Close Knit Killer

by Maggie Sefton

  “Whoa . . . would you believe that’s the second time I’ve heard a story like that? Barbara’s father owned one of those financial firms in town that lost everything, too. All their clients’ money was lost with that guy’s phony investments. What’s his name?”

  “Rizzoli. Jared Rizzoli. Yeah, I read in the paper that he’s back in town giving a financial seminar.” Jayleen gave a disgusted snort. “Paid his debt to society, he says. Hummph! There’s no way that low-down thief can repay all the damage he’s done to lives of people all over this city. People killed themselves because of that son-of-a-snake! Paid his debt?” Jayleen added some colorful expletives Kelly hadn’t heard from her friend in quite a while.

  “Wow, he really does sound like a piece of work.”

  “That, he is. Curt and I had to take a ride to cool off after we read that article in yesterday’s paper. And today’s.” She screwed up her face again. “He said he wanted to offer his apologies to the people in Fort Connor who suffered losses. Well, a free financial seminar won’t put back together the families that were destroyed by his schemes.”

  “Barbara’s mother Madge is helping with one of the spinning classes. I sat in with them yesterday, so I heard all about Rizzoli. Every person in that class had a story, I swear.”

  “Hundreds all over town have stories. Not just Fort Connor, either. All over northern Colorado.” Jayleen pushed herself out of the chair forcefully, swinging her leg over. “Listen, I’d better get back to the canyon and my chores. I need to get out in the fresh air after talking about that low-down dirty snake.”

  Kelly rose from her chair as well and grabbed her empty mug. “I promise I won’t mention it again, Jayleen,” she said, following her friend into the central yarn room.

  Jayleen paused on her way to the front door. “Make sure to keep Curt and me posted about Pete and his grandfather, okay? We want to help any way we can.”

  “You bet. Say hi to Curt for me,” Kelly said, heading toward the hallway, the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee beckoning her.

  “See you tomorrow, Rosa,” Kelly called to the knitting shop clerk in the front room. “I have to finish some work across the driveway.”

  “You mean your ‘office’?” Rosa teased as she sat at the yarn winder.

  Kelly waved as she pushed open the front door. Then she suddenly stopped because she almost ran into a man who was about to enter the shop.

  “Oh, excuse me!” she apologized, stepping away.

  “No problem, miss,” the man said, moving aside. “The door didn’t touch me.”

  “My friends all tell me I move too fast,” Kelly joked.

  “Do you work here, miss?” the man asked.

  “Oh, no, I just come here a lot,” Kelly said with a smile. “Did you need to buy some yarn or fiber? One of the shop assistants is inside, so she could get anything you need.”

  “No, no, I don’t knit,” the middle-aged man said, smiling. “I just wanted to ask a question about the building that’s being remodeled. Over there.” He pointed to the garage.

  “The owners are doing some renovations. They’re enlarging that old garage and turning it into a classroom and storage area.”

  “Do you happen to know the builder in charge of it? I’m looking for a Hal Nelson and was told by his office that he was working at this location.”

  “You’re right, he is.” Kelly scanned the parking lot. “But he must have finished for the day because I don’t see his truck.”

  The man frowned as he stared at the driveway. “I was really hoping to speak with him. I’d heard from someone that he had property in the Poudre Canyon that he wanted to sell. I’d hoped to speak with him about it.”

  “Well, I’m working right across the driveway, so if I see him before I leave this evening, I’d be glad to tell him you wanted to speak with him. Do you have a card?”

  “That would be very kind of you,” the man said, reaching inside his jacket. His expensive suit jacket, Kelly couldn’t help noticing as he handed her his card.

  Kelly stared at the card as the man’s name registered. Well, well, well. “‘Jared Rizzoli, Financial Expert,’” she read, deliberately changing her tone of voice to sound impressed. “I think I read about you in the newspaper. You’re that financial authority on avoiding investment scams. The article said you were in town to give two financial seminars.”

  Rizzoli’s handsome face spread with a wide smile. “Yes, that’s right. And you are?”

  Kelly extended her hand. “Kelly Flynn. I . . . uh, I own a small business. Bookkeeping.”

  “Ah, a small business owner. The very backbone of our economic system. I hope you’re managing to weather this brutal recession?”

  Kelly adopted a guileless expression and deliberately downplayed her success. “I’m doing my best. It’s really hard, though. But I’m hanging in there.”

  Rizzoli’s smile widened as he focused on her, leaning forward just a little. “Well, don’t forget your financial future, Ms. Flynn. There are ways to protect your hard-earned savings so they’ll be there when you retire. Of course, you’re so young, retirement must sound far away. But I assure you, you have to prepare now. In fact, you would benefit from attending my free seminar here in Fort Connor tomorrow night. I also have a book coming on the ways to avoid being caught in financial scams. You don’t want to work hard to save and then have someone steal it away, right?”

  Kelly had to plant both feet firmly on the concrete porch in order not to be blown over by the force of Rizzoli’s energetic sales pitch. For that was exactly what all of his encouraging and reassuring words boiled down to: a sales pitch. Kelly was fascinated by Rizzoli’s transformation from regular guy into a smooth-talking salesman. She had no doubt that he had been very successful convincing clients to invest in his financial scheme.

  “Well, maybe I’ll do that, Mr. Rizzoli.”

  “Call me Jared.” He beamed.

  “Jared,” she said, careful not to allow her smile that lurked inside to escape. Just then, Kelly spotted Hal Nelson’s black truck rolling down the driveway. “Well, Jared, I think this is your lucky day. That’s Hal Nelson now.”

  Rizzoli jerked his head around. “Wonderful. That’s perfect timing. Thank you so much, Ms. Flynn.”

  “I’m happy to help, Jared,” Kelly said with a winning smile as she started to walk away. “And I may take you up on your offer to attend the seminar.”

  “I’ll look for you, Ms. Flynn,” Rizzoli said as he turned toward Hal Nelson, who was parking his truck.

  Don’t look too hard, Kelly said to herself as she headed for the cottage.

  * * *

  “Wow, Pete’s grandfather sounds in really bad shape,” Marty said, leaning forward in the deck chair.

  “How long will Pete be down in Denver, do you think?” Greg asked, tipping back his beer bottle.

  Empty white take-out boxes lay scattered on the round glass tabletop. The aroma of Indian food still hung in the early evening air.

  Jennifer had sunk back into the chair cushions on the shaded outdoor patio, so Kelly answered for her tired friend. “Not too long. Jen said that the replacement cook has a schedule conflict so could only work two weeks.”

  “What about Pete’s niece?” Lisa asked in concern. “Will her mom be able to take care of her?”

  Megan gave a disgusted snort. “It doesn’t sound like you’d want her taking care of Cassie, would you, Jen?”

  “I think it’s kind of unlikely Tanya would leave her boyfriend and the band to come back to Denver and take care of Cassie. Frankly, I don’t think Pete would trust her, either. And I wouldn’t want Cassie put in that situation.”

  Kelly looked around at her friends, seated on the spacious patio in the back of one of Steve’s unsold Wellesley development houses. She and Steve had lived there only two months, but she was amazed how quickly she’d adjusted to having more space. Living in the cottage had been fun and convenient, but it had also been cramped. After both of them
had been living in apartments and smaller quarters for years, she and Steve reveled in the extra space.

  Kelly decided to ask what she knew the rest of her friends wondered as well. “Have you and Pete talked about his bringing Cassie here to Fort Connor to stay with you guys while Ben’s recovering?”

  “Actually, we talked about it just this afternoon,” Jennifer said. “I told Pete I’d feel better if Cassie were up here with us. He thought so, too, but had hesitated to mention it at first.”

  Steve smiled as he balanced his bottle of Fat Tire on the arm of his chair. “Sounds like Pete. He was probably worried you wouldn’t want her here.”

  Jennifer nodded. “I told him I’d be more worried if we didn’t have Cassie here with us. I wouldn’t want her back in Denver with some neighbor or, God forbid, her spacey mother.”

  The sound of a cell phone’s music interrupted. Kelly recognized Jennifer’s distinctive selection. Jennifer reached for her phone. “Hey, it’s Pete. He must have gone to see Ben again. Let me put him on speakerphone. Hey, Pete. I’m over here at Kelly and Steve’s with the gang, so I’m gonna put you on speaker, okay?” She propped the phone against an empty container of Indian vindaloo chicken on the patio table.

  “Hey, guys,” Pete’s voice sounded.

  Kelly joined her friends as they greeted their absent member. “How’s Ben doing?” she spoke up louder than normal.

  “He’s the same. Which is to say, not too good. He still needs help breathing and is still unconscious. I brought Cassie in after school, only because she hadn’t seen him yet.” A long sigh sounded. “It really shook her up. I didn’t want to do it, but she insisted.”

  “That’s okay, Pete,” Lisa spoke up. “It’s good for kids to see their loved ones in the hospital recuperating. They need to know that they’re still alive and are trying to get better. That way they don’t wonder about what’s happening to them or if they’ll ever come back.”

  “Speaking of coming back, when will you come back, buddy?” Marty asked.

  “Well, Cassie had her last day of school today. I’d like to stay through the weekend to see Ben. I’m hoping he’ll wake up a little.”

  Steve leaned forward in his patio chair. “Listen, Pete. Why don’t you and Cassie plan on coming back to Fort Connor in a few days, depending on how Ben is doing. Meanwhile, the rest of us can use this weekend to move all the stuff from your apartment over to the house around the corner here. You know, the one we talked about. We can help Jennifer pack up all your stuff. With all of us helping, we’ll get you two packed up, moved, and unpacked by the end of the weekend. That way, you and Jen and Cassie can move into a house that’s big enough for all of you.”

  Kelly leaned over and kissed Steve on the cheek as all her friends loudly echoed Steve’s suggestions.

  Five

  “Can you give me a refill, Eduardo?” Kelly asked, dangling her mug over the café counter. “Both Julie and Jennifer are way busy with customers.” Glancing around the crowded café, Kelly didn’t spot one empty chair. Great for business. The accountant lobe of her brain did a little happy dance. Small business successes always made Kelly happy.

  “Sure thing, Kelly,” the genial grill cook said, taking her mug over to the coffee machine. “We’ve been swamped since seven this morning.”

  “Did you turn on those fans that blow all the good breakfast smells towards the golf course?” she teased. “I see more people wearing golf shoes in here than normal.”

  Eduardo grinned as he returned her mug. “Naw. I had to stop doing that. Jen said it was cruel to tempt them in the midst of their round.”

  The black nectar’s aroma drifted to Kelly’s nostrils. Ahhhh, caffeine. Not spotting the temporary cook, she asked, “Isn’t Frank the temp cook here? I usually see him helping.”

  “Oh, he is. He’s downstairs doing the baking. Good thing he made extra loaves yesterday because we’ve used them all up today. Plus, we’re all out of pies, so he’ll be doing those the rest of the morning before the lunch rush.”

  “Well, I’d offer to help, Eduardo, but I don’t think you’d want any pie I’d bake. The customers might run screaming out of the café.”

  “Ahhhh, Kelly, if you can bake your aunt Helen’s gingersnaps, then you can bake a pie.”

  Changing the subject, Kelly leaned over the counter, watching Eduardo return to the grill, turning the sizzling bacon slices, then placing a metal plate on top of them. “Has Jennifer heard anything from Pete this morning? I didn’t want her to take time away from her customers.”

  “Yeah, she did,” Eduardo said as he poured what looked like beaten eggs from a pitcher onto the hot grill. Kelly watched the mixture bubble up as Eduardo deftly flipped and turned the yellow liquid with his metal spatula until it turned into scrambled eggs. “Ben’s still unconscious, but his breathing has stabilized, the doctor said, which is good.” He wielded the spatula again, scooping up the scrambled eggs and expertly sliding them onto a plate all in one smooth movement.

  “Well, that’s something,” Kelly said, noticing Hal Nelson enter the café. “I’ll let you get back to work, Eduardo. I’ll be in the shop until this breakfast rush dies down.”

  Eduardo gave her a thumbs-up and a grin as he buttered Pete’s signature whole wheat toast, placing the slices beside the scrambled eggs and bacon.

  Kelly walked toward the front of the café, where Nelson stood. Julie had already spotted the dangling coffee mug in his hand and was in the process of refilling it.

  “Hi, Hal. I see it didn’t take you long to discover Eduardo’s strong coffee,” she said, raising her own mug.

  “Morning, Kelly,” he greeted with a smile. “You’re right about the coffee. I have to admit, it’s some of the best. Strong and black.”

  “I think Eduardo’s secret is the nails and shoelaces he throws in when we’re not looking.” She took a sip while Nelson laughed. “How’s that remodeling going?”

  “Pretty good. We’ve got the rotten beams replaced and any other pieces that needed replacing. And we’ve only lost a few places on the original stucco, which isn’t too bad. We’re going to keep working on the interior today. Put in some insulation and the drywall tomorrow.”

  “Wow, you two are moving right along.” Kelly couldn’t help adding, “I’m so glad to see Malcolm doing as well as he is. Jayleen stopped in yesterday, and I got to hear more about his background.”

  “Thanks, miss,” Nelson said as Julie handed him his mug. “I appreciate that.” He handed her some bills. “Yeah, Malcolm has had it kind of rough. Some people can handle those rough spells life throws in better than others. Some folks get beaten down.” He looked away as he took a sip, then blew on the hot liquid.

  “Jayleen told me some of what happened to Malcolm to send him on that downward trajectory, so to speak. It sounds like everything kind of piled up on him. Losing his job, his career, his home, even his wife . . .” Kelly wagged her head. “I don’t think there’s many of us who wouldn’t be dropped to our knees by all that onslaught.”

  Nelson gave her a wry smile. “You’re right about that, Kelly. That’s kind of the reason I got involved with the Mission’s program a few years back. I wanted a way to help some people who’ve been knocked down learn how to get back up again. Give them some work to do, and get them on a path to feel good about themselves again.”

  Kelly looked at Hal Nelson, sizing him up anew. “That’s really admirable of you, Hal. Not many people would make the effort during these bad economic times to help other people find a job. Jayleen mentioned you have your own construction company to run. How do you manage all that?”

  “Well, I’ve got two good people who work for me. One’s an older guy, Dutch, who’s been supervising construction crews for a lifetime. So he and the other guy, George, can handle anything. I try to split my time between sites when I’m doing a Mission job, but it’s a challenge.”

  Remembering yesterday afternoon’s visitor, Kelly said, “By the way, I spoke with
that man who stopped by the shop yesterday afternoon looking for you. We chatted for a few minutes before you drove up. Rizzoli was his name.”

  “Yeah, Rizzoli.” Nelson nodded. “He wanted to see this parcel of land I’ve got up in Poudre Canyon. I thought I’d give Jennifer a heads-up. She listed it for me last year, but nothing was selling then, so it’s been sitting.”

  “Well, Jennifer is a personal friend, but I’ve also used her as an agent, so I know how good she is. Poudre Canyon is one of my favorite places. I almost bought some land up there a few years ago, but . . . it wasn’t meant to be, I guess. I let someone else buy it.”

  Nelson looked at her briefly, then glanced out into the café. “I know what you mean, Kelly. I’m not sure now if I want to sell the land or not. But my wife insisted I show it to him anyway.” His mouth twisted into a smile. “Susie reminded me we haven’t had a serious offer on this property yet because of the real estate market collapse.”

  “I hear you,” Kelly sympathized. “Jennifer’s told us how brutal it is. There are so few sales right now. Not many people can qualify. Thank goodness Jennifer works at the café. And you know that Steve lost his business in the downturn. If this Rizzoli can qualify, you might want to take his offer seriously. They are few and far between.”

  Nelson’s smile widened. “You sound just like my wife Susie. And you’re both right. We can use the money, for sure. That’s why I called him and said to contact Jennifer so she can take him to the canyon to see the property.”