A Quilt in Time (A Harriet Turman/Loose Threads Mystery) Read online

  “Why does she always call me Grasshopper?” Carla whispered to Harriet.

  “It’s an obscure TV reference. Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I’ll tell you about it later,” Harriet whispered back.

  “Maybe we’re making more headway with Sarah than we thought,” DeAnn observed. “Sounds like she’s suspicious of what her fiancé might give her.”

  “If Connie’s right about Rod’s aunt, it’s with good reason,” Harriet said.

  Connie’s husband Rod parked their car three spots over, and their trio joined the group.

  “What did we miss?” Connie asked, and Harriet filled them in on what had been discussed. Robin suggested Harriet and Lauren start with a visit to Sarah, to be followed by Mavis and Beth and then herself and DeAnn.

  Aunt Beth pulled her plastic rain hat from her purse and put it carefully over her hair.

  “Let’s go in before the rain decides to get serious,” she said.

  The first thing Harriet noticed when she and Lauren came through the front doors of the Foggy Point Senior Center was Aiden, standing at the reception desk deep in conversation with the young blond woman who had taken Sarah’s place. The second thing was that all the chairs and side tables on both sides of the large entrance area had been replaced with rows of folding chairs facing a podium. Bouquets of silver and blue helium-filled balloons were tethered to large Chinese ceramic vases on either side of the podium, creating a stage-like space.

  A tall man in a navy blue suit guided the Loose Threads to a row of chairs at the back of the audience area. Aunt Beth and Mavis removed their rain bonnets, shaking them out before folding them and stowing them in coat pockets then settling on chairs.

  “I didn’t realize there was going to be a formal presentation,” Mavis said in a quiet voice.

  “Me, either,” Connie said. “Sarah’s mother said they were planning a welcome program, but she didn’t mention anything like this.”

  Harriet nodded toward the front rows of chairs. Silver ribbons with bows on each end were draped across the first two.

  “I guess the VIPs will be sitting there.”

  Lauren looked where Harriet indicated then back at their own location.

  “I guess we know where we rank.”

  “I think we already knew,” Harriet said with a chuckle.

  The center was an X-shaped building with a large square in the middle. The legs of the X were the resident rooms, with the reception area, offices and dining rooms located in the center square. The leg to the right and rear of the reception area was the one that had been remodeled to create the memory care unit.

  When all but the two front rows were filled, a single file of people came from the direction of the new wing and were guided by the usher to the two empty rows.

  “That group is definitely overdressed for Foggy Point,” Lauren whispered to Harriet, covering her mouth with her hand.

  A blond man stood and went to the podium, introducing himself as Howard Pratt. He proceeded to introduce the luminaries who were financial contributors to the new wing. The reality TV star had a mother who would be moving into the facility, but the presence of the aged leading man was never explained.

  Lauren leaned across Harriet to talk to Connie.

  “Are all these people going to speak?”

  “I don’t know,” Connie answered. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

  The speeches began, and after the mayor and the Foggy Point PUD rep had spoken, Harriet turned to Lauren.

  “I’m going to go to the restroom in the left-hand hallway. Give me a five-minute lead and then follow.”

  “Okay,” Lauren agreed without looking at her.

  Six minutes later, Harriet and Lauren had escaped and were on their way to Sarah’s room.

  Interior halls connected the outer ends of the legs of the X-shaped building, and Harriet led Lauren from the independent living hall restroom where they’d met to the skilled nursing area at the end of the adjoining corridor.

  “Wow, I didn’t know this hallway existed,” Lauren said. “I’ve always come in through the reception area.”

  “I think they keep the doors closed most of the time, but I saw a nurse go this way when I was leaving Sarah’s room one time, so I followed her.”

  “Did she say anything?”

  “No, I acted like I belonged, and she didn’t challenge it.” Harriet crossed the larger hallway to Sarah’s room and stopped so abruptly Lauren bumped into her back.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “She’s not here.” Harriet stepped into what had been Sarah’s room. “Looks like she’s moved out.”

  She opened the closet; it was empty. The bed had been made with fresh sheets and looked ready for a new patient.

  Lauren went into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet.

  “No toiletries or anything in here.”

  “Maybe she moved to the independent living area.”

  Lauren came back.

  “Wouldn’t we have walked past her room? That was the hall we started in.”

  “Let’s check the rest of the rooms in this section to make sure they didn’t just move her.”

  “I didn’t think she was ready to be on her own. Her arm is still a mess with that contraption sticking out of it. That can’t possibly feel good.”

  Harriet led the way back into the hall and began peering into rooms.

  “I thought Sarah might tell one of us if she was going into the shelter.”

  “Really? This is Sarah we’re talking about.”

  “You’re right. I hope she’s at the shelter. They aren’t going to tell us if that’s the case. If she doesn’t call, we aren’t going to know, unless we can come up with an excuse to visit.”

  The two women reached the end of the hallway with no sign of Sarah. Harriet opened the door to the connecting hall.

  “Shall we go see if the speeches are done? I still want to talk to the rest of her family.”

  “Which one of them do you think is most likely to tell us where she went?” Lauren asked.

  “Let’s start with the boyfriend and go from there.”

  Harriet turned and headed down the hallway back to the reception area.

  “How’s Sarah?” Aunt Beth asked when they’d rejoined their group. “I assume that’s where you two sneaked off to.”

  “She’s checked out,” Harriet replied. “Or at least, she’s vacated the room she’s been in.”

  “Did any of the caregivers know anything?” Robin asked.

  “Everyone must be working on this shindig,” Lauren said and gestured to the podium, where many of the guests were now surrounding the VIPs. “We didn’t see anyone in the hallways.”

  “They told us they’re starting tours of the facility in ten minutes,” Mavis reported. “They have snacks set up in the main cafeteria and suggested we go there before they start.”

  “I think the family members are leading the tours,” Carla told them. “Maybe we should divide up so we get different guides.”

  “Good idea,” Harriet said.

  Carla looked down at her feet, letting her hair fall over her face.

  “We better get moving,” Mavis said and led them out of the seating area toward the dining room.

  “Wow, they spared no expense on the snacks,” Harriet said, pointing at a tray of chocolate truffles. “Those are a specialty of Chef James at the Cafe on Smugglers Cove. He handcrafts them himself.”

  Mavis leaned in for a closer look.

  “Those are handmade?”

  “I’m not sure it still counts as handmade when you’re a trained chef and own a restaurant,” Lauren said.

  Harriet picked one up.

  “Whatever you call them, I’m having one.” She took a bite and closed her eyes. “He hasn’t lost his touch.”

  The rest of the Threads each took one.

  DeAnn tilted her face up and sniffed loudly.

  “Smells like someone’s been baking bread all day.” />
  “That’s an old realtor’s trick,” Mavis said. “People will overlook some of the flaws in a kitchen if it smells of fresh-baked bread or chocolate chip cookies.”

  Lauren smiled. “I don’t think it’s the smell of kitchen flaws they’re covering up.”

  “Be nice,” Harriet scolded.

  “Don’t tell me you couldn’t smell the place when we weren’t in the cafeteria or lobby,” Lauren said.

  “Only in the nursing wing and memory care area,” Harriet said.

  Two tables away, Aiden sat across from the blond receptionist, their heads nearly touching as they spoke in low tones. Harriet stared as they laughed, the blonde reaching across and playfully punching Aiden on the arm.

  Aunt Beth wiped her hands on a cocktail napkin.

  “That was amazing,” she said in a louder than normal voice.

  “We better start going on tours.” Robin put her arm on Harriet’s shoulder and gently turned her away from Aiden and toward the new wing.

  A group was gathering around Howard Pratt at the entrance to the memory unit.

  “Mavis and I have this one,” Beth said and headed toward the group. A moment later, they disappeared down the hall, the receptionist stepped into the same space, and a second group assembled. Aiden got up with her and joined the group. The blonde led them toward the independent living hallway.

  “DeAnn and I will take blondie,” Robin told Harriet. “See if you and Lauren can get the boyfriend. Connie and Carla, see if you can find Sarah’s mother and ask her where Sarah went. She must be here somewhere.”

  “Rod, would you mind doing some snooping?” Harriet asked Connie’s husband.

  “That’s why I’m here. What did you have in mind?”

  “There have to be some nurses’ aides or caregivers in the other wings. With the family busy giving tours, it’s the perfect chance to grill them.”

  “Say no more.” He picked up a plate and put a selection of chocolates on it then filled another plate with small cookies. He covered both plates, picked them up and headed for the assisted-living wing.

  A dark-haired man in an expensive-looking suit appeared at the intersection of the assisted-living unit and the main dining hall.

  “Come on,” Harriet said to Lauren. “Our guide is in position.”

  Seth introduced himself as Howard’s son and the company pharmacist. He had the rich sort of voice opera singers and television news anchors possessed. Harriet wondered if it was natural or something he’d cultivated with years of practice.

  When the group got to the memory unit, he explained how the entrance hallway was crisscrossed with motion sensors and monitored with security cameras. In addition, residents would be given a difficult-to-remove bracelet with a microchip embedded in it that would set off an alarm if the resident tried to escape the area without checking out. It also had GPS capabilities. It was all very state-of-the-art.

  Lauren leaned toward Harriet.

  “Somebody donated a pile of money. I installed the software on that baby—it has some customizable parts. It’s an expensive system.”

  Harriet had tuned out what Seth Pratt was saying as she studied him. He was aware of his audience. His jokes were well-timed, but his smile never quite reached his eyes. It was clear to her he saw tour guiding as beneath him.

  She looked surveyed the group around her. They seemed to be mesmerized. He probably got that a lot.

  When the group broke up to look into one of the four empty rooms that had been staged for the tours, Harriet used the opportunity to speak to Seth.

  “Do you know where Sarah is?” she asked without preamble.

  “Who?”

  “Sarah. You know, your fiancé.”

  “This is not the time nor the place for this discussion.”

  Lauren joined them, blocking Seth’s path back to the group.

  “We’re friends of Sarah’s, and we want to know where she is.”

  “She’s in her room. Not that it’s any of your business.” He started to turn away, but Harriet stopped him with what she said next.

  “No, she’s not. Her room is empty and has been cleaned out.”

  Seth stared at her. She could tell this was news to him.

  “Who did you say you are?”

  “We’re friends of Sarah’s, but I think you already know that. She used to quilt with us before you stopped her from coming to our group.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. As for Sarah—not that it’s any of your business—I’m sure she just changed rooms. She probably got tired of having so many visitors.”

  So, he did know who they were.

  “You must have a record on your intranet,” Lauren said.

  “As I said, this is not the time or place for this.” Seth turned his back on them and continued his practiced speech about the activity room that included dolls and stuffed animals and a variety of sensory activities designed to stimulate the brain.

  “That’s interesting,” Lauren murmured. “He has no clue where she is.”

  “Let’s hope the rest of the group has had better luck,” Harriet replied.

  Aunt Beth and Mavis were sitting opposite Robin and DeAnn at a six-person table in the cafeteria when Lauren and Harriet returned from their tour.

  “Any sign of Carla and Connie?” Harriet asked as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

  “Or Rod?” Lauren added.

  Mavis looked toward the front of the room.

  “Here come Connie and Carla.”

  Lauren collected two chairs from a vacant table and fit them between hers and Harriet’s.

  “Have a seat and tell us what you learned.”

  “Sarah’s mother didn’t seem to know she’s not here anymore,” Connie reported. “And I don’t think she’s lying. She’s very mousy. And she seemed very nervous. She kept looking past us while we talked, and she jumped when a door slammed. Something or someone has her spooked.”

  “She blamed Sarah for her own injuries, too,” Carla added.

  “That’s terrible,” Harriet said. “Her boyfriend claimed not to know she’d left, but he seems slick. I couldn’t get a good feel for his truthfulness.”

  “Me, either,” Lauren agreed. “My money’s on him being a liar, but he did seem surprised when we said she was gone.”

  Robin took a sip from her paper cup of coffee.

  “The sister was seriously perky. She was lobbying Aiden for an internship at the vet clinic, so she gave us the bare minimum information.”

  “Her tour consisted of a brief introduction and then ‘look at stuff when we go by and ask if you have any questions,’” DeAnn said. “She was a walking blonde joke.”

  “We didn’t get an opportunity to ask her about Sarah. She was so completely ignoring our group it would have drawn too much attention if we’d tried,” Robin added.

  “Beth and I had the same thing happen,” Mavis said. “Daddy Pratt was so busy sucking up to his investors we were invisible.”

  Carla got up and went to the buffet table. She came back carrying a tray laden with cups of coffee and tea and a plate of cookies. Rod arrived as she was unloading her treats.

  “The mystery deepens,” he said and took a cup of coffee. “The aides are suspicious of the drugs that are being dispensed at this place. Given the pay here, many of them work off-shift jobs at other care places in neighboring areas. They say the labels on the drug-dispensing bottles are sometimes written in foreign languages and other times missing altogether. And the drugs don’t look the same.

  “They did allow that sometimes that’s the case with generic drugs, and when they asked Seth that’s what he told them.

  “I didn’t see any sign of Sarah and none of the aides I talked to had any knowledge of whether she was here or gone or had just changed rooms.”

  “That could be why Sarah doesn’t appear to be taking her pain meds. Good work,” Harriet said. “Anyone have anything else?”

  Aunt Beth pulled her
rain bonnet out and gave it a shake before putting it on.

  “All we can do is wait for Sarah to surface. Mavis and I will go home and work on our quilts for the shelter. The sooner we finish one, the sooner one of us will have an excuse to check to see if Sarah’s there.”

  “We can finish them by Sunday,” Mavis said. “I’d be surprised if we can arrange to deliver them before Monday or Tuesday, though.”

  Robin pulled her coat on and stood up as well.

  “Beth’s right. If we come on too strong, the family is likely to close ranks, and we won’t get any information from them about Sarah.”

  “I’ll run background checks on all the family members and dig around more on the Internet,” Lauren offered.

  Harriet sighed. “Thanks for the effort, everyone.” She picked up a small cookie and popped it into her mouth. Aunt Beth glared at her, but she ignored her aunt and led the way out to the parking lot. Harriet’s weight was a long-running point of contention between the two women. “I’ll be at my machine stitching. Call me if anything comes up.”

  The Threads returned to their cars and drove home. Harriet’s group was subdued, speaking only when it was time to say good-bye.

  Chapter 8

  Harriet changed into her running outfit when she returned from the open house.

  “You are not allowed to go running,” she explained to Scooter. “And don’t get any ideas about those little front packs people carry their therapy pets in. You are not getting one, and I am not wearing one, especially when I’m running.”

  Scooter gave a little yip and went to his fleece bed in the corner of the kitchen, where he circled three times, plopped down and shut his eyes.

  Harriet ran a zigzag pattern up and down the hill below her house. She mentally reviewed everything they’d heard and seen at the senior care home, but nothing new had revealed itself by the time she went back into her house through the studio door.

  She looked at the quilt loaded on her machine. Fred meowed from the kitchen.

  “Be right there.”

  She woke the next morning to the sound of the phone ringing. She grabbed the cordless receiver from her nightstand and cleared her throat before pushing the on-button. The display read eight am.