Purl Up and Die (8 page)

“It's another reason I'm so glad Cassie got to come and live with Jennifer and Pete after her grandfather had that heart attack. Her whole life seems to have blossomed once she came here. From the way she's always described it, she lived a very quiet and uneventful life with Grandpa Ben.” Kelly gave a crooked smile.

“Sounds like you hit the nail on the head,” Jayleen said, leaning back in the wrought iron chair. “And ‘blossomed' is the right word. Cassie just thrives on doing all those different activities. I swear, she tells the funniest stories about going with Greg to his computer lab at the university. Those other people there, she calls them ‘the geeks.'” Jayleen
cackled. “I declare, she has Curt and me in stitches telling us what Greg gets up to over there.”

“I have to admit, I was surprised that Greg took to Cassie so quickly. He's never been around a lot of kids, like Steve and I have. We teach kids softball and baseball every year. And we coach teams. Greg was a city boy and an only child. He always made it sound like he played with older kids growing up, not kids his own age.”

“Well, Cassie has her own way of meeting people, I've noticed. She's a great listener, for one thing. Not many people know how to do that. Not really. They're always interrupting. But Cassie actually listens. So that's probably what Greg and those geek guys noticed.”

“You know, you're right,” Kelly said, nodding. “And she absolutely loves computers and putting them together and learning about them. Of course, that's right up Greg's alley. He really is a geek, himself. But he just doesn't admit it.”

“I'll have to tease him the next time I see him,” Jayleen promised. “Does Steve have a game this weekend? How about you?”

“Steve plays on Saturday, and I play on Sunday. So if you'll be at the ballpark to see the kids' games this Saturday, you can drop by our bleachers and give Greg a hard time in between games,” Kelly teased.

“That sounds like a plan. And I'll check to see if Cassie wants to come up to Curt's ranch this Sunday morning and join us. We're taking a trail ride through the canyons with the grandkids.”

Kelly grinned. “I think it goes without saying that Cassie will jump at the chance.”

“I kinda hoped she would. She's getting to be a good little rider. I declare, the grandkids are so scheduled with other activities that Curt and I have to reserve time with them. Cassie fits right in.”

Kelly spotted Jennifer walking over to their table. “Well, here's one half of the parenting team, so you can reserve Cassie's time right now.”

Jayleen simply laughed.

Tuesday morning

Kelly
paused in the central yarn room and admired the new display of yarns on the center table. With her mug-free hand, she stroked several of them. Cotton, bamboo, merino wool, mohair, and silk.

The front entry doorbell jingled, and Kelly looked up to see Burt enter the shop. “Hey, Burt. Are you escaping the noontime heat?”

“You bet, Kelly. I've been doing errands all morning,” Burt said as he stood in the foyer. “If you've got a minute, I can tell you what I learned from Dan last night.”

“Sure. You're stealing my line, though,” Kelly said as she walked into the foyer.

Burt looked at her with a blank expression. “What?”

Kelly smiled. “I'm always asking you if you have a few minutes. Now, you're using it on me. Boy, not only can we
read each other's minds, now we're starting to talk the same. I'm not sure what that means.”

Burt chuckled as he pushed the front entry door open again. “Not sure if it means anything. Why don't we sit at this table here in the shade? We can pick up some of the breezes coming off the mountains and across the golf course.”

Kelly followed Burt out the door and over to the open porch setback in the shade. A black wrought iron table and four chairs welcomed knitters and staff who wanted to knit or have lunch or simply sit and enjoy the colorful annual flowers that were planted in pots and flower beds dotted around the front entrance leading down to the driveway. The shaded areas had planters filled with purple and yellow and blue pansies that waved gently in the breeze. The sunnier flower beds were planted with brilliant red geraniums, sturdy enough to withstand even July heat.

Burt settled into a wrought iron chair beside the outdoor table and Kelly followed suit. “Dan called this morning and told me the name of the young woman who filed the sexual assault complaint against Tommy. It was Laura Brewster.”

Kelly sat up abruptly. “
What!
”

Burt's gaze turned solemn. “Yes. She's the same young woman who was murdered in her apartment. Dan discovered the information as they were investigating Laura Brewster's background. They were searching for some connections to drugs. Something that might have caused a break-in at her apartment.”

Kelly's mind started racing as she stared out at the foothills in the distance.
Laura
Brewster
.
She's the one who accused Tommy. And now she's dead.
“Good Lord!” Kelly whispered.

“My thoughts exactly. Dan said they'd be questioning Tommy tomorrow. Naturally.”

“And, naturally, Tommy becomes a suspect.”

Burt nodded. “Since Laura Brewster recently filed a sexual assault complaint against Tommy, it makes sense that he'd be questioned. The police will take a look at anyone who might have had a grudge against her. So they'll also ask around the university and her neighbors.”

The word “grudge” caught Kelly's attention. It had a darker sound to it. It made her feel uneasy, so Kelly switched subjects. “How'd Mimi respond when you told her?”

“Shocked. And saddened, of course. I told her last night when I got off the phone with Dan. She understands the police have to question Tommy. Laura filed a complaint against him. But we both know that Tommy works late nearly every night at the emergency clinic. So he's got a perfect alibi.”

Hearing Burt sound so matter-of-fact and confident made Kelly feel better. “Thank goodness for that late-night job, right?” Kelly attempted a smile, but her face didn't totally cooperate.

“Amen to that.”

A dark car came down the driveway just then. Kelly recognized Barb as the driver. “You'll have to tell Barb, you know.”

Burt sighed. “Yeah, I'd better. Dan has probably already contacted Tommy about going to see him in the late afternoon. Tommy would most likely be asleep during the morning and early afternoon. What with those night hours he's working.”

Kelly watched Barb pull her car into a parking space in the Lambspun driveway. “I can leave, if you'd like me to,”
she suggested, watching Big Barb stride down the sidewalk leading to the front of the shop.

“You can stay. Having someone else here might help Barb stay calm.” Burt smiled and called out to Barb as she approached. “Hey, there, Barb. You've got the last intermediate advanced knitting class today, don't you?”

Barb slowed her long stride and shifted the enormous knitting bag hanging over her shoulder. “Yes, indeed. They've made excellent progress. I'm proud of them.” Glancing toward Kelly, she added, “I wish you had stayed, Kelly. You would have gained a ton of self-confidence.”

Kelly had to laugh at that. No one had ever accused her of lacking self-confidence. But Big Barb was right. When it came to knitting and mastering complicated stitches, Kelly definitely lacked confidence in her abilities. “Maybe next time, Barb,” she promised with a grin.

“Why don't you sit for a minute, Barb,” Burt suggested. “I have some information from my old partner, Dan.” Burt gave the chair between them a little outward push.

Barb's expression changed immediately. The worried pinched look that Kelly had noticed so much this last month appeared again. “What's happened?” she asked in an anxious voice as she sank into the offered chair.

“Last night Dan told me that the young woman who filed the sexual assault complaint against Tommy was the same one who was killed in her apartment last week. Laura Brewster.”

Barb stared wide-eyed at Burt. “Wh-what?”

Burt continued, his voice softer. “Naturally, Dan and another detective will be questioning Tommy regarding Laura Brewster's death.”

“
WHAT!
” Barb exploded, face flushed with color in an instant. “That's ridiculous! Tommy works at the clinic all night. Ten o'clock until six in the morning. He couldn't have killed her.”

“The police will question anyone who had a connection to Laura Brewster. Her neighbors, fellow university students, people like that. And we have to be honest, Barb. Tommy had a complaint filed against him by Laura Brewster earlier this month. The police have to follow that up. They would be derelict if they didn't.”

Barb scowled. “The whole suggestion is ludicrous. How could the police possibly suspect Tommy of killing someone? He's a
doctor
, for heaven's sake! He saves lives. He doesn't take them.”

“I'm sure Dan and the other detectives will come to the same conclusions that we have. Tommy works every night for the medical clinic, therefore he couldn't possibly have committed murder.”

Kelly noticed that Burt used a soothing tone of voice when speaking to Barb, clearly trying to calm her down. Deciding she could help with that effort, Kelly spoke up. “I agree, Barb. It sounds like the police are simply following procedures. Interviewing anyone who had contact with Laura Brewster.”

Barb turned her scowling face toward Kelly, but didn't say a word. Burt reached over and patted Barb's arm—Mother Mimi style. “Don't worry, Barb. I'm sure Tommy will do fine. He has nothing to fear. And neither do you.”

Barb didn't reply, just kept scowling. Kelly's cell phone jangled to life then, so she quickly left the table. “Excuse
me, folks. I'll take this interruption elsewhere,” she said as she headed toward the driveway.

Steve's name flashed on the screen. “Hi, there,” Kelly said after clicking on. “What are you up to?”

“I just checked with Jennifer. She's going to take me through some newer apartment complexes tomorrow afternoon after she leaves the café. One of them was done by that out-of-state builder who's been getting into the local scene the last couple of years.”

“That's good news. Jen will make sure you see the best ones. She's a jewel,” Kelly said as she walked down the driveway toward her cottage. Might as well give Carl a pat and an ear rub while she was outside.

“You buried in accounts?”

“Well, I was. But I took a short break with Burt. We were sitting outside in that front patio at Lambspun. Burt heard from his old partner Dan that they would be questioning Tommy tomorrow in connection with the death of that student, Laura Brewster. It turns out she was the one who filed the sexual assault complaint against Tommy.”

“Oh, brother. That's definitely not good. But it does make sense he'd be questioned. After all, she accused Tommy of assault, so naturally he's a suspect in the cops' eyes.”

Steve's no-nonsense summing up of the situation was refreshing. Of course, she could never use words as blunt as that with Big Barb. That's why Burt was trying to tactfully update Overprotective Mother Barb concerning police procedures involving her Beloved Son Tommy.

“You summed it up perfectly, Steve. Unfortunately, poor Burt can't be that straightforward with Barb. She hit the
roof a couple of minutes ago just hearing that the police would question Tommy.”

“Oh, boy. I get the picture.”

“Let's just say that Barb brings new meaning to the term ‘overprotective mother.'”

Steve didn't reply, but his laughter over the phone spoke volumes.

•   •   •

“You're
kidding
? The girl who was killed was the same one who filed a sexual assault complaint against Tommy after going to the clinic where he worked?
And
she took one of Barb's knitting classes?” Lisa's voice over the phone had the sound of incredulity that Kelly felt earlier in the day when first hearing the strange set of circumstances.

“Yeah. Weird, isn't it? It makes me wonder if she was targeting Tommy or something. Does that make any kind of sense, or am I being too suspicious?” Kelly sipped some of the iced coffee in the shadiest corner of the café's garden. Customers were all gone. Just the birds and the squirrels and the constant stream of departing and arriving customers for the knitting shop and cars parking in the driveway.

“No, I think it's a valid question,” Lisa said. “Now that you've told me, I think I'll make a couple of calls to friends. See if any of them had a class with this Laura. Maybe they'd have a clue as to her personality. One of my old friends from high school works in the graduate school records office. She could tell me which graduate program curriculum Laura Brewster was taking.”

Kelly had to smile. “Oooooh, that sounds like sleuthing to me, Lisa. I see I've corrupted you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I won't try looking at her grades or anything. Don't want to intrude on privacy—”

“Privacy?” Kelly cut in. “She's been murdered. You can't invade her privacy. In fact, anything you learn might help find who killed her.”

Lisa laughed low in her throat. “Boy, you can rationalize anything, can't you, Kelly?”

“It's that hard-nosed accountant attitude. We have to solve puzzles. It's part of our job.”

“Well, my job makes me be a little more careful of stepping across lines. But I agree with you. Maybe one of my friends remembers this girl from class or something. Maybe they can shed some light on what was going on in her life.”

“It's worth a try. Thanks, Lisa.”

Lisa's phone beeped. “Got another call. Talk to you later.”

“Later,” Kelly said and clicked off. Relaxing against the wrought iron chair, Kelly savored the midsummer languor that was part of her favorite season. Hot weather, shady spot, lots of sunshine behind the trees. It would be a perfect night to sit outside with Steve and stare at the stars. Except for one thing—mosquitoes. Maybe if they both held one of those citronella candles, the bugs would leave them alone. Kelly had to laugh at the image as she pulled out her laptop and files from her briefcase bag. Summer coffee break was over. Work demands beckoned.

•   •   •

“Your
client Arthur Housemann called me today,” Steve said that night as he lay on the chaise longue next to Kelly's.

Kelly quickly propped herself up on her chaise longue.
“That's great! He told me he was thinking of calling you. What'd he say?”

Both chaise longues were surrounded by four large mosquito-repellent candles, one at each corner.
So far, so good
, Kelly thought. She hadn't noticed any bugs biting. Several had buzzed past her ear, but hadn't landed. At least, she didn't think they had. She'd find out later when she changed for bed. Any red welts from bug bites would show up. Meanwhile, this spot on their backyard lawn was perfect for gazing up at the stars.

“He's thinking of building some apartment units, not far from the university. Not big buildings. Smaller ones. Like my town house apartments in Old Town. Minus the turn-of-the-century detailing, of course.”

“Most of that land near the university is already taken or has buildings on it. Did he buy a parcel from someone?”

“No, this is a parcel Arthur owns that has an older rental house on it. He bought it years ago, apparently.” Steve folded his arms beneath his head.

“Oh, yeah, I remember now. I bet it's one of those houses over on Pecan Street. He told me once that he might convert one or two of those houses into apartment buildings.” Kelly lay back on the chaise, too, arms beneath her head. “The rents are lower in those houses because they are a lot older and a little smaller.”

“He said he'd been thinking about doing it for a couple of years now, but the time wasn't right.”

“That's for sure. So many people lost jobs in the recession, it was too risky to make a move then. Most people stayed put, even if that was in their parents' basements.”

Steve gave a short laugh. “That's the truth. Boy, that was a rough time.”

“At least you found another architect to share a Denver apartment. You were both working ridiculous hours, you said.”

“Don't remind me. Many nights I slept in the truck just because it would take too long to drive from Sam's office to the apartment. I started leaving a change of clothes and an extra shaving kit in the truck.”