Darned if You Do (24 page)

“For variety, they'd do it the other way around, both starting out as auburn haired.

“They pulled a stunt like that on you, Emily.”

“They did? When?”

“That day you found the cinnabar box. They knew it was there. Georgie, remember, was in the house for the walk-through the day before. She must have been surprised to spot it, because it had been stolen from her weeks earlier—except of course she didn't know that Tom was the person who stole it. But that day, there were others around and she wasn't wearing one of those shoplifters' trousers or coats or skirts with the pockets on the inside to hide things in. So she dropped some magazines on top of it. The next day Gracie took her place, without her auburn wig and dressing in Georgine-style clothing—this time with the magic pockets—and waiting for the perfect moment to get you out of that dining room.

“They were probably thinking to make the switch at noon. But their chance came earlier, when Connor yelled from upstairs that he'd made a spectacular find. Jill and Valentina were in the kitchen. Georgie waited for them to leave, then went out the back door, came around the house, and signaled Gracie who was lurking by the big Dumpster. Then Gracie came in the front door and went upstairs to see what Connor had found. By then you were gone, and Gracie came in and went directly to the dining room. She must have been surprised not to find the box where she had left it. But she did eventually find it on the table, hid it in her clothing, and left the house.”

Emily frowned. “You mean I was working with Georgie that morning and Gracie that afternoon? And didn't know it?”

“Slick!” exclaimed Godwin. “Heavenly days, that was clever!”

“‘Heavenly days'?” said Connor.

“Molly McGee's favorite expression,” said Godwin.

“
Fibber McGee and Molly
,” said Betsy to Connor. “Old-time radio show. I'll explain later.”

“You didn't notice anything different between Georgie in the morning and Gracie in the afternoon?” asked Jill.

“Nnnnnno,” said Emily, eyes squinched up, trying to think of something. “No, she seemed about the same.”

“You'd think one of us would have noticed,” said Valentina.

“We were working separately, remember,” said Connor.

“Plus, it's an act they've been putting on for a long time,” noted Betsy.

Emily said, “I guess I don't understand everything, yet. Okay, they—she—Georgie—saw the cinnabar box in Tom's house and decided to steal it. So they played that trick of switching places, like in that old movie
The Parent Trap
, right? But why? Was that thing so expensive it was worth the gamble?”

“Tom stole the box from them,” said Betsy.

“Okay, so he did. And so, they stole it back. And then . . . they killed him.” Her face reflected her puzzlement.

“Wicked, wicked,” murmured Alice.

Betsy said, “When I went to see Tom, he showed me he had something like your eidetic memory. He bragged that he knew where every item in his house came from—even the stolen ones. And I made the mistake of repeating that to Georgie and Gracie. You see, Tom could have told me or Mike Malloy that he stole the cinnabar box from them. And that would have triggered an investigation that could have revealed they have stolen tens of thousands of dollars' worth of items from art galleries and auction houses all over the country.”

“They have?” said Cherie. “I never read about a crime wave in the art world!”

“That's because the art world doesn't report thefts unless people are injured or the item taken is legendary—like the
Mona Lisa
or
The Scream
. They're afraid that if word gets out how often things are stolen, people won't donate art to museums or allow auction houses to sell their things anymore.”

“How do you know that?” asked Jill.

“There's a book about thieves in the art world. I've been reading it.” She smiled at Connor.

“Was the cinnabar box worth a lot of money?” asked Doris.

“Oh yes. It's about four hundred years old and worth somewhere between seven and fifteen thousand dollars. They really should have picked something other than cinnabar to steal.”

“Why is that?” asked Cherie.

“Because the prosecuting attorney can prove the box I found in their house is the one taken from Tom's house.”

“How?” asked Emily.

“Fingerprints. Tom's fingerprints are on the box.”

“Aww, p'shaw!” scoffed Godwin.

“
Fibber McGee and Molly
?” guessed Connor, laughing at the mispronunciation.

“Yes,” said Betsy.

“But don't crooks know to wipe things off?” said Emily. “Even I know that, and I'm not a crook!”

“They probably did,” said Betsy. Then a little smile appeared. “But there's a tricky thing about cinnabar lacquer. If fingerprints are not wiped off right away, they become permanent. You can't wipe them off. Tom didn't know that, and so his fingerprints are all over that little red box. And probably the fingerprints of someone at Schwales.”

Emily asked, “Were the needle cases in the box?”

“Yes,” said Betsy. “And that awful mouse ball. They are all antique ivory.”

“So there
is
a way to remove the brown color of old ivory,” said Godwin.

“Sadly, no,” said Betsy. “Ivory turns brown from handling. These pieces were put away soon after they were made, that's why they stayed white. Schwales is going to get them back after the trial, so they can try again to auction them.”

“Why did they hold on to that box?” asked Phil.

“I think it was so they could frame someone else for the theft if it became necessary.”

“Tell us again about that cute little hidey-hole in the bathroom,” said Godwin.

Connor said, “Go to YouTube and type in ‘DIY Secret Hiding Place.' There are lots of ways to turn a nook or cranny in your house or condo into a little secret deposit. Only problem is, burglars visit YouTube, too.”

“Oh,” said Godwin, deflated.

“Have they charged both of them with murder?” asked Valentina, who had been silent through most of this.

“Yes. Partly because they don't know which of them held the pillow down on Tom's face, and partly because they're fairly sure they pulled the ‘which one of us is the twin?' ruse at the hospital, too.”

“Why are people so wicked?” cried Alice, chin up, pressing her big hands down on the table's surface. “Why can't people be satisfied with what they can earn honestly?”

“I don't know, Alice,” said Betsy. “I don't think anyone knows. If we did, perhaps we could find a way to stop people behaving like that.”

Emily said, a little sadly, “I liked working with Georgie, even when she was Gracie. She helped me work as hard as she worked. Wait, did that come out right?”

“Yes,” said several people, nodding.

“Plus, she knew interesting things. And she was funny.”

“Tommy was like that, too,” said Valentina, a little sharply. “He worked as hard as he could, and he knew things, and he told funny stories. He was a thief, but he didn't deserve to die just so those two could keep on being bigger thieves than he was.”

“Damn,” said Phil, softly. “Damn, damn, dammit to hell!”

And on that note, the meeting broke up.

*   *   *

T
HE
Pickering sisters were found guilty of multiple felony-level thefts and first-degree murder. They were sentenced to life in prison.

About four months after the trial ended, Betsy received a thick envelope from Shakopee Women's Prison. Inside was the pattern for Viola van Hollen's handkerchief, carefully hand printed on three sheets of paper. With it came a note:

I bet you thought I had forgotten all about this, but I hadn't. It gave me something to do during the trial and now at Shakopee. I'm not a bad person, I just did a bad thing. Georgie, too. We were having so much fun selling things we picked up, in honest—and dishonest—ways. We had a
lot
of fun being clever and we put a lot of money in the bank and bought a nice house, but all of it went to pay lawyers. Even the house. It was such a pretty house, near the beach. Defense lawyers are bloodsuckers; don't ever forget that. It's the worst part about being arrested.

Good-bye and keep on stitching! Regards, Grace Pickering

Vivian Langford—August 2013

SUPPLIES:

Linen or cotton handkerchief (11" square)

Size 80 tatting thread: 3 spools

Size 10 steel crochet hook

STITCHES USED AND ABBREVIATIONS:

Slip stitch—sl st

Single crochet—sc

Double crochet—dc

Treble crochet—trc

Picot—pc (to form picot: ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook)

Space—sp

Chain—ch

Treble cluster—tr cl (in this pattern, crochet 4 trebles, holding last loop on hook, thread over and pull hook through all 5 loops on hook)

Row 1:
Attach thread to any corner of hanky. Sc, ch 4, sc in same sp 3 times; this will make 3 loops in corner. Continue to ch 4, sc along side of hanky 1/8 inch apart to next corner. Make sc, ch 4 three times in same sp, making 3 loops in corner. Repeat this pattern around hanky and join with sc in beginning sc.

Row 2:
Sl st in 1st loop, ch 4 and make shell in middle loop of corner as follows: 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc in same loop. Ch 4, sc in next loop and continue ch 4, sc in loops along side of hanky to next corner. Repeat shell in corner loop and resume ch 4, sc along next 3 sides, making a shell in each corner loop. Join with sc in beginning loop.

Rows 3 & 4:
Repeat row 2.

Row 5:
Ch 4, shell in corner shell. Ch 4, sc in next 18 loops.* Ch 4; in next loop work 4-treble cluster as follows: (work 4 trebles, holding back last loop on hook, thread over hook and draw through all 5 loops on hook). In top of treble cluster work 3 picots as follows: (ch 3, sl st in 3rd chain from hook 3 times. Sl st in top of cluster). Then resume ch 4, sc in next 18 loops. In next loop repeat 4-treble cluster stitch with 3 picots in top of cluster. Resume ch 4, sc in remaining loops to corner. In corner loop work shell stitch. Repeat this pattern on 3 remaining sides of hanky. Join with sc in last loop before beginning shell.

*Note:
Distance between clusters should be evenly spaced, so number of loops may vary between clusters, depending on size of hanky.

Row 6:
Ch 4, shell in corner shell. Ch 4, sc in next 9 loops. In next loop work 4-treble cluster stitch with 3 picots in top of cluster as in previous row. Resume ch 4, sc in loops to next cluster/picot stitch of previous row. Ch 4, sc in top of 1st pc, ch 3, sc in top of 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in top of 3rd pc. Resume ch 4, sc in next 9 loops. Work 4-treble cluster/picot stitch in next ch 4 loop. Resume ch 4, sc in loops to next tr cl of previous row. Ch 4, sc in top of 1st pc, ch 3, sc in top of 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in top of 3rd pc. Resume ch 4, sc in next 9 loops. Work 4-tr cl/pc stitch in next ch 4 loop. Resume ch 4, sc in remaining loops to corner. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp leading to shell. Work shell in corner shell. Ch 4 and resume pattern, working 3 remaining sides as first side. Join with sc in chain leading to beginning shell.

Row 7:
Ch 4, shell in corner shell. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp. Ch 4, sc in loops to 1st tr cl of previous row. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp. Ch 4, sc in 1st pc of cluster, ch 3, sc in 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in 3rd pc. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp. Ch 4, sc in loops to next tr cl. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp leading to top of cluster. Ch 4, sc in 1st pc, ch 3, work 4-tr cl/pc stitch in 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in 3rd pc. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp. Ch 4, sc in loops leading to next tr cl stitch. Ch 4, sc in sp leading to top of cluster. Ch 4, sc in 1st pc, ch 3, sc in 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in 3rd pc. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp. Ch 4, sc in loops leading to next cluster. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp leading to cluster. Ch 4, sc in 1st pc; ch 3, work 4-tr cl/pc stitch in 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in 3rd pc; ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp. Ch 4, sc in loops leading to next cluster. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp. Ch 4, sc in 1st pc, ch 3, sc in 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in 3rd pc. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp. Ch 4, sc in loops to corner. Ch 4, shell in corner shell. Repeat pattern on next 3 sides and join with sc in last loop before beginning shell.

Row 8:
Ch 4, shell in corner shell. Ch 4, sc in each ch-4 loop leading to 1st tr cl. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp leading up to cluster. Ch 4, sc in 1st pc, ch 3, work 4-tr cl/pc stitch in 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in 3rd pc. Ch 4, sc in ch-4 sp leading down from cluster. Ch 4, sc in loops to next cluster. Ch 4, sc in sp leading up to cluster. Ch 4, sc in 1st pc, ch 3, sc in 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in 3rd pc. Ch 4, sc in loops leading to next cluster. Ch 4, sc in 1st pc, ch 3, work 4-tr cl/pc stitch in 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in 3rd pc. Ch 4, sc in loops leading to next tr cl. Ch 4, sc in 1st pc of cluster, ch 3, sc in 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in 3rd pc. Ch 4, sc in loops leading to next tr cl. Ch 4, sc in 1st pc, ch 3, work 4-tr cl/pc stitch in 2nd pc, ch 3, sc in 3rd pc. Ch 4, sc in loops leading to corner. Ch 4, shell in corner shell. Ch 4, continue working pattern on next 3 sides as 1st side. Join with sc in ch-4 sp before beginning shell.

Row 9:
Repeat row 7.

Row 10:
Repeat row 8.

Row 11:
Ch 3; in corner shell work 3 dc, ch 4, sl st in 3rd ch from hook (picot made), ch 1, 3 dc. Ch 3, in next ch-4 sp work 2 sc, pc, 2 sc. Continue working in each ch-4 sp with 2 sc, pc, 2 sc to 1st tr cl. *In 1st pc of cluster sc, pc, sc. In 2nd pc work sc, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 1, pc, ch 1, 2 dc, ch 3, sc (shell with pc made), ch 1. In 3rd pc, work sc, pc, sc. Continue working in each ch-4 sp with 2 sc, pc, 2 sc up to next 4-tr cl stitch. In 1st pc: sc, pc, sc, ch 1. In 2nd pc: sc, pc, sc, ch 1. In 3rd pc: sc, pc, sc, ch 1. Continue working the pattern in ch-4 spaces up to next tr cl. Work from * to next corner shell and work shell as 1st one. Continue working this pattern on next 3 sides and join in sc prior to first corner shell. Break off. Spray starch and press.