The Christmas Camel Caper by Jane Willan

Author:Jane Willan [Willan, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Guideposts
Published: 2024-09-25T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Harriet descended the narrow stairs and made her way along the hall, toward the hum of conversation. The church knitting group met in the youth room every Saturday at one o’clock. It sounded as if they were a lively bunch, which was good for Harriet’s mission. The members of this group, chatting and laughing as their needles clicked, knew everything there was to know about White Church Bay. According to Aunt Jinny, they were the town’s unofficial information network. Harriet figured if anyone had the scoop on Lloyd and what he was up to, it would be them. She planned to listen in and maybe ask a few casual questions, without making it obvious that she was digging for information.

She pushed the door open and stepped in, glancing around at the colorful posters and artwork that brightened the otherwise plain walls. A flat-screen TV hung on one wall, sharing space with a framed print of Jesus carrying a lamb on His shoulders. Dust motes floated in a beam of light coming through the single window.

Knitters were gathered in a circle on the upholstered couches, overstuffed chairs, purple beanbag, and lone rocking chair. The click of needles set the beat of the room as if pacing the conversation.

She noticed that each knitter had their own distinct style of dress. She knew several of them. Mildred sported a brown cardigan over a faded housedress. Sarah, a single mom of three, wore sleek black leggings paired with an oversize jumper. Tina, in her T-shirt and ripped jeans, wore one earbud but was in an animated conversation with Sarah. Sixty-something Frank was the solitary male, balding with a thick silver mustache.

In the middle of the room, a table held a tea tray with mismatched cups around a teapot. On another tray were slices of checkered pink-and-yellow Battenberg cake on paper plates.

“Good to see you, Harriet,” Mildred greeted her, her smile warm. “We could use some youthful energy around here.” Mildred went around the room and introduced everyone to Harriet.

Harriet smiled. “Lovely to be here. I hope you don’t mind me dropping in.”

A woman named Judith, her eyes magnified by large-rimmed glasses, nodded toward the empty chair beside her and managed to not miss a stitch. “Have you been knitting for a long time?”

“I’ve never knitted, actually,” Harriet confessed. “I always thought it required patience I didn’t possess.”

Frank, juggling three knitting needles for some reason—Harriet didn’t know people used more than two at a time—said, “Patience is hardly a prerequisite, but it’s often a result. Knitting is almost meditative and has been shown to improve mental health. And then you have a beautiful product at the end.”

“Well, I do like beautiful products.” She took the offered seat. “And a challenge.”

Judith rummaged around in her large knitting bag and retrieved a pair of needles and a skein of soft blue yarn. She handed them to Harriet with a smile.

Harriet accepted them, wondering how she’d gotten herself into this. First, the church choir. Now knitting. She didn’t have time for either.

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