Knit One, Kill Two

by Maggie Sefton

  Lisa nodded. “I dunno. Helen usually donated knitted mittens and scarves every year, not other stuff.”

  “Maybe she got hooked on one of those home shopping networks. You know, channel surfing one night,” Jennifer offered. “Those things are lethal. It ought to be against the law to open the fridge door or use your credit card after midnight.” Listening to everyone’s laughter, she added, “I mean, I bought a set of exercise weights one night after one A.M., and I don’t even exercise.” She shook her head.

  “Did you return them?” Kelly asked over the laughter.

  “They wouldn’t take ’em back. So they’re in the back of the car for snowstorms.”

  “Well, I’m fairly certain Aunt Helen wasn’t a compulsive shopper. And that’s what worries me. I can’t figure out why she’d need the money.” Kelly dropped her voice. “Not to mention all that money was the reason she was killed. It had to be.”

  A somber mood settled over the table as all of them, save Kelly, concentrated on the yarns in their laps, needles working smoothly, adding row after row of stitches.

  “Well, at least they’ve got the man who did it,” Mimi offered finally.

  “Tragic. If only Helen kept her door locked more. She was so trusting.” Lisa shook her head.

  “I heard he was drunk.”

  “Apparently he’d been arrested before.”

  “Threatened a woman in her yard near Old Town.”

  Kelly listened to their comments but said nothing. Finally, Mimi spoke up. “The police called me when they found Helen’s door open and . . . and found her. Of course, I rushed over here. They asked me if there had been a disturbance at the shop earlier or if I’d seen anyone lurking around.”

  “Was there?” Kelly probed.

  Mimi shook her head. “Nothing. And I’d never seen anyone hanging around here, ever. I was going to tell the policeman that but then they . . . they brought Helen out. They asked if I could come over to the medical examiner’s and identify her.”

  “That must have been awful, Mimi,” Megan ventured.

  “It was.” She bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Kelly, I didn’t mean to—”

  “That’s okay, Mimi. I wish I’d been here instead.” Guilt tugged inside.

  “Have the police recovered any of the money?” asked Lisa.

  “Nope. The detective I spoke with on the phone this morning said the vagrant had nothing with him when caught.” Kelly paused. “I could tell the detective was surprised when I told him the large amount of money that was missing, but he tried not to let on.”

  “I heard they found her purse in the bushes near the river.”

  “Purse was empty, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “I don’t understand why they haven’t found some of it,” Megan ventured. “Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of bills.”

  “Exactly what I’ve been thinking,” Kelly mused. “I asked the detective, and he assured me they thoroughly searched the riverbank area and the golf course.”

  “Maybe he hid it somewhere or buried it,” Mimi offered.

  “The bills were probably so scattered that the police never saw them,” Jennifer volunteered, a forest-green sleeve definitely taking shape now. “I mean, they could have blown across town in the breeze. Or floated downstream. Heck, they could be in Greeley by now.”

  “More likely one or two people found the money, and they’re keeping it. They’re not about to reveal themselves,” Lisa offered. “There’re all sorts of people who wander that trail, you know. Some homeless guys sleep out there rather than go to the mission. I helped count them in the last census.”

  That comment aroused Kelly’s suspicions. “Yes, but if someone like that suddenly found a bunch of money, they’d spend it, maybe in a convenience store. And that would draw attention, wouldn’t it?”

  “Maybe,” Lisa agreed. “Unless they spent it at different stores. No one would notice.”

  Kelly’s instincts still buzzed. “Maybe I’ll go back and ask the detective in charge of the investigation that question. See what he says.”

  “Will you go tomorrow?” asked Jennifer.

  “I’ll try, but first I have to tackle the house. Got to do it. Besides, that’s probably where the mortgage papers are since they’re not in her bank box.”

  “Remember, we’re going to help you with that chore, Kelly,” Mimi instructed in a no-nonsense voice. “Several people here at the shop want to help. Me, Rosa, and Connie—”

  “And us,” spoke up Lisa, nodding to the others. “I can come over first thing in the morning. I’ll switch clients around. I’m a physical therapist over at the Rocky Mountain Center, so we help each other out with schedule changes all the time.”

  “And I can come early, too,” said Megan. “I’m a consultant, so I set my own hours.” She grinned.

  “I’ll be over on my morning break,” Jennifer piped up. “The closing documents should be in one of those vinyl folders or a file. Just pull them out, and I’ll take them with me tomorrow afternoon if that’s okay. I’m working over at a new home site south of town. Plenty of quiet time to peruse the file and give you a rundown after work.”

  “Hey, thanks, I appreciate it, Jennifer. I appreciate all of you and your help. I confess I’ve been reluctant to go into Helen’s house. I dunno . . . I’m still uneasy about everything that happened.” She looked around the table and saw reassurance. It felt good. Kelly hadn’t felt that in a long time.

  “That’s understandable, Kelly,” Mimi said with a warm smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll be there. In fact, I’ve got the key so we can start early even if you’re not here. I mean with the cleaning and all. We wouldn’t touch anything else.”

  Kelly felt a tightened muscle somewhere inside her chest let go. “Thanks, Mimi. That’d be fine.”

  “Maybe we’ll finish early, and you can go to the police after that,” suggested Lisa.

  “Maybe, so,” Kelly mused. “I’m hoping that detective in charge is as friendly as the one on the phone.”

  “Well, if you ever need some help, you can ask Burt,” Mimi advised. “He’s a retired police investigator who comes in here every day.”

  Kelly blinked. “To knit?”

  “Don’t look so surprised. We’ve got guys who knit and weave,” Megan spoke up.

  “Burt spins. In fact, he’s gotten so good at it I pay him to spin some of my fleeces when they come in.”

  “Boy, big change from police work, huh?” Kelly joked.

  “Well, his daughter kind of ordered him here. He had a heart attack after his wife died last year, and Ellen just panicked,” Mimi went on. “She was afraid she’d lose her dad, too, so she gave him her own prescription to add to his new exercise routine.” She grinned. “Ellen knew how relaxing knitting was, so she hoped he might like that, but Burt surprised her. He took to the wheel like a natural. He learned faster than anyone I’ve ever taught.”

  “So, if you need a friendly cop, Burt’ll help you out,” Jennifer suggested.

  “Good. I’ll remember that.”

  “I sense there’s something that’s bothering you, Kelly.” Lisa peered at her. “Do you want to tell us or should we just mind our own business?”

  “When have we ever done that?” Jennifer quipped.

  Kelly paused a minute. “I guess it’s this whole thing with the money that bothers me. I mean . . . my aunt does something totally out of character and gets this huge amount of money—well, huge for her, anyway. Not only that, but she cashes the check, takes the money home, then this guy just happens to stumble in that very night to rob her.” Kelly’s gaze narrowed as she stared at the shelves of knitting magazines. “It’s all too coincidental to suit me. That makes my buzzer go off. And now, I’m remembering her last phone calls. She wasn’t her normal, happy self.”

  “Really?” asked Mimi.

  “Yes, she was mor
e subdued, quieter, those last couple of weeks when I spoke with her on the phone. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now I’m convinced she was worried about something.”

  “About what?” Jennifer probed.

  “That’s what I’m going to find out. Whatever it was, it made my sixty-eight-year-old aunt borrow twenty thousand dollars in a hurry.”

  With that, Kelly pushed back her chair to leave, while the others exchanged worried glances around the table.

  Three

  Balancing a coffee mug with one hand, Kelly managed to unsnap Carl’s leash with the other. Not easy, considering Carl had spotted a squirrel and was straining at the other end, ready to run. She opened the cottage’s back gate and watched her dog take after the squirrel. The squirrel was ready, of course, and as fleet-footed as yesterday. “He’s teasing you, Carl,” Kelly warned with a laugh as she headed to the front door.

  Mimi and the others had already started, she noticed. Bless them. She really hadn’t wanted to be the first one inside the cottage. Through the open front door, Kelly spied Mimi, cleaning cloth in hand, and Lisa plugging in the vacuum. “Hey, you really did start without me, and it’s only five after eight. I’m impressed,” she said.

  “Shop doesn’t open till ten, so I figured I could get a lot done before then,” Mimi said, not looking up from the coffee table she was polishing. The scent of orange floated on the air.

  Kelly didn’t even try catching Lisa’s attention over the sound of the vacuum. Lisa was methodically working the carpet. Kelly stood for a moment in the doorway and looked around. The lacy white cottage curtains over the dining room window were shoved to the side, allowing bright rays of morning sunshine to pour into the rooms.

  The cottage was a perfect miniature of Helen and Jim’s farmhouse, including the sun room and mini-family room jutting to the side. They’d built the cottage as a home for Jim’s mother years ago, and when she died, it became Helen’s craft cottage. Kelly remembered the huge quilt frame that used to fill the mini-family room—yarns, fabrics, and needlework projects everywhere. Helen called it her sanctuary. When Jim was traveling across Colorado building state roads, Helen would nestle in here and pick up needles of varying sizes. Later, after Jim’s death and most of the land was sold, the cottage became her home.

  Would it feel different now, Kelly wondered? The cottage had always felt cozy and safe before. She entered the living room and headed toward Helen’s antique desk in the corner, alert to any uneasiness. Setting her mug on the desk, Kelly stood for a moment and absorbed the sensations around her—the sunshine pouring through the windows, the dull growl of the vacuum nearby, and the delicious scent of orange floating in the air from Mimi’s polishing cloth.

  To her surprise, Kelly didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. On the contrary, she swore she could feel a warmth around her that had nothing to do with the sunshine. Another part of her relaxed, and she started searching the papers that were spread on Helen’s desk. After a thorough search, Kelly came up empty. No folder of loan papers.

  Rats! They’ve got to be here, she thought as she headed toward the bookcases that lined one of the walls. At that moment, Mimi grabbed her polish and cloth and headed toward the sofa end tables. There, on the dining room table, Kelly spied a long black package.

  Inside the black vinyl cover, Kelly found all the mortgage and closing documents. Flipping through some of the pages, she shuddered. She’d forgotten how long Colorado real estate contracts had become. She’d take Jennifer up on her offer to read through and decipher the essentials.

  The vacuum shut off and Kelly heard a familiar voice behind her. “Hey, great, you found them,” Jennifer called out as she came rushing into the cottage. “Let me take them and put them in my car, okay? No time for a break this morning. We’re slammed. I’ll see you after work at the shop. Bye.” Within fifteen seconds, Jennifer was in the cottage, grabbed the document package, and was out again—talking the entire time. Words floated out the door in her wake.

  Kelly was impressed. “I think that was Jennifer, but I’m not sure,” she said to Lisa, who was attaching an extender arm to the vacuum cleaner.

  “Yeah, she can really move when she wants to.”

  Just then, Kelly caught a movement outside the dining room windows. Rubber gloves up to her elbows, window cleaner and towels in hand, Megan was studiously polishing the glass. Brother, Kelly thought. This house will be spotless by the time they finish.

  Hating herself for the reflex action, Kelly glanced at the carpet below and scanned for telltale bloodstains. She saw nothing, and heaved a huge sigh of relief.

  It was time to join in the communal effort. After all, they were cleaning what was now Kelly’s house. She reached for the mound of cleaning cloths Mimi had left on the sofa end table and was planning to start dusting bookshelves when something caught her eye. Actually, it was the absence of something. Kelly stared at the bare living room wall directly behind the sofa.

  Where was the family quilt? The brass drapery rod and hardware were still on the wall, but the treasured family quilt was gone. Helen had stitched it more than thirty years ago from various bits and pieces of fabric that held meaning in her life. She’d included snatches of lace and crochet and needlework she’d done over the years, back to her childhood. There was even a lock of hair from their young son who died at age five. Priceless memories and bits of family history—all stitched with love. It was to be Kelly’s after Helen’s death. And it was gone.

  “Mimi,” she asked when the vacuum stopped. “Do you know where the family quilt is? Did Helen put it away in a closet or something?”

  Mimi turned around and scanned the wall, her face registering surprise. “Oh, my, it’s gone,” she exclaimed.

  “It’s always hung on the wall as long as I remember. First in the farmhouse, then here when Helen moved. Why would she take it down?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it’s in the bedroom. Let me check.” Mimi crossed the dining room, turned a corner, and peered into the bedroom. “No, it’s not here, either.”

  Kelly stared at the drapery hardware. “Do you think she would have taken it to be cleaned or maybe preserved or something?”

  Mimi shook her head. “No, Helen was an expert at caring for fabrics. She’d do it herself. Maybe she’s got it stored in a box in the closet.” She gestured back to the bedroom. “I can go look.”

  “Would you, please?” Kelly asked, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling that crept into her gut. Why would Helen do that? She loved having the quilt there. It kept her family alive, she said. Why would she take it down and store all those memories in a box?

  Lisa unplugged the vacuum and scooped up the cord. “What quilt are you talking about?”

  “The one Helen made thirty years ago. She called it a family tapestry. She used pieces of fabric from clothes she’d made, bits of knitting and lace and crocheting she’d done. She even had her earliest needlework pieces she’d done when she was only four years old.” Kelly continued to stare accusingly at the wall, as if it could speak.

  “Was that what hung from the rod up there? I’ve never been in here before today.”

  “Yes, and I can’t understand why she would take it down. Helen loved that quilt . . . and so did I.”

  Just then, Megan slipped in the glass patio door leading to the backyard. Carl immediately appeared behind the glass, watching them inside the house. “Well, all the windows are done, and the door, but that won’t last long,” Megan announced. “Not with big old Carl pressing his nose against the glass.” She turned around. Carl responded by barking once and plopping both front feet against the glass. She grinned. “See what I mean? He’s such a sweetie, big and goofy.”

  Mimi returned from the bedroom. “It’s not in the closets, Kelly, nor under the bed. I even looked in the dresser drawers.” She frowned. “Where would she put it?”

  “Put what?” Megan ask
ed.

  “The quilt Helen had on the wall. It was a family piece, Kelly says,” Lisa explained.

  Megan’s eyes popped wide as she stared at the wall. “You’re right. It’s gone. I remember seeing it when she took me here to help her quilt a piece last year. It was beautiful.”

  “When’s the last time you saw it, can you remember?” Kelly probed.

  Megan shrugged. “Gosh, probably months ago. I’d only come over here when Helen needed some extra hands to finish up something. You know how she was. Always setting herself deadlines and such.”

  “Did she ever mention taking it down or putting it away or having it cleaned or something?” Kelly tried again. That uneasy feeling in her stomach was still there.

  “No, not a word.” Megan picked up Kelly’s worried tone. “Where would Helen put it, Mimi?”

  Mimi stared at the wall with the same look of concern. “I have no idea, unless she’d store it in the garage, but I can’t see her putting that heirloom in there with dusty boxes of Jim’s old books.”

  “Neither do I,” confessed Kelly, “but I’ll take a look. This is really bothering me.”

  “Hey, we can do that,” Lisa offered, wrapping the cord around the vacuum. “I’m finished with the vacuuming, Mimi’s got the dusting, Megan’s cleaning the kitchen, and—”

  “And it’s finished, so’s the bathroom,” Megan declared, peeling off her rubber gloves. “This house was already clean when we walked in here this morning, Kelly, so we’re done. If Mimi doesn’t need me in here, I’ll go search the garage with Lisa for that quilt. Surely it’s around here somewhere.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re all finished,” another voice spoke from the doorway.

  “Connie, perfect timing,” Mimi invited in the plump middle-aged woman. “Is Rosa in the shop?”

  “Yes, she just came in, so I thought I’d help out over here.” She wagged a pair of yellow rubber gloves as she approached.