Yarn Over Murder (A Knitting Mystery) (17 page)

“Wow, that’s a good hike from Diamond Rock campground out of the canyon. Did he have a car parked in Landport?”

“Nope. He said his friends picked him up Friday afternoon. So, he sure did need a little help. And, like I said, he looked like a nice guy. Told me he worked for one of the big insurance companies.” Arthur chuckled. “I had to laugh when he said that. Told him I bet he didn’t wear that KISS concert tee shirt to meet clients. Most insurance agents I know are kind of straightlaced sorts. We joked about that.”

Arthur’s comment caught Kelly’s attention right away.
A KISS concert tee shirt?
Jim Carson was wearing a tee shirt like that Saturday in the canyon, when they rescued Jayleen’s alpacas. Kelly’s little buzzer went off.

“Yeah, I see what you mean. Tell me, Arthur, what did he look like? Greg said he had a friend camping in the canyon that weekend, and he hasn’t heard word yet about how he got out.”

Arthur mused for a moment. “Well, he was tall, not overweight, had dark hair. It was late night, so there was no light of day to see all sorts of details. But I did get a close-up look at him while he was in my car.”

“Okay, I’ll pass that along to Greg. How old, mid-thirties, mid-twenties, older?

“Early forties, I’d say. He was in decent shape, too, so maybe he worked out.”

Kelly catalogued the description Arthur gave, and her little buzzer grew louder inside. Jim Carson looked to be that age, and from what Kelly could tell, Jim looked to be in decent shape. She thought she remembered Connie telling her that she and her husband belonged to a health club on the east side of town.

“Anything else you can recall? Something distinctive that Greg would recognize as his friend or not. Did he wear glasses or have a scar or an earring?”

Arthur chuckled. “Didn’t see any scars or earrings. But I did notice that he had a tattoo on his left forearm. Looked like a dragon. I couldn’t help but notice when he got into my car, and the light was on.”

This time Kelly’s buzzer became strident. She’d noticed a dragon tattoo on Jim’s forearm when he was helping load Jayleen’s alpacas into horse trailers the day of the wildfire.

But how could it be Jim? He told Burt he left the canyon while it was still light and arrived in Landport right before dark. Arthur left the canyon after eleven thirty, late that night. Why would Jim lie?

“Thanks, Arthur. That’s an identifying trait for sure. Greg will know right away if that guy is his friend. Did you drop him off in Fort Conner?”

“No, he got out in Landport. Said he had friends there.”

“By the way, do you know anyone who might have property near Andrea’s? Her place is down from yours on the river side, yellow house and corrals with alpacas.”

“Yes, I’ve seen it for years. Didn’t know her personally, though. I’ve got some old friends who live near there. Great people. Raised their kids there. Of course, they have grandchildren now. Kids come and visit regularly.” He peered at Kelly. “Why do you ask, Kelly? I sense there’s another reason for your question.”

Kelly grinned at him. “Now I know I’ve got to work on that transparency thing. I simply wanted to know if anyone had been hiking or camping or walking around the vicinity of Andrea’s property. Apparently there was a loud and heated argument that occurred there that evening. And considering that the police are now looking harder at anyone who was at her place that Saturday, I was curious if anyone overheard or saw something.

“I thought so. You’re sleuthing again, aren’t you?” He grinned at her. “I knew you were up to something with those questions.”

“I can’t help myself, Arthur,” she teased. “It’s the curious and skeptical accountant instinct.”

Arthur sobered quickly. “I certainly hope my neighbor Dennis hasn’t come under police suspicion. He’s rough and tough, but a sweet-natured guy at heart. Andrea was his ex-wife, and he wanted to get back together with her. I remember him saying that. Poor guy.”

Kelly weighed her words carefully. “Well, I can’t speak to what police are thinking, but they’ve questioned one of the clerks at Lambspun twice and are calling her in again. And, I heard that Dennis’s financial troubles caught the detective’s attention as well. Apparently he used some of Andrea’s money to pay the funeral home and hospital bills. And I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to keep that information private.”

Arthur stared back at her. “Of course, Kelly. And I’m really disturbed by that news. Dennis had financial troubles and hinted that he was having trouble paying his mortgage and some other bills. But I can certainly understand the reason he used his ex-wife’s money. Unfortunately, we cannot excuse it.” His brow furrowed, clearly concerned for his neighbor.

“I feel exactly the same way, Arthur. But the police have a much harder attitude when they look at someone. Because of that, Dennis has moved onto the police radar screen.”

“Good Lord! Are police investigating her death as a murder? I cannot believe that!”

“All I know is that police are looking into everything and everyone that had a close relationship with Andrea. So, those of us at Lampspun are worried about our friend Connie, who angrily confronted Andrea earlier that Saturday. Connie’s husband had left her for Andrea.” Kelly gave him a condensed version of events.

Afterwards, Arthur sank back into his chair and stared wide-eyed at Kelly. “Good Lord in Heaven! I cannot believe my ears! This sounds like some . . . some soap opera on television. Unbelievable.”

Kelly gave him a rueful smile. “I know what you mean, Arthur. It’s a soap opera all right. Alas, the characters aren’t actors, but real people we know and consider friends.”

Arthur had no reply. He simply stared out the window of his office toward the foothills, smoking no longer.

Thursday, June 28

Kelly
pushed open the heavy front door of Lambspun and stepped inside. The cool air-conditioning felt good. It was going to be close to one hundred degrees
again
. Yet another brutally hot day in northern Colorado. Thank goodness the nasty wind that whipped up the wildfire and spread it to several canyon locations had finally left this week. The firefighters that were working on the High Park fire had finally gotten it 75 percent contained, according to news reports this morning. The capricious wind had shifted to Colorado Springs to bedevil the firefighters’ efforts on the Waldo Canyon fire there. Over six hundred of the eighteen hundred firefighters had gone to fight that horrible fire.

Rosa walked into the foyer, holding two new knitted garments to hang in the entryway, tempting knitters to try them. “Hey, Kelly, you just missed Mimi. Detective Dan called Connie again and said they wanted her to come to the police department to answer more questions. So Mimi called Burt, and he said to take Connie to see a lawyer he knows who does pro bono work.” Rosa’s dark eyes showed her concern.

“Wow! So early in the morning?” Kelly said, glancing at her watch. “It’s only ten after nine. She headed toward the main room and dropped her briefcase on the library table.

“I’d say it’s about time Connie got legal help. We’re all worried about her. Police keep asking her questions, so it’s clear they’re suspicious of her. Burt figured Connie had better have an attorney with her when she talks to the police again. And I’m relieved Burt suggested a good lawyer. Connie’s definitely a suspect.”

“It sure looks that way,” Kelly said sadly. “
Damn!
If only she hadn’t gone back into the canyon a third time. She was following us out of the canyon then turned off. Why would she confront Andrea again? I cannot figure some people out.”

Rosa leaned against the table and folded her arms. Her dark hair was wrapped into an upswept style and held together with an old-fashioned hair comb. “Connie is compulsive, at least with anything to do with her husband. They’ve gone through breakups before, but Connie begs and pleads with him to come back home.” She shook her head. “It always sounded to me like Jim really wanted to leave her, but she’d make such a scene he’d give in. Of course, Connie would always be convinced that everything was just fine again, when it really wasn’t. It was clear that Jim wanted to leave her. But Connie refused to see it. Meanwhile, she kept papering over their problems instead of solving them. Marriage counseling never seemed to work for long.”

“That’s so sad. The Saturday of the fire, it was clear even to strangers Connie was deluding herself about their relationship.”

“Personally, I think Connie should have been in individual counseling. That would be the only way for her to learn the reasons for her actions. She’s always been jealous of Jim. Really possessive.”

“Mimi said Jim developed a wandering eye after a few years of their marriage. That’s enough to set off alarms for a jealous woman.”

Rosa nodded. “I’m sure that’s it. I’ve heard her talk about how women at parties always come up to talk to Jim. If she’d had some counseling maybe she could have learned to deal with that without blowing up.”

“Wise advice, Rosa. Lisa told me she also suggested counseling to Connie years ago. I wish Connie had listened to you both, then maybe all of this wouldn’t be happening.”

Rosa gave a dismissive wave. “Oh, Connie doesn’t listen to anybody when it comes to personal things. She’s stubborn as the day is long.”

Kelly smiled. She hadn’t heard that old saying since her aunt Helen was alive. “The days are summer-long now, that’s for sure. The summer solstice has just passed.”

The sound of the shop phone ringing from up front sounded then. “Talk to you later, Kelly. Gotta get that,” Rosa said as she left the room.

Time for coffee, Kelly decided, and grabbed her mug, then headed for the café, where she settled at the table beside the windows. Kelly had wanted to talk to Mimi about her sweater project, but that would have to wait for Mimi to return. Meanwhile, accounts beckoned. Kelly popped open her laptop and prepared to disappear into the numbers as Julie refilled her coffee mug.

•   •   •

Immersed
in her clients’ accounting spreadsheets, Kelly almost jumped when her cell phone rang. She hoped it was Burt returning her call, but Jayleen’s name and number flashed instead. “Hey, there, Jayleen. Have you heard yet when you and the other Belleveue canyon residents can return to your homes?”

“Yes, we have. At last! We’ve all been pestering the authorities every time we see them at those meetings, and they finally gave us the word. Bellevue Canyon Road will be opened at five p.m. tonight. Thank the Lord.”

“Oh, Jayleen, I’m so happy for you! Please let us know tomorrow how it looks. You’ll be too busy tonight.”

“I sure will, Kelly. Right now, I’m itching to get up there.”

“Keep picturing your ranch, Jayleen. See yourself driving up the gravel road with the ranch house up ahead. As a matter of fact, I’ve been doing it, too.” Kelly took a deep sip of her hot coffee. Inside the air-conditioning, she could tolerate the heat.

“Lordy, Kelly-girl, you and Curt are a pair.” She chuckled.

“What’s Curt up to? Still helping build his neighbors’ fences?”

“He’s gone over to the Ranch shelter to see if they need supplies. I’m packing up some stuff in case we want to stay up in the canyon.”

“You might not want to, right away. I’ve heard stories of food spoiling in freezers and dripping through onto the floors.”

“I know. I’m planning on taking up more cleaning supplies. I’m gonna get started on it right away.”

“Well, give us a call, and we’ll bring a cleaning crew.”

“You folks are unbelievable, you know that?”

“We’re all trying to help out any way we can. Heck, I’m even knitting a sweater for Mimi’s charity evacuee project.”

Jayleen let out her rowdy guffaw. It was good to hear her laugh. Kelly hadn’t had much to laugh about ever since the High Park wildfire started nearly two weeks ago.

“Good Lord, girl! I can’t believe you’re knitting wool in this heat.”

“I almost said the same thing when Mimi suggested it. But she reminded me that when winter comes, the evacuees will need winter clothing of all kinds. So many of them lost their homes, especially in those Glacier View and Whale Rock subdivisions. Fire authorities said that most of the homes were burned to the ground. They’re uninhabitable.”

Jayleen’s voice became somber. “Poor folks. My heart goes out to them. I imagine lots of us will be contributing things they can wear. That reminds me. Tell Mimi I’ll be glad to donate a big bag of wool fleece for sweaters if she finds the knitters.”

“Oh, I think Mimi would love that. I’m in the café now working. I’ll tell her as soon as I see her.”

“Thanks. That would help me out. It seems I’m on the phone more these last two weeks than at any other time in my life. Have mercy.”

Kelly had to smile. Listening to Jayleen’s voice somehow helped her bring back memories of her aunt Helen. She was an earthy sort, too. “By the way, Mimi took Connie out to speak with a lawyer this morning. Burt told me Connie is on police radar big-time.”

“Lord, Lord . . .” Jayleen released a sigh. “This morning is filled with bad news. I got a call from Dennis earlier, and he told me the police are considering charging him with misdemeanor theft. I tell you, Kelly, that has me seriously worried. We all know Dennis acted out of good intentions. He didn’t have money for those bills, but he felt obligated to pay his ex-wife’s hospital and funeral bills. But instead of coming to me or one of his other friends in the canyon, he made a stupid mistake and used Andrea’s money. No one would have caught it if the police didn’t happen to be investigating Andrea’s death right then. Of course, his good intentions don’t change the fact that he used money that wasn’t his. That’s still illegal.”

“What’s even more worrisome is the police may look at Dennis more closely as a suspect now. He acted out of desperation, that’s for sure. The police may think that drove him to the desperate act of stealing from his ex-wife. And, perhaps . . . something worse.”

“Oh, Lord . . . that could happen. Police might think Dennis was after Andrea’s money as a way to rescue himself. I remember how crushed he looked when he learned that Andrea was serious about Jim Carson. I’m sure the police learned about that situation, too.”

Kelly heard the beep on Jayleen’s phone indicating another call was coming in. “I think you’ve got a call, Jayleen. We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Thanks, Kelly. Keep me posted,” Jayleen said, then clicked off.

Kelly drained her coffee mug and was debating getting a refill. She would definitely be working in the shop all day today to stay out of the heat. And that meant having one of Eduardo’s wonderful lunches. She was toying between a chicken and walnut salad and a salmon salad when she saw Burt walk into the back door not far from where she sat.

“Hey, Burt. So glad you came in. I’ve wanted to talk with you about something I learned yesterday.”

“Sorry I didn’t get back to you, Kelly,” Burt said as he walked over to her table. “I was submerged doing stuff and helping move some evacuees into a house they found to rent. Of course my phone ran out of juice last night, and I didn’t even notice till morning. This afternoon I’ll be over at the Landport evacuee shelter, helping over there. I just talked to Mimi as I drove over and she caught me up on the Connie project, as she calls it.”

“Wow, Burt, you put all the rest of us to shame. You deserve a super volunteer medal or something.”

“Simply trying to be useful. That’s the thing about retirement. If you don’t get involved in things that are important to you, you won’t last long. You’ll probably die of boredom.” He gestured to her. “C’mon, let’s grab some iced coffee. I figure you’ve learned something you want to share about Andrea’s investigation, so let’s go outside where there’s some privacy under the trees.”

“Sounds good. As long as there’s a shady table. That heat is brutal out there even though it’s only late morning.” Kelly rose and followed Burt to the grill counter.

Waitress Julie was lifting two sandwich orders to her tray. “Hey, you two. What can I get for you?”

“Two iced coffees, please, Julie,” Burt said. “We’ll be outside, in the shade hopefully.”

“Sure, let me get those for you now.” She quickly poured iced coffee into their empty mugs.

“Listen, if all those shady tables are taken, we may have to beat someone up and grab their table. Jungle law.”

Julie laughed. “Hurry on out. I gave the check to a couple under the cottonwood tree a minute ago. They should be gone soon.”

“Ooh, let’s scurry, Burt,” Kelly said, heading for the front door.

“You scurry, I’ll walk,” he called behind her.

Kelly rushed through the front door and skipped down the steps. The coveted shady table beneath the cottonwood tree was still empty. She tried to ignore the sun’s heat and escaped into the shade. Unfortunately, even in the shade it was hot. You just couldn’t escape heat this intense. Thank goodness there was really low humidity. Kelly didn’t want to think of these temperatures
with
high humidity. It would be suffocating.

“First, catch me up on what happened at the lawyer’s office. Did Mimi stay with Connie during the appointment? Or did Connie want to be alone?”

“Connie actually was glad Mimi had come along, I think. Mimi has a calming presence. Mimi said she kept patting Connie’s hand throughout the interview.”

“Mother Mimi’s reassuring pats,” Kelly said with a smile.

“You bet. They work, too.”

“Did Connie feel better after talking with the lawyer?”

Burt nodded. “She thanked Mimi for taking her, too. At least Connie knows she won’t be alone when she goes to talk with the police again, which might be this afternoon or tomorrow morning, from what Dan said.”

“Jayleen called and said that Dennis is really worried the police may charge him with theft. Now Jayleen and I are worried. Did Dan let on what he was thinking?”

“I asked about Dennis, and he said they were considering charging Dennis with theft. Now, tell me what you learned yesterday when you spoke with Arthur Housemann. Your phone message said you’d learned something new about that Saturday.”

Kelly could feel the sun’s rays beating down even though there was a canopy of thick leaves overhead. The heat shimmered in the air like it had yesterday, so she sought to give Burt the quickest version she could manage so they could escape back into the air-conditioning.

“Okay, here goes. I’ll talk fast because this heat is bad even under the trees.”

“You young folk are sissies. You’re spoiled by that air-conditioning. We didn’t have it when I was growing up, and we played outside all the time in the summer.” He gave her a wicked grin.

“Yeah, and you kids walked through three feet of snow barefoot to school every day, too,” Kelly teased back.

“What did you learn from Housemann?”

“Okay, we were talking about that night the fire spread into Poudre Canyon. Arthur said he and the other neighbors were concerned earlier in the day because the smoke was building. His wife drove out that afternoon because she has asthma and the air was getting bad. Arthur stayed and kept watch. When fire crossed the ridge near Poudre Park, volunteer firemen ordered everyone out of the lower canyon. Arthur drove off about eleven thirty that night, he said. Roads were jammed. Some people were hiking out. He saw a guy walking by the road, coughing from the smoke and with no water bottle. So he gave him a ride. The guy said his camping friends headed west out of the canyon toward Walden, so he started walking back to Landport. Arthur said he looked like a nice guy and was wearing a KISS concert tee shirt. Arthur dropped him off in Landport.” Kelly looked Burt in the eyes. “Jim Carson was wearing a KISS concert shirt that Saturday, so naturally I got suspicious.”

Burt’s good-natured grin was gone, and he looked at Kelly. “The fact that it was the same shirt isn’t enough to make me believe that guy was Jim Carson.”