CeeCee took her spot at the head of the table. “I brought some more samples of bracelets for the Make-and-Take,” she said as she began to unload her tote bag. “I hope the group gets to try making them tonight.” She laid four different versions on the table. The design was the same—a large loop meant to be wound around the wrist—but the materials were different. She’d used different kinds of cording—one even seemed to be made out of a heavy weight of crochet thread. And they all had beads hanging off the ends. “Then we can pick a favorite to use.”
Sheila, Rhoda, and Elise came in with Eduardo and went to their usual spots. The empty seat next to Adele was beginning to make me nervous. What if Rory thought she’d already picked up enough to bluff her way through?
But then there was a ruckus at the front of the store. I wondered if Rory ever arrived anywhere without making a stir. She called out “Dance Break!” and began to gyrate near the cashier stand. She kept going until everyone in the line had noticed her and had given her high fives as she walked past them. With a final wave, she came back to join us.
Her Dance Breaks seemed to energize her. She was all perky as she greeted the group as a whole. She seemed to be ignoring Adele, who was patting the spot next to her. I could tell Adele was getting steamed. I only hoped that she would manage to keep it together and coax Rory rather than demand.
I had made sure there would be enough chairs for Marianne as well. She had just said she’d worked it out but hadn’t been clear if she was coming alone or with someone.
Rory finally calmed down and took her seat. Adele was on her right away. I saw that my fellow Hooker was trying to see what Rory had learned from their couple of lessons. Adele’s eyes bugged out, and I guessed it wasn’t good.
My encounter with the producer from the Craftee Channel the night before had reminded me about the baked goods we needed for the taping. I grabbed the floor and explained the situation. “I was hoping someone has a favorite recipe for cookies or cake.” I looked over the group expectantly.
“I could give you my easy coffee cake recipe,” Rhoda said.
I gave my instant approval. I’d tasted it and it was delicious. I was about to see if she’d agree to make it for the taping when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and Marianne was standing behind me. And she wasn’t alone. The woman with her was wiry with dark hair. She looked at the group around the table and seemed a little nervous.
I was about to suggest we introduce ourselves, but as her eye moved from CeeCee to Rory, she let out an excited squeal and turned to Marianne. “You didn’t tell me CeeCee Collins and Rory Graham were in the group.”
Marianne was subdued as usual, though she did manage a small smile. Was this woman’s Connie’s replacement? She certainly wasn’t the silent type.
“CeeCee, you seem like an old friend. I used to watch The CeeCee Collins Show when I was a little girl,” she gushed. CeeCee smiled back at her, but there was just a little twinge of displeasure in her eyes. She had said once that it made her feel old as time when people said things like that. Next, the woman went up to Rory and pointed at her as she squealed “Dance Break!” and mimicked Rory’s moves. Rory was out of her seat so fast to join in that her hook bounced off the table and hit the floor.
Marianne took it all in with a placid face, and I suggested they all sit down. Dinah, ever my best friend, stepped in to help.
“I’m Dinah Lyons,” she said, extending her hand to the woman. “And you are?”
The woman gave Marianne a sideways glance. I was trying to figure out what it meant. Was she deferring to Marianne to see if it was okay to introduce herself, or was she miffed that Marianne hadn’t introduced her at the start?
Marianne seemed to have lapsed into a momentary haze, but then she appeared to rejoin us. I’d noticed it before, and I assumed it was connected to whatever meds she was on. “This is Kelly Freeman, my sister-in-law.”
Kelly seemed edgy, and her timing was off in the opposite way from Marianne. She punctuated everything with a nervous laugh and seemed to talk too fast. “I just came for tonight.” She dropped her voice. “Marianne needs someone with her until we can find a replacement.” She fluttered her eyes. “My husband doesn’t want to tell them what happened to the last woman, but you can’t keep that to yourself. As soon as they hear … well, they’re out the door.” She glanced toward Marianne again.
Rhoda was never one to be subtle, and she came out and asked what we had all wanted to know but been too polite to ask. “So what exactly happened to her?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know that anybody does. Somehow she got electrocuted. It has to have been some kind of freak accident.”
“You can bet Molly will find out what happened and who did it if it wasn’t an accident,” Rhoda said. “She’s our own local independent investigator.”
Suddenly, all eyes were on me. I muttered something self-effacing, though I really wanted to ask Kelly for more details on the so-called freak accident. But now Kelly seemed to regret she’d said anything and apologized for keeping the group from their work.
Most of the group had taken out their projects when they sat down and were already busy with their hooks and yarn. Marianne took out her scarf and began to move her hook slowly and deliberately through the stitches. She couldn’t seem to get a rhythm going, and the previous row was so tight she was having a hard time getting her hook into the next stitch. Just as I was thinking that it couldn’t be very relaxing for her, Sheila got up and came around the table and handed her a smaller-size hook.
“Been there, done that,” Sheila said, looking at the tight stitches. “Use this hook, but make sure that you make really loose stitches. Then you can go back to the bigger hook on the next row.” Sheila stayed while Marianne tried the smaller hook, making sure she kept each stitch loose.
Kelly seemed even more ill at ease as she glanced around the table and saw that everyone but her was occupied with yarn in some way. “My coming with Marianne was very last minute, or I would have thought to bring my knitting.”
The word hung in the air, and Rhoda, CeeCee, Elise, Sheila, Dinah, and Eduardo all looked at each other and then at Adele. She was practically glued to Rory, and I thought she hadn’t heard. But it seemed that Adele had a sixth sense when it came to anything to do with knitting. She turned to Kelly and gave her a disparaging scowl and then directed her attention to Rory. “Let this be a teaching moment for you.”
Adele stood up defiantly as she glanced around at all of us and zeroed in on Kelly. “Crochet, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Number one, you don’t have to agonize if you make a mistake. There’s no trying to figure out how to pick up a dropped stitch. You just rip and redo.
“Number two, you only need one tool. No pointy needles making holes in your tote bag.
“Number three, you work one stitch at a time unless you’re working Tunisian Crochet. So no stitches slipping off your hook and disappearing.
“Number four, you can make amazing things you couldn’t possibly knit. Has anybody ever heard of a knitted granny square?” Adele opened her mouth, no doubt getting to number five, but CeeCee stepped in.
“We get the message, Adele. You love crochet,” CeeCee said. “But we’re supposed to be an inclusive group. We all love crochet, but it isn’t right to discriminate.” She turned back to Kelly. “It’s perfectly fine that you’re a knitter.”
I heard Adele snort.
Marianne pushed her chair back and excused herself to go to the restroom. Kelly got up to follow her, but Marianne told her to sit. “I’m not helpless,” she said, trying to put as much force into her words as she could.
As soon as she was gone, Kelly began talking quickly, her words falling over each other. “It’s very nice that you let her come. It certainly means a lot to her. Errol bows to her every whim. I thought she ought to stay home until she had a new helper. But he said she made such a fuss about coming tonight and asked me if I’d go with her. He thought it would l
ook odd having a man here.”
Eduardo let out a yelp. “Watch out what you say,” he said with a smile. “There’s nothing for him to be embarrassed about. Crochet is for everybody.”
Kelly apologized and said it had come out wrong.
“I think it’s nice that he’s so concerned for her,” Rhoda said. The way she ended her statement, it almost sounded like a question. I was sure she was hoping to pump Kelly about the reason Marianne was on such heavy meds.
Kelly didn’t pick up on the bait. “You can say that again. And it’s not like he’s the older one. She is.”
I mentioned that I’d run into Errol and Marianne at a restaurant.
“He always does that when her companion has the night off.” She seemed to shudder. “That was when it happened.”
“You mean when Connie died?” Rhoda said.
Kelly nodded her head decisively. “Marianne would be so much better off if she agreed to sell that place and go to an assisted-living facility. Then there wouldn’t be all this trouble of finding someone.”
Rory hadn’t seemed to be following the conversation and appeared confused. “When you said companion, what kind of companion did you mean?”
“I didn’t know there were different kinds.” Kelly seemed surprised.
“I had a twenty-four/seven food companion once,” Rory said.
“Because you were anorexic or something?” Elise asked.
“No, it was all about keeping me—” Rory abruptly stopped midsentence and picked up a new thread. “The reality show I was doing then paid for her. It was the one that was supposed to show the real me—mother, wife, and celebrity.” She was playing with her hook as she spoke. “Did you say that her last companion died?”
Kelly nodded and said, “Poor Connie.”
Rory cocked her head and I thought she was going to say something, but if she did, it got lost as Marianne made her way back to the table. Kelly put her finger to her lips. “Don’t repeat anything I said.” Before Marianne had a chance to sit down, Kelly was on her feet. “We’ve been here long enough. I have to get home and take care of the kids.”
After they left, CeeCee showed off the different versions of the bracelet and passed them around and we took a vote. The one done in a medium-weight cording with some small wooden beads won. I made sure I had a sample of it along with the instructions. The Hookers didn’t meet over the weekend, and I wanted to be sure to have something to show the Craftee people when they came on Monday.
“I was hoping you’d all get a chance to make one,” CeeCee said. “I suppose there’s always next time.”
As the group broke up, I glanced at Rory and Adele. They were still huddled together, and Adele seemed to be demonstrating something. My fingers were crossed that Rory was paying attention, or we were all in trouble.
Chapter Eleven
“Marianne left her work again,” Dinah said, picking it up from under the table. “That sister-in-law of hers hustled her out of here so fast, I’m surprised she didn’t leave behind a shoe.” Dinah was taking her time packing up, and I was clearing up the scraps of yarn and pushing in the chairs.
“You’re stalling, aren’t you?” I said. “What’s going on?”
“I have to go home and face Commander and his daughter at dinner.” Dinah sighed. “It’s more than the yoga classes—there was another one this morning. She keeps acting like I’m the other woman. I know it’s hard for her to deal with her mother being gone, but he has a right to make a new life for himself.”
“I get it. She feels he’s being disloyal to her mother. Thankfully, both of my sons are past that stage. Now I think they look at Mason as taking me off their hands,” I said with a grin. “Maybe when Commander’s daughter gets used to the idea that he’s remarried, it will be better.”
Dinah rolled her eyes. “I thought she hadn’t come to the wedding because of some sort of conflict in her schedule, but now I think he didn’t want her to come because he knew what her reaction would be. It’s no picnic having her stay with us.”
“You could hang out at my place,” I said, but she shook her head.
“I have to go home eventually.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I might as well face it now. And maybe I can win her over with my fabulous personality,” she joked, striking a pose. She let go of the pose and pushed all of her yarn and hooks into her tote bag before getting up from the table.
“Good luck,” I said, giving her a reassuring hug. “And remember, you can always come over, or at least hide out in your lady cave.”
When she’d left, I began to pack up for the day. The last thing I did was grab Marianne’s scarf. Now that I’d been there, finding my way to her house was easy even in the dark. I was still surprised that I had never realized before that there was a house on that hill. But the topography in this part of the Valley was filled with surprises. There were finger-shaped slopes with houses at the top that were visible from a distance, but it was a mystery where the street leading to them was. A ravine ran down from Corbin Canyon that was dark and mysterious. I imagined that the houses built along the two sides of it must have coyotes running through their backyards all the time. That was the personality of the area, a mixture of neat houses and wild areas.
I drove through the open gate onto the property and parked my car behind a dark sedan. A large arched window spilled light onto the area in front of the house. I got out of the car and found my way to the front door. A wall sconce gave off a warm glow that lit up the tiled entryway. I noticed the door was ajar.
I considered ringing the doorbell or knocking but decided to walk in and call out a greeting. I heard the sound of voices coming from the living room. As I got a little closer, I recognized the sound of an argument. I’m afraid my nosiness kicked in, and I flattened myself against the wall and edged closer until I could make out the words.
“If you would just be realistic,” a man’s voice said. “Living here in your situation doesn’t work.” I moved a little closer and saw that the voice belonged to Marianne’s brother. He was standing, and she was sitting on the couch.
“I don’t want to leave and go live in some assisted-living arrangement. I can take care of myself.”
“Only with my help. Like now. I had to leave as soon as Kelly got home to watch the kids and come here because the companion I was finally able to hire isn’t here yet. I did my best to downplay that the past one died here, but what if the new one reconsiders? She might not even show up. The lawyer seems to be keeping the police at bay, but the case is still open.” I had plastered myself against the wall next to a tall bookcase, anxious to hear more. There was the sound of some fumbling. “At least take your meds,” Errol said.
“Let me wait a little longer. They make me feel awful.”
“See, you can’t take care of yourself. If someone wasn’t here to make sure you take the drugs, you wouldn’t do it. And we know what happens then.”
I heard movement coming from the room and decided it was time to slip back outside. I backtracked and got to the door. I made sure the door was shut, then pulled out my cell phone. I could hear a phone begin to ring inside, and finally Marianne answered.
I explained that I was outside and had her scarf. A moment later, Errol appeared at the door. I was afraid he was just going to grab the scarf and send me on my way, but he invited me in.
As I followed him down the hall I’d just been hiding in, he said something about Marianne not getting much company. She seemed pleased to see me and immediately invited me to sit down. I noticed a container with an assortment of pills on the coffee table in front of her as I went to put down the scarf. Errol’s cell phone started to ring, and he answered with a slump of his shoulders as if he was anticipating bad news.
He walked away to keep his conversation private, and Marianne gestured to a chair. I’d just sat down when Errol returned, slipping his phone back in his pocket. “That was Janine. She said she’ll be here within the hour.”
He looked so m
uch like his sister. They both had wavy hair that was either black or the darkest shade of brown. Their features were similar as well, but Marianne’s seemed flattened out somehow, whereas Errol’s gaze was sharp and the set of his mouth more controlled.
I guessed Janine must be the new hire taking Connie’s place. Marianne took a moment to collect her thoughts. “Then you can leave. I’ll be fine until she gets here.”
He looked at the drugs on the table. “Only if you do what you’re supposed to.”
Marianne capitulated and began to swallow the cocktail of pills. He watched her and then turned to me. “Do you suppose you could stay until Janine arrives?” He didn’t give any details about why Marianne needed someone there. I wasn’t sure if he didn’t want to tell me or if he thought I already knew.
“Sure,” I said. “My dance card is empty tonight.” I was trying to keep things light, but neither of them smiled. Errol took the empty pill container and glass of water.
“Feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen,” he said to me.
Marianne’s expression darkened. “I can take care of my guest,” she said.
I could tell she was trying to be forceful, but her voice came out flat. Errol took a moment to look around, as if he was trying to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.
“You’ll be sure to stay here until Janine gets here?” He peered at me until I gave him a confirmation. Finally he pulled on his jacket and went to the door.
“He means well, but I wish he’d stop treating me like I’m an invalid.” She started to get up from the couch and then slipped back. It took a second attempt for her to succeed at standing. “That’s not me. It’s the drugs.” She started to walk out of the room and urged me to follow. “The least I can do is offer you some coffee or something.”
Hooks Can Be Deceiving Page 9