tell them they can go.”

  Ari was tired. It had been a long and traumatic day, and being stuck in this barn didn’t help. Nor had that brief, strange trip with Josh, which she kept to herself. As far as anyone else was concerned, she’d simply had to answer more questions. Now she sat slumped on her metal chair with the other suspects. She was cold, hungry, a bit wet about the edges, and very bored. “I wonder if they’re ever going to let us go.”

  “Nah.” Diane stopped spinning and stretched out, her arms folded across her chest. “They’re going to keep us here until one of us breaks.”

  “They can’t hold us that long, can they?” Nancy asked.

  “No, I don’t think more than twenty-four hours. That means tomorrow morning.” Ari looked around at the group. Debbie was sitting a little apart, arms crossed on her chest and staring ahead. She hadn’t said a word since her return to Barn B. “Was anyone planning on going home tonight?”

  “No, I was going to stay anyway,” Lauren said. “It’s too long a ride back to New York for me.”

  “Me too,” Annie put in.

  “I just want to go home, get something to eat, and get dry,” Nancy said.

  “Did you get any good picture
s?” Diane asked.

  Nancy looked down at the bench beside her, where her digital camera sat. With its large lens and sturdy body, it was a cut above the average digital camera. “Yes, I think so. I think they’re okay.”

  “I’m sure they’re better than that,” Ari said. “The pictures you took for my patterns are terrific.”

  “Thank you.” Nancy picked up the camera and flicked a switch. “Today’s pictures are mostly of the Sheep to Shawl competition. My sister’s team would have won.”

  “Are you going to sell them to the Clarion?” she asked, referring to the small local newspaper.

  “Probably. Let me see what I’ve got.”

  “Is that you shearing the sheep?” Lauren asked. She was looking over Nancy’s shoulder at the camera’s screen.

  “No, that’s my sister. She was in Barn D all day, lucky thing,” she said, flicking the switch again. “These are the ones I took in here. Here’s one of you, Ari.”

  Ari twisted to look at the screen, and then turned back toward the door as someone spoke. “Folks, can I have your attention please?” Charlie said. Josh was at his side, with Briggs slightly in back.

  “We’re calling it a day, for now. Now, wait.” He held up his hand as several people started talking at once. “That doesn’t mean you can all go home. Those of you from out of town have to stay here.”

  “I think we all have rooms, anyway,” Lauren said. “Right?”

  Several of the others nodded. “At the Welcome Inn,” Beth said. “God-awful place.”

  “Figured that. And the locals—Ari, Diane, Nancy, Rosalia—you can go on home, but we’ll have troopers driving by to check up on you throughout the night.”

  “Can’t we even get some dinner?” Lauren asked.

  “You can get something delivered to the motel.”

  Debbie was looking at him through narrowed eyes. “You want to know where we all are.”

  “Yes.”

  “You still think one of us did it.”

  Charlie paused. “Let’s say we can’t rule anyone out yet.”

  “Why? I never had contact with Felicia,” Nancy said.

  “I did, but it was positive. This isn’t fair,” Annie said.