Cast On, Kill Off (A Knitting Mystery)

by Sefton, Maggie

  “We miss you, too.” Jennifer smiled. “But we need to take advantage of all these bookings while we can. We do have that Friday and Saturday later in the month saved for the Megan-Marty nuptials.”

  “Fall is a busy time on college campuses,” Burt said, then sipped his coffee. “Oooo, hot, hot.”

  “Just right, you mean,” Kelly replied and took a deep drink, feeling the harsh burn and rich flavor as it went down her throat. “Ahhhh,” she exclaimed in her customary fashion.

  Burt shook his head, watching her. “I still don’t know how you do that, Kelly. Your throat must be scalded by now.”

  Jennifer laughed low in her throat. “She’s grown an asbestos coating over the years.”

  Kelly joined her friends’ laughter. “Listen, I’ll try to stop by tomorrow morning so we can catch up when you’re on break.”

  “That’ll work.” Jennifer glanced over her shoulder. “I’d better give this order to Eduardo and get back to my other customers. Talk with you later.” Off she went, coffeepot in hand.

  Kelly watched her good friend move about the cozy café. Pete had started the café shortly after Mimi opened the knitting shop, and both establishments had prospered together over the years. Jennifer had been working at the café for years before she and Pete began seeing each other. Good friends for years, their relationship evolved naturally, to the delight and relief of all of Kelly’s friends. Everyone had watched Pete pining away in silence for Jennifer for ages before she paid attention.

  “About time,” Megan had said, but Kelly knew that there was more reason below the surface. Jennifer had some thinking to do before she could commit to a steady, dependable guy like Pete.

  “Did you notice how Jennifer said ‘we need to take advantage’ of those catering bookings?” Kelly gave Burt a knowing smile.

  “Ohhhh, yeah,” Burt replied. “Watching those two together warms my old dad’s heart.” Glancing over at Kelly, he added, “Now all we need is for another particular twosome to get back together. And all will be well.”

  Kelly rolled her eyes. “Not you, too, Burt. Boy, I have to listen to a steady stream from Megan. Jeeeez!”

  “We all simply want to see you two happy again.”

  Kelly threw back her head. “Arrrrgh! I am happy! I’m doing work that I love, and I’m surrounded by all my friends. Including Steve! Do you want me to dance around or something?”

  Burt took another sip of coffee, smiling his fatherly smile. For some reason, Kelly found that annoying. “No, you two are doing enough dancing around each other. I’m simply waiting for you two to stop dancing and start waltzing together. Like you used to.” He gave her a sly wink.

  Kelly understood his meaning, but decided to pretend she didn’t. “Waltzing, you want, huh? I’m not sure I even know how to waltz. Steve probably doesn’t, either. But for what it’s worth, he and I are going out to the Jazz Bistro for dinner tonight. Who knows? Maybe the jazz group will play a waltz.”

  Burt grinned. “Well, it’s a start. Is he still traveling a lot?”

  Kelly nodded, then sipped her coffee. “He was traveling every week for four weeks. And he’s got another couple of trips scheduled this month. He squeezed them in to leave time off for the nuptials, as Jennifer would say.”

  “That’s good. He’s been working way too much. But it looks like it’s paying off. Kaufman’s company has been a good fit for Steve.”

  “Yes, it has,” Kelly said, leaning out of the way for Jennifer to serve Burt his wicked burger platter.

  “Enjoy,” Jennifer advised, placing ketchup and mustard on the table before hurrying off.

  The aroma of melted cheese and yummy burger and grilled onions assailed Kelly’s nostrils—and her willpower. “Whoa, Burt, that looks seriously delicious. I might steal a bite. Just to help my salmon and greens make it through the afternoon, that is.”

  “Dig in whenever you want, Kelly. I know I can’t finish all of this. Or shouldn’t, at least. So it’ll go to waste.” Burt forked some of the grilled onions and dropped them onto Kelly’s saucer.

  Since she was drinking her coffee at the time, there was ample saucer space to pile onions. “Oh, brother, they smell good.” She felt herself succumbing already.

  “Enjoy,” Burt echoed Jennifer, then cut his burger in half and took a big bite. “Ummmm,” he decreed after a moment of savoring. “This is worth the guilt.”

  Kelly laughed, then savored a forkful of onions. “Yummy,” she proclaimed. “Now that we’re kind of alone, why don’t you update me on what you’ve learned about old Oscar.”

  Burt took another bite and lingered over it before speaking. “I was really disturbed listening to Zoe’s account of what happened last Friday. And even more so after hearing Lisa’s version of the confrontation you two had with Oscar outside the shop front door.” He shook his head. “I just wish I had been here. I guarantee Oscar wouldn’t have gone over the line like that with me. But it sounds like you and Lisa handled it really well. I’m sure hearing that Lisa called the police calmed him down real fast.”

  “Yeah, it did. And the fact that Lisa was threatening to press assault charges certainly got his attention.”

  “Tell me about that drive from Zoe’s house. Neither Zoe nor Lisa could really see what he was doing, other than following you closely and blowing his horn.”

  “Oscar was right on my tail, blaring his horn the entire way from east Fort Connor to Lambspun. He also deliberately bumped my car at a traffic stop. I checked, and there’s a little bit of paint scratched off. Bastard.” Kelly scowled.

  Burt’s bushy gray eyebrows knitted together in his worried expression. “That’s pretty threatening. You could tell Dan about it if you want, Kelly.”

  “Let’s see how Oscar behaves. I can threaten him with it if he starts showing up around Zoe.” She took another forkful of onions while Burt enjoyed his burger. “I called over here to the shop and spoke with Zoe this morning, and she said he hasn’t been around at all. Thank goodness. She said she doesn’t sleep very well at the shelter, though.”

  “She’ll get used to it,” Burt said. “She needs to stay there. The shelter staff will bring her to and from Lambspun every day. But we’re all going to take turns with driving Zoe other places. I even went with her to a lawyer’s office this morning and then went over to her shop and stayed while she was working on some woman’s suit she was altering. No sign of Oscar, either. I made it a point of sitting right by the front window while I read. Just in case he drove by, hoping to find Zoe alone.”

  “Good man,” Kelly praised as Burt returned to his burger. “Is she working here now?”

  “She should be. I dropped her here over an hour ago, then I went on an errand.”

  Kelly spotted Mimi entering the café from the shop hallway. “Uh-oh, Burt. You’re busted. Here comes Mimi.”

  Burt glanced over his shoulder and swallowed a burger bite. “Serves me right. Crime doesn’t pay.”

  “Quick, push that plate over to me. I’ll say it’s mine,” Kelly offered.

  “You’re a doll, Kelly, but Mimi will smell it on my breath,” he said with a contrite smile.

  “Ahhhh, yes, burger breath. Well, then I’ll be forced to take a bite, won’t I? That way it’ll be me that’s got Philly cheese on my face. Better wipe that left cheek.” Burt laughed, but did as she advised as Mimi approached their table.

  “Well, well,” Mimi said, eyes twinkling. “It looks like you two are enjoying a delicious and fattening burger. What does Jennifer call them?”

  “Wicked burger, and you’re right. But Burt’s been good. He only had a bite,” Kelly lied obligingly.

  Mimi’s eyes danced. “Or two, or . . .”

  “Or three . . .” Burt chimed in, then laughed. “Kelly’s trying to cover up my sins.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about it, Burt,” Mimi said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Listen, I wanted to tell you that Zoe has to teach a design class at the Westside Presbyterian Church to
night. She went over early because several of the women wanted private lessons, and she had to take supplies over and set up. Zoe said she’d call the shelter contact and let them know what time to show up at the church so they could drive along with her back to the shelter.”

  “She drove herself?” Burt asked, clearly worried.

  “Yes, she did. I wanted to take her, but Connie and Rosa were gone, and I couldn’t leave the shop. Zoe convinced me it would be okay because Oscar would be at work. He can’t afford to lose his job. Besides, the church wasn’t very far away, and there were plenty of church staffers around.”

  Burt’s bushy eyebrows worried each other again. “I guess that’s all right. I haven’t seen a sign of a gray truck these past few days, so I think he’s staying away.” Burt smiled. “Or maybe having my old partner Dan drive by Oscar’s house with one of the cruisers the other night might have helped cool him down.”

  Mimi’s eyes went wide. “Oh, thank you, Burt. And thank you, Dan.”

  “Quick thinking,” Kelly said, unable to resist taking a wicked bite of the Philly cheese and meat. It was in her hand after all.

  “I simply asked him if he could drive by Oscar’s house when he had a chance, and he saw a gray truck outside. Thanks to Kelly, we’ve got the license plate number. Dan drove by on his way home, of course,” Burt said innocently.

  “Well, good job, Kelly, and good job, Burt.” Mimi beamed. “You two deserve that burger after all.

  Kelly laughed with her friends, then took another wicked bite.

  * * *

  Kelly relaxed into the comfy armchair in the Lambspun front room, beside the windows and tiled fireplace. The main knitting room was empty, but Kelly wanted to be in the midst of the busy late afternoon shop flow. A customer was at the front counter, where Mimi was ringing up her purchases. Completing another row in her bridesmaid shawl, Kelly started another.

  The customer browsed near the counter, examining buttons and needles. Kelly noticed a couple of women browsing in the adjoining room. One of them she’d seen before. “Who’s that tall, thin woman with gray hair looking at the cones of thread?” she asked Mimi.

  Mimi looked up. “Oh, that’s Vera.Wilcott, Zoe’s sister. She helps Zoe in her sewing business. She works most days at a copy shop on College Avenue.”

  The name rang a bell inside Kelly’s head. That was the woman Zoe was talking to on the phone. Kelly recalled the angry phone conversation she’d overheard last week. Remembered the ugly, demanding tone in Zoe’s voice. So Vera was Zoe’s sister. Interesting. Evidently sewing ran in Zoe’s family.

  “I thought I’d seen her here before. That makes sense if she’s a seamstress, too.”

  Mimi lowered her voice. “Yes, Vera is an excellent seamstress. Vera has worked full-time for Zoe in addition to her regular copy shop job. She’s definitely helped grow that business over the years.” Mimi broke into a bright smile. “Well, hello, Vera. Are you gathering supplies for the latest project?”

  Vera walked toward the counter and handed Mimi a cone of thread. “I need about four yards of this one, Mimi.” Noticing Kelly, she backed up a little. “Oh, are you helping someone, Mimi? I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “No, no, Kelly’s simply taking a break from her accounting. She has her home office across the driveway,” Mimi said as she took the cone of lavender thread.

  “Oh, yes, I remember hearing about you. We haven’t had a chance to meet because I don’t get in here that often. I work at Quik Copy Shop during most days,” Vera said, accompanying her words with a little nod.

  “Nice to meet you, Vera.” Kelly gave her a bright smile. “Mimi says you’re a seamstress, too, and you help out Zoe a lot in her shop.”

  Vera’s face flushed with obvious pleasure at the recognition. “Yes, yes, I do. I sew nights and weekends. It’s a lot of hours, but I need the money. The copy shop doesn’t pay much.”

  “Well, that sounds like an ideal situation,” Kelly went on. “Did you and Zoe grow up sewing? Sounds like it.”

  Vera shrugged. “Yes. Mama taught me. I was the older one, so I taught Zoe. We’ve been sewing for a lifetime, it seems.”

  Vera appeared to be in her sixties, Kelly guessed. Her hair was mostly gray, and her face was lined. It was hard to tell ages. Some women stayed younger-looking longer. Others aged quickly.

  “Here you go, Vera,” Mimi said, placing the measured thread into a plastic bag. “I’ll put this on Zoe’s account.”

  Vera took the package from Mimi. “Thank you, Mimi. I’d love to sit and chat with both of you,” she said, glancing to Kelly, then back to Mimi, “but I’m right in the middle of altering a formal gown. Some woman is going to a charity dance in Denver next week. I worked straight through lunch so I could leave the copy shop early.” She stuffed the bag into her voluminous fiber purse.

  “Take care, Vera. We’ll have coffee in the café next time,” Mimi promised. “My treat. In fact, why don’t you buy a coffee on your way out? Tell Pete to put it on my account. You look like you could use the caffeine.”

  Vera flushed and smiled. “Why, thank you, Mimi. That’s sweet of you.”

  “You can take my shortcut to the back of the café,” Mimi said, pointing behind her to the passageway hiding beside a file cabinet.

  “I’ll look forward to seeing you again when I have more time,” Vera said as she scooted around the corner.

  “Sounds like a busy woman,” Kelly observed when Vera had disappeared.

  “She certainly is. I don’t know how she works full-time at the copy shop, then sews at night for Zoe.”

  The front-door bell tinkled, and a few seconds later, a pretty middle-aged woman rushed into the front room.

  Mimi looked up and smiled warmly. “Well, hello, Leann, it’s so good to see—”

  “Mimi! I just saw a copy of Bridal Fashions,” Leann cried as she ran up to the counter. “Zoe was one of the winners in the wedding gown category . . . with my gown!”

  Mimi drew back, clearly shocked. “No! That can’t be. Zoe wouldn’t steal one of your designs!”

  “Yes, she did! I’ve been making that design for bridal clients for years. She must have stolen it when she was working for me six years ago. Dammit! It was bad enough when she copied one of my bridesmaid gowns. I didn’t even know about it until I saw someone wearing a dress exactly like the one I designed.”

  Mimi stared at Leann, obviously perturbed by her accusations. “Leann, I know you’ve lost some of your dressmaking clients, but to accuse Zoe of stealing . . .”

  Kelly observed the scene. Leann was slender and looked to be in her late forties or mid-fifties with short, curly brown hair. She wore a short-sleeve sweater over capri pants, which accented her good figure. She and Mimi obviously were friends. But Kelly didn’t know what to make of Leann’s accusations. Stealing a style? Could someone even do that?

  “But it’s true!” Leann said in an angry voice. “Here, I’ll show you.” She reached inside her purse and withdrew a magazine. The cover showed a beautiful bride staring demurely at a bouquet of flowers.

  Leann began paging through the magazine. Mimi and Kelly exchanged a concerned look. “Why don’t I get us a cup of tea, Leann? Would you like that?”

  “No!” Leann exclaimed. “I want to show you this gown. Here it is.” She spread the magazine open on the nearby counter. “There it is. The only difference is she’s got satin for the bodice. I always used lace by itself. It’s a much more delicate look.”

  “Kelly, why don’t you come over and look at this, too. We could use another set of eyes.” Mimi beckoned anxiously to Kelly. “Kelly is an accountant, so she has a fine eye for detail.”

  Kelly had to squelch her smile at Mimi’s exaggeration. A fine eye for numbers detail did not translate into a fine eye for fashion design. Nevertheless, she obliged and approached the counter.

  “Hi, Leann, I’m Kelly,” she said, offering her hand, hoping to calm Leann a bit.

  Leann glanced into Kell
y’s eyes for a second, then grasped her hand for a quick shake. “Hello, Kelly. You take a look at these two gowns and tell me. They’re identical. Here’s my gown.” Leann withdrew a folded page printout of a photo. A bride or model wearing a lacy wedding gown.

  Mimi stared at the magazine, then the photo, and so did Kelly. Over and over again. Several times. Mimi’s worried expression increased. “Oh, my,” was all Mimi said, but Kelly recognized her worried tone.

  Kelly stared at the two gowns again. She had to admit they did have the same design. The only difference was the bodice on Leann’s was lacy, and the bodice on Zoe’s was solid fabric. Kelly tried to find some difference between the two, but it wasn’t there. She had to admit that Leann had a good point. Zoe’s gown was an exact replica of Leann’s.

  “You see what I mean!” Leann said again, voice rising. “That’s my design! She stole it from me, and now she’s won a bridal gown contest with it! It’s not fair! I should be the one going to New York! It should be me!”

  “There, now, Leann,” Mimi soothed, patting Leann on the arm. “Yes, it does look like your design, but . . . but maybe Zoe came up with the same idea.”

  “No, she didn’t! She stole that pattern from me when she was helping me sew for some of my customers years ago. She must have made a copy of it one night when she was working late and I wasn’t there. She and Vera both worked for me when they first came to town and started dressmaking. And she stole some of my customers, too! I know she did.”

  That statement bothered Kelly, because it would put Zoe in the vicinity where she could copy Leann’s patterns as well as customer records. She didn’t know what to say. In the business world, stealing was a little more cut and dried. Embezzlement, draining bank accounts.

  “They do look alike, Leann,” Kelly said, deciding to take another approach to calm her down. “But there is really no way for you to prove that Zoe stole your design.”