Arlene Sachitano - Quilt As Desired

Mavis was waiting in the Town Car when the young Hispanic attendant wheeled Harriet out.

"Nice ride,” he said with a smile that flashed a gold tooth.

"Yeah, isn't it?"

The young man set the brake and held Harriet's arm as she got out of the chair and into the car.

"Thanks,” she said and waved as they drove off. She lowered her window when they were underway. The air was heavy with the salty smell of open water, and she breathed deep. The moist air made her feel stronger.

"I'm taking you right home,” Mavis said.

"I need to go to Aunt Beth's."

"No way. We're going home and only home."

"I have to get Fred. I can't just leave him. Aiden locked him in the kitchen. He's probably scared. It'll be fine. There are two of us, and the police are driving by often in case anyone comes back."

"We just get the cat, and then we go home,” Mavis insisted.

Harriet didn't argue. She had every intention of looking around her studio-there had to be more to the break-in. Whatever someone wanted, they wanted it bad enough to come back twice. And they weren't afraid to hurt her to get it.

She didn't want it to be Aiden, but once again he was Johnny on the spot when she was hurt. And he had no alibi for the time before she was found.

Mavis pulled up the hill and into the circular driveway.

"In and out,” she ordered. “And we stick together."

They got out of the car, and Mavis pulled a key from her purse and unlocked the door. It swung open, and she stood frozen on the threshold.

"Will you look at that?” she said and pointed.

A fluffy pile of shredded batting and slivers of multicolored cotton fabric sat on the floor by the cutting table. The predominant fabric color was red.

"What is-or, rather, was-it?"

Harriet stepped around her and knelt down by the heap. She picked up a handful and ran it through her fingers. She repeated the action twice more.

"I think it used to be Lauren's quilt."

Harriet grabbed Fred and his travel cage, his dishes and his bag of food. Mavis all but walked in the heels of her shoes, which made the task take twice as long as it might have.

They were back at the cottage before they dared speak about what they'd seen.

"Lauren is going to have kittens when she hears the news,” Mavis said. “In fact, I don't think you should tell her in person."

"I have to tell her. Her quilt was in my possession when it got ruined."

"But when it was damaged in the first place, you weren't there. In fact, if we hadn't arrived at the show when we did, it probably would have been destroyed on Monday."

"I just don't get it. What could anyone gain by destroying Lauren's quilt?"

"The real question is who would be willing to kill you to destroy Lauren's quilt?"

The kettle Mavis had put on to heat whistled, and she got up and poured hot water into their waiting mugs. She set the mugs on the table and was putting homemade gingersnaps on a plate when the phone rang. She handed the cookies to Harriet and searched for the cordless phone. She found it on the table beside her chair in the living room and answered just as the caller hung up.

"Dial star-six-nine,” Harriet suggested.

She did, and Harriet could hear the phone on the other end ringing.

"Hello?"

Mavis listened, said a few uh-huh's and finished with “We'll be there."

"Aren't you just the clever girl,” she said to Harriet when she keyed the phone off and returned it to its base. “That was Jenny. She said the Loose Threads want to meet tomorrow to deal with the project bags from Avanell's. What she didn't say is that they all want a first-hand account of what happened to you. I hope it's okay that I said you'd come."

"If we're going to be joined at the hip, I guess I don't have a choice,” Harriet said. She realized she sounded like a petulant teenager, but she was tired and feeling boxed in.

"I can call her back if you're not up to it,” Mavis said, trying to hide the hurt in her voice.

"I'm sorry, it's not you. It's my life. Aunt Beth was right-I was hiding in Oakland. But I thought I came here to help her. Then I find out I'm really here to take over her business and start my life again. I was even starting to believe it could work when all hell broke loose. I'm living like a fugitive, afraid of I don't know what. My life in California might not have been perfect, but I was safe and free."

"Honey, life is never predictable. You can lock yourself away in an apartment in California with only a cat to talk to, but that's not living. I'm not saying getting hit on the head is normal, either, but that could have happened just as easy in California as here. In fact, it's probably less uncommon there.” Mavis came over to her chair and rubbed her back like she would a child. “The police are going to get this sorted out and you'll be back at your aunt Beth's in no time. You've lived in Foggy Point before. You know it's a good place."

Yeah, she knew what a great place it was. That's why she had so many friends from her previous time here. Still, a small part of Harriet wanted to believe her, but it was hard to see how it was going to happen. As near as she could tell, whoever had trashed her studio, hit her on the head, drugged her and ruined Lauren's quilt was getting away scot-free, and neither she nor the police had any idea what was going on or why. And she didn't even want to think about Avanell's death. She was trying to convince herself her troubles were unrelated to that; but deep down, she didn't really believe it.

"It might be good for you to talk to the Loose Threads. Maybe they can see a connection with the quilt and your studio and Avanell's death that we don't."

"I suppose,” Harriet conceded. “You're right about one thing."

"What's that?"

"We aren't getting it. Whatever it is."

Harriet hadn't believed the doctor when he predicted how much better she would feel by the next morning, but she had to admit he'd been right. She wasn't ready to run a marathon, but the world no longer spun with her every movement, and her stomach had stabilized.

She opened her bedroom door to the smell of eggs cooking. Mavis had prepared scrambled eggs with Laughing Cow cheese and chopped chives. It was accompanied by toasted English muffins dripping with butter and homemade blackberry jam. The two women washed it down with steaming mugs of English Breakfast tea.

"You're looking better this morning, honey,” Mavis said when they were finished.

"I do feel as though I might live, which is a definite improvement over yesterday."

"If you want to change your mind about facing the Loose Threads, you say the word and I'll call in our regrets and we can spend the day here."

"No, I need to face Lauren, and I do think you're right about talking to the group and seeing if they have any fresh ideas. And, as much as I like you, I think we'll drive each other nuts if we just sit here all day and night."

Fred jumped into her lap and gave her a friendly head butt.

"He seems to have adjusted just fine,” she said.

"I expect he's happy anywhere as long as he's with you."

"He's going to have to get along without me for a few hours. I need to see Lauren and get it over with."

"You go take your shower and I'll rinse off these dishes, then we'll hit the road."

"Mavis,” Harriet said when she came out of the bathroom a half-hour later dressed in the pink T-shirt and jeans from the day before. “Did you wash these while I was sleeping?"

"I always wake up with the birds, and you needed your sleep. I was washing a load of towels so I tossed your stuff in. It wasn't any extra effort. We'll have to figure out something about getting the rest of your clothes. I was thinking we could ask Aiden Jalbert to go pick up a few things for you."