The three of us leaned closer to the woman as I asked if she remembered their name or what they looked like.
“A lot of people go through this place,” she said, starting to shrug off my question, but then she stopped. “I do remember it was a man and there was something odd about him. He had this ball of hair growing below his lip. I don’t even know what that’s called.”
The three of us traded glances. Bob?
CHAPTER 13
NELL, DINAH AND I MARCHED INTO THE CAFE ready to confront Bob, but we all deflated when we looked at the counter and saw Mr. Royal was acting as barista. He’d pulled his shaggy multicolored hair into a tiny ponytail and wore an apron over his long-sleeved green shirt and jeans. He moved with the agility of a much younger man, and I noticed he had a wooden bead meditation bracelet wound around his wrist. Nell got to the counter first.
“Where’s Bob?” she demanded. Dinah and I almost crashed into her. I think the three of us came across as a little frantic.
Mr. Royal looked up from the metal pitcher of milk he was foaming for a cappuccino. “Don’t worry, ladies, I am an excellent coffee mixologist. Any drink you can name, I bet I can make.” I’m sure he was right, too. Mr. Royal had been everywhere and done everything. No doubt tucked in all the other jobs he’d had, he’d probably served up espresso drinks in Rome or something.
When it was clear the question really concerned Bob’s whereabouts, Mr. Royal said he’d be back in a couple of hours. I told Nell not to worry, and that as soon as Bob returned, I’d talk to him.
“C’mon, Nell,” Dinah said, putting her arm around the girl’s shoulder. “Molly has to work.” As a community college instructor, Dinah was an expert at dealing with hysterical people Nell’s age. Dinah gave me a wave and then escorted Nell to the yarn department.
When I looked back there, I saw that some of the group was still around the table.
I started to go back into the bookstore, but Mr. Royal stopped me.
“I wonder if you could give me an update on the Salute to Chocolate event.” He poured the steamed milk expertly into a mug with a couple of shots of espresso, then spooned fluffs of foam on top and finished by swirling a pattern with it. The customer waiting took it and walked away. Was he worried because I’d been missing so much time lately?
I told him all the books we were going to feature had been chosen and I’d been hearing from the different stores in the area. The plan was they would do their own setup. All we had to do was provide them with tables. “Alain Des Plaines is going to have a demo dipping things in his special chocolate blend.” Mr. Royal nodded and then asked me to check the signs around the store.
“There seems to be some graffiti on them,” he said. I promised to check it out first thing and left him to his drink duties.
Sure enough as I checked the free-standing signs we had spread around the store, they all had something scribbled on them. Right next to the photo of Alain Des Plains holding a handful of chocolate bars like they were a fan, someone had made a couple of lines next to a stick figure holding up one of its arms. I glanced toward the kids’ department. Somebody must have escaped Saturday-morning story time and gone wild. But they obviously didn’t know about permanent ink. A little wipe with a damp paper towel and all that was left was a smudge.
Mrs. Shedd saw me working on the signs and gave me a nod of approval. I couldn’t help it, I kept looking toward the table longingly. Finally, with the excuse to myself of needing to straighten up the yarn department, I headed back there.
Adele was standing at the end of the table with a piece of bright quilted material in front of her.
“Hey, Pink,” she said, waving me over. “You have to see these hooks I got on eBay.” I stepped closer and realized the material was actually a holder for the hooks. I’d never thought too much about hooks and had just used the metal or plastic ones that every craft store sold. These were like a different species.
Adele was savoring the spotlight as she took the hooks out one by one and showed them off. They were all made of wood. Some were dark and had fancy shapes on the nonhook end, and some were plain except for the hook. She started rattling off the different kinds of wood they were made out of. Rosewood sounded lovely, but bloodwood?
“Dear, you’re hooks are lovely,” CeeCee said in a dismissive tone before turning to me. “Molly, if Nell said anything to hurt your feelings, I’m sure she didn’t mean it.” From across the table, Dinah did a tiny nod. She must have spilled the beans about Nell’s desire for a real PI.
Nell hung her head. “It’s my life on the line here. That blond detective is out to get me. She’s going to find something, and then bam, I’m arrested.” She got up like she was thinking of leaving and directed her next comment at me. “I decided if that happens, I’m calling your lawyer-friend.”
“Dear, you need to calm down. Molly will figure out something.” Adele kept making loud sighing noises to get the attention back on her hooks. Well, really, on her. I didn’t look, but I’m sure she wasn’t smiling when Rhoda and Elise arrived. Before they’d even reached the table, Rhoda was already taking something out of her bag.
“Girls, I’m glad you’re still here.” She stopped between CeeCee and Nell. “I know you want your niece to get into crochet,” she said, looking toward CeeCee. “And I know you keep resisting.” Rhoda was usually very matter- of-fact, but this time she was literally flushed with excitement. “Wait until you see what I’ve come up with.”
She urged everyone to sit down. It was a hard sale with Adele.
“Rhoda, I know you mean well. I know you all mean well, and I really like the way you all care, but like I told you before, why should I start making something when I know I’ll never finish it?” Nell said.
“This is different,” Rhoda said. “I call it impatient crochet.”
Nell actually smiled when she heard the title. “Well, that sure describes me.” CeeCee nodded in agreement.
Adele was practically jumping out of her seat. She and CeeCee still hadn’t worked it out about leading the group, and she was upset that Rhoda was directing all her comments to CeeCee. “You should have explained it to me before you brought it to the group,” Adele interrupted.
CeeCee sighed. “Adele, will you stop making a scene. None of us need an okay before we bring something for the group.”
Rhoda thanked CeeCee and continued. “My Hal thought it was a great idea. The whole point of this kind of crochet is not to make a big production out of it.” She emptied her canvas bag on the table, and a bunch of small colorful items fell out. Everyone started to grab something and look at it.
“Not only will this work for Nell, but for the things we’re making for the donation box. These items would be great to give for a Hearts and Barks bazaar.” She held up an eyeglass holder. It was black with a bright orange fabric lining and a multicolored yarn corkscrew as decoration. There were cell phone holders and some small change purses. “The key is in the finishing.” Rhoda pointed out the silver heart-shaped button on the coin purse. It
Personally, I was mesmerized and couldn’t wait to try it. Something about the terra-cotta tube jostled my memory and I blurted out that it made me think of something I’d seen in the box of Robyn’s stuff.
“What was in there?” Nell asked. Rhoda stopped her lesson and everyone turned to me. Well, not Adele. She’d taken out one of the wooden hooks and some cotton yarn and was trying to mimic what Rhoda had started.
“She had a crocheted cactus. It even had a pot that was that color,” I said, pointing to Rhoda’s yarn.
“She did?” Nell said. She thought it over a moment and I described how it had white flowers on the top of the cactus.
“There were some kind of initials on the bottom,” I said.
