“Fasten your seat belts…it’s going to be a bumpy night…”

  At least the hazy lavender fog of loneliness that had swirled around her last night had mysteriously burned away, most likely due to the anticipation of picking up Tink…and seeing Matt again on Monday.

  Her knitting was going well and that always improved her brain chemistry, Lucy reflected. Maggie had managed to coach her over the phone through a rough patch or two and Lucy was now clicking along, finished with the first hat and well into the second.

  Progress was a good thing, since Sophie and Regina had just sent a diplomatically worded e-mail, asking when the hats might be done. These trendy apparel items had a short shelf life and besides, it was almost spring. But Aunt Lucy had reassured them, the hats were nearing completion and, as Yves St. Laurent once said, “Fashion fades, style is eternal.”

  These hats had real style.

  On Sunday night, in the middle of 60 Minutes, the hat project hit a snag. Lucy found herself short of the correct weight cream-colored wool for the second monkey’s face. She decided she’d stop at the Black Sheep on Monday, before she picked up Tink. She could also pick up the dog sweaters. The impromptu life-coaching session with Phoebe had made her forget the carton.

  On Monday morning, Lucy got the all-clear sign from the vet tech, Amy, to come in. Tink had done well over the weekend. She was active and eating “and passing waste appropriately.” She was ready and eager to go home.

  Lucy drove into town at 9:00. Although the Black Sheep wasn’t open for another hour, she saw Maggie’s car out front and knocked on the door. Phoebe answered.

  “So, how’d it work out with Dr. Doolittle? Did you ask him?”

  “Hey, Phoebe. What’s up? How was your weekend?” Lucy backtracked over the usual niceties.

  “You wimped out, right?”

  Lucy jammed her hands in the pockets of her down vest. “I was just about to ask him when he got a phone call and I had to go.”

  Phoebe’s expression showed no sympathy. She wasn’t buying it.

  “I definitely made progress. He told me he’s divorced. Or almost. And he has a daughter who’s seven. Her name is Dara.”

  “I don’t like the ‘almost’ part,” Phoebe said wisely. “If you’re almost divorced, you’re almost married, right? Does that sound good?”

  Lucy wasn’t wild about the almost part, either. But hey, nobody’s perfect.

  “Phoebe, marriage is like a refrigerator. You have to rock it back and forth a few times before it tips over,” Lucy said in his defense.

  “Whatever.” Phoebe sighed and checked her nail polish, an unusual shade of purple that reminded Lucy of Halloween. “So what about the dog? Did you get her yet?” Phoebe was definitely eager to meet Tink. Lucy secretly eyed her as a potential pet sitter. She suddenly knew how new mothers felt, meeting responsible teenagers who liked children.

  “I’m just on my way to pick her up. But I forgot the pet sweaters. I thought I’d give them to the animal hospital.”

  Phoebe nodded, looking impressed. “Nice touch.”

  “I thought I heard your voice.” Maggie came out of the storeroom. “Aren’t you picking up the dog this morning?”

  “I’m on my way. But I forgot the box with the pet sweaters.”

  “Oh…right.” Maggie frowned. “I know I saw it someplace. Peter brought over the rest of the stock yesterday. It’s just a huge mess in here. It’ll take me weeks to sort it all out.”

  “God, I hope not.” Phoebe moaned.

  The shop’s usual tidy appearance had given way to some disorder, Lucy noticed, with cartons stacked against the walls in all the rooms and bags of yarn tucked into random nooks and corners. Lucy could only imagine what the storeroom looked like right now.

  “I can get it another time, Maggie.”

  “Let’s take a fast look. It should be right on top. Come on back with me,” she beckoned.

  The storeroom was even more crowded with cartons than the front of the shop. “I think I marked the outside of the carton, but I’m not sure.”

  While Maggie started on one side of the room, Lucy checked the other. They’d barely begun when Phoebe poked her head in the room. “Maggie, Cara’s here.”

  Maggie looked surprised but pleased. “She is? I’ll be out in a second.”

  She turned to Lucy. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

  Lucy kept searching. Some of the cartons were marked and some were not. She thought she remembered what the box looked like, but faced with an entire roomful, she couldn’t be sure.

  Phoebe poked her head in the room. Lucy thought she’d come to help but was sadly mistaken. “I’m heading out. Got an early class but I’ll be back here later. Let me know how it goes with the dog, and Doolittle.”

  So Matt’s nickname around here was going to be Doolittle? Darn it. Lucy hoped that wouldn’t catch on.

  Lucy glanced at her watch. The vet tech had told her to come at 9:30. They needed to clean Tink up and check her stitches. Lucy had ten minutes more. She didn’t want to miss Matt if he’d made time to see her.

  She heard Maggie’s and Cara’s voices out in the shop but couldn’t discern their conversation. Suddenly, Maggie appeared in the doorway carrying a big bouquet, Cara standing behind her.

  “…and there’s even more in here.” Maggie walked into the storeroom and headed for the sink with her armful of flowers.

  Cara stood in the doorway and gazed around in awe. “Whoa…you’d never think Amanda had so much stock in that tiny shop. Look at all this. You won’t have to buy any yarn for a year.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping…Lucy, look at these beautiful flowers Cara gave me.” Maggie ran some water into a tall blue vase.

  Lucy stood up. “Very nice…Hi, Cara,” she said finally.

  Cara smiled and waved. “Hey, Lucy. I didn’t even see you back there. How’s it going?”

  “Oh, can’t complain…”

  Before she could say more, Maggie cut in. “You didn’t find the box yet, I guess?”

  “Not yet, but I’ve narrowed it down to this corner.”

  “Let me help you.” Maggie snipped the ends off the flower stems and placed them in the water. “All the buttons are in the drawers by the table,” she told Cara. “Just help yourself. I’ll be right out.”

  “Don’t rush.” Cara disappeared back into the shop and Maggie came over to help Lucy.

  “Cara stopped by to thank me for the book signing. She brought these flowers, isn’t that sweet?”

  “Very thoughtful,” Lucy agreed. “Have you heard anything more about Seabold’s Hardware?”

  Maggie shook her head. “Not much more than what Edie told us. But a few other store owners got in touch with me over the weekend. They want the police to get in gear and catch this person. I agree. I can’t understand why it’s taking so long. Probably because they are looking in all the wrong places.”

  Maggie met Lucy’s gaze. Because their detectives seriously consider people like me suspects, Lucy knew she meant to say.

  “What can the business owners do?” Lucy asked.

  “Not much,” Maggie admitted. “The chamber of commerce has written a letter to the mayor and police chief. A woman’s been murdered in cold blood, for goodness sake. And now another store has nearly been broken into. It’s really the county that’s handling the investigation but we’ve decided to start at the village level. All of the members have signed.”

  Lucy wondered if it was wise for Maggie to sign a letter of complaint, all things considered. But she had every right; she owned a business and was rightfully concerned.

  “Not that these bureaucrats pay much attention to our complaints,” she added.

  “It’s good to get it out there. Maybe the newspaper will pick up on it and do a story about your protest,” Lucy suggested. “Then they’d have to pay attention.”

  “That would light a fire under them,” Maggie agreed. “The police have to catch this creep. Before he or she strikes again.”

  The image was chilling but very possible, Lucy thought. She didn’t want to imagine who might be next.

  Lucy had finished her side of boxes and Maggie swiftly checked the last few. “I don’t know, I thought the box of sweaters was back here. Maybe they’re in one of the boxes in the shop.”

  “All right. I’ll just take a quick look outside before I go.”

  The two women left the storeroom and Lucy headed for the closest stack of boxes, in a corner of the back room. Cara stood at the big oak table nearby, sorting through a pile of buttons.

  “Looks like I came to the right place. You have an amazing selection.”

  “I try to keep it interesting.” Maggie sat at the table and picked up a card with burnished metal disks. “I took a lot from the Knitting Nest, but nothing special.”

  “I don’t want anything wooden or stamped metal.”

  “Of course not. Too obvious,” Maggie agreed. “Did you look in that bottom drawer? There are some big ceramics. I think they would go well.”

  Cara picked up a big shopping bag that was on the floor near her feet. She put it on the table and pulled out a long coat sweater made of brownish wool with a hood and bell sleeves.

  Lucy thought it looked like a monk’s habit but what did she know?

  “Here’s the sweater, let’s see how some of these match up,” Cara murmured. She smoothed out the front of the sweater and placed a button on the placket.

  “How did the audition turn out? You never said,” Maggie reminded her.

  “It went pretty well. I’m still waiting for the final word but it looks like a go.” She turned to Maggie. “You can be my guest sometime.”

  Maggie looked embarrassed but complimented. “Me? What would I do on TV?”

  “The same thing you do here. You could do a lesson. Argyle or maybe some spinning?”

  “Oh…maybe. That reminds me, do you need a wheel? That’s about the only thing left at the Knitting Nest. It was a big one, nearly new. Peter Goran said he’d deliver it, too.”

  “Really? Maybe I’ll call him about it,” Cara said. “We could use it on the show. I am serious about you coming on as a guest, Maggie. It would mean a lot to me.”

  Lucy could tell by Maggie’s tone that she was flattered. “Oh…we’ll see. You get the job first. Then my people will call your people.”

  Cara laughed. She paused in her button search and smiled down at Maggie, resting her hand on the older woman’s shoulder. “I really have you to thank, Maggie. For all the encouragement you gave me back in high school. I loved art, but I never thought I had much talent or could really get anywhere. My mother’s a great person, but she always focused so much on my looks. All she ever wanted for me was to nab a rich husband.”

  Which still wasn’t out of the question, Lucy wanted to remind her. Cara stood an excellent chance of having it all, if anybody did.

  “Oh…don’t be silly.” Maggie patted Cara’s hand. “I didn’t have much to do with it. You’ve worked hard and anybody could see you have talent. I just knew you when, that’s all.”

  Lucy felt a bit uncomfortable, being privy to the private scene. She focused on the cartons, knowing she had time for just this pile.

  Flipping open the flaps on the box on the very bottom, she finally found the sweaters.

  “Here they are.” Lucy stood up and held up a sweater for Maggie to see.

  “Thank goodness. I thought I was losing my mind. I could have sworn it was back in the storeroom. I’m sorry I made you look through all that stuff back there.”

  “That’s all right. I’d better get going.”

  “Lucy’s getting a dog. She rescued one of Amanda Goran’s pack. Amanda’s husband is giving them all away.”

  “Oh, how nice of you to do that. I love dogs,” Cara said kindly. “Did the police catch anybody yet?”

  “Not yet,” Maggie reported. “Amanda’s husband doubts they’ll ever find the person who did it. He thinks it was a robbery but the police keep questioning him about it,” Maggie added. She glanced at Cara but didn’t say more.

  Maggie had neglected to add that the police were questioning her also, Lucy noticed. But maybe she was embarrassed to tell Cara about that situation?

  “Do they really think it’s her husband? Oh…that’s awful.”

  “Yes, it is, if it’s true. Now this other break-in—attempted break-in, actually—at the hardware store seems to support Peter Goran’s argument that there’s some cold-blooded killer on the loose, and the police are too busy trying to prove him guilty to catch the real criminal.”

  “Another break-in? When did that happen?” Cara asked.

  “Friday night. At Seabold’s Hardware. The store was closed and someone broke a window in the back but the alarm went off and apparently scared them away,” Maggie explained.

  “Really? I didn’t hear about that.” Cara seemed concerned. “Guess I haven’t been keeping up with the local paper.”

  Lucy zipped up her down vest, grabbed the carton, and slipped out the door, leaving Maggie and Cara to sort through the puzzling events surrounding Amanda’s murder and the piles of button possibilities. She expected both conversations would take some time. Maggie hadn’t even opened the drawer that held the toggles yet.

  Cara wasn’t so bad, she reminded herself as she headed for her car. I’m just jealous of her success. Maybe even a little jealous of the way Maggie makes such a fuss over her.

  Lucy knew she and Maggie were much closer friends and would always be. But the former star student obviously held some special place in Maggie’s heart. Cara seemed somehow charmed in Maggie’s eyes in a way that Lucy, with all her endearing ticks and insecurities, knew she’d never be.

  It was nearly a quarter to ten by the time Lucy reached the animal hospital and announced herself to the receptionist.

  “I’m here to pick up Tink Binger?” she said, as if talking about a child to the school nurse.

  “She’s ready. You can go on back.”

  Lucy nervously touched her hair as she walked down the narrow corridor to the kennel room. She’d skipped the perfume and earrings entirely but had swiped on some lip gloss and had used a little hair product. After Phoebe’s analysis, she hadn’t wanted to look too overdressed, just better than normal.

  She knocked on the kennel room door and it quickly opened. The vet tech she’d spoken to on the phone that morning was there, a tall thin woman named Amy.

  “You’re here for Tink, right? She’s all ready for you.”

  Lucy saw Tink standing up in her cage. She barked and wagged her tail. The dog looked as good as new, Lucy thought…except for a big swatch of fur that had been shaved off around her middle and a white, funnel-shaped collar, which Lucy knew would prevent Tink from getting at her stitches.

  “Hey, Tink, how are you? Ready to come with me? I bought you a lot of chew toys.”

  “Those should come in handy. She’s a strong girl,” the vet tech said. “She really needs a nice long walk after being stuck in that crate all weekend,” Amy pointed out.

  Lucy planned to get into a good dog-walking routine, just as the dog books advised. It would give her exercise every day, too.

  She handed Lucy a big manila envelope and gave her instructions about Tink’s medications. “It’s all written down. Everything is in there.”

  “And the bill?” Lucy asked.

  “Oh…the doctor made a note.” Amy plucked a yellow sticky off the envelope. “Says you can settle that later.”

  Where is the doctor? Lucy was about to ask her. But Amy rushed on. “Do you have a leash?”

  “Right here.” Lucy pulled the leash out of her pocket, hot pink with white paw prints.

  “Here she comes.” Amy opened the crate and Tink sprung out like a wild thing. Amy held Tink’s collar while Lucy clipped on the leash, which was no small feat.

  “She’s up to date on all her shots, so you shouldn’t have to come back for a while,” Amy said brightly.

  “Right…” Lucy nodded. Not what she wanted to hear. “How about her stitches? Don’t I need to come back to have them taken out?”

  “Nope, they just melt away,” Amy said cheerfully. “It will take about three days. Then you can remove her collar. Easy, right?”

  Too easy, Lucy thought.

  Tink jumped and hopped around Lucy’s legs, biting her leash and pulling toward the door.

  “Gee, she really wants to get out of here, doesn’t she?” Amy observed with a laugh.

  Lucy didn’t answer. So, that was it? She wasn’t going to even catch a quick glimpse of Matt?

  She stared at the door that led to his office, trying to summon her X-ray vision, but it was impossible to tell if he was in there.

  “Is Dr. McDougal around? Matt McDougal, I mean?”

  Tink pulled her from side to side, panting so hard her tongue dragged on the floor. It was difficult for Lucy to maintain an air of nonchalance while hanging on to the crazed beast.

  “He’s in surgery. An emergency came in. Do you have a question? You can ask me.”

  Lucy smiled quickly. Would you like to catch a movie with me sometime, Amy?

  “That’s okay…it’s not important,” Lucy mumbled.

  She grabbed the big envelope with the medicine and quickly turned her attention to Tink. “Come on, pal. I think we’re done here.”

  As the dog books advised, Lucy kept Tink confined to a limited space, the kitchen and her office, which Lucy had set up in a closed-in porch that adjoined the kitchen. As she proved herself worthy, the dog’s territory would expand. So far, Tink seemed content, mainly watching out the kitchen door at birds and squirrels in the backyard, as if glued to the Nature channel.

  When Lucy finally checked inside the manila envelope, she found a sheet of postoperative care instructions and two bottles of pills. She felt very proud giving Tink her medicine, hidden in chunks of peanut butter, a dog-care tip she’d found in one of the books.

  The envelope also contained the vial containing the stomach obstruction. She had thought it was a third bottle of pills, until she pulled it out. She took one look, shrieked, and the vial went flying.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23