Close Knit Killer (11 page)

Kelly followed suit. “Hal told me about what happened to Malcolm over the weekend.
He decided to fall off the wagon, right?”

Jayleen nodded her head. “That’s about it,” she said sadly.

“Apparently some guy found him Saturday morning along the trail, and took him to the
Mission. Were you one of the counselors they called?”

“Yes, I was. Jerry and I had counseled Malcolm and sponsored him at AA meetings. So
we came in and helped him pick up the pieces. Start all over again.” She gave Kelly
a rueful smile. “We all fall back or slip up along the journey. But there’s help available.
We took Malcolm to an AA meeting that afternoon. After we got him all cleaned up and
some food inside, he started to come back to himself.”

“Wow, Jayleen, you guys really do make a huge difference. Malcolm was lucky to have
you.”

“It’s not us, Kelly. It’s AA that makes the difference. We simply show up in these
folks’ lives to let them know they’re not alone. We’re walking the same path they
are. Every day we don’t take a drink is a gift. And we know it. And believe me, it
feels good to give back because someone was there to help us when we needed it.”

Kelly looked out toward the remodeling project and saw Malcolm carry two lengths of
wood from Nelson’s truck into the structure. “I was here yesterday when the cops came
to talk to Malcolm. Bless Hal Nelson’s heart. He stood right next to Malcolm the entire
time. I watched as they questioned him. Poor guy. He looked like he wanted to run
off to the river trail again. But he didn’t. He stood there and answered their questions.”

“Good thing. Malcolm knows he made a bad decision the other night. Now he’s having
to face the consequences. Police consider him a suspect. I already talked to one of
the detectives, so I can tell they consider Malcolm a suspect. They’d be crazy not
to. He was seen arguing with Rizzoli in front of a whole passel of witnesses. Then
he goes off drinking the night Rizzoli is killed. No alibi.” Jayleen shook her head.
“Bad decisions will get us every time.”

Kelly looked at her friend. “Well, Malcolm’s not the only one who’s gotten on the
cops’ radar screen. You know Barbara, the one who helps Mimi by teaching knitting
classes? She also had a public confrontation with Rizzoli the day before Malcolm did.
She was right out here in front of all the lunch-hour customers.”

Jayleen screwed up her face. “Are you talking about Big Barb, the nurse over at Doc
Garcia’s office?”

Big Barb
. Kelly laughed at that. “One and the same. She’s always been steady and dependable
until the other day. Her family lost everything in that Rizzoli swindle. And Barb
chose that day to tell Rizzoli off. Not just once, here in the patio, but twice. She
also went to his seminar that night and did it again. I was told she was escorted
out by security guards.”

Jayleen’s big blue eyes popped wide. “Lordy, Lordy! What on earth got into Big Barb?
Sounds like she kind of lost it.”

“You might say that. Her mother, Madge, told me Barb went driving up into the canyon
the night Rizzoli was killed. So, just like Malcolm, she has no alibi.”

Jayleen let out a low whistle. “What was she thinking? I can’t believe it. Both Barb
and Malcolm are now suspects. Lord-a-mighty! I’m afraid to ask what else has happened
since I drove in from the canyon.”

“Well, there is some good news. Pete returned with Cassie on Sunday afternoon. He
and Jennifer brought her over to meet Mimi and Burt and see the shop. Sunday afternoon
was a perfect day, because there’re no customers or staff around. It was quiet and
peaceful. They didn’t want to overwhelm Cassie with a lot of strangers all at once.”

“That was a good idea. She’s just a little kid, who’s probably scared about losing
her grandpa and now she’s having to move to a whole new place.”

“Actually, she’s not so little. Cassie’s going to be twelve in July, and she’s tall
and skinny. Speaking of a new place, Pete and Jen have moved into one of Steve’s three-bedroom
houses in Wellesley. They asked if they could rent it even before they knew Cassie
would be coming to live with them.”

“Well, look at that. Funny how some things just fall into place of their own accord.
Pete and Jennifer needed some extra room for themselves and wound up getting a little
girl thrown into the mix.”

Kelly glanced at her watch. “Do you want to meet Cassie? I think she’s still here.
She’ll go to a summer softball clinic with me twice a week that I’m coaching for girls
her age. And Megan can take Cassie to tennis three afternoons a week with her. Lisa
can take her to the sports clinic once a week, and Lisa said Cassie absolutely
loved
going with Greg to his computer lab at the university. Cassie loves everything having
to do with computers. So Greg’s teaching her how to take them apart. All of us are
helping Jen and Pete by filling Cassie’s summertime days with supervised activities.”

Jayleen’s face lit up. “Well, I’ll be. Wait’ll I tell Curt that all you young folks
are taking turns parenting Cassie. He’ll bust a gut laughing.” Jayleen sprang out
of the chair. “Sure, I’d like to meet her. Is she inside the shop or the café?”

“Probably the shop,” Kelly said, following after Jayleen, who was halfway up the brick
steps. “Mimi keeps giving Cassie little chores around the shop, you know, sorting
yarns and filling shelves, stuff like that.”

“I think it’s a great idea, Kelly-girl, and I’m proud of each and every one of you,”
Jayleen said as she pulled open the front door.

“Let’s try the main room first,” Kelly suggested as she walked in after Jayleen. They
rounded the corner into the main room, and Kelly spotted Cassie unpacking yet another
box of Lambspun yarn.

“What’d I tell you, Jayleen. Mimi’s got Cassie working again. Don’t tell me that’s
another box of yarn Mimi ordered?” Kelly teased.

Cassie noticed Jayleen, then gave Kelly a big smile. “These yarns aren’t new. I found
them in the basement on a back shelf, behind a bag of fleece. Mimi forgot she even
had them.”

Kelly laughed out loud, and so did Jayleen. “Boy, Cassie, it’s a good thing you came
along to help out Mimi with her inventory. I’ll bet she has more surprise boxes down
in that basement.” She turned to Jayleen. “I wanted you to meet my friend Jayleen.
She has a ranch up in Bellevue Canyon at the northwest end of town, just past Landport.
She raises alpacas.”

Cassie’s eyes widened in curiosity. “Alpacas? Are they like those . . . those animals
that climb over mountains and stuff?”

Jayleen smiled at Cassie. “They certainly are, Cassie. Alpacas are smaller cousins
of llamas, who’re the bigger, curlier-haired animals that you see in movies and on
TV. They’re the ones carrying packs and all sorts of gear slung over their backs in
the mountains.”

“Llamas, yeah. That’s it. I forgot the name.” Cassie nodded. Looking back at Jayleen,
she said, “So which one do you raise again?”

Jayleen walked over toward Cassie’s end of the table. “I raise alpacas. They’re about
a hundred pounds lighter than llamas, and people don’t usually take them out lugging
packs over the mountains. They’re raised for their wool. Their blanket is over six
inches long when they’re shorn every year, and it’s softer than any sheep’s fleece.”
She turned to Kelly. “We have to ask Mimi if she has any of my prize-winning fleeces
from last year that she can show Cassie.”

“We’ll find out. But I’ll bet Cassie has already spotted several skeins of alpaca
yarn around the shop—haven’t you?”

Cassie brightened. “Oh, yeah! Now I remember seeing that word on the skein package.
So those come from your sheep—uh, alpacas?”

Jayleen gave a good-natured laugh. “Not all of them. Mimi gets yarns from lots of
breeders and spinners. But she always makes sure to buy some of my fleeces, and Burt
spins them. Especially two of my prize-winning females. They’ve got gorgeous caramel-colored
fleeces.”

“Wow, they sound really pretty,” Cassie said, clearly interested.

“They sure are. Maybe you’d like to come up to my ranch sometime and see my herd.
They’ve all been shorn, getting ready for the Wool Market in Estes Park weekend after
next.”

“Jayleen’s got a beautiful place up high in Bellevue Canyon. I escape up there whenever
I can, simply to relax,” Kelly added, noticing Cassie’s obvious interest.

“But first, I think you might like to see a working sheep ranch. Kelly’s good friend
Curt Stackhouse has a spread closer to Fort Connor, near Buckhorn Canyon.”

“Boy, there sure are a lot of canyons around here,” Cassie observed.

Both Kelly and Jayleen laughed. “You’re right about that,” Kelly said. “Curt’s ranch
is on the other side of that big reservoir on the west side of town. And he’s got
lots of sheep, as well as some cattle, too. You’d like it. We all love going out to
Curt’s ranch and Jayleen’s for cookouts and get-togethers.”

“And this Saturday would be a great time for you to come, Cassie. Curt’s having his
annual summer barbecue for all his grandchildren and nieces and nephews, moms and
dads. There’ll be a whole passel of kids. And lots of animals, not just sheep and
cattle but horses, too.”

Cassie’s face lit up. “Horses! Wow! I’ve only seen them up close when our class has
gone on some field trip. Or the state fair. Grandpa and I went to the state fair a
couple of times. Then it got too hard for him to walk around.” She looked away.

Jayleen watched her carefully. “I’d be glad to take you over to Curt’s ranch with
me this Saturday. I’m bringing over a pot of my famous chili. You can ask Kelly if
it’s good or not.”

Kelly rolled her eyes dramatically. “Good doesn’t even come close. It’s delicious,
Cassie.”

Cassie smiled. “Sure, I’d like to try it. And I’d really like to see that ranch. If
it’s okay with Pete and Jennifer.”

“You bet.” Jayleen nodded obediently. “I’ll go ask Pete right now. If they say it’s
okay, then I’ll pick you up here at the shop on Saturday morning, okay?”

“Boy, that sounds like fun,” Kelly said, adopting a disappointed tone. “I wish I could
go, but I’ve gotta go help Megan and Lisa beat Greeley in softball this Saturday.”

Just then, the front door’s jingle sounded and Megan came racing around the corner
into the room. “Sorry I’m late, Cassie. I had a loooong phone call from one of my
clients who was having problems. You ready to go whack some balls?”

Cassie gave slightly frazzled Megan a smile. “Sure.” Turning back to Kelly and Jayleen,
she said, “Can you tell Mimi that I’ll finish this up after tennis? And I’d love to
go to that ranch this Saturday, if it’s okay with Pete. Mrs. . . . uh . . . Miss Jayleen.”

“Just call me Jayleen.” She smiled broadly. “I’ll check with Pete now.”

Kelly watched Cassie follow after Megan as they both headed toward the foyer. “See
you guys later,” Megan called over her shoulder.

“What a cutie,” Jayleen said.

Kelly couldn’t agree more.

Eleven

Kelly
recognized her cell phone’s ring as it cut through the noisy conversations of her
Denver colleagues around the coffee bar. She took her coffee and stepped away from
the crowded area. Donuts and coffee were a necessity to make it through long business
meetings.

Burt’s number flashed on her screen. “Hey, Burt, what’re you up to? You still showing
Cassie the spinning wheel?”

Burt’s familiar laughter sounded. “No, I didn’t want to scare her off. She seems happy
with knitting up those little scarves Mimi showed her. She’s finished another one
already.”

“Good for her. I bet she’ll be a better student than I was. She doesn’t argue with
the yarn.”

“That’s true. Plus, she’s got two great teachers with Mimi and Megan. Megan showed
up here this morning to see if Cassie wanted to go to another tennis clinic.” He chuckled.
“I’m surprised how cooperative Cassie is. She’s ready to try anything we suggest.
She even started drafting some wool with me yesterday when I was spinning with a small
class. I’d shown her how to draft when I was demonstrating the wheel the other day,
and she got the hang of it pretty quickly. And today, she came into my class and started
drafting wool for everybody. She’d sit next to each spinner for a few minutes and
draft until they had a big pile in their laps, then she’d move to the next spinner.”
He laughed again. “I tell you, I’d never seen that before.”

“Sounds like Cassie really enjoys learning new things. She’s adventurous. That’s a
good thing.”

“I’ll bet she’s never had the chance to be around so many different activities before.
Her grandfather probably couldn’t drive her to many places, so she may never have
had a chance to participate in lots of different activities. I swear, my daughter
is in the car all the time, driving my grandkids to one activity after another. Sports
teams, choir practice, music lessons, gymnastics, soccer, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts.
I get exhausted just listening to her tell me.”

“You know, I think you’re right, Burt. Being around the shop and meeting lots of people
are probably entirely new experiences for someone who’s been living quietly in a home
with an elderly grandparent. Except for friends and activities at school, Cassie probably
hasn’t had a chance to do as many things as your grandkids, for instance.”

“Well, between you and me, I think my grandkids are overscheduled. But with Cassie,
her going to the softball sessions with you and the tennis clinic with Megan got her
involved with kids her own age. That’s good. It’s also a great way for her to make
friends while she’s here in Fort Connor.”

“That’s for sure. I noticed she fit in well with the girls in my clinic and seemed
to really enjoy learning. Oh, that reminds me. Jayleen came in to the shop yesterday
and got to meet Cassie. You could tell Jayleen took a shine to her right away. And
she invited Cassie to come over to Curt’s ranch this Saturday because all his grandkids
and nieces and nephews are coming for the first picnic of the summer. Wasn’t that
nice?”

“It sure was. I’ll bet Cassie will have a ball over there at the ranch. Sheep and
cattle all around.” He laughed. “She’ll get to explore even more. Plus, some of those
kids are around Cassie’s age, so she can be around other kids. That’s always good.
Keeps them a kid.”

Two Warner colleagues passed by, laughing loudly, so Kelly stepped toward the back
of the room where it was quieter.

“I can tell I got you when you’re in Denver. So, before I forget, let me tell you
what I learned from Dan this morning.”

Kelly tossed down the rest of the weak coffee. “Oh, yeah. He was going to see what
was happening in the investigation of Jared Rizzoli’s murder. What’d he find out?”

“Well, a lot of stuff, actually, but it doesn’t seem to lead anywhere. They found
the knife that was used in the murder. It was on the floor of the car. But they weren’t
able to get any good fingerprints because the knife was old and the wooden handle
was broken and rough. Dan said they couldn’t tell if the killer just tossed the knife
down or dropped it accidentally, since there was a lot of blood on it.”

“Well, stabbing someone in the throat is bound to create a lot of blood, right?”

“Ohhhh, yeah. And the main artery was cut, so it spurted out, I’m sure.”

Kelly could picture the gruesome scene. “Yuck. That had to be messy, which means the
killer had to have a lot of blood on his . . . or her clothes. That would make them
kind of conspicuous, wouldn’t it?”

“You’re right, Kelly. They’ve gotten the time of death determined to be between seven
and eight in the evening. At this time of year, we still have daylight. So you’d think
someone might have seen an altercation around the car at that time of the evening.”

“You’d think so. I mean, golfers are still on the course, hitting balls. Of course,
the car was parked behind those thick trees.”

“Dan says they’re still questioning people who were in the area to see if anyone observed
someone talking to a man in a car in that driveway. Surely someone drove past, or
biked past, or walked. Or even golfed nearby. Who knows? Maybe a golfer lost a ball
and went searching for it. Someone must have seen something.”

“Well, you’d think they’d definitely notice someone who had a lot of blood on their
clothes, that’s for sure.”

“You’d think. Meanwhile, they’re following up on any leads or information that’s called
in. Something’s bound to turn up.”

Kelly couldn’t resist asking the obvious question, the most important question, to
her mind. “Did Dan give any hint as to how the detectives are looking at Malcolm and
Barbara? I learned from Madge yesterday that Barbara doesn’t have an alibi for that
night, either. Can you believe she went driving into the canyon alone?”

Burt’s long sigh sounded over the line. “I know, Kelly. I’m as perplexed as you are.
Malcolm’s lapse is more explainable. Heck, the guy was a recovering alcoholic and
he had a traumatic encounter with the man who was responsible for Malcolm’s entire
life being turned upside down. But Barbara . . .” He paused. “Barbara’s unexplained
disappearance that night looks more suspicious. It’s totally understandable that she’d
want some time to think. But to not even remember where she drove for all that time.
Well, that’s simply out of character for Barbara. She’s a take-charge gal who excels
at details. What’s more troubling, her absence followed not just one but two heated,
emotional confrontations with Rizzoli. The last one, she had to be forcibly escorted
away by security guards.”

Hearing Burt describe Barbara’s behavior brought a chill to Kelly’s gut. “It does
look bad, doesn’t it? I swear, Burt, every time I try to explain Barbara’s actions,
I keep coming back to the question: Where did she go? Madge said she asked Barbara
when she came home later that night, and all Barbara said was she was driving in the
canyon.” Kelly tossed the empty cup into the trash. “That is not good, Burt, and you
know it.”

“I know, Kelly. I talked to Madge, too. I’m as perplexed as you are. And I tell you,
I’m getting concerned because Barbara rarely came into the shop this week. Last time
I saw her was the day Rizzoli was killed. She was only here for a little while gathering
supplies. She also brought in more of Madge’s fleeces. Usually she drops in at least
two or three times, but this week, not once. I confess that makes my old detective’s
sense uneasy. Once again, it’s out of character, and, sad to say, it looks suspicious.”

Kelly hated that word. It was a good word, except when applied to someone she knew . . .
or thought she knew.
But can we ever really know anyone other than ourselves?
she wondered.
None of us can get inside someone else’s head or feel what they’re feeling.

“I hate to say it, Burt, but I’ve had the same thoughts, even though I didn’t want
to admit it. Old Malcolm may begin looking better when compared to Barbara. What do
you think?”

“Boy, that’s hard to say, Kelly. Both of them had reasons to kill Rizzoli. He ruined
both their lives. But Malcolm could have killed Rizzoli in a drunken rage and not
remember it.”

“Have the cops found any leads to anyone else? Reading all those stories in the newspaper
reminds you that there were a lot of people here in town that did not wish Jared Rizzoli
well. And some of them were quite outspoken in their hatred of him.”

“Yes, I read those accounts, too. And I asked Dan, but he said that so far no one
else has appeared on the detectives’ radar. No one else confronted Rizzoli in person
like Malcolm and Barbara did. Telling a reporter how much you hate someone in a newspaper
or television interview is a far cry from actually confronting someone face-to-face.”

“Oh, brother, I was hoping that someone else had aroused police interest in addition
to two people we know and care about.” She noticed several of her colleagues return
to the conference room. “Looks like we’re about to reconvene for the rest of this
overlong staff meeting.”

Burt chuckled. “Seventh-inning stretch, Kelly? Better take more coffee. Are you coming
back to Fort Connor or will you and Steve stay in one of those fancy hotels you like?”

“We’re thinking of staying over, so we can go to one of our favorite cafés.”

“Well, you two enjoy. Oh, hello, Lisa. It’s good to see you. Lisa just walked in,
Kelly, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Say ‘hi’ to Lisa for me, okay?” Kelly said, walking toward the conference room doorway.
“She told me she was coming in to meet Cassie today.”

“That makes all four of you girls. Now all we’ve got left are the guys.”

“Yeah, we decided to save the best for last,” Kelly said, laughing.

* * *

Afternoon,
the next day

Kelly walked over to her car in the huge Big Box parking lot. Other stores, large
and small, crouched around the brand-name retailer, in hope of attracting some of
the customers who clogged Big Box’s parking lot. Across the street, the Lambspun knitting
and fiber shop hugged the corner, the golf course’s greens stretching behind.

Kelly heard the distinctive beep on her smartphone that signaled a text message.
Just saw your message. Our game has been moved to the fields north of town, right?
Steve asked.

She quickly sent her reply:
Yes. I’m about to drive there now. Where are
you?

At a fast food. Tell them I’m on my
way.

Kelly unlocked her car door and got in just as her phone sounded with a call this
time rather than a text message.

“Hey, Lisa, are you at the fields already?” Kelly asked, noticing her friend’s name.

“I sure am, and it’s a good thing. The Cheyenne team has brought in a whole bunch
of fans, and the bleachers on this side are nearly full. I’m saving a place for you
and Megan.”

“Good. Steve’s on his way. Hopefully traffic will cooperate.”

“Let’s hope. Pete and Jennifer are coming, and bringing Cassie.”

“That’s great! Cassie will enjoy it, I bet. She’s really doing well at my summer clinic.
Most of the girls at that age haven’t had a chance to play before, and some are slow
to get a feel for it. You know, throwing and catching and stuff.”

“Have they started batting yet?”

“They start next week,” Kelly said. “That should be fun. I may use the little kids
T-ball holder for the first couple of times.”

“That’s a good idea. Hey, my schedule is a little lighter next week. Why don’t I come
over and help out and pitch a few times. Real slow.”

“That would be great! Thanks, Lisa. You’re a sweetie.”

“By the way, Greg and I went over to Pete and Jen’s last night. I’d had a chance to
talk with Cassie yesterday afternoon, so I thought it would be a good time for Greg
to come and meet her. He also brought that spare laptop for Cassie to use.”

“Wow . . . I bet she was excited when she saw it.” Kelly chuckled. “Those big blue
eyes must have popped out.”

Lisa laughed softly. “I’ll say. She was mega excited. She got on it right away. She
hadn’t had a chance to get on Pete’s old laptop, and Jennifer keeps hers at the real
estate office. So Greg helped her get all set up and onto a faster e-mail program
than her grandpa used. With Pete’s permission, of course. Apparently Grandpa Ben monitored
Cassie’s computer time closely, so Pete said he’d continue that.”

“Boy, will they have their hands full. I hear all sorts of horror stories from my
Warner colleagues in Denver. Some of their kids spend all their spare time online.”

“Oh, yeah, I hear the same at the sports center and at the university. It sounds like
some kids never get away from the computer screen. They don’t play sports or anything.
Call me old-fashioned, but I think kids need to be outside involved in some physical
activities after school. Keeps them healthy.”

“I agree,” Kelly said. “I was in every sport they offered after school whether I was
good at it or not. All through junior and senior high school.”

“So was I. Let’s hope Cassie will stay interested enough to keep playing. Plus, it’s
a good way for her to make new friends. She’ll be starting seventh grade this fall.
New school, new people.”

That comment surprised Kelly. “Do you think Cassie will still be living with Jennifer
and Pete this fall?”

“Actually, I mentioned that to Pete and Jen when we were over there last night. Greg
and Cassie were hunched over the laptop. So I asked about Ben and how he was doing.
Judging from what the doctors have told Pete, Ben is in for a long recuperation just
to be able to move into a wheelchair. Rehab is going to be excruciatingly slow for
someone his age and in his weakened condition. I’ve had some patients like that over
the years, and it is a laborious process. Sometimes you’ll get a patient who was active
before surgery and who was in good physical shape beforehand. But from what I’ve heard,
Ben was neither. So, I had to tell them my professional therapist’s opinion was that
Ben will not be returning to his home for a year at least, if ever. Most probably,
he will transfer from the hospital to a combo hospital–rehab center for the next several
months. With luck, he may be able to move into an assisted living facility, but I
doubt it. He’ll most likely need skilled nursing care.”