Skein of the Crime

by Maggie Sefton

  Jayleen shook her head. “Believe me, Kelly, you don’t want to get into that mess.”

  Kelly gave her a twisted smile. “Exactly what Jennifer told me. That’s why I asked a friend of Tommy’s to check out the parties for me.”

  “I can tell you right now what you’ll find out,” Jayleen said, looking at Kelly sagely. “They’re more pills at those parties than dogs have fleas.”

  Kelly had to laugh. “Well, that’s kind of what she’s found. And every time she learns something, it’s all twisted around these different relationships. Or, it’s not reliable because the person was drinking so much they couldn’t remember correctly.”

  “Hate to say I told you so.”

  “I know. I was just hoping I could find something to tell Tommy that would give him some peace of mind.”

  “Well, I didn’t know Tommy, but he sounds like a fine young man from what I’ve heard. He’s simply going to have to accept the fact that his girlfriend was on a self-destructive path that leads only one way. Some people can turn themselves around in time and stay turned, like I did. Some can’t.”

  “Yeah, I guess. It’s so sad, though.”

  “It is, but it happens every day. Look around you at the counseling centers we’ve got going in town. That’s why I had the retreat last summer here at the ranch. Trying to catch some young girls before they got on that dangerous path. But there’re not enough of us to go around to reach everyone who needs help. Just look over at the Mission and the homeless shelter for some lost souls who’ve fallen through the cracks. Some of them have been on that path so long, they don’t know any other way. I swear, some of them will sleep outside in the bushes along the river so they can nurse that bottle of whiskey rather than go into a clean bed at the Mission.”

  Jayleen’s comment sparked an idea in Kelly. She toyed with it for a minute before throwing it out in the open. “Speaking of that, Jayleen, do you think you could do me a favor, for Tommy’s sake? Could you ask your friends at the Mission who work with the street people to see if any of them were sleeping along the river trail that night? Maybe one of them saw something.”

  Jayleen furrowed her eyebrows for a minute. “Sure, Kelly, I’d be glad to. And I’ll ask the counselors at AA if they’ve heard anything. They work with a lot of the guys who’re trying to turn themselves around. What exactly do you want them to find out?”

  “Just ask them to check if any of those guys saw a young girl wandering around the trail that night. If it’s true what police say, then Holly may have walked on that trail for a while before she finally collapsed. At least, I’m guessing that’s what happened.”

  “Do the cops think she walked from Old Town to where they found her? That’s quite a ways.”

  “I thought the same thing, Jayleen. And Patty, the girl who was asking around campus for me, heard from someone that they saw Holly get into a dark car after the party that night. So, who knows what happened? Maybe the driver gave Holly the pills and let her out along the trail when he found she’d taken too many.”

  Jayleen wagged her head again. “I think you’re right, Kelly. That driver is probably the one who gave her the pills. He could be a college student or maybe not.”

  “I told Burt what Patty had found out, and he passed it along to his old partner, Dan.”

  “All right, Kelly. I’ll ask my friends tomorrow night when I go to the meeting. Let’s see what they learn. Remember, though, these guys are pretty closemouthed. They don’t want to get into any trouble. So even if they saw something, they might not admit it.”

  “I hear you, Jayleen. But at least I’ll be able to tell Tommy something. Anything to help.”

  Kelly took the turn into the Lambspun driveway faster than usual. Her afternoon visit with Jayleen had lengthened when Jayleen invited her to share her famous chili. That was a dinner invitation Kelly couldn’t refuse. However, when she returned to her car to drive home, Kelly was horrified to find two messages from Steve on the cell phone she’d left on the car seat.

  Steve had come home unexpectedly so they could go out to dinner. He said he’d “wanted to surprise” her. Steve’s first message sounded aggravated. His second message, downright angry. Kelly had driven as fast as Fort Connor’s ever-vigilant police patrols allowed in an anxious effort to get home.

  Unfortunately it was already past nine o’clock when she left Jayleen’s canyon ranch, and canyon roads were treacherous at night so she couldn’t risk hurrying too fast. Guilt prodded her every mile.

  Kelly pulled her car to a sharp stop, grabbed her bag, and scrambled out. Racing to the front door, she burst inside, wondering what she’d find. Would Steve still be angry?

  “Hey, I raced as fast as I could, but that canyon road is dark as pitch at night,” she announced in an artificially cheerful voice. “You want to go out for pizza?”

  Steve lay sprawled on the sofa, a bottle of his favorite ale in hand, watching television. Baseball players were on the field. Kelly recognized the Colorado Rockies uniform.

  “Naw, I heated up a pizza from the freezer. I’m good,” he said, briefly glancing up from the screen.

  “We could still go out for a drink if you want,” Kelly suggested, hoping to make up for her blunder of missing Steve’s calls. She was feeling majorly guilty right now. Why did she leave her phone in her car? Why?

  “Naw, that’s okay,” Steve declined, not even looking up this time. “I’m getting kind of sleepy anyway. I’m gonna turn in after this inning.”

  Kelly dropped her bag on a chair, kicked off her heels, and sank into an upholstered chair across the coffee table from Steve. Mentally, she was still kicking herself for screwing up. Steve had driven all the way back to Fort Connor early to go out with her, and she wasn’t there. Not only wasn’t she there, he couldn’t even reach her because she’d left her cell phone in the car. She rarely did that.

  Dumb move, Kelly. Dumb, dumb, her guilty conscience scolded.

  “You going to your office in the morning or back to Denver?” she asked quietly. Steve, who was obviously engrossed in the game, was barely paying attention to her. Of course, the three empty ale bottles on the coffee table were probably the real cause of his inattention.

  “I’ll be working here in town. Fred forgot he had a business meeting scheduled tomorrow. Since he couldn’t come into the office, he told me I didn’t have to come in, either. He even paid me for the lost time, which was damn nice of him.” He tipped the bottle. “When I couldn’t reach you, I went over to my office. There was a mountain of mail waiting for me.”

  An invisible cloak of guilt settled over Kelly’s shoulders. She could feel it. “I’m really sorry I didn’t get your calls, Steve. If I’d known you might be calling, I wouldn’t have left my phone in the car. But you said you wouldn’t be coming back till Saturday night.”

  “Forget about it, Kelly. I’m pretty beat anyway. I’m practically falling asleep right now.” He drained the bottle.

  Kelly could almost see his eyelids drooping, so she decided she’d better throw out tomorrow’s itinerary before Steve fell asleep. “Hey. Lisa, Jen, and I are going shopping with Megan tomorrow. She’s starting to look at wedding dresses. We’ll be back by late afternoon and thought we’d go over and watch the guys play ball at Moore Field. It’s the Fall Classic. Will you be able to join us after you’ve finished at your office?”

  The Fall Classic was one of Steve’s favorite Colorado tournaments. Maybe that would capture his interest.

  “I’ll try. What time will you guys be there?” He set his empty bottle on the table beside the others.

  Encouraged by this moderate response, Kelly continued. “The games start at six, so we plan to grab a cooler with some beer and get some chips and salsa and guacamole. They’ve got brats and hot dogs at the field.”

  “I’ll . . . try,” Steve mumbled, eyelids closing.

  Kelly watched Steve’s breathing slow down, nice and even. Soon, he was sound asleep. She sat for a couple of minutes, w
atching Steve sleep and watching the game before she got up and went to her bedroom to change into her sweats.

  She might as well get a bottle of Fat Tire ale, watch the rest of the game, and keep sleeping Steve company. Meanwhile, that cloak of guilt weighed heavier and heavier on Kelly’s shoulders. It didn’t feel good at all.

  Nine

  “Wow, look at that,” Kelly said as she and her friends stood beside the bridal shop window display.

  “It’s gorgeous,” Lisa said, observing the ornate wedding gown behind the glass.

  “I don’t know, guys,” Megan demurred, her expression skeptical. “That’s a whole lot of beadwork. It must cost a fortune.”

  “Well, we won’t find out unless we go inside,” Jennifer suggested, gesturing toward the shop door.

  “You’ll probably find something here, Megan. This is a much bigger shop than those other two,” Kelly said as she followed her friends into the shop. Sniffing a delicate floral scent when she entered, Kelly tried to identify it. “That smells good. Is it a flower?”

  “Lilacs,” Jennifer and Lisa chimed together.

  The bridal shop foyer widened to a hallway that had two rooms opening on either side, one larger, the other smaller. A middle-aged woman in a pale pink suit rose from behind a mahogany secretary and walked toward them.

  “Welcome, ladies,” she said with a warm smile as she approached. “Which one of you is the bride?”

  “The one with the dazed expression,” Kelly volunteered, pointing to Megan, who was looking around the shop, eyes wide.

  “How wonderful,” the woman said, smiling maternally. “I’m Lucinda. What’s your name, dear?”

  “Megan.”

  “Well, Megan, I’m delighted you and your friends dropped by. I take it you’re shopping for a bridal gown. We do have other accessories, as well as bridesmaids’ gowns. Take your time browsing. I’m here to answer any questions.” With that, Lucinda returned to her desk in the small room across the hall.

  Kelly surveyed the shop’s luxurious interior. The two rooms were decorated with antiques, either real or reproductions. After going through her cousin Martha’s Wyoming ranch house, Kelly had learned a lot about fine furniture and antiques that she never knew before. She did notice, however, that there were only two gowns on display in the larger sitting room. Sofas and chairs and several ornate mirrors were scattered around the room.

  “This shop is definitely more posh than the others,” Lisa whispered as she strolled closer to one of the two gowns displayed on pedestals in the corner. “This dress is simpler, Megan. Look at the pretty lace over the shoulders, and the skirt is soft and gathered.

  Megan cocked her head, observing the gown. “All that material looks like ruffles, and I don’t like ruffles.”

  “Okay, no ruffles, no beads,” Kelly announced as she walked over to the other gown. “Two out of three eliminated. What about this one?” She pointed to the sheath-style gown, which draped beautifully to the floor. Gauzy bits of lace served as straps. The entire shimmering fabric’s surface was covered in embroidered designs. At least Kelly thought it was embroidery. She’d seen enough at the shop to recognize it. “This is simple and elegant, Megan.”

  “Oooo, that is gorgeous,” Lisa said as she approached. “This is more your style, right?”

  Megan slowly walked closer, surveying the gown as she approached. “I do like that style better. It’s not poufy.”

  “With your great figure, it’ll look fantastic on you.” Jennifer stepped closer to the gown and touched the fabric. “Look at all that embroidery work. Beautiful.”

  Megan nodded. “Beautiful and expensive. All that embroidery has to be expensive.”

  Lisa gave Megan a stern look. “Megan, they’re wedding gowns. They’re supposed to have extra work on them. Either ruffles or embroidery or beads. Stuff like that. Get over it.”

  “It looks like you’re going to have to choose a gown with stuff on it, Megan. Unless you get married in a bedsheet.” Kelly joked.

  “Don’t give her ideas,” Jennifer warned.

  Lucinda strolled over to them. “It sounds like you’ve just started looking.”

  “You’re right. We’ve been to two other shops, but I didn’t like any of the gowns on display.” Megan glanced around the room. “We were hoping you’d have more gowns we could see. The other shop didn’t have many, either. Why is that?”

  “Like other shops we used to carry several in the salon, but now we can actually show more gowns with digital videos.”

  Megan’s eyes lit up. Familiar territory. “Really? What are some of the best websites we can go to?”

  “Oh, there are several. All the designers have their gowns on display. But you can see those same gowns here.” She walked over to a cabinet and opened the doors, revealing a large flat screen. “We have all their gowns on video, so our customers can see them without having to jump from website to website on their lunch hours.” She clicked a remote control device and the screen came to life with bright images of brides and grooms and wedding parties, cakes, dancing couples, families together. Then—the image of a wedding gown appeared, with its name and number at the bottom of the screen. The model turned slowly so the back was revealed.

  “Sit down and relax and watch.” Lucinda gestured to the upholstered chairs. “If you see something you like, then make a note of the number. Don’t worry if you miss it the first time. The video replays automatically.”

  “Oooo, look at that one,” Lisa pointed to the gown on the screen. Strapless with a simple fitted bodice, the full skirt flared out gracefully to the floor.

  “Pretty, but I recognize the designer’s name,” Jennifer remarked.

  “I think that means expensive,” Kelly said to Megan.

  Yards of shiny material appeared next, cascading down the back of a strapless gown and extending onto the floor.

  “What’s that fabric?” Kelly asked.

  “Looks like taffeta,” Lisa decreed.

  “Boy, that’s a long train,” Jennifer commented.

  “Cathedral. The longest,” Megan said. “Next?”

  Another strapless gown appeared, figure-hugging to the knees where it flared to the floor.

  “Pretty.”

  “Yep, but it’s covered in ruffles.”

  “They’re small ruffles.”

  “Ruffles are ruffles,” Megan intoned.

  A simpler strapless style was next, which hugged the figure to below the waist where the skirt gradually fell fuller and fuller with a stylish drape in the center.

  “Oooo, that’s nice.”

  “Classic.”

  “No beads and no ruffles,” Kelly offered.

  Megan still shook her head. “Yeah, but look at that train in the back. Semi-cathedral or cathedral.”

  “What?” Kelly stared at her. “They’ve got classifications?”

  “Yep. I’ve been studying.”

  “What do you expect? It’s Megan,” Lisa said as Jennifer laughed softly.

  Another gown appeared with straps and V-neckline. The dress hugged the model’s body tighter than the others until it poufed out at the knees to the floor.

  “Vampy,” Jennifer said. “Even Marty would be speechless.”

  “Riiiight,” Megan joked while her friends laughed.

  Another strapless gown, its long train gathered with lacy trim.

  “Long train with imitation ruffles,” Kelly announced.

  A slinky satin gown covered in Chantilly lace came next.

  “Do you have anything against lace?” Lisa asked skeptically.

  “No, but it’s so low I’d fall out of it.”

  A celebration of ruffles appeared next and laughter was the only commentary.

  The screen flashed again showing another V-necked gown, but this skirt flared gracefully to the floor, a layer of white tulle draped over the underlying fabric. The model wore a large white-brimmed hat, which curved over her face.

  “Well, ah declare. If it i
sn’t Miz Scahlett,” Kelly said to Jennifer with a grin.

  “In the flesh.”

  “Like I could pull that off,” Megan said with a snort.

  “Now, y’all hush. I’ve just come in from Charleston, and I’m simply exhausted,” Jennifer said in a magnolia-dipped accent. “Have a julep sent to my room, please. I must rest before all the festivities.”

  Soft laughter flowed around the room as several more gowns appeared only to be greeted with cries of “Beads!” or “Ruffles!” or “Froufrou!”

  Then a simple unadorned white gown flashed on the screen. Spaghetti straps, soft tulle draping to the floor.

  “Voilà!” Lisa cried, pointing to the screen. “You want simple? There’s simple. It could be a prom dress it’s so plain.”

  Megan peered at the image. “That’s a lot of tulle.”

  Lisa closed her eyes and groaned as Kelly laughed.

  Another strapless dress appeared, the slender skirt cascading to the floor in soft gathers.

  “What about that one?” Jennifer gestured. “It’s simple and there’s no tulle.”

  Megan squinted at the screen. “It’s got ruffles.”

  “Those aren’t ruffles, they’re gathers!” Lisa spouted, clearly out of patience.

  Megan shook her head. “Ruffles, gathers. Same difference.”

  “Arrrrghhh!” Lisa cried.

  Jennifer joined Kelly in laughing this time. Kelly sneaked a peek at Lucinda who was smiling broadly, obviously overhearing Megan’s saga of the gowns.

  “Look, it’s back to the beginning again,” Jennifer observed as the first gown reappeared on the screen.

  “Megan, you’re impossible,” Lisa decreed, shaking her head. “You will have to get married in a bedsheet. You don’t like anything!”

  Everyone laughed, including Lisa as they jointly imagined Megan in her bedsheet at the church.

  “Megan just hasn’t found the perfect dress yet, right, Megan?” Lucinda said as she approached them.