Betty Hechtman - A Stitch In Crime

The fourth book in the Crochet Mystery series, 2010

Id like to thank Sandy Harding for her continued enthusiasm and great editing. Thanks to everyone at Berkley Prime Crime for the great cover and all their efforts on my behalf. None of this would have happened without my agent, Jessica Faust.

Thank you, Howard Marx, M.D., for the quick answers to all my medical questions. Appellate Defender Judy Libby keeps the lawyer information coming. Roberta Martia is my crochet tester and chief cheerleader.

And Burl and Max-you guys are still the best. Thanks for being such devoted recipe testers.

MOLLY, PLEASE TRY TO GET THROUGH THE WEEK-END without any dead bodies, Mrs. Shedd said, pushing the rhinestone-encrusted clipboard across her desk to me. And take good care of this. Its the first time Ive turned it over to anyone. I could see why she made the dead body comment. After forty-seven years of not one dead body showing up in my life, there had been a plethora of them in the past couple of years.

Dont worry, I said. No murder or mayhem, I promise. I completely meant it when I said it. Too bad it turned out not to be true.

I stared at the fancy clipboard for a moment as what it meant sank in. Every September the bookstore where I worked, Shedd & Royal Books and More, put on the Get Out of the Heat and Light Your Creative Fire retreat on the Monterey Peninsula. The getting out of the heat referred to the September weather in Tarzana, California, which was always hot and dry. In contrast, the Monterey area was cool and damp year round. Id never been on one of the retreats, but I knew Mrs. Shedd chose four or five creative pursuits, such as writing or candle making, and lined up local people to put on the workshops. The retreaters committed to a topic and went to a number of sessions over the long weekend. At the end there was a gathering and everyone got to show off what theyd done.

This retreat is your baby. Are you sure you want to do this? I asked, expecting some kind of explanation.

Mrs. Shedd shook her head, making her perfect blond pageboy swing. Im more than sure. Its your baby now, Molly. Somethings come up and I cant go, she said cryptically.

Pamela Shedd was the co-owner of Shedd & Royal Books and More, which made her my boss. I was surprised she didnt give me any more details of why she suddenly couldnt go on the retreat, but it wasnt my place to ask. Since I was the community relations-event coordinator for the bookstore, it made sense that she was putting me in charge. But no way was it going to sit well with my coworker Adele Abrams.

My boss picked up a box from the floor next to her and handed it to me, saying it held the folders for the presenters along with the schedule for the weekend. Later I could pick up the larger boxes with the folders for the retreaters and the other supplies. She seemed relieved to have passed everything off to me. Oh, and be sure to have fun.

I put the clipboard on top of the box and took it with me as I headed across the bookstore to the event area, where my crochet group, the Tarzana Hookers, was already assembled. Morning sunlight streamed in the window that faced Ventura Boulevard. The long table was strewn with balls of yarn, coffee cups and some completed projects the members had brought in to show off to the group. The crochet group met regularly at Shedd & Royal. Adele Abrams, who along with being my coworker, was coleader of the group and a crochet fanatic, was waving around her hook, which had something white and fuzzy hanging from it. As I got closer, she began to pass around what she was working on.

Pink, you missed it, Adele said, her voice full of excitement. I had gotten past being upset about her insistence on calling me by my last name. I just created a stitch. She pointed toward what looked like a row of fuzzy, white yarn bumps in Eduardos hand. Eduardo Linnares was our only male member. I doubt most people would pick him out as a crocheter. In his other life he was a cover model, and he definitely looked the part. He was tall with long, shiny black hair, handsome, even features and a muscular body that must have required long hours at the gym. But he fit into the group very nicely thanks to his pleasant disposition and his skill with a hook. His grandmother had taught him well.

Creating stitches is something we crochet divas do, Adele said, crowing with pride. Im thinking of calling it the marshmallow stitch.

At the word marshmallow, CeeCee Collins looked up. She was the host of the reality show Making Amends and had a legendary sweet tooth; hence her interest at the mention of a sweet. When she realized what Adele was talking about, she seemed momentarily disappointed before taking the piece of yarn from Eduardo and examining it.

CeeCees acting career had recently had a resurgence, and shed gone from occasional cameos to being in the limelight. The best thing about her was that she could be a celebrity and a regular person at the same time. Well, sort of a regular person. She was the only one of us who had to be concerned about being caught by the paparazzi with soup dripping down her chin.

I cant say it looks good enough to eat, but youre right-the way it puffs up with the halo of white, bulky yarn does make it look like a marshmallow, dear. What are you going to do with it?

I used that baby yarn we made the cuddle blankets with, Adele said, referring to a group project in which we made soft blankets for traumatized children. She took the strip and held it on her wrist. I could make a bracelet. Then she held it across her chest. Or keep going and make a vest. Adele was amply built and had an eye for the outrageous when it came to clothes. Knowing her, shed probably go for the vest.

Sheila Altman put down her hook and looked at Adeles creation. She was dressed in a black suit, which was her uniform for her job as the receptionist at the local womens gym. For once she seemed relatively anxiety free. Just hearing about all she had on her plate made me nervous. Along with juggling several jobs, she was going to school to become a costume designer, and lived in a rented room partially paid for by babysitting the homeowners kids. I think you should use it for trim, Sheila said, taking the strip and holding it at the bottom of the blue scarf she was working on.

Then Sheila handed the piece to me. As Adeles gaze turned my way, she saw the box with the clipboard on top that I had set on the table. I prepared myself for the onslaught.

What are you doing with the rhinestone clipboard? Adele demanded. Was there a little quiver in her lip? When I didnt answer immediately, she stood up. Well, Pink, whats the story?

Even after several years, Adele had still not gotten over the fact Id been hired as the event coordinator at Shedd & Royal Books and More. It didnt matter that I had a background in public relations thanks to my late husband Charlies business; Adele still thought she should have gotten the position. To soothe her hurt feelings, she had gotten the childrens story time. And over time, Adele had managed to work her way into handling some events with me.

Mrs. Shedd told me she isnt going to the Get Out of the Heat and Light Your Creative Fire weekend. She put me in charge and turned over the rhinestone clipboard, I said finally.

Thats ridiculous! Youre not qualified. How many of the retreats have you gone on? Adele said. Without waiting for an answer, she continued. Ive been on every one since I started working here, which was years before you started.

Adele was right on that point-I had never been on one of the retreats. I had been left in charge of the bookstore while Mrs. Shedd and Adele went. But I had already arranged to go this year as a participant and to help Mrs. Shedd. Why should it matter that I hadnt gone before, anyway? I had put on countless author events. Yes, there had been a few problems, like the smoke alarm going off during a cookbook demo and the fire department showing up. Another time the mens bathroom flooded when it turned out a fixit book author didnt know quite how to fix it. But the sense of not knowing what was going to happen had turned out to be a benefit, and was attracting more and more people to the bookstores events.