Knit Fast, Die Young

by Mary Kruger

  “What happens next?” Ari asked.

  “We need to do more questioning and investigating,” Briggs said, coming forward.

  “You can’t keep us beyond tomorrow,” Beth said defiantly. “My lawyer told me that.”

  He nodded. “That’s true. But we’ll be talking with you all again before you go.”

  “We don’t have anything more to tell you,” Lauren said.

  “Mm. You might have seen something without realizing its importance,” said Briggs.

  “I doubt it,” she muttered.

  “We’ll see you all again tomorrow morning,” Charlie said.

  “Where?” Ari asked. “At the police station?”

  Charlie shook his head. “Not enough room for all of you,” he said. “The motel’s going to let us use their conference rooms.”

  Nancy glanced across the barn. “Will it be okay if I leave my fleeces here?” she asked.

  “Are you sure you want to do that, Nancy?” Charlie asked.

  “I just don’t want to lug them home. I’m tired.”

  “They’re a big investment for you.”

  “I know. That’s why I want to know if they’ll be safe here for tonight.”

  Charlie and Briggs looked at each other. “I can’t guarantee it, but we’ll have police stationed here. They should be safe,” Charlie said.

  “Good.” She yawned. “I really didn’t have anything to do with this. Do I really have to go tomorrow?”

  “You’re a suspect,” Briggs said crisply. “Anyone who is missing will be in serious trouble.” He waited, but no one said anything. “Good. Nine o’clock sharp tomorrow morning.” With that he turned and walked out of the barn, Charlie behind him. Only Josh paused, his eyes locked with Ari’s. Then he, too, left.

  “Joe is going to be ticked,” Diane said, getting up.

  “Like we’re not?” Beth shot back.

  “I hope Winston’s okay,” Debbie said. She hadn’t moved, though nearly everyone had gone to their original tables to pack up.

  “I’m sure he’s all right,” Ari said. “There are some good bed-and-breakfasts in the area.”

  “He’ll need me to stay with him.”

  Ari touched her hand. “I’m sorry.”

  Debbie nodded. “Thank you,” she said, and pulled back. “I’ll call him at the bed-and-breakfast once we’re at the motel.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear from you,” Ari said, and at last walked over to her table to pack up her belongings.

  “Joe will be ticked,” Diane repeated in a low voice. “That cop of yours…”

  “It was the chief and the state cop, and you know it.” Ari tiredly brushed at a strand of hair. “I just want to go home and get warm.”

  “I do, too,” Diane said after a minute. “I’m going to bring my car over to the door.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Together they walked to the door. This wasn’t over, Ari thought. Not by a long shot.

  Chapter 11

  The light lasted longer now at the end of April, but the late afternoon was unrelentingly gloomy when Ariadne reached her shop. The light shining through the large plate-glass window beckoned to her as, holding her hood to keep it from being blown off by the wind, she dashed inside the building. Ariadne’s Web was an oasis of calm and light and color, and for the first time that day Ari felt herself relaxing.

  “Ari! I didn’t think we’d see you here today.”

  “Yes, they finally let us go, Laura,” she said to her aunt standing behind the counter. “How has it been?”

  “Busier than I expected. Take a look.”

  Ari gazed around the shop and smiled. Nubby or smooth, thick or thin, pastel hued or jewel toned, yarn was everywhere. It was stacked in diamond-shaped bins and piled on low shelves beneath the windows; it spilled over from large wicker baskets on the floor. Knitted goods of all kinds, sweaters and shawls and hats, were displayed in the front window and on the tops of the counters running down the middle of the shop. Near the sales counter were racks of knitting needles and other notions. A rocking chair with another basket of yarn beside it was nestled in a corner. The shop was homey and bright and comfortable, a balm to Ari’s soul.

  “You sold a lot,” she commented as she walked through the shop. “Hi, Summer.” Ari smiled at the young woman who knelt on the floor, straightening the bins on the side wall.

  “A lot of the lighter wool went today,” Laura said. “No one wanted cottons yet. Ruth Taylor was in, too, for baby yarn.”

  Ari looked out from the back room, where she had gone to hang her coat. “Don’t tell me. Another grandchild?”

  “Yes. She wants to make an afghan. I convinced her to buy Peruvian wool for it.”

  “However did you do that?” Ari asked. Though an avid knitter, Ruth was stingy, and the yarn she’d chosen was not cheap.

  “It’s her daughter Carol’s first one. I told her a first baby deserves something special. And how was the festival, dear?”

  Ari, standing with her elbows on the sales counter, gave her aunt a look. “You know quite well how it was.”

  Laura laid a hand on her arm. “I know. How are you?”

  “Hanging in, I guess. It wasn’t a lot of fun.” She shuddered at the memory of Felicia sagging against her. “Have people been talking about it?”

  “Of course they have, dear. We heard that you stumbled over the body.”

  “Not quite,” Ari said, and went on to relate what had happened. In a town of this size, rumor, accurate or not, spread faster than light. Too many local people, participant or customers, had been at the festival for the story to be contained. That meant she’d be the center of attention again.

  “How did Ted take it?” Laura asked when she finished.

  “About how you’d expect.”

  “Oh dear. That bad?”

  “He was ready to ride to my rescue and tear every cop apart if he had to.”

  Laura smiled. “He still cares about you, Ari.”

  “I know,” she said gloomily. That fact had made their divorce that much harder. If he did care about her, why hadn’t he shown it when they were married? “Thank God he has Megan this weekend. At least she’s away from it.”

  “I hope he didn’t tell her anything.”

  “He has more sense than that.” Ari stretched, and turned to look at the clock at the back wall. Usually on a Saturday she stayed late, doing miscellaneous paperwork, making notes on orders for the next week, and tidying up. Today all she wanted was to get home, pour herself a glass of wine, and sink into a hot bath.

  “I’m heading home,” she said. “Can you handle closing?”

  “Of course I can, dear. You need rest.”

  “That’s for certain.” Ari walked to the back room for her coat and then came back out. “Thanks. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Call me if the police come after you.”

  “I will,” Ari said, and went out.

  To her surprise the rain had let up into a drizzle. A patch of sky glowed in the west with an orange sunset underneath lowering clouds. The storm was passing over at last. What would have happened if there’d been no rain today? Would Felicia have been killed? It was something to ponder, and yet, as Ari headed home, she pushed it from her mind. She’d had enough of murder for one day.

  The long spring twilight was fading into darkness. At the Welcome Inn, where the participants of the festival were staying, state and local police were stationed in the corridors and in the parking lot outside. The suspects were in their rooms, recovering from the rigors of the day. At least, most of them were.

  Quietly, Beth Marley, toting behind her a small wheeled suitcase, slipped out of her room. Earlier she’d been annoyed at being given a room at the end of the corridor, making her walk farther than the others, but now she was glad of it. The state trooper standing at the intersection of the motel’s two wings, near the elevators, was at the moment looking the other way. Someone on the other corridor had open
ed a door and put an empty tray outside, catching his attention. Taking advantage of his distraction, Beth opened the fire door near her, closed it softly, and made her escape.

  Chief Mason, sitting in his unmarked car in the parking lot below, stretched and then reached for the cardboard cup of coffee from his cup holder. It had gone cold, and the doughnut he’d bought to go with it was long since eaten.

  Damn, this wasn’t how he’d planned to spend his Saturday night. He’d made reservations at the Harrison House for a date with Eileen, hoping that the romantic setting would finally make an impact on her. Though he’d been seeing Ari’s mother for a few months, he’d yet to make any headway with her. She remembered him too well as the class clown from their days at Freeport High, and as a result she sometimes treated him as an erring student rather than a grown man. Charlie could be patient when he needed to be, and he knew that the death of Eileen’s husband at sea while fishing had hit her hard. They’d married relatively late in life, and by all accounts their marriage had been good. But that was years ago. It was time for her to start living again, he thought, and maybe a class clown was just what she needed.

  A movement at the far end of the parking lot caught his attention. He squinted, trying to make out who it was. Age was catching up with him. Lately he’d started wearing bifocals. He didn’t recognize the car, but that wasn’t surprising. Other people were staying at the motel, after all, including some who made it a temporary residence. It wasn’t until the car passed him that he noticed the out-of-state plates and the telltale pink beret. What the hell was Beth Marley doing out, and how the hell had the trooper stationed on her floor missed her escape?

  Putting his car in gear, he reached for his radio and called for backup. Beth was heading for the connector to Route 195, which hooked up with Route 95 in Providence. From there she could head to New York, or anywhere else she wanted. “Suspect on the move,” he said tersely into his radio, and took off.

  For someone unfamiliar with the area, Beth drove surprisingly fast, and was nearly at the ramp to the highway when a Freeport cruiser caught up with her, lights flashing and siren blaring. At first it seemed she might make a run for it, but the long, curving ramp defeated her. With a jerk, she pulled her car to the side of the road and opened her door, making a car behind her swerve, its driver honking his horn angrily. Charlie pulled up alongside the cruiser and stepped out of his vehicle. Other cars abruptly slowed at the sight of the police cars.

  Beth stood by the side of her car, fists balled on her hips and her chin stuck out. “What?” she demanded. “Why are you chasing me?”

  Charlie ambled over to her. “Going somewhere, Mrs. Marley?”

  “I need some things,” she said, glaring up at him.

  “Such as?”

  “Things. You wouldn’t understand.”

  By now the state trooper had left his car, too, and was standing at Beth’s rear bumper. “I thought you already had a reservation at the motel,” said Charlie. “Didn’t you bring a suitcase?”

  “I wasn’t prepared.”

  “Oh? I thought the motel sent up any toiletries people needed.”

  “Women’s things, okay?” she snapped.

  “Ah. I’m sure they have those, too.”

  “I use a certain brand.”

  “But the stores are that way,” Charlie said, pointing back to where they’d come from. “You’re going in the wrong direction.”

  “Oh. Am I?” she said, suddenly flustered. “I didn’t realize. Thank you for telling me.”

  Charlie didn’t trust her meekness any more than he had her belligerence. “You have to go back to the motel. We’ll give you an escort.”

  “I can find the way, thank you,” she snapped as she opened her car door.

  “Regardless, we’re gong to be accompanying you. Carney, would you lead the way?”

  “Yes sir,” the trooper said, and got back into his car.

  “I’ll be behind you,” Charlie said, as the trooper pulled up in front of Beth’s car.

  “This is so unnecessary,” she muttered as she started her engine.

  “Wouldn’t want you to get lost, now would we? We’ll see you back at the motel.” He waited until the trooper had started off, with Beth behind him, before returning to his car. Slowly the small procession returned to the motel. Charlie took Beth’s arm as she got out, personally escorting her inside. For once, she didn’t protest, but he could feel her anger and tension as he led her back to her room.

  He took out his phone and paged Josh. “I’ll have a word with you later, Mackie,” he said to the trooper who still stood guard on Beth’s floor, and walked out. It was high time they found out more about Beth Marley.

  Home was a haven. Freshly showered, wearing her old fleece robe and suede moccasins, Ari settled in front of the television in her living room with her dinner on the coffee table before her. It wasn’t much, just frozen lasagna tossed into the microwave, but the wine she’d chosen was good and there was a figure-skating competition on later. For the moment, life was fine.

  She had just finished her meal and was using the remote to flick through the channels when the phone rang. It was an unpleasant jolt. “Go away,” she muttered, and reached for the receiver. “Hello?”

  “Good, you’re home.”

  Ari blinked. It was Ted’s voice, but without his usual belligerence. Of course. Megan was with him. “Yes, I just got in. Everything’s all right,” she added quickly, before he could start up.

  “You’re saying it’s all settled?”

  “No. Is Megan there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let me talk to her.”

  “In a minute. What happened?”

  Ari sighed. “They don’t know who the murderer is. They sent the out-of-town people to a motel, and the rest of us home.”

  “That was stupid. Someone will take off. You wait.”

  “Maybe.” She rested her forehead against the wall. “I’m okay, Ted. They don’t think I did it.” At least she didn’t think so.

  “They’d better not. They—”

  “Is Megan there?” she interrupted, before he could go into another tirade.

  “Yeah. You’re sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes, Ted. Please put Megan on.”

  He said something she didn’t catch, and then she heard Megan’s excited voice. “Mommy?”

  “Hi, honey,” Ari said, smiling as she always did when she talked with her daughter. “How was your day?”

  “Oh, super, Mommy. Daddy took me to Providence Place and we went to the Omni. It was cool.”

  “I’ll bet,” Ari said, amused and touched at the image that conjured up. It wasn’t just the thought of Ted at an upscale shopping mall, but the idea that he’d taken Megan to see a movie on an enormous screen in spite of his occasional vertigo. “What else did you do?”

  Megan chattered on happily, talking about all the shopping they’d done. For some reason she adored home goods stores, and had apparently dragged Ted through Restoration Hardware and Crate & Barrel. Fortunately Megan was still young enough that it didn’t occur to her that her mother had a life. Ari was grateful not to have to field any awkward questions.

  Eventually Megan wound down. Ted was going to make popcorn and had promised to play a board game with her. Ari hung up at last, wishing she could be there with Megan, and yet relieved to be alone after the events of the day. After bringing out some crackers and cheese, she poured herself another glass of wine and sat back. She was watching figure skating when the doorbell rang, startling her. Annoyed at the second interruption, she went to the door. “Who is it?”

  “It’s me, Josh.”

  “Josh?” She undid the locks and opened the door, wondering why he so often showed up when she looked her worst. “What are you doing here?”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Of course, but what about them?” She gestured toward the patrol car driving by slowly past her house.

  “Oh, don’t wor
ry about them,” Josh said.

  “Okay.” She stepped back from the door, but not before seeing a curtain twitch in the window of the house across the street. Mrs. Dean was keeping vigil, as usual. By tomorrow everyone would know about Josh’s visit. “Come in, sit down.”

  “Thanks. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

  “No, why?”

  “You don’t have any company?”

  “Oh, you mean the wine and cheese? When Megan’s not here I treat myself. Would you like a glass, or are you working?”

  “No, I’m on a break. If you have any beer I’ll take it.”

  “Of course.” A few minutes later she came back from the kitchen with a bottle of Sam Adams Pale Ale and a glass. To her surprise, Josh was staring intently at the screen. “Here you are.”

  “Thanks.” Josh took a long pull from the bottle. “Are these the World Championships?”

  “No, Worlds are in March. Do you like figure skating?”

  “My mother does. Sometimes I watch it with her. You can keep it on,” he added as she reached for the remote.

  “No, it’s okay. I’m taping it.” How many men would do that with their mothers, let alone admit to it? Josh, she thought, was a nice man.

  The silence that fell between them was companionable, and yet filled with unspoken words. Ari put her feet up on the coffee table, crossing her legs at the ankle. “Go ahead,” she said to Josh. “It’s an old table. I really should get something new.”

  “Are you ever going to do anything with this place?” he asked as he put his feet up. The living room was a symphony of beige and tan, in stark contrast to the colorful yarn shop.

  “Someday. I never seem to get around to it. Anyway, right now it’s good to have furniture that Megan can knock around and not be worried about it. Although she’s getting into decorating,” she said, and told him about Ted’s ordeal of the afternoon.

  “He’s a good father,” Josh said when she’d finished.

  “Yes, he is.”

  He turned to look at her. “How did you two ever get together anyway? You seem so different.”