“I don’t know how she had time for a crochet group. Did she tell you we both have kids from previous marriages? Every week was different around here with her kids or my kids staying over.” Before I could ask where all the kids were now, he explained under the circumstances both sets of kids were staying with their other parent.
I really wanted to ask him about the circumstances he was under. I assumed it was the fact that he was a person of interest to the cops. He seemed distracted and then found his manners and offered us something to drink. We both said we didn’t want to trouble him, but he insisted.
Stone had positioned himself on the arm of the sofa and I noticed he was drinking something from a small plastic bottle. I looked to see if it was some weird brand from Dan’s store and Stone caught me staring at it. “I’d offer you some but it’s the last bottle.” He explained it was a coconut water energy drink he was involved with marketing.
“Stone’s a famous surfer,” Dan said. He started to reel off a list of the championships Stone had won and explained what they were. It was all pretty much lost on me since I wasn’t a fan of the sport myself and Stone seemed a little embarrassed by the fuss.
“The competing is all in the past. Now I just rest on my laurels,” Stone said with a smile. He mentioned that he’d moved to Hawaii awhile ago. Even though I’m not competing anymore, we’re hoping my name still means something,” he said handing me the plastic drink bottle. It was sky blue and had an image of him on a surfboard. He explained they were making it in small batches in Hawaii, but were hoping to take it to a bigger level.
“That’s why I’m here,” he said. “I flew into Denver to meet with a drink company. I was going to stop here on the way back to Maui. . . .” His voice trailed off and he looked down. “I had no idea I’d be coming for a funeral.”
I made mention that he’d said “we,” and he got the dimpled smile again. “I’m afraid it’s a bit of an affectation. There is no ‘we’ really. It’s just me.”
Dan excused himself to get the drinks and as soon as he left the room Stone’s smile faded. “What is with the cops?” he muttered under his breath. He let out a heavy sigh. “It couldn’t be more obvious. He killed my sister.” His expression changed to frustration. “The cops claim they’re working on it, but don’t have the right kind of evidence yet.” He looked toward the kitchen. “Don’t say anything to Dan. I’m trying to make it look like I’m on his side. But I want to find the evidence they need to lock him up. I’m not going anywhere until that detective takes Dan into custody.”
As Dan came back in the room Stone’s demeanor changed back to friendly. Dan set down a tray of glasses and a large bottle of Mountain Dew. “This stuff is great,” he said pouring the greenish carbonated drink over the ice in the glasses. We took a couple of polite sips and then said we both needed to be on our way.
“If we could look for our things,” I said, purposely being vague this time. I got up and made a move toward the workroom. Dinah set down her glass and followed. Dan got in front of us and led the way. Stone took up the rear.
Dan opened the door with a certain amount of trepidation. “This was her special place. She never allowed any of us in here,” he said as he stepped inside. His eyes swept the room. “You know how it is with kids. They knock everything around, and I suppose she was worried they’d start playing with her computer. She had an online business selling things she’d crocheted and I think she thought the kids would mess things up.” He seemed a little hurt. “But I don’t know why she kept me out.”
I remembered hearing about an online business. Sheila had mentioned that Kelly was interested in selling things to Luxe, but apparently that was another avenue for Kelly’s pieces. Now her yarn supply and the stash of shipping boxes made sense. I tried to get more details, but he shrugged. “It was strictly her business.” He touched