Quilt As You Go

by Arlene Sachitano

  "Why would Gerald fake his own death?” Harriet asked.

  "That I don't know,” Bill said. “I wish I did."

  "Thanks,” she said. “You've been very helpful."

  "If you think of any questions I can answer, feel free to call,” he said and drifted off into the crowd.

  Harriet made her way over to Jenny.

  "Anything?” she asked quietly. The family had entered the hall while she was talking to Bill.

  "So far, they're just talking about how sad they are. They seem genuinely perplexed about what their Gerard was doing here."

  "Thanks,” Harriet said. “Keep with them, just in case. I'm going to see how Connie and my aunt are doing with Pete."

  * * * *

  True to form, Connie had worked her magic quickly. She'd confronted Pete and, according to Aunt Beth, he'd cracked like an egg.

  "Gerald called him,” Connie reported. “After Pete got over his shock, Gerald asked him to keep his mom out of Foggy Point for a few days. He said he wouldn't ask him if it weren't life or death. He swore him to secrecy and said he would tell him everything when he saw him again and promised that it would be soon."

  "Pete trusted his daddy,” Aunt Beth said, picking up the story. “He doesn't know anything else.” She shook her head. “You'd think at his age he would have demanded a few more answers."

  "I certainly would have demanded more information before I did something that big for my father,” Harriet agreed.

  Aunt Beth gave her an exasperated look.

  "Okay, so maybe I'm not typical,” Harriet said with a sigh. “By the way, have either of you seen Aiden? He had to go to work this morning, but I thought he meant to be here before the ceremony started."

  "Maybe he got hung up at work,” Beth suggested.

  Harriet scanned the crowd and stopped when she noticed Lauren nodding at her.

  "Have you got something?” she asked without preamble when she'd worked her way through the people to Lauren's side.

  "Carla's car is in the middle of a forested area down below Miller Hill Road.” She turned her phone toward Harriet. The display showed a small aerial photo. A dark spot that must be the car sat inside a ring of trees. “From the ground, it's probably well hidden."

  "What's that?” Harriet pointed at another car-sized blob. This one sat out in the open between the ring of trees and the roof of a building.

  Lauren punched a series of buttons and magnified the area containing the other car. “Looks like an SUV, maybe a Bronco,” she said.

  "Aiden's car,” Harriet said, a knot forming in her stomach.

  "Come on,” Lauren said. “My car's closer."

  Harriet was too shocked to answer. She followed Lauren out a side door that led to the parking lot.

  "I think we should go up to the park and see if the hill is high enough to see where the clearing in the trees is. It doesn't look like there's a road through that part of the forest. Someone must have done some off-roading,” Lauren said as they drove. “Have you called Aiden?"

  Harriet pulled out her phone and punched in his number. His phone rang then went to voice mail. “Nothing."

  Lauren pulled into the parking lot at Miller Hill and got out, but she had to hustle to keep up as Harriet all but ran up to the rocky outcrop that overlooked Foggy Point Fire Protection. The outbuildings were between them and the main plant.

  Harriet scanned the woods around the factory. There were several small buildings that could be the one in Lauren's picture. She carefully studied the trees around each one.

  "Look,” she said, pointing to a windowless tin shed. See the area of trees right down there?” She pointed to a spot below them. “Doesn't it look like there could be a gap there?"

  "One way to find out,” Lauren said. She pressed the electronic door lock on her key chain, pocketed her keys and followed Harriet to the path that led toward the forest.

  The black flats Harriet was wearing weren't the best choice for descending a steep rocky trail. Lauren's black sandals were even worse. The two women slipped and slid to the edge of the woods.

  "I think we need to go to the right,” Harriet said and left the trail, picking her way through the tall grass and working toward a break in the undergrowth that would allow them to enter the stand of trees she hoped hid the gray Mercedes.

  The going was easier under the dense canopy of trees. It was difficult for underbrush to grow, given the sparse sunlight, and that worked in their favor. They picked their way through the trees for ten minutes, trying to walk as silently as they could and not talking for fear the distraction might cause one or the other to fall. Harriet led the way.

  "I think I see the car,” she whispered finally, and waited for Lauren to come alongside her. “You wait here,” she continued, “just in case someone else is here. I'll go up to the car and see if Carla's inside. If she isn't, and no one appears, come out and we'll go whichever way the car came in."

  Lauren was punching buttons on her phone. “FYI, we have no cell reception,” she said. Harriet wasn't sure if that meant she was agreeing to wait in the woods, but if she didn't, there wasn't time to argue about it. She crept into the clearing and over to the car.

  Carla wasn't inside. Harriet circled it but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Lauren had waited, but when no one else appeared, she joined Harriet.

  "So, where do you think Carla is?” she asked.

  "I have no idea,” Harriet said with a sigh. She looked around the small clearing again. “Look over there,” she said, and pointed to the edge of the forest behind the car.

  "Well, duh,” said Lauren. “Isn't it kind of obvious the car came from the area behind it? I mean, you didn't really think whoever put it here turned it around just in case someone found it, did you? Maybe they thought someone clever enough to find this hidey-hole wouldn't be clever enough to follow the car-sized trail back through the woods."

  "Okay, you're the most brilliant. Would you just shut up so I can think a minute?"

  Lauren was about to say something, but a look at Harriet's face changed her mind.

  "I think we should split up,” Harriet said finally. “You just said we have no cell reception, right?"

  "Yeah,” Lauren said carefully. “What are you planning?"

  "Aiden's car must be right through there,” Harriet said, and pointed. “I want to check it out and see if he or Carla is in it. If I don't find anything there, I'm going to see if I can get into that outbuilding."

  "What if they aren't there?” Lauren asked.

  Harriet looked at her. “I can't think that far ahead. You go back up to the park and call the police and tell them we found Carla's car. Bring them back here. If I haven't found Carla or Aiden by then, the police can figure out what comes next."

  "I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone,” Lauren said in a rare show of concern. “Someone must have overpowered Aiden, and he's a lot bigger and stronger than you are."

  "If you bring the police here quick enough it won't be a problem."

  Lauren sighed but didn't say anything. She turned and disappeared into the woods in the direction they'd come from.

  Harriet left the clearing in the opposite direction. As Lauren had predicted, Carla's car had cut a pretty wide swath through the trees and underbrush. As she got closer to the outer edge of the woods, it became obvious some attempt had been made to conceal the car's passage.

  Aiden's car was visible as she reached the edge of the trees. She paused and studied the car and then the outbuilding beyond it. Birds were singing, and a slight breeze rustled the treetops, but no other sound disturbed the quiet.

  She slowly approached the Bronco, both anxious to look inside and afraid at the same time. She circled the vehicle. There was no apparent damage. She went to the driver's side door and rose onto her tiptoes to peer inside. Aiden's cell phone sat in the console under the radio. His keys were on the driver's seat. She reached for the door handle.

  "Let's just stop r
ight there,” said a female voice from behind her. A hand dug into her injured shoulder and pulled her around.

  "Bebe,” she said. “What are you doing here?

  "Well, I was coming to move Aiden's car, but I guess there's no point now."

  "Where is Aiden? And where is Carla?"

  "Oh, they're all in the garden shed getting ready for a barbecue. Here,” she said, and yanked Harriet by her bad arm again. “You can go join them."

  Harriet pulled her arm painfully out of Bebe's surprisingly strong grip. “I'm not going anywhere with you."

  "I have nine millimeters here that say you're going anywhere I want you to.” She pulled an ugly-looking black gun from behind her back. “And right now, it's saying you're joining your friends in the shed."

  She pushed the gun into Harriet's side and shoved her forward.

  At the door of the outbuilding, Harriet tried to break away, but Bebe was quick.

  "Don't make me shoot you,” she said. “I really want you all to be bullet-free. According to my calculations, there will only be ash left behind when the fire cools, but these things aren't always exact. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Now, just go in here.” She pulled a key from her pocket with her free hand and quickly unlocked the door and shoved Harriet inside.

  The room was dark and smelled like earth and cut grass. It took a moment, but when Harriet's eyes had adjusted to the dark she could see Aiden and Carla sitting on bags of fertilizer and Terry lying at their feet on the cement floor, apparently unconscious. She started toward them, but Bebe pulled her back.

  "Not so fast, sister,” she said. “I don't trust you."

  "What's going on, Bebe? Why are you doing this?"

  "I think it's obvious what's going on.” The little girl voice that had been so annoying was gone now. “You trespassers are about to suffer a horrible accident. Maxwell should have been more careful with his rags.” She referred to the long-time Foggy Point Fire Protection groundskeeper. “He used linseed oil on the wood benches in front of the building. Did you know linseed oil can spontaneously combust? It's going to be really sad. Carla followed Terry here, and Aiden followed her. No one knows why Terry is here, and now no one ever will. He'll be gone, poof, just like that.” She snapped her fingers.

  Harriet looked at Aiden; he was intently looking at her feet. Coils of hose were neatly stacked in a pile beside her.

  "Why do you have to kill Aiden and Carla?” Harriet asked, wondering if Lauren was back to her car yet. “Carla has a baby."

  "And I do feel really bad about that,” Bebe said.

  "Wendy,” Carla whimpered. “My baby.” She started quietly sobbing.

  "I said I'm sorry, didn't I? I'm not a monster. I feel really bad about all this. You three have always been really nice to me. It's not my fault, though. It's his.” She pointed the barrel of the gun toward the prone form of Terry. “Carlton and I are leaving this horrible place this afternoon, but Terry couldn't wait for us to be gone. He had to keep asking questions and causing trouble among our night workers. Do you realize he caused us to miss our final shipment?"

  "Shipment of what?” Aiden asked, speaking for the first time.

  "None of your business,” Bebe snapped.

  "If we're all going to die, could I at least hug Harriet one last time?” he asked. “If you feel so bad, this could make up for it."

  He had a plan. Harriet couldn't see where he was going yet, though.

  "Come on,” he pleaded. “I promise I won't do anything."

  Bebe looked uncertain. Aiden looked at the hoses again.

  "Harriet and I haven't even known each other a year yet. Barely six months. Remember when we first met?” he asked her.

  Harriet thought back, quickly scanning her memories. Aiden looked intently at her and then at the pile of hose again. She'd met Aiden at a Loose Threads meeting when he'd first returned from Africa. How could that help? she wondered. He'd brought his mother's quilt to her to repair after he'd wrapped an injured dog in it. She didn't see how that would help, either.

  Then she knew what he wanted.

  "You can leave my hands tied,” he said. “Come on, we're going to be dead in a few minutes and you can go on your way. What difference will it make if Harriet and I are together when we die or not.” He gave Bebe his best puppy dog look.

  "Okay,” she said slowly. Harriet was amazed again at how Aiden could charm the ladies—even the crazy ones, apparently. “But Carla has to move.” She turned away from Harriet and grabbed for Carla. The young woman refused to move from Aiden's side.

  Carla was stronger than she looked. Bebe had to turn her back to Harriet and use both hands to push Carla away from Aiden. The minute she turned, Harriet grabbed the end of the top hose stacked by her feet. The end with the industrial-size oscillating sprinkler still attached. In a blur, she swung the hose once around her head and let centrifugal force carry the heavy sprinkler into the back of Bebe's head.

  Bebe crumpled to her knees, and Terry suddenly came alive, delivering a scissor kick to her body and twisting his body over hers, pinning her to the floor. Aiden kicked the gun away and added his weight to Terry's on the woman's back. Terry rolled off and turned a ghastly shade of green.

  "Find something sharp to cut our ties with,” Aiden said, but Harriet was already rummaging around on Max's tool bench. She found a pair of wire cutters and made quick work of the plastic straps on Aiden's and Carla's wrists. Carla then snipped Terry's.

  "He's unconscious again,” she said in a worried voice.

  "Lauren went for help. Our phones didn't get reception, so she was going to Miller Hill and then driving toward town if needed. I told her to send the police."

  "How did you know we were in here?” Aiden asked. He found some garden twine on the workbench and tied Bebe's hands behind her back.

  "We didn't. Lauren has a friend who has access to real-time satellite imagery. She searched Foggy Point for Carla's missing car. We figured if we found the car, we'd have a starting point for our search.” She gently bumped her good arm into his shoulder. “We weren't even sure you were missing, actually. You said you had to work in the morning, and when you didn't show up for the funeral I thought you'd had an emergency. Until I saw your Bronco in the picture Lauren had of Carla's car."

  "Well, for once I'm glad you were snoopy and took a risk. Our friend here was about to blow us up."

  "So I gathered. What I don't get is why."

  "I'm not too clear on that myself,” Aiden said. He tied Bebe's feet together just as she roused slightly.

  "I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Terry,” Carla said. “He's been in and out of consciousness since I've been here. I think Bebe hit him hard on his head."

  "I should have killed him when I had him down,” Bebe said in a groggy voice. “His corpse would have burned just as well."

  "So, why didn't you?” Harriet asked. Carla turned to her with a look of horror.

  "Inquiring minds want to know,” Harriet added.

  "If you insist,” Bebe said, and struggled to sit up. “I couldn't burn the shed until we'd shipped our last order. And I was afraid, with this weather, he'd start to smell."

  "And you weren't worried someone would find his live body?” Harriet asked.

  "Carlton gave the grounds crew a couple of furlough days so no one would have a reason to come into the shed. If he'd started smelling and the wind blew the wrong way, someone might have investigated."

  "You really thought this out, didn't you?"

  Bebe looked at Harriet for a long minute. “I had to improvise, okay? The plan was, we make our last shipment, close the operation down, and then Carlton and I leave this dump forever."

  "So when Terry started snooping around and causing trouble, why didn't you cut your losses and run?"

  "Does it really matter?” Bebe asked.

  "I'd like to know."

  "Me, too,” Carla said and looked away, her face turning pink.

  "They aren't the kind of
customers you disappoint, okay?"

  "So what is this mystery product you've been shipping?” Aiden asked.

  "I think I'd like to invoke my right to remain silent."

  "We aren't the police,” Harriet said.

  "We are,” said Officer Nguyen as he opened the door. “Would anyone like to tell me what's going on here?"

  At first, no one spoke. Then everyone spoke at once. Aunt Beth arrived with Lauren and Connie. More police arrived, and eventually Carlton came with a skinny blond officer and her chunky, red-faced partner. Harriet recognized them from the break-in that had occurred in her studio the first week she'd been back in Foggy Point, more than six months ago.

  "We found him boarding a plane bound for the Caymen Islands,” the blonde said.

  "Detective Black asked us to find him and bring him here, since he owns the place,” the chunky officer said. He looked over at Bebe. “And because he's married to her."

  "You were leaving without me?” Bebe screeched, her composure slipping for just a moment. “Never mind, don't answer that. Don't say anything.” She glared at him to reinforce her command.

  Officer Nguyen called an ambulance for Terry, and Carla rode with him to the hospital. Aunt Beth insisted Harriet go to the hospital and get her arm checked out, and at that point her shoulder hurt enough that she agreed.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter 28

  Terry refused to stay in the hospital overnight, and as soon as he'd absorbed a couple of bags of IV fluids, he checked himself out. The doctors had insisted on examining Carla, too, and she was given her own fluids. Harriet went home after a sturdier brace was applied to her shoulder and Dr. Pattee had lectured her on the concept of keeping her collarbone out of harm's way until it had healed.

  Aunt Beth and Connie had decided everyone should meet at Harriet's, since she had a patio large enough to accommodate the Loose Threads and friends, plus her house was still clean from the previous gathering of the Willis clan.

  Harriet was once again amazed at the ability of the Loose Threads to conjure up large quantities of delicious food on short notice. There were two fruit salads, a macaroni salad with hard salami, red peppers and cubes of Swiss cheese with Italian dressing and Jenny's secret recipe baked beans. Harry Willis was at the gas grill cooking hamburgers and hot dogs. Jorge arrived just behind Terry with a large bowl of guacamole balanced on one arm and several large bags of chips in the other.