If Hooks Could Kill

CHAPTER 11


“I don’t get it. If they found Dan’s gun, why haven’t they already arrested him?” I said.

“Because they were waiting for Adele’s information to fill in the third corner of the golden triangle,” Dinah said with a grin. We both shook our heads. Dinah and I had met up at the end of my workday. We’d decided to have a girls’ night out, or in, really. The plan was we’d go to my house, order a pizza, watch some old classic movie and crochet.

“I wonder if Eric realizes what he’s done by letting her in on his work,” Dinah said. We’d gotten into the greenmobile and started on the short distance to my place.

“If he doesn’t, he’ll know soon when she starts wanting to do ride-alongs on his motorcycle.,” I said as I pulled the car into my driveway. “And when she starts wanting to co-sign the traffic tickets.” We both laughed as we got out and went across the backyard. As soon as I opened the back door, Cosmo ran outside followed by Blondie. Music was blaring from Samuel’s room even with the door shut. I checked the cats’ bowls next and when I saw they were empty, poured in some dry food.

Jeffrey came into the kitchen and greeted us before picking through the white paper bags of takeout food on the counter. I could tell by the smell it was burgers and fries.

“I don’t think my dad has ever heard of salad,” he said, his mouth twisted in disappointment.

I told him to check the vegetable drawer and help himself. I noticed voices coming from the living room and I asked Jeffrey who was there.

“I don’t know. Some friend of my dad’s,” Jeffrey said before going to the refrigerator. Jeffrey took out some romaine lettuce, a cucumber, tomatoes and some green onions. He was rummaging for a cutting board and asked if he could borrow some olive oil.

“Maybe we should rethink the location of our girls’ night,” Dinah said. “My place might be a little more peaceful.”

I nodded in agreement. “But let me check my yarn stash first. I’m sure I have a bunch of balls of the thread in different colors.” We had both wanted to try Eduardo’s pattern and make one of the bracelets using crochet thread. Dinah followed me into the living room. As we walked through it, the voices dropped to a whisper. I looked toward the couch and saw that Barry was talking to one of his cop friends. They looked in our direction and nodded in greeting before continuing their conversation.

“Maybe you can ask Barry why they haven’t arrested Dan,” Dinah said as we reached my side of the house. Once we entered the hall, it was blissfully quiet.

“I’ll try later.” I went over to the basket of yarn and started to rummage through it as Dinah looked around.

“I can see why you call this your haven—and why you need it.” She glanced back toward the other side of the house.

I replaced the yarn I’d pulled out and stood up. “The crochet thread isn’t here. I must have packed it up with all the stuff I put in the storage locker.” Since the room I’d given Barry was my former crochet room, I’d had to empty it. There was no place else in the house or the garage for all the stuff and I’d rented a storage unit nearby. They seemed to have popped up all over the place since everybody seemed to have so much excess stuff lately. “We can swing by the storage place on the way to your house,” I said as we made our way back across the house. Barry and his company were standing at the front door talking in low voices as we passed.

“I think those thread bracelets would make great gifts,” Dinah said. “We could make them holiday appropriate. A nice orange and black one would be great for Halloween.” We got into my car and headed for the storage place.

“I rented one of the smaller units, so I can’t pull the car in front of it,” I explained as I parked in the lot at the edge of the rows of low buildings.

We passed the office on the end of one of the buildings. “I think that place must be open for an hour a day. The only time I’ve seen it open was when I came here to rent the space.” We began down a walkway between twin buildings. The row of delft blue roll-up doors made it look like a row of mini garages, but then again, wasn’t that what they were—extra garage space.

Twilight was beginning to morph into darkness and the place was deserted. Dinah seemed apprehensive as she looked over her shoulder. “This place is kind of creepy,” she said. “Let’s get the stuff and get out of here.”

“If you think it’s creepy now, just think of what it’s like when it’s completely dark.” The lighting wasn’t the best. Some kind of florescent floodlight did a better job of casting shadows than it did illuminating the place. I had the key to my lock in hand and was checking the numbers on the identical doors to find mine. “I heard that some people have actually been living in these kinds of places,” I said.

Dinah looked at the long row of doors and shuddered. “Not for me. I wonder what people keep in these. Didn’t I hear something about somebody keeping a body in a freezer in a storage unit?”

“I’m sure that wasn’t at this place,” I said. Now she’d gotten me nervous and I was looking around seeing bogey men hanging in every shadow. “I bet all these just have old computers and boxes of baby clothes,” I said. “Or at least I hope so.”

We finally located mine and I undid the lock before rolling up the door. The air inside was hot and musty. To counteract the stuffiness and any bad smells that might be hanging around, I’d bought a bunch of dryer bags filled with lavender buds. I never used them in my dryer, but instead used them as sachets and often tucked one under my pillow since lavender was supposed to help you sleep. I had put the thin paper packets in all the containers of yarn I’d brought. It was also a good bug deterrent.

We moved inside the unit and Dinah began to look around. “If the door was shut it would be like a cave in here,” she said with a little warble in her voice.

“Let’s not talk about anymore scary stuff while we’re in here,” I said.

“Sorry. I was just trying to imagine people living in one of these,” she said.

“If it makes you feel any better, I read that a family had worked out a way to get electricity with a bunch of extension cords and even had some kind of a chemical toilet.”

“It doesn’t,” she said. “Let’s hurry up.”

I had left a flashlight in the unit for times like this. I used the light as I quickly began to sort through the bins of yarn. Dinah sat down in a folding chair I’d stashed along with some other odds and ends of furniture. “I was kind of surprised that CeeCee said we ought to all go to Kelly’s funeral,” Dinah said as I fumbled through a box of yarn. The actress-leader of the Hookers had said Kelly was one of our own and out of respect we should go.

“It figures that Adele would suggest that she go as our representative. I don’t know what she thinks is going to happen. That Kelly will pop out of her casket and tell everybody that Adele is hiding the pieces she made for the sale because she doesn’t want to admit that she can’t do a bullion stitch.”

“Knowing Adele, that’s what she could be thinking,” Dinah said. “But now that she’s so busy playing detective, maybe she’s forgotten.” Dinah sat forward in the chair. “You know any day she’s going to show up in a deerstalker hat a la Sherlock Holmes and start carrying a magnifying glass.”

“And she’ll probably crochet herself a badge. Maybe a big gold star with her name embroidered on it,” I said and we both laughed. And we both knew Adele might really do it.

“I was already going to go to the funeral,” Dinah said. “Kelly is a neighbor or was a neighbor.” Dinah’s good humor faded. “I hate to bring up scary things again, but do you really think Dan killed her?”

I stopped for a moment and straightened. It was a pleasure to be able to discuss it without Adele jumping in every second with something motor officer/security detail Eric had told her. Then I caught my friend’s concerned expression and realized why she was asking.

Dinah lived down the street from Dan. And she lived alone.

“I’m sure even if he did it, he’s not a serial killer. It had to be something between them. From what we’ve heard, they were kind of a mismatched pair. He with his boxes of Rice-A-Randy and she with her high-end English soap. Maybe he got mad that she was spending all their money. And remember, they were both married before. Maybe he got creamed on his last divorce and decided never again.” I went back to combing the bins for the balls of thread. “And despite what Detective Adele said, it might be someone else entirely. There were lots of people coming and going since they were setting up the backyard for a scene.” I told Dinah about the conversation I’d overheard between the prop guys and North Adams. “Fred and Zeke both knew Kelly from before. Think about it, they’re prop guys on a cop show. They probably know all about weapons. And don’t forget her neighbor. Miss PTA prez was very angry at Kelly. She seemed to think Kelly was ruining the neighborhood.”

My best friend looked at me. “You’re going to get involved in this aren’t you?”

“Don’t tell Adele. I’m already on it. I asked Mason to see what he could find out.”

Dinah nodded and looked relieved. “I was hoping you’d say something like that.”

I loaded up a tote bag with a bunch of orbs of thread in jewel-like colors along with several black ones. Then I searched through the box of hooks and found a selection of steel ones.

“Now how about we stop by the dollar store tomorrow and pick up some information along with the prize Dan promised you,” I said as we stepped back into the walkway and I pulled down the door.