I walked into my front room and stood in front of the gorgeous quilt folded neatly on a wrought iron stand near my sofa. Light spilled from the hallway onto the quilt. I purposely left the light off in the room as I thought about what I would do next.
The quilt had been a gift from my mother when I completed my wedding planner certification. The varied shades of fabric in maroon, sea foam green, and cream formed circles that intertwined across the fabric in the famous Wedding Ring pattern—my mom felt it was the perfect symbol of success.
My aunt Dana had helped her piece the quilt and hand-stitch the binding. I carefully unfolded the quilt, turning over one corner to reveal one of my favorite pieces. On the bottom right-hand corner a block of hunter green material had been stitched over the lighter green backing. I held it up close, reading the screen-printed cursive writing, Created by Mashed Potatoes and Crafts. Then I ran my index finger along the embroidered signature of Laurel Pyper, my mom. Many quilters put such signature blocks with their name and date on the backs of their masterpieces. Most people wouldn’t know what a signature block was, let alone where to look for one.
I placed the quilt back on the rack and returned to my living room, where Natalie’s dress covered most of the couch like a ghostly bride. I grabbed my sewing basket and seam ripper and headed to the darkened front room.
Clutching the bag of diamonds tightly, I focused on the shades covering my front window. Was someone lurking outside, waiting for the chance to find the diamonds? I shivered and checked the seal on my Ziploc, then rolled the bag carefully into a long tube. I allowed the extra air to escape and then retightened the seal. Grabbing my seam ripper, I sat cross-legged on the floor with my wedding ring quilt. I paused for half a second before picking out the stitches along the side of the signature block.
The first threads popped and I winced, but I continued until I had opened the seam about three inches. I wondered briefly about stashing the diamonds somewhere else and leaving the police an anonymous tip, but what if someone found them first? With a shake of my head, I slid the bag of diamonds inside the signature block. They settled nicely along the bottom seam of the fabric where the cotton batting inside bulged naturally next to the tight edge of binding.
My fingers shook as I threaded a needle and hurriedly stitched the hole shut. With a snip of my scissors, I held the quilt up and examined my hiding place. I doubted that my own aunt Dana—the expert quilter—would even think of looking inside the signature block. I hoped that my game of hide and seek would be good enough to buy me some time to figure out what kind of mess I was in.
I rearranged the quilt on the stand, willing my heartbeat to slow to a normal rhythm. The clock ticked loudly in time with the blood pumping through my veins. It was half past midnight, and I needed to calm down so I could get some sleep—there was work to be done in the morning.
After I checked the locks again, I walked through my house just in case a diamond thief was hiding somewhere. I scanned the rooms with my heavy flashlight and my cell phone ready to dial 911. Within a few minutes, I was completely freaked out. I turned on several lights in my house and walked back to my bedroom. I did some stretches and focused on breathing deep to slow my heart rate.
Half an hour later, I slipped between my covers, pulling the blanket up to my chin, and grabbed my iPod from my nightstand. I selected a playlist I had titled “Relaxation” and pushed play. Forcing myself to follow the cadence of the music, I felt my breathing slow. With my eyes scrunched shut, I drifted off to sleep while listening to my favorite melodies played by talented violinists.
Chapter 5
Calming Spritzer
Fill a small spritz bottle (about 4 to 6 ounces) with water. Add three drops lavender and one drop melaleuca essential oils (certified pure therapeutic grade). Lightly spray a refreshing mist over face, hair, or clothes.
Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com.
A strange noise awakened me, and I peeked out from under my covers to see light streaming through the blinds. The noise was a mixture of one song being played in my right ear, which still had an earbud in it, and the alarm on my cell phone playing on the pillow near my left ear.
After I pulled out the earbud and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, my thoughts immediately turned to the package sewn into my quilt. Those diamonds were probably worth a lot of money, maybe close to a million dollars, and it made my stomach turn over with dread when I thought about who might be looking for them. I again considered calling the police, but I couldn’t, not yet. I thought of what Wes would say—he’d definitely tell me to call Tony, but I felt there were no good options at the moment that wouldn’t hurt my business or my friends. Best to scope out my idea of making it seem the diamonds were in the box, but I’d have to do that when I was certain Lorea wasn’t around.
I felt guilty just thinking about my plan. It was barely seven o’clock and I hadn’t slept well, but I knew that action would be the only thing to put my nerves at ease.
I had hoped to take some time before breakfast to undo more of the hem. Instead I stowed Natalie’s gown in my spare bedroom,
