A Killer Stitch (24 page)

“Talk about death by chocolate,” Jennifer said as she wrapped her scarf around her neck.

Kelly stepped outside the brightly lit shop into the cold December evening. “How're you doing, Megan?” she asked as she wrapped her colorful chunky wool scarf around her neck.

“Remind me not to have Burt's wassail again,” Megan said. She snuggled into her fur collar.

Jennifer handed her a coffee cup. “Here, drink my coffee, Megan. Dilute Burt's brew.”

“Hey, what do you say we go caroling?” Lisa suggested, pulling on her gloves. “How about that neighborhood down the street?”

Steve slid his arm around Kelly's waist. “Sounds like fun, but can any of us sing?”

Laughter bounced around the circle as the sounds of holiday merriment spilled from the shop. “Great idea,” Marty said, zipping his ski jacket. “Maybe they'll be so pleased, they'll feed us.”

“Don't tell me you're still hungry!” Kelly exclaimed.

“Dude, you ate a half pound of fudge.”

“Marty plans to work his way through the entire neighborhood.”

“Actually I was thinking about Megan,” Marty said, glancing her way. “She could use something to go with that coffee.”

“I'm okay, really,” Megan chirped. “Coffee's working. I'll be able to warble with the rest of you guys.”

“We can take my car,” Kelly offered, pointing across the driveway to her car parked in front of the cottage. “I can fit five inside.”

“Okay, go fill up Kelly's car, then I'll take whoever's left,” Greg offered.

“Marty, you and Megan and Jennifer come with Steve and me, why don't you?” Kelly said, beckoning her friends as she headed across the driveway. Digging in her purse for her car keys, Kelly walked around to the driver's side and then stopped.

Her car looked different somehow. What was it? Kelly stared for a second. It was lower. That couldn't be. It must be the nighttime playing tricks on her. And then Kelly saw the tires. All four tires were flat. The rims were touching the ground. No wonder her car looked lower.

“What the hell…?” Kelly exclaimed, staring at the car.

“What's the matter?” Steve asked, coming up beside her.

“Look at that. Four flat tires! How can that be? Those tires are only six months old.”

“Whoa, that's weird,” Marty said. “You been doing any off-road driving?”

“That is strange,” Steve said as he bent to look at the back left wheel, then walked around the car, examining the others.

Greg joined him. “Yeah, all four at once. That's not an accident, Kelly.”

“Greg's right,” Steve said. “I'm guessing someone slashed your tires. No way all four would go flat at the same time like that.”

Kelly screwed up her face at the ugly suggestion. “You're kidding. Why would anyone do something like that? Especially now in the holidays.” Her hand jerked out in exasperation.

“Vandals never need an excuse,” Lisa said, shaking her head. “They were probably cutting across the golf course on the way to the shopping center and were looking for trouble.”

“Listen, why don't we take my SUV,” Greg suggested, pointing toward the café. “I'm parked right in front of Pete's. And we can all fit.”

“Damn!” Kelly muttered, still staring at her vandalized vehicle. “That's so mean.”

“Yeah, it is, Kelly,” Jennifer said. “But Lisa's right. Some people don't need an excuse.” Jennifer dug into her purse. “Here, have a piece of fudge. I was saving it for later. Now you can save me from myself.”

“Whoa, I smell chocolate,” Marty said as he and Megan followed Greg and Lisa.

Kelly kept staring at the car, refusing to be consoled.

“Hey, don't worry about it,” Steve said, pulling her closer. “I'll come over tomorrow and we'll get them all fixed.”

Kelly scowled at the hapless car for another moment before she allowed Steve to guide her toward Greg's SUV.

“We'd better start practicing,” Jennifer said as she climbed into the middle seat with Kelly and Steve. “That subdivision is right down the road.”

“Okay, how about ‘Jingle Bells'?” Megan suggested as she climbed into the rear seat with Marty's assistance.

“Remember, we don't have to be good. Just loud,” Marty added as he slammed the door.

“I can manage that,” Steve said, slipping his arm around Kelly's shoulders. “How about you, Kelly?”

“I guess,” she said with a dejected sigh.

“Here, Kelly, take the rest of the coffee.” Megan offered the cup over the seat. “You need it more than I do.”

Lisa started the holiday favorite, while Greg backed the oversized vehicle out of the driveway and into traffic.

Steve handed the cup to Kelly and snuggled closer. “Hey, coffee and carols. Can't do better than that, right?”

Kelly managed a small smile. The sound of her friends singing and Steve's warmth brought her back. She was surrounded by people she loved and cared about. She was surrounded by family. And she hadn't been this happy in years. There was no way Kelly would let some random act of vandalism ruin this happy holiday season.

“Oh, what fun it is to ride…” Kelly joined in the spirit of the moment, lifting her voice with the others, allowing the holiday merriment and off-key caroling to carry her along.

But in the pit of Kelly's stomach, there was a bad feeling that she just couldn't shake.

LEVEL:
Advanced beginner

SIZE:
approximately 6" × 60"

MATERIALS:
275 yards of Aran-weight yarn (for example: Rowan Scottish tweed Aran); US size 10 needles; cable needle or DP (doublepoint) needle

GAUGE:
3–4 stitches per inch

SPECIAL STITCHES:
“Cable 4”—slip the next two stitches to a cable needle or DP needle and hold in front; knit two stitches; knit two stitches from the cable or DP needle.

NOTE:
The width of this scarf can be easily adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of stitches within the [].

Cast on 28 stitches.

Rows 1–3: Knit.

Row 4: K3, P1, Cable 4, P1, [K10], P1, Cable 4, P1, K3.

Row 5: K4, P4, K1, [P10], K1, P4, K4.

Row 6: K3, P1, K4, P1, [K10], P1, K4, P1, K3.

Row 7: Repeat row 5.

Rows 4 through 7 establish the pattern. Repeat these four rows until scarf is the desired length.

Complete scarf with 3 rows of knitting.

Bind off purlwise.

(Pattern courtesy of Anita Meyer, LambShoppe Yarn & Coffee Bar, Denver, CO)

A large thick-bottomed pot is recommended, to keep the fudge from burning.

Line two 8" × 8" pans with aluminum foil. Grease lightly with
butter
(not oil or margarine).

Place marshmallow creme in pot over medium heat, then stir in evaporated milk, stirring slowly. Cut stick of butter into eight pieces and drop into simmering mixture. Stir in salt. Adjust heat to medium-high and add sugar, one-half cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Continue stirring as sugar mixture starts to bubble. Cook for
five minutes
, no more, STIRRING CONSTANTLY. I cannot emphasize this enough.

Remove from heat and immediately stir in the packages of semisweet chocolate chips/morsels, one package at a time, stirring vigorously. Add peppermint extract, stirring well until blended. Pour fudge into the two pans. Let cool on counter for several minutes, then place pans in fridge to set up and cool completely.

Makes two 8" × 8" pans of fudge.