Arlene Sachitano: Quilt By Association

"Dr. Johnson said we could set up one of the storerooms with rocking chairs and a television and DVD player."

"Sounds nice, actually."

Aiden drove down to the waterfront in Smuggler's Cove and parked in front of a small storefront restaurant with a view of the dock. They both had eggs cooked in a cup-shaped slice of organic Black Forest ham. Cinnamon toast and sliced fruit completed the meal. Aiden drank coffee while Harriet sipped tea. For once, they met no one they knew and were able to enjoy a relaxing meal.

"Want to play hooky and go for a drive?” Aiden asked. “Dr. Johnson told everyone they couldn't call me unless it was a dire emergency, which didn't include simple re-stitching jobs."

Harriet agreed, and he did take her for a drive-to Port Angeles. They went to a double feature movie then drove to Port Townsend and had sushi at Ichikawa.

"I can see why Ichikawa keeps winning the best Japanese food in Jefferson County award,” Harriet said as he paid the bill and they made their way to the front of the downtown eatery. He kept his hand lightly against her back as they strolled down the sidewalk.

"I'm glad they caught Joseph,” he said.

"Me, too. I just wish I knew why he attacked me."

"Besides the fact you were trespassing and being a peeping Tom or Tomasina or whatever girl voyeurs are called?"

"Do you think he could get off because of that?"

"I'd be more worried about you getting arrested than him getting off. I haven't heard anyone say yet that they actually have any evidence against Joseph in the murder of either Rodney or Neelie. Given what you've dug up on them, it's quite possible someone connected to them followed them here and murdered them."

"If that's true, we've ruined Joseph's career and maybe his life by helping make him a suspect."

"That's what I was thinking,” Aiden said. “Almost makes you hope he's guilty."

"If he isn't guilty, he's acting pretty weird. You saw how stressed he was at the coffee shop and then he no-showed at work and disappeared when I was attacked and Rodney was killed."

"He could just be scared. Wouldn't you be, if everyone in town thought you were a murderer?"

"I don't know what to think,” Harriet said with a sigh. “I wish Neelie Obote never came to our town with her pretend baby and claims about her nonexistent dead sister."

"If what you learned from her foster mother is correct, it's her town, too. She was coming home."

"I know I'm not being generous but I don't care if this was home. She should have stayed away."

"With Joseph in jail and my dogs all on the mend, maybe we can leave the drama behind and get on with our mad, passionate love affair."

"Don't even think the word affair around my aunt or Mavis,” Harriet warned as he stopped and pulled her into his arms for a slow kiss, ending all discussion.

"Where have you been?” Aunt Beth asked from the porch as Harriet hobbled up the path toward the front door.

"We went to breakfast,” Harriet replied with a smile.

"For eight hours?"

"It was a long breakfast."

She made her way into Aunt Beth's living room and sat down on the sofa.

"I'd like to go home,” she said.

"Honey, I know you were jerked around by your parents, and I know that left you feeling helpless. I also know that you compensate by being stubborn about your independence. Ordinarily, I'd try real hard to respect that, but tonight, I'm just too pooped to peep.

"As long as you're on crutches, you need help, whether you think so or not. Mavis or I would have to go to your house, and after running the long arm machine all day, I just want to sit in my chair and watch one of my programs and then go to bed. Tomorrow, when you get your walking cast, I'll move you back home."

Harriet held out her hand, and her aunt came to sit beside her on the couch.

"I'm sorry. I'm being selfish. I do appreciate how much work it is for you when I'm out of commission. Not only have you taken good care of me and Fred, but you've had to do all my quilting. Meanwhile, I'm acting like a spoiled brat."

"Oh, honey. You're allowed to be out of sorts when you're hurting."

"I'll just take myself off to bed and you can rest."

Aunt Beth offered and Harriet declined both dinner and a snack. She and Aiden had gotten ice cream cones for the trip home, and she was pretty sure she'd never be hungry again.

"I think I'll go upstairs and read,” she said. “I enjoyed my day out, but I am pretty tired, and tomorrow is a big day,” she said and wiggled her encased foot.

"See you in the morning,” Aunt Beth said with a yawn.

"Don't stress out if it takes longer than an hour at the doctor,” Aunt Beth said as she picked up her purse and coat the next morning. “I've got a little more to go on Phyl's quilt, so I'll be at your house when the Threads arrive. I can entertain them until you get done."

"I thought you said Phyl's quilt was going to be simple,” Harriet said. She balanced on her good foot as she reached into the coat closet and pulled out her gray hoodie and put it on. She was wearing jeans that had the side seam split open to the knee to accommodate the soon-to-be-removed cast.

"It could have been, but I'm doing a dense stippling pattern in the cream-colored background areas. It looks real nice, but it's taking me a little time."

"Anyone waiting for a taxi?” Mavis asked with a smile as she came through the door without knocking.

"I promise, I'll make this up to you two,” Harriet said. “I'll drive you everywhere when you're not allowed to drive anymore."

"Honey, I plan on going to my grave with the keys to my Town Car in my hand,” Mavis said and laughed.

"I'll see you ladies at Harriet's,” Beth said as they all went outside.

Harriet wasn't sure how it was that you could have the first appointment of the day at the clinic and still be made to wait for twenty minutes before they called you in. She spent another twenty minutes getting the heavy cast removed before she was able to finally move into the doctor's examination room.

The wait turned out to be worth it when Dr. Eisner came in and proclaimed her healing process to be better than average and offered her a lighter, removable air cast if she would promise to continue to mostly use her crutches for another week. She agreed, and after a few probing touches to her still-tender kidney, she was released back into Mavis's care.

"Well, what did he say?” Mavis asked when they were back in the car.

"He said I was healing nicely. He said if I use my crutches most of the time, I can wear this removable air cast."

"We should be only fashionably late to the Threads meeting,” Mavis said. “What did he say about your kidney?"

Harriet gave her a full report as they drove back to her house, where they found the driveway full of Loose Threads cars.

"Harriet,” Lauren said as she came through the door to the studio, “I was just telling DeAnn you'd found some really interesting information on your computer."

"Lauren,” Harriet said in exasperation, “what happened to not running the world and letting the detective deal with things?"

"Oh, so if you meddle it's a virtue, but if I open my mouth I'm a troublemaker?” Lauren grabbed her long blond hair and swept it off her shoulders to her back.

"What are you two talking about?” DeAnn asked.

Harriet glared at Lauren, who merely shrugged and turned to talk to Jenny, who was sitting on her left. She looked for Mavis or her aunt, but neither woman was in the studio. They were probably in the kitchen getting refreshments.

"If you know something, spill it,” Robin urged. She was dressed in the fall version of her usual yoga outfit, the seasonal difference being that her black stretchy pants were full-length and she'd added a fitted pastel hoodie to her costume. Her clothing might have been casual, but she was using her best courtroom voice, and Harriet found it very compelling.