windbag rattled on.'
Harriet pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “I'm calling Mavis.” She dialed the folk art school office and was transferred to the Tree House. “Mavis, thank heaven you're there,” she said when the older woman picked up. “Lauren needs an attorney.” She glared at Lauren. “They claim they found her fingerprints in Selestina's office, and that there are files missing… Lauren says it's impossible.'
Mavis said for her to hold on a minute while she got Robin. She was gone before Harriet could ask why.
'Harriet?” Robin said when she picked up the phone. “I'm coming right over. Tell Lauren to keep her mouth shut. And I mean
Robin was known in the Loose Threads for her talent at hand quilting, and anyone who talked to her for more than five minutes knew of her fervent belief that yoga was the answer to most problems one encountered in life. Clearly, she'd had another career before she'd become a yoga teacher and stay-at-home mom.
Harriet wondered briefly what other talents lay hidden within the Loose Threads.
Detective Ruiz returned some time later and sat down again. “Now, Lauren, I believe you were about to explain how your fingerprints ended up in Selestina's office.'
'Lauren has been advised by her attorney that she should not answer any more questions at this time.'
'What attorney? Are you telling me that all of a sudden you're an attorney?” He glared at Harriet. “Are you trying to pull a fast one? I only let you come in here because Miss Sawyer seemed upset. If this is how you thank me, you can go back out to the waiting room.'
'I'm her friend, just like I said. We talked to her attorney, and she said not to say anything else and that she'd be here shortly.'
'You do realize this is just an informal chat we're having here. Miss Sawyer isn't under arrest or anything.” His voice softened. “We could clear things up and have you out of here before lunch if you could just explain a few things.” He looked at Lauren. “I'm sure it's a simple misunderstanding.'
The door to the small room opened without warning and Robin charged in.
'Are you arresting my client?” she asked Ruiz.
Harriet held her breath as he remained silent, pondering his options. The muscle in his jaw twitched, but finally, he shook his head.
'Come on, Lauren,” Robin said, and almost pulled Lauren out of her chair in her haste to hustle her new client out of the interrogation room. “Here's my card,” she said as she pulled an ivory card from her purse and handed it to Detective Ruiz.
'You better give me a dollar,” Robin said when they were out of the building. “Call it a retainer. If you do get arrested you can decide then who you want to represent you, but in the meantime, that will make you my client and prevent the police from being able to question me.'
'You're an attorney?” Harriet asked, her amazement clear in her voice.
'Yeah, well, we all have our tawdry little secrets. I haven't really practiced since before my first baby was born, but I've kept my license and stayed current on law, just in case…” She looked at Lauren. “…my friends need something.” She looked at the black plastic sports watch on her wrist. “It's quarter to ten. If we hustle, we can get back to class before coffee break is over.'
'Actually, if you don't mind, could you drop me off on Eighth Street?'
Robin pulled to the curb but put her hand on Harriet's arm, stopping her from getting out. She looked at Lauren while she spoke.
'Both of you listen carefully. I only want to say this once.” This new Robin was nothing like her carefree, yoga- teaching alter ego, but Harriet found her strangely fascinating. “Number one, this is not over. Until they have someone convicted and on their way to prison, it will not be over. Number two, because of number one, keep your mouth shut. Don't complain about anyone or anything. Lauren, I know that means a major personality transplant, but you have no choice. This is a small town. If they can't find the real person who killed Selestina, they could very well make you the scapegoat. People have gone to prison based on less evidence.” She looked at Harriet. “And number three, leave this to the professionals. No snooping, no sneaking around, no confronting people. Nothing. This is strictly a defensive game. Let the police catch the killer.” She looked at Lauren again. “And let your legal counsel protect you. Understood?'
Lauren grumbled a yes, and Harriet nodded as she opened the car door.
'Okay, I'm going back to class. Call if you want me to pick you up at lunch break.'
Robin pulled away from the curb and out into traffic. Since traffic in Angel Harbor consisted of one car and a mail truck, Harriet waited until the car had disappeared down the block before she walked the rest of the way to Helen's House. There was no real reason for her to conceal her destination, but after Robin's warning, she was feeling paranoid.
'Hey,” Aiden said, opening the door before Harriet could knock. He pulled her into a crushing embrace. “I cried myself to sleep last night, I missed you so much.'
She pushed him away, but not until his hug softened and he'd kissed her. “You're a liar,” she said. “I happen to know Helen planned on waking you every two hours all night just to be sure you were okay. She told me before I left last night.'
'She was a regular Florence Nightingale.” Aiden stretched his left arm in a circle, his right hand on his left shoulder. “My head hurt so much last night, I didn't even notice my shoulder.'
'Let me see.” She pulled the sleeve of his T-shirt up. “You have a nasty bruise at the top of it. It probably hit the window when your truck rolled.'
'A lesser person would be in the hospital, but I think I'll make it. Did you have a chance to check out that thing I asked you about?'
'If you mean the Explorer-'
He put his hand over her mouth.
'Don't say it,” he said. “Until we know what's going on, we have to be careful. Don't use names.'
'Oookay. I checked out that… thing… and I did find… something, but I'm not sure it tells us much.” She didn't plan on mentioning Tom's name until she knew more. The last thing she needed was a wounded Aiden confronting a Tom who had not only run him off the road but quite possibly was a murderer.
'By the way,” Aiden said, and grabbed her hand, pulling her to him again. “Why is it that when my mother was killed I was the number-one suspect on everybody's list, but this woman's son you go to the pottery show and dinner with?'
Harriet coughed to conceal the small gasp that had escaped her lips. Had he read her mind?
'If you'll recall,” she said, “I went to dinner with Tom before his mother died. And furthermore, if you remember, I went to dinner with you, buddy boy-and more than once-while you were a suspect.'
'Well, I don't like the idea of you dating a potential axe murderer.” He put his finger under her chin and turned her face to his. “I'm not kidding. Until we know what's going on here, you need to be careful. I can't keep my eye on you all the time, so you need to be cautious. Stay away from Tom Bainbridge and all the other crazies at that school. Stick with Mavis and the Threads.'
'Hey, Aiden, you ready to go?” said a slender sandy-haired man dressed in khakis and a blue Angel Harbor Spay and Neuter Clinic T-shirt. He had entered the hall from the staircase, pulling on a navy-blue fleece jacket as he came.
Aiden turned to Harriet. “Jim and I are going to the hospital to check on Cammi and see if we can do anything for Dr. Johnson.” He turned back to the other man. “Hang on while I get my coat.'
'I'm Jim Park,” the sandy-haired man said, extending his hand.
'Harriet Truman,” she said, meeting it with her own. His hand was warm and his grip firm but not unpleasantly so.
'That must have been tough growing up,” he said. “Are your parents politicians?'
'No, we're relatives. To the former president,” she added.
She hated having to explain her parent's naming choice. Her parents were international scientists, currently residing in the Far East, if the latest news magazines were accurate. She'd spent her youth bouncing between boarding schools across Europe and Aunt Beth's house in Foggy Point. Her dad had explained to her when she was
