Skein of the Crime (28 page)

Burt chuckled. “I think you underestimate yourself, Kelly. Let’s see what happens. Talk to you tomorrow. Oh . . . is Steve going to make it up here for the engagement party this weekend?”

“He’ll be here. He’s not about to miss Curt’s steaks and Jayleen’s chili. I’ll call you as soon as I speak with Patty. Take care.”

Kelly tossed the phone to the nearby seat and used both hands to turn into the driveway behind Lambspun. If she remembered correctly, there was some leftover pizza and wilted salad in the fridge. Not too appetizing, but with less than an hour before softball practice across town, she didn’t have much choice.

“Jump
in whenever you want, Burt,” Kelly suggested as she watched Patty walk to the rear of the café. Kelly had already chosen a quiet table in the corner, away from the other morning breakfast customers.

“I’ll follow your lead, Kelly. Let’s see where it goes.” Burt relaxed back into the café chair and sipped his coffee.

“Hey, Patty, glad you could make it,” Kelly said, raising her mug.

“Hey, Kelly. Hi, Burt,” Patty said, pulling out a chair.

Burt raised his cup. “Good to see you, Patty. Want some coffee?”

“Yeah, I could use it.” Patty settled across the table and dropped her backpack to the floor. “I got up a little earlier to come over here before classes start.”

Kelly signaled the waitress to bring coffee. “When’s your first class?” she asked Patty as Julie poured a black stream into her cup.

“Ten fifteen this morning. It’s an economics class, so I need to be awake.” She accepted the full mug. “Thanks, this will help.”

“You in the business school?” Burt asked.

Patty took a quick sip. “Trying to be. Those courses are hard, though. That’s why I’m taking it slowly, so I’ll have enough time to study.”

Kelly folded her arms on the table and leaned forward slightly, talking position. “Studying is good. I’ve seen too many students drop out of university because they party hardier than they study.”

Patty’s mouth quirked into a smile. “I can relate to that.” She glanced over her shoulder, then leaned forward, matching Kelly’s position. “So what was it you learned about Barbara?”

“Well, Burt and I sat down with her a few days ago right over there at that table.” Kelly pointed across the café alcove. “And I told her a student at the party saw her pick up Holly that night. And recognized Barbara from the doctor’s office.”

Patty’s eyes went huge. “
Whoa!
What did Barbara say?”

“She was totally surprised that anyone saw her. Barbara said she hadn’t admitted she’d picked up Holly that night because she was afraid Tommy would blame her for what happened. You know, blame her for not watching Holly closer or something.”

“We were
right
!” Patty jabbed her finger in emphasis. “That’s exactly what you and I thought.”

Kelly nodded. “Yeah. And we were right about Barbara taking Holly to her home. She said she was fixing up the guest room when Holly slipped out the front door . . .”

Patty sat up straight. “What? She took Holly to the apartment, not her house.”

Kelly leaned forward and looked Patty straight in the eyes. “How did you know that, Patty? Was it because you were waiting in your car across the street from the apartment? Waiting for Barbara to drive Holly home?”

Patty’s mouth fell open as she stared at Kelly. “What . . . what . . . ?
No!
What’re you talking about?”

“Someone saw you waiting for Holly that night. As soon as Barbara dropped her off, you came across the street and started talking with Holly. Then Holly got in your car, and you drove off together.” Kelly let her voice drop lower as she continued to hold Patty’s startled gaze.

Fear flashed through Patty’s eyes briefly, and all color drained from her cheeks. “Wha—That’s impossible . . . I wasn’t there! I was still at the party.”

Kelly shook her head. “No you weren’t, Patty. We have a witness who saw you leave the party earlier that night. In fact, you took several people back to their dorms. Then you drove over to Holly’s apartment, didn’t you? You knew Barbara would be dropping off Holly. I’ll bet you told Holly to call Barbara. You knew Barbara couldn’t refuse. But you were the one waiting for Holly when she came home.”

“I . . . I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Patty protested, voice softer.

“You’ve been feeding me bogus information all this time, haven’t you, Patty? I’ll bet you don’t even have a friend named Francesca.
You
were the source. You knew everything Holly did at parties because you hung around with her all the time. And you told me whatever you wanted me to know.”

Patty didn’t answer. She just stared at Kelly with a startled expression. Kelly leaned even closer, still holding her gaze. “You picked up Holly and took her to the river trail, didn’t you? But first, you gave her those pills. Enough to put her to sleep forever. With Holly gone, Tommy would be free. Free for you to become Tommy’s girlfriend.”

Patty’s gaze darted from Kelly to Burt and back again. Burt sat not saying a word, simply watching Patty with his calm policeman’s stare. “What are you talking about? Tommy and I are old friends, that’s all.”

“But that wasn’t enough for you, Patty, was it? You’ve wanted to be Tommy’s girl for years. Everyone told me so. That’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it, Patty? That’s why you hung around Holly all the time, to keep track of Tommy and to keep control of Holly. Keep supplying her with whatever pills she wanted. Holly trusted you, didn’t she? So she’d take whatever you gave her, right? Even an overdose of death.”

“What . . . what are you saying? I couldn’t hurt Holly! She was my friend.”

“We know about your stealing the pills, Patty,” Kelly continued in a cold voice. “We’ve got witnesses who’ve seen you steal pill bottles from scores of purses and backpacks. That’s how you maintained a stash of pills to sell at parties and to give to Holly.”

Panic darted through Patty’s eyes this time. “That’s not true! People gave me those pills, honest.”

Kelly narrowed her gaze. “They saw you going through the purses, Patty. At the university catered dinners. At parties. I’ll bet you even stole some of Barbara’s Oxycontin when she was having back problems, didn’t you?” It was a wild guess, but Kelly threw it out there.

The answer flashed across Patty’s guilty face. “I-I—” she stammered.

Kelly didn’t wait for Patty to find the words. She kept pushing. “It’s time to stop lying, Patty. You gave Holly those pills then left her on the river trail to fall asleep and die, didn’t you?”

Patty shook her head, both arms clutching herself. “No, it wasn’t me . . . it was that guy, Eddie . . . remember?”

Kelly didn’t miss a beat. “You were wearing a bulky, dark, hooded jacket that night, Patty. From a distance in the dark, that old vagrant could easily mistake you for a guy.”

Shock registered on Patty’s face. “How . . . how did you know . . . ?”

“What you were wearing?” Kelly completed the sentence. “Because I spoke with someone who watched you outside Holly’s apartment that night. Someone who recognized you and told me what you were wearing. That same person also told me how you regularly came over to Holly’s apartment with a pocketful of pill bottles. Stolen pill bottles, weren’t they?”

Patty’s lower lip began to tremble as her eyes started to glisten. “I . . . I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to give her that many. But . . . but she
asked
me to! She wanted to get high.”

“I don’t believe you, Patty. I think you gave Holly too many pills on purpose. You knew Holly and Tommy had a big fight because she called you. You told her about that night’s party. You even got someone to pick her up. And you recognized your chance to get rid of Holly and make it look like an accident. Tommy would be free at last. Free for you.”

Patty shook her head, tears spilling out. “No . . . no . . .”

“The medical examiner found food in Holly’s stomach. I’ll bet you drove her to a fast-food drive-thru and bought her something. Did you crush up the pills and dump them into a cola or some hot chocolate? I’m betting on the hot chocolate. It was a chilly night.”

Again, Patty stared back at Kelly with that fearful, startled expression, but she didn’t say anything. Kelly decided to try a deliberate bluff. “You know, some of those late night fast-food drive-thrus have security cameras now. I’ll bet some of those tapes show you in your car with Holly, ordering. The police will find that interesting, don’t you think?”

Kelly watched desperation flicker in Patty’s eyes. She glanced to Burt, then back to Kelly again. No safe harbor available. “I . . . I . . .” was all she managed.

Burt spoke up finally. His voice quiet. “You know, Patty, my old partner Dan is still looking into Holly’s death. I’ll be calling Dan with this new information. He’s going to want to question you—”

“But
why
? I didn’t do anything wrong! I . . . I was only trying to help Holly,” Patty protested again.

Patty was still refusing to admit the guilt Kelly could see in her eyes. Frustrated, Kelly searched for something, some information that would jolt Patty. Catch her by surprise and maybe put a crack in that stone wall of denial she was hiding behind.

Suddenly, Kelly knew. It jumped right in front of her eyes. Something she knew, but Patty didn’t. And it wasn’t a bluff. It was the truth.

“You know, Patty. All of your scheming and lying has been for nothing. You can’t have Tommy. He’s already got a new girlfriend. He’s worked with her for years, and they’ve fallen in love. In fact, she’s moving in with him.”

Patty whipped her head around and stared at Kelly, clearly shocked by what she’d heard. “That . . . that can’t be. Tommy loves
me
! He told me so!”

“Sorry, Patty. Tommy has already admitted it to Burt. And I’ve met the girl. Really nice girl, too. She’s a paramedic.”

Color flooded Patty’s face now. “
No!
He can’t! He’s supposed to be with
me
. He told me he
loved
me! But . . . but he was with Holly, so . . . so . . .”

“He loved you like a
sister
,” Kelly deliberately goaded.

“
No!
He really loved me! I
know
he did! But he was bound to Holly.”

Kelly leaned her chin on her hand. “Tommy was at his new girl’s house the night Holly died. I know because he told us so.”

Patty’s face started to crumble, and tears streamed down her cheeks. “No, no, he can’t. He’s supposed to love
me
!
Tommy belongs with me . . . he always has . . . even Barbara said so.
He loves
me . . .
he loves
me
. . . I did it for him . . . for Tommy . . . he belongs with me. . . .”

Burt leaned over and placed his hand on Patty’s arm. “Dan is a very understanding man, Patty. You can explain everything to him.” Burt pushed back his chair, clearly underscoring his statement.

Panic claimed Patty’s face at the sound of the chair scraping against the wooden floor. She clutched her hands to her chest. “No, I don’t want to go! Please don’t make me go!” she cried.

Nearby customers turned their heads at the disturbance. Burt placed his hand on Patty’s shoulder in a reassuring fashion and leaned over to speak quietly. “Then the police will have to show up at your apartment or your workplace, Patty. Believe me, it would be better if you come down to the department with me now and give your statement. I promise I’ll stay with you the entire time.”

Patty looked up at Burt beseechingly. “Please, please! Don’t leave me alone!”

Burt offered his hand for her to stand up. “I won’t, Patty. I promise.”

Patty stared at Burt’s hand for several seconds, then allowed him to help her to her feet. “I’ll miss my classes. Maybe . . . maybe I should wait.”

“It’s better to give a statement while it’s fresh in your mind, Patty.” Burt picked up Patty’s backpack and took her elbow. “We’ll go out Lambspun’s front door. It’s quieter,” he suggested, guiding her toward the hallway.

Kelly watched Burt escort Patty out. All of Patty’s lies had been stripped away. All the lies she’d told to Tommy and Kelly and Barbara, to everyone. Even the lies Patty told herself. All of them were wiped away by the truth.

Tommy didn’t love Patty. At least, not the way Patty wanted. Tommy loved someone else. “Little sister” love hadn’t been enough for Patty. She’d wanted more. And her delusions led her on a deadly path. She’d found the perfect way to “get rid” of Holly. By leaving Holly on the river trail, Patty knew everyone would assume Holly was simply repeating her previous drug experience. This time with tragic, unintended results. An unfortunate accidental overdose.

Draining her coffee, Kelly rose from the table and walked toward the knitting shop slowly. She felt cold inside. She needed to surround herself with something warm and nurturing. Friends in the shop, Mimi’s smiling face. Sit at the library table and strike up a conversation with someone who’d recently fallen down the rabbit hole like she did years ago.

She walked into the central yarn room and started touching everything in sight. Sinking her hands into bins of alpaca, merino wool, bamboo and silk, crisp ribbon yarns, and nubbly, bulky ones.

Her knitting bag was still on the library table. Was there any unfinished project stuffed in the bottom? She could relax for a while before returning to her cottage and client accounts. Steve wouldn’t be driving back into town until tomorrow evening, Friday, for the party. Maybe they could go out Saturday night all by themselves. A night at the Jazz Bistro would be nice. She was tired of pizza dates. She wanted jazz and a good martini. That settled it. She’d make reservations for Saturday night.

The front door swung open and a frazzled-looking Megan appeared in the foyer. She had that look Kelly had seen before. The “wedding prep overload” look.

“Hey, how’re you doing?” Kelly greeted her.