Close Knit Killer Read online

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by Maggie Sefton

  KNIT ONE, KILL TWO

  NEEDLED TO DEATH

  A DEADLY YARN

  A KILLER STITCH

  DYER CONSEQUENCES

  FLEECE NAVIDAD

  DROPPED DEAD STITCH

  SKEIN OF THE CRIME

  UNRAVELED

  CAST ON, KILL OFF

  CLOSE KNIT KILLER

  Anthologies

  DOUBLE KNIT MURDERS

  Close Knit Killer

  Maggie Sefton

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

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  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com.

  This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

  Copyright © 2013 by Margaret Conlan Aunon.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.

  BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-62390-9

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Sefton, Maggie.

  Close knit killer / Maggie Sefton.—First Edition.

  ISBN 978-0-425-25839-2

  1. Flynn, Kelly (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Knitters (Persons)—Fiction.

  3. Dressmakers—Crimes against—Fiction. 4. Murder—Investigation—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3629.E37C56 2013

  813'.6—dc23 2013007214

  FIRST EDITION: June 2013

  Cover illustration by Chris O’Leary.

  Cover design by Rita Frangie.

  Cover logo by axb group.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.

  Contents

  Also by Maggie Sefton

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Cast of Characters

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Author’s Note

  Sweetheart Baby Hat

  Recipes

  Acknowledgments

  I want to thank Martha Martin of Snyder, Texas, for the novel’s title, Close Knit Killer. I’m still using some of the wonderful title suggestions that were sent to me in late December 2009 and January 2010 for my “Name a Kelly Flynn Mystery” contest.

  There were nearly two hundred e-mails and literally several hundred title suggestions. There are about ten title suggestions remaining, so I have lots to choose from for Kelly’s future adventures. Of course, all titles have to pass muster with my editor, too.

  The three short recipes included with this book are also contest winners. I had an Appetizer Contest awhile ago on the Cozy Chicks blog, where I post weekly with six other mystery authors (www.cozychicksblog.com). There were two categories: Hot Appetizers and Cold Appetizers. Last year’s Cast On, Kill Off included several of the winners of the Hot Appetizer contest. This year for Close Knit Killer, several of the winners of the Cold Appetizer contest and their names are included along with their recipes. Again, thanks to all who participated.

  Cast of Characters

  Kelly Flynn—financial accountant and part-time sleuth, refugee from East Coast corporate CPA firm

  Steve Townsend—architect and builder in Fort Connor, Colorado, and Kelly’s boyfriend

  KELLY’S FRIENDS:

  Jennifer Stroud—real estate agent, part-time waitress

  Lisa Gerrard—physical therapist

  Megan Smith—IT consultant, another corporate refugee

  Marty Harrington—lawyer, Megan’s husband

  Greg Carruthers—university instructor, Lisa’s boyfriend

  Pete Wainwright—owner of Pete’s Porch Café in the back of Kelly’s favorite knitting shop, House of Lambspun

  LAMBSPUN FAMILY AND REGULARS:

  Mimi Shafer—Lambspun shop owner and knitting expert, known to Kelly and her friends as “Mother Mimi”

  Burt Parker—retired Fort Connor police detective, Lambspun spinner-in-residence

  Hilda and Lizzie von Steuben—spinster sisters, retired school-teachers, and exquisite knitters

  Curt Stackhouse—Colorado rancher, Kelly’s mentor and advisor

  Jayleen Swinson—Alpaca rancher and Colorado Cowgirl

  Connie and Rosa—Lambspun shop personnel

  One

  Kelly Flynn bit into her last slice of pesto pizza. Yum. “This is so good, I feel like baking another one,” she said to her friends who were seated around Megan and Marty’s backyard patio table.

  “Hey, put in another pepperoni and cheese, would you?” Greg asked.

  “Why don’t you try something different for a change?” Lisa prodded her boyfriend. “I bought one of those Hawaiian pizzas.”

  Greg’s pizza-eating cohort Marty screwed up his face across the table, which was completely covered with pizza pans and bottles of craft beers. “Pineapple on pizza? Heresy!” red-haired Marty declared.

  Kelly took a sip of her favorite ale and leaned back into the cushioned patio chair. “Marty, you’re eating barbecued chicken on your pizza now. Why not give ham and pineapple a try?”

  “Marty doesn’t take risks when it comes to food,” Megan said, grinning at her husband as she rose from her chair. “I’ll put in more pizza. One pesto and one pepperoni and cheese. Is that it?”

  “Make that two pepperoni and cheese,” Greg advised. “Otherwise there won’t be any left for Steve after Marty gets through with it.”

  Kelly sipped her Fat Tire, listening to her friends tease Marty as she glanced around Megan and Marty’s backyard. Thanks to her boyfriend Steve’s generous wedding gift of a reduced price, Megan and Marty were able to move into one of the empty houses in Steve’s struggling housing development on the north edge of Fort Connor. They’d had their eye on it for months, because it was only two doors down from Lisa and Greg’s home. The sounds of laughter and backyard barbecues rose up from the neighboring yards surrounding them. It was late May, and the early summer weather was hot already. Temperatures were in the nineties during the days, coupled with that Colorado staple—sunshine, sunshine, sunshine.

  “When’s Steve coming?” Jennifer asked
after she wiped pizza sauce from her cheek. “Aren’t the guys playing their old rival Greeley tonight?”

  Kelly glanced at her watch. “I thought he’d be here by now. He’s got his gear with him, so he may have stopped at the house to change.”

  Marty checked his watch. “We’re gonna have to head for the ball fields in about twenty minutes. He can always meet us there. We’ll need Steve’s big bat to beat those guys.”

  “How’re you liking Steve’s rental house, Kelly?” Pete asked as he took the last slice of pesto pizza. “It’s a three-bedroom, right?”

  “Yeah. I love the layout. It’s got lots of room.”

  “Have you finally unpacked?” Megan asked as she snuggled against Marty.

  “Finally,” Kelly said, then took a deep drink of her ale. “It wasn’t a hard move because I didn’t have that much furniture in the cottage. And Steve never bought much, either, since he’s been working in Denver.”

  “That dark cherry bedroom set of yours sure weighed a lot,” Marty teased. “My back still hurts.”

  “Don’t forget the sofa, dude. That was a killer. It was all I could do to finish my ride the next day.”

  “Get Lisa to rub out the kinks in those muscles,” Kelly suggested to mountain biker Greg. “After all, she’s a physical therapist.”

  “Are you going to bring some of your cousin Martha’s antiques you’ve got in storage? There were some beautiful pieces there,” Megan said.

  “To tell the truth, I haven’t even had time to think about it yet. So, they’ll have to stay in Wyoming for a while longer, I guess.” Kelly took another sip of ale.

  “Well, you could add a few pieces a little at a time,” Lisa suggested. “We’ll be glad to help.”

  “I dunno . . . Antiques sound heavy,” Greg added. Lisa gave him a playful jab.

  “That’s true, and do we want to fill up that house with furniture when someone might buy it this year or next year?”

  “Or next is right,” Jennifer said with a weary sigh. “This housing market is still depressed.”

  “Sorry we couldn’t help with the move,” Pete said, sipping his beer. “We had back-to-back catering jobs that weekend. Man . . . this feels so strange not to be working on a Friday night.”

  “Amen to that,” Jennifer agreed.

  “It’s great to have you guys join us tonight. Those catering jobs during the school year really kept you busy,” Marty said.

  “Amen, again,” Jennifer echoed, lifting her cola can. “Yesterday, I took some clients into the three-bedroom house a block from here. It’s a little smaller than Greg and Lisa’s, but the bedrooms are good-sized, and the kitchen is spacious. Living room and dining area are good-sized, too. It’s got lots of light and is really nice.”

  “Well, let’s hope someone buys it,” Kelly said, then drained her Fat Tire. “There are still three unsold houses left in the development. That one plus a four-bedroom at the entrance road, and the three-bedroom Steve and I are living in.”

  “It was a smart idea to move to that house and eliminate Steve’s apartment rent,” Marty said, stacking empty pizza pans as Megan approached with a freshly baked pizza.

  “And it’s great having you guys over here,” Megan added as she reclaimed her chair.

  Pete turned his beer bottle on the chair arm. “Do you have any idea what that smaller three-bedroom would rent for? I mean, in case it doesn’t sell to that couple.”

  Kelly shrugged. “Haven’t a clue. You’ll have to ask Steve, whenever he gets here. Why? Do you know of someone looking for a place to rent?”

  “Actually, yes,” Jennifer answered. “Pete and I are. Neither his place nor mine is big enough for all our stuff together. We need more room.”

  “Yeah, we were talking today about maybe asking Steve about renting one of his houses until it sells. We figured we could swing it with what Jen and I are both paying for rent.”

  Megan jumped up in her chair. “Hey, that’s fantastic!”

  “It would be great to have you two over here with us,” Lisa said.

  Kelly thought she detected the sound of Steve’s truck’s engine at the front of the house. “You can ask him yourself. I think I just heard his truck.”

  Greg checked his watch. “Boy, he’s cutting it close.”

  “You guys have enough time. Let Steve take a few minutes to swallow some pizza,” Lisa admonished.

  “Hey, guys,” Steve said as he slid open the glass door to the patio.

  Megan jumped up from her chair and beckoned to Steve. “Come on over, Steve, and have some pizza. Marty, you and Greg can take another few minutes for Steve to eat.”

  “Sit down, buddy.” Marty directed Steve to a chair. “You’re already changed, so we’ve got a few minutes.”

  Steve stopped by Kelly’s chair first. “Hey, there.” He leaned down to give her a kiss. “Sorry I’m late. Mimi asked me to stop by before she closed shop.”

  Kelly reached up and put her arm around Steve’s neck, pulling him closer for the kiss. “Hey, there, yourself. What’d Mimi want?”

  Steve settled into the chair beside her and snatched a slice of pepperoni pizza. “Some suggestions for remodeling. She and Burt have been kicking around ideas. Man, I’m starving.” He devoured the slice in two bites.

  “There you go, buddy,” Marty said with his big grin as he placed the familiar brown bottle of ale in Steve’s outstretched hand.

  “What are they planning to remodel?” Kelly asked. “The shop is perfect the way it is.”

  Steve gulped down half the bottle before answering. “Ahhhh. It’s not the shop. They want to do something with that older building that used to be a garage. Mimi’s used it for storage ever since she started the shop.” Another slice of pizza disappeared almost as fast as the first.

  “Why don’t you ask him now?” Greg gestured to Pete and Jennifer.

  “What’s that?” Steve took another deep swig of ale.

  “Let the starving man eat,” Jennifer teased. “We’ll talk later. Pete and I are coming to watch your game.”

  “Hey, that’s great,” Kelly said. “Thank goodness for end-of-semester breaks when the university goes quiet for a while, and the catering slows down. You two deserve some weekend nights when you’re not working.”

  “Got that right,” Greg added. “Why don’t you two go up into the mountains tomorrow. Get some high-country air in your lungs.” He took in an enormous breath and exhaled loudly. “Do you good.”

  Pete laughed and sank back into the cushioned chair. “Boy, that sounds great. But I’ll probably go down to Denver and visit my grandfather Ben and my niece Cassie. I try to go every month, but it’s been so busy here that six weeks have passed by. So, I’ll be driving to Denver after lunch finishes tomorrow afternoon.”

  “And I’ll be doing floor duty at the real estate office. Pray that some deep-pocketed customer walks in looking for a home. Preferably someone with a stellar credit rating and lots of money in the bank,” Jennifer said, then finished her pesto pizza.

  “Wow, you guys are always working,” Marty observed as he leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head.

  “How old is your niece again?” Lisa asked.

  “Eleven, going on twelve. Cassie’s a real sweetheart. Grandpa Ben and my grandmother Mary raised her from the time she was a baby. Mary died a couple of years ago.” His normal smile disappeared as a somber expression appeared. “My sister Tanya has never been able to take care of Cassie. She’s just not stable enough. Got into drugs early in college and has never stayed away for long. Been in and out of rehab. Will work one job for several months until she starts oversleeping and missing work, gets laid off, or fired. She did okay for the first few months after Cassie was born, but then she started bringing the baby over to my grandparents’ every night so she could go out to the bars. Tanya always liked to sing and was drawn to musicians, so she’d just live with one guy after another who wanted to party all the time like she did.”

 
“What about the baby’s father?” Steve asked as he took another slice of pizza.

  “Tanya can’t remember which guy it was. Some college student,” Pete said sadly.

  “Whoa.” Lisa leaned back in her chair.

  Jennifer toyed with her cola can. “Yeah, it’s sad. Last time we were in Denver at Ben’s house, Tanya stopped by to announce that she’d ‘found her man.’ He’s a musician with another band that’s starting to get popular in the area. Tanya says she’s going to travel with them and do their publicity online.”

  “What about Cassie?” Kelly asked, reading between the lines of what Jennifer was saying.

  “Yeah, what about the little girl?” Marty asked, leaning forward now.

  “That never seems to come up on Tanya’s radar screen.” Pete rubbed his forehead. “Tanya said she’s trying to build a life with this musician, which means she’ll be traveling around the country with Hank and the band. Then she gave Cassie a kiss and told her to be good and do what Grandpa told her.” Pete closed his eyes and shook his head.

  “Poor kid,” Megan said with a frown.

  “Yeah, that’s why I try to get down there once a month and take Cassie out to places, do stuff with her. That gives Ben a break.”

  “We took her to the mall last month, and her eyes nearly popped out,” Jennifer said, smiling. “She’d never been to that big mall in south Denver. So she was looking in every window, I swear. I thought we’d never pull her away from the computer store. Ben’s got an ancient desktop computer, so Cassie has never seen the newer laptops and stuff except on television.”

  “Hey, Steve, are you full now, because we’re gonna have to tear outta here to get to the ball fields?” Greg popped up from his chair.

  Steve drained the last of his ale. “Yeah, I’m good. Let’s go.”

  Kelly quickly rose from her chair, as did her friends. “Knock it out of the park, okay?” she said, giving Steve a quick kiss.

  Steve grinned. “I’ll do my best. See you guys at the game.”

  Two

  Kelly walked across the driveway separating her cottage office from the knitting shop that was a larger version of her beige stucco, red-tile-roofed cottage. The former farmhouse–turned–successful fiber shop was the center of her beloved aunt Helen’s life while she was alive. Helen’s murder was the reason Kelly had returned to her childhood home in Fort Connor, Colorado, several years ago. As Helen’s only relative, Kelly came to bury her aunt and handle the small estate the talented knitter and quilter had left. But Kelly found herself staying—drawn to the warmth and friendship that surrounded her once she entered the knitting shop, Lambspun.