by Mary Kruger
“But you convinced her?”
“No. She thought it was a shakedown. She agreed to meet me for lunch.”
“A shakedown?”
“A way to get my designs accepted. But I knew things about her that I shouldn’t have known, and she finally had to admit that I wasn’t lying about being her daughter. Then she said she’d publish my designs.” Annie glared at Ari. “She told me that Debbie thought they weren’t that good. And Debbie says Felicia was like a mother to her. A mother!” she spat. “She sure wasn’t a mother to me.”
“Annie, she didn’t know you,” said Ari. “If she’d had time—”
“Oh, she had time. She told me she didn’t want to see me ever again. She said that part of her life was over and that I should let it go. My own mother!”
“But you couldn’t let it go.”
“No. No. So a few weeks later, I sent her the brochure from this festival. I didn’t really think she would come. I was stunned when she did. She called and said she wanted to talk to me in person.”
“That must have felt good,” Ari said.
“Yeah, for about a minute. I saw her when she came in the barn, but she ignored me like she didn’t even see me there. Then I went out after her—no one saw me, I was stuck so far back in the barn—and I heard her tell Debbie to go to their car to get warm. She said she had mud on her coat and wanted to get it off, and she was going to go back inside.”
“So you followed her.”
“Yes. I caught up to her and said we needed to talk. Well, of course she didn’t want to go anywhere people could see us. That would mean having to explain who I was, right? So I tried the door to Barn C—it was the closest—and it was open. We went inside. And that’s when she told me…”
“What?” Ari prompted, when Annie didn’t go on.
“She didn’t want me.” Annie’s head was lowered now, and her voice was muffled. “She told me that she didn’t like to think of that part of her life—she didn’t like to think about me!—and that I’d have to accept it. But she said she’d give me money, if that was what I wanted.”
“That must have hurt.”
“Hurt? I got so angry. What did she think I was? And I’d brought the sweater I was making to show her, too. She didn’t even look at it. And after she’d said that thing about the money, she turned and began cleaning the mud off her coat like I wasn’t even there. I was so angry,” Annie repeated.
The room was hushed. No one wanted to break the spell now, or remind Annie of where she was. “I didn’t think about what I was doing,” she said. “I just wanted to hurt her, the way she hurt me. So I pulled the needle out of the sweater and I stabbed her with it. Oh God!” It was a wail. “I didn’t know it would go in so far. I never meant to kill her. But she fell and she didn’t get up. I didn’t mean to kill her, I swear.”
“She wasn’t dead then, Annie. If you’d acted, you might have saved her life,” Josh said, though they knew it wasn’t true. Annie’s aim had been more accurate than she’d realized. “You could have called for help,” he pointed out.
“I couldn’t. I couldn’t. I was so scared, I just ran out. It was raining so hard, there was no one around. And no one paid any attention to me when I got back to my table. No one ever pays any attention to me.”
“When did you realize what you’d done?”
“When I heard she was dead. There was a commotion in the barn. Oh God. But I didn’t want to get caught, I didn’t want to go to jail. I put the sweater on a stitch holder. Then, after lunch, I wrapped the other needle in the sandwich paper and threw it out.”
Charlie nodded. That much, they knew. “But someone did see you, right? Rosalia saw something.”
“She didn’t see me with Felicia. But she did see the sweater, and she commented on it when I was working on the shawl. That’s when I knew she was dangerous. Sooner or later she’d figure out the aluminum needles were mine.”
“How did you lure Rosalia to your car?”
“I said I needed help loading things. I could have done it myself, but I would have had to make a few trips. And when we got to my car and she was putting stuff in, I hit her.” She shook her head. “I didn’t mean to hit her that hard. But when I saw her like that—well, I never learned karate, but you see these moves on TV, and that’s what I did.” She rubbed the side of her hand. “It hurt.”
“What did you do, Annie? Put her into your car?”
“Yes. I covered her with my things and drove out. Well, what else could I do? Oh God.” She covered her face with her hands. “I never meant to do any of it.”
“But you did,” Briggs said, and in contrast to the earlier gentle tone of the interrogation, his voice was harsh. Looking at him, Ari realized he was very angry, though his face was still. It was in his eyes. “You could have gotten help for Rosalia after you hit her.”
“But then she would have told what she knew.”
“What did she know? That you were using aluminum needles?”
“How could I explain where they went?”
“So instead of getting help, you—what? Turned your car around?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know about the back road?”
“From the map. Yes.”
“You were thinking pretty clearly.”
“I always do in a crisis.” She sounded proud of herself. “I knew I had to get Rosalia back to the fairgrounds because her car was still there. I didn’t mean to hurt her, honest.”
“How did you get her back in?”
“I don’t know. I kinda dragged her, I guess, but I don’t know how I did it.”
“Why the fleece bin, Annie?” Charlie asked.
“Well, I realized I couldn’t just leave her there on the floor because when she woke up she’d tell everyone what I’d done. I thought if I put her in with the fleeces no one would find her for a while, and by then I’d be at the motel and no one would know I’d done anything.”
“You didn’t realize she’d smother?”
“No, I didn’t. I really didn’t mean to kill her. I was as surprised as anyone else when I heard she was dead.”
She hadn’t meant to do anything, Ari thought, shifting in her chair. She wondered if Annie truly realized what she’d done, or if she’d ever admit to it. “What about Rosalia’s car?”
“What about it? Oh. I knew I had to get it out of there, or they’d go looking for her earlier. I hid my face in the hood of my jacket and then at the gate I gave the guards Rosalia’s name. They didn’t even realize what had happened. I drove her car in back of the barn.”
Briggs nodded briefly. Ari could imagine just what the troopers responsible for letting her go were facing. “And then drove off in your own car.”
“Yes. When I got to the motel I registered right away. And then I went to my room and fell asleep.”
Of everything Annie had said, that was the most chilling, Ari realized. Had Annie’s parents’ rejection done this to her, left her without a conscience—or had she always been so ruthless?
She looked at Josh, who was staring steadily at her. Leaving Charlie and Briggs to clean up the last few questions, Josh escorted her out of the interrogation room.
Lauren rose from a bench as Josh and Ari entered the main hall. “How is she?” she asked.
Josh looked at Ari and shrugged. “All right.”
“Did she do it?”
“She confessed to both murders,” Ari said gently.
“Oh God!” Lauren spun away, pressing a fist to her mouth in anguish. “My sister.”
“Did you know you had a twin, Lauren?”
“No.” She turned, wiping her eyes. “How could she give up both of us, Ari? Why didn’t Felicia keep one of us?”
Ari shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“What happens now then?” Lauren asked.
“Annie will be held for arraignment,” Josh said.
“Are you going to stay for her trial?” Ari asked Lauren.
�
�Yes. I’ve already called my boss and asked for some personal time. Maybe I can help Annie.” She fell quiet for a minute. “It’s strange.”
“What’s strange?”
“I went to see Winston after they arrested Annie. I told him everything. Do you know what he said?”
“No, what?”
“He hugged me. He said…he said he would have accepted me as his daughter. He would have accepted both of us. Isn’t that ironic?”
Ari laid her hand on Lauren’s arm. “You have that, Lauren. It’s something.”
“Yes.” Lauren wiped her eyes and tried to smile. “I’ve got to get back. I told Winston I’d let him know what happened.”
“Call me,” Ari said. “I’m in the book.”
“I will,” Lauren said, and walked out.
Ari gazed after her. “All she wanted was a mother.”
“Don’t start feeling sorry for Annie, Ari. She killed two people.”
“I know. I’m not going to forget that.” Ari looked away. “All I want to do now is go home and hug Megan.”
“When will she be home?”
“Around seven. Why?”
“What do you say to an early dinner?”
“Dinner? I don’t know. Doesn’t it bother you? That there’s been two murders?”
“Yes,” he said after a moment. “But life goes on, and there’s no reason for us to stop living.”
“I suppose.”
“So? How about dinner?” He smiled down at her. “It’s a start, isn’t it?”
Ari looked at him, startled, and then smiled. It felt as if she hadn’t done so in years. “And dancing?”
“Next Saturday sound all right?”
“Yes.”
“And then we’ll see.”
Oh yes, Ari thought, they would. Any earlier reluctance she’d had about starting a relationship with him was gone. She was ready for this.
He slung his arm around her shoulders as they walked to her car. “But you have to promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“No more murders.”
She sighed, exasperated. As if she’d asked to get involved in another murder! But then she remembered what she’d thought after helping to find Edith Perry’s murderer last fall. She had vowed then never to be involved in a murder again. This time she wasn’t so sure. What was the chance, though, of lightning striking three times?
“Okay,” she said, smiling at him. “No more murders.”
Author’s Note
I am a lucky person. Writing a series gives me the chance to revisit characters I’ve come to love rather than say good-bye to them. As much as anyone, I learned about Ari’s and Josh’s backgrounds, and their feelings for each other, as the story progressed. I can’t wait to find out more.
Freeport is a completely fictional town. While Rochester and Acushnet are real towns, Rochester County does not exist. Neither does the Bristol-Rochester County Fairgrounds, or the yarn and wool festival held there. I’ve had fun including landmarks that residents of southeastern Massachusetts will likely recognize throughout the story. A writer must have some license.
And yes, figure skating fans, I know that as of this writing (fall, 2006), Michelle Kwan isn’t competing. Allow this poor fan some hope.
I love to hear from my readers. Please visit my website at www.geocities.com/marypkruger, or contact me directly at [email protected].
Patterns from
Ariadne’s Web
Aunt Mae’s Padded Coat Hangers
My aunt Mae introduced everyone to these coat hangers, giving them to friends and family alike. While they’ve become a running joke in these knitting books, they’re actually quite practical and easy to make.
Size 101/2 needles
Rug yarn
Wooden coat hanger, with no bar across bottom
Cast on 9 stitches. Work in garter stitch (knit each row) for approximately 35 rows, or until piece is slightly shorter than hanger. Cast off, leaving a long thread. Fold piece in half lengthwise. Center it over the hook of the hanger and insert the hook through the piece. Using a large tapestry needle, sew all edges together.
The “No Hair Day” Chemo Cap
My mother loved this cap. It was light and comfortable, and from a distance looked like real hair. I made it in conventional colors such as a beige blend and a gray blend, but it would be fun in brighter shades, too.
Fake fur yarn, such as Lion Brand Fun Fur
Size 9 double-pointed needles
Size 9 circular needles
Directions given are for size small. Adjustments for sizes medium and large are in parentheses.
On size 9 circular needles, cast on 60 (66, 72) stitches. Join, being careful not to twist the stitches. Place marker on needle to mark beginning of round. Work two rounds in knit one, purl one ribbing, then knit around until hat measures 6 inches (6.5 inches, 7 inches) from beginning.
Decrease rounds as follows:
Round 1: *Knit 8 (9, 10), k2tog*; repeat from * to end of round.
Rounds 2, 4, 6, and 8: Knit.
Round 3: *Knit 7 (8, 9), k2tog*; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 5: *Knit 6 (7, 8), k2tog*; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 7: *Knit 5 (6, 7), k2tog*; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 9: *Knit 4 (5, 6), k2tog*; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 10: *Knit 3 (4, 5), k2tog*; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 11: *Knit 2 (3, 4), k2tog*; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 12: *Knit 1 (2, 3), k2tog*; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 13:
For small hat: k2tog around.
For medium-sized hat: knit 1, k2tog around.
For large hat: knit 2, k2tog around.
(For medium- and large-sized hats, continue decreasing until knitting 2tog around.)
Cut the yarn, leaving a 10-inch tail. Thread yarn through the remaining stitches. Fasten off on the knit side of the hat. Turn hat so that the purl side is on the outside.
A picture of this cap, as well as more patterns, can be found at www.headhuggers.org.