Burt stopped spinning and stared at Kelly. “Zoe drove out of the lot? But police found her car in the church parking lot with Zoe dead inside.”
“That’s exactly what I told Anna. So . . . if Anna saw Zoe drive out of the lot, then something made Zoe turn around and drive back and park her car there. I cannot figure out what would make Zoe do that unless it was the phone call. What do you think, Burt? I wonder who called Zoe. And what did they say? Was it the shelter saying they were running late? Was Oscar lurking in the bushes waiting for a moment when Zoe was alone? What happened?”
Burt frowned, clearly thinking. “Those are good questions, Kelly. Dan never mentioned that conversation with Anna. And he certainly never mentioned the shelter staff was delayed. As I recall, the staffer assigned to Zoe told both you and Mimi that she arrived at the church parking lot to pick up Zoe and found the police there. Zoe was already dead in her car.”
“I remember. So what happened? What made Zoe return to the parking lot?”
“You know, that’s bothering me, too, Kelly. Dan has been really busy with another case, so he’s only had a few minutes to talk. I’ll bet those details slipped his mind. That’s understandable, considering he’d learned that rival seamstress Leann owned the murder weapon, and she’d threatened Zoe the same night. And now, the news of Leann and Oscar.” Burt shook his head. “I’ll send Dan an e-mail and ask him to give me a call when he has a little more time. Let’s see what he says. Did that woman Anna tell the police all of this?”
Kelly nodded. “She said she did. She and the other women are all convinced it was Oscar who killed Zoe. They didn’t see Leann as a threat, mainly because Zoe didn’t act scared of her.”
“We’ve got lots of questions, Kelly. Let’s see what Dan can tell us, okay?” Burt returned to his spinning.
Kelly turned her attention back to her waiting spreadsheets. Thank goodness for numbers. You could lose yourself in them. And all bothersome and annoying questions disappeared . . . temporarily.
Thirteen
“It sounds like you’re having a great time designing that mountain home, Arthur,” Kelly said to her client as they walked out of his office. Housemann was dressed in jeans and a denim shirt instead of his usual conservative dark gray business suit.
“Oh, I am, Kelly,” Housemann said with a smile. “I’ve been jotting down ideas for years in case I ever had the chance to build my dream house in the mountains. It took longer to happen than I’d hoped, but it’s a reality at last.”
Kelly shifted her shoulder briefcase. “I’m going to have to drive up there and see how it’s coming. The last time I checked, the builder had only broken ground.”
“Oh, yes, I remember he said you’d stopped by. He’d poured the foundation, that’s all. You’ll be surprised how well it’s coming along. He’s trying to get under roof before mid-October.”
“Ah, yes, mountain snowstorms,” Kelly said as they walked across the anteroom of Housemann’s office. His elderly secretary was away from her desk.
“We’ve been lucky so far. Only one storm has dropped a couple of inches, and there have only been light dustings since. But our luck won’t hold. October will bring colder temperatures at night, and more storms will sweep through the mountains.”
“That’s true, even though we’ve had such mild September weather, and fall seems a long way off.” She paused at the entry door and looked at her formerly staid client, now relaxed and happier-looking than she’d ever seen him. “Well, I’m simply glad you chose to build this home now. I’m sure the builder gave you a fantastic price. Home construction has dried up except in these special custom projects.”
Housemann nodded. “You’re so right, Kelly. Both my architect and the builder gave me steep discounts. I tell you, it’s so bad now that builders have had to cut back their crews to next to nothing. They’re putting up Sheetrock and hammering nails themselves.”
“I can understand that. Everyone says this is the worst housing downturn they’ve seen since the recession of the eighties.”
“It’s worse, Kelly. I lived through that one and survived. This one is far deeper,” Housemann replied sagely.
“Well, at least you’re secure, Arthur,” she said before turning to leave. “Even though I can’t say the same for that formerly fat cash reserve of yours. Forgive me, but the little CPA lobe of my brain gets a twinge watching those construction bills eat away at it.”
Housemann laughed softly. “That’s why I never worry about the accounts, Kelly. I know you’re watching over them like a Rottweiler on patrol. Let me know when you’ve driving up into the canyon, and I’ll give you a tour.”
“Will do, Arthur, take care,” Kelly said with a wave, then turned toward the elevator.
Arthur Housemann’s observations matched everything Steve had told her about the continued depressed state of the housing market. Moderate- and low-income housing construction was stalled. And the steady stream of foreclosed houses flooding the market added to the inventory of properties available for sale. Consequently, there was continued downward pressure on prices of existing houses listed for sale. In Denver, prices had plummeted.
Walking into the office complex parking lot, Kelly clicked her car lock, then dumped her briefcase onto the passenger seat before she jumped into her sporty car. Revving the engine, she maneuvered out of the lot and into the surrounding street’s traffic.
Her cell phone jangled, and Kelly slipped it from the briefcase pocket. Burt’s name and number flashed on the screen.
“Hey, Burt, how’re you doing?”
“I’m okay, Kelly. Are you driving? You sound the way you do when you’re in your car.”
“Good ear, Burt. Yeah, I finished an appointment with Arthur Housemann and am on my way home. With a little luck, I’ll have a few minutes to drop by the shop and check on my shawl.”
Burt chuckled. “Your shawl is doing well, Kelly. I gave it a pat earlier this morning as I passed by. Listen, I thought I’d give you an update before I disappear into shopping centers and errands the rest of the day.”
“Perfect timing. Did you hear from Dan?”
“Yes, I did. He called this morning and told me a lot more about the investigation. I shared what you’d heard from Anna, and Dan confirmed she told them the same thing. He and the guys came up with the same theories we did. Someone called Zoe, and that’s why she turned around and drove back into the church parking lot. Who called her is the unanswered question.”
“Was there a number on her cell phone log?”
“That’s one of the puzzling things about this case. The phone number comes up as ‘out of area’ network, which could mean the caller used one of those disposable phones. There’s no way to trace those.”
“You know, that makes me suspicious, Burt,” Kelly said, easing her car around a corner. “It sounds like the killer wanted to disguise his identity.”
“Could be, Kelly. Or it could simply be that those phones are a cheap way to have cell service. But Zoe’s phone does show a call from her to the shelter in the late afternoon. Dan checked with the shelter to see why they were delayed in picking up Zoe that night. You and I had both wondered about that, Kelly.”
“You bet we did. What did the shelter folks have to say?”
“They said that Zoe called a second time in the early evening and told them she’d be delayed with her class and not to come until ten thirty.” He paused.
“What! That doesn’t make sense. Zoe’s class got out about nine fifteen according to Anna. And Zoe was going to the shopping center to wait. If she’d told the shelter a later time, she would have said something to Anna, right? I mean, Anna was worried about her.”
“One would think, Kelly. Dan agrees, it made no sense. Particularly since there’s no second call to the shelter listed on Zoe’s cell phone log. So Dan naturally questioned them on the calls to make sure they weren’t mistaken. The shelter staff checked their call logs, and there definitely were two calls listed a
s being from Zoe Yeager that evening. One call matches the time on her cell phone. That call message was listed as ‘pickup time’ for nine fifteen in the evening. Then later after Zoe’s class started, there’s another call, listed as being from Zoe Yeager. The message line says ‘pick up time changed to ten thirty.’”
Kelly’s little buzzer went off inside. Something was very wrong about that second call. “Whoa, Burt . . . that makes me even more suspicious. Zoe didn’t make that second call. The killer did, so there would be no potential witnesses.”
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking, Kelly. And Dan is, too. That explains why the shelter staffer wasn’t there at nine fifteen waiting for Zoe. There’s only one other explanation. Maybe Zoe asked one of the women in her class to make the call.”
Kelly’s buzzer went off. “My instinct says no on that, Burt.”
“Yeah, mine, too.”
“Did Dan talk with the person who was on phone duty that night?”
“It’s hard to narrow that kind of stuff down, Kelly. These places are using part-time volunteers to handle things like that. Believe me, they’re lucky to have someone around who can help out. No one remembers who was answering phones that night. Different people, no doubt.”
Kelly pondered what Burt had told her as she merged onto a main thoroughfare. “You know . . . this murder has become more complicated.”
Burt laughed softly. “Welcome to Dan’s world. And what used to be my world. We seldom found these nice-and-easy, open-and-shut cases. Not where murder is concerned, especially these kinds of cases. Killer and victim knew each other. And it sounds more and more like the killer planned it carefully.”
“Yeah, it does. And that kind of messes up my pet theory. You know . . . Oscar, the nasty villain husband, as killer.”
“I agree, Kelly. It’s hard to picture Oscar as being the sort who would plan how he was going to kill Zoe. Oscar fits the crime of passion category better. Killing Zoe in a rage is easier to imagine. But over the years, I’ve learned that people are capable of acting out of character if it suits them.”
“That’s true. And that’s why I’m not ready to let go of Oscar yet.” Kelly nosed her car around the corner of the street that bordered Lambspun. “By the way, I keep forgetting to ask you who called the cops to the church that evening? I remember the shelter gal, Rhonda, told Mimi and me the cops were already there when she arrived at the parking lot. And there was more than one cop car, plus the ambulance, she said.”
“Yeah, I wondered about that as well, Kelly. Dan said the police dispatcher had received a call from a woman about ten o’clock. Apparently she was a neighbor who was out walking her dog. She was concerned there was a car in the parking lot and the church was all dark. She’d never seen a car there so late before. So a cruiser went by to investigate and found Zoe.”
“Did Dan talk to the woman? I wonder if she saw anyone lurking around the church grounds.”
“No, he couldn’t. The dispatcher said the woman hung up when he asked her name, and—”
“Don’t you guys capture the phone number of anyone who calls?” Kelly interrupted.
“Yes, we do, and the number showed up as one of the phones in the Super Duper Discount Store. It’s located in a mini mall a couple of blocks from the church parking lot.”
Kelly’s buzzer went off again. “I wonder why that woman would go to the store to make a call. Maybe it was closer than her home.”
“I don’t know, Kelly. But I thought you’d find that interesting. I sure did. Dan sent an officer to question the staff at the store, but he didn’t learn anything. Those discount stores have smaller staffs at night, so there aren’t many people walking around. Plus, most of the clerks are stocking shelves.”
“Boy, Burt . . . this case is getting curiouser and curiouser, as Alice would say.”
Burt chuckled. “Well, I’ll tell Dan to be on the lookout for a white rabbit with a pocket watch.”
“The phone caller was a woman who called the shelter a second time, and it was a woman who called the cops that night. I hate to say it, Burt, but that points right to Leann.”
Burt sighed. “I know it does, Kelly. And I can’t tell you how unhappy that makes me.”
Kelly steered her car into the driveway between her cottage and Lambspun. “It’s still hard to picture Leann shooting Zoe. Even Anna said that Leann had calmed down while she was in their class. It didn’t sound like Leann would fall into the crime of passion category. She wasn’t enraged.”
“Mimi said the same thing. It’s hard to picture. However, there is another scenario that is a possibility. Leann and Oscar may have planned this murder together.”
That thought did not set well with Kelly. “That doesn’t feel right, Burt. I’ve already chalked up Leann’s affair as a moment of temporary insanity.”
Burt laughed. “I know, Kelly. But you can’t forget the gun. There’s no way Leann can escape that connection.”
“Yeah, yeah . . . can’t get past the gun. Or the fact that she and Oscar had an affair.”
“If they did plan it together, then that would explain the two mysterious phone calls. The second call to the shelter, and the call to the police department. Both came from a woman.”
Kelly let out an exasperated breath as she parked her car in front of the cottage. “You’re right, Burt. I simply don’t like to think that Leann and slimy Oscar planned this murder together. It’s too depressing.” Turning off the ignition, she grabbed her briefcase and pushed open the driver’s door.
“I hear you, Kelly. Listen, I’m driving into the shopping center. I’ll talk to you later, okay.”
Kelly clicked off her phone and hurried inside her cottage. If she changed clothes quickly, then she could check her shawl at Lambspun before settling into her accounts. Then the numbers could chase away the disturbing images in her mind.
* * *
Balancing a full mug of Eduardo’s coffee, Kelly rounded the corner from the hallway into Lambspun’s center yarn room. She thought she heard Mimi’s voice coming from the knitting table in the main room. Since she’d already steamed her shawl, Kelly figured she deserved a quick sit ’n’ knit break with Mimi before returning to her accounts.
As she approached the archway, Kelly noticed someone else with Mimi. Vera. “Hello, Mimi,” she greeted cheerfully as she chose a chair facing both women. “Vera, I haven’t seen you in quite a while. How are you doing?”
Vera gave Kelly a warm smile. “I’m doing well, Kelly. Thank you for asking.”
Mimi spoke up, her voice assuming the Mother Mimi Has Spoken tone that Kelly recognized. “Vera stopped in for some sewing supplies, but I forced her to slow down for a minute and tell me what’s been happening since she last came in here. Goodness, it’s been over a week. What have you heard from the police? Have they learned anything more about Zoe’s murder?”
Kelly had to give Mimi credit. She looked at Vera with wide-eyed incredulity. Yet Burt had no doubt been keeping Mimi informed.
“Yes, Vera, please tell us if you know something. We’re all dying of curiosity here,” Kelly joined in. “Have the police learned anything?”
Vera straightened her shoulders a bit, Kelly noticed. “Yes, they’ve been questioning a lot of people from what I’ve been told. I make it a point of calling that nice detective Morrison every week to see what he’s learned. He’s been very informative.”
Mimi leaned over the table, eyes even wider. “Do they have any information about the killer? Have they found any clues?”
Kelly didn’t bother to say a thing. Mimi was playing the role of innocent questioner so well. Clearly, Mimi didn’t want to let on that Burt had been keeping them both updated on the investigation. Maybe if Vera could be encouraged to talk in the relaxed shop setting, she might provide more details the police could use.
“Yes, they have, but it was not good news. Police traced the murder weapon to Leann.” Vera’s worried frown creased her face. “Apparently it was one of
the guns her father owned. I guess I never even noticed she had a gun case on her wall.”
“Oh, no!” Mimi exclaimed, hand to her face. “I can’t believe that!”
Kelly couldn’t resist playing along. “You’re kidding! Do the police actually believe Leann killed Zoe? That’s . . . that’s crazy!”
Vera nodded, glancing at both women. “I agree. And I told the police that when they questioned me the second time. They asked me if I had occasion to be at Leann’s house. Well, of course I did. I sewed for her at night, almost as much as I sewed for Zoe, for heaven’s sake. Then, the detective asked if I’d ever noticed the gun case on the wall, and if I’d ever noticed that a gun was missing.” Vera puckered up her mouth. “Well, of course, I didn’t. I don’t notice furniture.”
“Did the detective give any indication they suspected Leann?” Kelly asked, adopting Mimi’s wide-eyed demeanor.
“No, they didn’t, thank goodness,” Vera replied. “But just for good measure, I made it a point to tell the detective that Leann leaves her back door open as a convenience for clients during the day. That way, they can leave garments inside on Leann’s worktable in the family room.”
“Really? That means someone else could have come into Leann’s house when she was gone and stolen the gun,” Kelly suggested.
Vera arched a thin brow and nodded solemnly. “Precisely. And I also made it a point to tell the detective who I thought must have stolen the gun and killed my sister!”
It didn’t take a mind reader to figure out who Vera meant. But Kelly played along, as did Mimi. Both of them leaned forward, closer to Vera. “Oscar. It has to be him,” Kelly said in a deliberately ominous tone.
Vera leaned forward toward them, her face an angry mask. “Exactly! The man is a brute. He beat my sister whenever he flew into a rage. I told the police that. When they first came to my apartment and told me about Zoe, I told them it had to be Oscar. He’d threatened Zoe! He . . . he was following her. He must have been! He followed her that night . . . and shot her! I know he did!”
Cast On, Kill Off (A Knitting Mystery) Page 15
