The Long Stitch Good Night: An Embroidery Mystery (9 page)

I realized this was his not-so-subtle way of asking where I was going, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to confirm his suspicions that I’d launched my own investigation into Graham Stott’s murder.

“That’s right,” I said. “Why? Were you planning on dropping by or something?”

“No. With the arraignment tomorrow, the D.A. called me in to go over the case.”

“So the attorneys were able to get that scheduled for tomorrow?” I asked.

“Yep. Nine a.m.,” he said.

“Thanks for telling me. I’d like to be there for Sadie if the arraignment will be over before I need to open the shop.”

“They usually take only about five minutes.”

“Wow,” I said. “I was expecting it to take longer.”

“Since Blake and Todd are being arraigned
together, it might take a few minutes longer, but not much,” Ted said. “I guess I’ll see you there then.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Thanks for calling.”

We said our good-byes. I started the Jeep and backed out of the driveway. I was afraid I’d be late meeting Robbie, but he pulled into MacKenzies’ Mochas’ back parking lot just ahead of me. He maneuvered his black pickup truck into an available space, got out, and waited for me at the door to the coffeehouse.

“Are you hungry?” I asked as he held the door open for me.

“Always,” he said with a grin. “You?”

“Now that I’m awake enough to consider it, I am.”

The waitress who’d gone with Todd to the masquerade ball saw us come in and greeted us. As she showed us to a table, she asked Robbie how Todd was holding up.

“He’s doing as well as can be expected,” Robbie told Keira.

“I think I’ll go by and see him sometime today.” Though she was speaking to Robbie, she leveled her brown eyes at me when she mentioned visiting Todd. As if I cared. And even if I did—a little—I wasn’t about to let her see that.

“I’m sure he’d appreciate it,” Robbie said.

I reminded myself that if Todd and Keira were indeed a couple, then great—I was happy for them. I just had to wonder, though, if I’d put off choosing between Todd and Ted for so long that I’d lost them both. Oh, well. If that was the case, then neither man had been meant for me. Better to find that out now rather than later…as I knew all too well from experience.

Keira asked for our drink orders—black coffee for Robbie and my usual low-fat vanilla latte with a hint of cinnamon—and left to get them.

I leaned forward so I could speak quietly to Robbie and still have him hear me. “How in the world did Blake and Todd get themselves into such a predicament? What happened Friday night?”

“Well, you already know everybody at the party was drinking,” Robbie told me. “And it seemed like the drunker they got, the rougher they got. Graham especially started arguing with anyone he thought he could pick a fight with.”

“What made him do that?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Maybe it’s just something he does when he drinks. Different people do different things, you know. Some people cry, some get silly, and some fight.”

Keira brought our drinks, took our food orders, and said she’d be back to check on us in a bit. She winked at Robbie. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Other than to put my drink in front of me, she’d ignored me. What was up with that? I’d never done anything to her. Besides, I was paying for this meal, so if she wanted a decent tip, she’d better be nicer to me.

After Keira walked away, I resumed my conversation with Robbie. “Did Graham argue with Todd or Blake?”

“He got snippy with both of them. He kept telling Blake that he wanted to buy a MacKenzies’ Mochas franchise. Blake said he wasn’t interested in opening other shops at this time, but Graham believed everybody would be willing to sell out for a price,” Robbie said. “Graham finally got downright belligerent. He said that after all he’d done for Blake that Blake owed him.”

“Owed him?” I frowned. “Owed him for what?”

“I don’t know. That’s all I heard.”

“What about Todd?” I asked. “Did he and Graham have words too?”

“Mainly Graham insulted the bar,” Robbie told me. “He said the Brew Crew was a lowbrow
place and that he wouldn’t have taken one step inside the place had he not wanted to reconnect with his fraternity brothers so badly.”

“Still, that’s just petty stuff. Neither of those arguments seems like a legitimate motive for murder,” I said. “What did Graham say to the other men?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t hear them. I could tell they were all pretty aggravated with him as the party was winding down, but I don’t have any of the whys and wherefores,” he said. “Like I told you yesterday, I was busy tending bar.”

“How about Tawny Milligan? Was she at the party?”

“Not that I know of,” said Robbie.

“Did you ever meet her?” I asked.

He shook his head. “She must have been something, though. I think she dated most of them at some time or another.”

“Wouldn’t that be weird for her as well as for the fraternity guys?” I asked.

“Who knows? I wouldn’t want to date a girl all my friends had been out with, but maybe it’s a fraternity thing,” he said. “If I’m not mistaken, Graham and Sadie dated before she started going out with Blake.”

My eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Graham was sort of a love-’em-and-leave-’em kinda guy, from what I understand. He dated a lot of girls back in the day…and maybe still does. Or, you know, did.”

“I never would’ve guessed Sadie would’ve gone out with Graham,” I said. “She didn’t say a word to me about it. And he doesn’t seem her type at all. Of course, the whole time I’ve known Sadie, she’s been with Blake.” Why hadn’t she told me she’d dated Graham? Maybe Blake hadn’t known about her and Graham. Realizing I was staring into space like an idiot, I smiled at Robbie. “Oh, well. I guess we all do crazy stuff while we’re in college.”

“I didn’t go to college,” Robbie said. “And after watching those guys Friday night, I’m glad I didn’t. My friends are my friends—not a bunch of backstabbers.”

I rested my chin on my fist. “Robbie, who do you think killed Graham?”

He looked into my eyes before directing his gaze down at the table. “I think it was Blake. And I think Todd isn’t saying anything because he’s trying to figure out a way to help him.”

Unfortunately, neither Robbie nor I had heard or seen Sadie approach our table.

“If anyone’s covering for anyone,” she said hotly, “it’s Blake covering for Todd.” She untied her apron. “In fact, I’m going to that jail right now, and I’m demanding that Blake tell the truth and defend himself!” She stormed out of the coffeehouse.

Brunch kinda went downhill after that.

I’d exchanged my sandals for canvas sneakers before Angus and I headed to the beach. We’d been there a half hour. He’d tired of playing fetch with his ball and was now romping to and from the water’s edge as I stitched a small cross-stitch cupcake for a birthday card. I didn’t know anyone who was having a birthday today. But I had a book of designs that took only a couple of hours to stitch, and I made them when hauling around a larger project wasn’t feasible so that I always had finished cards ready whenever an event came up.

I kept thinking about brunch. Did Robbie really believe Blake had killed Graham? If so, what would make him think that? I also kept thinking about what Robbie said about Sadie and Graham. I wanted to ask Sadie if it was true that she’d dated Graham before she started going out with Blake. If I spoke with
her about that, though, I had better tread carefully. I didn’t want her to think for an instant that
I
thought Blake had murdered Graham.

Even if Sadie
had
dated Graham, that wouldn’t provide a motive for Blake to murder Graham after all this time. He and Sadie had been married for five years, for goodness’ sake. And they’d dated for two years before they married.

On the other hand, I could easily see why both Robbie and Sadie would believe Todd and Blake would cover for each other, even in a circumstance like this. They’d been best friends forever and seemed more like brothers than buddies. Plus, it wouldn’t be the first time since I’ve known them that one of them had lied to protect the other.

But Sadie and I had been friends for years, too. Would I cover for her if I thought she’d committed a murder? I mulled that over for a moment and came to the conclusion that I would if I believed she had a good enough reason for doing what she’d done. I’d at least keep quiet until I could get her side of the story. And that’s exactly what Todd and Blake were doing.

My phone rang. I removed it from my pocket and checked the screen.

“Hi, Mom,” I answered.

“Hello, love. Am I hearing waves?”

“You sure are.”

“Actual waves or one of those white noise machine thingies?” she asked.

“Real, live, honest-to-Pete waves,” I said with a laugh.

“Good. Then you’re relaxing and not out playing detective. So, have you made any progress?”

I told her about setting up meetings with the fraternity brothers and about my brunch with Robbie.

“It sounds as if you have a pretty solid game plan. This Tawny Milligan seems to be a real character,” Mom said. “It’s too bad you’ve not been able to find her yet. Or maybe it isn’t. I’m not sure you’d want to hear what she might have to tell you.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, the odds are good that she dated either Blake, Todd, or both. Since you and Todd have dated, I doubt you’d be keen on hearing about their love life. And I
know
Sadie wouldn’t want to know about Tawny’s past with Blake.”

“You’re right,” I said. “And if she and Blake dated, I don’t think Sadie knows about it. She told me the name sounded vaguely familiar,
but that’s all she seemed to know about Tawny Milligan. If I’m able to find Tawny, I’ll tell her I’m not interested in which guys she dated—only what she can tell me about their relationships with Graham Stott.”

“You think Tawny Milligan could be a stage name?” Mom cleared her throat. “It sounds a little sleazy, if you ask me.”

“I suppose anything is possible.” I sighed. “Are you thinking she’s an exotic dancer or something?”

“You said it yourself—anything’s possible. But if you do track this woman down, won’t you be the teeniest bit curious as to whether or not she and Todd dated?” Mom asked.

“Yes, but I’m afraid the Todd ship—and the Ted ship, too, for that matter—might’ve already left the dock without me,” I said.

“What would make you think that?”

I explained how Todd had told me on Friday evening that he and Keira weren’t a couple. “But she certainly didn’t act that way at MacKenzies’ Mochas today. She made it clear that she was going to visit Todd in jail and that she was very much into him.”

“Just because she feels that way about him doesn’t mean the feeling is mutual,” said Mom. “What about Ted?”

“He’s had a lot of extra work since Manu has been in India, and he seems distant. It makes me think there’s something more going on other than his not having enough time to take more of an interest in me.” I threw out my theory that Ted liked me only when I was a damsel in distress.

“Lots of men—I’d say
most
men—enjoy being a hero, love, especially to women they care about. Give him some time and see how he acts after Manu returns. Who knows? Maybe he’s under the impression that you’re only interested in him when you need a hero.”

“Hmm, I hadn’t thought of that,” I said.

“In the meantime, allow him to do something heroic whenever he’s around…even if it’s just opening a pickle jar for you. And be patient. It’ll all work out. All of it.”

“I hope you’re right, Mom.”

“I always am.” I could hear the smile in her voice.

I desperately wished I could be as confident as she was.

After Angus and I got home from playing on the beach, he curled up in a corner of the living room to take a nap. Napping actually sounded
like a winning idea to me, but I was afraid if I did I’d have insomnia that night. Plus, I didn’t want to oversleep and be late getting ready for my dinner date with Andy.

I got my tote bag containing my work in progress and began stitching on my Mountmellick embroidery piece. I’d secured a piece of white denim cloth inside a medium-sized round embroidery hoop, and I was using a pattern featuring shamrocks and daisies. Both required mostly satin stitches and French knots, and I was happy I could try something new while still staying within my comfort zone.

I worked for nearly two hours. It was so peaceful and quiet. The only sound in the house was that of Angus snoring softly. For a little while, it was easy to pretend that all was right with the world and that I had plenty more to be satisfied about than a few shamrocks and three-fourths of a daisy.

I stretched, massaged my hands, and stood up. Angus grunted and rolled over. I rubbed his belly before going upstairs to get dressed.

I didn’t want Andy to think I was interested in anything other than information from him—although he might assume that if he found out I had been an accountant before I moved to
Tallulah Falls to open the Seven-Year Stitch—but I didn’t want to look dowdy either. I decided to think like Mom. How would she dress me for this scene if I were in a movie? Audrey Hepburn. She’d definitely go with more of an Audrey look than a Marilyn look.

I chose a black dress with a ballerina neckline and an A-line skirt. I didn’t have any flats other than casual shoes, but I chose the lowest-heeled black pumps in my closet—a mere three inches. I was the personification of demure.

And yet, Andy still greeted me at the restaurant with a single white rose and a kiss on the hand. And, no, I didn’t tell him, “A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” I was being Audrey, not Marilyn, remember?

“I
have to tell you,” Andy said after we sat down, “I’m flattered you went to such lengths to go out with me. I asked Keira from MacKenzies’ Mochas about you earlier today, and she told me you were an accountant before you came to Tallulah Falls to open your shop.”

Busted! Darn that Keira! Now what? I supposed I’d have to shoot straight with him.