Purl Up and Die (16 page)

Kelly listened intently. “Boy, I'm glad I didn't live here then. It would have been traumatic to watch all my favorite places covered by three and four feet of water.”

“Traumatic, it was. Trust me.” Burt took a drink from his oversize white plastic cola cup. “Back to the present. It was great to escape into the mountains for several days. Mimi and I really needed the break. Thanks for suggesting it, Kelly.”

“You're welcome. I'm so glad you two got away. You have to do that more often. The Gang and I relaxed with ball games.”

“How's your team doing? And Steve's?”

“Our team was beaten by Greeley, but Steve's team beat Thornton.”

“Good going.”

Kelly leaned back into the café chair. “You know, this is probably a good time to update you on some of the information I've learned since last week. And, yes, I was sleuthing.” She smiled at Burt.

“By all means, Kelly. I've been away from all things criminal for a few days, so get me up to speed.”

“You can tell Dan that Jennifer and I went to Mason's Bar the other day to ask the bartender some questions about Professor Smith.”

Burt looked puzzled. “Why?”

“Greg told us one night when we were all together that he remembered being at Mason's Bar several times when Professor Smith was there. It seems Smith got drunk regularly and got into fights. All because of that incident with Laura Brewster. Some bar goer would taunt him with it, and Smith would light up. Greg said he saw the bartender throw Smith and other combatants out after they got into fights. Greg also said Smith did that regularly about three years ago then apparently sobered up. Until about three weeks ago when he showed up drunk again and resorting to his old belligerent behavior.”

Burt stared at Kelly for a moment, then a little smile
started. “Well, well, Sherlock. You have been busy since I've been gone. I will definitely share that with Dan. Let's see what he can do with it.”

Hearing Burt's praise always made Kelly feel good inside. “Tell Dan that I was poking my nose into other people's business. Again. Can't seem to stop.”

“Keep poking, Sherlock. Keep on poking.”

“Well, I am. I asked Jennifer if she'd accompany me on a trip to Mason's Bar to ask that bartender some questions. I figured Jen might remember him from those old barhopping days. Jennifer checked with Mason's, and sure enough, she knew the bartender on duty the night Greg was there and saw Professor Smith. Jen and I went over to Mason's in the late afternoon before the bar crowd moved in.”

Julie walked up to them then. “I take it you'd like more iced coffee, Burt. Kelly just had a refill.”

“That would really hit the spot, Julie. Thanks.” He handed over his extralarge plastic cup.

Kelly watched Julie hurry off. Waitresses never walked slowly, she observed. They were too busy.

“So, did you and Jennifer learn anything?” Burt leaned both arms on the table in one of his listening positions.

“Actually, we did,” Kelly said, pushing her laptop to the side. “The bartender on duty knew Jennifer from her barhopping days, so he was definitely chatty. He was tending bar that night when Professor Smith showed up. Manny, the bartender, said he hadn't seen Smith for a year and had heard that he'd stopped his drinking. He said Professor Smith had been a regular at that bar after he was accused of sexual assault. So Manny was surprised to see Smith back at
the bar because he'd gone back to his old behavior of drinking too much and getting into arguments.”

“What kind of arguments?”

“Manny said it was usually the same thing. Some guy would jerk Smith's chain about the assault charge and Smith would get angry. About three weeks ago, Manny said Smith started cussing out that girl and called her a ‘lying bitch.'” Kelly looked Burt in the eye. “That caught Jennifer's and my attention. He was clearly talking about Laura Brewster.”

“It certainly sounds like it,” Burt said, his eyes narrowing a bit. “Did Manny remember anything else Smith said?”

“Not really, because Smith threw a punch at the other guy and they started fighting. Manny said both of them were thrown out of the bar.”

Burt made a disgusted face. “Brother. That's not good.”

“Yeah, I agree. Jennifer and I both came to the same conclusion that Greg did. Professor Smith was still harboring a whole lot of animosity against Laura Brewster.”

“Yeah, I have to agree.” He looked at Kelly with a crooked smile. “I'll leave a message for Dan with this info and tell him you and Jennifer were both sleuthing. Dan will appreciate it. I'm sure he's taken a look at those assault allegations against Professor Smith a few years ago. And Dan already said he wanted to speak to that bartender as well. Good job, you two.”

“Thanks, Burt. I'd like to think that this professor may get a deeper second look now, don't you?”

“You can depend on it,
Kelly.”

Friday morning

Kelly
looked up from her laptop screen and the accounting spreadsheets claiming her attention. “Hey, Mimi,” she called to her friend who suddenly appeared in the front of the café where Kelly was seated. Mimi had her familiar porcelain tea mug in hand. “Are you and Burt coming out to see some ball games this weekend? Both Steve's team and our team are playing.”

“We'll have to catch the games next weekend,” Mimi said with a smile. “This is the weekend we promised Cassie we'd take her camping again. So we'll be hiking on the Grey Rock Trail and cooking over our portable gas stove and sitting around a campfire instead of sitting on bleachers.”

“Oh, wow. That's going to be way more fun,” Kelly said. “I wish I could join you folks but our team is playing both
Saturday and Sunday. Would you like Carl to come along and be a watchdog?”

Mimi laughed. “No, I don't think so. He'd be taking
us
for walks.”

“Just teasing you, Mimi. Carl would be like having another kid. A wiggly one who barked.”

Julie walked up then. “Do you need another cup of Earl Grey, Mimi?”

“I'd love it, Julie. Thanks.” She handed over her mug. “I've already told Cassie. She and Pete are going down to Denver to see her grandfather this afternoon.”

“He's still in the skilled nursing care facility, isn't he? Pete hasn't said anything different, and I know he would if his grandfather's situation changed.”

Mimi's smile disappeared. “I'm afraid Grandpa Ben is going to be in that skilled care facility for the foreseeable future. From what I've heard about those severe heart attack patients, they're usually bedridden the rest of their days.”

That was such a sobering image, it was hard for Kelly to picture. “That's so sad. I know Cassie must be disappointed to see her grandfather like that, but I can't help but think her life is so much richer and interesting now that she lives with Pete and Jennifer.” Kelly gave Mimi a crooked smile. “I know that may not sound very understanding, but I'm thinking more about Cassie than her grandfather.”

“I understand exactly what you mean, Kelly, and I agree with you. Cassie's life is just beginning, and she has so many more opportunities to develop all of her interests and abilities now that she's living here with Pete and Jennifer. And
us.” Mimi smiled. “That may not be charitable, but I don't care. I'm thinking about Cassie first.”

“Me, too.”

Burt walked into the café then, his own coffee mug dangling from his hand. “Oh, there you are. Getting a fill-up with Kelly, I bet.” He smiled at them both. “Mimi, Rosa said to tell you that yarn vendor from Pennsylvania is on the line.”

Mimi threw up her hands. “Oh, goodness. Would you get my Earl Grey for me, Burt? I've been trying to catch that woman for a week.” And without waiting for an answer, Mimi hurried from the café.

“I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard Mimi say that over the last few years,” Kelly said with a laugh.

Burt pulled up a chair at the table where Kelly was working. “Dan said to tell you that you're one step ahead of him. He was planning to visit that bartender tonight or tomorrow. Bartenders' schedules are erratic. Dan had already started looking at Professor Smith because of his past history with the victim. These past few days they've given him a closer look. Once they started asking questions of some university folk, they learned about Smith's erratic behavior at the bars three years ago. And more troubling, Professor Smith's recent lapse back into overdrinking at the bars in Old Town. One of his colleagues apparently hinted that there had been a recent confrontation between Smith and Laura on campus. No one went into details. So, that really got Dan's attention when I told him you and Jennifer went over to Mason's Bar. He was especially interested in
your conversations with Manny the bartender, as you can imagine.”

“I figured the cops were bound to hear the same gossip about Smith at the bars that we did once they started asking questions. It looks like the university crowd is its own little community, so everyone in that community knew about Professor Smith and his erratic behavior. It's kind of a closed-door society.”

“Well, you're right about that, Kelly. It's always harder to get faculty to talk about other faculty, especially if it's less than flattering. So I imagine not many people were forthcoming with gossip about Professor Smith. But Dan said there were a couple of university folk who'd seen Smith drinking at Mason's Bar three years ago.”

Julie approached them. “Here's Mimi's hot tea, Burt. I take it you'd like some more iced coffee.”

“You read my mind.” Burt handed over his mug.

“I'm still good, Julie,” Kelly said to the busy waitress, watching her hasten off. The late-morning breakfast crowd was thinning out but Kelly saw Jennifer and Julie still racing between tables. “I wonder what kind of incident happened between Professor Smith and Laura Brewster on campus?”

“The way someone described it to Dan, it sounded like Professor Smith accidentally crossed paths with Laura Brewster on campus one day and lost it. Started yelling at her. Apparently she ran into the Student Union building to get away from him.”

“Wow. I'd say that sounds like an ‘inciting incident.' What do you think?”

“I agree. From what you said, this Manny has seen Professor Smith a lot over the past three years, and his comments about Smith's behavior were particularly telling. Especially his comment involving Smith's remarks about Laura Brewster.”

“Oh, yeah. I'd say those remarks alone are damning. Of course, Dan will be the judge of that.”

Burt laughed softly. “You got that right, Sherlock.”

•   •   •

“Where
is that land parcel Curt talked about?” Kelly asked Steve that evening as he turned his truck into the Rolland Moore ball fields.

“It's out County Road 10 just past the interstate.” Steve eased his truck into a parking space.

“Man, I thought every inch of that was already built up between Fort Connor and Timnath.”

“Curt's friend snagged that parcel a few years back and he's been waiting to build. That was a smart move.” Steve scanned the surrounding ball fields. “Boy, these parking spaces are filling up fast. I bet the bleachers are gonna be full tonight.”

“Friday-night full,” Kelly said, gathering her small backpack and water bottle as she pushed open the passenger door. The sound of her phone caught her attention as she stepped to the ground. Spying Burt's name, she glanced over at Steve, who was gathering up a bag of baseballs, gloves, and a couple of bats. “This is Burt. You go on to your field. I'll talk to Burt as I walk to the bleachers.”

“Okay. Better not be a long call, or you'll be standing,”
Steve said with a grin as he headed toward the separate ball fields scattered around the park.

“Hey, Burt, what's up?” Kelly said as she clicked on. She swung her small backpack over her shoulder as she slowly walked through the parking area of Rolland Moore Park.

“I just got a text message from Dan. He must be swamped if he doesn't have time for a call. The apartment complex where Laura Brewster lived had several video cameras installed around the property. Police were finally able to go through all of them, and one video shows a guy in a hooded CSU jacket walking near the victim's apartment building.”

Kelly moved onto the grass. Surrounded by trees on two sides and a view of the mountains on a third, the ball fields served hundreds of student athletes as well as adults. Fort Connor had baseball and softball leagues for every age group. Rolland Moore Park sat in a picturesque location with a lake in the middle, where the resident and visiting populations of Canada geese paddled and waddled nearby, sharing the park with the ballplayers.

Kelly angled away from a family gathering up kids and sports equipment from the back of their van. Better to keep this conversation private.

“Really?” Kelly said, slowing her walk to better pay attention. “Maybe that's a clue that a violent intruder is the one who killed Laura.”

“Maybe,” Burt said. “But it could be anybody. Those hooded jackets really can hide someone's identity, especially at night.”

Heading toward the middle ball field, Kelly peered ahead, searching for her friends. Steve's team was playing tonight and her team would play tomorrow, Saturday night. Sunday, both their teams had games scheduled. This was the start of end-of-season elimination games.

Kelly scanned another ball field and thought she spotted Megan and Lisa. “I have to admit Professor Smith is looking more suspicious. I'll be interested in what Dan has to say after he questions Manny. But whoever it was, violent intruder or someone else, he was definitely trying to disguise himself. It's July, for Pete's sake. Certainly not cold enough to wear a jacket at night, let alone a jacket with a hood.”

“You got that right, Kelly,” Burt said with a laugh. “I'll let you know as soon as I hear something. It may not be until after the weekend.”

“Don't worry about it, Burt. You and Mimi enjoy your weekend camping trip with Cassie.” She clicked off and quickened her pace toward the bleachers where she'd spotted Lisa and Megan.

•   •   •

“Mega
congrats to Steve on snagging his first building project as a partner,” Marty said, holding his bottle of Fat Tire aloft.

“Great job, buddy,” Greg chimed in, raising his craft brew aloft. “He's back, and he's building! Wooooohoooooo!”

“Yay, Steve!” Megan added, raising her soda can on high. “Kaufman and Townsend rocks!”

Lisa and Pete and Jennifer joined in the congratulations
and cheers, as did Kelly, who watched Steve color slightly and accept his friends' accolades as they relaxed on Megan and Marty's backyard patio after the game.

“Thanks, guys. I really appreciate that,” Steve said with a little smile.

Kelly placed her hand on Steve's arm and smiled. “You deserve it, Steve.”

“Well, I can't think of any builder who deserves this more than you, Steve,” Pete said, reaching for a slice of pepperoni pizza. Pizza boxes from a favorite café in Old Town covered the tabletop. “You had to be willing to let go of everything you had here in Fort Connor and start again in a way more competitive market in Denver. Not many builders would risk that.”

“I don't know of any of the smaller builders who even tried,” Jennifer said, swishing the cola in the can. “Some of the bigger firms went to ground, regrouped, or merged with another firm to survive. But all of the smaller outfits like Steve's had to abandon building entirely and switch into remodels and rehabs. Even radon mitigation.”

“Actually, that's not a bad idea,” Lisa said, claiming a slice of barbecue chicken pizza. “Colorado has a lot of pockets of radon gas all over it. In fact, the other Western states have it as well.”

“It's a viable way of staying in business,” Jennifer added. “Of course, you have to take all of the training to become a certified radon technician, so there's some cost involved. Then you have to advertise your services. Not cheap.”

“And join all the other people offering those services,” Pete said. “I swear, when Grandpa Ben had his Denver
house tested for radon gas a few years ago, those readings were all over the map.”

“How'd you decide on which one?” Marty asked.

“He finally used a neighbor's recommendation for a certified technician who'd done a good job and charged a fair price.” Pete took a drink of his bottle of Guinness.

“Personal recommendations. They work every time,” Lisa said. “Half our business over there at the physical therapy center has come from former clients' recommendations. All hail, Recommendations.” She lifted her hands.

Kelly chuckled. “I have to join in. That's how most CPAs get their clients. By recommendation of existing or former clients. They're worth their weight in gold.”

“Amen,” Lisa chimed in.

“All hail and amen? You're getting religious, and it's not even Sunday,” Greg said to his girlfriend.

Marty gave an amused snort. “Spoken by the heathen among us.”

Everyone, including Greg, laughed out loud at Marty's comment.

“All hail, Heathens! Isn't that a college football song?” Greg joked, then snatched a slice of pepperoni and another slice of barbecue chicken pizza.

“It may be,” Steve said, laughing.

“All right, let's get serious for a minute,” Marty said. “What is Curt thinking of building on that land?”

“Actually, Curt is the investor partner with this guy who owns the land,” Steve said, setting his bottle of Fat Tire on his tanned knee.

“Where is that parcel again?” Megan asked.

“It's on the east side of the interstate, out County Road 10. The guy's owned it for years.”

“Out Harmony Road?” Jennifer asked, sitting up straighter in her chair. “How far away from Big Box?”

“That's right. I don't drive that way too often, so I forgot they built a new Big Box right there at the interstate and Harmony,” Lisa said.

Steve grinned. “The parcel is right next to the Big Box development. The corporation wanted this guy's land, but he refused to sell. And it really drove up the value.”

“Ohhhhhhh, yeah. That's for sure,” Jennifer said, nodding.

“Smart move,” Greg agreed. “What's that guy want to build?”

Steve's grin widened. “A small strip mall with several storefronts and a fast-food restaurant. He's hammering out the franchise details now.”

Kelly and all her friends stared at Steve for a few seconds then burst out in laughter.

“Fantastic!”

“Genius!”

“Right next to Big Box and all those hungry customers.”