Assault and Beadery

by Mollie Cox Bryan

  Cora pulled her bag to her shoulder, opened the door, and turned to answer. “Nothing quick and dirty about my man.” She winked back and laughed.

  She strolled through the garden to the back door of Kildare House. Encouraged by her visit with her friends and warmed by the wine, Cora’s mind eased. She fretted about Zee—and any friend in possible trouble—but she understood the folks on her case were the best.

  She walked up the two flights of stairs to her attic apartment. Her legs appreciated the exercise. But late at night, she wished she could click her heels and be in her soft-quilt-covered bed with Luna snuggled next to her, purring.

  As she arrived at the landing, the stained glass window of Brigid looked down on her and she stood a moment, admiring the blues, crimson, and golds. When the creaking floorboards sounded from upstairs, at first she was startled, but then she remembered that Roni was here.

  When she turned to continue up the stairs, Roni appeared, dressed in a flannel robe and fluffy slippers.

  “Is everything okay, Roni?” Cora said.

  “Oh yes,” she said. “I’m just having a bit of trouble sleeping. Thought I’d get some warm milk.”

  For a fleeting moment, Cora thought she should join her. Then talked herself out of it. “Help yourself.” After all, part of the intention of the retreat was just that. Feeling at home here. Relaxing. A space and time for moms to just worry about themselves, their needs and creativity. Roni probably was enjoying the alone time and the silence.

  “Thanks,” Roni said, and kept going down the stairs.

  When Cora finally reached her apartment, she was greeted by an angry and hungry cat. Cora hated when her day took over and she was unable to take some downtime in the apartment. Luna seemed out of sorts when that happened.

  She fed the cat, kicked off her shoes, and fell into bed. She’d change later—at least that’s what she told herself.

  She sorted through her mental list of things to do in the morning—check on the blog, inspect the gift baskets, touch base with the caterer—but Zee’s face kept popping into her mind.

  I really should get up and get ready for bed.

  Sleep came over her in a sweet rush, and she woke up the next morning still in her baby doll dress and leggings.

  Chapter 6

  Yoga and meditation first thing made Cora’s mornings more manageable. As a counselor in her previous life, she often preached the benefits of starting your day this way, but she rarely followed her own advice because mornings were not her favorite time of day. She couldn’t deny the practice had made a real difference for her. She’d not had anything remotely like a panic attack since she started.

  She was so worried about Zee, the fact she didn’t feel panicked was nearly miraculous.

  After she showered and readied for the day, she sat down at her computer. She glanced at the clock, and realized she had about an hour before Lena was due to arrive. It was the usual practice for the group to go out to dinner the evening before the retreat, but since Lena was getting in on the same day many of the crafters were coming, and so early in the day, they were going to take her out for brunch.

  She clicked on the computer to check on her blog. Did she have any reaction to her last post? Several responses required her attention. She prided herself in her promptness.

  Then she moved on to her e-mail.

  An ad from the local newspaper popped onto her screen.

  STAN HERALD MURDERED.

  Good God.

  She clicked on the pop-up and went directly to the article. She scanned it for the pertinent information:

  “Found dead backstage at the IndigoArts Theater.”

  “Stan Herald, owner of Herald Cleaners, Indigo Gap, local philanthropist and founding member of IndigoArts Community Theater, was found dead on the theater’s stage.

  “Zora Mancini was found next to him, unconscious, and is the only person of interest in the case.” There was no mention of how he was killed.

  Zee!

  Cora’s heart lurched in her chest.

  She lay prone next to him? Cora surmised what had happened: Zee had found him there and passed out.

  She would have done the same thing. In fact, she had done the same thing the one time she happened on a murder victim.

  Cora’s phone beeped.

  “There’s a shipment downstairs that requires your signature,” Ruby said when Cora clicked on the phone.

  “Good morning to you, too,” Cora said.

  “Morning? I’ve been up for hours, chatting with Roni,” Ruby said. “While you’ve been lollygagging about.”

  What? Lollygagging? Cora smiled. Ruby often offered interesting turns of phrase.

  “I’ve been working on the blog.”

  “And?”

  “And reading about the murder,” Cora admitted. “I’ll be right down.”

  She inspected herself in the mirror, ran her fingers through her red hair, straightened her denim skirt, pulled on her leggings, which were slightly twisted, and she was ready to roll.

  “I’ll be back soon,” she said to Luna, and stroked her back before she left the room.

  As she started down the stairs, she received a text message from Adrian: I miss you.

  Good, she wrote back, and grinned, then typed, I miss you, too.

  Who knew that a school librarian would sometimes need to pull such long hours? And this came at a time she was preparing for her retreat. Maybe by next weekend their schedules would both clear.

  “Hi there,” Cora said to the UPS man.

  “Sign here please,” he said.

  After signing she glanced at the box label, which read “Woodland Herbals.”

  Oh! Lovely, she thought, it must be the rose petals and hips she’d ordered for the rose bead-making project.

  “Thank you so much,” she said.

  He nodded. “Sure thing.” With that, he was out the door.

  Laughter sounded from the kitchen. Cora grabbed her box and headed in to see what was so funny.

  Ruby and Roni sat like two teenagers giggling over a magazine.

  Ruby straightened up. “What do you have there?”

  Cora held up the box. “I think it’s the roses for the rose beads.”

  “Rose beads?” Roni said. “Oh, I’ve not seen rose beads in years. My great-grandmother had them.”

  Cora opened the box, and the scent of roses filled the room.

  “I see you’ve found your way around the kitchen, Roni,” she said, inhaling the scent of rose petals.

  “Yes, you said to make myself at home.”

  “You’ll fit right in here,” Ruby said.

  “Cora, I adore your placemats,” Roni said. “Ruby tells me you made them.”

  Cora nodded, setting the box aside.

  “I used old fabric,” she said. “I found it at a local yard sale. The fabric was from the forties.”

  “The weaving! I don’t know; it reminds me of those old rag rugs,” Roni said.

  “It’s exactly the same thing.”

  “Aha,” she said. “So, you’re a weaver?”

  Ruby chuckled. “She’s a little of everything.”

  “That’s about right,” Cora said.

  Just then, the doorbell rang. Cora glanced at her watch. “It must be Lena.”

  The three of them walked into the foyer, and Cora opened the door.

  She’d recognize Lena anywhere. She was one of the country’s most famous beaders and her face was plastered in craft and bead stores and online. Unfortunately, the person standing before Cora resembled a shriveled-up, tired version of the woman in the photos. She was weathered with deep lines in her face and her plaid shirt and blue pants were more than just a little rumpled.

  “I’m Lena. Are you Cora?” She extended her hand.

  “Yes,” Cora said, shaking her cold hand. “Please come in.” Cora dragged her bags into the foyer.

  “Just leave them here. We’ll take up your luggage in a bit.”

&nb
sp; Cora introduced everybody.

  “We’ll be leaving for brunch in about thirty minutes. Would you like me to show you to your room first?”

  “What I’d like is a cup of coffee and a bathroom,” she said.

  “I’ll bring you a cup to your room,” Ruby said.

  “Let me show you the way,” Cora added. She tried to tamp down her edginess about Lena not being what she expected. After all, she’d just been traveling and it probably wasn’t fair to make a snap judgment. Still, she sent a little prayer to the Universe that Lena’s teaching would be more lively and robust than her appearance.

  Chapter 7

  Cora sat with Jane and Ruby in the living room, waiting on Lena.

  “Any word from Cashel about Zee?” Jane asked.

  “Not really,” Ruby said. “You know how tight-lipped he is about his cases. Maybe Cora could get some info from Brodsky.”

  “Yeah,” Jane said. “You two are pretty tight.”

  It was true that Cora and Detective Thomas Brodsky had become friends, but Cora wouldn’t say they were tight. And she’d not want to take advantage of their friendship. Still, if this silence continued, she’d plan to act. She found it more and more difficult to concentrate on the retreat plans because her mind wandered to Zee in jail.

  Cora fussed with the hem of her skirt. “I will give him a call this afternoon if we don’t hear from anybody.”

  “It’s horrible to be accused of murder when you didn’t do it,” Jane said. And she would know. She was accused of killing the school librarian shortly after she and Cora moved to Indigo Gap. It was a nightmare.

  “Someone said he was stabbed,” Ruby said. “I can’t see Zee overtaking him like that. I mean, she’s small and old,” she said, and grinned. “Like me.”

  “You did say she has a mysterious past,” Jane prompted.

  Ruby’s head bobbed in agreement. “Not one of crime, one of music. She was in show biz, had quite the successful career from what I understand. Then mysteriously gave it all up and retired early.”

  “That’s not mysterious,” Cora said.

  “Why would you give up fame and fortune and retire to Indigo Gap?” Ruby said.

  They sat in silence a few beats.

  “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter,” Jane said. “Who killed Stan? And what possible reason could they have to hurt him?”

  Ruby harrumphed. “I never liked him.”

  Cora didn’t like him either. She always hated herself for not liking someone, especially when she couldn’t pinpoint the reason.

  “Casting couch?” Jane joked.

  Ruby chortled. “No, I’m afraid not.”

  “Then what could you possibly have against him?” Jane said.

  “That’s a story for another day,” Ruby said. “It’s getting late. Should someone check on Lena?”

  “Here I am!” she said with a flourish as she entered the room. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

  Entirely made up, and better resembling the woman in her photos, Lena now wore a silk tunic and leggings. A necklace with one huge bead draped down her neck. Her hair was silver-pink, which seemed to be the rage with a particular population, such as young hipster sorts or older women trying to maintain their youth or give an artsy-fartsy vibe. Cora decided she’d pluck her grays instead of dye them when the time came.

  “What a fabulous bead,” Jane said as they all stood.

  “Thank you,” Lena said. “It’s not one of mine. A student gave it to me. She’s gone on to a fabulous career in the bead houses in England.”

  Bead houses in England? Hmmm. Cora made a mental note to check that out. She never lacked for content for her blog because there were so many fascinating stories about crafting—culture, business, community.

  Together they walked along the cobbled streets of Indigo Gap. Azure. Lapis. Sky Blue. The names of the main streets in town were all shades of blue. Most people found it cozy. Cora thought it a bit too quaint. Even so, she found herself loving her new home and town more and more each day. They passed by the Blue Dawg Diner.

  “That’s a perfect place for breakfast,” Ruby said.

  “Today we’re going to a new café, called the Blue Lily,” Jane said. “We haven’t been there before, but we’ve heard great things about it.”

  “Lovely,” Lena said, as she took in the town.

  She was a woman whose age was tough to guess. Certainly, she was older than her publicity photos. She was gifted with a timeless beauty, with glowing healthy skin, and only a few wrinkles. Cora thought it was a shame that she made herself up so heavily.

  Maybe once Lena caught on to the laid-back vibe of the retreat, she’d lay off the heavy makeup.

  At least Cora hoped her retreat would be laid-back. A group of mostly stay-at-home moms soon would be descending on Kildare House. She had no idea what to expect—this had all been Jane’s idea. “I love London, but after spending a whole summer with her at home, I sort of feel as if I’ve been through a war,” she joked one day. “I’m wondering if we could do a retreat for moms after the kids go back to school in the fall.”

  Cora loved the idea. It was worth trying. Almost anything was. They were still a new craft retreat, making a name for themselves, and barely a profit.

  They had made a reservation, so the Blue Lily had a lovely place set for them. The four of them sat and ordered.

  Cora’s phone buzzed and generally she’d ignore it. This gathering was an important occasion. She wanted to make sure all teachers were on the same page before the retreat started.

  Since the call was from Cashel, she couldn’t ignore it.

  “Excuse me,” she said. “I have to take this.”

  Jane caught her eye and lifted one eyebrow in curiosity.

  “Hello, Cashel, what’s up?”

  “Cora, bad news,” he said. “It looks as if Zee will be detained at least another day.”

  Cora’s heart raced. “Really? How can that be?”

  “I can’t get into the details right now. I just don’t have the time,” Cashel said. “I’ll stop by later. In the meantime, Zee has some guests at the Blue Note and she wonders if you’d help out.”

  “How can I do that?” Cora said. Had Zee forgotten that Cora’s retreat was approaching and that she herself was almost at full capacity?

  “If you could just swing by there and check them out at two P.M. today,” he said. “And there is a roster on her desk with names and phone numbers of people coming in tomorrow. If you could call them and cancel?”

  “Cancel? Where will they go?”

  “Surely, there are other places you could offer? Maybe research some other hotels or B&Bs?”

  “Why can’t you do it?” Cora asked.

  “I offered, but she asked for you,” he said.

  Cora bit the inside of her cheek. “I’ll do my best.”

  “I know you will,” he answered. “I’m sorry to impose this on you, but Zee said you’d know how to manage all this. I know you’re busy.”

  “It’s okay. I have Jane and your mom and it will be all right,” she said. “They can pitch in.”

  Yes, they could. The retreat wasn’t all hers to manage.

  But still. Why did she feel as if she’d be letting them down?

  “Thanks so much. This will give her peace of mind,” Cashel said.

  “No worries, Cashel, but I do expect you to come by this evening and fill us in,” she said.

  He harrumphed. “I’ll do my best.”

  Cora hung up the phone. The three other women at her table were sipping at their mimosas and chatting about the art deco décor.

  “So, what did my son want?” Ruby said.

  “Zee has asked me to help with some things while she’s being detained,” she said.

  “Well, that’s ballsy,” Ruby said, before she took another sip and smacked her lips.

  Cora and Jane locked eyes in a moment of embarrassment.

  Lena elbowed Ruby and snorted. “Ballsy! I ha
ven’t heard that word in a long time.”

  Cora managed a smile. This weekend retreat was going to be a riot, murder or not.

  Chapter 8

  After brunch, the women walked back through the town, giving Lena a mini-tour of Indigo Gap.

  “How odd that most of the streets take names from variations on blue,” she said.

  “Only in the heart of the town,” Cora said. “And you’ll note that a lot of the businesses use blue in their names.”

  “I read about the history,” she said. “All about the indigo fabric factory. I guess the town is proud of its heritage.”

  “Some of the finest indigo cotton you’ve ever seen,” Ruby said, beaming. “I know it seems a little over the top with all the blue streets and names, but we are proud. And all that is mostly for the tourists and they eat it up.”

  “I expect so,” Lena said.

  “Speaking of blue,” Cora said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m heading over to the Blue Note to help out over there. It won’t be long. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  “I think we can manage,” Ruby said with an eye roll.

  “You promised you’d show me your place. I’ve never been in a gardener’s cottage,” Lena said as they walked off, with Jane trailing behind them. She turned and glanced over her shoulder as Cora waved.

  When Cora entered the Blue Note, she was surprised to find Lulu, Zee’s sister—and that everything was under control.

  “Hi, Cora,” she said. “I just got in. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to call.”

  “Do you need help?” Cora asked. She was more than willing to help, but she hoped Lulu wouldn’t need her.

  “Not with the Blue Note,” she said. “But with my sister? What the hell is going on? I don’t understand!” Her voice quivered.

  “I don’t either,” Cora said, with a lowered voice, not wanting to alarm any of the guests who were milling about.

  “Was she having an affair with him?” Lulu asked.

  Cora didn’t think she heard her correctly. “Come again?”

  “An affair? Was she having an affair with Stan?”

  The idea of Zee and Stan together in a romantic way turned her stomach. “I don’t think so.”