Close Knit Killer (15 page)

Jennifer looked at her, clearly surprised. “You’re kidding!”

Kelly shook her head. “Nope. Rosa repeated it to me a few minutes ago. I’m sure the
cops found that interesting. Apparently, Barbara’s just a notch below Malcolm in the
cops’ suspect list.”

“Oh, brother. And today of all days, Barbara accompanied Madge to the shop for the
spinning lessons. I surely hope she didn’t see that detective questioning Connie and
Rosa.” Jennifer lifted two platters of pancakes, bacon, and fried eggs to her tray.
“Barbara and Madge are around the corner having lunch if you want to say hello.”

“Thanks, Jen, I will. I’ve missed seeing Big Barb, as Jayleen calls her.”

Jennifer grinned as she lifted the tray to her shoulder. “Big Barb. I gotta remember
that. Talk to you later.” She walked toward the main section of the café.

Kelly followed after her until she rounded the corner and spotted Barbara and Madge
hunched over a small table in the alcove. Plates were empty, and they were sipping
their coffees.

“Hello, there, you two,” Kelly greeted them in a cheerful voice. “You’re teaching
some spinning classes today, I’ll bet.”

“Why, hello, Kelly,” Madge said, her lined face crinkling into a smile.

“It’s so good to see you, Barbara,” Kelly said, looking into Barbara’s eyes in an
attempt to convey her sincerity. “I’ve missed seeing you here at the shop these last
few days.”

Barbara glanced down at her plate, almost as if she was embarrassed. “That’s kind
of you to say, Kelly. I haven’t come in as often since, uh . . . after recent events.
It’s nice to know I’ve been missed.”

For the second time that day, Kelly reached over and gave another Lambspun regular
a reassuring squeeze on the arm. She had no idea whether it helped the person or not.
But Mother Mimi did it all the time, so Kelly figured it must convey things that words
could not.

“I completely understand, Barbara,” she said, giving Barbara’s arm a final pat. “But
I wanted you to know that we’re all your friends here, and we only want the best for
you.”

Barbara met Kelly’s gaze this time, and Kelly saw the gratitude there. “Thank you,
Kelly. Thank you very much,” she said in an uncharacteristically soft voice.

“Why don’t you sit in on our second class, Kelly?” Madge asked, as she placed a twenty-dollar
bill on the table beside the check. “We’ve got the next class in half an hour.”

“I think I’ll do that. Watching you spinners always relaxes me,” Kelly said, quickly
reorganizing her work schedule in her head. Hopefully, that shady table in the café
garden would still be available after the class.

* * *

Kelly
slid her right needle into the left side of a stitch on her left needle. Wrapping
the yarn around the needle, she smoothly slid the stitch from the left needle onto
the right in the familiar movement.
Slip, wrap, slide. Slip, wrap, slide.
More rows appeared on the circular needle. The yellow-and-white baby hat was three-quarters
done. A few more rows, and she could start the crown of the hat. Narrowing toward
the center point.

“Well, I’m surprised the police haven’t found out who the killer is yet,” a middle-aged
blond woman commented, breaking the last few minutes of tranquil silence. Her wheel
turned slowly as she allowed the rose-colored yarn in her lap to move in the gap between
her fingers and join the yarn twist on the wheel.

“I imagine there are a lot of people they have to interview,” a gray-haired older
woman answered. The pale blue yarn in her lap slid smoothly between her fingers and
onto the wheel.

Kelly glanced surreptitiously at Barbara, who sat mute as she drafted a pile of moss
green yarn into batten for a younger brunette woman beside her. This woman’s wheel
was still and only moved in fits and starts, Kelly had noticed. Still a beginner,
the woman had not yet mastered the coordination of feet moving the treadles and yarn
sliding between fingers and onto the turning wheel. A tricky maneuver, Kelly had observed.
That was another reason Kelly admired spinners. There was no way she could possibly
coordinate those treadle movements with her feet and the yarn movements with her fingers.
Athletic as she was, Kelly gladly left the spinning to those gifted with that talent.
She still had trouble knitting, for Pete’s sake!

“Well, I certainly hope that the police questioned all those people who spoke out
in the newspaper about how much harm Jared Rizzoli caused them. I mean, if police
questioned Barbara, they certainly should be questioning those people!” the gray-haired
woman said adamantly.

“I agree, Ruth,” the blonde added. “I’ve heard countless stories over the years about
that man, and all the financial disaster he caused. So, I wouldn’t be the least bit
surprised if police are questioning all of the people interviewed by the newspaper.”

“That’s probably why it’s taking so long,” the brunette said as she allowed the moss
green batten to slide slowly between her fingers and onto the wheel. Her feet moved
the treadles back and forth.

“That’s it, Karen. Nice and easy does it,” Madge encouraged the younger woman, carefully
watching her movements. “If you ask me, I think police should put more effort into
finding that bunch of young thieves who’ve been attacking people in the shopping centers
at night. Personally, I think they’re far more likely to commit violence than any
of the other Fort Connor citizens who were victimized by the awful man.”

Kelly recalled Mimi using a similar phrase to describe the late, departed Jared Rizzoli.
Clearly, the former swindler would not be mourned in this city. But Kelly also recognized
Madge’s subtle attempt to shift conversation away from getting too close to her daughter.

“I agree, Madge,” another spinner spoke up. “I read that they attacked others in Fort
Connor recently. One man reported that he’d been struck in his head and dragged from
his late-model car so the thieves could steal it.”

“I think it’s entirely possible those guys could be responsible for Rizzoli’s murder,”
the brunette said. “I’d heard that they had assaulted a man and stole a car in the
Big Box parking lot that very night. I’m hoping police find those guys soon and question
them.”

Kelly glanced at Barbara, who was focusing her attention on stretching the green yarn
once more, turning it into batten or roving.

Madge, however, looked over at Kelly and smiled. “Well, now. Mimi tells me that Kelly
is Lambspun’s resident sleuth. So, I’m wondering what she thinks. Are you suspicious
of those thieves, dear?”

Taken by surprise at Madge’s comment, Kelly simply returned her focus to the baby
hat, while she thought of something she could say to the spinners—without getting
anyone into trouble. Including her.

Fifteen

“Hi,
Cassie. I see Mimi’s put you to work again,” Kelly said as she rounded the corner
into the main room of the knitting shop.

Cassie looked up from the large cardboard box she was bent over. “Hi, Kelly. I saw
these boxes stacked up in the other room and offered to unpack them. Mimi and Rosa
are way too busy with customers.”

Kelly noticed the two additional sealed boxes stacked on the floor beside Cassie’s
chair. Setting her briefcase and coffee mug on the library table, Kelly watched Cassie
remove several skeins of coral pink and lemon yellow yarns. “More yarn? Where in the
world are you going to put them? The shelves are full in here now.”

“I know, I filled them the other day,” Cassie said with a grin. “Mimi told me to make
little stacks wherever I could find space. Then put the other two boxes in the basement.”

“Mimi probably found a great sale somewhere and ordered ahead. What’s amazing is that
all of that yarn will probably be sold in a year.” Kelly dug into her briefcase and
removed the plastic bag containing the baby hat project.

Cassie looked around the room, shelves stacked with yarns. “All this yarn will be
sold? Wow!”

“Well . . . not all of the yarns, but enough of them will sell so that there’s a regular
turnover. I’ve watched Mimi’s schedule for a few years now. She changes the whole
shop at least four times a year. For each new season. And then she’ll also bring in
special yarns to spotlight, as she calls it.” Kelly leaned back in the wooden chair
and sipped her coffee.

“You’ve really been paying attention,” Cassie said, observing Kelly.

Kelly smiled. “It’s the accountant in me. I can’t help it. By the way, Jennifer said
you had a good time at Curt Stackhouse’s ranch last Saturday. Did all his grandkids
and grandnieces and – nephews come, too? Jayleen says there a bunch of them.”

Cassie’s face lit up. “Wow, there was a whole lot of kids there, that’s for sure.
It was a
blast
! His ranch is huge!” Her hands spread wide. “But Curt let us go all over. The cattle
were out in the pasture, so we stayed out of there. But he let some of us who were
older go into the sheep pasture and pat the baby lambs that were born this spring.
They’re so cute and fuzzy. I can’t believe we get all this yarn from those little
guys. And then we went to the stables and saw the horses, and we even got to ride
them! Curt and Jayleen took us out in little groups riding around the ranch. It was
so
much fun!”

Kelly couldn’t help catching Cassie’s excitement. It was contagious. “I love Curt’s
ranch. It’s so relaxing to go out there and just stare into the distance, open space
on one side and the foothills on the other. It’s great. I’m so glad you got to go.
Were any of the kids there your age?”

“Oh, yeah. Curt’s grandson Eric is my age. He turned twelve in May and is going into
seventh grade like me.”

“What?” Kelly said, surprised. “I thought his daughter’s kids were all little.”

Cassie shook her head. “Robbie, the youngest is five, but Tina is ten, and Eric’s
twelve.”

“Wow, that’s hard to believe. The last time I saw them was at a Christmas-tree decorating
party at Curt’s farmhouse. His grandkids were there. Jayleen was there, and Mimi and
Burt, and Lisa and Greg, Steve and me, and Megan. And . . .” Kelly stopped abruptly,
her eyes popping wide as she remembered when that was. “Oh, my gosh! That was three
and a half years ago! I can’t believe it. No wonder I thought the kids were still
little.” Memories flooded her mind then. “Wow, that’s the first time we met Marty.
And got to see Spot the Wonder Dog in action.” She laughed softly.

“You’re kidding!” Cassie exclaimed. “Marty showed us Spot last weekend. He’s
hilarious
!” She giggled even louder.

“Oh, yeah. We nearly killed ourselves laughing. All of us except Megan. She was furious
at Marty because he was such a klutz he broke half of Curt’s glass Christmas tree
ornaments.” Kelly laughed again. “Old Marty fell for Megan right away, but she couldn’t
stand him. We were afraid Megan was gonna punch him, so Steve and Greg took Marty
into the other room to play Spot with the kids.”

Cassie fell back into her chair, laughing. “That is hilarious!” she said when she
could catch her breath.

“Yeah, it kind of was,” Kelly admitted, reminiscing. “It was fun watching Marty slowly
work his way into Megan’s good graces.”

“He was in love with her already? Like love at first sight or something?” Cassie asked,
clearly fascinated by this courtship tale.

“Oh, yeah. especially after he tasted her blueberry pie. That sealed the deal for
old Spot.”

Cassie fell into another fit of laughter as Kelly sipped her coffee and let more memories
dance through her head.

* * *

Kelly
cruised slowly through the crowded parking lot at the business complex where client
Arthur Housemann’s office was located. Seeing an empty parking space at last, she
nosed her car into the spot. Her cell phone jangled as she turned off the engine.

Burt’s name and number flashed on the phone’s screen. “Hey, Burt, how’re you doing?
I’ve missed you the past couple of mornings when I’ve been at the shop.”

“I’ve been swamped with errands, Kelly. Whoever said retirement meant relaxation was
crazy. Either that, or they’d never been around a shop like Lambspun.” Burt’s chuckle
sounded over the phone.

“That’s the world of small businesses, Burt. I remember doing the accounting when
I was interning with a small business during the summers at college. The guy operated
three automobile service centers in northern Virginia, and he was running around nonstop
all day.”

“I feel his pain,” Burt joked. “Did I catch you mid-errands?”

“Nope. I’m going to see Arthur Housemann and go over those May financial statements.
He wants to run some project ideas past me so I can work up an analysis on each one.”

“Whoa, analyze a project rather than just jumping feet-first into it. What a concept.”

“Arthur is a man after my own heart.” Kelly turned the car’s power back on and sent
the driver’s window down with a soft
whirrrrr
sound. “Jennifer told me you and Mimi took Cassie to Old Town on Sunday. I’ll bet
you all had fun. Where’d you take her? Did you stop at Walrus for ice cream?”

“You betcha. Mimi and I had a great time showing Cassie the sights, so to speak. Fort
Connor may be a small town compared to Denver, but it’s certainly got its own charm.
And it’s certainly easier to get around.”

“I’m sure she enjoyed roaming around with you two. Since it looks like she will be
living with Pete and Jennifer for the near future, this will become
her
town. And for all we know, maybe her grandfather didn’t take her sightseeing. Has
she ever been into the mountains?”

“You know, I asked her that, and Cassie said she’s never been. Now, that’s a shame.
I can understand, because Ben apparently wasn’t in good shape, but to live in Colorado
and not get into the mountains . . . That’s just sad. Mimi and I will definitely take
her into the mountains, you can bet on it. That’s if Jennifer and Pete don’t mind.”

Kelly settled back into her car seat, relaxing. She could tell experienced grandfather
Burt would be eager to join grandmotherly Mimi in “grandparenting” Cassie. “I’m certain
they will be happy to let Cassie take mountain trips with you two. In fact, Jen told
me yesterday that she and Pete were so grateful that you and Mimi and Curt and Jayleen
had been so gracious about spending time with Cassie. They appreciate it, believe
me.”

“Well, the pleasure is entirely ours, Kelly. And I mean that sincerely. Cassie is
a sweet, smart, good-natured girl who’s interested in everything. So she’s great fun
to take around. Clearly, she’d never been taken outside of Denver. She’s been all
around the state capitol buildings and has been to all the city parks and lakes with
her grandfather. Oh, and the aquarium and the planetarium and the amusement parks.
So, she has seen those. Plus, I quizzed her on Colorado history and she’s got that
down pat. In fact, she’s got a real interest in history. Ben apparently took her to
all the history museums in Denver. Including Molly Brown. Cassie was fascinated with
all the photos of the
Titanic
and Molly and her husband. So, we may take a little trip this summer down to Leadville
and some of the other mining towns. She’s got a few gaps in American history, but
she loves to read. So I gave her one of the books that I started my daughter with
when she was in elementary school. It’s a little young for Cassie, but the author
does a great job of covering every part of American history from the earliest beginnings
to present day. Or, rather, a couple of decades ago.”

Kelly smiled as she sat, listening to Burt ramble on about Cassie and history and
museums and sightseeing trips. What a great grandfather he was. Burt sounded like
the ideal grandfather to Kelly’s way of thinking. He was genuinely interested in Cassie,
even her education. Jennifer and Pete didn’t know how lucky they were. Or . . . maybe
they did.

“Boy, Burt, Cassie is going to be one lucky kid to have you as a history teacher.
I can sit and listen to you talk about history for hours. Whenever Steve and I come
over for dinner, we love to hear you talk about the books you’ve read.”

“That’s sweet of you to say, Kelly. And I confess, it is a joy to be able to talk
about history to someone who’s interested in learning. That’s what I see in Cassie.
That eagerness to learn. It’s wonderful.”

“I wish some of my history teachers in high school had been as interesting as you,
Burt. It was all I could do to stay awake in some of those classes.” Kelly made a
snoring sound.

Burt chuckled. “Listen, Kelly, I called to let you know what’s been happening in the
investigation into Jared Rizzoli’s murder.”

Kelly snapped out of relaxation mode. “Good. I heard yesterday that one of the detectives
returned to ask more questions of Connie and Rosa. And Mimi told me what Rosa said.
That was sad to hear.”

“I know, Kelly. Barbara has moved closer behind Malcolm, from what I can tell. I saw
her at the shop yesterday, and I swear, Barb is just a shadow of her former self.
She’s quiet as a mouse now, and you know . . . Barb never was one to keep quiet before.
I don’t know how to interpret her change in behavior. She acts ashamed. And that could
mean many things.” Burt paused. “She may indeed have committed the murder. If so,
it was in another moment of rage, no doubt.”

Kelly still could not bring that picture into focus in her mind. “Still, Burt, no
one saw Barbara anywhere near the shop or driveway the evening of the murder. I know
it looks bad because she saw Hal Nelson’s toolbox and had to see the work knives.
But there’s no proof she came back to Lambspun or spoke to Rizzoli again. And you
said police couldn’t get any good prints off that old knife that was used.”

“That’s true, Kelly. So far, the only person who’s been placed in the vicinity at
the time of the murder is a disheveled man resembling Malcolm. But we may learn more
today. Dan called me last night and told me that one of the temporary waitresses who
worked in the café while Pete was gone gave police a lead. Doreen is her name, and
she said that the same temp cook who filled in for Pete at the café works occasionally
on Friday and Saturday nights at the brewery café across the street from the golf
course and Lambspun. That café is also right across from the entrance to the driveway,
so maybe this cook saw someone here that night. Dan said the detective would be going
over to the brewery tonight before the guy’s shift starts.”

Kelly brightened. “Excellent! Let’s hope Frank the cook saw something no one else
did. I remember he seemed real interested in what the cops were doing that Saturday
in the driveway and parking lot. He said he’d been keeping track of them out the window.
Watching them. So, maybe he kept looking that night when he was working at the brewery.”

“Maybe so, Kelly. And let’s hope Frank the cook saw someone else in that driveway
with Jared Rizzoli. Someone other than Malcolm or Barbara.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed, Burt. Rizzoli’s car was parked right there in that
section of the driveway, close to the entrance. It couldn’t be seen from the golf
course, but I’ll bet the brewery café across the street had a good view.”

“Let’s hope so, Kelly. Well, I’m at the Big Box, so I’d better hang up.”

Kelly reached for her briefcase and opened her car door to exit. Time to return to
business. “Keep me posted, Burt.”

“Always.”

* * *

“Do
you want any more iced coffee, Kelly?” Julie asked as she wiped off the patio café
table.

“I’d love some, Julie. Thanks.” Kelly looked up from her spreadsheets on the laptop
computer screen.

“We’re going to be closing soon, so I could fill a small pitcher with iced coffee
for you if you’re going to be working out here for a while.”

“Oh, what a doll you are.” Kelly smiled. “And put a double tip on my bill, okay? Don’t
argue with me.”

Julie’s face spread with a grin. “Kelly, we all know better than to argue with you.
I’ll be back in a minute.”

Huge cottonwood trees shading the back stucco wall and the entire section of the garden
kept the afternoon heat down.

“Well, well, Kelly-girl! I’m glad I ran into you.” Curt’s voice came from the side.
She looked up to see the tall, broad-shouldered, silver-haired Colorado rancher stride
along the flagstone pathway toward her.

“Hey, there, Curt,” she greeted her mentor and advisor on all things ranching-related.
“I haven’t seen you for a while. Have a seat and join me in a glass of iced coffee.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” he said as he pulled out the wrought-iron café chair across
the round table from Kelly. “I’ve been busier than usual taking some visitors out
to check property northeast of here. They’re looking to buy some land.”