Hooks Can Be Deceiving

by Betty Hechtman

  Before I could answer, she figured it out and let out a tinkle of her laughter. “No worries. I have it covered. I found the perfect project.” When I tried to get her to show me, her eyes crinkled as she smiled. “I’ll do the big reveal when everyone is here.”

  By five o’clock, almost the whole group was there and they’d taken out their individual projects to work on. It was easy to see who was missing, since everyone seemed to have a regular seat. Only Adele had moved around the corner from the foot of the table, making sure we all knew her old place was reserved for Rory.

  “She told me that I’m her crochet companion,” Adele said.

  “What does that mean?” Rhoda said, taking the seat next to Sheila.

  “Doesn’t companion usually mean having someone with you all the time to look after you? Kind of like a babysitter for an adult who has some kind of issues,” Dinah said, and then looked at me. I knew she was thinking about Connie.

  “It sounds like something for Hollywood types and rich people,” Rhoda said. She glanced down at the potholder she was working on, realized she’d missed a stitch, and began to rip out the row.

  “I like the title,” Adele said defiantly. “I’ll be there to guide her hand and catch her if she starts to mess up her stitches. And then, since I’ve been on the Craftee Channel already and anybody can see I’m a real pro in front of the camera, I bet the show people’ll want me to be her sidekick.”

  “How did we get from talking about what a companion does to talking about your career?” Elise asked as she finished the first round of another of her small afghans. She had a birdlike voice that stood out from the others. It was funny how Rhoda really looked like who she was—solid with her feet on the ground—but Elise’s appearance was deceptive. She had sort of an ethereal air, and it seemed like a good gust of wind could knock her over, but inside she was nothing like that. When she got into something, whether it was vampires or real estate, she had an iron core. She looked around the table. “Anybody know anyone who wants to sell their house?” She asked that almost every night and then followed up with offering new services, including staging a house so it had its best potential to sell.

  “Not to rush you or anything,” I said to CeeCee, “but could you show us what you brought in for us to consider for the Make-and-Take? Which, by the way, the Craftee people are coming by to see on Monday.”

  “Of course, dear,” CeeCee said, and began to unload some supplies from the tote bag. She put a sandwich-size plastic bag containing some small wooden beads on the table. “When you see it, I think you’ll agree that I’ve found an ideal project for the Make-and-Take. It has the magic that was missing from the key chain, and I even came up with an appealing name.” She gave me a smile and a nod of reassurance.

  Eduardo came in and slid into a seat just as she finished pulling out her supplies. He nodded a greeting to the group and let out a sigh. “Just the break I need before going back to the Apothecary,” he said. It had to be a very different life than the one he’d had when he was a cover model and commercial spokesperson. Instead of intense days during photo shoots or filming, he was now doing something that kept going day after day. And since the upscale drug and sundries store belonged to him, the buck stopped with him, too.

  “I’ll show you the supplies first.” CeeCee spoke to the group and then turned to me. “You said they all had to be from the show’s sponsor.” She offered me the labels that went with the length of cording and some small wooden beads in the plastic bag, and everyone stopped working and turned to her.

  “We’re not all here. Wait for Rory,” Adele said.

  “Tsk.” CeeCee rolled her eyes. “I don’t consider her actually one of the Hookers. She’s just seizing on yarn to further her career. If they were doing a show on how to be your own plumber, she’d be wielding a plunger and wearing coveralls.”

  As CeeCee was talking, Marianne slipped up to the table and took her seat. She took out her scarf and begin examining it intently, looking for where she’d left off.

  “You came back, Marianne,” CeeCee said in a welcoming voice. Though there was a hint of a question in the way she said it as we all focused on the empty seat next to her.

  “Where’s your fr—” Rhoda began to say, but I gave her a sharp shake of my head to stop her. “I mean, it’s so nice you’re here.” Rhoda smiled at Marianne.

  CeeCee was about to get back to revealing her Make-and-Take project when there was a flutter of excitement at the front of the store as Rory roared in. She didn’t walk but seemed to almost twirl, stopping several times to have a Dance Break with an unsuspecting customer. In no time, she was surrounded by shoppers. She signed a few autographs and then came back to join us.

  Even though CeeCee was a bit self-absorbed—but then, what actor wasn’t?—she was also incredibly warm and caring, and her reaction to Rory was uncharacteristic. It almost looked like she snarled when Rory reached the table.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Rory said, addressing the whole group. Her voice was loud, and I noticed a few customers in the vicinity turning her way. Adele waved her over to the empty seat next to her, and Rory plopped down. “Now fill me in on what I missed.”

  There was a little furrow in CeeCee’s eyebrows, a sure sign she was perturbed, but then she brought out her usual merry smile. “To get back to the Make-and-Take project.” She held out a long circle of stitches with some beads at the end. I wasn’t going to say anything, but it really didn’t look like much. That is, until she wound it around her wrist, and suddenly it became a really attractive bracelet.

  “We could call it the Gratitude Circle and say that it’s meant to remind the wearer of all the good things in their life.” She was in the process of taking it off so she could pass it around the table when there was a new disturbance. I sensed someone marching into the yarn department sending out an angry vibe. Errol Freeman reached the table and put his hand on his sister’s shoulder. “I figured this was where you went.” He looked at the empty seat next to her. “Hilda called me and said you left. Are you crazy?”

  She gave him a pained look and then turned to the rest of us. “Sorry, I have to go.” He seemed impatient as she gathered up her things and he hustled her out of there.

  “What was that about?” CeeCee asked. She seemed to be directing her question at no one in particular.

  “Molly knows,” Dinah said, and all eyes turned to me.

  My answer brought them all to a halt. “Connie is dead.”

  There was dead silence for a moment, and then they all started talking, wanting to know what had happened. As soon as I mentioned the article I’d seen, most of them nodded with recognition.

  “That was about Connie?” Rhoda said. “It was awfully short on details. Just that a woman had been electrocuted in Tarzana.”

  Rory kept looking around at everyone and seemed upset when no one was looking back at her. She actually stood up, called out “Dance Break,” and did her signature move to try to get their attention back. But when it comes to a choice between details of a mysterious dead body and a celebrity doing a silly dance move, the body always wins.

  I think the group was disappointed I didn’t have more details, and they began to talk about Marianne’s abrupt departure. Rhoda was the one who put two and two together. “Connie was a companion, like what you were talking about before, and the man who showed up was concerned because Marianne needs to have someone with her.”

  After that, the time flew by, and suddenly it was six and the Hookers were getting ready to scatter. CeeCee did manage to get a vote on the bracelet before everyone left. It was a unanimous yes.

  At least one problem was solved.

  Chapter Eight

  For once, I didn’t have time to hang around either. I barely had time to pick up the yarns scraps, make sure all the chairs were pushed in, and watch Rory dance her way out the front door before I had to grab my things and go.

  Mason had made the plans as soon as his law firm had bought
a table at the Make a Miracle Foundation fundraiser. These charity dinners were as much about business as they were social. When Charlie was alive, we’d gone to things like this often. Though usually he was doing the PR for the event, so it was more like work.

  Tonight was going to be the first time since Mason and I had gotten back together that we were going to a big social event. I didn’t think anyone really cared, but he looked at it as an announcement that we were a couple.

  The program was always pretty much the same for these things. There’d be a lot of schmoozing as the crowd checked out the items at the silent auction. Most of them were entertainment business related, like walk-on roles on a popular sitcom, signed scripts, jewelry designed by a celebrity, and some regular stuff donated by famous people.

  There’d be dinner, followed by a celebrity host doing a pitch for the charity, followed by some entertainment, followed by a live auction for fabulous trips, expensive jewelry, and designer purses that cost absurd amounts of money. The evening would end with dessert, dancing, drinking, and the results of the silent auction.

  I gave the animals everything they needed as soon as I got home and then went to get ready for my so-called debut. The handle to the bathroom door had been replaced, but after getting locked in there previously when it had fallen off, I wasn’t taking any chances and left the door wide open. I was home alone anyway, so it didn’t matter. I’d already planned what I was going to wear, so my turnaround time was pretty quick. My dress was simple, almost like a slip, in a soft shade of peach that was flattering on just about everyone. I did my makeup and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I’d always thought of my hair and eyes as being brown with no fancy description attached, but now, as the light caught my shoulder-length hair, I saw the gold and red highlights. And as I looked at my eyes, I thought they could be considered loden green, which was a whole lot more exciting than just brown. I laughed at my own vanity and left the bathroom.

  I heard the dogs start a ruckus and then between barks heard the doorbell ring. “You’re really taking this date thing seriously,” I said as I pulled open the front door. Mason had gone all out and was wearing a tuxedo. I was surprised that he wasn’t holding a corsage in a box as well.

  “You look great,” he said, adding a wolf whistle.

  “You could have just called and I would have come out,” I said.

  “I’m not some teenager honking for you,” he said with a grin. “That’s one of my strong points. I offer the full gentleman treatment.”

  He waited while I grabbed my wrap and purse. Then he took my arm, and we walked across the front yard to his Mercedes SUV in the driveway.

  He opened the passenger door for me and helped me in before going around to the driver’s side. I saw him look back toward the street. A black Crown Victoria had just pulled to the curb.

  “That looks like Barry,” Mason said. He turned to me. “What’s he doing here?”

  For a moment I had that deer-in-headlights feeling as I wondered what to say. It was obvious Barry had come by for a report of what I’d found out. I certainly couldn’t tell Mason.

  Mason paused at the open car door. “Maybe I should go talk to him. Find out what he wants.”

  “No. Don’t do that,” I said. Then the perfect solution came to mind. “He just came by to see his dog.” I started to get in the car. “We can go. He has a key.”

  Mason gave the car a dirty look. “That’s still going on? Maybe it’s time to resolve it one way or the other. He takes the dog or gives it up.”

  I didn’t want to tell Mason that I couldn’t do that to Barry or his son. Their visits were sporadic, but they both cared about Cosmo. And for Barry, it seemed the only time he really let go was when he was playing fetch with the dogs. Of course, I hadn’t seen him doing it that much lately. In fact, their visits had all been when I wasn’t home. I mentioned the last fact to Mason, and it seemed to calm him down.

  He finally got in the SUV and backed down the driveway. By the time we’d gotten on the 101, he was back to his usual upbeat self. “So, tell me, anything new?” He asked offhandedly. I knew he was going to be shocked when I told him what had happened since I’d last talked to him, leaving the Barry part out, of course.

  He listened with rapt attention as I told him the about the article and my second trip to Marianne’s house.

  “You should have called me,” he said.

  “It seemed like it could wait,” I said. “It’s not like I’m a suspect or anything.” I couldn’t say that my first thought had been to talk to Dinah and that I was now working with Barry.

  I still found it a little funny that someone who had once been so committed to not being committed was getting so possessive. I told him the rest of the story as we drove up the hill on the 405.

  “Well, there isn’t really a reason for you to get involved,” he said.

  “Oh, you know me. I can’t help starting to wonder what happened and who did what to who,” I said with a laugh. “Once you’ve gotten a taste of snooping around, it seems like a natural reaction anytime you come close to a crime. Besides, I like Marianne, and I’m afraid the cops might think she did it.”

  “How about you put it on the back burner and we just have fun tonight,” Mason said as he pulled in front of the Century City Hotel and the valets opened the car doors.

  The main ballroom was set up with a sea of round tables, a stage and dance floor, and a bar and schmoozing area adjacent to an arrangement of long tables with the silent and live auction merchandise. We located our table, which I was surprised to find in the primo area at the very front, and then went to join the crowd at the bar. Mason had his hand against the small of my back, partly to direct me and partly as a sign to all concerned that I was with him. He seemed to know everybody, and they all stopped to greet him. I always forgot what a powerful attorney he was, but seeing how people deferred to him made it abundantly clear. He made it a point to introduce me to everyone. We had never been able to come up with terms for our relationship, so he simply said, “This is Molly,” but the way he said made it clear that it was more than a casual relationship.

  I remembered that when Charlie’s PR firm had worked on events like this it was important to get celebrities to show up. Whoever had organized this event seemed to have succeeded and I recognized a number of well-known entertainers.

  Mason was all smiles as he worked the crowd, but then he leaned in close. “It is so much more bearable going to this now that you’re here.” I knew it was all just business to him and most of the people there.

  “Well, it’s the bookstore lady,” a male voice said. When I turned, I was face-to-face with Michael Kostner. It made sense that he would be there. He fit right in with the rest of the crowd. “You clean up nice,” he said in a joking voice; then he saw who I was with, and I heard a little “oh” escape his lips.

  I could tell that, in that second, I had jumped up a whole lot of notches in position in his mind. He seemed to know Mason, and they exchanged some small talk before he turned back to me.

  “My people were supposed to reach out to you. I hope everything is going smoothly.” I nodded and mentioned I’d gotten word they would be stopping by. He seemed pleased. “You know, it was my idea to use the bookstore. I thought the vibe of the place would add a whole dimension to the program.”

  Michael had a natural charm, and I found myself smiling as he explained that he was new to this kind of programing and wanted to make it appealing to more than a niche audience.

  I felt Mason’s hand on my back as he gave me a nudge toward our seats. “Good seeing you, Michael,” Mason said as a way of ending things.

  Mason introduced me to everyone at our table. I gathered they all worked in the law firm in one position or another. They all smiled politely, but I couldn’t really tell if I met with their approval.

  Dinner was forgettable. The food at these things always sounded good on the printed menu at each plate, but was usually tasteless and hard
to chew. As soon as the dinner plates were cleared, the program began. I half listened to all the wonderful plans the charity had for the money raised, which was a pitch to get everyone to make generous bids on the silent-auction items before it closed. It was bad form to just sit there, so Mason and I went to make the rounds but quickly got separated.

  “We meet again,” Michael said. He glanced around. He looked at the silk scarf I’d picked up to examine. “Is that the one they used in St. Louis P.D. to kill the opera singer?”

  “One and the same,” I said, pointing to the written description on the bidding sheet.

  “Now that’s a real collector’s item,” he joked. I laughed and put the scarf down and prepared to move on, but he pulled me aside and seemed more serious. “You’re probably a good person to ask,” he said. “I heard that Rory Graham is hanging out with your crochet group. She sold us on what an expert she is with yarn and crochet. You’ve probably seen her in action. She really is an expert, right?”

  I shuddered. Rory had admitted that she might have oversold her skills, which I had taken to mean that she’d told them she knew how to crochet. But claiming to be an expert was a whole other thing. I wasn’t sure if Adele had gotten past having Rory practice doing chain stitches so they weren’t all loopy looking. What was I going to say? I hated to lie, but I couldn’t out Rory. Besides, I had confidence in Adele’s teaching abilities. “She’s a real wiz. You should have seen her offering to help everyone.”

  He gave me a puzzled look, and I realized I was laying it on too thick. Nobody who knew Rory would buy that she was so into helping anyone but herself. But then he continued. “It’s very important that we come across as authentic. I’m sure someone told you that we want some baked goods on the table made with our sponsor’s flour, and we need everyone to eat them was gusto.”