Granny glanced at Franklin and then gave a challenging look in Silas’s direction. “I think it’s time for me to go home. It’s been a long day and night. Franklin can give me a ride.”
Franklin hesitated and gave Silas a long look before answering, “I, ah, think I’d better stay here, Hermiony. I’m meeting someone at Rack’s soon. You should go with Silas.”
“You—want me––to ride home with Silas?” Granny gave Franklin a confused look.
“He trusts me with his fiancé, don’t you, Franklin?” Silas’s face broke into a huge grin.
Franklin turned away. “That’s what new friends are for,” he replied, unable to hide his scowl.
Amelia spoke up, “Don’t forget about our quilting class tonight, Hermiony.”
Granny wrinkled up her face, perplexed, “Ah, quilting class?”
“Oh, you must have forgotten,” Amelia chided. ‘Lulu is going to show us how to make that birth certificate quilt. You know, the one that lists when people are born or adopted so they have a keepsake of remembrance.” Amelia opened her eyes wide at her sister and nodded her head up and down.
“Quilting, tonight? Well, I guess we’re quilting tonight,” replied Granny.
Franklin thought for a moment, “Hermiony, you don’t quilt.”
Granny stuck out her chin, “Well, Franklin Jester Gatsby, I guess you don’t know everything about me. And even if I didn’t quilt, you can teach an old woman new tricks. Let’s go, Mr. Supercilious. I’m on pins and needles to get home.”
The drive to Granny’s street was silent. Both Silas and Granny were deep in thought. Silas was thinking about Justine’s death at the factory and Granny’s thoughts were on Franklin and why he was spending so much time at Amelia’s house. Apparently, he and Silas were watching Granny and Amelia in secret––at least, that’s what Granny had surmised from Silas’s phone conversation that she and Ditty Belle had overheard at Persnickety’s. But why wasn’t Silas watching Amelia? And vice versa? After all, she was the one who was engaged to Franklin.
Silas stopped at the curb in front of Granny’s house to let her out of the car. “I’ll pick you up at 6:30 to take you to Lulu’s Quilt Shop and your night of quilting.”
Granny slammed the door and walked around the car, stopping at his open window. “I can drive myself, Silas, that is, if someone hasn’t stolen my car.”
“I’ll pick you up.”
“Why are you watching me and why is Franklin watching Amelia? Do you think someone’s going to knock us off?”
Silas smiled a wicked smile before answering, “You two are so much fun to watch.” He laughed before driving on and parking in his driveway.
Granny took a minute to survey the neighborhood before she went inside her house. She and Amelia would have to figure out who they were supposed to be in danger from. Maybe Mrs. Shrill was back and had her own undercover thing going.
The shysters and the cohorts were not home yet. Granny thought perhaps Baskerville and Mr. Pigster were still playing with Angel. She looked at the time on her phone. It was four o’clock. Her stomach rumbled and she remembered she hadn’t had anything to eat all day. Turning back to the door, she opened it and peered out. Silas was still standing by his car in his driveway. He was talking on the phone. She’d have to go out the back door and sneak into the side door of her garage to get her car. She could smell Rack’s fried chicken already. Making a quick apology to the chickens in chicken heaven, she decided she’d become a vegetarian next week. For the moment, she’d stay away from pork so she wouldn’t hurt Mr. Porkster’s feelings.
Slipping out the back door, she made her way to the garage, carefully watching to make sure Silas didn’t see her. Once in her garage, she decided to check her car for her pink pitch fork. Could it really have been the murder weapon? It was gone! Who took her pitchfork? She knew it wasn’t her since she’d been with her friends all night. She hadn’t forgotten that. Who had been in her garage? She looked around carefully, but her rumbling stomach reminded her of the reason she was in her garage in the first place. She hopped into her car, turned the key, hit the garage door opener and backed out straight into the street. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Silas look up, but before he could do anything, she revved the engine and took off down the street.
The parking lot at Rack’s was half full. Granny parked next to a black Escalade that looked amazingly like Franklin’s. Once in the restaurant, she saw Franklin and Amelia sitting at her favorite booth. Franklin saw her at the same time that she saw him and he motioned her over to the table. Granny sat down next to Amelia.
“Where’s Silas?” Franklin asked, looking back toward the door.
“How am I supposed to know? He dropped me off at home and told me he’d pick me up at 6:30 to take me quilting. I was hungry. Can’t a lady eat without Mr. Supercilious watching her every second? And why are you okay with him watching me anyway?”
Amelia’s eyes widened and she held her breath as she listened to the exchange between her sister and Franklin.
“Because we agreed that there’s a killer on the loose, and it all seems to go back to the two of you. Right now, Thor and Ephraim have their hands full with Justine’s murder. They asked if we’d keep you––Hermiony––out of trouble. Silas and I put our differences behind us for a few days. He lives across the street from you, so it’s easier for him to keep an eye on you, unless you want to move in with me or have me move in with you before the wedding?” Franklin grinned at the thought.
Granny frowned. “So you moved in with my sister instead?”
Amelia’s eyes got wide. “No, Hermiony, I would never do that to you! I would never try and steal Franklin!”
Granny pulled her head back and looked Amelia straight in the eye. “Learned your lesson, huh?”
Gretchen, coming to take their order, broke up the conversation before Amelia could answer. “What would you like Granny? Your usual new healthy vegetarian meal?”
Granny shook her head. “I’m giving up vegetarian food for the summer solstice. I’ll have fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and onion rings. I’ll skip my chocolate dessert. We’ll probably have something when we’re quilting.”
Gretchen frowned in confusion. “I didn’t know it was the summer solstice. I didn’t know you were a quilter. I haven’t seen you at any of the quilting classes that I attend.”
“Yes, well, you’d better get our orders. We don’t want to be late for class. Do we, Amelia?”
“I’ll have the same as my sister,” Amelia said, smacking her lips.
Franklin sighed. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. I’ll have the same.”
Granny’s phone cackled, “Watch out! Watch out!” She ignored the ring and turned off the sound.
“Silas?” Franklin asked.
Granny turned to Amelia. “So, did you know Lars was dating Starshine, your niece?”
Amelia looked down at her lap. Her fingers tapped the table nervously. “Yes, he met her accidently in the city. They began dating. I already had sent my detective––rest his poor soul––here to find out if you were still in Fuchsia.”
“And you didn’t think he should tell her?”
Amelia’s face was unreadable, “No, I told him not to tell her. I was looking for my son, and I thought Lars could find out more if he spent some time with Starshine. I thought perhaps Robert had been in touch with you. I didn’t think you’d tell me if I asked.”
Granny got out of the booth. Gretchen was bringing their meals. “I want mine to go,” Granny informed the waitress, as she turned back to confront her sister. “You think I would have kept your son from you? Remember, you’re the deceitful one––stealing Robert!” Turning back to Gretchen, she said, “I’ll wait for my food up front.”
Granny took a few steps and turned back to Franklin, “Don’t be fooled by her sweetness; you’ll regret it. At least with me, you know where you stand or––don’t.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Silas answered, “Not too many red Corvettes in this town.”
“Franklin and Amelia are here.”
“And?” Silas asked.
“Who do you two think are going to get us this time?”
“That’s on a need to know basis, and you don’t need to know.”
Granny gave Silas a disgusted look. “Now you sound like my son and––that’s my line.”
Silas laughed. “I learned from the best. Let’s go eat your food by the lake and then I’ll take you to quilting.”
“I have my car.”
“I’ll bring you back to get it when you get done at Lulu’s and follow you home. I’m not letting you out of my sight, or your son and my son will send me back to Alaska. That might be as bad as the wrinkle farm or the hoosegow. Some nasty men there might be very happy if I came back.” Silas held the door to the passenger side of his car open for Granny.
Granny hesitated before getting into Silas’s car for a ride to Blue Bird Park and the lake.
Once they were settled by a picnic table so Granny could eat her supper, Granny continued her inquisition, trying to find out who Silas was protecting her from. “Wouldn’t it be easier if I knew who I had to watch out for?”
“It would be, but we aren’t sure yet. We’re waiting for some information to come in and then we’ll know more.”
“So where’s your fake lawyer friend?”
“He’s staying with me but he’s out of town tonight doing a little investigating.”
“If he’s staying with you, why haven’t any of us in the neighborhood seen him?”
Silas leaned across the table, looked around as if checking to see if anyone was listening and then in a soft voice said, “Because he’s really a ghost. You only imagined you saw him.”
Granny threw a chicken bone at Silas. “You’re lucky I don’t have my pitchfork.”
Silas started to answer when a goose jumped up on the picnic table and snatched the chicken bone that Silas had caught, right out of Silas’s hands. In doing so, the goose brushed against Silas and knocked him backward off the bench. All of a sudden barking and meowing filled the air and the shysters bounded up to Silas and plopped on top of him. Furball began licking his hair, while Little White Poodle and Tank ran after the goose. Fish grabbed the bone the goose had dropped and carried it away.
Granny took out her cell phone and clicked a picture. “Perfect photo for the Fuchsia Flash. I can see the headlines now, “Cat Saves Crickett from Goose and the Fish Ran Away with the Bone.” Get up, Crickett; it’s time for me to needle something.”
Silas picked Furball off his head. “Maybe after I drop you off, I should take Furball home; the rest of the shysters seem to have left.”
Granny pointed to Silas’s car. “I think they all want a ride; the others are waiting by your car.”
Furball wiggled out of Silas’s arms and ran to the rest of the shysters who were trying to jump in the open window of the car.
“I guess we’re all going for a ride,” Silas remarked while driving the car away from the lake.
“I haven’t see Radish lately. Usually she and Baskerville and Mrs. Bleaty are inseparable,” Granny said, thinking the animals were a safe topic for the short ride to the quilt shop.
“I think Radish has his tail in a whirl since Mr. Pigster showed up,” said Silas. He doesn’t quite have the oink down yet and he’s embarrassed.”
“An embarrassed bird,” Granny hooted. “You can tell this how?”
“Every time Radish tries to imitate Mr. Pigster and fails, his feathers droop.”
“Well, I guess you’ll just have to rename him Droopy Drawers,” Granny said sarcastically as the car pulled up in front of Lulu’s.
The minute Granny opened her door, the shysters jumped in the front seat, over Granny’s lap and out the door. “Something I said?” Granny yelled after them as they ran down the street.
Silas opened his door to follow Granny into the quilt shop.
“You going somewhere, Silas?” Granny raised her eyebrows and gave him look that said Stop right there!
Franklin and Amelia pulled up behind Silas’s car. Amelia got out of the car and walked up to Granny. “Hermiony, are you over your snitty?” she asked.
“Oh, Amelia, you’re so witty,” replied Granny.
Both Amelia and Granny burst out laughing, touched hands, turned around, touched feet and said at the same time, “We didn’t make a sound.”
Baffled, Franklin and Silas looked at each other. “It must be a sister thing,” Franklin concluded.
Silas shook his head and in a sing-song voice sang, “Or they could just be ding-ding. Franklin, you and I just made a rhyme.” He threw a coin in the air. “On a dime!”
Granny looked at both men. “Don’t you want to get back to your feud? You two getting along puts me in a foul mood.”
Amelia continued, “Your rhymes are dead, if you keep it up, you’ll never be wed.” She took Granny’s arm and they marched into the quilt shop.
Franklin watched them walk into the quilt shop, arm in arm. “I missed something. When did they make up?”
Silas shook his head and followed the women through the door.
Ditty Belle, Pastor Henrietta, Delight and Lulu were all waiting for Granny and Amelia.
Lulu took one look at Franklin and Silas trailing behind the woman and cut them off before they made it halfway into the store. “Where do you think you’re going? This is women only.”
“Lulu, we have to stay. It’s possible that Granny and Amelia are in danger,” Franklin explained.
Mavis joined Lulu. “From who? And it looks like you left George out of this little party of yours. He’s going to be upset,” she warned.
Silas countered, “George wasn’t a cop. We don’t want him to get hurt and we can’t tell you from who; we aren’t sure yet. It’s on a need-to-know basis and you don’t need to know.”
Delight giggled and hollered out from behind the table that was set up for quilting, “That’s Granny’s line!”
Granny and Amelia sat back to watch the men fend off their friends.
Pastor Henrietta sashayed up to Silas and Franklin, putting her hand on both their arms. “Bless you for wanting Granny and Amelia safe. I commend you for that, but what could happen in a quilt shop? There’s safety in numbers, and we’ll be protected from above. She gave them both the sweetest smile she could muster before she continued, “We’ll be sure to call you when we’re done quilting.”
Granny picked up some pieces of material. “Yes, when I get done half-cutting, and sewing with a curling stitch that meets the edges and unbinds the fortitude, I’ll be sure and call you. It might take a couple of hours though.”
George came into the quilt shop just as Granny was finishing her sentence, “Wow that was amazing! I didn’t know you knew so much about quilting, Hermiony.”
Mavis, taking a sip of coffee, almost choked it back out when George complimented Granny on her knowledge. Raising her eyes to indicate her frustration, she approached George. “And why are you here?”
“I saw the cars and Silas and Franklin walking in the door, so I thought I’d check to make sure nothing was wrong.”
“Not a thing,” Delight peeped up, “Why don’t the three of you go over to the Pink Percolator and wait. Tell Ella it’s on the house. Now scoot!” She waved a bolt of material at them.
Franklin planted his feet firmly on the floor in a no nonsense stance. “We think we’ll stay.”
“Oh, for goodness sake,” Granny ranted, “What do you think is going to happen to us in the middle of a quilting session with all of us together? Maybe you should tell us just what you’re protecting us from, so we know what or who to look out for. If you’d give me my pitchfork back, I could protect all of us.”
Silas approached Franklin. “She’s right. L
et’s go over to the Pink Percolator. They can call us when they’re done. After all, who would want to encounter that crabby old woman and her cronies? They’d be more than you could handle, Gatsby.” Silas gave Franklin a jab in the arm, indicated to George that he should follow him and walked out the door.
Franklin glanced at the women. “Well, Hermiony, you call us the minute you’re done. Got that!”
Meekly Granny answered, “Yes, Franklin, of course.”
Amelia took Franklin by the arm and walked with him to the door. “We’ll be fine, Franklin.” She patted him on the arm as she opened the door and gave him a little push.” Once he was through the door, she closed it, watched for a minute to see that he’d joined Silas and George, and then swiftly turned the lock on the door. “Is the back door locked?” she asked.
Lulu nodded.
Granny picked up a sharp quilting needle and pointed it at the women, “Now, what’s your point in getting me here? And––wow! We’re meeting in the daytime and our watchdogs know where we are. Is this a new strategy?”
“I’m here to finish my story. Perhaps it’ll help us find my son,” Amelia explained.
Pastor Henrietta added, “Yes, and we want to help you since the Fuchsia Police––no offense, Granny, since your son is co-chief––do not seem to be interested in how it might be connected to the murders.”
“Where did I leave off?” Amelia searched her memory.
“Right at the part where you signed my name to your marriage document, technically making me the one who was officially married to Robert. You made me a bigamist! Did you ever get divorced, Amelia? Because if Lars is your stepson, I assume that means you got married again,” Granny rasped.
Amelia squirmed in her chair and gave Granny a guilty look. “I, ah, um, no. I could see no reason to file for divorce. How could I file for divorce when you were the one listed on the marriage license?”
Granny flung her hands in the air in disbelief, “Maybe by forging my name again!”
Pastor Henrietta raised her hand in the air, making a peace sign with her fingers. Both women begrudgingly became silent.
Granny Forks A Fugitive (Fuchsia Minnesota Book 4) Page 13
