Knit to Be Tied (12 page)

“Lord, don't we know it,” Jayleen said.

“So if Tanya is going to try to develop a relationship with her daughter, now's the time.” Kelly leaned back in the chair and took a deep drink of coffee.

Jayleen grinned at her. “Pretty good advice coming from someone who's never had kids.”

Kelly shrugged. “I've been coaching kids in softball for years now, and that's given me a bird's-eye view of a lot of parents and how they act around their kids. Some parents are relaxed and comfortable with their kids and other kids. Other parents are kind of standoffish and don't really interact. They're more like chauffeurs. They come right at the time the kids are finished, pick up their kids, and drive off. Other parents come earlier and watch the kids practice. Some stay for the entire session. Now, I have no idea if any
of that gives a clue as to the parents' relationship with their kids or not, but it's always made me curious.”

“You know, it's interesting to hear you say that. I've watched parents and their kids and wondered the same thing. Of course, I totally screwed up any chance of having a relationship with my kids years ago. So I certainly have no right to pass judgment on others.” She stared out into the garden.

Kelly watched her older friend's face, saw the trace of sadness flash across her features briefly. Jayleen had confessed that her years of being an alcoholic had totally ruined any chance she had of having a relationship with her son and daughter. Jayleen's second husband had legally adopted both kids when they were elementary age, and they grew up thinking of him as their real parent. Their mother was never there. Bars and liquor provided a much stronger hold on Jayleen than family ties ever could.

By the time Jayleen joined Alcoholics Anonymous and totally rebuilt her life, her attempts at reconnecting with her children failed miserably. Both her son and her daughter were in college by then and wanted nothing to do with her. She wasn't there when they needed her, and there was no place in their lives for her now. She was a stranger. Neither of them had any good memories of their mother. Only drunken scenes. When Jayleen recounted those stories to her, Kelly's heart had given a little squeeze of pain for her friend.

“I think you've done a lot to redeem yourself, Jayleen,” Kelly said. “You're great around kids. You've given riding
and alpaca care lessons to 4-H groups for years. And you're an excellent grandmother to Curt's grandkids, and Cassie adores you.”

“I do love those kids,” Jayleen said with a smile. “And I confess that I think of Cassie as the granddaughter I never had.”

“I kind of sensed that, Jayleen. Both you and Mimi had tragic events occur in your lives that took away the chances to have grandchildren. Mimi's only child, her son, died while still in college. And yours, well, your ex-husband became their parent, it sounds like.”

“Ralph was a good man. Is a good man, I'll say that. And he took over when I dropped all my responsibilities in his lap.” She wagged her head again. “He's a jewel in my eyes. I've told him that, too. Actually wrote him a letter apologizing for everything I'd put him through years ago. And my kids. I wrote them letters, too, but I'm not sure they ever read them.”

Kelly stared at her friend. “Wow, Jayleen. That was a big step. Huge.”

Jayleen gave her a wry smile. “It's all part of Alcoholics Anonymous. The twelve steps. One of the biggest steps is Forgiveness. Forgiving other people. And then, forgiving yourself. That's even harder.”

Kelly had nothing to say that could possibly add to that profound concept. So she simply raised her mug of coffee to her friend in salute. Jayleen simply smiled.

“What
do you want on your hot dog?” Steve asked Kelly as he climbed down from the Rolland Moore Park ball field bleachers.

“The works, without onions. Thanks,” Kelly replied from her place mid-bleachers.

Megan jumped up from her spot on the bleacher row above Kelly. “Marty, get me one, too. Loaded, of course.”

Marty gave her a thumbs-up as he and Steve headed toward the concession stand behind the bleachers.

“Didn't you just finish two slices of pizza?” Jennifer asked. She spooned some chocolate frozen custard from a cup as she and Pete sat beside Kelly.

“Yeah, but I'm still hungry.” Megan grinned.

Mimi laughed lightly from her place beside Jennifer.
“You amaze me, Megan. You look exactly the same as you did before the baby.”

“That's Megan Metabolism,” Kelly said with a laugh as she leaned against the wooden row behind her.

“Amazing, that's me,” Megan said as she sat down beside Kelly.

Burt approached the bleachers, two large take-out cups in his hands. “Here you go, Mimi,” he said, offering her one. “Chocolate shake. I got strawberry.” He grinned. “Childhood favorite.”

“Ooooo, that looks good,” Megan said, eyeing Mimi's large cup. “I'll have to get one. After the hot dog.”

Kelly laughed at her friend, then remembered something. She slid to the end of the row and jumped down from the bleachers, then beckoned to Burt. “You got a minute?” She walked away from the bleachers a few feet.

“Sure, Kelly,” he said, following her. “What's up?”

“I wondered if you'd had a chance to talk to Dan at the department today?”

“I left him a message before Mimi and I drove over here to the game, but I haven't heard anything yet.”

“Well, I thought I'd share with you something Jayleen told me yesterday. It turns out she knows Nancy Marsted's father, Felix, over at AA. She'd been his mentor and helped him a few years ago when he was trying to stop drinking. She says Felix has been sober for several years now. Anyway, he told Jayleen all about his daughter's experience with that graduate student—”

“Neil Smith.” Burt nodded.

“Jayleen told me Felix looked like he was simmering
with rage when he told her. She did her best to try to calm him down, but he walked out of the meeting. And he didn't come back. He hasn't been to AA for over a week now. He hasn't called in. Nothing. No contact. She's called him on his cell phone but he doesn't answer, and he doesn't return her calls. Jayleen's really worried. I didn't tell her that I'd already heard about Nancy Marsted's father and had told you about it.” She met Burt's inquisitive gaze. “I wondered if you'd had a call from Jayleen. I know she was feeling conflicted because she's not supposed to reveal anything that one of their partners tell them. They take their confidentiality promise seriously.”

“I understand, Kelly. But no, I haven't heard a word from Jayleen. But I will definitely share that information with Dan.”

Kelly looked out onto the ball field. The sounds of players cheering caught her attention. Eric was running off the field with a baseball held tight in his glove high above his head. That had to be the opponent's third out. Eric's team won. Eric and his teammates let out jubilant shouts and yells of celebration, while their parents cheered from the bleachers.

“I have a feeling Jayleen confided in me because she knew I would tell you. That way she doesn't have to be the one who squeals on Felix to the police.”

Burt gave her a little smile. “I think you're right. And you know that I will leave another message for Dan tonight. If Felix Marsted fell off the wagon and tried to punish the guy who hurt his daughter, Dan will find out.”

Cheers sounded from the bleachers again, and Kelly
turned to see Eric striding up to the stands. Jayleen and Curt appeared at the front of the bleachers.

“Way to go, Eric!” Megan called in a loud voice.

“Great catch!” Pete shouted from the bleachers.

“Atta boy, Eric!” Jayleen said as she stood beside Curt.

Kelly spotted a slight flush creep over Eric's face. “Thanks, guys.”

Curt reached out and clapped his grandson on the shoulder in a gesture Kelly recognized. “Good job, son,” Curt congratulated.

“Thanks, Grandpa,” Eric said with a grin as he removed his baseball cap and wiped his dripping forehead against his uniform sleeve.

Kelly and Burt both walked toward the front of the bleachers. Kelly waited until she caught Eric's eye, then gave him a big grin and a thumbs-up sign. “Good job, Eric. That was the winning catch.”

Eric grinned. “I couldn't believe it was coming down in front of me.”

“You were in the right place at the right time,” Jayleen said, giving him one of her encouraging back slaps.

“Hey, good job, Eric!” Steve called out as he approached the bleachers, two hot dogs in one hand and a drink in the other. “Marty and I saw that catch from the concession stand.”

“I bought an extra dog with the works,” Marty announced, holding out a loaded hot dog as he approached.

“Really?” Eric's eyes popped wide, accepting the ballpark treat.

“Yep, it's yours. I already ate one at the stand, and this other one's for Megan.” Marty's grin spread wide.

“Gee, thanks,” Eric said then took a huge bite.

Kelly laughed. “Eric's going through another growth spurt. What's your excuse for that giant appetite, Marty?”

“Cranked-up metabolism,” Marty answered. “You should have seen me when I was Eric's age.”

“Oh, Lord, that must have been a scary sight,” Jennifer joked. “I remember my younger brother going through two large pizzas at a time when he was Eric's age. There were no such things as leftovers in our house.”

“You got that right,” Curt agreed. “I remember Ruthie always made an extra turkey on Thanksgiving so Marty would have enough to eat.”

Everyone laughed at that, even Eric right before he consumed the last bite of hot dog. “Boy, your family's grocery bill must be huge,” Kelly teased.

Jayleen said, “I've gone shopping with Megan and she fills up two entire grocery carts.”

Kelly laughed out loud along with the rest of the group. She thought she heard a cell phone's ring and noticed Pete reach into his pocket. “Well, you've earned an ice cream treat, Eric. After you finish the hot dog. What flavor?”

Eric swallowed down the last bite. “Gee, thanks, Kelly. How about strawberry?”

“Strawberry it is.” Kelly was about to walk toward the concession stand when she watched Pete and Jennifer climbing down the bleachers. She couldn't miss their worried expressions. They both beckoned to the group as they approached.

“What's up, guys?” Steve asked as he stood beside Kelly.

“I just had a call from Cassie,” Pete said. “She's over at a
grocery store coffee bar in the shopping center down the street from Tanya's apartment. Tanya was out buying ice cream, and Cassie stayed behind in the apartment with Tanya's boyfriend, Donnie. Cassie said Donnie started acting funny. She said it made her really uncomfortable, and she left. That's when she walked down to the drugstore and called me.”

Suddenly, all laughter and good humor that surrounded them evaporated. Kelly felt a cold fist inside her stomach.

“Did he touch her?” Burt demanded in a low voice.

Pete's face had an angry expression that Kelly had never seen before. Good-natured Pete never got angry. Kelly glanced at her dear friend. Jennifer looked more than worried. Kelly detected a touch of fear in Jennifer's expression.

“She said he put his hands on her shoulders and started rubbing her neck as he talked about playing music. Cassie said it gave her the creeps, as she called it, and she told him to stop.” Storm clouds darkened Pete's face now.

“Son of a bitch,” Steve muttered beneath his breath.

“That's when she left and walked to the shopping center. She's at the coffee bar in the corner Sooper Dooper grocery store.”

“Atta girl,” Jayleen said. “You get on the road now, Pete. You need to bring that girl back home!”

“I'll drive, Pete,” Steve offered, putting his hand on Pete's shoulder. “That way you and Cassie can talk in the backseat as we drive home.”

“Good idea, Pete,” Kelly said. “We don't want you getting a distracted driving ticket.”

“I'm going along, too, guys,” Marty declared. “Just in
case Tanya starts to protest. I can inform her that you have already filed for guardianship of Cassie.”

“I'll drive along with you folks,” Curt said. “Jayleen, you wait for me with Megan. Marty, you can ride with me.”

Pete reached over and gave Jennifer's arm a squeeze. “You wait for me there, too, Jen. I'll call as soon as we get Cassie.”

Eric grabbed his grandfather's arm. “I want to go, too, Grandpa,” he said, his brown eyes intense.

“Sure, son. You can join the menfolk,” Curt said, clapping his grandson on the shoulder again. “Now, let's go and bring our girl home.” Curt strode off, Eric beside him, joining up with Pete and Steve and Marty as they strode toward the parking lot.

Burt followed after them, glancing over his shoulder at Mimi. “I'm going to join them. Let him think I'm still with the department. The more of us, the better. We can throw some fear into that bastard.”

“Guys!” Kelly yelled. “Give us a call on the way back, okay?”

Steve turned and gave her a quick nod before his long legs took him farther away.

Kelly looked over at Jennifer, who was chewing her lower lip, her face devoid of color. Kelly slipped her arm around her friend's shoulders. “Don't worry, Jen. Cassie was smart enough to get away from there.”

“Low-life scum,” Jayleen said, her tone making it sound like a swear word.

“You got that right,” Megan said in a low voice.

•   •   •

“How
far are you from Fort Connor?” Kelly asked her boyfriend over the cell phone.

“Less than half an hour. We're kind of pushing the speed limit.”

“Be careful. You said Cassie is okay, right?”

“Yeah. She got out of there as soon as that creep made a move.” Steve's voice was tight with anger, which Kelly could hear over the phone. “Thank God. Listen, I'll hand the phone to Pete. He can talk while I'm driving.”

Kelly handed her phone to Jennifer. “It's Pete. Steve's driving back. He thinks they're less than a half hour from here.”

Jennifer grabbed the phone. “Pete? Cassie's really all right?” The phone pressed to her ear, Jennifer nodded to her friends, who stood around her.

“Thank God,” Mimi said from her perch on the sofa. No one sat.

Kelly felt a muscle let go inside her chest. She wouldn't completely relax until she saw Cassie. She glanced at her friends and saw her worry reflected on all their faces.

•   •   •

Megan's
front door opened and Pete walked into the foyer, his arm around Cassie's shoulders. Steve, Marty, Curt, Eric, and Burt followed after them.

“At last!” Mimi cried and jumped up from the sofa.

Cassie glanced around the room and made a beeline straight to Jennifer, who held out her arms and enveloped Cassie in a big hug. “We were all so worried,” Jennifer said.

Cassie gave her a squeeze then leaned back and stared
into Jennifer's face. “I'm not going back there. Ever. If my mom wants to see me, she can come to Fort Connor.”

Pete joined her and slipped one arm around Jennifer's shoulders and the other around Cassie. “I told Cassie there was no way I was going to let her go to Denver alone again. Tanya can damn well come here.”

Jennifer glanced from Pete to Cassie. “You won't have to, Cassie. I promise.”

Kelly felt the last tight muscles inside her chest let go at last.
Thank God
. “We're all proud of you, Cassie, for getting out of there when you did. Good girl! You listened to your instinct.”

“Was that guy drinking?” Megan asked.

Cassie stepped out of Jennifer's embrace. “He was drinking a lot of beer. I don't know if he had anything else.” She gave a little shiver. “He stared at me a lot when we were all together in the apartment last night having pizza. It kind of made me feel funny then. Every time I looked over at him, he was staring at me. He'd give me a wink or something.” She made a face.

“Smart girl for getting away from there. You did good, Cassie,” Kelly said then opened her arms. “We all need a hug.” Cassie didn't hesitate. She sped over to Kelly's embrace, and Kelly enveloped her in a big hug.

“Me, too,” Megan said, coming closer, arms spread. Cassie smiled and sped over to Megan then a waiting Mimi.

“Oh, my girl, my girl,” Mimi crooned over Cassie's ear. Jayleen stood behind Mimi, waiting her turn.

“Hey, thanks for putting these out,” Marty said as he walked toward the granite counter between the kitchen and
the great room. Several plates of cheese and crackers and chips and dip were spread over the countertop.

Burt, Steve, Curt, and Eric headed toward the kitchen. Kelly hurried over to Steve and gave him a big hug, squeezing hard. “What did that guy do when all of you showed up?”

“The bastard was too scared to come near us,” Steve said, releasing Kelly. “Eric, c'mon and help us out with these snacks.” Steve beckoned Eric over.

Eric walked to the counter and scooped up a handful of chips, hanging back a little, Kelly noticed. She gestured toward the plates of food. “Eat up, Eric. You haven't had anything since that hot dog. You must be starving.”

“I saw a guy peering at us from an apartment window above,” Curt said. “I figure that was him.”

“Low-life scum,” Jayleen said once more, scowling. “If it weren't for the kids here, I'd be cussing a blue streak.”