Cricket McRae - Spin a Wicked Web

The squirrel let loose with an irritated chatter, then flipped his tail at us one more time and scampered down the fence, out of sight.

I felt kind of funny telling them what had happened in La Conner before I told Barr, but he'd had his chance. Besides, it seemed to fall under his gossip mandate.

Taking a sip of lemonade, I said, "Rocky, Ariel's brother, is twenty-eight, has a wife and twin boys, an inherited tulip farm that doesn't make enough money to survive on, a side business as a car mechanic, prematurely thinning hair, and a lifelong blindness to who his sister really was. Gabi, his wife, is a competent, creative, family-oriented farm wife, doing her best to make do with what she has. She resented Ariel's hold over her brother and the money Rocky gave his sister."

"She's the spinner?" Meghan asked.

Ruth perked up at that.

I nodded. "She has a fabulous stash, and she quilts and sews, too."

"No wonder you like her so much," Meghan said.

Hmmm. "I do like her," I mused. "She's one of those people who, on paper, you have a ton in common with, but there's a lot we don't, as well. Still, I think we could grow to be good friends."

"It's too bad she lives so far away."

"True," I said. "I did find out a few interesting things about Ariel herself, though."

Ruth leaned forward.

"For one thing, she had an affair with a teacher in high school."

"Oh, that poor little thing," Ruth said.

"Ariel's friend from high school would agree with you. Her sister-in-law, on the other hand, said it was all Ariel's fault and that she deliberately seduced the teacher in order to get a good grade."

"Her friend from high school?"

I told them about my conversation with Lindsey Drucker, including what I'd learned about Ariel's eating disorder.

When I'd finished, Ruth gazed at me with sadness. "She was one messed-up kid, wasn't she?" Her eyes welled, and she looked away, blinking rapidly. Ruth was one of the most tender-hearted people I knew.

Meghan, another bastion of sympathy, nodded her agreement.

"Gabi suspects Ariel was also responsible for the accident that killed her and Rocky's parents," I said.

Both women looked surprised. "Gabi sounds like a very bitter woman," Meghan observed.

Ruth murmured her agreement. "At least when it comes to her sister-in-law."

"Like I said, I think she's doing the best she can."

"This whole situation must be very hard on all of them," Ruth said. "I, for one, think it was very nice of you to take that little girl's artwork up to her family, and I'm glad you met another spinner."

"Say, Ruth?" I asked.

"Yes, dear?"

"You were over at Chris' house the night Ariel was killed, right?"

She met my eyes and slowly nodded. "Along with Irene. Her husband's funeral was the next day, and the three of us have become quite close through the co-op."

"Jake was there, too?"

"For a little while. As her friend and her doctor. She'd asked him for something to help her sleep, and he brought over some samples."

"So he didn't stay long?"

"He left a little after seven-thirty."

Plenty of time to provide Felicia with an alibi.

Ruth looked at her watch. "I have to go-Uncle Thad will be needing his dinner, and he's helpless as a newborn when it comes to feeding himself." She stood, and Meghan and I clambered to our feet as she took her leave.

Back in the house, Meghan collected her wallet and car keys. "How 'bout pizza for dinner? I can whip up some dough and we can all make our own after I pick up Erin." "

I won't be here for dinner. Barr offered to cook for me."

She grinned. "You're kidding."

I grinned back. "Don't wait up."

I TURNED A CORNER, and the canvas bag of groceries on the seat next to me started to topple. My hand shot out in a classic Mommove to prevent the bag from tumbling to the floor by blocking it with the side of my forearm. Keeping my eyes on the road in front of me, I moved the bacon to make the bag less top-heavy.

Barr might be making me dinner, but I planned on making him breakfast the next morning.

He greeted me at the door, laying a big smacker on me and then taking the bag. When he saw what was in it, he waggled his eyebrows in approval and carried it into the kitchen.

"What is that heavenly smell?" I called after him.

"Garlic sauteed in butter," came the answer from the other room.

There was a big bunch of flowers in the living room. They sat on a simple, glass-topped coffee table.

The spool was gone.

I felt a little guilty, complaining about it so much earlier. But not so much that I couldn't handle it.

He returned with two glasses and an open bottle of single malt Scotch. The enticing aroma of smoky peat drifted my way.

"What's for dinner?" I asked.

"You'll see." He sat down on the sofa, and I joined him. He poured a finger of Scotch into each glass and handed me one. We clinked them together.

"To new beginnings," he said.

I looked at the coffee table and smiled. "To new beginnings," I agreed. "Thank you for the flowers. And for getting rid of the spool."

He settled back against the corner cushion. "You're welcome. Now give."

I spent the next hour telling him every detail of my trip to La Conner. He listened carefully, only interrupting a couple of times to clarify a point. When I'd finished, I retrieved Ariel's diary from the tote I'd brought that also contained a change of clothes and basic toiletries.

Handing it to him, I said, "I know it was a bad idea to take this. I'm sorry."

But he didn't look upset. "From what you said, it probably wouldn't come into play in any court case anyway. If it does, you're a private citizen. If Robin or I'd taken it without a warrant, then it wouldn't be admissible, but you're you, and while a judge might not appreciate that you basically stole it, anything in it could still be used in court."

"So I did good?"

He glowered melodramatically from under his eyebrows. "It's wrong to steal."

I grinned. "Sorry."

His face relaxed. "Well, okay, then."

"It must make Robin nuts to work with you."

"If it does, the feeling's mutual."

"Uh-oh. Are things okay between you two?"

He shrugged. "Sure. She's not happy about the Hannah thing taking up so much of my time, but then again, neither am I"

"Still don't know where she is, huh." At least she wouldn't try to talk to me tonight, I figured.

"She's nowhere in Cadyville, and we haven't been able to find her in any of the neighboring towns, either."

"Maybe she left after this morning."

"Maybe." He didn't sound convinced. I didn't believe it, either.

"And Ariel's murder?" I asked.

"Lots of running around, lots of follow up, not much in the way of results. Robin's nearly apoplectic with impatience. But we're making some progress, learning more every day."

Naturally I wanted them to find the killer, but hearing there was a soupcon of trouble in paradise didn't exactly bother me. I nestled my back into the cushions and took a sip of Scotch. Mmm. My favorite: Laphroaig. Barr had thought of everything.

"Do you think Ariel could have had anything to do with Scott's death?" I asked.

"Even if she really did have the mechanical ability to damage his vehicle, he was killed in his patrol car. It would have been awfully risky to sneak into the motor pool to do that."

I sniffed. "`Motor pool.' It's a parking lot behind the police station, Barr."

"Fenced off, with limited access," he said. "It still would have been risky."

"Did he always drive the same car? Or do they switch around?"

Barr gave a facial shrug. "Same one. And he could have taken it home, parked it in the driveway; many officers do. But he liked to leave it at the station, and drove his truck to and from work."