Quilt As You Go

sunlight, and that worked in their favor. They picked their way through the trees for ten minutes, trying to walk as silently as they could and not talking for fear the distraction might cause one or the other to fall. Harriet led the way.

'I think I see the car,” she whispered finally, and waited for Lauren to come alongside her. “You wait here,” she continued, “just in case someone else is here. I'll go up to the car and see if Carla's inside. If she isn't, and no one appears, come out and we'll go whichever way the car came in.'

Lauren was punching buttons on her phone. “FYI, we have no cell reception,” she said. Harriet wasn't sure if that meant she was agreeing to wait in the woods, but if she didn't, there wasn't time to argue about it. She crept into the clearing and over to the car.

Carla wasn't inside. Harriet circled it but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Lauren had waited, but when no one else appeared, she joined Harriet.

'So, where do you think Carla is?” she asked.

'I have no idea,” Harriet said with a sigh. She looked around the small clearing again. “Look over there,” she said, and pointed to the edge of the forest behind the car.

'Well, duh,” said Lauren. “Isn't it kind of obvious the car came from the area behind it? I mean, you didn't really think whoever put it here turned it around just in case someone found it, did you? Maybe they thought someone clever enough to find this hidey-hole wouldn't be clever enough to follow the car-sized trail back through the woods.'

'Okay, you're the most brilliant. Would you just shut up so I can think a minute?'

Lauren was about to say something, but a look at Harriet's face changed her mind.

'I think we should split up,” Harriet said finally. “You just said we have no cell reception, right?'

'Yeah,” Lauren said carefully. “What are you planning?'

'Aiden's car must be right through there,” Harriet said, and pointed. “I want to check it out and see if he or Carla is in it. If I don't find anything there, I'm going to see if I can get into that outbuilding.'

'What if they aren't there?” Lauren asked.

Harriet looked at her. “I can't think that far ahead. You go back up to the park and call the police and tell them we found Carla's car. Bring them back here. If I haven't found Carla or Aiden by then, the police can figure out what comes next.'

'I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone,” Lauren said in a rare show of concern. “Someone must have overpowered Aiden, and he's a lot bigger and stronger than you are.'

'If you bring the police here quick enough it won't be a problem.'

Lauren sighed but didn't say anything. She turned and disappeared into the woods in the direction they'd come from.

Harriet left the clearing in the opposite direction. As Lauren had predicted, Carla's car had cut a pretty wide swath through the trees and underbrush. As she got closer to the outer edge of the woods, it became obvious some attempt had been made to conceal the car's passage.

Aiden's car was visible as she reached the edge of the trees. She paused and studied the car and then the outbuilding beyond it. Birds were singing, and a slight breeze rustled the treetops, but no other sound disturbed the quiet.

She slowly approached the Bronco, both anxious to look inside and afraid at the same time. She circled the vehicle. There was no apparent damage. She went to the driver's side door and rose onto her tiptoes to peer inside. Aiden's cell phone sat in the console under the radio. His keys were on the driver's seat. She reached for the door handle.

'Let's just stop right there,” said a female voice from behind her. A hand dug into her injured shoulder and pulled her around.

'Bebe,” she said. “What are you doing here?

'Well, I was coming to move Aiden's car, but I guess there's no point now.'

'Where is Aiden? And where is Carla?'

'Oh, they're all in the garden shed getting ready for a barbecue. Here,” she said, and yanked Harriet by her bad arm again. “You can go join them.'

Harriet pulled her arm painfully out of Bebe's surprisingly strong grip. “I'm not going anywhere with you.'

'I have nine millimeters here that say you're going anywhere I want you to.” She pulled an ugly-looking black gun from behind her back. “And right now, it's saying you're joining your friends in the shed.'

She pushed the gun into Harriet's side and shoved her forward.

At the door of the outbuilding, Harriet tried to break away, but Bebe was quick.

'Don't make me shoot you,” she said. “I really want you all to be bullet-free. According to my calculations, there will only be ash left behind when the fire cools, but these things aren't always exact. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Now, just go in here.” She pulled a key from her pocket with her free hand and quickly unlocked the door and shoved Harriet inside.

The room was dark and smelled like earth and cut grass. It took a moment, but when Harriet's eyes had adjusted to the dark she could see Aiden and Carla sitting on bags of fertilizer and Terry lying at their feet on the cement floor, apparently unconscious. She started toward them, but Bebe pulled her back.

'Not so fast, sister,” she said. “I don't trust you.'

'What's going on, Bebe? Why are you doing this?'

'I think it's obvious what's going on.” The little girl voice that had been so annoying was gone now. “You trespassers are about to suffer a horrible accident. Maxwell should have been more careful with his rags.” She referred to the long-time Foggy Point Fire Protection groundskeeper. “He used linseed oil on the wood benches in front of the building. Did you know linseed oil can spontaneously combust? It's going to be really sad. Carla followed Terry here, and Aiden followed her. No one knows why Terry is here, and now no one ever will. He'll be gone, poof, just like that.” She snapped her fingers.

Harriet looked at Aiden; he was intently looking at her feet. Coils of hose were neatly stacked in a pile beside her.

'Why do you have to kill Aiden and Carla?” Harriet asked, wondering if Lauren was back to her car yet. “Carla has a baby.'

'And I do feel really bad about that,” Bebe said.

'Wendy,” Carla whimpered. “My baby.” She started quietly sobbing.

'I said I'm sorry, didn't I? I'm not a monster. I feel really bad about all this. You three have always been really nice to me. It's not my fault, though. It's his.” She pointed the barrel of the gun toward the prone form of Terry. “ Carlton and I are leaving this horrible place this afternoon, but Terry couldn't wait for us to be gone. He had to keep asking questions and causing trouble among our night workers. Do you realize he caused us to miss our final shipment?'

'Shipment of what?” Aiden asked, speaking for the first time.

'None of your business,” Bebe snapped.

'If we're all going to die, could I at least hug Harriet one last time?” he asked. “If you feel so bad, this could make up for it.'

He had a plan. Harriet couldn't see where he was going yet, though.

'Come on,” he pleaded. “I promise I won't do anything.'

Bebe looked uncertain. Aiden looked at the hoses again.

'Harriet and I haven't even known each other a year yet. Barely six months. Remember when we first met?” he asked her.

Harriet thought back, quickly scanning her memories. Aiden looked intently at her and then at the pile of hose again. She'd met Aiden at a Loose Threads meeting when he'd first returned from Africa. How could that help? she wondered. He'd brought his mother's quilt to her to repair after he'd wrapped an injured dog in it. She didn't see how that would help, either.

Then she knew what he wanted.

'You can leave my hands tied,” he said. “Come on, we're going to be dead in a few minutes and you can go on your way. What difference will it make if Harriet and I are together when we die or not.” He gave Bebe his best puppy dog look.

'Okay,” she said slowly. Harriet was amazed again at how Aiden could charm the ladies-even the crazy ones,