Quilt As You Go

'I think Harry is in graduate school, and Ben works as a research assistant for a save the some-kind-of- crustacean group. They both spend a lot of time with college students.'

'Did you learn anything from the guys?” Aiden smoothed her hair away from her face with both hands.

'Not really. James says he's sure his mom wasn't getting insurance money. And the police are sure Gerard, or Gerald or whatever we're supposed to call him, was murdered, but they're not sure how.'

'I guess that's good for Mavis,” he said. “The insurance part, I mean.'

'Someone said the cousins from the Netherlands are coming for the funeral, which is apparently going to happen whether the body has been released or not.'

'So, what's on tap for the great detective?” he asked.

'Not much. I'm going to ask Carlton about who works at his company at night and also if he knows who is around from twenty years ago who might have known what was going on back then. Other than that, I'm at a loss.'

Aiden slid his hands under the back of her shirt and rubbed the knotted muscles of her back as she leaned into him.

'I'm sure you'll think of something,” he said.

Chapter 21

'I've been thinking,' Aunt Beth said as she poured hot water over her orange spice tea bag. She dunked the bag up and down several times in the blue hand-thrown mug she had selected from the shelf then let it fall back into the liquid.

'This must be serious,” said Harriet.

Aunt Beth had arrived early with a bag of doughnuts clutched in her hand along with her purse. Something big must be on her mind for her to bring something other than fruit to Harriet. She'd bake cookies until the end of time for the Willis boys; Harriet always got the fruit.

She got up from the island, sipping her own tea, and got a plate from the cupboard and a handful of napkins from the drawer next to the dishwasher.

'I'm trying to figure out what the right thing to do is,” Beth said, leaving Harriet to scramble for a topic. “Having two wives makes things complicated.'

'Throw me a bone here. What are you talking about?'

'Oh, I'm thinking out loud,” Aunt Beth said and unbagged the pastries. She'd brought a large apple fritter, two raspberry-filled raised doughnuts and a pair of cinnamon twists. Judging by the quantity of sweets, she was very troubled. “Hand me a sharp knife.'

Harriet complied, then came back around the bar and sat on her stool. Beth cut the apple fritter into bite-sized pieces.

'You know how we always make blocks for a person when someone dear to them dies? I was thinking we should be making blocks for Mavis.'

It all became clear.

'And you don't know what to do about Ilsa.'

'That, and the fact I'm not sure how Mavis is feeling about Gerald right now.'

Harriet had a thought about that, but didn't want to throw it out there too soon for fear Aunt Beth would pack up her doughnuts and go.

'It seems like Ilsa should be included. I mean, she is a quilter. I realize we aren't her friends, but she's alone here and far from her home. And no matter what the final explanation is for Gerald/Gerard's actions, both women are grieving.” Harriet popped a piece of fritter in her mouth and put a doughnut on her napkin. She took a sip of her tea. “Mavis may be at the anger stage of grief, but she's still grieving.'

'I don't want to add to her burden,” Aunt Beth said. “And I don't want Mavis mad if we make something for Ilsa.” She picked up a cinnamon twist, tore the end off and ate it.

Harriet bit her raised doughnut, marking it as her own. “I think we should make blocks for Mavis, but not have a theme related to Gerald/Gerard. You know, maybe make something purely for comfort and as feminine as Mavis could stand.'

'That's not a bad idea,” Aunt Beth said and took another bite of her twist.

'As for Ilsa, let's ask Mavis what she thinks. If she absolutely hates the idea, then we'll find something else to do for her.” Harriet took another bite of fritter, and as she put it to her mouth, Aunt Beth slid the plate just out of her reach. “My guess is Mavis will say we should make blocks. You can figure out whether we should let her know we're making blocks for her or not.'

'Probably not,” Aunt Beth said. “She's going to be busy today anyway. Gerald's cousins from the Netherlands are arriving.'

'Won't they be with Ilsa?'

'I think Mavis and Ilsa are going to pick them up from the airport together.'

'Are they coming in to Sea-Tac?” Harriet asked, referring to the Seattle/Tacoma airport…

'Yes. I think Mavis volunteered to drive.'

'It must be kinda of weird for her, though.'

'Well, the whole thing is weird. In a way, I think Ilsa gives Mavis a way to hang on to Gerald even though she's mad at the same time. And Ilsa is learning about a whole part of Gerald's life she never knew existed.'

'I'm not sure I could be so buddy-buddy if I were Mavis.” Harriet rose off her stool to reach the plate with the fritter. Aunt Beth slapped at her hand as she reached for another piece.

'Don't you think you've had enough?” she scolded. “You need to keep your girlish figure if you're going to keep that man of yours.'

'Aiden is not ‘my man,’ and furthermore, if he cares that much about my weight, he's not going to be ‘my man.’”

'I'll save you,” Harry said and reached for the doughnut plate.

'You help yourself,” Aunt Beth invited warmly.

'Thanks.” He took the plate to the counter and began filling Harriet's coffeemaker.

'I'll start calling the Loose Threads. Shall we see if we can meet at Pins and Needles in an hour?” Harriet asked.

'Thanks, honey, that would be good. We're all caught up in the studio, so I was going to slip one of my own quilts onto the machine and get it started,” Aunt Beth said. “I'll call Connie and Jenny, if you want.'

'It's a plan,” Harriet said and went upstairs to get dressed and make her calls.

* * * *

Aunt Beth and Harriet drove down the hill to Pins and Needles an hour later in Aunt Beth's new Volkswagen Beetle. She had ordered it weeks ago and had just picked it up at Fogg Volkswagen and Saab the day before.

'This thing is tiny,” Harriet said as she settled in the passenger seat. “Did you have to special-order this vase?” She referred to a flower vase attached to the dashboard.

Aunt Beth rolled her eyes.

'I don't need to be driving a tank around Foggy Point, getting single-digit gas mileage,” she said. “And I kept the pickup. I'll drive that if I need to go to Seattle.” She parked easily at the curb in front of Pins and Needles. “See? It may be small, but it's much easier to park than my old tank.'

'Whatever,” Harriet said as she crawled out and onto the sidewalk. She took her quilting bag from the back seat and Aunt Beth did the same.

'You'll be in the small classroom today, if that's okay,” Marjory informed them.

'That's great,” Harriet said. “Thanks for accommodating us on such short notice.'

'Glad I could be of help. Carla is in there right now showing Bebe how to braid grosgrain ribbon to attach to her