Close Knit Killer (8 page)

“Were you guys questioned? Connie said they were.”

“Yeah, a cop came in and asked each of us if we saw anything when we opened up this
morning. Of course, we didn’t. We’re in the back of the building. We can’t even see
that part of the driveway. Plus, we were busy cooking and serving customers. I don’t
think any of us has even had a break this morning.”

“What else did they ask?”

“They wanted to know if we had seen anything last evening. And I explained to the
cop that we aren’t open in the evening, so no one was here to witness
anything
.” Her voice underscored the word.

Kelly could tell her friend was on edge, understandably, so she switched topics slightly.
“So what happens now with the sale of Hal’s property?”

Jennifer exhaled a breath. Familiar territory. “The contract will have to wait until
Rizzoli’s estate is settled. Any closing would have to wait until then. Who knows?
Maybe the widow will want to keep the property. Maybe she’ll want to sell it because
it brings bad memories of Fort Connor.” She shrugged. “One thing’s for sure. The closing
will be postponed.”

“Jen, your orders are up,” Frank said over his shoulder.

“Thanks,” Jennifer said as she turned away. “Gotta go. By the way, how’s the move
going?”

“A piece of cake. We’ll be finished by midafternoon. So why don’t you come over after
you’ve closed up here. You’ll need to relax. Listen, I’ll take a quick look around
the shop for your cell phone while they’re finishing my order.”

“Thanks,” Jennifer said as she headed for the counter.

Kelly walked back down the hallway leading into Lambspun. She’d start with the workroom.
There were lots of tables and shelves where it was easy to place a cell phone—or a
coffee mug—when you were in a hurry. Kelly was an expert in hurried behaviors. Since
this was a busy Saturday, there were plenty of shoppers there, so Kelly slowly made
her way around the room, scanning every surface. Shelves, tables, boxes, work counters.
No phone to be found.

She rounded the corner into the main knitting room. The long library table had several
knitters clustered around the edges, working on various projects and comparing yarns.

“Hey, folks, don’t mind me,” she said as she approached. “I’m checking for a misplaced
cell phone. Just ignore me.”

“Oh, brother. I hope your luck is better than mine,” one woman said, glancing up from
the royal blue yarn she was working. “Whenever I’ve misplaced my phone, it never appears
again.”

Kelly started checking under some of the assorted items that always seemed to clutter
the long table. Skeins of yarn, books, patterns, magazines, teacups, teapot, plates
of cookies, and various other edibles.

“Good luck finding anything in all the clutter,” an older woman observed. “I’m always
amazed at how much stuff accumulates on this table.”

Kelly picked up cups and saucers and teapot. No phone. “You’re not the only one. I
wonder how Mimi and the staff find anything here.” She lifted a stack of magazines,
then picked up a fluffy ball of pink-and-white yarn. No phone.

“I swear, I have to put my phone in my jacket pocket after I use it or I’d lose it
for sure,” a younger woman with blond hair said. She was knitting what looked like
the beginning of a sweater with that same pink-and-white yarn.

Kelly moved toward the middle of the table, where the “odds and ends tray” sat. The
tray contained an ever-changing collection of scissors, different-sized knitting needles,
stitch markers, tape measures, gauge measures, and various other important and necessary-to-knitters
items.

“Is that why you always wear a jacket?” another woman asked the blonde.

Kelly joined the other women as they laughed. She pushed some of the napkins to the
side and thought she felt something hard beneath them. She lifted the napkins and
spotted a black cell phone. And it looked exactly like Jennifer’s.

“Hey, I found a phone! Quick, everybody check your cell phones. See if you have them.
Maybe this is one of yours.” She held up the phone for the others to see.

“Nope. Mine’s in my pocket,” the blonde said with a grin.

“Mine’s got a blue case.”

The older woman rifled through her purse. “Nope, mine’s here.”

The other woman held up her phone. “Got it. Today’s your lucky day.”

“Thanks, everyone. And good luck with all your projects,” Kelly said as she headed
for the hallway once more. She pushed one of the phone’s buttons and saw the view
screen. A message was waiting. No name.

As Kelly rounded the corner into the café, she spotted Jennifer at a nearby table,
serving coffee. “Hey, I found your phone, Jen.”

Jennifer spun around and grinned at her friend. “You’re kidding! Where was it?”

“Buried beneath all the stuff on the knitting table, of course.” Kelly handed her
the phone. “You’ve got a message. No surprise there.”

“I’ll check it later.” Jennifer pocketed the phone. “Thanks a bunch, Kelly.”

“Kelly, your order’s been up for five minutes. It’s gonna get cold,” Eduardo warned,
spatula in hand.

“Oooops, better get back before Marty faints from hunger,” Kelly said, and hurried
over to the grill.

* * *

“When’s
Jennifer coming?” Greg asked, sipping from a brown bottle with the familiar colorful
label.

Kelly leaned back into the plastic webbed patio chair and looked past her friends
who were reclining in an assortment of outdoor chairs they’d all brought as housewarming
presents. The backyard of this house was smaller than the one where she and Steve
lived. But it also had a pretty tree that was bigger than most in the development.

She took a sip of her Fat Tire ale and noticed the late-afternoon sun had started
its downward path. “She should be here soon. So why don’t we do some brainstorming
before she comes? You know, thinking of ways we can help out Jen and Pete with Cassie.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that,” Lisa said, taking a potato chip from the open
bag in the midst of their semicircle. “School’s out now, so Cassie will need supervision
during the daytime. At least in the mornings because Jennifer and Pete are working
in the café, seven days a week, early morning until two or three o’clock when they
close up. Then Jen goes to the real estate office.”

“How old is Cassie again?” Marty asked, and tipped back his beer.

“Eleven, but she’ll be twelve in July,” Jennifer’s voice came from behind them.

“Hey, Jen,” Megan greeted. “There are more chips on the kitchen counter. There’s cola,
too. We’re going to have Chinese delivered for dinner.”

“When’s that food coming?” Marty asked, checking his watch.

“By five o’clock. You can last,” Lisa teased.

“We were starting to brainstorm some ideas for helping with Cassie while you and Pete
are working every day,” Kelly said as Jennifer sank into a patio chair between Lisa
and Greg. “And I was thinking that maybe Cassie would like to come with me to the
softball clinic a couple of mornings each week. I’ve agreed to teach a kids’ class
this summer. Ten – to twelve-year-old girls, so she’d fit right in. We’ll meet two
times a week for eight weeks.”

“Hey, that sounds like a great idea,” Megan said. “Do you know if she’s ever played
before, Jen?”

“I haven’t a clue. She’s never mentioned anything like that when we’ve gone to visit
them in Denver. I know Ben took her around to concerts with him in Denver. She reads
a lot. Pete said Ben used to read to her from the time she was a baby. Oh, and I remember
her telling us about Girl Scouts. She really liked the campout.”

Marty perked up. “Hey, I was a Boy Scout.”

“So was I,” Greg said, balancing his beer bottle on his knee. “In fact, I was an Eagle
Scout.”

“Hey, so was I!” Marty grinned. “Betcha I had more badges.”

“Dude, don’t even go there. I got you beat.”

“Oh, no . . . not another contest.” Megan rolled her eyes.

“Then you guys can talk badges with Cassie. Common interest,” Kelly teased. “And I’ve
got all my favorite books from when I was a kid. They’re finally on the shelves.”

“Thank God, we finally live someplace we can
have
shelves.” Steve laughed. “You had most of those books in storage for four years.”

“Still don’t know how you guys lived in that cottage for as long as you did,” Lisa
said, snatching another potato chip.

“Greg, I know something else you and Cassie can share,” Jennifer said. “She loves
looking up stuff on the computer. Ben limits her time, of course. He doesn’t want
her grades to suffer.”

“Good grades?” Lisa asked.

“Oh, yeah. She’s smart as a whip, in Ben’s words. But Ben’s computer is an old, old
desktop and slow as molasses. I don’t know how Cassie puts up with it.”

Greg leaned forward. “Heck, I’ve got a couple of used laptops in the computer lab
at the university in case someone needs a loaner. One’s only a couple of years old.
She could have that.”

“Wow, Cassie ought to love that,” Megan said. “It’ll be way faster.”

“Oh, yeah. Warp speed compared to her granddad’s ancient one,” Greg added.

“Greg, you’re a doll,” Jennifer said. “You know, Pete and I were there one weekend
when she tried to ‘fix’ Ben’s old desktop. She had the back off and asked us what
she could replace to make it faster.” She laughed softly. “Of course, Pete and I were
clueless.”

“All riiiiight,” Greg said, nodding. “Sounds like she might enjoy coming over to the
computer lab with me sometime. We’ve got trays of circuits and motherboards. I could
show her how to make something. Something easy. She may get a kick out of it.”

“Okay, now you’ve got me thinking,” Megan piped up, reaching for a chip. “There are
a lot of hours in a week. Kelly’s taking her to softball two mornings. Greg’s gonna
tear apart computers with her. I think she needs more outdoor time. How about I take
Cassie to tennis with me? Parks and Recreation have tennis classes for kids every
week. I try to play every afternoon in the summer, so I can play over at those courts.”

“Fantastic,” Kelly said, delighted at her friends’ suggestions.

“My turn.” Lisa held up her hand. “Why don’t I ask the clinic director if Cassie can
hang around with me once a week? There’s a lot going on in the clinic. People doing
physical therapy, doctors coming in and out and talking to the therapists. Lots of
great machines there. She can learn all about working out.” Lisa smiled.

Jennifer looked around the group. “Wow, you guys are amazing, you know that? I can’t
thank you enough for offering to help.”

“Hey, it’ll be fun,” Megan said, then drained her cola.

“Amazing, that’s us,” Greg said, then jerked his thumb toward Marty. “All except for
him. He didn’t volunteer because all he does is talk all day. How boring is that?”

“It’s the quality of conversation that counts,” Marty said, leaning back in the patio
chair, hands behind his head. “Besides, I’ve been pondering what’s the best way for
me to help, and I think I’ve got it.”

“What? You’re gonna take the kid to the courthouse and show her some criminals?” Greg
taunted.

Marty didn’t even look fazed. “Naw, I decided this is a job for Spot, the Wonder Dog.”

Megan put her hand over her eyes and sank back in her chair. “Oh, no! Not Spot!”

“Stop him now, Jen, before he lifts a leg in your new backyard,” Greg warned.

“Better be a good dog, Spot.” Jennifer shook her finger at Marty. “Or Pete and I will
take you to the vet’s to be fixed.”

At that, everyone erupted in laughter, including Spot.

E
ight

“Look,
Carl, squirrels are waiting for you,” Kelly said, watching her dog race across the
cottage backyard.

Brazen Squirrel and family members skittered in all directions—along the chain-link
fence top, leaping into overhanging branches of the cottonwood tree, and sprinting
down to the grass and onto the golf course greens. Sunday golfers were easier to escape
than Big Dog. Undeterred, Carl barked furiously in each squirrel’s vicinity. Doggie
threats of:
Next time!

The cottage yard was still Carl’s favorite. The new house may have a bigger backyard,
but it lacked the towering shade trees that only the passage of years can provide.
New housing developments usually had smaller, or starter, trees. And without big trees,
squirrels were hard to find. They were happily living in the larger trees along the
older streets that bordered the new development.

Kelly slid the patio screen door closed. The temperatures would be in the nineties
again today, not the typical early summer weather. She decided to let what light breeze
there was inside the cottage while she went for some of Eduardo’s coffee. Since Steve,
Marty, and Greg were playing an away ball game, she and Megan and Lisa were going
to indulge in a Sunday dinner in Old Town tonight. Their ball game was in midafternoon.

Grabbing her coffee mug, Kelly headed out the cottage front door. She had just crossed
the driveway when she spotted a familiar SUV turning in—Mimi and Burt returning from
the mountains. She watched them pull into a parking spot beside the café patio garden
and walked over to their car.

“Hey, there,” she greeted them as they both exited the SUV. “I’m sorry you cut your
vacation short.”

“That’s okay, Kelly,” Mimi replied, her extra-large knitting bag over her arm. “We
had five glorious days.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Kelly. Connie only told us that a man was found dead inside
a car parked in our driveway. Over there beneath the trees.” Burt gestured toward
the tall cedar trees that shaded the driveway and the tall spruce trees on the side.
“She didn’t know if it was a suicide or . . .”

“Don’t even say it, Burt,” Mimi ordered, hand up in ‘stop’ position. “I don’t want
to think about another murder being committed near our shop.” She gave a very visible
shiver.

“I understand, Mimi. Why don’t we grab one of these outside café tables and order
something yummy. I can fill you in while we’re eating.”

Burt gave her a slight smile. “That’s a good idea, Kelly. I’ve been hankering for
some biscuits and some of Pete’s sausage gravy.”

“Well, I might as well join you,” Mimi joked. “I have certainly been ignoring my diet
all week. Why start now?”

“Why, indeed.” Kelly grinned. “In fact, we can make that an order for three. I’m sure
temp cook Frank is using Pete’s gravy recipe. C’mon,” she beckoned, leading the way
along the flagstone path into the garden. One empty table was within their reach.

* * *

“Oh,
my, oh, my, oh, my,” Mimi chanted softly as she stirred cream into her Earl Grey
tea. “Why did that horrible man have to come over here to Lambspun? I’m
so
glad I wasn’t here to see him. He’s caused so much heartache and misery to so many
fine people.”

“It’s just one of those things, Mimi. He heard about Hal Nelson’s canyon property
being for sale and came over to ask about it.” Kelly rearranged the knife and fork
on her plate, which was spotless. All traces of Pete’s delicious homemade sausage,
biscuits, and gravy were wiped clean. Their table was completely shaded, which Kelly
welcomed because the sun was at its zenith. She’d be playing softball in the sun all
afternoon, so the shade felt good now.

Burt leaned back in the wrought-iron chair and sipped his coffee. “It’s unfortunate
that Jared Rizzoli was murdered, but the man had cheated so many people here in Fort
Connor that, as much as I hate to say it, I’m not surprised someone took revenge on
him. Especially if he was flaunting his now-wealthy lifestyle.”

“Well, what really disturbs me is Barbara’s involvement. Merciful heavens! I cannot
believe Barbara would confront that man out here in . . . in our own garden. But,
then, to go to the hotel and confront him again in front of all those
people
!” Mimi closed her eyes, obviously not wanting to picture the scene.

“I have to admit that surprised me, too,” Burt added. “Barb’s always been such a solid,
no-nonsense gal. Bossy, yes. But never would I picture her doing something so . . .
so brazen as a public confrontation.”

“I agree, Burt. Of course, if it turns out that Rizzoli was actually murdered, then
I’m afraid the police will be turning their sights on Barbara. Once they hear about
her confrontations with him.” Kelly looked out toward the golf course and golfers.
“And I’m also worried about Malcolm. He confronted Rizzoli, too. Right over there
in the driveway. I was here to witness it, along with the entire patio filled with
breakfast diners.”

Mimi pinched her forehead. “Who’s Malcolm, again? That name sounds familiar.”

“He’s the formerly homeless guy at the Mission who’s been working with Hal Nelson
on our remodeling,” Burt explained, then turned to Kelly. “What exactly did you see,
Kelly?”

“I was walking from the cottage to the café when I saw Malcolm yelling at Rizzoli.
Rizzoli looked like he was going to explode, so I walked over to them in time to see
Malcolm accuse Rizzoli of ruining his life. Rizzoli swatted Malcolm’s hand away and
started calling Malcolm names. Malcolm yelled back and jabbed his finger into Rizzoli’s
chest. That’s when Rizzoli shoved Malcolm so hard he fell backward onto the ground.
Then Rizzoli started yelling more names at Malcolm. Hal Nelson ran over then to help
Malcolm, and Rizzoli stormed off. Hal and I took Malcolm inside the café so he could
calm down. But, once again, Rizzoli was confronted in public with a lot of people
looking on. Not good.”

Burt glanced toward the garage being remodeled. “Well, the guys will be back to work
tomorrow. Let’s see how Malcolm is doing. I’ll talk with Hal and see what he knows.”

“You might want to talk to Jennifer, too. She was the agent handling Nelson’s sale.
She told me that Rizzoli and Hal had a signed contract and a cashier’s check from
Rizzoli for one half the purchase price. Of course, everything’s in limbo now that
he’s dead.”

“Oh, goodness.” Mimi frowned. “This horrible situation keeps drawing more people into
it. Now Jennifer is involved.”

That reminded Kelly that Mimi and Burt were unaware of the changes about to occur
for Jennifer and Pete. “Speaking of Jennifer and Pete, you guys have missed what’s
been happening. You were still here the day Pete’s grandfather Ben had a heart attack
in Denver, then you left.”

“Yes, yes! And Rosa’s been giving us updates on Ben’s condition when she calls every
day. Five blockages! Terrible!” Mimi wagged her head.

“Thank goodness doctors were able to repair them. I’m not surprised Pete’s still down
there. It sounds like his grandfather’s condition is really serious,” Burt added.

“Oh, it is,” Kelly agreed. “Doctors said he’ll be bedridden for months and will probably
need to go into a wheelchair afterwards.”

“Good Lord. What about the little girl, Pete’s niece?” Mimi asked. “She can’t stay
there, surely.”

Burt frowned. “Has her mother finally shaped up and come to take care of her?”

“Nope,” Kelly said with a rueful smile. “Cassie’s coming to stay with Pete and Jennifer
for the near future. Certainly during the summer. Pete’s coming back home either today
or tomorrow and he’ll bring Cassie with him.”

“Really?” Mimi’s eyes got wide as saucers. “Are they going to try to live in that
apartment?”

“Nope. Steve is letting them rent his smaller three-bedroom house that’s still unsold.
So the gang spent all day yesterday moving Pete and Jen’s stuff from the apartment
to the house. Jen has her hands full trying to handle the café and supervising the
staff.”

“Well, now.” Burt leaned forward, folding his arms on the table. “Looks like Pete
and Jennifer have suddenly acquired a family.”

“I think it’s wonderful that they’re opening their home to that little girl,” Mimi
said, with the first smile Kelly had seen since they returned.

Kelly had suspected that “Mother Mimi” would be particularly pleased that Cassie would
be visiting in Fort Connor this summer. After all, Mimi lost her only child, her son,
to a teenage accident. Consequently, Mimi would never have any grandchildren of her
own. Kelly had always noticed that Mimi was delighted whenever Burt’s grandchildren
came to visit or when she and Burt took them on a weekend excursion. Kelly figured
that Mimi and Burt might like to join in the “Cassie Project” and maybe invite Cassie
to join them when they visited Burt’s grandkids. Kelly wasn’t sure whether the old
saying “the more, the merrier” was true, but it might be.

She decided to prime the pump, anyway. “Yeah, we all think it’s a much better idea
that Cassie stay up here in Fort Connor with Jen and Pete than bounce around Denver
with neighbors and her erratic mom. Of course, Pete and Jen work seven days a week
through the morning and afternoon, so we all figured out ways to help them out by
supervising Cassie this summer. I’m going to see if she’d like to join the kids’ softball
clinic I’m teaching this summer. It meets two mornings a week. Megan’s going to take
her to tennis classes, and Lisa’s taking Cassie to the sports clinic with her. Show
her what therapists do.”

“What about the guys?” Burt asked, a twinkle in his eye.

“Greg’s going to take her to the university computer lab with him, because Cassie
is fascinated with computers, according to Jennifer. And Marty . . .” Kelly grinned.
“Marty volunteered Spot, the Wonder Dog. So, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

Burt threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, Lord . . . I’d forgotten about Marty’s
dog impersonation. What a riot. I can’t wait to see that again. Good old Spot.”

Mimi laughed. “Goodness, me. Well, Burt and I certainly want to do our part, too.
And I just got an idea, listening to all that, Kelly. Cassie could come over here
every morning when Pete and Jennifer open the café. Burt and I are up way early every
morning anyway. We can come over to the shop before it’s open for business. That way
Cassie will have something interesting to do while Pete and Jennifer are taking care
of customers and before her activity schedule starts.”

Kelly could tell from the way Mimi’s eyes danced that Mother Mimi was delighted with
the idea of “helping” with the Cassie Project. “That’s a wonderful suggestion, Mimi,”
she enthused. “Not only will it help out Jennifer and Pete but it will also give Cassie
a chance to explore the shop. Lots of fascinating stuff in Lambspun.”

“I’ll say.” Burt nodded. “Who knows? Maybe she’ll get interested in yarn. Maybe knitting.
Aren’t you teaching a kids’ class this summer, Mimi?”

Mimi smiled. “I am, indeed. A knitting class for ages nine to twelve. That would be
perfect for Cassie.”

Kelly noticed Jennifer walking toward their table through the garden patio. “Hey,
welcome back, Mimi and Burt,” she greeted them with a big smile. “I take it Kelly
has filled you in on everything that’s been happening.”

“Goodness, yes,” Mimi said, gesturing. “But I don’t even want to talk about the gruesome
death in our driveway. What I want to know is when’s Pete returning to Fort Connor
with little Cassie?”

Jennifer grinned. “Well, she’s not so little anymore. She’s gotten taller but she’s
still skinny as a rail. But more importantly, Pete just called and said they’ll be
here about three o’clock. So if you and Burt would like to meet Cassie, this afternoon
might be a good time. By the time they get here, the lunch crowd will have left. So,
it will be peaceful and quiet.”

Mimi perked up. “Really? Why, that would be wonderful! We’d love to meet Cassie this
afternoon, wouldn’t we, Burt?”

Burt gave her an indulgent smile. “You bet. I’m looking forward to it. I’m already
thinking about ways we can get Cassie together with my grandkids.”

Mimi fairly sparkled, Kelly noticed. Her eyes danced. “Oh, yes!
Yes!
What a wonderful idea, Burt!”

Jennifer looked over at Kelly. “Pete and I are thinking we’ll introduce you guys to
Cassie slowly. We’ll start off with Mimi and Burt. Then maybe you next, Kelly, since
you stop in the shop every day. Then we’ll have Megan drop by, then Lisa. We’ll save
Greg and Marty and Steve for last.” She grinned.

“Definitely. Save the best for last,” Kelly agreed, laughing. She checked her watch.
Twelve fifteen. “You know, I’d better check in with Megan and Lisa. We’re playing
Greeley here in Fort Connor at three o’clock this afternoon. But I’m thinking that
we should stop by your new house, Jennifer, and make sure Cassie’s bedroom is set
up. We put up the bed last night, but there are no sheets or anything. So I’ll go
by our house first and get some. Steve bought a lot of stuff in Denver that he never
even opened.”

“Kelly, you’re an angel,” Jennifer said, beaming. “I won’t be able to get off to go
shopping, and I wouldn’t want Cassie to walk in and find nothing in her bedroom except
a bed.”

“Well, we have plenty of bed linens at our house if you need more,” Mimi said. “Just
let us know.”

“Since you ladies are setting up the house, I’m going to call my old partner Dan.
See if he knows anything about this.” He glanced at Mimi and smiled. “This unfortunate
incident in the driveway.”

Mimi made another waving motion with her hand. “I don’t even want to think about it.
I’m going to think about Cassie coming. That’s all. In fact, I’m going into the shop
right now and check that class schedule. I want to make sure everything’s all ready
for this week.”

Kelly caught Jennifer’s glance and they exchanged smiles. Mother Mimi was definitely
excited.