Till Death Do Us Purl (22 page)

Maggie arrived at the elementary school just as the children were being released for the day. There was a lot of noise and energy, a touch of spring fever in the mix, as well.

The parking lot was hectic and the hallway even worse. But she followed Rebecca’s instructions and after signing in at the main office, soon found the school’s large multipurpose room, which had a curtained stage on one end, but smelled distinctly like a cafeteria.

The room was nearly empty, but she saw two long tables set up with folding chairs near the double doors she had entered. Maggie had brought all the project supplies in her shopping bags. She put the bags down and was just taking off her coat when Rebecca appeared. A few children tagged after her,
like pilot fish.

“Maggie, thanks for coming.” Rebecca hugged her a moment. “I’m so glad you’re here. I have to rehearse the play after school today, too. I’m so relieved I have someone covering the club. It’s a little tricky being in charge of two groups of kids at once.”

“Not just tricky. Sort of impossible,” Maggie agreed.

“The rehearsal is in this room, too. Down at the other end. I could have managed, but it’s just a whole lot easier having you here.”

“Don’t worry. I have it under control.” As soon as Maggie said the words, she realized she was echoing Phoebe’s tongue-in-cheek farewell. “Why don’t you introduce me and then sort of slip away?”

“Great plan. I think that will work out fine.”

The children had already begun to arrive and Maggie helped Rebecca get them settled in their seats, then gave out a snack.

While they ate, she took out the samples of amigurumi animals, which she knew would capture their attention. They didn’t even notice when Rebecca left to join the children who had gathered near the stage and were putting on costumes on the other side of the room.

The after-school club had a basic knowledge of knitting so she wasn’t starting from scratch. She gave out the patterns and supplies, and walked around the tables, helping them get started. Some children were more proficient than others, of course. But all were capable of casting on and reading the pattern. She was impressed.

By the end of the meeting, a
little over an hour, a few of the kids had made a good start on the bird’s body. Most were knitting slower than that and one or two had jumped ship and were fooling around, chasing each other around the big room.

As the children gathered their knapsacks and jackets, Maggie cleaned up, collecting the extra yarn and needles and her sample animals.

She strolled down to the other side of the room, where the play practice was still going on. Rebecca was not only the director but dressed as the big, bad wolf, wearing a rubber wolf Halloween mask, a furry vest, and rubber claws.

When she saw Maggie, she pulled off her mask and gave the young actors a break.

“How did it go? I’m so sorry, I didn’t get a chance to come back.”

“That’s all right. The kids were great. Very well behaved. Most took their projects home and said they would try to finish on their own. I think they’ll all end up with some sort of cute creature. Although the finished products might not look exactly like the samples.”

“That’s even better,” Rebecca replied with a smile. She was a good teacher, Maggie thought, valuing originality most of all.

Maggie noticed the school principal, Stewart Campbell, enter from a door on the far side of the room. The kids called out to him in a friendly, relaxed way. Then he sat on the edge of a table, chatting and joking with them, sharing a bag of corn chips.

When Rebecca looked over, he waved at her and began to walk toward them.

“Stewart’s here. I can go in a
minute. I just have to talk to him a sec. Want to walk out together?”

“Sure. I’ll wait for you.”

“Hello, Maggie,” Stewart greeted her. “Nice to see you again. Rebecca told me that you were going to visit and give the kids a special lesson.”

“I just wanted to help Rebecca a bit. I showed the children how to make amigurumi animals.” Maggie pulled one from her knitting bag and showed him.

“Cute. I bet those were a big hit. And Rebecca sure needed the break.” He turned to Rebecca. “I’ve told Rebecca we should find some other teachers to take over these after-school projects. I think she’s doing too much right now.”

He was genuinely concerned, Maggie noticed, echoing Nora’s sentiments exactly. A good principal appreciates his teachers, and Rebecca had to be one of the best in the school. He was also a personal friend, Maggie recalled. A longtime colleague, which must have made it easier in some ways for Rebecca right now.

“I’m all right, Stewart. Honestly.” Rebecca glanced at him, then pulled off her rubber claws. “If you can finish the rehearsal today, I’ll get going.”

“Of course I can. I told you I would and here I am.” He took the mask and claws, and then the furry vest Rebecca wore over a dark blue dress. “Actually, I’ve been looking forward to this all day,” he added, glancing at Maggie. “It’s more fun than sitting in an office.”

Maggie knew teaching could be fun if you didn’t have to do it every day. But he was a good sport to help Rebecca. Not every school principal would have stepped in this way.

Maggie waited at the tables while
Rebecca walked back to the stage with Stewart. She chatted with the principal a few more minutes, then returned with her coat and book bag.

“I think I have everything. I hope so,” she said breathlessly. “Wait a sec . . . let me check. Sorry.” Rebecca set her book bag on the table and leafed through a stack of folders. It looked like papers she needed to grade.

Maggie watched Stewart organizing the children to run through the last scene or two. He was also dressed up as a character now. Wearing a long funny overcoat, wire-rimmed glasses, and a strange hat. The kids were laughing hysterically and he hammed it up for them. He must have been a good classroom teacher. Which is why he appreciated a teacher like Rebecca, she realized.

“Okay, I’m good. Sorry about that.” Rebecca hoisted up her bag and they started off again.

“I hate to give unwanted advice,” Maggie said as they walked along, “but I’m starting to think your mother is right. And so is your principal. You’re doing an awful lot around here. You’re stretching yourself very thin.”

“I know, but it helps me to keep from thinking about Jeremy. About what happened . . .” Her voice trailed off on a sad note as she pushed through the double doors.

Rebecca wore her long pale hair in a knot at the back of her head today. It had mostly come undone, Maggie noticed, framing her pretty face with soft curls. She suddenly looked very young and vulnerable.

They walked down a long school corridor, one that had been filled with jostling kids and
high-pitched squeals a short time ago, but was now empty and silent. So quiet Maggie could hear the echo of their steps on the linoleum floor. The typical pale green color, she noticed.

“We’re just concerned about you, Rebecca. That’s all.”

“The kids will perform the play for their parents next week. Then I’ll only have the one club and my regular class. That’s not much,” Rebecca said.

“If you say so,” although Maggie wasn’t completely convinced.

They came to a heavy metal door that led to the parking lot. Maggie pushed this one open and they walked out into the brisk air and late afternoon sunshine.

Maggie’s green Subaru was parked nearby. She took out her keys and unlocked the hatch, then stored her bags of supplies.

“I’m coming back on Friday to help the children finish the animals. Please don’t argue with me,” she said.

“All right. Thank you. But I owe you one.”

Maggie turned back to Rebecca, but before she could answer, she heard the doors of a sedan parked nearby open and slam.

A man got out from behind the wheel, and a woman exited from the passenger’s side. Their gaze was fixed on Rebecca and they walked straight toward her. Very quickly, Maggie noticed. Their body language alarmed her, and she suddenly felt alert and wary.

Maggie quickly recognized Detective Marisol Reyes, though the other face was unfamiliar.

“Detective Reyes, can I help you?” Rebecca sounded scared.

These were the detectives investigating Jeremy’s murder and they looked as if they were on official business. Very official. Maggie took a step closer to Rebecca so they faced the two police officers shoulder to shoulder.

“We have new information in the investigation, Rebecca. We need to ask you some more questions.” Detective Reyes spoke in an even, serious tone.

“About what? What’s come up exactly?” Maggie knew she had no right to interfere, but couldn’t help herself.

“Hello, Mrs. Messina.” Detective Reyes turned to Maggie. “I had a feeling we’d run into each other before this case was over. Rebecca told us how you helped with her wedding gown.”

Maggie wasn’t sure where that detail had fit into the long story. But the police had questioned Rebecca several times now. They must have retrieved plenty of irrelevant information. You never know what will be important, a police detective had once told her. Maggie could see that was true.

“Well, here I am, Detective.” Maggie shrugged. “Doesn’t the girl have a right to call her attorney? What is this about anyway?”

“It’s about the night Jeremy Lassiter was murdered. Mrs. Lassiter has told us several times that she visited her husband at his motel room once, in the late afternoon. Almost twelve hours before the crime was committed. We’ve just found some video from a security camera at the convenience store next to the motel that shows Mrs. Lassiter in her car much later that night.”

Maggie felt as if she’d had the wind knocked out of her. “Are you sure it was her car? Are you positive?”

“The model and plates are a match.
Mrs. Lassiter can be seen pretty clearly through the windshield, too.”

Rebecca’s eyes had filled with tears and she covered her face with her hands. Her book bag fell to the ground, the stack of papers covered with large, childish handwriting spilled out, the sheets flying off across the parking lot.

Rebecca quietly sobbed and Maggie put her arm around the young woman’s shoulder.

“Detective . . . please. There must be some mistake. Some explanation . . .” She saw a flicker of sympathy in Detective Reyes’s dark eyes, but Maggie could see she had come to do her job and was not going to be swayed. “Well, what if she was sitting there? It doesn’t mean anything,” Maggie insisted.

The officer with Detective Reyes moved forward a step, preparing to take Rebecca’s arm and lead her away, Maggie thought. Detective Reyes froze him with a look.

“Rebecca, you really need to come with us now. It will be much easier if you cooperate,” Detective Reyes said quietly.

Rebecca calmed herself and nodded.

“All right. I guess I have no choice.”

She slipped from Maggie’s hold and walk toward Detective Reyes and her partner. Then turned and looked over her shoulder. “Please call my mom. She’ll know what to do.”

Maggie nodded and bit her lower lip. She dreaded calling Nora with this news.

Poor Nora. Poor Rebecca.

It was going to be a long night
for all of them.

B
y the time she closed the shop
on Thursday, Maggie was exhausted. She’d stayed close to Nora the night before, well past midnight, while Rebecca was held for several hours and then questioned for several more.

Finally, Rebecca’s attorney reported that the police had decided not to charge her. A monumental relief. But Rebecca was still a “person of interest” in the case, Detective Reyes reminded her. Perhaps even more so now.

After working all day on little sleep, Maggie just felt like going home, grabbing a quick bite, and falling into bed. Maybe dozing off while watching the news first. She didn’t even factor in knitting, which was rare.

But it was Thursday and her friends were gathering at Suzanne’s house for their weekly meeting. Beyond sending a short e-mail, Maggie hadn’t found a spare minute all day to update anyone on Rebecca’s night in custody. So she felt obliged to join them, even if just for a little while.

Maggie loved the Cavanaughs’ big, old rambling colonial. Suzanne had found it and convinced
her husband to buy the place before it had even hit the market. It had plenty of space for their big family and “great potential,” a classic promise of real estate blurbs.

Suzanne and her husband, Kevin—who had made some money years ago fixing and flipping houses—had not been daunted at all by the state of disrepair. Kevin owned and ran a construction company and renovated houses for a living.

Now, years later, they were almost ready to admit that the house might be finished in time for their retirement years. The classic story of the shoemaker’s children going barefoot, Suzanne liked to say. Kevin never had time to work on their own house and never wanted to hire anybody to do the work he could do for free.

But ongoing construction did not hamper Suzanne’s hostessing style in the least. She still managed to cook and entertain with great flair and creativity, even if she had to don a hard hat along with her apron.

Tonight there were no acute emergencies. Just the usual ladders and paint cans in a hallway, and a wall ripped open, Maggie noticed as she walked in.