Halloween Scare Read online

  “I’ll refill that for you, Kelly,” Burt offered. “I’m going into the café.”

  “Thanks, Burt. See if you can come up with a costume idea while you’re there.” Kelly pulled the laptop from her bag. Time to get back to work. Client accounts were waiting.

  “You might want to go to that costume rental place downtown. That’s where the serious Halloween costumes are. At least that’s what I’ve heard,” Mimi said as she turned towards the front of the shop.

  “Oh, yeah, it’s the one in Old Town,” Burt added, following after Mimi.

  “Thanks, I’ll drop by there today,” Kelly said as icons flashed onto her laptop screen. Within a moment she was lost in the world of numbers and accounting.

  * * *

  “Well, hello, Kelly,” a chirpy soprano voice broke into Kelly’s concentration.

  Kelly looked up and saw Lizzie Von Steubel, the round dumpling half of the Sisters Von Steubel, retired high schoolteachers and master knitters. “Hey, Lizzie, great to see you?” Kelly left her chair to give her silver-haired friend a hug. “Is Hilda anywhere about? I haven’t seen her lately.”

  “That’s because she’s been tiring out more easily these days,” Lizzie said of her older sister. “But she simply insisted on coming today. She baked her signature brownies for the Halloween fundraiser. Of course, I made her sit in a kitchen chair and read me the recipe while I did all the gathering, mixing, and baking.” Lizzie set her tapestry knitting bag at the end of the table.

  Kelly looked toward the adjoining yarn room, filled with floor-to-ceiling wooden bins spilling forth with multi-hued yarns of every description. “Where is she?”

  “Oh, Burt came out and helped Hilda into the shop. She’s down at the front with Mimi and Rosa. I thought this might be a good time for me to do all the errands. I hate to leave Hilda alone for too long, so Mimi suggested I bring her here where she’ll be happy and have people around.” Lizzie patted her neat twist of silver hair. Bright blue ribbons, Lizzie’s trademark, dangled down.

  Kelly looked at Lizzie with concern. “It sounds like you need some visiting care-giver to stop by regularly. You shouldn’t try to do everything yourself, Lizzie.”

  “Oh, it’s no problem, Kelly,” Lizzie pooh-poohed, with a dismissive little wave of her hand.

  “Well, promise me you’ll consider it at least, okay?”

  “I promise, dear,” Lizzie nodded obligingly and gave Kelly a big smile as she headed toward the front door.

  Kelly put her laptop on Sleep Mode and rose from her chair. Giving a big overhead stretch, she grabbed her coffee mug and walked through the adjoining yarn room and towards the front of the shop. She hadn’t seen Hilda in several weeks. This would be a good time to catch up with the retired literature teacher. Kelly spotted Hilda sitting in the comfy overstuffed armchair in the corner beside the big front window of the shop.

  “Hilda! It’s so good to see you,” Kelly said as she approached Lizzie’s older sister. Hilda’s burnished steel grey hair was pinned into a neat twist behind her head.

  Hilda looked up, and her lined face spread with a big smile. “Kelly, my dear. It’s so good to see you. I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Kelly leaned over and hugged her elderly friend. There was less Hilda to hug, she couldn’t help noticing. “How are you feeling, Hilda? Lizzie told me you’ve been getting more tired lately.” She knelt on the floor beside the chair.

  “Ohhhh, I’m doing fairly well for my age.” Hilda said with a small smile. “Better today because I could come here and be with all my Lambspun friends.”

  Mimi glanced over from the front counter where she was ringing up a customer’s purchase and smiled. Kelly recognized her Mother Mimi smile. “And we’re so glad you came, Hilda. We all miss you very much.”

  “Thank you, dear. I think of Lambspun as my second home.” Hilda glanced to Kelly. “Kelly, why don’t you tell me what you and your friends are planning for Lambspun’s Halloween fundraiser for the hospital. Burt hinted all of you would be in costume. And something about the basement.” Hilda picked up the knitting needles in her lap and returned to the soft blue wool and mohair garment she was knitting.

  “We’ve decided to turn the basement into a Haunted Cellar. Those of us who have the scariest costumes will hide in those little dark rooms and jump out at anyone who dares to enter.” Kelly grinned. “Greg will be a zombie with blood everywhere. Jennifer will be Nurse Wretched who operates on her poor patient Pete whose organs are already falling out. And then there’s Marty, who’ll be Count Dracula with red-lined cape and glow-in-the-dark fangs.”

  Hilda chuckled softly. “Oh, my. That does sound frightening. I certainly hope none of them come knocking on our front door for Halloween. What about Lisa and Megan? Aren’t they dressing up, too?”

  “Oh, yes. Megan will be a female vampire roaming about the garden in the back, complete with tombstones. And Lisa will be a green-faced, straggly-haired, snaggled-tooth witch wandering around the cottage yard. We figure they can scare kids and their parents as they’re walking into the shop. All for a good cause, you understand.”

  “Of course, dear. People will pay to be scared. That’s why they ride rollercoasters,” Hilda said sagely. “And look at all the many scary movies made. My students used to tell me they would go with their friends, and they would all sit together and scream every time a monster showed up. Now, what about you and Steve? Aren’t you and he scaring people in the cemetery or in the basement?”

  “No, the others decided Steve and I weren’t scary enough, so we’re assigned to the upstairs with Mimi and Burt, alias Little Bo Peep and Farmer Brown. We’ll help ride herd on all the kids. At least, I’m hoping there will be lots of kids and parents.”

  “So do I, Kelly,” Mimi chimed in. “You should see that fridge downstairs. It’s filling up already with Halloween goodies to have for the fundraiser.”

  Jennifer leaned around the corner from the corridor that led to the back of the cafe. “Mimi, you asked me to remind you about picking up your costume and Burt’s. Lunch traffic is slowing down so I could leave early and pick those up for you.”

  “Oh, Jennifer, that would be so helpful,” Mimi replied. “I’ll be teaching spinning classes all afternoon, and Rosa will have to handle the shop alone.”

  Kelly rose from her spot beside Hilda’s chair. “Jen, why don’t I run those errands, so you can stay with the café customers. Besides, it’ll give me a chance to look for a costume while they still have some.”

  “Thanks, Kelly. I appreciate that,” Jennifer said before ducking around the corner.

  “Bring back something frightening, dear,” Hilda looked up at her and winked.

  “Wish me luck. Scary luck. I’d make a terrible Bo Peep assistant,” Kelly said as she headed out.

  * * *

  Kelly raced up the Lambspun front steps and into the shop. She couldn’t wait to show everyone what she’d found at the costume shop. A Medusa wig with realistic-looking rubbery snakes that writhed and wiggled whenever she moved her head. One look at the Medusa wig when she tried it on, and Kelly laughed out loud. If she couldn’t be scary, at least she could make people laugh.

  “Hey, Rosa. Come into the front when you finish and see the great costume I found,” Kelly said as she burst into the foyer.

  “I’ll be right there,” Rosa said as she replaced yarns in the bins. “Mimi’s still in class. Show it to Hilda. She’s still knitting in the armchair.”

  “Okay. I’ve got Mimi’s and Burt’s costume hanging up in the car.” Kelly skipped through the middle room with the large Mother Loom and into the front where the counter and cash registers. “Hilda, you’ll never guess what I found at the costume shop. A Medusa wig, complete with writhing snakes.” She looked over at Hilda in the armchair. But instead of Hilda’s warm smile, she looked at Kelly blankly.

  “Wha—what...?”

  Kelly stared at the elderly woman’s face. It looked strangely pale. “Hilda, are you all
right?”

  “Sick... stomach...” Hilda said softly and started to push herself out of the chair. “Bathroom...”

  “Here, I’ll help you,” Kelly said walking over to the table and dumping her packages. “You might have caught a flu—”

  Hilda lifted herself halfway out of the chair then suddenly crumpled to the floor, dropping like one of her lace handkerchiefs. The soft ball of yarn and knitting slipped to the floor beside her.

  Shocked for a second, Kelly ran around the wooden winding table and knelt beside Hilda. She picked up Hilda’s wrist, frantically searching for a pulse. She felt a series of fast beats and cursed herself for not signing up for that CPR class the hospital offered last month.

  What do I do now? Start chest compressions?

  Call 911! The voice inside her head urged.

  “Madre de Dios!” Rosa cried behind her. “What happened, Kelly? Did she faint?”

  “I don’t know. She was sick to her stomach, and then she tried to get out of the chair and fell.”

  Rosa rushed around the table and knelt at Hilda’s head, her fingers pressed against Hilda’s neck. “Her pulse is racing. She may be having a heart attack. Let me get where you are, Kelly, so I can reach her chest.”

  “You know CPR? Thank God.” Kelly swiftly moved out of Rosa’s way then lifted the other end of the heavy wooden winding table and dragged it two feet away so Rosa would have room.

  “I’m gonna start mouth to mouth, Kelly. You call 911 right away.” Rosa ran her fingers inside Hilda’s mouth then pinched Hilda’s nostrils and bent her open mouth over the elderly woman’s.

  Kelly grabbed her bag, fingers frantically searching for the smartphone inside. Retrieving it she punched in 9-1-1 as she watched Rosa start rhythmic compressions on Hilda’s chest. A woman’s voice came over the phone.

  “What is the nature of your emergency?”

  “An elderly woman just collapsed in Lambspun knitting shop. Corner of Lemay and Lincoln. We don’t know if she fainted or had a heart attack. Someone is giving her CPR right now.”

  “Your name please.”

  “Uhh, I’m Kelly Flynn. F-L-Y-N-N. Please come—“

  “Address please.”

  Kelly’s mind seemed to go blank then she suddenly pictured the newsletter masthead and rattled off the shop address. “Please come fast,” she urged again.

  “A unit will be right there, ma’am.” And the voice disappeared.

  “They’re on their way,” she said to Rosa who was still alternating between breathing into Hilda’s mouth and doing the chest compressions.

  “Get Mimi,” Rosa said as she pressed on Hilda’s chest. “She knows how to help.”

  Kelly shoved the phone in her pocket and raced from the room, heading toward the workroom in the rear of the shop. She’d never felt so useless in her life. Why hadn’t she taken the time to learn that life-saving skill? Too busy. Always too busy.

  She rounded the corner into the room where Mimi was demonstrating spinning with five women, each with their own wheel. “Mimi, sorry for interrupting, but Rosa needs you up front. Hilda just collapsed. Ambulance is on its way.”

  Mimi almost knocked over the spinning wheel as she leapt from her chair. She raced out of the workroom, leaving the students gaping after her.

  “You folks should stay put until the ambulance gets here. We don’t want to block the driveways,” Kelly said.”

  “Is she having a heart attack?” one woman asked.

  “I don’t know. Please, stay here. Don’t come to the front. The paramedics will need a clear path.”

  With that, Kelly left the abandoned spinners to themselves as she hurried from the workroom. The faint wail of an ambulance siren sounded in the distance. Kelly gave silent thanks, then raced through the foyer and out the shop front door. The wailing siren was growing louder.

  Kelly ran down to the driveway and towards the far back parking lot. It was empty of customers now since the café was closed and locked. Kelly figured the ambulance driver might try to turn left off Lemay Avenue and wind around the back of the shop, avoiding the busy intersection ahead. She figured right. The siren’s shrill wail grew stronger as Kelly spotted it coming down Lemay Avenue, slowly weaving its way around the busy intersection and cars headed toward the immense Big Box parking lot.

  Kelly held her breath hoping the ambulance would find a clear path. When it did, she watched it turn left and enter the winding back driveway. Kelly raced into the wide open section of driveway and waved her arms overhead. Before she knew it, the ambulance had pulled to a stop and three tall uniformed paramedics jumped out and headed toward her.

  “Elderly woman collapsed inside the shop,” Kelly breathlessly relayed as she waved them to follow her. “Front door over here.”

  “How long ago?” one of the paramedics asked when he caught up with her.

  “About twenty minutes ago I think. She’s getting CPR now.”

  Kelly stood aside as the three men hurried around her and jogged toward Lambspun’s front entry, bounding up the brick steps like gazelles. She followed after them, through the shop and into the front room. By the time she got there, all three men were bent over Hilda, one checking her pulse with his watch, another taking her blood pressure, and another listening to her heart with a stethoscope, then starting rhythmic chest compressions.

  Mimi and Rosa stood in mute attendance, watching. Kelly joined her two friends as all three watched anxiously as the paramedics worked to save their dear friend.

  * * *

  “Who’s at the hospital with Lizzie?” Megan asked as she sat beside Kelly at the Lambspun knitting table.

  “Burt’s with her now,” Kelly replied. “I told him I’d go over at four, so he can come back here. Lisa will come at six. Then Jennifer and Pete would be there this evening. Maybe they can convince Lizzie to stay overnight at our house. We have a guest room. The hospital staff will take care of Hilda tonight. She’ll be in the intensive cardiac care unit anyway.”

  Kelly focused on the light blue wool hat she was knitting. The rhythm of the stitches kept her mind occupied. Otherwise she’d be pacing and worrying. There was a calming aspect to knitting, soothing almost. Slip the yarn from one needle to the next, wrap the yarn around the needle, then slip it onto the other needle. Again and again.

  “Hilda will be in the Cardiac Care Unit where there are no visitors except immediate family. So we couldn’t see her, just Lizzie,” Kelly added in a soft voice.

  Megan glanced at her watch and asked Kelly the same question she’d asked ten minutes ago. “When did she go into surgery?”

  “Around three o’clock Burt said. Hilda was already being prepped for surgery when he and Lizzie got there in early afternoon.”

  “Poor Lizzie. This is gonna hit her hard. Megan shook her head, her fingers worked the needles, rows of burnt orange stitches forming neatly.

  The little bell sounded on the shop front door, and a whirlwind swept into the main room. Kelly imagined the pages of a nearby magazine riffling as it lay on the table. Lisa.

  “I’ve been back-to-back with therapy patients and just saw your text, Kelly,” Lisa said breathlessly as she dumped her bag at the end of the table. “What word on Hilda? Your text said Burt’s at the hospital with Lizzie.”

  “Doctors found a blockage in one of the arteries to her heart. She went into surgery about three o’clock. Burt’s with Lizzie at the hospital now, and he’ll send word as soon as he hears something.”

  Lisa exhaled her breath. “Thank God. Where’s Mimi?” She glanced around.

  “She’s teaching her second spinning class. That’s the only reason you don’t see her pacing about the shop right now. She’ll probably start as soon as class is over.”

  Lisa pulled off her jacket and sank into the chair. “I’ve worried about Hilda. Lizzie had mentioned she was tiring faster and was getting short of breath.” Lisa stared off into the yarn bins across the room. “I’d asked Hilda what her doctor was tellin
g her, and she’d always answer that she was doing ‘as well as could be expected’ for her age.” Lisa frowned. “I knew she wasn’t telling me the whole truth. Probably because she didn’t want to worry anyone. Most importantly, Lizzie.”

  “I know. Burt said Lizzie sits and stares toward the waiting room door.” Kelly said.

  Mimi suddenly rushed into the main room, cell phone in hand. “Burt just called. Hilda’s out of surgery now. Doctors put a stint in the artery that was blocked. Surgery was successful, and Hilda’s in the recovery room now. She came through fine.” Mimi closed her eyes and put her hand on her breast, then whispered, “Thank God.”

  Kelly, Megan, and Lisa each murmured their own words of thanks. Hilda was still with them. That was a very good reason to give thanks.

  * * *

  Eight days later

  Halloween Night, 5:30pm

  “Wow, there’re more cars pulling into the driveway,” Kelly said, looking through the Lambspun front window. “We’re going to have a good turnout.”

  “We’d better,” Mimi said, peering into the encroaching darkness. “Every café table is spilling over with food, the punch and coffee are on the counters. Bless Julie’s heart for taking care of that part.” She patted her Bo Peep curls.

  “There’s Curt Stackhouse, directing cars towards the back,” Kelly said, spotting the enormous Marshall’s badge pinned to Colorado rancher Curt’s shirt. “He and Annie Oakley Jayleen are doing a great job keeping the early visitors happy. That idea of scattering miniature wrapped candy bars throughout the patio garden and the cottage backyard was genius.”

  “It’s keeping the little kids and parents happy,” Mimi said. “Look, there’s Witch Lisa pointing toward the flowerbeds.”

  “I hope Megan’s not too disappointed she’s not scaring kids,” Kelly joked. “Last time I looked, she was laughing and looking for candy bars.”

  “Did Steve go outside?”

  “Yes. He’s selling tickets to the families standing in line.”

  Burt appeared around the corner from the back corridor. “Spooks downstairs are ready to go. I say we start this show immediately, judging from how many people are showing up. We’ve got a line out there. Cassie and Eric are really attracting people with their signs outside.”