plans if he didn't want to see me anymore.'
Let's hope not, Harriet thought. “Did he say anything about what he was doing?'
Wendy ran to the grassy back yard and plopped down on her rear end, laughing as she did so. Carla followed and handed her a brightly colored plush chicken. The toy made a cackling noise in response to the motion, which caused Wendy to giggle.
'He hasn't told me anything except that he's trying to find people who knew his dad. He said he was meeting a guy the other night. And he went to the library, but mostly he doesn't like to talk about it.'
'Assuming he's not a big jerk-and at this point we don't have any evidence that he is-I'm starting to get worried.'
Carla's eyes opened wide, and she sucked in her breath, but she didn't say anything.
'We're trying to get the Loose Threads together this afternoon to talk about things. Can you come?'
'What time?'
'Mavis was going to start calling people while I came here to check up on you,” Harriet said. “She said she'd call and tell me the time when she had one.'
'Do you want some lemonade?” Carla asked. “I made some from scratch this morning. Maybe Mavis will call while we're drinking it.'
'Okay,” Harriet said. “Tell me everything you saw at Terry's motel.'
Carla picked up Wendy and swung her onto her hip, then led the way into the kitchen. She poured lemonade for herself and Harriet and poured apple juice into Wendy's sippy-cup. The toddled insisted on sitting on a “big-girl” chair at the kitchen table instead of her high chair, and Carla indulged her.
Harriet made Carla retrace her steps over and over again, but the only significant observation she made was the absence of Terry's car. He wasn't at his motel.
Carla had gotten up to refill their glasses when Harriet's cell phone rang. Mavis had arranged a meeting of most of the Loose Threads at Tico's Tacos at four that afternoon.
'I better go,” Harriet said when she'd hung up. “Can you come to the meeting?'
'I think so,” Carla replied. “I have to see if I can find someone to watch Wendy.'
'I don't think anyone would mind if you brought her with you.'
She thanked Carla for the lemonade, which really was the best she had ever tasted. They agreed they'd see each other in a few hours.
Chapter 24
Aunt Beth was still stitching her quilt when Harriet returned to her studio.
'You aren't overdoing it with your shoulder, are you?” Harriet asked.
'No. I've been taking it slow today, taking lots of breaks.'
'Did Mavis call you?'
'Yeah, she told me about the meeting. I don't know what you think you're going to accomplish.'
'We're right on the brink of knowing what happened to Gerald. I'll bet you anything that whoever killed him will show up at the funeral.'
'And just what makes you think that?'
'All those detective shows on TV. They always say the killer comes to the funeral just to feel superior because no one knows who they are.'
Aunt Beth shook her head. “Don't you think criminals watch television? If you know to expect him to show up, then he knows not to show up.'
'Well, then, we'll pay attention to who isn't there and should be. And I can tell you, unless something happens overnight, Carla's friend Terry is going to be at the top of the absent list.'
'Okay, I said I'd be there,” Aunt Beth said. “I'm going to go home and put my feet up for a while before meeting time, and I suggest you do the same. You know your collar bone will heal faster if you rest a little now and then.'
'Yeah, yeah, yeah.'
'Don't get smart with me,” Beth said, but she was smiling.
'I promise I'll lie down.'
With that promise, Beth left.
Harriet did intend to lie down, but not until she had a snack. Her refrigerator was filled with leftovers, and she quickly found the potato salad. The lid was the sort that automatically released air as it sealed making it a sturdier seal than its cheaper competitors. This also made it impossible to open with one hand.
'Here, let me do that,” Harry said. He'd come downstairs as Harriet was trying to use the edge of the counter to pop the lid. “I don't want to see a grown woman cry.'
'And you would have, too.'
He fetched two bowls and scooped potato salad into them. He handed one to Harriet and took the other one himself, returning the storage bowl to the refrigerator.
'Have you figured out who killed my dad yet?'
'I wish I could say yes,” she said, looking at Harry's serious face. “But so far, I have more questions than answers. Carlton 's father is dead. The people who worked with your dad are no longer at the company, and Carlton isn't being very forthcoming with names. But Carlton is generally not a helpful guy, so that in and of itself doesn't mean anything. Carla's friend Terry has been snooping around and spying on the factory, and now he's gone missing.'
'Don't forget the magic bullet that wasn't a bullet,” Harry added.
'How could I forget the magic bullet? Like I said-lots of questions, not so many answers.'
'I might have one little answer,” Harry said and paused for dramatic effect.
'Come on, my heart can't take the suspense.” She was only half-joking.
'Well, my friend Nick's dad worked with my dad back then. And he's still in town. In fact, he'll be coming to the funeral tomorrow.'
'So how long were you going to wait to tell me?'
'Geez, you sound like my mom. I just found out. Nick heard about Dad's funeral and told me he was going to be there with his dad.'
'Sorry,” Harriet said. “I've been badgering Carlton Brewster to give me names and he hasn't, so it's been a bit frustrating.'
'Nick only called me last night to offer his condolences.'
'It's all right, Harry, really.” She finished eating her potato salad. It was true what they said about potato salad benefiting from a day in the refrigerator. It was always better the second day. She rinsed her bowl and put it in the dishwasher while Harry went for seconds.
'I'm going to go lie down and rest my collar bone,” she said and went upstairs.
Chapter 25
It was deja vu when Harriet walked into the back room of Tico's Tacos just before four o'clock. Jenny and Lauren were at the picnic table sipping iced tea. A pitcher and more glasses sat on a smaller table off to the side. Jenny had shed the black spy look and was dressed in silver cotton pants and a pale pink shell. Lauren wore denim capri pants and a yellow T-shirt that brought out the highlights in her pale hair.
Connie came in from the kitchen where she explained she had been talking to Jorge about a recipe for
