by Emily Selby
'In that house where they are living now?'
'Yes, the same. They returned to town earlier this year. Apparently to reconnect with their roots, or some such sentimental stuff. But I think they might have simply needed a roof over their heads.'
'What? Nobody else lives there?'
'The house officially belongs to the Marino family. Chiara's uncle, from what I remember. But he died last year and his children, Chiara's cousins, inherited the house. But they didn't want to live here. They've tried renting the house out, but it didn't work. I'm not sure why they don't sell it. Maybe no one wants to buy the place. Anyway, the house had been empty before Chiara and her daughter moved in some time in spring.'
'Hang on, didn't you say Chiara used to live in the same house when she was younger?' Katie was confused.
'Yes. You see, Chiara was abandoned by her mother when she was a kid. I remember her in primary school; kids used to tease her. It was awful. It didn't help that she was a sickly child. There were rumours that her mother had dumped her on her family and ran away with her other child to live with some guy because Chiara was sick all the time.'
'Where was the father at the time?'
'Oh, he died a couple of years earlier. He committed suicide. Apparently, he didn't want to go to prison. He had been caught doing something illegal. That was another reason the kids used to tease her. Poor Chiara,' Dorothy sighed. 'But on the other hand, she was such a whiner.' Dorothy shuddered. 'I tried my best to help her make friends with other kids. I defended her against the bullies several times, but it didn't help much. Poor Chiara,' Dorothy said and looked away, nodding her head lightly.
'What an awful childhood,' Katie agreed. 'This woman has been through a lot. Kudos to her for trying to find little moments to enjoy. She seemed genuinely interested in paper crafts every time she came to the meeting. That story makes me want to make her really welcome tonight.'
Dorothy gave her a look, Katie found hard to interpret. 'I hope it works for everyone involved,' she said, looking away.
Katie opened her mouth to ask what she meant by that, but Dorothy cut in. 'Oh, look, we've arrived. It's good to be back!'
'And it's good to have you back,' Katie said and pulled in to an empty space near the main door. She made a mental note to catch up with Dorothy later that evening and ask her to explain the puzzling comment. 'There are some people in the room, I can see them through the window. Let's go and join the fun.'
By the time Katie helped Dorothy climb out of the car, got the box and her own handbag, the taxi van appeared from behind the corner.
Katie heart sank as she recognised Chiara's daughter in the passenger's seat. Her goosebumps hadn't all disappeared yet, and she didn't fancy another set so soon.
Dorothy glanced over her shoulder at Katie. 'It'll be okay. I'll keep her entertained. We'll be fine. Hopefully, Sofia will be in a better mood, too. She wants the best for her mum and gets anxious when things don't go according to her plans.'
'A perfectionist planner?'
'Definitely. She's a smart girl, too. She's given up a well-paid job in a private hospital in the south to come up north and live with her mother.'
Katie blinked. 'Really? That's... kind of her. Is she a doctor?'
'No, her mother would love that, but Sofia preferred pharmacology.'
The van driver got out and fought with the tailgate. Katie took a deep breath, psyching herself up for an evening with The Parkers.
'Let's get in before another drama unfolds,' Katie said, pushing the handle. She held the door for Dorothy and followed her into a room full of light, chatter and bright colours.
11
The crafts room buzzed with light and life. It looked like most of the club members had already arrived. Miriam Fischer, the club's president put a teapot and a cake–no doubt a delicious gift from her teashop, in the centre of the large table. Ally Baker, the treasurer, was handing out assorted plates and teacups. Everybody else was more or less busy taking their supplies out, dropping them on the floor and picking up while knocking more things off the big, old, pine table, and, of course, talking.
When Katie walked in everybody rushed to welcome Dorothy. The club members were really happy to see her. In this warm glow of camaraderie, for a few seconds, Katie forgot about the dark clouds on the horizon. But the clouds arrived when, two minutes later, the front door opened again, and Chiara Parker appeared in the doorway.
'Here you are, madam,' the taxi driver’s familiar voice announced. 'That's it. My job's done. Have a good evening.'
Katie glanced nervously at the woman sitting in the wheelchair. The driver was already on his way back to his van. Sofia was nowhere to be seen. Katie's heart flipped. Maybe she wasn't coming. In which case, it wasn't going to be all bad.
She moved towards Mrs Parker and grabbed the wheelchair handles.
'I’ll push you in, Mrs Parker. Where would you like to sit?'
'My mother doesn't like to be in the centre of attention.' A high-pitched shrill cut through the joyful noise in the room.
Katie froze, swallowed hard to contain the discomfort creeping up her throat and turned to face the owner of the voice.
'I'll find her a quiet spot and make sure she has access to everything she needs,' Katie said as soothingly as she could to Sofia. 'Would you like to come in too?'
'I came in June, but I'm not interested in paper crafts anymore. I used to do a lot of that when I was younger, but I've shifted to other things.'
'That's interesting,' Katie said analysing Sofia's voice. It was calmer and a tad warmer, or was it just Katie's wishful thinking? 'We do other things as well. Quite a few of our members are into other crafts. What are you interested in now?'
'Jewellery making. I've created some handcrafted jewellery, but I've started playing with metal and stones.'
'Wow! I'd love to see it,' Katie said, genuinely interested. 'I've tried paper quilled pendants.'
'Great idea! I think paper filigrees can be made into beautiful jewellery. And it's quite simple, once you've mastered it. You need to make sure the end result is well preserved though. What did you use to make it water resistant?'
'I used Perfect Paper Adhesive,' Katie replied. Surprisingly, Sofia appeared more pleasant when talking about crafts. 'But with several layers, it can get expensive.
'That's right. I've tried that, too. My favourite is Crystal Coat Glaze. It gives a really nice, glossy finish. And it's hard, so it protects your work. You should try it.'
'I'll have a look, thank you,' Katie said. Indeed, Sofia knew quite a lot about crafts. 'Maybe you could give us a tutorial on quilled jewellery one day? I'd be keen to learn from you, and so many other club members.'
'Oh, yes...' Sofia replied, her voice trailing off now. 'I'd love to, but I'm so busy now. Honestly, I don't really have time for fiddling with paper and plastic.'
Katie bit her lip. Sofia's last sentence was flattened by a hint of superiority. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to ask her to do a tutorial? She seemed too busy...
'I see,' Katie said calmly. 'Maybe when you have more time then,' she added and smiled, but Sofia had already turned away. So Katie pushed the wheelchair and parked it at the end of the table by the window. There was enough room for the chair and to move around it, the light was good and, as a bonus, Mrs Parker had easy access to stuff on the table.
'Here we are,' Katie said. 'You should be comfortable here. Would you like me to bring you a cup of tea and a piece of cake?'
'I'd love that,' Mrs Barker replied her voice quivering.
'And you, Sofia' Katie addressed Sofia without looking at her. 'Would you like some?'
'Oh, that would be nice, thank you.'
Katie glanced at Sofia and blinked. This girl changed moods so fast, it was hard to predict. But she could say 'thank you'. Maybe it wasn't all lost.
Sofia looked around the room.
'It is a good size room,' she said. 'Good lightning. At least you have a decent place to work in.
Even though you don't have very sophisticated equipment.'
Oh yeah, she could sting, Katie thought. Sofia looked like someone who had to be handled with care. In gloves, preferably very soft and high-quality gloves. Definitely, not paper ones. Katie chuckled and turned her head away to hide it.
'I'll get your cake and tea. You install yourself wherever you feel comfortable.'
When she returned with two cups and plates loaded with Miriam's delicious chocolate cake, Sofia was fussing around Chiara's wheelchair.
'Everything okay?' Katie asked.
'We're fine, pet,' Chiara rushed to reassure Katie. 'It's just finding something to keep my Sofia busy. She insists on staying with me all the time in case I need her help. She's such a bright girl, and she hates being idle. You must find something suitable for her.'
'Mum, don't worry. I'll find something for myself,' Sofia replied, massaging Chiara's shoulders. There was a hint of overprotection in her little gesture, but Katie decided to ignore it. Sofia was a loving and caring daughter. Chiara must have been really happy to have her around.
'Well, we have a stone polishing machine. I believe this can be used for real jewellery making,' Katie said, trying to keep the word 'real' sound as casual as she could.
'A polishing machine?' Sofia glanced at Katie attentively.
'Yes. It was a parting gift from one of our former members. I think it's called a JoolTool kit.'
'Wow, you have a JoolTool?' Sofia's perfectly shaped eyebrows shot up, and her beautiful green eyes shone. 'Since when?'
'Since last year, I think.'
'I haven't seen it in the room.'
'We keep it covered on the bench over there, in the corner. Follow me and I'll show you. By the way, have you seen all the equipment we have here?' Katie asked, controlling her voice for politeness. She didn't like when people judged something before giving it a proper chance.
'No. I've only been here twice. And the first time doesn't even count. I was taking my mum home from an appointment. We drove by, she saw the lights on and wanted to see what was happening here, so we popped in. Someone was here making a card for Mother's Day. Mum loved it and she decided to join in. We came to the meeting in June.'
Did she just say Mother's Day card? Katie pricked up her ears. Would that have been before or after Easter? She'd have to check. She itched to ask Sofia if that person, by any chance, used Katie's dip pen to add lettering to the card. But she decided against it. Maybe later. Or maybe, she'd ask Mrs Parker.
'Here it is.' Katie pulled the cover away to reveal the machine and the accompanying polishing kit.
'Ah, nice one,' Sophia said, adding a smile. She looked like a Renaissance Madonna, with her dark curls, big almond-shaped eyes and high forehead. Shame her temperament didn't seem to match her looks. Katie sighed.
Sofia traced the edges of the polishing kit with her long fingers. Interestingly, although Sophia wasn't wearing any rings on her fingers, her dangling earrings were quite an eye catcher.
'Beautiful earrings. Is that a forget-me-not inside?'
Sophia glanced at Katie and smiled. 'Thank you. Yes, these are forget-me-nots, preserved in resin. Hand-made.'
'Wow! Really beautiful.' Katie raised her hand wanting to touch the delicate square of resin suspended in a fine frame of gold coloured metal. But she froze with her hands in the air.
'Sorry.' Katie gave a short, nervous laugh. 'It's so beautiful I wanted to touch it.'
'Oh, it's not a problem,' Sofia said throwing her hair back. 'It's not super fragile. I have a matching pendant. You can have a look. Sofia fumbled with the top of her cardigan and pulled out a thin golden chain with a pendant attached. She took it off and handed it to Katie.
Katie put the pendant on her hand. The warm light reflected on the surface of the resin making it look like a piece of amber.
'That is really beautiful. Fantastic job. I'd love to learn more about the technique. My daughter and I have done some simple earrings with paper filigrees but would love to be able to make something like that.'
'It's not very complicated, if you know how to do it. Obviously, it's a good level up from fiddling with paper.'
Katie felt a prick in her heart. This woman indeed knew how to sting. Katie held her breath and counted to ten. Then, she handed the pendant back to Sofia. 'It's a beautiful set. It would be even better with a ring.'
'There was a ring,' Sofia said fingering with the chain lock at the back of neck. 'But the crown broke off. I need to fix it.'
'Anyway, I'd better go back to the table. I'm working on something,' Katie said trying hard to sound polite but not too warm. 'Is there anything else I can do for you?'
'No, thanks. And thanks for showing me the machine. The polishing kit is not as good as the one I used in the States when I was staying with my brother, but it's not bad. I think it will do nicely for what I'm working on.'
Katie ignored the skilfully disguised criticism. 'I'm glad to hear this may be of use to someone. A few of us have toyed with jewellery, but not seriously. What are you working on?'
'I have an idea for a set made with some precious stones and gold and silver metalwork. I've finished the metalwork, but I'm still working on the stone setting. I'd like to enter it into a competition.'
'Maybe after all those months of gathering dust, this machine can finally be useful,' Katie said.
'I think I can make good use of it.'
'We would welcome you to our club,' Katie said smoothly. Gina Bishop's gift was a gift to the local community and, for at the moment at least, Sophia was part of it.
'I'll join tonight,' Sofia said hastily. 'I'm actually really happy to have discovered this kit. I'm so anxious to get my design ready for the competition. It's actually to be considered for a jewellery design course. They want a portfolio. I've only started working with serious material recently. I've dreamt all my life of jewellery making. And now, finally, I'm able to afford the materials and tuition fee.' Sofia carried on, a hint of urgency again in her voice. She also raised her hands and started milling the air. Katie braced herself, fending off the nervous energy Sofia exuded.
'It's fantastic! I'm really happy to hear that our little club can help you make your dreams come true.'
'Do you only meet once a month? I need access more often.'
'Our members can access the room outside the meeting hours. You need to talk to our president, Miriam Fischer. She's over there.' Katie pointed to the woman who was still busy serving cake. 'Come, I'll introduce you to her.'
'Maybe later,' Sophia said and turned back to study the machine. 'I'll have a better look at this first.'
Katie left her to it and focused on her own work. She installed herself between her friend Linda McKay, who was also working on her cards for the fete and Ally Baker, who was always so efficiently organised, it was difficult to notice her workspace. Dorothy was chatting with someone at the other end of the table.
The familiar chatter around her calmed Katie’s mind. She reached for the box with 'Finders Keepers' to choose the next element for the current card. Should she use that particular bottle top as a sun? Or work it into a rubbish truck? For whatever reason, boys were fascinated by rubbish trucks... This would be a hit!
'How are you getting on, Katie?' Miriam whispered in her ear. 'I've heard all about the body you've found.'
That was bad news. Miriam was one of the key gossipers in town. Owning and running a tearoom provided her with multiple opportunities to be kept up-to-date with everything that was going on in town. On the other hand, it was hard to hide anything in Sunnyvale.
'Which body are you referring to?' Katie glanced at Miriam's face, whose mouth twitched a little. Katie wondered if Miriam was indeed as up-to-date as she would like to think herself.
'The one I found on the roof outside my bedroom window, on Saturday night?' Katie added, realising her stream find might have not yet been public knowledge.
'Oh, that's old news. I meant the other body this morning.'
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So, she did know. Oh, well...
'Yes, that was awful,' Katie said automatically. She tried very hard to push the vision and the accompanying smell out of her mind.
'Have the police identified the man yet?'
'Not to my knowledge,' Katie said, resorting to one of her well-practiced replies to any questions about the police work. She’d become quite skilled at avoiding answering some questions by giving statements, which weren't outright lies yet not disclosing any relevant information.
'What a shame,' Miriam said sounding, indeed disappointed. 'We have all been wondering who it could be.'
Katie wondered whom the 'all' were, and how to tap into this secret brainpower.
'Any guesses?' Katie ventured.
'No. The police are going down the missing person's route. They've asked all the local GPs and the hospital staff. Sunita thinks they're checking medical records. But I don't think the name has been released yet. It's not someone local or we would've known by now.'
Miriam was right–they would have known if the dead man was a local. Sunita Patel, Miriam's teashop business partner, a wife of a local GP and a former nurse, was an excellent source of medical gossip.
'Hey, that new girl is quite pushy. She wants to join now and have access to the room immediately.' Miriam changed the subject, probably realising she wasn't going to get much murder information out of Katie.
'Yes, she is pushy, but I think she has a good reason to be. She has a deadline for her project, and this is about a life-long dream,' Katie explained. 'She's really keen.'
The Paper Crafts Club president gave a big sigh.
'I know. I'm just a bit uncomfortable giving her access to the room without knowing her.'
'I understand, but her mother is a born-and-bred Sunnyvaler. Ask Dorothy.'
'Yes, her mother is from here...' Miriam said slowly. 'But it's her mother who makes me cringe. She's a cheat and a whiner.'
Katie blinked. Miriam could be quite blunt and too candid in expressing her opinions of other people, which sometimes come across as blistering, but there was usually a reason behind it. Why would she make such a hurtful comment about a sick woman?
