Dropped Dead Stitch (25 page)

Kelly’s thoughts began to race once more as another scenario formed in her mind.

What if Greta was lying?
What if she had just come from confronting Cal Everett? Did she slip through the dark to find a drunken Cal Everett on the deck? Did she deliberately push Cal over the railing? Or, maybe . . . maybe she simply slipped up behind the drunken Everett and helped him over the rail.

Was that why Greta had been acting so depressed and agitated these last few weeks? She wasn’t grieving over her sister again. She’d killed a man.

Kelly forced her thoughts to slow and let that scenario play in front of her eyes again, looking for things that didn’t make sense.
Was that possible?
There had to be some reason Greta was seeing her therapist several times a week. Something was bothering her. They’d all assumed it was a return of guilt about her sister’s suicide. Maybe this time, Greta’s guilt was her own.

There was another question Kelly had to ask, but she had to work around it first.

“I was told that Dr. Norcross heard a truck engine in the middle of the night and got up to check it out. Apparently she saw Everett and that rancher Bill what’s-his-name in the barnyard. Did you or Greta hear anything that night? It sounds like police are looking at this rancher guy more closely.”

“Really?” Edie asked, glancing up. “Well, I didn’t hear any truck engine but I think Greta heard something. I woke up and saw her standing in the open doorway. I’m a light sleeper, and I heard the door opening. So, I turned on the lamp beside the bed and saw her in the doorway, looking out.”

Kelly paused before asking her next question. “Do you remember if Greta was wearing her clothes or was she in her pajamas?”

Edie peered at Kelly. “Hmmmm, that’s a weird question.”

“I was just wondering if she’d gotten up to investigate the noise.”

Edie closed her eyes, as if remembering. “You know, I think she was dressed. Yeah, she was wearing that green Colorado State University sweatshirt.”

Kelly’s heart skipped a beat. “Interesting. Did she say anything else?”

“No, only that she’d heard a noise.”

Her mind racing a mile a minute now, Kelly glanced at her watch. She needed to call Lisa. Gathering up the knitted vest, Kelly shoved it into her bag and rose to leave.

“Whoa, sorry, Edie, I just remembered a client call I’ve gotta make before ten this morning. So, I have to run. Your gauge swatch looks fine to me. Check it with the ruler on the table, and you’ll be good to go.”

“Great, thanks, Kelly,” Edie said as she put her swatch on the table.

“Take it easy,” Kelly called as she raced from the room. Digging out her cell phone as she sped to Lambspun’s front door, she punched in Lisa’s number, hoping to catch her between appointments and classes.

“Whoa, am I glad I caught you,” she said when Lisa answered.

“You sound excited.”

“
Excited
isn’t exactly the word, but my instincts are on hyperdrive, and my little warning buzzers are ringing like mad.”

“What’s up?”

Kelly took a deep breath and launched in. “I just finished talking with Edie here at the shop. She was Greta’s roommate at the retreat. Remember, she said Greta woke her up in the middle of Saturday night standing at the cabin doorway.”

“Yeeeaaah . . .” Lisa replied in a careful tone.

“Well, she went on to say that she and Greta had a sharing session that Friday night after the campfire. And Greta revealed that her sister Bonnie was raped.” Kelly paused for Lisa’s reaction.

Lisa sucked in her breath.
“No!”

“Oh, yes. That’s got to be why Bonnie committed suicide. And, that’s why that weekend was so traumatic for Greta.”

“Oh, my God, yes! Poor Greta.”

“Well, it gets more complicated. Edie repeated Greta’s account of her sister’s assault. Apparently a guy followed Bonnie home after meeting her in a bar in Fort Connor. Told her she’d left something at the bar, then forced his way in and raped her.”

Kelly heard Lisa’s slow intake of breath.

“She even said ‘just like Jennifer.’ ” Kelly paused.

“Oh, no . . .”

“Yes. I think Greta heard Jen’s story and put two and two together and came up with Cal Everett.”

Lisa paused again. “Kelly . . . you can’t be thinking—”

“You bet I am. Edie even told me Greta was dressed in her clothes in the middle of the night. That was after they had gone to bed earlier.”

“Oh, no . . .”

“Oh, yes. I think Greta decided to confront Cal Everett Saturday night after everyone was asleep. Edie told me Greta said she wanted to ‘hold the man accountable’ who attacked her sister and tell him he caused Bonnie’s death.”

“Oh, God, she didn’t . . .”

“I think she did, Lisa. As soon as I heard what Edie said, it started to make sense. Greta’s been agitated and withdrawn ever since the retreat. We thought it was a recurrence of her depression over her sister’s suicide, but I think it was the enormous guilt over her own actions.”

“Kelly, you can’t be serious!” Lisa protested. “Greta couldn’t kill anyone. Not even Cal Everett.”

“I’m not saying she did it on purpose. I think she went to confront him like she’d obviously pictured doing, and things got out of hand. Maybe they had a fight. Maybe she got mad and pushed him out of anger. He was so drunk, it wouldn’t take much for him to fall over the rail.”

“Kelly, I don’t think Greta could do that . . .”

“Lisa, accidents happen all the time. And look at Greta. She’s obviously wrestling with some enormous problem, right?”

“Right.”

“Accidentally causing someone’s death would cause a huge burden of guilt, don’t you think?”

“God, yes.”

“Well, that’s what I think Greta’s grappling with now. And I think we can help her. We need to talk to her as soon as possible. Today, if we can.”

“Oh, Kelly . . . I don’t know if we should.”

“Lisa, I sense she’s desperately calling out for help with these behaviors of hers. Wouldn’t you rather we talk to her first and see if she’ll open up and tell us what happened? Because the police are going to question her anyway. I mean, now that I’ve heard what Edie said, I have to tell Detective Peterson. I can’t conceal information. You know that.”

“I know, I know, I’m just not sure. Even if Greta did go out to confront Everett, maybe that’s all she did. Maybe she said her piece, and he was so drunk he couldn’t even talk straight. Maybe he simply sat and stared at her, and nothing happened.”

Kelly considered that. “Maybe that’s exactly what happened. And if so, then that’s what Greta will tell us. Then she’ll have to tell Detective Peterson. Because right now, she’s concealing information from the police. Not only once, but twice, by not admitting she spoke with Everett that night. That’s serious, Lisa. She needs to come clean. No matter what happened.”

“You’re right.”

“Is there any time when she’s free? Do you know her schedule?”

Lisa paused. “Actually, she and I are meeting this afternoon to go over some research results. Maybe you could come over then. We’ll be in a secluded office. Room number four zero two, Clark Building.”

“What time?”

“Why don’t you come over at two thirty? That’ll give Greta and me some time first.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Oh, God, this is so awful.”

“Yes, it is, Lisa, but it will only get worse and worse the longer Greta takes to tell the truth. Whatever happened that Saturday night at the retreat, she’s got to come clean.”

 

 

Kelly
hurried up the fourth-floor steps of the Clark Building, situated at the heart of the university campus. Empty classrooms lined the hallway as her footsteps echoed down the corridor. The academic year was finished, exams completed, graduations done, and nobody was home. No one except dedicated graduate students and professors still doing their research. The summer session would start the following week. Until then, the university was quiet.

Spotting the office Lisa mentioned, Kelly gave a quick knock, heard Lisa’s voice, and entered.

“Hey, there, I thought I’d stop by for a few minutes,” she said with a big smile as she crossed the room. Lisa and Greta were seated beside each other at a large desk, papers spread out over the top. Greta looked surprised by Kelly’s sudden appearance. Lisa looked subdued.

“Hi, Kelly. Have a seat,” Lisa said, indicating the chair across the desk from them.

“Hey, Kelly,” Greta said, looking at her curiously.

Kelly settled in the chair and took a sip from her takeout coffee with the familiar logo on the cup. “How’s the research stuff going?”

“Umm, okay, I guess,” Greta said, darting a quizzical glance to Lisa. Lisa was staring at the chart in front of her.

Kelly set her coffee cup aside and leaned both arms on the desk. She’d never had much patience for beating around the bush. Her natural instincts were to come directly to the point. She followed her instincts now.

“Greta, you probably wonder why I interrupted your meeting.”

Greta looked at her, brown eyes wide. “Yeah, kind of.”

“I came because Lisa and I care about you. And we’ve both been concerned about the obvious distress you’ve experienced ever since we returned from the retreat in Poudre Canyon.”

Greta’s gaze turned wary. “I—I don’t know what you mean.”

Lisa turned and placed her hand on Greta’s arm. “Greta, you’ve scheduled therapy appointments nearly every day with Dr. Norcross. Now, that wasn’t the case before the retreat weekend. And ever since then, your entire personality has changed. You’re withdrawn, depressed—”

“I’m—I’m just tired, that’s all,” Greta protested.

“It’s more than being tired, Greta,” Lisa pressed. “A blind man can see it with a cane. Something happened at the retreat that upset you greatly.”

“You’re exaggerating. Nothing happened,” Greta said, jerking her arm away.

“I think it was listening to all the women share their stories of sexual assault that upset you, wasn’t it, Greta?” Kelly offered.

Greta darted an anxious look to Kelly but said nothing. Kelly took that as an opening and leaned forward a little more.

“Lisa learned about your sister’s suicide,” Kelly said in a gentle voice. “That was tragic and heartbreaking.”

Greta’s head jerked up like a puppet master had pulled her string. “How—how did you . . .”

“Your friend Mary told me,” Lisa explained softly. “She’s concerned about you, too.”

“And I spoke with your roommate from the retreat, Edie. She told me you shared what happened to your sister Bonnie. The ugly assault that led to her death.”

Greta’s eyes became huge as she stared from Kelly to Lisa and back again. She said nothing.

“It must have been horrible for you to sit through all those women’s stories of their assaults. Similar stories,” Kelly continued softly. “Especially Jennifer’s story. So like what happened to your sister. And it must have been a shock for you to learn that her attacker was none other than Cal Everett, the very man who had welcomed us all earlier.”

Greta visibly paled as she stared at Kelly. She still didn’t say anything, seemingly entranced by Kelly’s words.

“Is that when you figured it out?” Kelly asked. “Listening to Jennifer tell us how the man followed her home, forced himself into her apartment, and attacked her. You realized Cal Everett was the same man who assaulted your sister.”

Greta hastily looked away, then nodded.

Kelly caught Lisa’s glance. “You wanted to confront him, didn’t you, Greta? Force him to face what he’d done to Bonnie. He was the reason she took her life.”

Greta glanced back to them, then clasped her hands on the table in front of her, staring down.

Kelly could feel the turmoil churning inside Greta. It was palpable. She fairly radiated conflict. “That’s why you went to see Cal Everett late that night,” Kelly continued.

Greta’s head jerked up at that. Fear in her eyes, unmistakable. “Why—why would you say that?”

Kelly leaned forward even more and looked directly into Greta’s eyes. “Greta, your roommate Edie told me you woke her up when you opened the door to the cabin. And you were dressed in your clothes, not your pajamas. That was because you’d been to see Everett.”

Greta glanced away again.

“You waited until your roommate was asleep to leave the cabin, didn’t you?” Kelly continued. “Everyone would have left the campfire by then. It would just be you and Everett alone on the deck. Everett had been drinking all night, so he was probably in a pretty bad mood. What happened when you accused him of killing your sister? Did you get into a fight?”

The color remaining in Greta’s face disappeared entirely. She stared first at Kelly, then darted a panicked gaze to Lisa. Lisa’s face was drawn and tight, like she was controlling herself with great effort.

Greta stared at her hands again. Her fingers gripped each other so tightly they bled white. “I just wanted him to hear what he’d done to Bonnie. To know he was responsible for killing her,” she said in a low voice.

“What happened, Greta?” Kelly asked softly. “Did he start a fight with you? Did he try to hit you? Is that why you pushed him?”

“
I didn’t push him!
” Greta blurted, sending a panicked look from Kelly to Lisa. “I swear I didn’t. He—he was drunk and cursing and—and he came right at me. I don’t know . . . it all happened so fast . . . I went into defensive stance and bent down to block him. I didn’t even think, I simply reacted. He charged into me, and when I blocked him, he went over the railing. Head over heels. It . . . it was so fast, I couldn’t believe it.”

Kelly and Lisa exchanged a look of amazement. Greta hadn’t pushed Cal Everett off the deck. He had attacked
her
, and she defended herself. And Everett finally paid the price for his actions. Headfirst over the deck and onto the rocks below. It wasn’t deliberate. It was an accident. Kelly released a huge breath that seemed to be pent up inside her.