Unraveled (25 page)

Kelly kept her mouth shut. For a moment. “How’s Renee holding up?”

“Not good. She’s just hiding inside her ranch house with the dogs. Damn shame. I wish there was something I could do, but I don’t think anybody can help her now. Except her lawyer.”

Grasping for something to say, Kelly ventured, “Well, John Skinner has a good reputation, from what I’ve heard. She’s in good hands, at least.”

“I know . . . I know. But my gut keeps nagging me. Renee is no killer, I would stake my life on it. I still have this feeling that there’s someone else out there who wanted Fred Turner dead and was willing to do it. And whoever he is, he’s damn clever. Because he’s covered up his tracks so well, nobody can find him.”

Jayleen’s gut feeling matched Kelly’s own. Both of them suspected there was someone else “out there” who killed Fred Turner. Both she and Jayleen sensed it.
Did that mean something?
Or, were they both just victims of wishful thinking because they didn’t want to see people they cared about be charged. In Jayleen’s case, it was Renee. And for Kelly, it was Arthur Housemann.

“Well, I agree with you, Jayleen. I’ve had the same kind of feeling that someone else wanted Turner dead. But police have absolutely no connection to anyone. Birmingham may have been an innocent buyer, but we’ll never know. He disappeared into the mist. It’s really strange.”

“Yeah, I’ve been beating every bush I can find to see if anything flies out, but no luck. Hell, I even caught up with the deputy who patrols our canyons. You remember him, don’t you?”

“Heck yes. He came riding to the rescue when I was holding off a killer,” Kelly said, curious as to what he told Jayleen. “What’d Deputy Don say? Did you learn anything new?”

“All Don said was that several cars or trucks were seen at the property the day Turner was killed. But he wouldn’t give any details. I’ve gotten to know Don over the years, and I got the feeling there was something he wasn’t saying. He never mentioned Renee or anyone else.”

Kelly figured Don was keeping quiet about Arthur Housemann’s involvement and the other cars that were spotted. “Old Deputy Don is a cagey old bird. I don’t think you’ll pry any information out of him he doesn’t want to give.”

Jayleen gave a crooked smile. “You got that right, Kelly. He did start talking about the previous owners of the property, though. I suspect Don was just trying to change the subject. Apparently that piece of land has been owned by one family for over a hundred years.”

That caught Kelly’s attention. A little buzz went off inside. “Who’s the family, did he say? Are they from Colorado?”

“He thinks they’re from another state. He only met the husband and wife once, over ten years ago when he saw a little RV parked at the place. Don said he went over to see if it was someone camping and trespassing at the same time. He met the couple, and they told him they used to come more often when their kids were little. He forgot what state they were from. But he did remember that they said their family had owned the land since 1898.” Jayleen wagged her head. “
Whooooeee!
That’s saying something. People don’t usually hold land for that long anymore. I wonder what made them sell it?”

Kelly wondered, too. And that little buzzer inside her head got more insistent. There was something about the former owners she needed to find out. “I agree, Jayleen. That’s really exceptional now to have family properties that can sit idle. Maybe it was this nasty recession that forced the family to sell.”

“Probably.” Jayleen glanced at her watch. “Well, I’ve gotta get back on my horse and ride. Lotta errands to run before I head back home.”

Kelly stared out the window toward the front gate. “I don’t see your horse,” she teased.

Jayleen grinned. “Well, you and Steve come up this summer and we’ll go riding—” Jayleen stopped short and slapped her own cheek. “
Damnation!
I’ve been tryin’ to be good and not mention him. I’m sorry I slipped, Kelly.”

Amused rather than discomfited at Jayleen’s slip-up, Kelly grinned at her friend. “Don’t worry about it, Jayleen. Nobody’s died. It’s okay to talk about Steve. In fact, he and Megan and I were playing in a pickup volleyball game in Denver last week.”

Jayleen brightened immediately, her contrite expression disappearing in an instant. “Well, I’ll be damned. That’s good news!”

“It was only a volleyball game, Jayleen,” Kelly explained patiently. “It was organized by some of the developers in that joint project we’re all working on in Thornton. I was on Warner’s team.”

Jayleen swung her leg over the chair, then grabbed her hat. “It’s good that Thornton funded that project. It’s been a lifeline for several smaller builders, Curt says. Listen, you’ve gotta come over for dinner again, maybe next week. How’s that?”

“Sounds good, Jayleen, I’d love to,” Kelly promised.

“See you soon,” Jayleen said and walked toward the hallway that led to the knitting shop.

Kelly noticed Jennifer approach a nearby table that had just emptied and load dirty dishes on her tray.

“Hey, Jen, I’ve got a question when you’ve got a minute,” Kelly called.

Jennifer balanced all the dishes on her tray and raised it to her shoulder as she walked over to Kelly’s table. “What do you need? Food for that caffeine, maybe?”

“No, I’m good. I’ve got a request. Could you check the real estate property records and find the names of the previous owners of Fred Turner’s canyon property, please? I learned that the same family had owned it for over a hundred years. Isn’t that great?”

“Wow, I didn’t know that. Of course, we agents don’t do the title searches anymore, so I had no clue who owned it before. Where’d you hear it from?”

“Jayleen, who heard it from Deputy Don. You remember him? He patrols the canyons for the county police. He told Jayleen that he met the owners years ago. They’re from out of state. And they told him the land had been in their family since 1898.”

“That’s fascinating. Now, you’ve got me curious. I’ll be leaving for the office after lunch, so I’ll look it up then,” Jennifer said as she turned away.

“Thanks, Jen. I appreciate it.” Kelly took another sip of coffee, then glanced at the storm clouds gathering. No longer approaching, the sky had darkened completely now. Kelly peered at the flagstones outside. Were those raindrops? Watching the wind shift the tree branches, she saw more droplets appear on the stones, then more.

Watching the rain sprinkle the garden in a light shower, Kelly sipped her coffee. Until her conscience started nagging her. Back to work. She’d only begun her analysis of Arthur Housemann’s properties. She’d better get busy. But first, she needed to ask Mimi if she could use Lambspun’s fax machine.

“Hello,
dear,” Lizzie chirped as Kelly walked into the main knitting room. “Have you finished all that accounting? Eustace and I saw you bent over your computer, so we sat in the corner of the café and didn’t bother you.”

Kelly dropped her knitting bag and briefcase to the table. “I didn’t mean to scare you folks away. I was simply burrowed into the numbers.” she said as she pulled out a chair across from Eustace and Lizzie. Eustace was assembling his papers and note cards into tidy neat piles.

“I completely understand, Kelly,” he said, slipping a rubber band around a thick bunch of white cards. “When I’m deep into research and writing about one of these historical figures, I am simply oblivious to everything else around me.”

Kelly pulled out her almost-finished sari silk scarf, running her fingers across the nubbly uneven texture. The silk felt warm to the touch almost.

“How’s the book coming, Eustace? Have you finished all your interviews yet?” Kelly picked up her stitches where she’d left off.

“Ohhhh, it’s coming along splendidly,” Eustace declared, peering at her from over the top of his eyeglasses. “I have one more developer to interview in Denver tomorrow. Everyone’s been kind enough to provide me with their e-mail addresses, so if I have further questions, then I can simply e-mail them.”

Lizzie rearranged the baby blue afghan she was knitting on her lap, patting the soft yarn. “He’s been writing feverishly,” Lizzie observed. “I don’t know if I can wait until the book is published before I can read it. Eustace has told me some fascinating stories about these men,” Lizzie said, eyes bright.

Eustace looked over at her and smiled. “Don’t you worry, Lizzie. I shall make sure you have a copy of the manuscript to read, once I’ve finished. You’ll get to read it before my publisher.”

Lizzie beamed. “Ohhhh, Eustace, that’s wonderful.” The afghan dropped to her lap as she placed both hands to her breast. “I am honored. Would it be all right if Hilda read it after me?”

“Of course, my dear, of course,” Eustace said, patting her hand again.

Kelly was enjoying watching the two of them together, simply enjoying the pleasure of each other’s company. Wasn’t that what relationships were about? Enjoying someone’s company so much, you wanted to see them again and again? Kelly was about to let that thought filter through her mind, when Mimi walked into the room holding three skeins of pink yarn.

“Well, hello, everyone. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you today, Kelly. You’ve been in the café working. I’m glad you’re taking a break.” Mimi proceeded to arrange the bubblegum pink yarns into one of the wall bins.

“Well, the numbers were starting to make my eyes cross, so that’s a sure sign I needed a break,” Kelly said, starting another row. She noticed that she was almost to the end of the two small balls of sari silk.

“Speaking of taking a break, Lizzie and I are going to take advantage of the break in the clouds and go for a walk.” Eustace snapped his laptop computer shut and slid it into his old-fashioned teacher’s briefcase, complete with double handles on top. It reminded Kelly of her old history professor’s briefcase in college.

“But isn’t it still sprinkling?” Mimi asked, glancing over her shoulder toward the wood-paned windows.

Kelly observed the sunshine outside. “March in Colorado, folks,” she said with a smile. “You should move here permanently, Eustace. We have fascinating weather.” She couldn’t resist teasing.

Lizzie’s cheeks flamed pink as she pushed her knitting back into its upholstered tapestry bag. Mimi caught Kelly’s glance and gave her a wink.

“I think that’s an excellent suggestion.” Mimi picked up the thread Kelly dropped. “I’ve gotten so used to seeing you here at the knitting table, Eustace. We’ll all be bereft if you leave.”

“Well, I’m certainly tempted, I must admit,” Eustace said as he helped Lizzie from her chair. “There are many more charms than the weather,” he added with a smile to Mimi and Kelly. “May we leave our things here, Mimi? We’ll be walking along the river trail for a while.”

Mimi gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Of course, you can. They’re totally safe here at the table. Take your time, you two.”

“Enjoy,” Kelly added as Eustace and Lizzie headed toward the front door.

“Aren’t they the cutest couple you’ve ever seen?” Mimi cooed when they left.

“They’re adorable. Do you think Eustace is serious about staying here in Colorado?” Kelly wrapped the scarf around her neck and checked the length. It was a little short. Drat.

“I certainly hope he is. Lizzie would be heartbroken if he left,” Mimi said, straightening the magazines that were strewn across the table.

Kelly held up what was left of her sari silk yarn. “Do you have any more of this yarn, Mimi? Can we order it? My scarf is shorter than I like it.”

“I’m afraid not, Kelly. Those yarns are really one of a kind. Someone’s beautiful silk sari was unraveled to make each individual skein. Maybe two saris. It was a special purchase, and I haven’t found any more like it. You could always check online, though.”

Kelly frowned. “But if it’s from another country, who knows how long it could take to get it.”

Mimi scrutinized the scarf around Kelly’s neck. “Well, you could always finish up the yarn and bind off the scarf. Then you could add some really pretty fringe. Some complimentary or maybe even a contrasting color. The sari silk has so many colors imbedded in it that you could choose just about anything. Simply make the fringe longer than you would normally, and voila! Your scarf becomes longer, too.”

“Hmmmm.” Kelly rubbed her thumbs across the rough and smooth texture. “That’s a really good idea, Mimi. I think I’ll start looking at fringe yarns. Mother Mimi to the rescue as always.”

“That’s my job.” Mimi smiled.

“By the way, did you know that Eustace has rented a hotel room at that historic Old Town hotel?” Kelly asked slyly.

Mimi’s eyes lit up. “Why, no, I didn’t. That’s . . . that’s nice to hear.”

“Yes, and convenient, too.” Kelly couldn’t resist as she returned to her stitches.

Mimi laughed softly as she gathered the magazines.

Eighteen

“Hey,
I’m glad to catch you here,” Jennifer said as she walked into Lambspun’s central yarn room, knitting bag over her arm. “This is the second morning in a row you’ve been over here early. What’s the matter? Is the cottage giving you claustrophobia ?”

“No, I’m simply in an antsy mood,” Kelly replied as she fingered a multicolored ribbon yarn. “Maybe it’s an early bout of spring fever. I don’t like sitting in one place and working for a long time anymore.”

“Are you looking for a yarn for another project? It looks like you’ve finished your scarf.”

Kelly lifted the edge of her sari silk scarf, which she’d draped around her neck. “Yeah, but I ran out of this special yarn. So it’s a little short. Mimi suggested some long fringe would work.” She moved to another bin and stroked the bamboo and cotton yarns bulging from the bin. Blues, greens, reds, and yellows all mixed together.

“That’s a good idea. Any of those colors would look great with the sari silk. You can’t go wrong.”

“Decisions, decisions,” Kelly pondered as she held up one skein then another beside the scarf.

Jennifer walked through the archway into the knitting room. “Well, decide later. I’ve only got a few minutes on café break, and I wanted to show you the county records printout for Turner’s Poudre Canyon property.”