“Don’t worry about Kelly’s pieces,” Adele said. “I have more of these at home.” Adele’s response reminded me of a politician who ignored a question they didn’t want to answer and simply spoke about something else.
Rhoda picked one up and tried it on. The ring of lacy stitches hung loosely around her neck. “It’s August, Adele. Nobody is going to want to buy these. Who wants to put something around their neck in all this heat?” Rhoda pulled it off and added it back to the pile. Adele seemed unmoved and kept stitching.
“You should have asked me if you thought Kelly was a crochet pretender,” Sheila said. She seemed a little surprised at her own voice. Sheila always got tense when she said something to the group. Her remedy was to pick up her hook and start to crochet. It didn’t matter what it was or if she’d have to rip it later, the rhythmic movement helped her get over her tense moment. “I could have cleared that up right away.” Sheila’s finger kept moving as she spoke. “She saw that we were selling some of the things I make at Luxe and wanted to know if we’d be interested in selling some of her crocheted items.” Luxe was just down the street from the bookstore and was considered a lifestyle store, which meant everything they sold was stylish.
“Kelly brought a piece in to give me an idea of what she made,” Sheila continued. “You should have seen it.” Sheila looked up at the group. “She’d crocheted a long tunic with hand-dyed yarn. It was a one-of-a-kind item. I told her I’d tell my boss about it. I think she was selling things some other way, too.”
“It sounds like she was looking for ways to bring in money.” Dinah said. “With the dollar store just starting out, I suppose she was trying to help out. That’s probably why she rented out her yard to the production and signed her house up to be used in the future.”
Sheila’s eyes darted around the group and she cleared her throat. She seemed to hesitate, but finally she spoke up. “When she came in the store, she bought a silver ruler.”
“That doesn’t sound like somebody who is trying to bring in money to help her family,” Rhoda said.
Eduardo had come in as Sheila was talking. He was a stark contrast to the rest of us, towering over us with his long raven hair pulled into a ponytail. He handed CeeCee several bracelets he’d made using thread. He’d used a granny square motif on all of them, but done them in different ways. One had the traditional several colors bordered by black, another was done in a cream-colored thread with an embellishment of pearls, and he’d made one all in black with some crystals that reflected the light. It was hard to imagine his large hands working with fine thread and a slender steel hook, but he was a master at it. His Irish grandmother had taught him well.
“Are you talking about Kelly Donahue?” he asked as he pulled out a chair. His handsome face appeared somber at the mention of her name. “It’s hard to believe she was in my store just a few days ago.” His gaze moved over the group. “She wasn’t a fan of the merchandise her husband was selling. She told me he kept bringing all this off-brand stuff home and it was awful. She was into quality and bought bars of Penhalgion’s Bluebell soap from my store. That’s the fragrance Princess Diana favored.”
Eduardo had all but given up his career as a cover model and sometime commercial spokesperson now that he’d bought the Crown Apothecary. It helped business that he spent time in the store and that everyone knew he owned it. People seemed to love to frequent stores and restaurants that had a celebrity connection.
He took some orbs of thread out of his bag along with a steel hook and laid them on the table. “I thought you all might want to try making the bracelets,” he said before pulling out a stack of sheets that had the pattern and handing them out.
“I’ve been helping with the investigation,” Adele said, taking out a little notepad. “Let me see now. You said Kelly told you she didn’t like the stuff her husband sold. And she had expensive taste.” Adele leaned closer to the group. “I’m going to pass these clues on through Eric. We already think it was her