Dyer Consequences (11 page)

Kelly listened to the click of his phone and wished pizza and beer could chase away the cold feeling in her gut, but she doubted it.

“Have you heard from the vet this morning?” Megan asked, looking across the long library table.

Kelly could see the worry in her friend’s face. And the nearly-completed Shamrock green sweater was a dead give-away. Megan had been knitting furiously.

Between keeping Mimi company and worrying about Carl, Megan was in danger of depleting her wool stash. And Megan’s stash was bigger than anyone’s except Mimi’s. Most knitters had bags and bags of gorgeous yarns they bought because they couldn’t resist the luscious fibers. Unfortunately, the amount of knitting time available did not increase in proportion to the size of the larger stashes. There weren’t that many hours in the day.

“I saw the vet early this morning when I went to check on Carl. His liver values continue to drop. Thank God. I saw him through the window and he’s drinking water, but he still looks weak. The vet said I can come inside and pat him this afternoon if he continues to improve.”

Megan closed her eyes. “Oh, thank goodness. We were all so worried. Lisa and Mimi and I must have gone through a basket of yarn yesterday morning, we worried so much.”

Kelly glanced around the room, now restored to its former organized layout of full yarn bins and bookshelves. “Maybe that’s what helped Mimi return to the shop. She needed more yarn,” Kelly joked softly.

Megan leaned back in her chair. “So many awful things have happened lately. Tracy’s been killed, the shop and café vandalized. And now, Carl has been poisoned. Do you think there’s any connection, Kelly?”

Kelly pulled her scarf from the knitting bag, mulling over what Megan said. Vandalism at her cottage. Vandalism at the shop. Tracy killed, most probably by the vandals. Police had found no one else who could be responsible. Their searches had turned up no boyfriends and no enemies. No one. It seemed her death was a tragic accident, just like the police said. A horrible act of random violence. But random was hardly the word Kelly would use to describe the incidents that had happened to her.

“No, Megan, I don’t,” she answered at last. “I used to think the vandals that hit my place were the same ones who trashed the shop. But now, I don’t. Not after talking to Jennifer. She’s convinced me that someone is after the canyon ranch, and they’re trying to scare me into selling.”

Megan looked up, wide-eyed. “You’re kidding?”

“No, I’m not. The first buyer was scared off when his building site was torched last year. The second buyer dumped the property when her little dog was killed in her car while she was checking out the ranch.”

Megan cringed. “Oh, how awful!”

“Yeah. Whoever is after the ranch must like to kill dogs. That’s why Carl was attacked. So, you can see that I’m definitely being targeted. Just like the other buyers.” She picked up her needles and resumed knitting. “Tracy’s death appears to be accidental. A horrible, brutal act of random violence, just like the police said.”

“Kelly, what are you going to do? To protect yourself, I mean . . . and Carl?”

“Well, Carl won’t be in the yard unless I’m there to watch him. And, there are lights everywhere now. Maybe we can catch the bastard who’s doing this if he comes creeping around again.”

From the corner of her eye, Kelly saw Mimi walking through the next room, staring into yarn bins, touching, stroking fibers, as if reassuring herself that her beloved Lambspun was intact. The ugly murder that had happened in the basement hadn’t touched what was good and beautiful above.

Megan lowered her voice. “Mimi is much better. She’s still not herself yet, but she’s better.”

“I couldn’t help but notice how quiet and subdued she is. She’s not talking much. When I came in this morning, she rushed over and gave me a huge hug, but all she said was that she was praying for Carl.” Kelly watched Mimi assisting a customer pick out yarn. “I just hope we get the old Mimi back. Burt thinks getting together tonight should help.”

Megan leaned forward over the table. “Did Burt say anything about Tracy’s murder?” she whispered. “I’ve been afraid to mention it anywhere near Mimi. Have the police learned anything new about those vandals?”

Kelly glanced over her shoulder to check, but Mimi was deep into yarn talk. Even so, Kelly lowered her voice. “When Burt called this morning, he said the police were targeting some informants they’ve worked with before, to see if they know anything. So keep your fingers crossed.”

The shop doorbell jangled then, and Lisa strode into the room. “Kelly, I got your message on my cell. The big guy is on the mend, right?”

“Yep. He’s officially off the critical list.”

“That’s good news. And seeing Mimi back in the shop is even better news.” Lisa plopped her knitting bag on the table beside Megan and withdrew a skein of variegated yarn— scarlet red, royal blue, and emerald green—and circular needles with only a few rows of stitches. Clearly, a new project.

Too small to be a sweater, Kelly noticed. “What are you working on?” She pointed to the small circlet of vibrant yarns.

“I’m making a hat for one of the therapists at the fitness center. It’s her birthday next week. The big five-oh.” Lisa’s fingers picked up speed. “It’s easy, Kelly. You should try it. Aren’t you getting bored with scarves?”

“Not yet. Besides, it’s winter. You can never have too many scarves,” Kelly said, slipping another finished stitch off her needle.

“Yeah, you can.”

“You should try a hat, Kelly. It’ll be easy,” Megan promised as she continued working the bright green yarn.

Kelly laughed. “That’s what you always say whenever I try a new project. And invariably, I get all tangled up and make a million mistakes.”

“It’s yarn, what do you expect?” Lisa teased.

“Why don’t you start a hat while it’s still winter?” Megan suggested.

Kelly watched the colorful stitches fill her needle. Maybe she should try making a hat after she finished this scarf. She certainly could use one. Hadn’t Steve mentioned that she needed a hat last night?

Besides, the green knit hat Megan made for her had accidentally fallen into the washing machine and shrunk. It was now suitable for dolls. Hot water and knitted wools—not a good combination unless you were felting.

“You know, I just might give hats a try after I finish this scarf.”

“Well, it’s either a hat or socks, Kelly. Which one?” Lisa asked. “I was here when you made that promise to Hilda in December, remember?”

“What promise?” Kelly searched her memory, but no hat or sock discussions surfaced.

“I remember it, too,” Megan added with a big grin. “You promised Hilda you’d learn to knit socks when she learned to spin. Well, I sat in on one of the spinning classes last week, and Hilda’s coming along fine. A little slower than the others, but she’s spinning.”

“That does it, Kelly. You don’t want Hilda to start ragging on you. She’s relentless,” Lisa warned.

“And you’re not?”

“Consider it encouragement.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll do it when I finish the scarf,” Kelly agreed in surrender as she slipped another stitch off her needle. “I’ll try the hat. It looks easier than socks.”

Lisa shook her head. “Hilda will give you hell. You promised socks.”

“That had to be a moment of temporary insanity. There’s no way I could manage those skinny little double-point needles you have to use for socks. And not just two needles, but three of them, for Pete’s sake. Why the heck do you need three needles?”

“Just because,” Lisa intoned in a deep voice, which made Megan giggle.

“I hate it when you say that.”

“Somebody has to give you a hard time, Kelly. No one else will. Except Jennifer and me. So it’s up to us to kick your butt.”

“Excuse me?”

Lisa pinned Kelly with a laser look. “About Steve. He’s waaaay too patient. When are you going to get serious? He’s not seeing anyone else, and neither are you. It’s time for some commitment here.”

Kelly released a huge sigh and reached for her ever-present coffee mug. Empty.
Damn.
She’d have to endure one of “those conversations” without caffeine.

“How’d we get from socks to Steve? I swear, you’re as bad as Jennifer.”

“Did I hear my name taken in vain?” Jennifer’s voice floated from the yarn room behind them.

Kelly watched her friend approach the table and settle into a chair beside her.
Oh, boy. Stereo teasing.
She braced herself.

“I take my reputation seriously, you know,” Jennifer said as she pulled the royal blue sweater from her bag. “Lisa’s not even on the radar screen of bad.”

Megan laughed over her yarn, glancing slyly at Kelly. “Lisa was giving Kelly a hard time about Steve.”

Kelly stared at Megan. Supergeek, too-shy-to-date-until-recently Megan was teasing Kelly about moving slowly. Something was definitely wrong with this picture. Kelly resisted the urge to tease back, however, because she and her friends were afraid of spoiling the blossoming relationship between Megan and Marty. Superjocks, both. Marty was brilliantly moving the relationship forward inch by inch.

Kind of like Steve
, the little voice in the back of her head whispered. That caught Kelly’s attention. Hmmmm.

“Oh, good. I came at just the right time. Where’d you leave off, Lisa?”

“I asked Kelly when she was going to kick that relationship up to the next level. She’s been dithering about it for months now. What’s the matter with you, Kelly?”

Kelly stared at her friend, incredulous.
Dithering?
She’d never dithered in her life. How could they say that? She was just . . . taking her time.

“
What?
” she protested, indignant. “I do
not
dither.”

“Do, too,” Jennifer said, not looking up from her needles.

“Do not.”

“Yeah, you do,” Lisa chimed in.

“I’m just . . . moving slowly, that’s all.”

Lisa snorted, her fingers working the colorful yarn. “Slowly? Glaciers move faster.”

Megan burst out laughing, then clamped her hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking.

“Kelly’s got ‘issues,’ ” Jennifer said in a theatrical voice.

Kelly rolled her eyes. “Oh,
please.
” She didn’t think she could get through any more of this without coffee. Noticing Rosa around the corner filling yarn bins, Kelly caught her eye. “Hey, Rosa, could you ask someone in the café to bring me some coffee, please? I can’t take this aggravation without caffeine.”

Lisa peered over at Kelly. “
Issues,
my ass. So your old boyfriend was a sleaze and dumped you. That happens to lots of people. Get over it.”

Lisa’s and Jennifer’s well-aimed barbs were hitting home. Kelly could feel their words penetrate inside. She’d already said these same things to herself.
Why, then, am I still hesitating?
She hadn’t figured that out yet, but she was working on it.

“I’m getting there, guys, believe me, I am—”

Jennifer dropped her needles in her lap and turned to her. “You know, Kelly, I’ve known you for nearly a year now. You are scary brave. You quit your corporate job and started a business here, you took on that Wyoming ranch, bought a place in the canyon. Even all those murders you’ve gotten involved in, sleuthing. You don’t back down. I’ve watched you. You’ll get right in a killer’s face if you have to. You’re a risk taker in every aspect of your life, except one. Relationships. Why is that?”

Kelly stared into her friend’s earnest dark brown gaze. She felt Jennifer’s question resonate within.
Whoa.
Why was that? she wondered. She didn’t have an answer.

“Uhhhh,” was all Kelly could manage at the moment.

“Just something to think about, Kelly.” Jennifer returned to her knitting. So like Jennifer. She would joke and tease, then she’d zero in and hit the target.

“Good advice, Kelly,” Lisa added. “I’d be curious—”

Kelly was saved from further interrogation or perceptive analysis by the jangle of her cell phone. She flipped it open while a café waitress placed a large mug of black coffee in front of her. Saved at last. Kelly took a big sip, ignoring the burn, as Jayleen’s voice came on the line.

“Kelly, I’ve got a question for you.” Jayleen jumped right to the point in her usual no-nonsense style. “A rancher friend of mine is looking to expand his herd, and he remembered that Geri Norbert had some fine alpaca females. I told him you bought her herd, and he’s wondering if you’d be interested in selling any of them. I told him I’d ask and take him up there for a look-see if you agree.”

It took only a second for Kelly to switch into accounting mode, grateful for the diversion. “You know, Jayleen, if you’d asked me that a month ago, my answer would have been an automatic no. But now I’ve got way too many expenses and not enough money to pay them. I checked with the business office at the veterinary hospital this morning, and Carl’s vet bills are two thousand dollars and still climbing.” She noticed her friends’ shocked expressions and nodded.

“I kinda figured that,” Jayleen said. “That’s why I called. When life throws you those curveballs, it kinda changes your perspective.”

“It sure does,” Kelly said, leaning back into the curved wooden chair. “I’m getting pretty tired of catching them, too. How many females does he want to buy? I don’t want to lose them all.”

“I can drive him up there tomorrow morning. Let’s see which ones he’s interested in, and then you and I can talk, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan, Jayleen. Call me tomorrow. Oh, by the way, Burt’s throwing a little get-together here tonight, to celebrate the reopening of the café and the shop. He’s just inviting close friends, and that means you. I think Curt’s coming, too.”