The Stitching Hour (21 page)

“I hope you're right.”

“I know I am. Now let's talk about something more pleasant . . . at least, I
hope
it's more pleasant. Have you met Adalyn?”

“The girl Jared's been dating?” She nodded. “She seems sweet. I worry that she's a bit young for him.”

“Adalyn told me that Jared is thinking of expanding the garage,” I said.

She sighed. “He's mentioned it, but there's no way he could afford an expansion right now. I'm afraid he could simply be telling this girl what she wants to hear.”

“Or she could be projecting her wishes onto him,” Mom said. “I think girls these days move a little too fast sometimes. It seems they're so desperate for a happily ever after, they try to orchestrate situations to bring about the result they desire.”

Christine leaned forward. “That's exactly it. I'm not saying Jared is innocent of filling these girls' heads with white picket fences, but Keira was the same way. In fact, I don't think Jared ever even considered expanding his business until Keira started talking about it. For goodness' sake, they should date a while and get to know each other before they begin making all these grand plans.”

“Did Keira ever offer to have her dad invest in Jared's business?” I asked.

“I don't know. When I disagreed with Jared about the need to build onto the garage, he got angry with me and refused to discuss it with me anymore. Why do you ask?”

“Apparently, that's something that Mr. Sherman does.” I shrugged. “He was trying to get MacKenzies' Mochas to allow him to franchise another coffee shop for Keira.”

“I imagine it would've been nice for the girl to have had her own business, but—and I hate to speak ill of the dead—I seriously doubt she'd have been mature enough to operate it on her own,” said Christine. “Maybe her dad planned to help manage it.”

“Maybe so,” I said.

“Well, I'd better go.” She smiled. “Thank you for letting me attend tonight. I'm really enjoying this class.”

“I'm enjoying having you in the class,” I said. “And I hope you'll come to the open house celebration tomorrow too.”

“I'm planning on it.”

After Christine left, I turned to Mom. “So what do you think?”

“I think Christine Willoughby is a smart woman and that it's likely her son refused to discuss his business dealings with her because he realized she was right but didn't want to admit it.”

“I'm wondering if Ken Sherman was offering to pay for the garage expansion. If so, then Jared would feel obligated to him—even more than for the cost of the add-on.”

Mom nodded slowly. “Mr. Sherman might've even insisted on a partial ownership of the business.”

“And then he could carry out whatever dealings he wanted, and there would be nothing Jared could do about it.”

“Exactly.” She frowned. “Jared is still talking about the expansion even though Keira is no longer a part of his life. That makes me feel that if there
is
a business agreement of any sort between Jared and Mr. Sherman, it was independent of Jared's relationship with Keira.”

“I wonder if Keira knew that.”

A
small group of coworkers came into the Stitch. They each wanted to make a cross-stitch or embroidery panel and then turn the panels into a quilt for a friend who was retiring from the company. I began asking questions about what sort of theme they were interested in. Did they want something vintage? Was there a hobby their friend had always liked that they could incorporate into the quilt?

Angus went to the door.

“I'll take him,” Mom said, getting the leash from behind the counter and taking Angus up the street.

The coworkers—one of whom was a man—went back and forth between Sunbonnet Sue and Sam, flowers, and birds. They finally decided on the flowers. Since there were six of them, they each took two flower patterns to make the embroidered quilt squares. They said they'd return when they got the squares completed to get what they'd need to complete the quilt. I invited them back to the anniversary open house and put flyers in their bags advertising the current classes.

After they left, I began to get concerned about Mom. She should've been back by now. I stepped out onto the sidewalk and looked up the street. She and Angus were standing on the sidewalk in front of Scentsibilities talking with Nellie. I went back inside.

I decided that after talking with Nellie, Mom might need a stiff drink. I made a fresh pot of coffee.

“Mmm, that smells delicious,” she said when she returned. “Thank you for making it. I got cold while I was standing there talking with Nellie Davis.”

Angus muscled past me to get a drink from his water bowl as I put two cups, the coffee carafe, sugar, and creamer on a tray and took it into the sit-and-stitch square. Mom had already sat down on the sofa facing the window and stretched her legs out in front of her.

“So, how did you find yourself chatting with Nellie?” I asked. “Did she stop you as you walked by?”

“No. Actually, I stuck my head inside the door and called to her.” She stirred creamer into her coffee. “I wanted to thank her for the diffuser and the bergamot.”

“Did you try that, by the way?”

“I did. I don't know what health benefits it was supposed to have had, but it was a pleasant, refreshing citrusy smell. I liked it.” She sipped her coffee. “Back to Nellie. While I was thanking her, she came to the door to talk. I don't know whether she's lonely or not in the loop where the town's gossip is concerned or what, but she wanted me to tell her what was going on with the investigation of Keira's murder.”

“What did you tell her?”

“The truth—that I don't know a thing.” She leaned back against the sofa cushions. “I know she's frightened. That's why she was considering leaving. But she's not as intrepid as you are. I think the thought of leaving everything familiar to her is even scarier than having a murderer in her midst.”

“She thinks the murderer is in her midst?”

“The murderer
is
in her midst, darling. Yours too.”

“Well, yeah.” I shrugged. “But by now, I'm kinda used to it.”

“That concerns me more than you could possibly know.”

•   •   •

I had to hurry to get back to the Stitch and get ready for class, so Mom and I had grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for dinner. Mom said she didn't want to return for the class—that she'd prefer to relax and read for a while—so I left Angus with her. I also left her with strict instructions to call me if she needed anything. I was still concerned that she wasn't feeling a hundred percent, but she assured me that she simply didn't want a repeat of this morning.

“I felt like I disrupted your work this morning when all those actors came in,” she said. “People will be there tonight to take your class, not visit with your mother. I'll talk with them tomorrow at the open house.”

I parked in one of the spaces in front of the building when I got to the Seven-Year Stitch rather than going around back. I was surprised to see a man standing on the sidewalk in front of the shop peering inside. I was even more surprised when the man turned and I saw that it was Ken Sherman.

I got out of the Jeep and walked over to the sidewalk. “Mr. Sherman?”

He smiled. “Hello, Marcy! I thought I'd missed you.”

“I typically close at five, but I teach needlework classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings.” I unlocked the door. “You wanted to talk with me?”

“I . . . ah . . . just wanted to drop by and thank you again for your thoughtfulness the other night. I realize you didn't know Keira all that well, but it meant a lot to me and Bethany that you came and expressed your condolences.”

“Well, I truly am sorry for your loss.”

We were still standing on the sidewalk. I didn't particularly want to take Ken Sherman inside with me. I mean, if he
did
associate with criminals, then I wasn't sure I would be comfortable being in the shop alone with him.

“May I come in and see your shop? I know Bethany has been talking about stopping in.”

Great.

“Of course,” I said, walking into the Stitch. “Come on in. The students will be arriving soon. Do you mind if I tidy up while we talk?”

“Not at all.” He wandered over to Jill.

I went a few feet away from him and tidied the embroidery floss bins. They didn't really need to be straightened up, but I wanted some distance between the two of us.

He laughed and I started.

“I love your mannequin,” he said. “What a beaut!”

“Thank you.”

“You have a nice little shop here, Marcy.” He blew out a breath. “I wish Keira had been interested in allowing me to set her up in business before . . . well, before.” His shoulders slumped. “She was always so flighty going from one thing—or one boy—to another. She was never settled and sure of herself like Bethany.”

“Bethany appears to be quite an accomplished young lady.”

“She is. She's extraordinary really. Do you have any sisters or brothers, Marcy?”

“Nope, I'm an only child.”

“I imagine your parents are very proud of you,” he said.

“I believe my mother is. My father died when I was young.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.”

“You know, I think Keira would have really made a go of the MacKenzies' Mochas franchise,” I said.

“You heard about that?”

I smiled. “Hey, it's Tallulah Falls. There aren't any secrets here . . . not for long anyway.”

“I suppose that's true. But, you know, some of the tales being told around here aren't true.”

My smile faded and my heartbeat quickened. Still, I tried to keep the conversation light. “Oh, I know! Ms. Davis who owns Scentsibilities has said time and again that she believes my shop is cursed and that I'm bad for everyone else's business.” I lifted and dropped one shoulder. “I've had my share of things go wrong around here. Some people tend to get panicky.”

“I understand that you have friends on the police force.”

“Um . . . you mean Manu? I think he's friends with everybody. And, of course, I'm dating Ted Nash.” I glanced toward the door. Surely one of my students would be here any second now.

“I loved my daughter with all my heart,” said Mr. Sherman. “I wanted desperately to see her succeed at something—anything—and now I'll never have that opportunity. I'll never be able to help her succeed.”

“I . . . I know. That's t-terrible.”

“Do you know who killed my daughter, Marcy?”

“No, sir. I don't have the foggiest idea,” I said.

“None of your police friends have discussed any of their theories with you?”

“No, they haven't. They take their oath of confidentiality seriously.” I wondered if police officers
did
take an oath of confidentiality. I kinda doubted it, but I liked the sound of it. It was nicer than telling Mr. Sherman that Ted and Manu weren't in the habit of spreading dirty laundry all over town.

“I'm sure they do, but you seem to be the kind of girl people are drawn to—that they'd share secrets with.”

“They haven't, Mr. Sherman. I assure you that you likely know much more than I do about your daughter's murder and the person or persons responsible,” I said.

“Well . . . thank you for your time.”

“You're welcome. I'm sorry I couldn't help.”

As he left, I went into the office for a moment. I needed to collect myself before my students got here. I didn't have time to converse with Ted, but I sent him a text:

Ken Sherman was just here at the Stitch. He wanted to know if I knew anything about his daughter's killer. I told him I don't, and he left. Everything's okay, but he kinda gave me the creeps. Don't say anything in front of Mom about him being here.

He immediately texted back:

You're there alone? Is Angus with you? I'll be right over.

I called him. “Hey, sweetheart, there's no need to come over. Ken Sherman is gone, and my students are”—I heard the bells over the door jingle—“they're coming in right now.”

“I'll still be by. I'm just getting off, and I'm going to be there when you leave the Stitch this evening. I won't have you harassed.”

“He didn't harass me, he just—”

Christine called from inside the shop. “Marcy, are you here?”

“Yeah, Christine! Be right there.” To Ted I said, “I really need to go.”

“See you in a bit.”

His protectiveness gave me the warm fuzzies. “Thank you.”

“Always.”

I went back into the shop.

“Are you all right?” Christine asked.

“Yes, I'm fine. I'd just stepped into the office to talk with Ted for a sec.”

“I saw that man leaving—Mr. Sherman—and when I didn't see you right away, it scared me.”

“He kinda gave me the creeps too, but it's okay. He just wanted to talk about Keira.” I didn't go into the specifics.

“But I didn't think you knew her all that well.”

“I didn't . . . and I told him that. I suppose he's just grieving and trying to express himself,” I said.

“Be careful around that man.” She looked down at the floor.

“Why? Christine, do you know something I should know?”

She rubbed her face with her fingertips. “I just . . . Jared had mentioned once or twice that he could be . . . um . . . gruff with Keira.”

“You mean like abusive? Did he ever hurt her?”

Before Christine could answer, another student arrived. And then another and another. I was hoping I could catch a spare moment to quietly question Christine again—maybe before she left. But she was the first one out the door after class was over.

•   •   •

True to his word, Ted was outside the shop about a quarter of an hour before class was over. He waited until the last student left, and then he came inside.

“Did you have a good class?” he asked.

“Yeah, I did.”

“And yet that little frown right there”—he gently rubbed the area between my brows—“tells me something didn't go the way you'd planned.”

“Well, when Christine got here, she saw Ken Sherman leaving. She told me to be careful of him. I asked why, and she said Jared told her that Ken was
gruff
with Keira,” I said. “I realize most parents need to be gruff or at least strict at times, but the way Christine was acting made me think it was something more. I asked Christine if Ken was abusive to his daughter. She didn't answer me because other students began arriving, and she left before I could talk with her after class.”

“Sherman doesn't have a record of any kind, including domestic assault,” Ted said. “I can tell you that much. Granted, that doesn't mean he's never
done
anything, but he doesn't have a record. Did he frighten you?”

“Not really. At first, I was confused about why he was here. Then he began talking about Keira, and I realized he was fishing for information. I suppose he thought that since you and I are dating and I'm friends with Manu and Reggie that I might know something that had been withheld from him. But he wasn't threatening.”

“He'd better not be.”

I linked my arms around his neck. “He wasn't. I think he's just desperate for answers. I get the impression that Bethany was the favorite child. Now she's the only child. Mr. Sherman has to have some guilt over that, don't you think?”

“That's possible.” Ted kissed me gently. “You're awfully down tonight. Would a walk on the beach cheer you up?”

I smiled. “I think it would. Let me call Mom and let her know I'll be a few minutes late.”

When I spoke with Mom, she told me she'd been reading all night and to take my time.

“I'm comfy and cozy and curled up with a good novel.”

As soon as Ted and I stepped outside the Seven-Year Stitch, it started to rain.

“There goes the trip to the beach,” Ted said.

“Still, Mom isn't expecting me home for a little while, why don't we go to Captain Moe's for a milk shake?”

He narrowed his eyes. “You want to go all the way to Depoe Bay for a milk shake when MacKenzies' Mochas is just down the street?”

“MacKenzies' Mochas doesn't make milk shakes.” I grinned. “And I
really
want a chocolate milk shake . . . and to find out what Priscilla was like as a child.”