tongues and some of the bows in their topknots. They were set in two rows of three on a medium rose-pink background. Dark-green vines and dark-pink and white flowers twined around the outside of the dog blocks, framing them, and the final border was cut in deep scallops. The scallop area had been quilted in a closely set crosshatch pattern. Jenny explained that the binding would be the same dark green as the flower vines.
'We may be competing against ourselves for the raffle quilt,” Robin said. “This one is definitely a contender, too.'
Jenny blushed a becoming shade of pink. “I don't know about that, but at least they should be able to sell it at auction.'
She picked up Connie's plate of butterscotch chocolate bars and handed them around the group again before sitting back down.
Connie was explaining that grated carrots were the secret ingredient in her bars, but she stopped when someone knocked on the door. Harriet looked around. Most of the people she knew were already in the room, and Aiden was at the vet clinic-and he wouldn't have knocked, in any case. She mentally reviewed her quilting schedule, trying to think of any customer she might have a forgotten.
Aunt Beth went to the door to let Detective Morse in.
'What's she doing here?” Harriet blurted.
'Mind your manners, child,” Aunt Beth said. “I called Detective Morse and told her about Sarah's story of seeing Joseph. She wants to question her, and I told her to come on over.” She ushered Detective Morse into the center of the circle of chairs.
'Ladies,” she said. “I'd like you all to meet Jane Morse. She's a detective, and she's investigating the murders.'
She didn't need to say which murders-they all knew. No one moved or said anything.
'She's also a quilter,” Beth added.
'What kind of quilts do you make?” Lauren asked.
'Mostly machine piecing,” Jane replied. “I'm learning to applique, but I'm not very good on inside curves yet.'
Carla smiled at the last comment.
'I'd love to look at the quilts you have here, but first I need to ask…” She glanced at a small notebook in her hand. “…Sarah Ness a few questions.'
Everyone turned to look at Sarah.
'I'm Sarah. But if you think I'm going to rat out Joseph, you're mistaken. I'm no one's snitch.'
'Sarah!” Aunt Beth and Mavis said at the same time.
'This isn't some B-grade gangster movie, Sarah,” Harriet said. “People are dead. You could be endangering Joseph by not telling the detective what you know.'
'She's right,” Lauren seconded. “We're just assuming Joseph killed those two people and attacked Harriet, but it could be his only crime is running.'
'Why would he run if he didn't do anything?” Sarah asked.
'Geez, Sarah,” Lauren said. “Make up your mind whose side you're on.'
'Is there somewhere I can talk to Ms. Ness alone?” Detective Morse asked.
'Sure,” Aunt Beth said. “Come on, Sarah,” she prompted and led the two women into the kitchen.
The Loose Threads used the half-hour while Detective Morse was questioning Sarah to discuss the details of the pre-auction meeting where the raffle quilt would be selected. The contenders would be judged by a committee made up of local city council members as well as representatives from several animal-related businesses and nonprofit employers. Each guild would present their quilts along with the all-important narrative about the design and construction of each entry.
'Have any of the rest of you seen or talked to Joseph Marston in the last week?” Detective Morse asked when she and Sarah returned to the studio.
'Aiden and I saw him at the Steaming Cup last weekend,” Harriet offered.
'Did you talk to him?'
'We did-or at least, we tried to.'
'What do you mean?'
'He was acting kind of jittery, and when I asked him a couple of questions, he was sharp with me-he raised his voice. Said things like ‘What difference does it make?’ Normally, he's kind of quiet and patient, but that night he wasn't.'
'Has anyone else heard from him?” Morse looked at DeAnn.
'Not in the last week,” DeAnn told her. “We've tried to get hold of him, but he hasn't returned any of our calls.'
'Well, thank you, ladies,” Morse said. “Beth told me you're making quilts for the pet adoption benefit. Do you mind if I look?'
'You don't belong to the Small Stitches, do you?” Connie asked.
'No, I haven't found a quilt group since I moved to Foggy Point.'
Connie glanced at Mavis then Beth and Jenny. Each in turn gave an almost imperceptible affirmative nod.
'Let's start with the doghouses,” Mavis said, and Carla and Lauren held that quilt up for the detective. They displayed each of the others then refolded them and piled them on the work table.
'Those are really beautiful,” Morse said. “They should bring a lot of money in.'
If Detective Morse didn't already have her invitation to join the Loose Threads in the bag, her compliments would get her one for sure, Harriet thought. Seemed like the good detective would be thinking it was a conflict of interest-unless she had another reason to try to plant herself in their midst.
Chapter 35
The meeting broke up at that point. The quilts that needed their binding finished were collected, and the rest were carefully refolded, put into their cloth bags and set on Harriet's to-do shelf.
'I've got to go get ready for my lunch date,” Sarah said. “Ta-ta, ladies.” With that, she swept out the door, putting on her raincoat as she went.
Lauren sat in the chair next to Harriet's.
'Did you notice the side of Sarah's face?” she murmured.
'No, she didn't come close enough for me to notice anything about her,” Harriet replied as softly. “Why?'
'It looks like she has a bruise along her jaw line, like maybe a handprint. And it's not the first time she's had a noticeable bruise.'
'I haven't noticed anything, but I haven't paid that close of attention.'
'She does make you want to look anywhere else but at her when she's running her mouth, which admittedly is most of the time, but since I've been spending so much time at the senior center, I've had occasion to…study her, if you will. I hate to think it, but she looks like someone who's being battered.'
'Does she do patient care ever?” Harriet asked. “If she works with difficult patients that might account for bruises and scratches.'
'I'll have to check that out. All the conclusions I was coming to were not good ones. Have you seen her boyfriend?'
Harriet thought for a moment. “I don't think I have. Why?'
'He's shockingly good-looking. And before you tell me I'm being mean, or talk about sour grapes or whatever, hear me out. You know as well as I do that Sarah is full of herself, annoying and doesn't really have very good taste in most things. I'm telling you-this guy is way too handsome, sophisticated…I know I'm not explaining this well, but believe me, something's not right.'
'I don't know what to say.'
'I'm not sure why I thought you'd be any help,” Lauren complained and started to get up.
'Wait,” Harriet said. “Sit down, please. I feel awful that I haven't noticed, but this isn't about me. As soon as I'm able to leave the house alone, I can check up on her.'
