Arlene Sachitano - Quilter's Knot

"Maybe someone else is helping her,” Carla suggested.

"Who would help her, though? Her charming personality doesn't attract many admirers. No, I think it's something else. Something spooked her."

"What are we going to do now?"

"Let's go back and put in an appearance at our lecture. If we hurry, we can slip back in and maybe no one will know we were gone. At lunchtime, I'd like to go check out Les's apartment."

"I thought she said she wasn't going to be there,” Carla said, hurrying to keep up.

"She said she wasn't going to be there, but that doesn't mean she won't be."

Ray Louise Hanson finished her lecture and encouraged everyone to come back to her classroom after lunch, when she would have a sample of each of the threads she'd discussed for them to try.

"Oh, and before I let you go,” she said, and picked up a piece of paper from the lectern. “It is our custom at the Angel Harbor Folk Art School, and I know at many of your own quilt groups, also, to make a quilt for any member who loses a loved one. This case is special, since it was our founder who died. We are going to make two quilts. One will go to our business manager, Selestina's son Tom, in remembrance of his mother. The second one will be hung in the entry to the fiber arts building and will be a memorial to our founder, Selestina Bainbridge.

"If you would like to make a block for either or both, we will have instruction sheets and pieces of background fabric for you to use available on a table in the entrance hall."

Robin was waiting in the hall when class got out. She was holding three packets of fabric, each with paper folded around it.

"I picked up the fabric and instructions for the memorial quilts,” she said, and handed a set to Harriet and another to Carla. “I figured you'd want to do them. I got the background fabric for both of them."

"Thanks,” said Carla. “What kind of blocks are we supposed to make?"

"For Tom's quilt, the theme is motherhood. Any way you want to express it. The one to be hung in the entrance is to represent what you've learned here at the school."

Carla looked doubtful.

"Don't worry,” Harriet said, “We'll help you figure it out."

"Are you going to another lecture?” Robin asked.

"No, I can't concentrate, I try to listen, but I find my mind wandering to Lauren."

"I'm having the same problem."

"Me, too,” Carla said. “I got a real bad feeling about Lauren."

"Has something happened since I talked to you earlier?” Robin asked.

Carla looked at Harriet.

"We ducked out of our lecture and followed Lauren's brother when he left the dining cabin after breakfast cleanup,” Harriet said.

"And?"

"It looked like he was carrying a box of food. He went to some kind of garage structure on the other side of the photography building. We were sure he was leading us to Lauren's hideout."

"He was,” Carla interrupted. “She just wasn't there."

"It was pretty clear she had been hiding there,” Harriet agreed. “He beat on the doors and called to her."

"This just keeps getting better and better. If her brother didn't expect her to have moved, we have to ask ourselves if she moved on her own, or if someone moved her,” Robin said. “I don't like this. If we can't find her pretty soon, we may need to get the police involved. From what you're telling me, she may be in real trouble."

"Let's go back to the Tree House,” Harriet suggested. “We need to tell the rest of the group and get everyone looking for her."

Mavis and Connie were in the kitchenette when Harriet, Carla and Robin got back. Connie was arranging molasses cookies on a green ceramic tray. Mavis was cutting apples into quarters and removing the cores.

"Guess you ladies couldn't sit through another lecture, either, huh?” she said.

"We decided to come back and get started on our blocks,” Connie added. “After a little snack."

She pushed the platter of cookies toward Carla, who politely took one.

"By the way,” Mavis said, “we found a note taped to the door when we got back. Beth sent a fax to you at the UPS Store, and someone from the school picked it up for you. It's in the front office.” She fished the note out the pocket of her plaid shirt and handed it to Harriet.

"Thanks. I guess I'll go see what Aunt Beth's got for us."

Carla put her cookie down.

"You don't have to come. I'm just going to the office, and there are people going back and forth on all the paths."

"I think it'll be okay,” Mavis agreed. “Harriet's right. You have your cookie, and when Harriet's back we'll see what Beth's dug up."

Connie poured a glass of milk and handed it to Carla-Harriet wondered if she noticed how the two of them worked at adding nutritious foods to her diet. She had to admit, Carla's skin was clearer for their efforts. If they knew she lived in a car they'd both have strokes, right there on the floor.

"See you in a few,” she said, and left.

Tom was in the office when she arrived.

"Hey,” he said.

"Hi, I came to pick up a fax from my aunt. Someone brought it here from the UPS Store."

"Yeah, that was me. I was shipping some stuff, and Bill asked if I'd bring you a fax. I left it with Nancy. She stepped out for a minute, but it should be right here."

He started ruffling through the papers on Nancy's desk.

The outside door opened, and two men dressed in jeans and plaid flannel shirts entered the reception area. Harriet moved aside to make room for them. The larger one pulled off his leather work gloves and took a business card from his shirt pocket. He reached across the counter and handed it to Tom.

"We're from Angel's Wing Landscaping. The boss said you have some monkshood you need removed."

"So I've been told,” Tom said. “We've found some in a bouquet of cut flowers in one of the residence buildings. We usually get the flowers from our wildflower meadow, so I assume there must be some there. I don't know what it looks like, so I hoped you could check the meadow and, if you find it, remove it. And while you're here, check the rest of the grounds and see if it's growing anywhere else."

"I'm going to be surprised if it turns out you have any here. It's not something that usually grows down this low on its own. Someone would have had to plant it."

"I don't care how it got here,” Tom said, a hard edge creeping into his voice. “Someone used it to kill my mother, and I want it gone-now."

The man looked down, avoiding Tom's glare. “I'm sorry for your loss,” he said. “Miz Bainbridge was a fine woman.” He nudged his partner toward the door. “We'll get right on it."

Tom turned his back to Harriet and continued searching Nancy's desk.

"Here it is,” he said and handed it to her. She took the envelope and started for the door. She stopped with her hand on the knob. “Can I ask you something?” she asked.

He looked up. “Sure,” he said. “Anything."

"Why do you need to hire guys to identify monkshood for you?"

"Because I don't know what it looks like. Why?"

She turned back to face him. “It just seems a little odd that a guy with a degree in botany would need to hire people to identify a plant."

"What are you talking about?” His voice rose. “Why on earth do you think I have a degree in botany?"

"Patience mentioned it the other day. She said you worked for the forestry department before you came here. I thought she said you had a degree in botany."

"She was right. I did work for the Department of Forestry. As an architect. I still do work for them. I design buildings that are compatible with the forest. Visitor centers, fire lookout structures, that sort of thing."