Knitting Mystery 06 - Fleece Navidad by Maggie Sefton

Author:Maggie Sefton [Sefton, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Published: 2009-11-13T05:00:00+00:00

Twelve

Kelly glanced around the exterior surroundings of Claudia’s motel as she knocked on the door. Sheila was right. Seedy was a good description of the Happy Traveler Inn. Cars were parked in a cluster across the broken concrete from the rooms themselves. A scrubby excuse for a hedge ran the length of the walkway beside the motel. Obviously a previous owner had made an attempt to muffle the noise of the interstate highway nearby.

The door opened a fraction and Lizzie peeked through the opening. “Oh, Kelly, come in! Come in! Claudia will be so glad to see you,” she said, holding the door wide.

“I thought you ladies might like some hot cinnamon rolls for Sunday morning breakfast. I even brought coffee,” Kelly said as she entered the small room. She spotted Claudia sitting in a straight-backed chair beside the television set in the corner.

“Oh, that’s lovely. How thoughtful of you, Kelly. Isn’t it, Claudia?”

A pale Claudia answered in a soft voice from across the room. “Yes, thank you.”

No designer suit this morning. Today Claudia wore a dark blue tailored shirt over navy pants. Kelly had never seen her look so somber. Claudia barely resembled her former vivacious self. She sat slumped in a chair, unsmiling, and barely made eye contact. She also appeared to be wearing no makeup, which was unheard of for a woman like Claudia, who prided herself on her appearance.

Kelly deliberately sought Claudia’s gaze and gave her an encouraging smile. “I thought I’d give you ladies an update on the holiday bazaar. Lisa, Megan, and I took turns manning the booth Saturday, and we’re going back today. Mimi has her hands full supplying both the Lambspun booth and the fiber crafts booth. I swear, we must have sold over eighty sets of hats, gloves, and mittens yesterday.”

She handed one of the warm pastries to Claudia and placed a carryout cup of coffee on the table beside her. Claudia glanced up, and Kelly saw her struggle to produce a little smile.

“Thanks, Kelly. That’s . . . that’s sweet of you.”

Kelly pulled out a chair for Lizzie and settled herself on the edge of the bed. “You’ll both be pleased to know that your knitted hats and mittens were some of the first purchases. Superior quality, no doubt.”

Lizzie smiled obediently as she toyed with her coffee cup. Claudia had touched neither pastry nor coffee. Kelly took a deep drink of her own coffee, searching for the right words to say what she wanted to say. Finally, she simply blurted out her feelings.

“Claudia, I can’t tell you how sorry I am about your, uh, your legal situation. I wish there was something I could do to help, but . . .” Her voice trailed off.

Claudia looked up and stared directly into Kelly’s eyes. “You’ve already helped, Kelly. You found wonderful young Marty to represent me. He’s an excellent lawyer and smart as a whip, too. He’ll save me. I know he will.” Claudia nodded with fervor, her eyes alight.

Kelly felt her heart squeeze.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.