Arlene Sachitano - The Quilt Before The Storm

“I think you’re the lucky one,” Aiden told her.

Harriet felt the weight on her heart lift a little.

“This guy could have shot us all.”

“And would have,” Ronald said, puffing his chest out.

“Did I mention…” Morse asked, looking at Ronald, “…you have the right to remain silent? I suggest you exercise that right.”

“You want me to move the log?” Aiden asked.

Morse sighed a world-weary sigh.

“Given the resources I have at the moment, there’s little chance I can secure this crime scene, so yes, go ahead and move the log and see what’s behind it.”

“I can help,” Brandy offered.

“I think you’ve helped enough for one night,” Detective Morse said.

“I need a drink,” Brandy mumbled.

Aiden swung the log toward the clearing and pulled out several large dried fir boughs; his torso disappeared into the hillside. He backed out a moment later, a bulky leather messenger bag in his hands.

“Jackpot,” he said and handed the bag to Morse.

Jane Morse opened the bag’s flap. The bag was stuffed with stacks of bills. Harriet couldn’t see what the denomination was, but there was a lot of money in the bag, in any case.

“Harriet, could you drop us at the jail, please?” Detective Morse asked. “I want Darcy to process my vehicle as part of the crime scene.”

“Sure, but what about Brandy?”

“She’s home, isn’t she?”

“Oooh, that’s cold,” Lauren said.

“How about I take you and this guy,” Aiden said, “and Harriet can take Brandy and Lauren back to wherever they were before this all started.”

“That works,” Morse said.

Harriet and Lauren told their story to the group gathered in Harriet’s dining room at least four times before Aunt Beth finally said, “Enough.”

“I think it’s time to have that pie now,” Mavis said.

“I’ll get the dishes,” Harriet said.

“You’ll do no such thing, chiquita.” Jorge followed Mavis into the kitchen.

“Here, take this little rat,” Tom said and plopped the freshly walked Carter into Lauren’s lap. “He whined the whole time you were gone.”

“That’s a fact,” Connie said.

“Well, I’m back, and as soon as we have our pie, we’re going back to our house. We’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

Mavis and Jorge served cherry pie to everyone then helped themselves to pieces. Then, one by one, the dinner guests left, with Tom giving Brandy and Joyce a ride back to the homeless camp before heading back to the Renfros’.

Two days later, Robin called with the news everyone had been waiting for. The highway out of Foggy Point was open again-only one lane, and there were frequent delays to allow the dump trucks that were hauling the tons of soil and rock to get through, but open.

With weekends and power outages, Marjory’s seventy-two-hour hold had turned into one hundred and twenty-eight hours, not including the two extra days she spent in a motel because of the slide, but at long last she was coming home. Aunt Beth called the Loose Threads to convey the message she had secured Marjory’s permission to bring the fabric down from the attic. All the Threads who were in town agreed to meet at nine o’clock to start working.

“It’ll take Robin two hours to get there, and then two hours back plus a little if they stop for coffee,” Aunt Beth said as she and Harriet got out of her silver Beetle. “We should be able to get a real good start before she gets back.”

“Hey,” Carla said when they came through the shop door. Wendy was perched on her hip.

“Rod will be here in a few minutes,” Connie said. Rod was the official grandfather to every small child he knew, and Wendy was not immune to his charm. “He plans on wheeling her around to look at storm damage downtown. You did bring the stroller, didn’t you?”

“Oh, yes,” Carla said. “Wendy’s looking forward to it.”

“Did you ever have a chance to check on Sarah?” Harriet asked Connie.

“We went to the house where she’s staying, but she only cracked the door open. I couldn’t see her very well, and she insisted she was fine, but she didn’t sound fine.”

“I wonder what that means.”

“I’m not sure what else to do. I asked her if she needed anything, but she said no.” Connie was clearly worried.

Harriet couldn’t think of anything short of an all-out intervention, and she wasn’t ready to suggest that option.

The rest of the group arrived and divided up the tasks involved in reversing the process they’d done a few short days before.

“Harriet and I will take the stairs,” Lauren said.

“I can do the cart again,” Carla said.

Aunt Beth, Mavis and Connie set the fabric back on the shelves, neatly tucking the raw edges under before sliding the bolts side-by-side into the metal uprights that kept them from tipping over.

“Have you talked to Aiden since the Ronald takedown?” Lauren asked Harriet.

“No, but then, I didn’t expect to.”

“Really?”

“Okay, so maybe I thought he’d call, but he didn’t.”

“Carla!” Lauren yelled down the stairs when she saw the cart through the opening in the attic floor. “Have you heard any more conversations between Aiden and his sister?”

“She took off the other night. She was gone when I got back from the power’s-on party.”

“Wow,” Harriet said. “Did you hear anything before that?”

“They had a fight, but all I heard was Aiden saying he didn’t know who to trust anymore. She started using language that wasn’t appropriate for Wendy’s little ears, so I had to turn the intercom down, and by the time I got Wendy doing something in the other room and came back, their fight was over, or they had moved out of range.”

“He’ll settle down once he’s had a few days without her,” Aunt Beth said from down below. She’d come up beside Carla. “If I know that boy, he’ll do his own research. He’ll find out the truth. He’s an emotional one at first-that’s what makes him such a good veterinarian-but he’s also very analytical. He won’t do anything without checking his facts, and then Michelle will be out on her ear.”

“I hope so,” Harriet said.

“Why don’t you gals come on down for a break? Mavis went down the street to pick up doughnuts.” She looked at her watch. “Marjory should be getting here pretty soon, anyway.”

“How’s it looking down there?” Lauren asked.

“Come see for yourself. There’s still work to be done, but it’s taking shape.”

The Threads assembled in the larger classroom, each with their favorite hot beverage in front of them.

“Can anyone join this party?” Jane Morse said as she came into the room. “I ran into Mavis at the bakery, and she invited me to stop by for doughnuts. The shop’s looking better.”

“Marjory’s lucky the water stayed in the basement,” Connie said.

“She’s lucky to have a group of friends like you.”

Mavis came in with the doughnuts, which cut off all thought of conversation while everyone made their selections and took their first sugary bites.

Finally, Morse sat back in her chair.

“I hate to admit this, but given our extreme conditions and our unusual situation, I couldn’t have taken Ronald into custody without your help. Thank you.”

“That was all Harriet and Lauren,” Connie said.

“I know, but as usual, you all played a role along the way.”

“Cut to the chase,” Lauren prompted. “We’ve got more fabric to put away.”

Morse smiled. “I was going to give you a lecture on how you shouldn’t involve yourselves in police business, but I suppose it won’t do any good, and in any case, as I said, you did play a role, so I suppose you deserve to know what happened.”