The Fog Ladies: Family Matters by Susan McCormick

Author:Susan McCormick [McCormick, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery; cozy; amateur sleuth; female protagonist; murder; cozy mystery; mystery with dog
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2020-07-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 36

By mid-December, Frances Noonan had the Fog Ladies set up for their first visit to the prison. They would teach the incarcerates a skill. That’s how they put it to the warden. It had been far easier than she anticipated to get authorization for their project, partly because the prison was chronically short of funds and always open to educational activities and partly because the warden’s mother had been a quilter.

The prison was three hours away. Enid Carmichael complained the entire way, though she sat up front next to Mrs. Noonan where there was more room. Alma Gordon, Olivia Honeycut, and Harriet Flynn were smooshed into the small back seat, quiet, uncomplaining. The big woman complained about the dust that came in through the window when she put it down and the heat from the sun when she had it closed. She complained about the endless brown view and the smell of the cows. She even complained about the road, with few cars and therefore few people to spy on. “Give me the city any day,” she said.

They made good time on the empty central California roads, and it took them less than three hours, including a stop at a barren rest area for the bathroom and a snack. Mrs. Noonan had an entire quiche packed into a plastic tub, minus one piece, because she’d expected Sarah to dinner the night before. They hadn’t talked about it. Mrs. Noonan just assumed. She enjoyed having Sarah to eat with. Had grown used to her at the kitchen table. But the girl had gone out to dinner with Andy. Of course.

Not just dinner. Ice-skating, too, down at the rink at Union Square. Mrs. Noonan had heard all about it from Sarah that morning. The big open area was set up for the season and Andy suggested they skate, even though he’d never done it. Sarah said she held him up the whole time, and they fell so many times she thought they’d end up in the emergency department. Sarah showed Frances pictures of the gigantic Christmas tree, taller than the Macy’s building, lighted with so many lights you couldn’t see the tree underneath. One of the hotels had a gingerbread house display, and Sarah and Andy enjoyed that as well. Sarah regaled her with endless details of the date, so Frances felt she’d been a witness.

Frances was glad Andy was back. The two were obviously smitten. But Frances also missed Sarah’s company.

The Fog Ladies arrived at the prison, which sat in a vast sea of brown—brown dirt, brown grass. Mrs. Noonan had arranged for three sessions with the inmates, and the Fog Ladies brought all the supplies with them as a donation to the prison. They would break into groups so they could teach as many women as possible. The warden suggested ten inmates to a group, each group getting two hours of instruction and two groups each visit. Sixty inmates total.

The Fog Ladies brought a lot of supplies, though they left the quilting frames home on this first visit and just brought embroidery hoops.

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