Old Maid's Puzzle (31 page)

"Are you okay with that?" I said tentatively.

She looked at me with a huge grin. "Are you kidding? I'm ecstatic."

Ruthbequiltin and her friend, Karen, came to help out so everyone could have a lunch break. When traffic eased after three, I was ready to sit down. I should have been exhausted, but I was giddy from the contagious laughter of my customers.

I grabbed a sandwich and went into the relative quiet of the classroom.

I found Ina and Pearl sitting by the Old Maid's Puzzle quilt. I joined them at the nearest table and unwrapped my sandwich. I'd ended up with salami and cheese instead of turkey and it was slimy from having sat out for most of the afternoon, but I was too hungry to care. Besides, eating a lousy sandwich would mean I'd feel more entitled to follow it with the cheesecake. That would be my real sustenance later when things calmed down.

I said to Pearl, "I'm sorry that you ended up with the handquilting detail. I know that's not your favorite thing to do."

Pearl smiled at me. "I'll let you in on a secret. I'm faking it. I haven't quilted at all today. My fingers are too sore. I shove the needle over to anyone who walks in here. At least thirty people have quilted on it. Get this. I recruited one of your customers to finish it up for us next week."

I high-fived her. "Nice job. You're a trip."

She smiled at me. "No, just too old to do anything I don't want to do."

"What a concept. When do I get to be that old?" I asked.

"You're just a babe in the woods," Ina said.

I pointed to their envelope of cash. "How many tickets have you sold?"

Ina said, "Three hundred and sixty-four at last count."

My mouth fell open. I covered it to avoid giving them a bird'seye view of half-chewed lunch meat. "That's wonderful," I said. "Gussie will be so proud of you."

At the mention of their friend, the two women exchanged a sad glance.

I asked, "Is Gussie okay?"

Ina nodded. "The hospital said she was resting comfortably."

Pearl said testily, "Whatever that means. I mean, do they ever tell you she's resting uncomfortably? Isn't rest by its very nature comfortable? But hospitals are not comfortable by definition."

Pearl was back in form, ready to take on the medical community. It struck me that these two women would rather be with their friend than stuck in the QP classroom. "Do you want to go visit her?"

Ina said, "With that crowd out there? As soon as I finish my tea, I'm going back on the floor. It's fun. We'll see her after the store closes. Her daughter came down last night anyhow."

"Really?" That was a surprise. Maybe Gussie and Donna could start to repair their relationship.

I chewed my sandwich, feeling my belly fill up. The food was reviving me.

I had one thing to settle with Pearl. "No more hash brownies from you. Gussie's going to have to destroy the marijuana Celeste was growing in her garden."

Pearl made a face.

"Thank you both. For being here when I needed you. My mother had such good friends."

I swallowed hard, the salami a salty lump in my throat.

Ina said, gruffly, "We're not here for your mother, silly. We're here because you needed us. You."

I got misty-eyed and gave them both a big hug.

Pearl spoke first. "We want to thank you, Dewey. You brought our Gussie back to us"

"But Celeste..." I said.

Ina said sternly, "Celeste was lost. That was her choice. There was nothing you could do to prevent that. Don't lose sight of the fact that, because of your actions, Gussie didn't die."

I let their acceptance wash over me. For the first time, I felt their peer.

"I want to show you something," I said. I ran into my office and pulled out the landscape quilt from the desk drawer. I was a little nervous that Ina wouldn't approve, but I really wanted Pearl to see it.

"Look what I did," I said tentatively.

Ina took the small piece from me, and showed it to Pearl. Both women broke into large smiles that thrilled me.

"This is marvelous, Dewey," Ina said.

"I just followed Pearl's pattern"

Pearl said, "Your individuality shows through."

I laughed. "If by individuality, you mean mistakes, I agree with you.

Ina frowned. "If I taught you one thing, Dewey, it's that false humility is not at all attractive. Be proud of what you did."

Ina grabbed me and hugged me, hard. Pearl joined in, patting my back. I squeezed them both.

"What about me?" a shaky voice said. "Can I get in on the hug?"

We turned, arms still entwined. I tripped over Pearl's feet, and looked up to see Gussie, leaning on a walker in the doorway. Her hair was in complete disarray, the front frizzy and the back flattened as though she'd just gotten her head off a pillow. She was wearing slippers and baggy pants and a sweatshirt that read, "If you can't be a good example, be a dire warning."

Pearl let out a whoop, and using her heelies, beat Ina and me over to Gussie's side. We hugged again, this time including Gussie and her walker. Tears, laughter, and incomprehensible words tumbled out.

Finally Ina said, "Sit down, Gussie. How did you get here?"

"Called me a cab," she said. We exchanged a mystified look over her head as she settled into the chair next to the quilt frame. She was shaking, but picked up the needle Pearl had been using and took several stitches.

"Aren't cabs expensive?" I asked tentatively.

Gussie said, "I wanted to work on the raffle quilt. Besides, it's cheaper than another night in the hospital," she said. She set the needle down as though it weighed five pounds and leaned back in the chair, catching her breath.

Ina fussed, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine. Nothing like sleeping in your own bed to make you feel better."

Home, even a home in the shadow of the woman who tried to kill her, was better than a hospital room.

I patted her arm. "You rest up here. I've got to get back to work. I'm glad you came."

At five, I closed the shop. There were still customers inside, but I was too exhausted to face anyone else. I leaned on the door and looked back at my store. Buster was leaning down, getting an earful from a pretty, middle-aged woman in orange Crocs. All of his attention was on her, and I smiled. I knew what a good feeling that was, being on the receiving end of that focus.

Dad and Vangie were bagging a customer's purchases. Vangie tossing it to Dad after she scanned it, and Dad pretending to dunk it in the bag. The woman was laughing, a high whinnying laugh. Others in line were getting a kick out of their performance.

The store looked decimated. Fabric bolts were everywhere, stacked behind the cutting table, in rows three and four deep. We hadn't been able to keep up with putting things away, but it didn't matter. There was always tomorrow.

I'd be here, first thing, opening QP.

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Terri Thayer is busy writing, quilting, and keeping an eye out for murderers at quilt shows. So as not to disappoint her fans, she is still trying to figure out a way to bring Buster to the guild's show and tell.

Ocean Waves-Coming Soon from Midnight Ink

I shivered in the night air. A cool breeze was blowing straight off the Pacific Ocean. I wasn't close enough to see it, but I could hear the waves breaking, and I pulled my old quilt tighter around my shoulders. The only pay phone in the conference center was outside on a wall of the building.

"I heard a woman scream," I said to Buster, for the second time. "A long, drawn-out scream."

His voice was strong and reassuring. "Dewey, babe, you're not in San Jose. Asilomar is in a wildlife preserve. Animals make weird noises. That's all you heard."

"Stop!" A sharp voice cut in. I turned, tangling myself in the phone cord and nearly strangling myself.