Arlene Sachitano - Quilt As You Go

"I'm calling Robin and asking her to meet you there,” Harriet said.

"I'm telling you, it's unnecessary,” Mavis insisted before she walked down the block and locked her car then returned and got into the back seat of Officer Nguyen's unit.

Harriet pulled her cell phone from her bag and pressed the speed dial number for Robin's cell phone. Robin answered on the second ring, and Harriet quickly filled her in.

"I'm still in my car,” Robin said. “I'll turn around and head for the police station. I'll probably get there before Mavis does."

"Thanks,” Harriet said. “Tell Mavis I'll call her sons for her."

"Will do,” Robin said and rang off.

"I'll help you get the house ready,” Aunt Beth said and put Harriet's bag in the back seat of her little car. Harriet angled herself into the front seat, and Aunt Beth drove them back home.

Harry was in the kitchen, rummaging through the refrigerator, when they came in from the studio.

"Can you give me your brother's phone numbers?” Harriet asked.

"Sure,” he said, and pulled his cell phone out. “What do you need them for?"

Harriet explained about the dinner that would be happening later that day.

"Do you want me to just call them?” he asked.

"Sure. Tell them the Dutch cousins will be here."

"No prob,” he said, and started dialing. “Yo, bro. Dinner, Harriet's house, five-thirty, Dutch cousins will be here-be there, be square.” He paused a minute. “See ya."

He then repeated the process twice more.

"They'll be here,” he said. “I'll go tell Ben. He's upstairs video chatting with his girlfriend."

Harriet laughed when he was out of earshot.

"Not quite how I would have gone about it, but he got the job done."

"That's all that counts,” Aunt Beth said.

"By the way,” Harry said a few minutes later when he'd come back downstairs. “Why are you calling my brothers? Why isn't Mom?"

"She's busy,” Harriet said.

"Too busy to call her sons? Hello, we're the lights of her life. She's never too busy for us."

Harriet looked at Aunt Beth.

"Your mom is at the police station tying up a few loose ends,” Aunt Beth said.

"Mom's been arrested?” Ben asked as he joined them. “We need to help her."

"Just calm down a minute,” Aunt Beth said. “She isn't being arrested and she doesn't need you two going down there causing her more trouble."

"Then you admit she's in trouble,” Ben said.

"No,” Aunt Beth said. “I only know what I just told you. The officer said they wanted to ask her a few more questions. Harriet called Robin from the Loose Threads. She's a lawyer, and she was meeting your mom at the police station."

"While we're waiting to hear something, you two boys can make yourselves useful,” Aunt Beth said. “Harry, you take the blue-handled broom from that closet over there and go through the dining room and out the French doors. When you reach the patio, start sweeping."

She looked at Ben. “You go out to the garage and go upstairs and get the two white coolers down and bring them outside. If they need it, hose them out. Then you can take my car and go get enough bags of ice to half-fill both of them and two cases of bottled water. You can put the ice in the freezer in the garage until closer to dinnertime."

"Yes, ma'am,” Ben said.

"No fair,” Harry said. “You get to drive Aunt Beth's new car while I have to sweep the patio."

"Harry,” Aunt Beth said and handed him the broom. “Life is tough."

"Tell me about it,” the youngest Willis said, and headed for the dining room with his broom.

The weather man had predicted comfortable evening temperatures, so Aunt Beth had Harry and Ben out on the patio an hour later, setting up tables and planting bamboo Tiki lights she had left behind in Harriet's garage in the soft dirt of the flowerbed that separated the patio from the grass of the back yard.

"We won't light the Tikis until we see if anyone is still sitting out here when it starts to get dark. You two keep an eye on things and light them if we need them. There are matches in the drawer to the left of the stove."

"Yes, ma'am,” Ben said.

Harriet came out with an armload of table cloths that had been hanging in the upstairs linen closet, waiting for just such an occasion.

"Do you want these on the tables now, or should we wait until closer to dinner?"

"Let's wait a bit longer, so the trees don't have as much time to drop debris on them,” Beth replied. “How'd it go?” she asked as Mavis stepped out on the patio.

"Are you okay?” Ben asked.

"Aunt Beth wouldn't let us come help you,” Harry said at the same time.

"Boys,” she said and held her arms out. “As you can see, I'm fine.” The two boys closed in on their mom. Mavis put one arm around the waist of each. “Beth was right. She and Harriet shouldn't have to do all the work for our family."

"Harry,” Harriet said. “There are folding chairs in the garage attic. Can you and Ben go get enough to go around the tables?"

The boys fetched chairs, and Harriet brought out a pitcher of iced tea and glasses and set them on the table closest to the house. Mavis and Beth sat down, and Harriet poured tea for everyone.

"So, what did the police say?” Ben asked when he'd set up enough chairs for everyone.

"They said a lot, but I can summarize it in one sentence-they don't have a clue."

"Why did they make you go to the police station?” Harriet asked.

"As near as I can tell, they are trying to go over everything one more time and they were trying to shake us up by making us come to their place."

"Us?” Harriet asked. “Who us?"

"Oh, didn't I mention it when I came in? They had Ilsa in there too."

"Wow,” Harriet said. “She must have been terrified.” She thought a minute. “At least if she didn't do it,” she added.

"Was she by herself?” Beth asked.

"Robin called her husband's law partner and he came down. She said the partner had done some international law when he graduated from law school. He called the Dutch consulate in Seattle."

"Do they have any idea why Gerald/Gerard came back?” Harriet asked.

"I'm telling you they don't have anything,” Mavis said and shook her head in disgust. “Detective Black did say they had been in touch with detectives in Amsterdam. If they learned anything they weren't sharing."

"Dios mio,” Connie exclaimed as she came through the house when she caught sight of Mavis. “Are you okay? Did the Federales beat you?"

"Connie,” Mavis said with a smile, “as you can see, I'm fine. Everyone needs to stop fussing about the police. We've got more important things to talk about."

"Like what?” asked Ben.

"I can't think of anything more important than your freedom,” said Harry.

Harriet felt sorry for the boys.

"There's a reason we wanted to get all you boys together tonight, before the funeral on Saturday and before you have a chance to accidentally happen on the information. I was going to tell you all at once, but this might be better."

"You're scaring me, Mom,” said Ben.

Harry sat up in his chair, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Okay, lay it on me,” he said.

"You have a sister,” Mavis blurted out without preamble.

"What!” Harry screeched.

"No way,” Ben said.

"Dios mio,” said Connie, as if she, too, were hearing the news for the first time.

Every one fell silent for a moment. “Geez, Mom. Don't sugar-coat it or anything,” Ben finally said. “A sister? How?"

Mavis laughed. “The usual way, I expect."

"Ben, your father was gone for a long time,” Aunt Beth said. “He apparently remarried fifteen years ago. It's not a giant leap that he might have had more children."