Skein of the Crime

by Maggie Sefton

  “Sure you could.” Kelly picked up the ball and ran with it. “They’ve even got sides to those big tents, so if the wind started to blow or whatever, you just pull them down. Sure, it would be a gamble, but it would definitely be a pretty setting. You could put those tents up wherever you got permission. We could find out about local park space rental or restrictions. Find out which natural areas would allow weddings.”

  “I’m not sure they do, but there are plenty of private acreages that rent their open spaces,” Mimi ventured.

  Megan’s expression changed, Kelly noticed. “Wow . . . now that would be what I’ve always pictured. Someplace outdoors in nature. After all, we live in this gorgeous area.”

  “You could look at all sorts of locations, here in town near the foothills or up in Bellevue Canyon or Poudre Canyon. “That’s natural wilderness area. I wonder if they allow stuff like that.”

  “I’m not so sure, Kelly. It’s a protected area. They allow camping and picnics, but weddings? I think I know who to call, though. She works for the park service right here in town.” Mimi scribbled on a sheet of paper beside the magazines.

  Megan brightened. “Okay, now we’re talking. Let’s see what we can find out. Thanks for the suggestion, Kelly.”

  “Glad to help. What are you looking for in the magazines?” She indicated all the glossy colorful pages spread out. She spotted lots of photos of frothy white gowns. “Looks like wedding dresses, right?”

  “Ohhhh, yeah. Mimi suggested I start looking at some of the gowns so I can decide which styles I like and which ones I don’t.” She flipped through a few pages. “But you know, they all start to look the same after a while. Lots of frothy, gauzy stuff. Ribbons and lace . . . that doesn’t really appeal to me. I’m not the frothy type.”

  “A lot of girls aren’t the frothy type, Megan, but they decide they want something very special for their wedding. You won’t know what really appeals to you until you start trying on gowns.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Megan said dubiously, flipping through the pages.

  Mimi glanced toward Kelly then back to Megan. “You know what you should do? You should take Lisa, Kelly, and Jennifer with you and go to some of those bridal shops. We’ve got a wonderful one here in Fort Connor. And there’re two in Boulder, and another in Loveland. You could take a couple of weekends and start trying on gowns. It’ll be fun. All of you together.”

  Megan looked up at Kelly. “What do you think, Kelly? Could we find a Saturday when all of us could check out these bridal shops?”

  “Sure,” Kelly said with a big smile. “That sounds like fun. We can start early and cover all four shops. We’ll do lunch at someplace special.”

  “Yeah, and we’ll have picnic stuff for dinner when we get back. That way it’ll be easy. Cool.” Megan grinned.

  “Sounds like the super organizer is back,” Mimi said with a laugh.

  “I hate to bring this up, guys, but I am an accountant, so I have to ask. Have you made a budget yet?” Kelly eyed Megan.

  “We’re working on that,” Mimi said, holding up the piece of paper. “We’ve listed most of the expenses, but we’re having to use estimates because we haven’t called the vendors yet.”

  Megan scanned the list. “We’ve got caterer, florist, music, dress, wedding cake, hall rental, minister’s fees.”

  “That sounds about right.”

  “Oh, yeah, photographer,” Megan added, and Mimi dutifully scribbled it down.

  “You really should start nailing down those expense categories,” Kelly suggested. “Estimates can be way off, and you won’t know where to start until you’ve decided how much you have to spend.”

  Megan wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, you’re right. What do you think, Mimi? Should we start at the top of the list with catering and work our way down?”

  “That sounds good to me. We can start calling right now, if you’d like. I’ve already written down all the companies Pete suggested.”

  Megan glanced at her watch. “Tomorrow would be better. I’ve got a conference call scheduled in an hour, so I’d better head back to work.” She grabbed her bag. “Let me help you gather all these magazines, Mimi.”

  “That’s not necessary, dear. I’m putting then in a special Megan pile in my office bookcase. You run along,” she said with a smile.

  “See you tonight, Kelly. We’ve got practice, remember?” Megan announced as she headed for the door.

  “I’ll be there,” Kelly said with a wave. Once Megan was gone, Kelly glanced at Mimi. “You’ve having a great time, aren’t you, Mimi?”

  “You bet, Kelly. Helping Megan plan her wedding is helping ease the pain over losing Holly.”

  “I can understand that,” Kelly said softly.

  Mimi’s smile returned. “Plus, I’ve never had a daughter, so I simply love having the chance to be substitute mother of the bride for Megan. I’m actually excited.”

  Kelly’s cell phone jangled. “I could tell. Enjoy yourself, Mimi. You’ll keep Megan on track.” She flipped open her phone.

  “Kelly? This is Patty. I had a moment before I head to another class, so I thought I’d tell you what I’ve heard so far.”

  “This is a great time, Patty.” Kelly dropped her knitting and leaned over the table.

  “So far, I’ve only talked to one girl who was at the party, but she spent most of her time in the house. I was outside a lot. She said she saw a couple of people offering pills around. One was a guy she didn’t know, but the other one is someone I do know. Rachel Gebbard. She actually went to high school with Tommy and Holly and me. Tommy and Rachel used to date a lot before Tommy got really serious about Holly. Then he dropped Rachel.”

  “That’s interesting.”

  “Yeah, well, Rachel has always been jealous of Holly and she bad-mouthed her whenever she got the chance. And . . . get this . . . the girl said Holly and Rachel got into an argument over Tommy. The girl was in the kitchen when it happened. She said Holly must have been drunk because she started talking trash to Rachel, and Rachel tried to hit her. But a guy pulled her back.”

  “Whoa, it sounds like there was bad blood between those two.”

  “Oh, yeah, for years. Rachel’s never gotten over being dumped. And she still has a thing for Tommy.”

  “Wow, maybe the source of those pills wasn’t some creepy pill pusher but a jilted ex-girlfriend.”

  “It’s possible. I’ll keep asking around to see who else saw something. Gotta run now.”

  “Thanks, Patty. You’re doing great. Keep me posted.”

  “Will do.”

  Kelly flipped off her phone and returned to knitting Steve’s hat. Only a few more rows to go, and she would be able to close off the circle and finish. Knit one, knit two together. Knit one, knit two together. She almost wanted to say it out loud to keep herself on track.

  Patty’s phone call made Kelly wonder. Had this Rachel deliberately given Holly too many pills? Would Holly even take pills from Rachel? Kelly knitted another row, thinking about what Patty said. There was no way to know if Rachel gave pills to Holly or not. Would Holly simply swallow down whatever she’d been given? She certainly hadn’t demonstrated good judgment at earlier parties. How many of those pain pills would it take to overdose? Kelly didn’t have a clue.

  “Well, hi there.” Jennifer entered the room, dumping her large knitting bag on the table. She pulled out the chair beside Kelly. “I haven’t seen you over here in the afternoon that much since you’ve gotten those new clients.”

  “Well, they’re keeping me busy.”

  “How’re you liking them? I mean, do you enjoy the work? I bet you do.”

  “Absolutely,” Kelly affirmed with a nod. “It’s intricate and challenging, and there are so many different parts to both their businesses that I’m still learning. I love that. I couldn’t thank Curt enough for recommending me to both those guys.”

  “One’s in real estate, right?”

  “Yes, Houseman is a real estate inv
estor and has properties all over Fort Connor, Loveland, Windsor, and Greeley. Warner is a builder and developer. Most of his projects are commercial, and they’re scattered all over northern Colorado.”

  Jennifer pulled out the burgundy wool sweater she was knitting. “That will keep you challenged for a while.”

  “You bet. How’re things going at the real estate office?”

  “Everything’s dead, basically. The only things moving are the foreclosure houses, but it’s still hard for people who try to buy them. Hard to get loans. Nothing is easy anymore.” Her fingers started working the wool.

  “It’s a good thing Pete’s catering business picked up at the time real estate dried up last spring,” Kelly said. “He’s usually got at least two evenings a week scheduled, right?”

  “At least. Sometimes we’ve got three to handle. It’s all good, though. And yes, I am really grateful the catering picked up when it did. Otherwise, I’d be in trouble financially.”

  Kelly couldn’t help it. Her mind was wired that way. Like with Megan and Mimi, she had to ask. “So, you’re doing okay with your budget? I mean . . . you’ve got enough every month? Because if there’s ever a problem, I can spot you some cash.”

  Jennifer looked over at Kelly and gave her a warm smile. “Thanks, Kelly, I’m doing all right. I’m paying my bills every month, and I’ve even started saving. I’ve gotten so responsible, I barely recognize myself.”

  Kelly laughed. “That’s great to hear, Jen. I didn’t know whether to worry or not. I didn’t know if your trip back home this summer set you back.”

  “No, I actually found a super-cheap airfare online and my mom picked me up from the airport. I stayed with family the whole time I was there, so it didn’t cost me much at all.”

  Kelly knitted without speaking, letting the quiet settle between them. Even though Jennifer hadn’t said much about her trip home last summer, Kelly sensed it had been more than just a time to visit family. Something about the way Jennifer talked when she returned. When asked, Jennifer had simply said, “It was a good trip. We got to talk a lot.”

  Jennifer hadn’t said anything else about the trip, other than she’d visited her parents and her sister who lived in the same suburb outside Indianapolis. Considering the traumatic experience Jennifer had gone through this past winter and how she had transformed her life in the months following, Kelly wasn’t surprised her friend wanted to touch base with her family.

  There was nothing specific that Kelly could point to that indicated the trip was a closure of some sort for Jennifer, but Kelly sensed it was. There wasn’t any obvious change in Jennifer’s demeanor. But ever since, when they were both sitting quietly and knitting, Kelly sensed a peacefulness about Jennifer that she’d never noticed before.

  Kelly also noticed that Jennifer and Pete had started showing up together whenever the group of friends all gathered. The “gang,” as they called themselves. They no longer arrived separately. Kelly often wondered whether Pete and Jennifer actually went out by themselves when they weren’t working.

  Deciding this nice quiet moment shouldn’t be wasted, Kelly decided to ask. But first she’d have to work up to it. Jennifer was as quick as Kelly to pick up conversational ploys. Discarding one approach after another, Kelly fell back on what usually worked best for her: direct and forthright interrogation.

  “I can’t help but notice that you and Pete arrive together whenever the gang is gathering for pizza and movies.”

  Jennifer smiled over her knitting. “I wondered when you’d finally get around to asking questions. Frankly, I’m amazed at your patience. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “Hey, if there’s a compliment buried in there somewhere, I’ll take it.”

  “Admit it, patience has never been your strong suit.”

  Kelly lifted her coffee mug. “Amen to that.” She took a deep drink.

  “So . . . the answer to your question is ‘yes.’ Pete has been picking me up, and we drive to Lisa’s or Megan’s or wherever the tribe is gathering.”

  “Well, it’s definitely better for the environment to take one car. Not to mention the price of gas,” Kelly joked.

  Jennifer slanted a look Kelly’s way. “Go ahead, Kelly. I can tell you’ve got more questions.”

  “Okaaaay, now that you mention it.” Kelly took another sip in preparation. “I simply wondered if you and Pete ever went out together for something other than catering or coming to join our communal get-togethers.”

  “As a matter of fact, we have,” Jennifer admitted. “We’ve gone to dinner a few times, and we’ve also gone to the movies. We’ve even gone to the wine bar café you and Steve like so much. We really enjoyed it.”

  It was all Kelly could do to keep her mouth from dropping open, she was so surprised. She’d expected Jennifer to answer that she was “thinking” about going out with Pete. Well, it was obvious that she’d already thought about it.

  “That’s fantastic, Jen,” Kelly enthused, knitting dropped to her lap. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that.”

  Jennifer gave her a smile. “I can tell.”

  “Have you told anyone else yet, like Lisa?”

  “No, because no one has asked. I could tell all of you guys were dying to ask but everybody was holding back. Pete and I figured you’d be the one to break the ice.”

  Kelly held up her hand. “That’s me. Kelly. Icebreaker. One who charges in without asking. Whatever. You need people like me around. We do the jobs no one else will do.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

  “Seriously, can I let it out? I mean, tell Lisa and Megan? That way it’ll spread everywhere.”

  Jennifer held up her hand. “I give you permission. Blab away.”

  “Fantastic,” Kelly repeated. “Tell me, did it feel funny at first for you two to be sitting at a restaurant waiting for someone else to serve you?”

  Jennifer shot her a look. “Are you kidding? We loved it. Now it’s my turn to ask questions. How’s Steve doing?”

  Kelly’s lighthearted mood evaporated. “He’s hanging in there. He’s still working a double shift. At the architectural firm in south Denver during the day, then at night he drives over to northeast Denver to work for the commercial builder.”

  Jennifer glanced up, her concern obvious. “Boy, that’s grueling. How’s he holding up?”

  Kelly shrugged. “During the week, I haven’t a clue because he’s been so busy he doesn’t have time to call. If he’s lucky, he’ll make it up here on Saturday night. He’s working at the builder’s office all day Saturday.”

  “Poor guy.”

  “Yeah, I know. He’s exhausted. When he does get here, he usually gobbles down some pizza and falls asleep in front of the television. Then, he’s holed up in his Old Town office all day. I’m amazed I got him to go over to Lisa and Greg’s last weekend.” She took a deep drink of coffee. “When he’s here, he’s not really here, because he’s either asleep or at the office. And the rest of the time, he’s in Denver. So I don’t really get to see him much at all anymore.”

  “That’s hard,” Jennifer said, watching Kelly.

  “Tell me about it. And he’s gotten so moody. Even when we have a chance to talk, he doesn’t really say anything. He turns on the television and just disappears into a baseball game. And he’s grouchy, too. Steve never used to complain about stuff before. Like when I was a couple of minutes late one night, he snapped at me. Wanted to know where I was. Sheeeesh.” She shook her head.

  “You two are going through a hard time right now. Steve may be the one who’s financially stressed, but you’re living with him, so you’re having to deal with his problems, too. That’s tough. Call me up whenever you need to vent, okay?”

  “Thanks, Jen, I appreciate that. I haven’t told anybody how I’m feeling, because . . . well, I feel kind of disloyal or something. I know Steve is hanging on by his fingernails, and I have to stand by and watch. But it hurts to watch all his dreams crumble. I wish h
e would let me help him, but he won’t.”

  “If by help you mean money, you know Steve won’t accept it. So don’t even ask him.”

  “Everyone says the same thing.” Kelly frowned. “I wish I could give it to him anonymously.”

  Jennifer laughed softly. “That only happens in the movies, Kelly. Not in real life. Steve would know it came from you.”

  Kelly sank back in her chair and sipped her coffee. A little movie magic would be in order right now. But someone had to believe in magic for it to happen. And right now, Steve wasn’t in a magical mood.

  Seven

  Kelly spotted Burt getting out of his car across the knitting shop driveway. “Hey, Burt,” she called out as she walked toward the patio garden behind the shop. Café tables were still occupied with customers even though it was late morning.

  “Hi, Kelly. How are you?” Burt asked as he joined her on the stone path that wound through the garden to the café’s back door.

  “I’m doing great. I finished off my account work early this morning, so I’m giving myself an early break. Plus, I’ve run out of Pete’s coffee. Time for a fill-up. Have you been doing errands?”

  “Good guess, Kelly. Mimi had a long list. I’ve been racing around finishing the list so I could get back here. I’m teaching a beginner spinning class at noon and need to sit and draft a whole bunch of fleece to get ready.”

  “Well, let me get my coffee and I’ll sit with you. Watching you at the wheel or drafting fleece is guaranteed to relax me.” She pulled open the door before Burt could get to it.

  The aroma of bacon and eggs drifted on the air, teasing Kelly’s nostrils. Breakfast food. Her big weakness. She waved her mug at Julie. She needed coffee so she wouldn’t weaken and gobble down a second breakfast.

  “Thanks, Julie. You saved me from inhaling a platter of bacon and eggs.” Kelly watched the black stream pour into her cup.

  “You know, bacon and eggs might be good to absorb some of that caffeine,” Julie teased.

  “What? And lose my edge?” Kelly retorted with a laugh. “It’s the morning. Gotta have it.”