Murder by Gravity

by Barbara Graham

“Oh, yes, but they are the minority.” Theo managed a slight smile. “We do not discriminate. Not on any basis.”

  “Did Harvey Winston know about your system?” Tony didn’t want to ask the former sheriff, because he couldn’t do it without giving out more information than desired.

  “I’m not sure.” Theo fiddled with her curls and kept her eyes averted.

  Tony thought his wife looked about five, a sulky five. He knew she didn’t want to talk about details. To be honest, he didn’t want to know. He preferred to think she wasn’t involved. Actually, he preferred to hope there would be a day when the legal system worked perfectly and no one needed to run. People running, he understood, needed help. People hiding, waiting, watching—fearful. The very idea made his heartburn erupt in flames. He was not a naïve boy. These angry partners were a danger not only to the escaping victim, but also to everyone else who tried to help. Not for the first time, he considered the best punishment for abusers would be to turn the table on them.

  Tony opened his mouth, thinking he might convince her to quit the group. Her endeavor was worthwhile, but the potential for danger definitely existed. Tiny little Theo’s lips curved into a sweet smile. She looked about as old as she had the first time he saw her, standing behind the screen door on the house they now shared. She had been forbidden to go outside. According to her grandmother, the world wasn’t safe. Tony pressed his lips together. Theo wasn’t seven any more.

  Theo laughed at his expression. “So now you know.”

  “Know what?” Feigning ignorance, Tony poked at one of her curls, avoiding looking into her eyes.

  “How I feel when you get a call and leave.” Theo rested her palm against his cheek. “No one is being stupid, but . . . would you have us abandon them?”

  “No.” Tony considered the uncertainty of safety. In a world where a sinkhole could swallow a house or a tornado could flatten a town, there were no guarantees or safeguards. He sighed. “Just . . .”

  Theo finished for him. “Just be careful?”

  He nodded, and gave her shoulders a squeeze. “And if I ever yell ‘duck,’ please don’t look up for a bird in the sky.”

  “You be careful, too,” Theo said. “Everything is fine.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The Knoxville police sergeant, Paul Martin, in charge of working the stolen quilt case, called Tony early in the morning. Saturday in law enforcement was like any other work day. “I think we’ve found your quilt thieves. The camera system shows a couple leaving the pawn shop with empty hands.”

  “Awesome.” Tony couldn’t resist saying the word. His head was filled with mucus, but it wouldn’t stop him from working. “If we can clear up the theft of that quilt, my wife will be your biggest fan.”

  Martin laughed. “Does she bake cookies?”

  “None you’d want to eat.” Tony didn’t see any point in telling a lie. “But I do know someone who bakes like a dream. I’ll bring you a couple of dozen of the best chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever eaten the next time I’m in the city. Not today, but soon. I’ll get the warrants signed and drive on up.”

  He needed to be sure to get back in time to attend Blossom’s wedding.

  “Deal,” said Sergeant Martin. “Grab a pencil, and I’ll give you names and an address. Let me know when you’re around here, and I’ll meet you. The pawnbroker has promised to testify. He said this makes his business look bad.”

  Armed with the warrant, Tony and Wade drove to Knoxville and parked around the corner from the house. The couple’s address had not been hard to find. It was just an ordinary home, just off Kingston Pike. Sergeant Martin pulled up behind them, and the three men headed for the front door. Wade peeled off and went to watch the back door, just in case someone decided to slip away.

  Tony and Martin’s knock brought a messy but clean woman to the door. “Mrs. Harry French?”

  “Yes.” The woman glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the blaring television.

  “We have a warrant.” Tony saw surrender on her face the moment he said the words. “Is your husband here?”

  “Yes.”

  “May we come in and talk with him?” Sergeant Martin politely requested.

  “Yes.” Swallowing hard, Mrs. French stepped back, allowing them inside. She tipped her head in the direction of the sound. “He’s napping in there.”

  “Please put your hands behind your back,” said Tony.

  A sob was her only protest.

  Tony leaned down and handcuffed Mrs. French’s hands behind her. “You’re under arrest for grand theft.”

  They continued into the living room. Sure enough, sleeping soundly in his chair was the man Theo had described.

  “Mr. Harry French.” Tony spoke loudly right next to the man’s ear. “You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit a felony.”

  The man sat bolt upright, causing the recliner to close up with a loud thud. “What the . . . ?” He fell silent as he looked at the two men in uniform. His eyes never moved above their badges. “What’s going on here?”

  “Will you stand up please?” Sergeant Martin gave the man a moment to comply. Seconds later, he too was neatly cuffed. “Just for fun I’ll read both of you your rights, although we don’t have to, because we’re not planning to ask you any questions.”

  “I know why you’re here. It’s all my fault.” Mrs. French started crying. “We were passing through Silersville and stopped in the quilt shop. I thought we might find a gift for Harry’s aunt. She quilts. Then everyone was looking at that quilt. I never felt so helpless. I needed that quilt so bad. And I told Harry I thought I might die without it. I just moved closer and closer until I could almost touch it.”

  “My dear,” Harry managed to interrupt.

  “No, it was all my fault.” Unable to get a tissue, Mrs. French wiped her dripping nose on her shoulder. “Harry pretended to pass out and I picked the quilt up and slipped out the back door.”

  Tony could see that happening. “Why pawn it?”

  “After we got it home, it didn’t look right in the house. Harry said it was too dull and he’d rather it was blue.” She looked up into Tony’s eyes. “We needed money. I really thought we’d get more for it.”

  “As you should have. Its value is in the thousands; therefore, you committed grand theft.” Tony thought maybe she didn’t understand the seriousness of the crime. “It’s a felony.”

  “Thousands?” Harry couldn’t have looked more surprised if the quilt was said to possess the ability to fly. “It’s an old blanket!”

  “Don’t let my wife hear you say that.” Tony felt no sympathy for the couple. Just because they didn’t know the appraised value of the quilt did not mean they could just walk away with it.

  Sergeant Martin helped Wade and Tony get the couple into Wade’s car, then grinned. “They don’t look too comfortable back there.”

  “They’ll be fine. It’s less than an hour drive.” Tony shook hands with Martin. “As soon as we know if they’ll confess or insist on a trial, we’ll need the quilt returned.”

  “It’s my understanding that the quilt is receiving preferential treatment in our evidence lockup.” Martin grinned. “By all accounts, your wife’s note explaining how to handle it, store it, and protect it was very detailed.”

  Tony laughed. “I’m sure it was.”

  Tony watched Sheila running across the park. Her blond ponytail wasn’t bouncing like it might if she were jogging; instead, she was sprinting and it streamed behind her like a golden banner in the late afternoon light. Only a few remnants of the most recent snow remained. Running along beside her, Not Bob looked like he was keeping up with her pretty well. Not Bob actually had a perfectly decent name, Will Jackson, but the nickname he’d gotten when Sheila rescued him from an attacker, was the one that stuck. The man’s greater muscle mass gave the impression of slower movement, but his longer legs covered more ground with each step than hers.

  Tony was glad to see her improve
d social life. He wanted all of his deputies happy with their lives. Stability was hard won sometimes, especially with the demands of law enforcement. It was not exactly a nine to five desk job.

  “Do you think he can catch her?” Theo’s soft voice startled him. She had made no sound walking barefoot to stand next to him. “She’s pretty quick.”

  “Yes, I think he can. And I think he might even be able to run as fast as she does.”

  “He’s nice.” With a laugh acknowledging his play on words, Theo squeezed closer to him, trying to get a better view. “Does he get along with Mama Teffeteller?”

  “I haven’t asked. Sheila is entitled to a private life.” Tony thought living in such a small county was akin to a tightrope walk. He often knew more about his neighbors than he wanted to. “She hasn’t said anything to me about Not Bob or her mama.”

  “It’s almost time for Blossom’s wedding.” Theo smiled. “I can’t wait to see her dress and her cake.”

  Blossom and her extraordinary gown filled the front of the church. Constructed of ivory-draped satin, the dress had ruffles and bows and silk roses all over it. Theo saw a couple of love birds, thankfully artificial ones, attached to the train. Jewels. Sequins. Embroidery. If it could be sewn or glued onto fabric, it had been. Theo guessed the dress weighed almost as much as she did. Blossom wore it well. A wreath of colorful flowers anchored a sheer tulle veil, covering most of her thin, bright orange hair.

  Kenny’s two little girls had escorted Blossom down the aisle looking like two small lavender tugboats guiding a sparkling white ocean liner into port. Surprising Theo, and probably most of the congregation, none of Blossom’s myriad sisters were attendants. Theo guessed it was easier to choose none than to choose one or two of the baker’s dozen and possibly create a long-term argument within the family.

  Aspen Flowers surged to her feet when Kenny reached for Blossom’s hand. Her mouth opened, and two of Blossom’s sisters jerked the woman down onto the pew and stuffed a handkerchief into her still open mouth. Those who witnessed the brief episode smiled and nodded their approval.

  Ruby was the only adult female attendant, stunningly gorgeous, as usual, in a simple purple gown. There was sure to be a bit of good-natured complaining from her friends about the lack of lasting baby weight. Theo thought it was really not fair. Theo’s babies were already ten months old, and she still had another ten pounds of baby weight to lose.

  Surprising everyone, Kenny had asked DuWayne Cozzens to be his best man and DuWayne had accepted. Their rivalry for Blossom’s hand had been public and avidly scrutinized. From the outside, the two men seemed evenly matched. The county residents had been keeping score. Every present one of the men gave to Blossom, each date, dance, and glance, was discussed endlessly over coffee at Ruby’s Café, in hair salons, at the grocery store, and daily at the quilt shop. Privacy was impossible. Until she made her decision, Blossom’s choice of grooms could have gone either way.

  Knowing the number of times Blossom had delivered a pie to Tony, especially during her very public courtship, Theo leaned closer to Tony. Her husband was probably as close to a confidant as Blossom had. “Did you guess she’d choose Kenny?”

  Tony shook his head. “Did you?”

  “No.” Theo smiled at the happy couple moving back down the aisle, rings exchanged and vows made. The newly married couple held hands and moved slowly toward the front of the church, stopping from time to time to greet a person special to one or the other. Both looked radiantly happy. Behind them the lavender girls skipped and pretended to toss more flower petals to the congregation. When they strolled past Aspen, Blossom reached down and pulled the handkerchief from her cousin’s mouth. Defeated, Aspen slumped on the pew.

  The reception was simple. Everyone gathered in the church’s fellowship hall. The normally utilitarian room had been transformed by Blossom’s sisters into a bridal bower. They might not have been the attendants, but they had worked together on the decorations as a group gift. Tablecloths, floral centerpieces, and lace and lavender tulle swags were draped around the room and attached to the walls with tiny purple birds and sequined wedding bells.

  Punch bowls and platters of food covered the serving tables. A chocolate fountain, set up on one side of the room, was surrounded by various cake bits, cookies, and fruits and marshmallows, and was the favorite treat of the horde of children. Some decided against catching the melted chocolate on treats and simply stuck their fingers into the dripping stream of chocolate. Theo laughed, watching her boys enjoying the treats. There was enough chocolate drippage and spillage to conduct a national test for stain removers.

  Blossom Flowers Baines had baked her own wedding cake. As highly decorated as the bride and almost as large, the huge confection could serve everyone in the county and still have leftovers. Glancing at the crowd, Theo guessed there were not many residents of Silersville who were not in attendance. Even so, there was plenty of cake. It wasn’t just immense, it was decadently delicious.

  Next to it sat the only slightly smaller groom’s cake, a red velvet creation shaped and decorated to resemble Kenny’s new, fire engine red, four-door pickup. Tony whispered, “It looks life-sized.”

  Theo watched Tony eat at least three slices of cake, starting with the bride’s white cake, moving to the groom’s red velvet, and back again to the white. Whatever Blossom put in the icing and between the delectable layers was sinful, addicting, and Theo had to force herself not to lick the plate. At least not in front of witnesses.

  Nina and her date, Doctor Looks-so-good, congratulated the happy couple and came to stand near Theo.

  “What does she put in those cakes?” Nina scraped her spoon across a barren plate.

  “I don’t know.” Theo ran a finger across the almost spotless surface of her plate and licked it. “It’s probably illegal so let’s not ask.”

  “Are they going away on their honeymoon?”

  Theo nodded. “They are keeping the destination a secret, but Kenny’s folks are going to be staying with the girls.”

  “I’m not sure I’ve ever met his family.” Nina glanced around. “Is that them standing with the Flowers women?”

  The couple in question was indeed Kenny’s family. They were smiling broadly. The couple, surrounded by the whole contingent of Blossom’s sisters with their families, filled one end of the large room.

  Theo and Nina were so busy eating and chatting, they weren’t paying close attention to everything around them. A flurry of activity and laughter made them turn, just in time to see Blossom’s bouquet flying through the air. Nina caught it reflexively to prevent it from hitting her in the face.

  The resulting cheer and applause made Nina’s face turn scarlet. Theo laughed. The color really didn’t match the red in her friend’s hair. Doctor Looks-so-good managed a grin. Theo was getting desperate to pump her best friend for information. Did Blossom know something? If so, how dare Nina not share with Theo!

  “They say there’s someone for everyone.” Theo stared at a couple standing near the cakes.

  “Who’s they?” Tony was distracted, watching something on the other side of the room. He thought he saw his new groupie disappear behind a lavender swag. Either the woman went everywhere he did or his imagination was running amok.

  “I don’t know.” Theo had on her highest heeled shoes and still could barely see over the children. “But there’s Quentin standing with a girl. And he’s talking to her.”

  “No kidding. So it did work.” Tony turned so fast he almost knocked his wife over. He grabbed her upper arms to stabilize her as she teetered on her fancy shoes. He looked down, smiling into her eyes. “Are you all right?”

  “Well, at least I have your attention now.” Theo was clearly curious about what he was finding so fascinating. “What worked? What’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure. There’s some kind of fracas over near the cakes.”

  “Oh, no, you’d better hurry over there.” She waved her open hands, palms fa
cing him, shaking in mock despair. “What if they get cakenapped or eaten by dinosaurs?”

  He leaned over and kissed her neck, just below her ear. “Mock me, my pretty, and I won’t introduce you to Quentin’s date.” He was gratified to hear her sharp intake of breath. Before he could say more, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. “Hold on.” He pressed the phone tightly against his ear. “What was it? When? Is everyone all right?”

  Theo looked disappointed. “Do you have to leave?”

  “No.” He tried to look worried, but doubted he was doing a good job of it. Good news made his acting pitiful. “Katti had her baby and named it Pumpkin. Everyone is fine.”

  “And?” Theo laughed. “What’s the baby’s real name?”

  Tony couldn’t tease her anymore. “Danielle. Marmot the varmint has a baby girl.”

  Roscoe and his wife, Veronica, strolled by just in time to hear the news. “Well, if Claude Marmot and I can find a wife, surely there’s hope for Quentin.” His wide smile displayed sparkling white, straight teeth.

  Theo gasped. “Your teeth!” Roscoe was famous for having some of the worst teeth in the county. Had, now, past tense. “They’re beautiful!”

  “Yes, ma’am, they are mine.” Roscoe grinned. “Bought and paid for. Nina’s man gave me a discount. Says I’m good advertising.”

  The change in his appearance was stunning. “You’re a handsome man now.”

  Veronica winked at Theo. “I always told him so.”

  THE COFFIN QUILT FINAL BODY OF CLUES

  Lay out blocks three across and five down. Starting with Block 1.

  Layout sequence is 1/2/1, 2/1/2, 1/2/1, 2/1/2, and last row 1/2/1. Rotate the block 1’s to have the center four patch blocks all pointing the same direction. Sew top together.

  Measure through center and both edges of length. Hopefully the measurements will be the same. Cut 2 1/2″ wide strips of fabric (B) to the average those measurements. Cut 2.

  Repeat measuring process with the width and cutting 2 1/2″ strips. Sew 2 1/2″ square of fabric (D) on each end of the shorter strips. Make 2.