Dyeing Up Loose Ends

by Maggie Sefton

  “You know, that’s a good idea, Jayleen,” Kelly said. “Let me check with Steve and see what our schedule is. It usually heats up in the summer because the housing development business is going strong. They’ve got to take advantage of all that good weather.”

  “That’s for sure. Curt and I just wanted to see that little young’un at the ranch. He had a high old time when you folks last brought him over to see us.”

  Kelly smiled at her old friend, still amazed that Jayleen never looked her age. Silver streaked through her shoulder-length curly blond hair, and there were a fair number of lines across Jayleen’s face. Even so, she did not appear to be seventy years old.

  “Jack really got a kick out of patting the alpacas. He kept saying, ‘Soft noses. Soft noses.’” Kelly laughed, remembering.

  Jayleen chuckled. “You know, I have to thank you for coming up with that great suggestion for Cassie and Eric this summer and getting the rest of the Gang to go along with it. Curt and I are pleased as punch that those kids are gonna be able to earn some serious money this summer. They’re taking a huge load off their parents’ shoulders.”

  “I knew it would,” Kelly continued. “And I knew they would appreciate it. Eric has younger sisters and a brother right behind him, and he told us he hadn’t seen his parents look that relaxed in a long time. Same with Jennifer and Pete. Cassie was earning good tips from the café, but it’s only open for breakfast and lunch. So she can really use the help, and I know how grateful Pete and Jennifer are.”

  “Lordy, yes, and Curt, too. He was prepared to help out with Eric’s tuition and fees, but it’s way better for the kids to be earning their college expenses themselves if they can. They gain a whole lot of self-reliance that way.” Jayleen gave an authoritative nod.

  “Absolutely,” Kelly said with a grin. “You sound like one of those television self-help gurus and you’re preaching to the faithful. I had to work all sorts of summer and some part-time jobs during my college days, back at the University of Virginia.” She glanced into the patio garden. “Wow, that was quite a while ago.”

  Jayleen chuckled again. “Look out, Kelly-girl. Those years have a way of passing. Cowpoke Jack will be going off to college himself before you know it.”

  A memory of a previous discussion years ago danced through Kelly’s mind suddenly, and she decided to share it. “You know, Jayleen, I’m remembering a conversation we had a few years ago. I believe you told me that you were planning on leaving Cassie your alpaca ranch, house, and herd, everything in your will. I thought it was a wonderful idea. I’m just curious. Is that still your plan?”

  Jayleen grinned. “It sure is, Kelly-girl, and Curt’s still planning on leaving his ranch and everything to his four grandchildren. But he’ll give Eric a slightly larger percentage and make Eric the guardian and in charge. He’ll manage the ranch for himself and his brother and sisters and his parents, too. And, believe me, that will be a full-time job. Just like Cassie will have her hands full running my place. Eric’s brother and sisters will be pulling their weight, too.”

  “I’m glad you both are staying with those decisions. They’re solid, in my opinion, and I’ll keep your plans in complete confidence, too. Cassie and Eric will take care of business, for sure. I made it a point to show both of them the basics of spreadsheets a couple of years ago, so they could keep track of the herds and equipment and all that.”

  Jayleen cackled. “Oh Lord. I’ve got to tell Curt. He will get a kick out of that. I think all three of us were thinking ahead, Kelly-girl.”

  Another thought slipped front and center from the back of Kelly’s mind. “You know, Jayleen, you and Curt and I really believe that you two are doing the right thing by leaving your properties to Cassie and Eric. We’re always talking about what a great thing it is. But it’s occurring to me that we’ve never thought about the simple logistics of it all.”

  Jayleen peered at Kelly. “What do you mean by ‘logistics’?” she asked.

  “You know, the simple fact that both properties are separated by a few miles. That’s not a lot, but half of those miles are in Bellevue Canyon where your ranch is, Jayleen, and the other half are down past Buckhorn Creek. Now, that’s a pretty drive on a nice day. But what about during the winter when we have snowstorms and blowing wind and cold? Cassie would have to be at your ranch, and Eric would have to be down at Curt’s ranch, which is more in the open, and we all know in the winter with snowstorms, the canyon collects a whole bunch of snow and so does that wide-open space around Curt’s ranch. Eric would have to be there every day, because there would be cattle to take care of, feed grain during the winter, water, and all that. The same for Cassie up at your ranch, Jayleen. Alpaca have to be let out of the barn, fed, and watered. So both Eric and Cassie would have to stay at the separate ranches, because it would be too hard for them to try to drive back and forth every day, especially in winter weather.”

  Jayleen eyed her. “Those are good points, Kelly-girl. Where are you going with this?”

  “I’m not sure,” Kelly said with a little shrug. “That thought just popped into my head a moment ago. I don’t have any answers. I suppose I’m simply throwing it out there, so you and Curt will discuss this between you. After all, Burt said you two didn’t plan on ‘shuffling off this mortal coil’ anytime soon.” She gave Jayleen a wink.

  Jayleen chuckled. “Well, that’s for damn sure. Both of us are enjoying life too much to leave anytime soon. Besides, I think both of us are too ornery to leave.”

  “Well, don’t make any changes, Jayleen. All of us love you and Curt just the way you are.”

  Jayleen shook her silver blond curls. “Ahhhh, listen to that sweet talk. I think you and the Gang, as you call ’em, are gonna be fun to watch these next few years. You’ve all got young’uns in those early years right now. It’s going to be a hoot and a half to watch you folks try to keep up with those kids as they get older. Whoooooeeeeee! I can see it now. Wait until those kids turn into teenagers!” With that, Jayleen threw back her head and let out a loud cackle of laughter.

  Ten

  “You can tell it’s summer vacation time,” Pete said as he turned the gray SUV onto Lemay Avenue, one of the North Fort Connor streets bordering Lambspun knitting shop. “Lots more people driving around at five in the morning than during the rest of the year.”

  “For sure. There’re all trying to get an early start as they head up into the mountains or Rocky Mountain National Park,” Jennifer replied.

  Pete paused at the corner of the normally quiet Lincoln Avenue, waiting for a chance to turn onto the avenue that bordered the other side of the picturesque corner with its tall trees and well-maintained landscaping. From there he could turn into the driveway parking lot that wrapped around the Lambspun shop and Pete’s Porch Café. Both the shop and its adjacent café with garden patio were situated on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and the busy commercial Lemay Avenue. A huge shopping center was located across the street on the packed commercial side of Lemay Avenue. That shopping center sported an enormous big-box store with its accompanying huge parking lot. Open twenty-four hours a day, the parking was rarely empty.

  “Look at that. People are doing grocery shopping at five o’clock,” Jen observed, pointing across the street at the big-box. “That always amazes me. Do they let the groceries sit in their car all day while they go to work, or do they race home really fast and then get ready for their jobs?”

  Pete smiled. “I think it’s a little of both.”

  “I don’t know . . . my mind is just barely awake this early in the morning. I’m not organized enough to rush around grocery shopping so early.”

  “Changing the subject, Jen, I need you to remind me. When was the last time we went camping up in Cache La Poudre Canyon with Cassie?”

  Jennifer stared out the window for a few seconds while cars drove past them as they sat in the turn lane. “Wow, it’s be
en months since we had an overnight tent camping in the canyon with Cassie,” she answered. “Last October, probably.”

  “You know, we should schedule a camping trip into the canyon. Farther up the canyon at that pretty campground right beside the Cache La Poudre River. It’ll be the last time we’ll have Cassie just to ourselves.” He turned to Jen. “Am I being selfish?”

  Jennifer smiled at her husband and leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Cars were still driving past. “No, you’re not being selfish, you old softie. I feel the same way.”

  “Okay, then. Let’s schedule a quick trip this month. Just a little getaway. A short two days, one overnight, that’s all. We can call up our regular standby waitress Bridget to handle the customers, and Eduardo can supervise. Now that we’ve got Larry to help with the grill, I think they can handle it. What do you think?”

  “I definitely think they can handle it, especially if we can schedule Bridget. She’s filled in as substitute waitress for over four years now. So she knows where everything is.”

  “Great. We can even take our fishing poles, just in case Cassie wants to try fly-fishing again.” Pete chuckled.

  “Sure, but don’t hold your breath,” Jennifer teased. “None of us has ever caught anything, except one of my summer shirts.”

  Pete laughed out loud at the memory. Finally, there was a break in the passing traffic that allowed him to make a quick turn into the driveway at the front of the Lambspun shop. Spotting a familiar car in front of the café, Pete said, “That looks like Julie’s car. Boy, she’s never gotten here this early before.”

  “She’s got a ton on her plate right now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she asks to leave at noon today. Maybe skip lunch altogether.”

  “That’s okay with me,” Pete said as he pulled the SUV right beside Julie’s faded blue compact car. He noticed the passenger side window had huge cracks, but he could still make out Julie inside the car. “I hope she hasn’t been waiting for us a long time.” He rolled his window down and called into the adjacent car, “Hey, Julie. You’re an early bird today.”

  There was no response from Julie. She simply sat behind the wheel, head leaned back against the headrest.

  “Poor thing, she must be exhausted,” Jennifer observed. “She looks sound asleep.”

  Pete shifted the SUV controls to parking mode then opened his driver’s door and stepped down to the driveway. He leaned over Julie’s passenger side closed window and rapped on it several times. “Hey, Julie! It’s morning. Time to wake up.”

  No response from Julie inside the car.

  Pete then walked around to Julie’s driver’s side car door and leaned down to rap on the window again. Instead, he froze in place. He stared at the blood that congealed on Julie’s head and face. Dark red. A horrible wound to the side of her head.

  He yanked the car door open and leaned closer, his stomach already churning. Julie’s face was gray. He placed the back of his shaking hand to her cheek. It was cold. Ice cold.

  “Pete!” Jennifer called sharply. “What’s the matter? Won’t she wake up?”

  When Pete didn’t answer right away, Jennifer yanked open her SUV door and jumped down to the driveway then raced around to Julie’s car.

  Pete jerked himself away from the grisly sight and turned toward Jennifer, his hands up in a “Stop” position.

  “No, Jen! Don’t look. She’s dead.”

  Jennifer jerked to a stop, her face white. “No! That can’t be! Julie!” She darted forward before Pete could stop her and leaned down . . . then stopped and stared.

  “No, Jen. Turn away. She’s been dead for hours,” Pete said in a choked voice. Then, he grabbed Jennifer by the shoulders and yanked her away from the horrible sight.

  “No! Oh no! God, no,” Jennifer chanted, her brown eyes haunted.

  “We have to call the police. Let’s both get back in the car.” He guided Jennifer by the arms around the SUV, then helped her up into her seat and slammed the heavy door shut.

  Jennifer didn’t resist. She moved as if she were sleepwalking. All the while, she whispered, “No, no, please, no. Julie, Julie.”

  Pete sped around to the driver’s side as he pulled his cell phone from his back pocket. Jumping into the SUV, Pete quickly clicked all the doors locked. Then he clicked on 911. He pressed the number, and within thirty seconds, he heard a male voice on the other end of the line.

  “Fort Connor Police. What is the nature of your emergency?”

  “There’s . . . there’s been a killing,” Pete stammered then swallowed. “I found one of my friends dead in her car a few minutes ago. There’s blood all over the left side of her head and . . . and she’s gray and cold.”

  “Oh God . . .” Jennifer whimpered beside him.

  “Your name, sir, and where are you calling from?” the man’s voice asked dispassionately.

  Pete swallowed again and answered the man’s questions.

  * * *

  • • •

  “You can leave now, Kelly. The kids are all here.” Cassie gave a good-bye wave from the middle of Kelly and Steve’s large family room.

  Kelly stood in the foyer of her house and watched Molly dig through one of the toy boxes in the middle of the floor. Jack stood nearby as he emptied a large blue plastic bucket of Tinkertoys onto the family room carpet. Meanwhile, the twins, Natalie and Michael, were already sprawled on the floor in the midst of a pile of plastic building blocks. Bright primary colors—red, yellow, blue.

  “That was brave of you and Steve to volunteer your house for the first week,” Eric joked as he set a large stack of children’s books on the granite counter.

  “Well, I figured I should since this whole new arrangement was my idea,” Kelly said as she shifted the briefcase bag on her shoulder.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure this crew has everything cleaned up and put away before they’re picked up at five,” Cassie said.

  “Shipshape, as Grandpa Curt always says,” Eric added.

  “Okay, I trust you two, so I’ll head out,” Kelly said as she opened the front door. “Good luck, and you have my phone number. Just in case.”

  “We’ve got it covered,” Cassie said “We’re taking this crew to the neighborhood elementary school playground. Run ’em around for a while before lunch.”

  “Now that sounds like a good strategy,” Kelly said from the open doorway. “Get them tired out, then feed them, and maybe they’ll actually take a nap.”

  “We thought so,” Cassie said with a grin, then pointed over her shoulder. “All except for Miss M. She doesn’t nap, you know.”

  “Oh yes. I think Miss M doesn’t want to miss anything,” Kelly joked.

  “We think she’ll settle down with some books, and that works, too,” Eric added.

  Impressed by their relaxed and calm attitudes, Kelly gave another wave and left. Phone calls and work awaited, and there was no nap time listed on Kelly’s daily scheduler.

  * * *

  • • •

  Kelly drove down the always-busy Lemay Avenue toward the northern commercial side of Fort Connor. She figured she had time for a quick cup of Eduardo’s rich coffee before she checked on the property that client Housemann was considering adding to his portfolio. Located in the industrial area between the north-south Interstate 25 and the Cache La Poudre River, she was curious if Housemann would keep it in semi-industrial use.

  As she crossed the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Lemay Avenue, Kelly quickly moved into the right-hand lane, which enabled an easy right turn into the large back parking lot surrounding Lambspun knitting shop and Pete’s Porch Café. She slowed her speed as she approached the turn. However, Kelly quickly braked her car to a stop once she actually turned onto the outer edge of the dirt and gravel parking lot.

  She stared. Fort Connor police cars, several of them,
were parked all over the driveway surrounding the café and knitting shop. A few feet ahead of her front bumper, she spotted a handwritten sign on a white board with a terse message: “Lambspun Shop and Pete’s Porch Café Closed Today. Open Tomorrow.”

  Kelly thought she spied the back of a Fort Connor Emergency Services ambulance slowly driving around the curved driveway, which led to the Lincoln Avenue entrance and exit. Had a staff member taken sick? Or maybe one of the customers? Good Lord! What if a customer had a seizure or something?

  She quickly drove onto a patch of grass that bordered the land between the Lambspun and café driveway and the large corporation that was now located on the adjacent property bordering Lemay Avenue. She hopped out of her car and sped toward the garden patio surrounding Pete’s Café.

  A uniformed police officer quickly walked over to intercept her. “Ma’am, you’ll have to stop right here. This is a crime scene that’s under investigation.”

  Kelly stared at him in shock. “What? What happened?” she blurted.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. We’re not at liberty to say.” He held up both his hands in “Stop” mode.

  “But . . .”

  Suddenly, Kelly heard a voice calling her name. She spotted Pete waving both arms over his head as he headed across the driveway. “Officer! It’s okay! She’s an employee! Let me talk to her, please!”

  “She can’t be here, sir. You understand. She has to leave,” the officer insisted in a firm voice.

  “I understand, Officer. Let . . . let me walk her to her car, okay?” Pete pointed to where Kelly had parked.

  “Quickly, sir,” the officer instructed.

  Pete nodded obediently and took Kelly’s arm, guiding her back to her car. Kelly willingly followed his lead.

  “What happened, Pete? Why are the police here?” Kelly whispered.

  “It’s Julie . . . When we came this morning, we . . . we found her in her car . . . dead.”