The Mournful Teddy (33 page)

“Boy, oh boy, that’s a tempting offer, Ash,” I said mockingly. “What do you think?”

“Yes, Ashleigh, I’d like to know what
you
think, since your husband seems to do all the talking for you.”

Ash began advancing with a disquieting gleam in her eye that hinted at mayhem. Backing Cleland into a corner, she said, “You really want to know what I think? I
think
I’m going to punch your lights out for trying to bribe us. You can take your licensing contracts and put them where the sun doesn’t shine because I wouldn’t let someone as evil as you touch my bears—not for a million dollars.”

Cleland bumped into the table and the wooden box began to totter. She grabbed at the box frantically and pushed it toward Ash, saying, “Here, take the damn thing!

All I want is to get out of here!”

I put my hand on Ash’s shoulder, gently restraining her. “Honey, let her go.”

She turned and gave me an exasperated look. “Just one punch?”

“Sorry sweetheart, Lorraine is needed elsewhere.”

“What do you mean?” Cleland demanded.

I hooked a thumb at the doorway, which was blocked by Deputy Bressler and two burly Virginia State Police officers. Bressler glanced at some sheets of paper in his 286

John J. Lamb

hand, cleared his throat, and then said, “Lorraine Cleland, I have here a warrant for your arrest and another warrant permitting us to search these premises and all your possessions. You have the right to remain silent . . .”

Chapter 25

I sat on the bench in our front yard watching the moonlight flicker and dance on the surface of the Shenandoah River. It was late, but I wasn’t tired. I sat there brooding.

I heard the front door open and close, and Ash sat down next to me a moment later. She took my hand and asked, “You’ve been out here for hours. Are you all right, honey?”

“I don’t know.”

“You seem bothered.”

“I am.”

“Want to tell me?”

Keeping my eyes on the river, I said, “Sure. I feel like a colossal failure. What did I really accomplish over the past two days? Let’s tally it up: Holcombe hasn’t got a job and his wife still has cancer and Meredith Audett is going to state prison when she ought to be receiving a community service award for single-handedly lowering 288

John J. Lamb

the property crime rate of Northern Virginia by killing Thayer.”

“Brad?”

“Meanwhile, Poole has absconded with God only knows how much money generated by the sale of stolen goods and Cleland has already posted bond and she’s got enough high-priced legal representation that they’ll never extradite her back from Massachusetts. Trent is spinning elaborate lies to foist all the blame onto his father and Ewell is still planning on suing the county. St. Paul had it wrong . . . the wages of sin aren’t death. In fact, sin pays pretty well.”

“Brad?”

“And let’s not forget that I managed to almost get us killed twice, and if we ever go up to the Massanutten Crest Lodge again for brunch, they’re liable to call the cops and have us committed for psychiatric observation.

Other than that, everything is just freaking peachy.”

“Brad,
listen
to me.”

“Sorry, sweetheart. Okay, I’m done ranting. What?”

“Good things happened too. Tina will be running unopposed in next month’s election and that means we’ve got a new and honest county sheriff. The town is a better place because Poole is gone, and you got Trent off the streets and that probably saved someone a beating or maybe even prevented a murder. Finally, you did solve the case.” She gently took my chin and turned my face until I was looking at her. “As far as the other stuff is concerned, you can’t take responsibility for things that you don’t have any control over.”

“I know. It’s just that during all those years of investigating murders I don’t remember ever being so furious over all the deceit and backstabbing.”

“You’ve changed.”

“Could be.”

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289

“Darling, trust me, you’ve changed. The callous homicide inspector facade is fading and the kind, sweet man I love is becoming more and more visible. I like the change.” Ash leaned her head against my shoulder. “You know, there’s a teddy bear show up near Baltimore this spring. How would you like to design and make a bear for the show?”

“How about a sock puppet?”

“How about creating something you can be proud of—

a handsome boy teddy bear? You’d have all winter to work on it.”

“I’d need all winter and a lot of your help. You’ll have to show me how to use your sewing machine.”

“We’ll work on it together and I’ll give you lessons on the Bernina. It’s easier that it looks.”

“I hope so, because I’m afraid that if I touch the wrong button I’ll accidentally start the countdown to Armageddon.”

I suspected Ash was being a wee bit optimistic about how quickly I’d learn to use that sewing machine, yet I was warming to the idea of making a teddy bear and I could already envision him. He’d be made from curly brown mohair, have a black embroidered nose, friendly glass eyes, and maybe a white linen collar with a bowtie.

And so Ash and I sat there in the dark, talking, laughing, and making plans for a future built around creating lovable teddy bears.

I’m looking forward to it.

A TEDDY BEAR ARTISAN PROFILE

Susan Arnot

In Chapter Seven, Ashleigh Lyon shows Deputy Tina Barron one of her favorite artisan teddy bears—one crafted by Susan Arnot and made from a recycled fur coat. Of course, Ash and Tina are fictional characters, but Susan is an actual teddy bear artisan who resides in Sacramento, California. My wife, Joyce, and I first encountered her unique and heartwarming “Under the Apple Tree” collection at a teddy bear show in San Diego, and one of her mink creations sits on our library shelf.

Like so many other artisans, Susan was originally a bear collector, but it wasn’t long before her love of handicrafts and natural creativity pushed her into making bears and, soon afterwards, designing her own. That was twelve years ago and Susan still revels in creating new bears.

She said, “Sometimes it takes several ‘drafts’ to get just the look I have pictured in my mind. What I enjoy 292

A Teddy Bear Artisan Pr o file

most is seeing the face and personality of the bear come alive in my hands.”

In the beginning, Susan worked with plush and after that, mohair. Then, five years ago, a bear collector asked her if she could make a bear from an old fur coat. Susan said she’d give it a try and was thrilled with the results.

“The bear came out so cute and still had ‘my look,’ which is difficult to do sometimes because real fur is more challenging to work with than plush or mohair,” Susan told me.

In the past, she used to produce about two hundred bears in a year but that number is going down due to the fact that working with real fur is also far more time-consuming than with other materials. Furthermore, most of her bears are either one-of-a-kind or part of a very small edition because there is only so much fur in a recycled coat.

As might be expected, Susan’s bears have garnered widespread praise over the years and one of her bears was a nominee for the prestigious Golden Teddy prize in 1995.

The Golden Teddy is an annual award sponsored by
Teddy
Bear Review
magazine to recognize the finest artisans from around the globe. In addition, her bears have won first prize at the California State Fair on several occasions.

Regrettably, the last time she won the State Fair, her winning bear was stolen and the episode was so heartbreaking that she stopped entering the competition. However, she still attends teddy bear shows and loves watching the sweet impact her creations have on collectors.

“The thing I enjoy most about bear shows is watching the faces of collectors as they fall in love with one of my bears,” said Susan. “Most of the time I think it’s the bears that choose who they want to go home with and talk to that person through their expression.”

Susan is in the process of creating a web site, but in the meantime she can be contacted via e-mail at under

A Teddy Bear Artisan Profile

293

[email protected]. She invites readers to write her with any questions about her bears or to learn more about her schedule of appearances at future teddy bear shows.

One of the greatest pleasures of writing this series of mystery novels is the enormous privilege of associating with teddy bear artisans. So, I’d like to close by thanking Susan Arnot and all the other bear artisans whose creations make the world a kinder and happier place.

Afterword

Both Remmelkemp Mill and Thermopylae are imaginary communities, as is Massanutten County, which I created from portions of Rockingham, Page, and Augusta Counties of Virginia. Hence, there is no Massanutten County Sheriff’s Department. However, the geographical landmarks mentioned, such as Massanutten Mountain, the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, and the Island Ford Bridge are genuine places.

The Steiff Mourning Bear is an actual teddy bear and the information in the story as to its history, manufacture, and value is accurate.

Document Outline

• Cover Page
  
• Title Page
  
• Copyright Page
  
• Dedication Page
  
• Chapter One
  
• Chapter Two
  
• Chapter Three
  
• Chapter Four
  
• Chapter Five
  
• Chapter Six
  
• Chapter Seven
  
• Chapter Eight
  
• Chapter Nine
  
• Chapter Ten
  
• Chapter Eleven
  
• Chapter Twelve
  
• Chapter Thirteen
  
• Chapter Fourteen
  
• Chapter Fifteen
  
• Chapter Sixteen
  
• Chapter Seventeen
  
• Chapter Eighteen
  
• Chapter Nineteen
  
• Chapter Twenty
  
• Chapter Twenty-One
  
• Chapter Twenty-Two
  
• Chapter Twenty-Three
  
• Chapter Twenty-Four
  
• Chapter Twenty-Five
  
• A Teddy Bear Artisan Profile Susan Arnot
  
• Afterword
  

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