Skein of the Crime (24 page)

She and Jennifer knitted quietly for a few minutes. Different thoughts darted about Kelly’s mind, but one image lingered. She glanced over her shoulders to see if customers were browsing nearby. No one in sight.

“Steve and I had a fight last night,” she said softly.

Jennifer glanced up. “What about?”

Kelly let out an aggravated breath. “He was all over my case because I missed one of his last-minute phone calls again because I didn’t hear my phone ring. I was over at Mimi’s and Burt’s. If he would call earlier, there’d be no problem. But he swears he doesn’t know until the last minute.” She frowned. “It’s so frustrating.”

“Well, I’m sure it’s frustrating for him, too. That’s why he snapped at you. I’m assuming he snapped.”

“Oh, he did more than snap. He went all sarcastic on me. When I told him I couldn’t carry the phone around with me all the time, he asked if I’d heard of pockets.”

Jennifer smiled as she continued knitting. “That’s pretty funny.”

Kelly snorted. “Not at the time. It was annoying as all get out and made me mad.”

“So you snapped.”

“No, I didn’t, as a matter of fact. I simply suggested he call earlier before I go out in the evening. I don’t sit at home all alone at night, and he knows it.” She exhaled a loud sigh. “Then he asked where I’d been, and I told him I was at Mimi’s and Burt’s talking about stuff. When he pushed, I told him I was checking things for Tommy since he was in med school. You know . . . the whole story.”

“Oh, yeah. And I’m sure Steve understood, right?”

Kelly caught Jennifer’s teasing tone. “Ohhhh, yeah. He was angry. He couldn’t believe I was out sleuthing around, helping other people when
he
needed my help. That’s exactly what he said.” She let out an impatient breath, then took a deep drink of coffee.

Jennifer glanced up in concern. “Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh is right.” Kelly set the mug on the table with a thump. “That’s when I said he wouldn’t
let
me help him. And that’s when he
really
got mad. He refused to talk about it and stalked out of the kitchen.”

“And you said . . . ?”

“I told him it was stupid to be exhausting himself working that second job when he could borrow money to get through this rough time. If he didn’t want to take it from me, he could borrow it from Curt.”

Kelly took another drink of coffee, trying to wash away the taste and memory of those angry words from last night. But they were stronger than caffeine. When she didn’t say anything for a minute, Jennifer prodded.

“What happened then?”

Kelly shrugged. “He announced he was sleeping on the sofa. So I gave him a beer and the cookies I’d saved for him, then took my laptop into the bedroom. And that was that. He was already gone this morning when I got up.”

Jennifer returned to her knitting. “Everything you said is true, Kelly. And Steve knows that. That’s probably why he got so mad. You hit a nerve.”

“Yeah, well, he hit some, too.”

“Try not to dwell on it. It’s only natural you two are going to have some friction. He’s under a lot of pressure right now, and that puts pressure on you.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m getting tired of hearing that. I’ve bent over backwards trying to be understanding, and he jumps all over me. Frustrating doesn’t begin to describe it.” She glanced at her watch. “I’d better go over to the café. I told Patty I’d meet her there.”

Jennifer checked her watch and shoved her knitting into her oversized bag. “I’d better check in at the office. There are a few more listings now, so I should check them out.”

Kelly headed toward the central yarn room, Jennifer beside her. “Has Pete made those brownies for the party yet? I’d like to snitch one if I can.”

“Too late. Brownies were made, wrapped, and left for Jayleen to pick up yesterday. I think Pete did them at night so none of us would be tempted. Marty probably would have left his law office early if he knew brownies were in the vicinity.” Jennifer pulled her phone from her bag. “Take care, Kelly. Try not to let it get to you.”

“That’s why I wanted the brownies. Chocolate always helps with frustration.”

Kelly headed down the hallway. Scanning the café when she entered, she selected a small side table in the alcove. It was quieter there.

Waving her empty mug at the waitress, Julie, Kelly settled into a straight-backed chair and returned to her knitting. Now that she’d learned how to felt, the irresistible urge to do it again took over. Since she’d become reasonably proficient knitting hats, it was a natural choice. She’d felted Steve’s knitted hat and it came out really well. Now, she’d try it for herself.

Julie refilled her coffee, and Kelly picked up her stitches and knitted peacefully for a few moments until she spotted Patty approaching.

“Hey, sit down and relax.” Kelly gestured to a chair. “You sound hurried.”

Patty dropped her backpack and sank into the chair across from Kelly. “I’ve been running errands, but that’s not what’s bothering me.” She leaned forward over her folded arms. “I heard something this morning that really bothered me, Kelly. And . . . and I don’t know what to make of it. It’s about Holly.”

Kelly let her knitting drop to her lap. “What did you hear?”

“I spotted one of my friends I don’t get to see too often. She went to school with Tommy and Holly and me. Anyway, it turns out she was at the same party that night. I don’t remember seeing her there, but it was so crowded it was hard to find people. Anyway, Francesca wanted to know how Tommy was doing since she had been out of town for the funeral. I said not good. He was still trying to find some peace of mind about it all. Then I asked Francesca if she remembered seeing Holly at the party and if she noticed who Holly was talking to.”

“Did she?”

“She said she saw Holly standing outside on the lawn when she arrived. Francesca joked with Holly, saying she was coming and Holly was going. Holly said she was ‘pretty drunk’ already. Francesca asked if Tommy was coming to pick her up.” Patty’s voice dropped dramatically. “And Holly told her Tommy was studying in Denver, but his mother was coming to pick her up. Then she laughed, kind of funny-like.”

Kelly stared at Patty, totally surprised by the remark. “What was that again?”

“That’s pretty much what I said, Kelly. So I asked Francesca if she actually saw Barbara pick up Holly. And she said she did. She recognized Barbara from her doctor’s office. Apparently Barbara works for the same doctor Francesca goes to.” Patty shook her head. “I thought she was mistaken, but Francesca said she even recognized Barbara’s car. It’s an old black Honda with a Broncos sticker on the back fender.”

Kelly tried to picture capable, protective Barbara playing taxi service for drunken and maybe drugged-out Holly. Had Tommy asked her to be on chauffeur duty since he couldn’t? What did she do with Holly? Did Barbara take Holly back to her apartment and drive away? The vagrant, Malcolm, said he saw a man with Holly that night on the river trail. Did Holly call her Greeley boyfriend, Eddie, to pick her up at her apartment? Is that how she wound up on the trail?

“Barbara’s never said anything about picking up Holly that night.”

“I know. That’s what’s so strange.” Patty lowered her voice. “I mean, do you think Tommy asked his mom to pick up Holly and take her home? Maybe Holly wandered off again. I mean, she said she was drunk already. Maybe Barbara started arguing with Holly, and Holly left.”

“Or wandered off when Barbara wasn’t looking.” Kelly picked up the imaginary thread. “Maybe Barbara felt guilty about letting Holly slip away. Holly must have called the guy from Greeley to pick her up. Remember, that guy sleeping beneath the trees saw a man with Holly that night.”

Patty’s eyes lit up. “You’re right! That’s gotta be what happened, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know, but Holly wound up on the trail later on with a guy, so she must have called him. Either she was at her own apartment or slipped away from Barbara.”

“No wonder Barbara never admitted she picked up Holly that night.”

“Or maybe she did,” Kelly countered. “And maybe Tommy didn’t want his mom to be questioned by the police.”

Patty tapped her half-polished fingernail on the table. “My friend Francesca is pretty solid. So I believe her. Are you going to ask Barbara about it?”

“I’ll mention it to Burt first and see what he says. He and Mimi have known Barbara for years. I’ll let him talk to her. Someone should ask her about that night.”

“Well, I’m not about to do it. Barbara can be pretty intimidating. If she likes you, she’s all nice and smiley. If she doesn’t, well, she can be pretty cold.” Patty grabbed her backpack and rose from the chair. “Listen, I’ve got to get to my steakhouse job. Let me know what you learn, okay?”

“Will do, Patty. See you later.”

Kelly watched Patty walk away, then stared out into the café again, pondering the various scenarios she and Patty had invented.

Had Barbara taken Holly to her house or to Holly’s apartment? Had Barbara told Tommy she helped Holly that night? Or, did she keep quiet, afraid of being blamed by her son for Holly’s death?

Kelly picked up her half-finished hat again. Meanwhile, puzzling questions buzzed inside Kelly’s brain like pesky mosquitoes in summer. Where did Barbara take Holly? If she took her to her house, why didn’t she keep an eye on Holly? Did they have an argument? Holly told Francesca she was already drunk. Did Barbara simply dump Holly at her apartment to sleep it off?

Slip, wrap, slide. Kelly’s stitches formed rhythmically on the needle. One row, then another. Holly’s boyfriend Eddie had to be the one who picked up Holly and gave her the pills. Did he panic when he saw Holly’s reaction to the narcotics? Is that why he took her to the river trail? Maybe he simply dumped Holly there to sleep it off. Only Holly didn’t wake up.

Kelly checked the width of the hat. She needed to knit at least another two inches or more. It was different to knit something you intended to felt. You had to intentionally make the item bigger than needed. She’d lucked out with Steve’s hat. It had only been a little bit too large, so it didn’t need to shrink much. But Kelly wanted to make this hat bigger and see how it felted.

Starting another row, Kelly noticed one of the buzzing insect thoughts was more persistent than the others. So she kept knitting, knowing it would eventually buzz close enough for her to capture.

Something about the pills. What was it? Eddie must have given Holly the pills. If Holly had gotten the pills from someone at the party, then she would be showing signs of an overdose when Barbara picked her up. And Barbara would have definitely known something was wrong. Barbara was a nurse, after all. She would have taken Holly to the hospital. So, it had to be Eddie. And he dumped Holly on the trail when he saw her reaction.

Slip, wrap, slide
. Kelly started another row. Something was missing. What was it? The annoying thought buzzed closer. What was it about that scenario that didn’t fit? She knitted another row, then another. Finally the little thought buzzed close enough.

The pills
. The detective said it would take at least eight or ten of those narcotic pain pills to cause death in someone who wasn’t used to them. The respiratory system would keep slowing down until it eventually stopped, and the person died. Why would Eddie give Holly that many pills? Surely he didn’t want her to overdose and die. Was he so drugged out himself he simply dumped a bunch of pills in her hand?

That didn’t make sense to Kelly. Everything she’d heard about Eddie made him sound like he was into drugs for the money he could make selling, not the high.

Kelly knitted another row, then checked the width. Getting closer. She slid a finished stitch off the left needle onto the right one. And then another, letting the peacefulness settle over her. Ideas always came to her when she “knit on it.”

Something was bothering her about the elaborate scenario she’d just created in her imagination. It didn’t make sense that Eddie would deliberately or accidentally give Holly too many pills. But Eddie had to be the one who provided the pills, didn’t he? After all, if Holly had gotten them from the party, Barbara would have noticed her reaction.

Slip, wrap, slide
.
Slip, wrap, slide
. Slip the right needle into the stitch on the left needle, wrap the yarn around the needle, then slide the stitch from the left to the right needle. Slip, wrap, slide. Over and over as one row after another formed. Again and again. Then, from the back of Kelly’s mind another little thought buzzed. This one hovered right in front of her eyes.

Kelly stopped knitting and stared at her yarn. That last thought brought a chill with it. Surely her imagination must be working on overdrive. Barbara wouldn’t kill Holly. She’d watched Holly grow up. Had provided a second home for Holly. She had no reason.

Yes, she did
, another chilly thought insisted.
The best reason a mother could have. She needed to protect Tommy. Holly was a threat to Tommy and his future. She was manipulative and self-destructive. Barbara said so herself. Tommy would never become a doctor if Holly stayed in his life.

Kelly let that sink in. Barbara had insinuated that, hadn’t she? They all heard her pleas to Tommy not to “throw his life away,” grieving over Holly. Was that possible? Was Barbara so afraid of Holly’s hold on Tommy that she’d commit murder to set Tommy free?

That thought was colder than all the rest. Kelly made herself consider it. She couldn’t assume anything. What if Barbara snapped? Kelly had wondered earlier if Tommy snapped. Constant pressure and manipulation from Holly proved too much. Well . . . the same thing could have happened to Barbara. Holly knew Tommy was studying in Denver, and yet she still had the nerve to call up and ask for a ride. Maybe that was the last straw for Barbara. Hadn’t she said Holly was on a self-destructive path and would come to a bad end eventually? Maybe Barbara decided to have “eventually” come that Friday night.