with quilting.'
“Nonsense,' said Patricia briskly, ' Well, maybe not about the farm—I know I always have visions of the same sort that conveniently leave out all the hard work. But about the quilting. You could start with a small hanging to get the idea, then go on from there. If youcan do a running stitch, you can quilt. And if you can do the piecing on your machine, it goes quickly.”
Faith didn't dare to tell her she didn 't own a sewing machine, but agreed a hanging might be within her range.
Robert came out with two mugs of hot mulled wine. He and Tom were going to a neighbor's to inspect their new superinsulated Trelleborg house. They would be back soon. Jenny was reading inside and Benjamin was still asleep after an afternoon of unmitigated delight. He clearly adored Jenny, and Faith had high hopes of many happy babysitting hours ahead.
Patricia and Faith sat in companionable silence watching the lengthening afternoon shadows against the pines. The wine was delicious, and just as Faith was wondering if it would seem either piggy or inappropriate behavior for a minister's wife to ask for more, Patricia got up and took her cup. 'I don't know about you, but I could do with a little more of that concoction.”
Faith smiled. 'You read my mind. Thank you.'
“ Are you too cold out here, Faith ? ' Patricia said, returning with the steaming mugs.
“No, it's lovely to drink hot things when
“This is my favorite time of day, not time to think of cooking yet—which I must admit I don't love the way you do—and too late to start any new jobs. Just time to put up your feet and read something frivolous.”
They talked some more about what constituted frivolous reading. Patricia thought there should be a subcategory called 'Hairdresser Reading,' which was frivolous, too, of course, but more trivial.
“
“Exactly,' agreed Patricia, 'Whereas real frivolous reading is like taking one of Jenny's Nancy Drews.”
“Or a good murder mystery with no hidden literary value,' suggested Faith, realizing as she said it that it was not the most appropriate remark for the occasion. ' We don 't really need to read murder mysteries these days— literary or not,' Patricia said grimly. 'Which reminds me of something I wanted to say to you, Faith. It is undoubtedly none of my business, but I will claim an older woman's prerogative and speak anyway.
“I know you have been upset over the arrests of Dave and Sam and have been doing a little inquiring on your own, but I think you should stop and leave it to the police.”
Faith was quite surprised—not that Patricia knew she had been asking questions; this was, to be sure Aleford—but that Patricia would feel strongly enough about it to tell her to stop. Patricia had never spoken to her in this way before.
“You don 't always know what you are getting into when you start to try to uncover things,' Patricia continued, 'and you may hurt people you care about. What I mean is that there may be aspects of all this that are better left alone.”
Was there something in Cindy's box that Patricia wanted to remain hidden ? Robert was having financial problems and the girl had been goading him and his family for years. Given the width of her sward, was she blackmailing them, too ?
The wine was making Faith feel mellow and benevolent. So be it. Patricia wouldn't be raising all this without a very good reason and certainly these people had suffered enough. What was one murder more or less?
“ I know you would never do anything intentionally to hurt someone or the family,' Patricia went on. 'Not to mention that there could be some danger to yourself. We have only known you a short time, Faith, but we love you very much and are so happy Tom lured you to Aleford.”
Patricia paused and looked down at her quilt as if expecting to find the text of her remarks stitched there. She looked up again.
“ Of course the shock of finding the body was horrible and I can understand that you might feel you have a responsibility to get to the bottom of things. But please, Faith, leave it all alone now. Detective Dunne and Charley will handle it.”
Definitely there was something having to do with Robert. Faith was feeling even tipsier and everything suddenly seemed to make sense, although she did have the vague notion that once again the tables were turned. She had thought she was supposed to be consoling Patricia and perhaps offering a few well-chosen words of advice to the bereaved, but this was rapidly becoming the same kind of down-the-rabbit-hole conversation she had had with Pix Miller. Just who was the minister's wife here, anyway ?
“I would never do anything to hurt anyone, especially not your family, Patricia,' she promised solemnly. She could out-Whipple Eleanor on family in this one, she congratulated herself.
“Good. Well, that's that then. Now we do have to think about food and put all talk, frivolous and otherwise, aside for another time.' Patricia looked at Faith gratefully, 'You know, Faith, I haven 't decided what to do with this quilt and if you would like it, I'd like you to have it. Maybe it would be an incentive for you. To quilt, that is.'
“ Patricia! I'd love it, but I couldn't possibly accept such a gift. It's taken you ages to do it.'
“Not really ages and I'll start another one the moment this is finished. Besides,' I didn 't know you when we gave you a wedding present, so it was a bit impersonal. This is really for you.' She gave Faith a slightly wry smile. 'The name of the pattern is Sunshine and Shadow.”
Faith thanked her profusely and followed her into the kitchen, where she tried very hard to dismiss the nagging thought at the back of her head that whispered 'bribery.' And what had she meant about an 'incentive'? Quilting indeed.
Neither one of them heard Jenny tiptoe back to her room and then emerge as if she hadn 't heard every word the two of them had been saying for the last half hour. 'I think Benjamin 's awake,' she reported.
“You've been reading in dim light again,' her mother commented, 'Come here and let me see ; your eyes are all red. No, don 't rub them ! That just makes it worse.'
“I'm fine, Mom,' Jenny replied, and to prove it gave a very wobbly smile.
After a delicious supper of bluefish caught that morning and crisply fried in Patricia's huge old iron skillets, the Fairchilds drove back to Aleford. The Moores were staying until the next night. Faith knew Robert had to get in just one more sail and hoped the weather stayed as fine as it had been all day.
She told Tom what Patricia had said and also that she had been eavesdropping on the boat.
“I know,' he teased her, 'I couldn 't imagine you sleeping through such a confessional. But,' he continued seriously, 'what was it all about? Don't tell me you've added him to your suspect list. You might as well put Robby down too and be done with it. Some smoldering adolescent jibe ignited recently? Nothing easier than to slip into town when everyone thought you were at school.' Tom shook his head. “ Will you listen to me ! I 'm getting as bad as you!'
“ Remember what Charley said, anyone can kill, although I don't see Robert bothering to attach a rose to the body.”
Faith leaned back into the seat, then sat bolt upright, 'But wait a minute—Patricia might ! Do you suppose they did it together ? That would make sense, one as a lookout and Patricia adding the rose to throw in a red herring.'
“Faith, fun is fun, but this is too crazy to even think about,' said Tom wearily, 'I mean these are my parishioners, God-fearing people. Although I
“Then why didn 't she put it that way? It was almost like a threat. No, threat is too strong a word. A hint, a very strong hint.'
“ I think I should call on her next week on some other pretext and give her a chance to talk. Robert certainly seemed to want to and we'll have to get together again. Cindy really led them quite a life and I'm sure they have some guilt about the relief they feel. And that 's all it can possibly be, Faith.'
“There should be a club, a support group for all the people who were tormented by Cindy when she was alive and now feel guiltily blissful that she's gone—Dave, Sam, Oswald, probably Rob and Jenny, the Moores, of course, and Pix. And those are just the ones we know.'
“Exactly, Faith, the ones we know and somewhere there 's someone we don 't know who wanted this relief enough to kill.'
“And what makes you so sure it's someone we don't know ? ' Faith asked softly.
