A Crafter Knits a Clue

by Holly Quinn

  But as she was getting ready to close the door, something in the closet caught her attention. After removing all the dresses, the back of the closet wall revealed a hidden door in the drywall that she had originally missed. She could see how she had almost missed it, so small as it was. The compact door was about the size of a laundry chute, but Sammy doubted it could be used in that way. How would Ingrid throw dirty clothes, on her knees, behind dresses, into a laundry chute? It didn’t make sense why it would be located on the back wall of the closet. Curiosity won out, and Sammy dropped to her knees and crawled into the space to get a better view. Sammy popped the compact door open to reveal an enclosed vent pipe. Inside the vent pipe was a small fireproof safe. She pulled it out, set it in her lap, and then closed the laundry chute door. A smile formed on her lips as she backed out of the closet clutching the find with both hands.

  She backed up straight into the polished black shoes of a man. Her eyes flew upward to Detective Liam Nash, whose hands were planted firmly upon his hips.

  “I’ll take that,” he said as he reached out one hand.

  “What? No!” Sammy clutched the heavy safe to her chest, refusing to let go.

  “You realize you are hampering an ongoing investigation.” He waved his hand forward. “Give it here.”

  “How did you get in here?” Sammy stood upright but refused to give up the goods.

  “I should ask the same of you, don’t you think?” He reached for the safe, and she swung it in the opposite direction, causing him to miss.

  Just then, Heidi and Tim entered the room holding hands. “Isn’t he the sweetest thing coming to check up on us?” Heidi looked lovingly toward her boyfriend, and Sammy huffed in response.

  “Wonderful,” Sammy muttered under her breath.

  “By the way, Deborah’s fine, she said don’t rush or worry, the store’s been dead due to the weather. I told her you would give her a call on the way back.” Heidi dropped her boyfriend’s hand and rushed toward Sammy. “What did you find?” She dropped the box of trash bags onto the bed that was now completely covered with Ingrid’s dresses.

  “Fire-safe lock box, but I haven’t found the key yet.”

  “Yes, and she’s hampering an investigation by not giving it up.” Detective Liam Nash crossed his arms over his chest and stood glaring at Sammy.

  “What is with you two? Aren’t we all on the same team?” Heidi’s eyes flew toward Sammy, and now it seemed all harsh eyes were on her.

  “Fine.” She unwillingly handed the safe over to the detective and sat on the bed defeated. “I don’t have the key, though. Good luck getting it open.” Sammy huffed.

  “No worries. We have tools back at the station that will pop that baby wide open in no time,” Tim said.

  Sammy rolled her eyes at her cousin’s boyfriend.

  Detective Liam Nash waved a hand from the half-filled box to the dresses on the bed. “We can come back with our warrant later to continue our investigation, Officer. We don’t want to get in the way of them packing up Ingrid Wilson’s clothing. We’ve already had the Crime Scene Unit over here anyway.” He turned his head to the window. “Glad to see you all weathered the storm all right,” he added in a concerned tone.

  “Yeah, we’re all just fine. But how’s the rest of Heartsford? Any damage?” Heidi turned to Tim with a look of alarm.

  “Few power lines down, trees and branches. Nothing major. You guys are lucky to have the power on here. Main street is fine—but part of the town is out.” Tim rested his hand comfortably on his holster.

  Sammy jumped from the bed and regarded her cousin. “Yeah. We were very lucky here,” she nodded vigorously. She was not ready to share that they had been digging into Ingrid’s personal belongings in the basement.

  “If you find anything—and I mean anything—as you’re packing Ingrid’s clothes, please give me a call on my cell.” Detective Nash tried to hand Sammy a business card, but she refused it.

  “Don’t you remember you already gave me your card? You should pay more attention to details,” Sammy’s tone was sarcastic and defensive.

  “Yes. I do remember giving you a card. What I don’t remember is you calling me on my cell. Ever. You always call the department and ask to be put through to my line,” Liam Nash corrected. The detective turned on his heel and exited the master bedroom and called over his shoulder with his back to the room. “Officer Maxwell. Let’s get a move on.”

  “Incredible. You really know how to yank that guy’s chain!” Tim shook his head and placed a meaty hand on Sammy’s shoulder. “I better get moving. He was nice enough to let me check on you three troublemakers.”

  Heidi leaned in and gave her boyfriend a kiss on the lips before his departure. After he left the room, she turned her focus to Sammy, “You reeeaaally like him!”

  Sammy had a look of disdain on her face. “How do you get that from this?” She pointed to her face, which was filled with frustration.

  “It’s what you always do when you like someone that much, you try to push them away. It’s your signature move.” Heidi said as Ellie entered the room.

  “What did I miss?” Ellie asked.

  “You thought we had a storm outside. You should see what I just witnessed in this room.” Heidi teased. “Did you get a hold of Randy?”

  “Yeah.” She handed Heidi back her cell phone. “Thanks for letting me borrow it. I’m going to have to go. Randy and my Ty-baby are okay, but unfortunately, the birch tree in the back didn’t fare so well. Randy needs to get the chainsaw out and asked me to come home to take over with Tyler so he can safely cut it up. Sorry I can’t help finish here.”

  Sammy moved to her sister’s side. “Thanks for coming today. I really appreciate your help. If you think of anything later that we might have overlooked today, give me a call.”

  Ellie leaned in for a hug. “We’re going to get this guy,” she said firmly. “Watch your back, Samantha. I’m worried for your safety.” She was already putting back on her mother hat, and she hadn’t even left the room yet.

  Heidi placed a hand on Ellie’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Tim’s on it.”

  Sammy eyed her cousin. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “I told him about your warning. Heartsford Police Department is patrolling your neighborhood and Community Craft to look out for you.”

  “I seriously don’t think that’s necessary.”

  “We do.” Ellie and Heidi said in unison.

  “And you need to stop in at the police station and add your statement to the report. Don’t forget,” Heidi added.

  Sammy just shook her head like the two were overreacting before giving her sister a nudge toward the door. “Go check on your family. We’ll be in touch soon. Love you.”

  “Love you guys.” Ellie straightened her arm with a clenched fist and the two others mirrored her. “S.H.E.,” they all said in unison, and the three laughed like grade school children before Ellie dropped her hand and left the master bedroom.

  “Alrighty then. Let’s bag up these dresses and get going!” Heidi reached for a few and hung them up with one hand. “Grab a bag would you … and help cover these?”

  As Sammy poked a hole in the upside-down trash bag to cover the dresses Heidi put up a hand to stop her, “Whoa, hold up a second.”

  “What is it?”

  Heidi laid the dresses back on the bed and pointed at a pin attached to the lapel of an emerald green dress. “Do you see that?”

  “Yeah. What is it?”

  “I’ve seen these on patients that have come into the hospital. It’s a sobriety pin. Ingrid Wilson was an alcoholic.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The following day, unable to focus on anything other than the investigation into the murder of The Yarn Barn owner, Sammy reviewed her notes and the newspaper article she had taken from Ingrid’s house. She held the newspaper article in one hand and took a sip from a water bottle in the other. Her eyes reread a specific line in the article. She
placed the paper on the counter, picked up a pen, and underlined:

  Rain may also have been a factor in the accident. According to County Police Officer, Jay Rant, the crash is still under investigation.

  Sammy stood at the kitchen counter and flipped her laptop open. Bara nuzzled at her leg to gain her attention and then moved toward the back door of the Cape house, waiting patiently for her to open it.

  “You need to go out?” Sammy walked over to the door and let her dog out the back door and then returned to her laptop. She Googled the name Jay Rant, Dodge County Police, to see what would come up in the search. Several hits came from the search, and she clicked on the first, which read:

  Officer Jay Rant continues to give his time to Dodge County long after retirement.

  After scanning the article, she learned that the retired officer volunteered his time removing invasive garlic mustard from the Wild Goose State Trail. The aggressive plant was known to invade high-quality upland and floodplain forests. The county was using volunteer efforts this week to eradicate the weed on the thirty-four-mile trail. Dodge County, the next county over, was roughly forty miles from her house. If Ellie would work alongside Deborah, Sammy could pay the retired officer a visit on the trail.

  Sammy quickly hit her sister’s number on speed dial, and Ellie picked up the phone on the second ring.

  “What’s up?”

  “Any chance you could work for me this morning while Tyler is at preschool? Deborah is coming into work for a few hours so you wouldn’t be alone.”

  Sammy heard nothing but a quiet pause on the other end of the line.

  “Hold on a sec.”

  Sammy moved to the back door and opened it for Bara to return inside.

  “Yeah, Randy said he’d take Ty to preschool on his way to work. How long are you going to be? Where are you going exactly?”

  “A few hours. I have a hunch, so I’m going to kill two birds with one stone. I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t taken any personal time…” Sammy stretched the truth just a wee bit, as she wasn’t sure she was going to learn anything anyway from her little trek through the nature trail. She chewed the inside of her cheek and then added, “I’m taking Bara with me for a long-needed walk too.” She hoped this would justify the half-truth to her worry-filled sister.

  “A hunch, huh? Sounds dangerous.” Long pause. “I guess I’ll see you at the store later and you can fill me in then. Be careful. We don’t need any more warnings.”

  “Not dangerous. I’ll have Bara with me. Thanks, I owe you one.” Sammy clicked off the phone before her sister could throw more questions at her and looked at her puppy. “You and I are going on an adventure!”

  She patted her leg for Bara to follow, reached for his leather leash off the peg next to the door, and headed outside to load him into the passenger seat of her car.

  The drive that led to Wild Goose State Park was uneventful. Bara laid his golden head to rest on the edge of the open passenger side window, devouring every ounce of the road trip. Each mile away from their house encouraged her sense of adventure. She needed this break away from the confinement of the store sometimes. When they finally came upon the large brown sign that marked the state park, Sammy turned onto the blacktop lot, and she picked a parking spot under a budding oak tree to keep the car cool while they hiked. The sun was poking streams of light out from under a large puffy cloud. The storms had brought back cooler temperatures. There were no complaints from Sammy. At least it was finally sunny.

  A crushed stone path meandered under a canopy of trees, keeping the flat trail shaded and cool. A woman walker dressed in workout gear and a sweatshirt led a well-behaved, leashed collie off the path toward the parking lot, and Bara bolted from the car before Sammy had a chance to even turn around.

  “Bara!” Sammy slammed the passenger car door and rushed after her dog to catch him and click on the leash. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s fine. No worries. What a handsome dog.” The woman leaned down and gave Bara a pat on the back.

  As the two dogs took an interest in each other, Sammy asked the other hiker. “Did you happen to see any volunteers on the trail?”

  The woman jerked the leash away from Bara and led her collie closer to her leg. “Yes. I believe so. About a mile or so in? Just before you get to the marsh.” She waved goodbye and then jogged away, heading toward the parking lot.

  “Thanks.” Sammy jerked Bara’s attention from following the collie back toward the open trail. “We’re going this way, buddy.” Sometimes her dog mirrored her own personal behavior—very hard to control.

  According to the welcome sign at the head of the trail, the state trail was built from an old abandoned railway that began in Chicago and headed northwest. Sammy had never gone as far as Dodge County to hike before and mostly stuck to the trails close to Heartsford. She welcomed this opportunity to blaze a new footpath. A chipmunk suddenly darted across the path, causing Bara to dash after it. Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea bringing him after all. She jerked the leash and refocused his attention on the crushed stone trail. The smell of honeysuckle filled the canopy of trees, giving a welcoming peace. She breathed the moment in. All she could hear was the crush of stone underfoot and the occasional chickadee and cardinal singing off in the distance. She needed to take this type of time for herself more often; it was intoxicating.

  A slight clearing of trees lay ahead, and she noticed the dark trash bags along the path from where the volunteers had bagged the pulled garlic mustard plants. She followed the trail of black bags until she came upon a woman in a large straw hat bent over at the waist pulling the tall white flowered weed out of the long grass.

  “Hello,” Sammy said kindly.

  The bent woman turned and stood upright. She placed her hands behind her back to take a moment to stretch and then left them there to brace herself. “Hi there. Are you here to volunteer?”

  “Not today. But I am looking for one of the volunteers. Is Jay Rant helping today?”

  The woman pointed a garden-gloved finger up the trail. “He’s next in line, you’ll catch him around the bend.” She waved goodbye, sprinkling remnants of dirt with her soiled gloved hand, and returned to plucking the hearty weed from the ground.

  Sammy nodded in appreciation and led Bara farther down the trail. Her dog was not easy to walk with, as he continued to be sidetracked by any animal or scent that crossed in front of them. When she finally made it around the bend to a man in a khaki-colored fishing hat and matching nylon jacket, she breathed a sigh of relief.

  Sammy placed one hand next to her mouth and yelled, “Officer Rant?”

  The man stood and adjusted the sweat-filled hat upon his head, revealing a head full of lush gray hair. He turned and made his way out of the tall grass along the path and moved in her direction. “Boy, I haven’t been called that in years,” he chuckled. “Do I know you? If you’re calling me officer, I guess this must be regarding an old case from my past?”

  Sammy reached out to shake his hand. “Kind of.”

  He removed his glove and shook her hand. He then unzipped his jacket, removed it, and tossed it to the ground next to the trail. “It’s getting hot out here. Nice to see the sun though. Guess I shouldn’t complain.” He fanned his brown plaid cotton shirt with his hand.

  “Oh, I’m sure you do feel warm from all the tough work you’re putting in. Trying to eradicate the weeds, I see?” Sammy pointed to the half-filled black trash bag.

  “Yes. It’s a time-consuming process. Must be done though; it’s destroying our forests. My gut says that it’s not garlic mustard that you’re here to talk about though. Go ahead and tell me.” The retired officer removed his hat again and fanned himself with it. “What’s brought you out here looking for me?”

  Sammy smiled at his candid tone. “I actually want to talk to you about an accident that happened years ago. I’m hoping you can help me understand a few things.”

  “Go on.” The retired officer’s int
erest was obviously piqued. He placed the hat back on his head and readjusted it.

  “You see. I have this friend who’s looking for his biological mother. Turns out, he was adopted as a baby and wants to reconnect. I have reason to believe she’s deceased, and I wanted to verify with you … If you … well … maybe if you had any details about his mother … you know … before I share the sad news with him … that she may not even be alive.”

  The older man rubbed his chin and nodded. “Do you have any idea how many cases I handled over the years, young lady?”

  “This one would have been early on in your career. Do you remember Ingrid Wilson and Olivia Dunn?

  The stunned look on his face was immediately apparent.

  “You do remember,” Sammy pushed.

  The retired officer took in a methodical deep breath. “Yeah, well … that one was personal.” He shook his head and kicked a stone in the dirt with his work boot as if he didn’t want to travel that part of his memory.

  “Personal?”

  “I went to school with those gals. They were inseparable, those two.” He chuckled, “Jeez, it’s funny now … But it wasn’t at the time. I was always chasing Ingrid to go out with me. She never would,” he chuckled again. “I wonder what ever happened to that gal. I still think about her from time to time,” he said wistfully.

  “You don’t know then?”

  The older man looked at her perplexed. “Know what?”

  “Ingrid was murdered in Washington County recently. Inside her store in Heartsford, The Yarn Barn.”

  A sound of shock escaped him. “No. I wasn’t aware. I don’t watch the local news anymore. When you spend a lifetime being a police officer, you need to gain some peace back in your life. I need to ponder on hopeful things. Not negative news. Not tragedy. It’s the way I’ve decided to spend my retirement. Out here in nature. And it’s the only way I can survive.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe Ingrid’s life ended in another tragedy … Just like Olivia. Did they get the person involved?” The retired policeman’s eyes narrowed.