Skein of the Crime (19 page)

“That’s enough, Kelly. Gotta go.” His phone clicked off.

A wave of frustration washed over her, leaving her insides twisted in knots. “Dammit! Why won’t he listen?”

She tossed the cell phone to the seat, then revved the car’s engine, listening to its deep rumble before moving back into traffic. Her cell phone rang again, and Kelly grabbed for it as she drove.
At last. Steve’s come to his senses
. “Glad you called. We need to talk,” she said as she stopped at an intersection.

“I hope I’m not interrupting a conversation or anything,” Burt’s voice came over the line.

Kelly’s frustration and aggravation whooshed out of her like air from a popped balloon. “Hey, Burt, what’s up?”

“I thought you’d be interested to hear that Dan went over to the Mission this morning and questioned that guy Malcolm.”

The calm logic lobe of Kelly’s brain clicked into place. “Really? What’d Dan think?”

“Dan spoke to the staff counselors beforehand, so he had a pretty good read on this guy before he even spoke with him. Dan thinks this Malcolm is telling the truth.”

Kelly gave a little sigh of relief. “Good. I thought so, too. So . . . will Dan be following up on anything, you think?”

She heard Burt’s sigh on the other end of the phone. “To be honest, Kelly, there’s not much more the department can do. There’s no description of this guy. No license plate. No witnesses to identify him. So there’s really nothing to go on.”

“Well, Patty confirmed that Holly had been seeing this guy Eddie from Greeley lately. Maybe it was Eddie who picked her up from the party in a dark car. Maybe he gave Holly the narcotics. Maybe he dumped Holly on the trail when he saw her passing out.” Kelly pulled to a stop at a red light.

“You know, Kelly, it doesn’t really matter whether Eddie was the source of Holly’s drugs or not. It could have been someone at the party, and he just picked her up. The fact is Holly is the one who overdosed. She took too many pills. No one forced her.”

“But maybe he told her it would be all right,” Kelly argued. “Holly would believe him, especially if she was drunk already. Patty said Holly was drinking vodka.”

“There’s no way to prove it, Kelly. You know that. It was still Holly’s decision, even though her reasoning was probably impaired at the time.”

Kelly exhaled an exasperated breath. “Yeah, I know, Burt. There’s no way we can get around Holly taking those pills. She did it to herself. I saw the effects of her decisions firsthand last month when she wound up on my backyard patio.”

“It’s sad, I know, Kelly. But sometimes people get on a self-destructive path and stay on it. They may get off for a while, then they fall back again. They can’t seem to stop themselves. I have to agree with Barbara. Holly has been on this risky behavioral path for years now, and it’s finally taken its toll.”

There was nothing Kelly could add to Burt’s bleak-but-honest assessment. “I guess Dan will close Holly’s case, right?”

“Probably. It will go down as an accidental death due to an overdose of opiate narcotics. Unfortunately, Holly isn’t the first to be classified that way, and I’m afraid she won’t be the last.”

Kelly steered her car into the mall parking entrance. “So, will you tell Tommy, or do you think Dan will?”

“I’ll tell Tommy about Holly being seen on the trail that night. I’ll let Dan tell him the rest of the details when the case is closed. Tommy will be hurt, of course, but he’ll understand eventually. And find some closure, I hope.”

“Let’s hope.”

“Oh, before I forget. Dan told me he’d spoken with Officer Frobischer, who’s on the drug task force. She said she’d be glad to speak with you anytime. Are you still interested, Kelly?”

Kelly grabbed her bag and opened the car door. “Sure thing. It’s useful information. All these prescription drugs legally go into people’s hands, then show up illegally at parties and on the street. That makes me curious.”

“Okay, here’s her cell number—”

“Do me a favor, Burt. I’m walking into the mall right now. Can you call me again and leave that number as a voice mail?”

“Ahhhh, cell phones. Can’t do without them, can we?”

 

 

 

“I appreciate your taking the time to talk with me, Investigator Frobischer,” Kelly said as she settled into her desk chair, cell phone to her ear. “Burt Parker said you’re involved with the drug task force here in Fort Connor and could answer any questions I might have.”

“Well, I’ll be glad to answer any questions I
can
, Ms. Flynn,” Frobischer’s cool voice replied. “A lot of the task force’s work is undercover, which we’re not allowed to discuss.”

“That’s totally understandable. My questions are kind of general anyway. I was interested in the campus party scene and the drugs that are sold or passed out in those settings. We were all disturbed by the accidental overdose of the young woman, Holly Kaiser, a couple of weeks ago.”

“Yes, that was tragic. Did you know her well?”

“No, I didn’t. But I became interested in her case because she actually appeared in my backyard one night last month.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah, I was surprised, to say the least, to see her standing there in the dark, totally stoned out of her mind. I called the police, and they brought the ambulance and paramedics. Apparently she was using one of the hallucinogens that night, Ecstasy or LSD, they said.”

“Sounds too familiar.”

“They think she wandered away from a party in Old Town and found the river trail. My cottage is across the golf course, and I leave all the lights on when I’m out at night. She must have headed for the lights. Anyway, after she got out of the hospital, she started coming over to the knitting shop. She looked like she was changing her life. No parties, no drugs. So I was stunned to learn that she went back to the party scene and tried even more dangerous drugs.”

“Some of them just can’t keep away. The parties are what we call a guaranteed distribution system. The larger the party, the more drugs that are available. The users are drawn like moths to the flame.”

“I figured that had to be it. Burt told me some of the drugs being passed out are Vicodin, Percocet, and OxyContin.”

“That’s correct. The Big Three.”

“How do these college kids get a ready supply of these painkillers to sell? Supposedly they’re carefully controlled and only available with a doctor’s prescription. Do they steal them?”

“Most of the time, yes. And unfortunately, the controls in any system can be breached. Often, people will forge a doctor’s prescription. Plus, they’re motivated to be creative. They can get twenty dollars a pill when they sell them.”

“Wow. I’d say that’s plenty of motivation.”

“That’s why there’s no shortage of people selling pills.”

“Is there any kind of hierarchy or anything, like a network?”

“Actually, it’s pretty much a free market. People like to buy their pills from someone they’ve built a relationship with. They trust them, so to speak.”

“That’s interesting. Which drug do people usually start with?”

“Usually it’s Vicodin. After they’ve abused it for a while, it takes more and more to get the effect they want. Then they’ll switch to Percocet. Then work their way up to OxyContin.”

“That could get expensive if they’re paying twenty bucks per pill.”

“Like I said, a free market. And there’s never a shortage of market demand.”

“What if someone isn’t used to taking those opiate narcotics? How many would it take for them to overdose?”

“If they’re not used to the drugs, then it would take about eight to ten pills to overdose. Of course, weight and size would affect that as well.”

“That’s a lot of pills.”

“Yes, it is.”

Kelly thought about that for a moment. “I can’t imagine why someone would deliberately take that many pills. Especially if they weren’t used to using something. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Investigator Frobischer’s voice came quietly, with a touch of world-weariness to it. “I’m afraid ‘sense’ has nothing to do with the campus drug scene, Ms. Flynn. Or any drug scene. People who’re interested or even curious about the drugs often make stupid decisions. Sometimes it’s peer pressure. Oftentimes it’s more likely they’ve been drinking. Alcohol makes people less inhibited and more inclined to try something new, something different, something dangerous. Unfortunately, some of those decisions can have tragic consequences. As it did with Holly Kaiser.”

“Bad decisions, tragic results,” Kelly said sadly.

“I’m afraid so.”

Barbara’s
SUV rumbled down the dirt road. Kelly sat in the back, watching the evergreens close in alongside the road leading to the mountain resort.

“Are we there yet?” one of Lambspun’s regulars quipped from beside the rear window.

“That sounds like Jennifer whenever we’re on a road trip,” Kelly said, when the good-natured comments died down.

“It’s only a mile further,” Barbara announced from the driver’s seat. “See, here are some of their staff cabins on the outskirts of the property.”

The frame-and-screened-porch buildings looked like regular camp buildings to Kelly, rustic and wood-framed. Then, something else caught Kelly’s eye. A glint of silver through the trees. Was that a lake? Kelly peered through the evergreen trees and glimpsed another silver streak.
Yessss! A lake,
she exulted inside.

The enclosure of evergreens gave way to bushes and shrubs and more cabins sprouting beside aspen trees. Across the road from the cabins, the land angled down to a rock-rimmed lake. It was larger than Kelly had thought it would be and much more beautiful. Surrounded by mountain ridges thick with evergreens, which were in turn surrounded by snow-capped peaks, the lake sat like a sparkling diamond in a green velvet jewel box.

“This is gorgeous,” Kelly said, staring through the open car window. They drove beneath a sign that proclaimed GOLDEN LAKE RESORT. More buildings came into view. Larger than cabins, they sat separately. Each had a flagstone path leading to their entrances.

“That’s the main lodge with the dining room. By the way, the food is delicious here,” Barbara said, pointing to the largest building straight ahead. “Meeting rooms are there as well. And there are other cabins going up this road, too.” She pointed to a road beside the lake before pulling into a gravel parking area. “Let’s grab our stuff and head to the main lodge. Mimi and Burt have everything set up and waiting for us.”

Kelly grabbed her bag and exited the car with the other three women and Barbara. “Jennifer said there were hot pools sunken into the rocks. Where are they?”

Barbara lifted the SUV’s back gate. “They’re right up that same road with the cabins. See the cabins through the trees over there?” She pointed. “The pools are farther up that road where it’s higher. And the view is even prettier, if you can believe it.”

Kelly spied rustic cabin roofs peeking through the lodge-pole pines. “Boy, I can’t wait to start exploring. What’s on the agenda?”

Barbara lifted a cardboard box from the back of the SUV. “We’ve scheduled the class first, so we’ll have the rest of the day to relax and enjoy.”

Kelly grabbed another box as did the other two women and followed Barbara up the flagstone path leading to the lodge. An inviting front porch wrapped around the front and side of the building.

Burt appeared on the front steps and waved to them. “Right on time, folks. Mimi’s got everything all set up for us on the side porch. It’s shaded and has a beautiful view.”

“Better than what we’re looking at right now?” Kelly called out.

“Just as pretty,” Burt promised. “And Lynette, our other student, is already here. She arrived a few minutes ago.”

“Felting on the porch. That should be fun,” the woman behind Kelly said.

“And don’t forget the spa,” added the woman bringing up the rear.

Ohhhh, yeah. Kelly hadn’t forgotten the spa at all. She was counting on it.

 

 

 

“Okay, everyone. Let’s take inventory of our supplies,” Mimi directed as she stood at the head of a long worktable. Kelly and the three other women stood on both sides, and Barbara was stationed at the other end. The table itself was on a side wraparound porch that overlooked the cabins and trees dotting the hillside.

Burt hadn’t exaggerated about the view. Gazing into the evergreens surrounding the lodge was “just as pretty” as gazing at the lake. Kelly couldn’t wait to explore the grounds. Burt had teased that there were hiking trails. But first . . . the felting.

“Are we felting in these tubs?” one woman asked. “I thought you felted in a washing machine.”

“Normally, you do felt by using a washing machine. But each project is different,” Mimi replied. “There are only three things needed to felt. Heat, water, and agitation. Most knitted items will shrink down one-third or one-half from their original size. But some don’t need as much shrinkage as others. For instance, Kelly brought a knit hat that only needs to shrink maybe a half inch. That’s not a lot, so she’s better off using the small plastic tub and felting by hand with the sink plunger. That way she can control the shrinkage better.”

Kelly waved the knitted hat. “This hat is for my boyfriend, so I don’t want to screw it up.”

“Let’s take a look at everyone’s project. Every item felts differently. Then we’ll know whether you’ll be using the washing machine or the laundry tub. Stacy, you first.” Mimi gestured to the woman across the table from Kelly.

Stacy held up two large red wool mittens. “These are for my elementary-age nephews, so I’ll have to shrink them down.”

“That’s right, Stacy, so you’ll use the washer. Marianne, you knitted slippers and they’re pretty big, too.”

Marianne held up two enormous green wool slippers. “Jolly Green Giant size,” she remarked.