like books on a shelf.
An hour passed before Harriet even thought to ask where Carla was.
'She asked if she could rearrange her schedule today. She said she was worried about her friend Terry and was going to look for him.” She checked her wristwatch. “She should be here in just a bit.'
'Did she say where she was going to look?'
'She was going to check his hotel room and then drive up to Miller Hill Park and see if he was there.'
'Why can't she just stay home and wait for him to resurface?” Harriet asked.
'Maybe she's been watching her mentor a little too close. Or maybe she wants you to know how your aunt feels.'
'In any case,” Harriet said, not ready to admit Marjory may be onto something, “I think I'll go by Aiden's on my way home and see if she's back.'
She tried to pick up four bolts of Christmas fabric with her one arm but could only manage two.
'Here, let me help you,” Marjory said. “How much do you want?'
'I think I'll have two yards of each.” She didn't have a plan for the fabric, but with two yards of each she should be able to do something. “And maybe I better have a yard of the cream-colored print that goes with them.” Harriet was trying to adhere to an article she'd read that pointed out most quilters didn't have enough light-colored fabrics in their stash and should therefore make it a point to pick up a neutral light color with every purchase, whether they needed it at the time or not.
Marjory unrolled several rotations'-worth of fabric off the first bolt and smoothed it out on her cutting table, measuring and moving it until she had two yards of the maroon-and-gray tree print to her right. She made a small cut on the fold of the fabric to mark the two-yard point then slid that point to the middle of her cutting mat and used her plexiglas ruler and rotary tool to cut the fabric in a straight line.
'You were here twenty years ago when Mavis's husband disappeared, weren't you?” Harriet asked.
'I've lived in Foggy Point my whole life, so yes, I was here when Gerald Willis died-the first time. I didn't own the store, of course, but I was around.'
'Can you think of anyone who worked with Gerald back then and is still around now?'
Marjory thought for a moment. “You know, I can't. Remember, Foggy Point Fire Protection wasn't called that, and it was much smaller. Let me think again.” She tapped her forefinger against her upper lip. “You know, my brother worked there around then. What I remember is that there was a big layoff. I remember it because the unemployment in Washington State had been improving for a number of years and was at one of its lower points, so it was weird that Carlton 's dad laid off almost the whole work force.
'My brother found another job within a week. I think most of the other people did, too. FPFP actually had trouble a few months later when they started making the fireman's turnouts. They had a big job fair in the middle of town. I even worked for them for a few years. They offered signing bonuses and everything, but my brother didn't trust Carlton 's dad and refused to come back.'
'That's weird,” Harriet said.
'Well, that's the Brewsters for you-or haven't you noticed that Carlton 's not the sharpest knife in the rack? His dad wasn't as slow as Carlton, but he was always strange.'
Harriet paid for her purchases and headed for Aiden's house to check up on Carla. She could see the road to Mavis's cottage coming up on her right, and in a last-minute move, she turned.
Mavis's powder blue Town Car was parked in front, and she opened the front door before Harriet could knock.
'Your asters are beautiful,” Harriet said, referring to the lavender daisy-shaped flowers that covered two large plants in the flowerbeds on either side of the path leading to the cottage porch.
'Yes, they are, but I'm sure you didn't come to admire my asters. Are you staying for tea?” She held the door open, and Harriet stepped into the cozy living room.
'No, I was just at Pins and Needles, and Marjory said Carla took some time off to search for Terry. I thought I'd go by Aiden's and see if she's back.'
Mavis waited patiently for her to say more.
'I swung by Carlton 's office before I went to the quilt store. He insists nothing is going on at night other than warehouse work. I tried to get him to tell me who still works there that worked there during Gerald's time. He was kind of evasive, but it was hard to tell if he was trying to avoid telling me or if he was just being Carlton.'
'I lost touch with those people after Gerald die-” She stopped and corrected herself. “…disappeared.'
'Marjory said they had a layoff around the time Gerald left.'
'Yeah, but that wasn't unusual back in those days. Until they started making the fireman's turnouts, things were real up and down. Products came and went, and the work force came and went with them.'
'This is so frustrating,” Harriet said. “I feel like we're so close to knowing what happened. If only we could figure out how the pieces fit together. Actually, that's why I stopped by. I was hoping you'd let me borrow the mystery square and Gerald's quilt. I'd like to get as many of the Threads together as we can on short notice. If everyone could look at the mystery square, it might jog a memory or create a connection or something.'
Mavis went into her sewing room and returned with the quilt and the square.
'Do you need a bag?” she asked. “I tried to pin the magic square to the quilt, but my pin bent.'
'This is fine,” Harriet said and took the two pieces.
'You want me to start calling people?'
'I don't want to impose on your time.'
'I need the distraction. Everyone is busy working on the funeral, and I'm just sitting here stewing. Where do you want to meet?'
'Tico's, if it's okay with Jorge.'
'You go check on Carla, and I'll call around and let you know what people say.'
'Thanks.” She gave Mavis a one-armed hug.
'Thank
Harriet went to her car hoping she wasn't going to disappoint her friend.
Aiden's mother had left him her house and her collection of cars. It had been one of her few indulgences, apart from quilting fabric. The stately Victorian had a matching carriage house that had been turned into a five-car garage complete with servant's quarters on the second floor.
Carla didn't own a car of her own, and Aiden had been happy to share his fleet with her. It was anyone's guess which one she was driving today.
Harriet pulled around to the back of the house, as she generally came and went through the back porch door when she visited. There were no other cars visible, but she parked and went up to the door anyway, looking around the groomed back yard and the landscaped grounds leading to the woods beyond. She was reminded again of just how isolated the house was.
She heard the crunch of gravel behind her and was relieved to see a familiar Mercedes sedan pull in behind her car.
'Hi, Harriet,” Carla said as she got out. “Aiden's at work.'
'Actually, I came to see you.'
'What's up?” She went around to the passenger side and got Wendy out of her car seat in the back.
'I heard you went to look for Terry this morning.'
'I did,” Carla said.
'And you took Wendy with you?” Harriet asked without thinking about how it would sound.
'No, I didn't take Wendy.” Carla's face burned red.
'I'm sorry,” Harriet said. “Of course you didn't.'
'I took her to the drop-in day care at the Methodist Church.'
'Did you find Terry?'
'No,” Carla's shoulders drooped. “His car wasn't at his motel, and it wasn't at Miller Hill Park either.'
'Well,” Harriet said, trying to brighten her voice. “We know he's good at sneaking around. A whole group of us were following him, and four of us followed him all the way into the park, and he still was able to get the drop on us. He could very well be right here in town and doing just fine.'
'He's not trying to hide from me on purpose, though,” Carla said defensively. “He told me he was taking Wendy and me to breakfast. And he wanted to take Wendy to toddler time at the library. He wouldn't have made all those
