Murder and Salutations (Book 3 in the Cardmaking Mysteries) (25 page)

Then there was a knock on the door, and all
the good they’d done was wiped away. It appeared that Reggie was
back for the next round.

Just in case, I grabbed the bat before I
moved the chair and opened the door. Helena took it all in, then
asked lightly, “Were you going to get a little exercise in?”

“
Sometimes I take some
swings to loosen up,” I said, making it up on the spot. If she
thought I was crazy, she was too polite to mention it.

“
How athletic of you.” She
thrust a basket out at me, and I had to lay the bat down to take
it. “This is for you.”

“
What’s this?” I asked as I
looked under a fancy napkin.

“
I’ve been baking banana
muffins, and I thought you might like some.”

“
That’s so sweet of you,” I
said. How could that son come from her? “Won’t you come
in?”

“
I don’t want to disturb
you,” she said, and then the words died in her throat as she saw
Oggie and Nash.

“
You’re most welcome to join
me, but I should warn you, they take a long time to warm up to
strangers.”

She sat in my spot on the couch, and the
scoundrels curled up with her as though they’d known her their
entire lives. I felt a twinge of jealousy, but then realized they
could probably sense another soul in need of their company. “What
handsome fellows you two are,” she said as she stroked them.

The rascals were eating it up. “That’s
extraordinary. I’ve never seen them act that way with a stranger
before.”

“
We’re not strangers,” she
said, talking to the cats more than she was to me. “We’re just old
friends who haven’t met yet.” After a few minutes, Helena looked up
at me and said, “I understand you and Reggie had words
tonight.”

“
Listen, I’m sorry if he’s
angry about Bradford questioning him, but my brother’s the sheriff;
that’s his job.”

“
Dear, you don’t have to
explain it to me. I understand completely. Reggie really is a
sweetheart. He’s just been under a little pressure handling the
family businesses. When his father got sick, Reggie had to step in
and take over. I’m afraid it’s made him cross and impatient at
times, but give him a chance. You’ll warm to him.”

I couldn’t imagine the circumstances where
that would actually happen, but I knew enough to keep that opinion
to myself. “Thanks for the advice,” I said.

“
But no thanks, am I right?”
There was a smile on her face that showed her good nature. “Don’t
worry. I’ll butt out.” She stood, and the cats watched her
carefully as she said to them, “It was an honor and a privilege
spending time with you both. We must do it again
sometime.”

Oggie picked that moment to mew, and Helena
looked delighted. “Why thank you, I had fun as well.’’

Helena looked at me and said, “You must
think I’m dotty, having conversations with cats.”

“
We chat all the time,” I
admitted. “They’re both great listeners, if you can get them to sit
still long enough.”

“
Jennifer, thank you for
sharing part of your evening with me.”

“
Thank you for your company,
and the muffins.”

She nodded, and paused at the door. “Oh, I
almost forgot. A locksmith will be coming by tomorrow to replace
your locks. I’ve instructed him that no one else is to have a key.
Is that suitable?”

“
Perfectly,” I
said.

She reached down and grabbed my bat, then
handed it to me. “Until he arrives, I’d suggest you swing for the
fences, isn’t that what they say?”

I grinned as I took the bat from her. “It
is. Good night, Helena.”

“
Good night to you
all.”

After she was gone, I cracked a window to
let in some of the cool night breeze. I felt much better about my
new living quarters after Helena’s visit. Though Reggie was a
definite concern, his mother was delightful. Perhaps she was right
about her son. Could I have been wrong to judge him so quickly?
After all, I considered Gail to be a good judge of character, and
she’d dated him for quite a while. How bad could he be? Then again,
she’d begun to have second thoughts about him. Could he have killed
two people? What could have driven him to murder? Then again, what
makes anyone kill? I had other suspects—Addie, Kaye, Luke and
Polly—and I wasn’t ready to turn my back on any of them.

I was still wondering about which one of
them might be a murderer when I heard a noise outside the
cottage.

Someone was out there, and it was not my
imagination.

Chapter 14

Without really thinking about it, I grabbed
the bat and threw the door open.

“
Come on out,” I said. “Or
I’m coming after you.”

I didn’t hear another sound for a few
seconds, then I saw a squirrel scamper up a nearby tree. Could that
have been the sound I’d heard from inside? I waited there in the
growing darkness, but the only sound I heard was the squirrel
scolding me from above.

“
Jennifer, your paranoia is
becoming amusing,” I said as I went back inside. Still, I bolted
the door and slid the chair back under the knob just as soon as I
shut the window and locked it. I considered putting, the bat back
by the door, but I decided it would be better to have it close by.
I fed the cats, then ate a few muffins and drank some milk. After
that, I tried to watch a movie, but it couldn’t hold my attention.
An hour earlier than I was used to, I was ready for bed. Just in
case, I threw the bat up onto the loft, and then climbed up myself.
I knew I’d feel silly in the morning, but at the moment, it was all
the comfort I needed to fall asleep, and that was what
counted.

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of
thunder and a heavy rain beating down on the cottage roof. It was
still dark out, though the clock showed that the sun should have
been up by now. I felt safe and snug in my new little nest, and I
didn’t want to leave it. Oggie and Nash got up and took turns
stretching, something that always amazed me. It appeared that
neither cat had a bone in their bodies as they arched their backs
and spread their claws.

I delayed leaving as long as I could, but
finally it was time to go to work. Though the Gremlin was parked
less than fifteen feet away from my front door, I still got wet
getting there, despite my umbrella.

It was a gray day, one that matched my mood
as I opened the shop. Lillian came in a few minutes before we were
scheduled to open, and I said, “I’m not sure you should have
bothered. I doubt we’ll get much foot traffic today.”

To emphasize my point, a bolt of lightning
lit up the gloom for a moment, followed quickly by a roll of
thunder that shook the glass.

“
Then we can make cards. Why
don’t you teach me something new?” she asked. “It’s the perfect day
for it.”

“
Do you really want to
learn?” I said, my enthusiasm lagging for some reason.

“
I’ve got it,” Lillian said.
“You can teach me how to quill. I’ve been wanting to learn for some
time.”

“
It’s not all that
difficult,” I said. “You just roll the strips up on the quilling
tool, and then you glue them to your card.”

“
Show me,” she said
patiently.

I shrugged, then collected a few supplies.
While I did that, Lillian cleared off our worktable by the window.
She looked at the white strips I’d collected and said, “We can do
better than that, can’t we? Today calls for bold colors, wouldn’t
you say?” She was back in a second with a packet of long, thin
strips in vibrant, energetic colors. “Now that should wake us up.
Teach me.”

I took a quilling needle, selected a bright
orange strip, then rolled it tightly onto the tool. As Lillian
tried to imitate me, I said, “Use your finger as a base, then roll
the paper up, keeping tension on it all the time.”

Once she had the tight circle, I took mine
and said, “Now you can loosen the coil for whatever shape you’d
like.” I pinched one edge, let the other loosen a little, then
pinched the other. “Make several of these and you’ve got a flower,”
I said. Lillian’s result was not as crisp as mine was, but she was
clearly delighted with the technique. “I’ve seen those hearts you
make,” she said. “Show me how to do them.”

“
They’re really easy,” I
said, getting into the spirit of the lesson. I explained as I
worked. “First you crease the paper along the short axis in the
center of the strip. Then coil one side tightly all the way to the
crease, and let it go. The paper will retain the shape. Do the
other side, and you’ve got a perfect heart. All it needs is a
little glue to secure it, and you’re ready to add it to a
card.”

“
It can’t be as easy as you
make it look,” Lillian said.

“
All you need are the right
supplies and a little practice,” I said. We made enough flowers and
hearts to satisfy St. Valentine himself, having a great deal of fun
as we worked.

By the time I looked out
the window, I saw that the rain had stopped and the sun was
actually trying
to come out.

“
That was fun,” I told
Lillian. “It’s good having you here.”

“
It’s good to be here,” she
said.

We were still basking in the warmth of our
cardmaking session when the front door opened. I was surprised to
see Kaye Jansen walk in.

“
Good morning,” she said
before I could say a word. “Do you have any thank-you
cards?”

“
Of course,” I said as I led
her to them. “I’m surprised you don’t have anything at the
drugstore.”

“
I want something nicer than
what we carry. George doesn’t like to carry too much inventory he’s
afraid he won’t be able to move.”

“
How do you like working for
your father-in-law?” I asked.

“
I’m not an employee,
Jennifer,” she snapped. “I own a piece of it, too. Now about those
cards.”

“
We have a good selection
over here,” I said as I showed her some boxes. “If it’s something
special, I’d be delighted to help you make a personalized card
yourself.”

She rolled her eyes.
“Thanks, but I don’t think so. Your cards are cute and all, but not
all of us have the time to fritter away making them.” She grabbed a
box of manufactured cards I carried and said, “These will do
nicely. I’m giving them as thank you notes to everyone who donated
something for the flowers. I’m sure
you
won’t mind donating these to such a good cause,” she said as she
started to put them in her purse.

“
I’ll give them to you at
cost,” I said, “but I still have to pay for them myself. By the
way, is that new?”

I pointed to a gold chain around her neck,
adorned with a modest diamond pendant. She said, “This? No, it’s
been in the family for years. I just don’t wear it that often.”

“
Oh, my mistake. It looks
expensive. So, will you be paying with cash or a credit
card?”

Kaye looked at me for a second like she
didn’t believe me, and I knew she was waiting for me to back down.
She could wait until I howled at the moon, but wasn’t getting them
for free.

Finally, reluctantly, she asked, “How much
do you have to have?”

“
Just give me half of the
sticker price and we’ll call it even.”

“
I think I’m in the wrong
business,” she said as she pushed a five on me.

At the door, she stopped and turned back.
“Did you find Luke in time?”

“
He changed his mind about
leaving town,” I said though I didn’t mention that I’d twisted his
arm to secure his stay.

“
How odd,” Kaye said. “I
thought we’d seen the last of him. Oh, if you’re still looking for
Polly, she came back this morning.”

“
That’s earlier than you
expected, isn’t it?”

“
She said something about it
raining the entire time I just thought you’d like to
know.”

Before she could leave, I had a sudden
thought. “I heard you were talking to Bailey the night of the
banquet.”

“
I don’t know who told you
that, but they’re lying.”

“
Are you sure? He mentioned
something to me before he died about seeing you. I must have been
mistaken. Sorry.”

“
You should get your facts
straight before you say anything,” Kaye said, and then bolted out
of the shop;

After she was gone, Lillian asked, “When did
you find that out? I had no idea Bailey had talked to her.

“
Maybe because it’s not
true,” I admitted. “But Bailey saw someone that night, I’m sure of
it. I wanted to test Kaye’s reaction.

“
She wasn’t too pleased with
it,” Lillian said. “How much do you want to bet you won’t be
getting one of those cards?”

I waved the five in the air. “Her
contribution was more than I’d hoped for.”

Lillian laughed. “I thought she was going to
have a stroke when you asked her to actually pay for them.”

“
Hey, I gave them to her at
cost. Don’t I get credit for that?”

“
Of course you do. I don’t
blame you a bit. I hate when people try to strong-arm me into doing
something.”

I looked at her to see if she was kidding.
My aunt was the queen of that particular technique, and pity the
poor soul who caved into it even once, because from there on out,
she’d own them.

I grabbed my jacket and asked, “Do you mind
watching the shop? I’d like to talk to Polly.”