Frayed Edges

by Carol Dean Jones

  “We need to get on with the investigation. Who’s in charge of this quilt show?”

  No one answered, but everyone looked at one another.

  “Ruth, I guess,” Sarah responded. “Actually, it’s our whole quilt club, Hal. We put this on together, and I don’t know who I would say is in charge. No one, really. We did this as a group.”

  “Who’s this Ruth you mentioned?”

  “She’s the owner of Running Stitches, the quilt shop where our club meets. She had a vendor’s booth here. Oh!” Sarah said abruptly. “Charles, did he take anything from her booth?”

  “No, Ruth said her booth was untouched. They must have only been interested in the quilts.”

  “I need to talk with everyone involved with this quilt show,” Detective Halifax said, turning to Charles. “Could you get me a list of names and phone numbers? We’ll meet at the station this afternoon.”

  “Hal, let me make a suggestion,” Charles said, noting that his friend was looking tired and sounding impatient. “Sarah and I will pull everyone together at our house this afternoon, and you can come by and question them all at one time. How would that be?”

  “Unorthodox, to say the least, but an improvement over anything I can think of. Tell them to bring a description of everything they had in the show, so we’ll know what we’re looking for.”

  “We can do you one better than that,” Sarah responded. “Ruth has pictures of all the quilts.”

  “Well, be sure she comes this afternoon and have her bring all the photos.”

  “We’ll see you at the house around 3:00,” Charles said as he suddenly caught sight of Sophie sitting on a bright red three-wheel mobility scooter. “What the …”

  “Norman got it for me. Isn’t it great? Hop on, and I’ll take you for a ride.”

  “I think I’ll skip that for now. Hal wants to question everyone at our house this afternoon at 3:00.”

  “I’ll be there. Does anyone need a ride?” Sophie asked, looking at Andy and Jeff Holbrooke, who both turned away quickly.

  As Sarah and Charles were walking home, Sophie sped past them on her new red scooter. “See you at 3:00,” she hollered and waved, temporarily losing control of the scooter, which wobbled precariously.

  “That’s a disaster waiting to happen,” Charles commented as he watched his wife’s best friend swerving to avoid a parked car.

  “One disaster at a time,” Sarah responded.

  Chapter 14

  Sarah and Ruth divided the membership list and were able to track down everyone except Mabel, who was out of town visiting her grandchildren. In addition to the club members, Jeff Holbrooke was coming and said he’d bring Lonnie, the maintenance supervisor.

  Jeff and Lonnie arrived first, and Charles took the opportunity to ask Lonnie about his cleaning staff. “I contract for them with this cleaning outfit out of Chicago. They have clients all over the state.”

  “Do you have regular people?”

  “Yeah, they’re just regular guys. …” Lonnie said, looking confused by the question.

  “No, I meant, do you have the same people every day?”

  “Oh, I gotcha. Yeah, we usually have the same gals, but the men aren’t always the same.”

  “Do you check them out?”

  “Nah. Their company does all that.”

  Charles made a mental note to tell Hal that the cleaning company would be a good place to start. He’d like to see the background checks himself if Hal would allow it. In fact, he hoped to help out with the investigation. When Matt was alive, he would occasionally hire Charles for a special assignment.

  By the time Detective Halifax arrived, most of the club members were there. Ruth had met them individually at the door to explain what had happened. Most of the members took the news in stride, although Sarah caught several surreptitiously wiping away tears. Lost memories, Sarah thought, wondering if there was any chance of recovering the missing quilts.

  While Charles introduced the detective to the quilters he knew, Sarah picked Barney up in her arms and carried him to their bedroom, where he had a bed and several of his quilts. “Now, you stay here and take a nap. You’re still on bed rest, you know,” she said in a soft, loving tone. Barney sighed and closed his eyes as Sarah gently closed the door.

  After everyone was seated in the Parkers’ living room, the detective explained what had happened and what the department would be doing. He said he wanted to speak with everyone before they left. “You may know something that could develop into an important lead. Just tell the investigator anything that comes to your mind that you might have seen or heard during the day.”

  Hal had brought four investigators with him who would be questioning the club members. He intended to speak with Andy, Charles, Holbrooke, and the maintenance supervisor himself. He would also question anyone the investigators identified as needing a second look.

  They spread out all over the Parkers’ house, and the time went quickly. Suddenly Sarah noticed that the sun had set and it was after 6:00 in the evening. “These are my friends, Hal. I want to offer them something to eat.”

  “But this isn’t a party, Sarah. We need to keep going. The guys have gotten some good information. I just want to get your quilts back. I’m not the enemy.”

  “I know, Hal. I’ll wait another half hour, and then I’m ordering pizza if you aren’t ready to let these folks go home.”

  “I’ll be finished by then.”

  Exhausted from a very long and intense day, Sarah, Charles, Sophie, and Andy sat in the living room with their feet up. Everyone had left a little after 6:30, as Hal had promised. The pizza had arrived, and Charles had ordered sodas as well since he wasn’t sure if he should offer beer. Andy had been a long-standing member of Alcoholics Anonymous, and Charles didn’t want to tempt him in light of his current mood. His friend was feeling responsible for the theft since he had assured the club that he’d provide security.

  “These gals need beer with their pizza,” Andy announced when he saw the sodas arrive. Charles explained privately why he had ordered the sodas, and Andy laughed. “You don’t have to worry about me, friend. I learned my lesson and learned it well. In fact, when I realized how guilty I was feeling about all this, I called my sponsor right away. We talked it out. Pass me one of those sodas, fella,” and they exchanged an understanding fist bump.

  “So, Charles, what did they learn?”

  “I have no idea. I couldn’t get anything out of Hal. I told him I’d like to be included in the investigation, and he didn’t respond, but then on his way out the door he turned to me and said, ‘Come by the station tomorrow.’ So what does that mean?”

  “He either wants your help,” Andy began, “or he suspects you of Grand Theft Quilt.”

  * * * * *

  “Oh, Papa, that’s terrible! I can’t imagine all those quilts being stolen at once. How did they do it? Was there a whole gang?” Caitlyn asked.

  “We don’t have any idea, honey. I’m just feeling so bad about Aunt Maddie’s quilt. We might get them all back, but in the meantime …”

  “Papa, I know you don’t like keeping secrets, but I think it’s best if we don’t tell her yet. Why worry her, when there’s always the chance that the police will find them. And you said Uncle Charles might be working on it, too, right?”

  “Yes, he is, and it just happened last night. I shouldn’t be discouraged yet,” Andy responded. “Okay, for now let’s not worry Aunt Maddie. It’s going to be hard to be there at Christmas without mentioning it. I know she’ll ask about the quilt, and I really don’t want to lie to her.”

  “You also don’t want to ruin her Christmas, Papa. She’s so excited about meeting you and the three of us celebrating Christmas together. She’s already asked me to take her shopping, and she wants to know what kinds of things you like.”

  “Oh, gifts! I hadn’t thought about that. I don’t know what to get her either.”

  “Then I’ll be taking you shopping too. Come
a few days early, and we’ll shop. And I have a couple of places I want to take you. This will be such fun!”

  “I’m convinced. I don’t want to ruin Christmas. What are you two doing for Thanksgiving?”

  “Aunt Maddie has invited a few of her close friends. Everyone is bringing a dish, and I’m cooking the turkey. I don’t have any idea how, but I didn’t tell Aunt Maddie that. I’m going to call Aunt Sarah.”

  Andy loved hearing all the references to aunts and uncles, even though most of them weren’t actually relatives. It just sounded great for his daughter to be enjoying the warmth of family.

  “And what are you doing on Thanksgiving?” Caitlyn asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Andy responded. “Sarah and Charles invited me to come to their house. They’re having family, though, and I hate to intrude.”

  “Who’s coming?”

  “Well, there’s Sarah’s son, Jason, and his wife, Jennifer, and their two little ones, and Sarah’s daughter, Martha, along with Martha’s husband, Timothy.”

  “And his daughter, Penny?” Caitlyn asked.

  “Yes, Penny will be coming too.”

  “Which I guess would mean Sophie will be there, since she’s Sarah’s best friend and Timothy’s mom?” Caitlyn asked.

  “Of course.”

  “Well, I think it makes perfect sense for you to be there. That makes a complete package of friends who have become family.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Andy responded thoughtfully. “We’re one carefully crafted family, aren’t we?”

  “We sure are! Goodnight, Papa.”

  Chapter 15

  “Well, that was disappointing.”

  Charles had just returned from the police station, where he had been briefed on the case. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any good news to report.

  “They don’t have a single lead,” Charles told his wife. “The chief is meeting with the press this afternoon and will encourage members of the public to call in if they saw anything, but he’s not optimistic. The newspaper article didn’t stir up any calls.”

  “And no fingerprints at the scene?”

  “Oh, yes, hundreds of fingerprints—everyone who has touched the doorknobs, the quilt frames, and the sink faucets this weekend. They are hoping for leads that might come from the public, but Hal said those calls don’t usually pan out. He has cops knocking on doors in the Village looking for someone who might have seen something Saturday night. This happened sometime between closing and when Andy went in around 8:00 Sunday morning, most likely in the dead of night.”

  “While our community of old folks was sleeping,” Sarah remarked as she freshened her husband’s coffee and reached into his jar of fat-free cookies. She noticed a look of despair cross his face and, instead, put the lid back on the jar of fat-free cookies and reached into the cupboard for a box of gourmet cookies that she had on hand primarily for guests. With a history of strokes, Charles was on an extremely restrictive diet, which Sarah made sure he adhered to most of the time. Occasionally it seemed more important to set the diet aside and experience the pleasure of eating something special.

  “Really?” Charles remarked with a raised eyebrow as Sarah placed the small plate in front of him. “What’s the occasion?”

  “I love you,” she responded as she poured herself another cup of coffee.

  “Well, if this is what you feed me when you love me, you must not think much of me the rest of the time.”

  “Now Charles, you know …”

  “Just kidding, sweetie. I know why you keep me on the heart diet, and I love you for it.” The couple had only been married a few years, both having lost their previous partners after many years of marriage. They both knew the pain of loss and would do anything to prolong their time together.

  “So, what’s next?” Sarah asked. “Did Hal agree to let you work on the case?”

  “He did. He said it would have to be unofficial, and I can’t charge the department, but I wouldn’t want to anyway. I just want to be a part of the investigation. I have a few ideas.”

  “So do I,” Sarah announced enthusiastically.

  “Oh?” he responded cautiously. His wife and her best friend had a history of thrusting themselves into police investigations and receiving strong reprimands as a result.

  “Don’t worry,” she said, reassuring him. “I was reading an article in one of my old quilt magazines this morning about locating lost quilts. I’m going to write an article about the theft and include as many pictures as they will accept. Maybe someone will see one of the quilts somewhere. Why would someone steal them unless they planned to sell them? We don’t know where they might show up, and these magazines go to quilters all over the country.”

  “That’s a good idea, but I’d like to run it past Hal first. I don’t want to do anything that might jeopardize the investigation.”

  “I don’t see how it could, but I’ll go ahead and write the article. I’ll get Ruth to help with that, and you let me know what he says.”

  “Deal,” Charles responded as he slowly chewed the last cookie with closed eyes, savoring the treat his taste buds had almost forgotten.

  * * * * *

  “Did you see the police chief on television?” Sophie asked excitedly. “He did a great job. I’ll bet we get our quilts back!”

  Sarah wasn’t feeling as optimistic about their chances, but she had to admit he had done a good job.

  “Charles said they already got one call,” Sarah said as she carried the phone to a nearby chair. “But it was from someone offering to contribute a couple of old quilts to the people who lost them. A very kind gesture, but another quilt doesn’t replace the lost memories. I’ll call and thank her anyway.”

  Sarah told her friend about the article she was writing for the quilt magazines. “Ruth suggested we put it online as well. Her own website reaches thousands of people, and she said she would ask other quilt shops to do the same.”

  “Great idea,” Sophie responded. “Are you ready for a spin on my new scooter?”

  “Sophie, I didn’t see any place for a second person. Am I going to be sitting on your lap?”

  “No, silly. You can drive it yourself. I’ll bring it up, and you run it up and down Sycamore Court. Charles and I will sit out front and watch.”

  “I’ll give it a try,” Sarah responded, eager to please her friend, who was so excited about her new toy.

  “I have another call, Sophie. Come on over.” She hung up and answered the second call. “Hello?”

  Chapter 16

  The caller introduced herself as Myra Prichard. “I live here in the Village, and I heard the police chief this morning talking about the theft. I have something I wanted to tell someone, but I’m embarrassed to call in to the station about this. It seems like such a silly thing, but it just might be important. I don’t know what to do. Could I tell you about it instead?”

  “You certainly can tell me, Myra, but you might also need to tell the police, depending on what it is. Do you mind if I put you on speaker? I’d like for my husband to hear.”

  “Oh my, I’d be embarrassed. It’s such a silly thing. …”

  “It’s okay, Myra. My husband is a very kind and understanding man. I hope you’ll let him hear about it too.”

  “Well, okay,” she said reluctantly.

  Sarah motioned for Charles to come closer to the phone, and she handed him the message pad and a pen. He smiled and nodded.

  “Go ahead, Myra,” Sarah said.

  “Okay, but I told you it’s silly. I was at the quilt show, and there was this woman back by the ladies’ room. She was sort of stooped over—you know, like some old folks get—and she was dressed pretty weird.”

  “Weird?”

  “Well, first of all, she was dressed strangely. None of her clothes went together, and nothing fit. I think her dress might have even been on backward, but I’m not sure. Everything just hung on her. She just looked odd is all,” the caller added. “Oh, and she
wore a hat with a veil down over part of her face. How long has it been since anyone wore a hat with a veil? It just seemed odd.”

  “Okay, I agree it seems odd, but …”

  “I’m not finished. You see, just as they announced that the show was closing in five minutes, she went into the bathroom. Not the main ladies’ room, but that small individual one. I thought that was odd, too.”

  “Maybe she didn’t have time to go back to the main ladies’ room,” Sarah suggested. This sounds like a crank call, and I’ll bet we’ll be getting them for months, she told herself.

  “Well, I had to get up to the front door before I got closed in myself, and I walk very slow. I had a knee replacement last year and never got full use of it back. I did all the exercises like I was told, but that knee was never as good as Maggie’s knee. Do you know Maggie? Maggie Swanson? Well,” the woman continued without waiting for Sarah’s response, “she had hers done this year, and she walks just fine.”

  Sarah sighed.

  “Anyway, since I had to leave and I didn’t want this woman to get stuck in the auditorium, I knocked on the door and told her the show was closing. She didn’t answer at first, so I knocked harder.”

  “Did she finally answer?”

  “Yes, finally this squeaky voice said, ‘Thank you,’ but she still didn’t come out. I tried the door, but it was locked. There wasn’t anything else I could do, and I had to get across the auditorium, so I just left her there. After I got home, I realized that I should have told someone she was in there.”

  “Do you think you could describe her?”

  “I just did.”

  “Would you mind speaking to my husband, Myra? He’s right here, and he wants to ask you a question.”

  “Oh my, I didn’t want to talk to a man about this. I feel so silly. This is nothing.”

  “Please, Myra. He’s a very nice man, and he just has a quick question. His name is Charlie.” Sarah handed the phone to her husband and gave him an apologetic look, knowing how much he disliked the nickname, but she thought it would sound less threatening to Myra.