On the Hook Read online

  Detective Heather did her best to get me charged with interfering with the investigation, but as soon as the prosecutor heard about crocheted scarves and rings with secret compartments that might have been moved around, he dismissed the whole thing and said all that really mattered was that the killer had been found, apparently with my help.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Such a shame about Lara-Ann,” Mrs. Shedd said when she stopped by the happy-hour gathering the next evening. “It was so nice to have an extra pair of hands.” She looked at me. “Mr. Royal and I will pick up the slack until we hire someone new.”

  CeeCee tried to get the conversation onto the baby blanket event and what we ought to work on next, but the conversation kept returning to Lara-Ann. I finally told them about my involvement, starting with my scarf. Since Elise and Logan had told each other their secrets, she felt free to talk about showing the house, though we both left out anything about Adele.

  We were interrupted by Adele’s arrival. The night before I’d called her as soon as Barry had let me go. She seemed shocked about Lara-Ann but mostly relieved that Elise and I had managed to keep her name out of it. Adele was all aflutter and seemed to have no concept that she was interrupting anything.

  “Someone from the Craftee Channel called me,” she said, giving me a secret look. “It turns out a talent coordinator saw me on the news and wants me to be a guest on their Everything About Yarn program. And who knows where it will go from there. I can’t wait to tell Cutchykins and Mother Humphries.”

  I had to hand it to Adele. One way or another, she’d gotten her shot at the brass ring.

  I saw Elise brighten. She’d told me that she and Logan had straightened everything out. They’d made some kind of deal, forgiving each other’s secrets, and agreed to work as a team. “We’re making a plan to sell that house, together.”

  Dinah was watching it all. After I’d called Adele, I’d gone directly to Dinah’s lady cave. She’d given me tea and cookies and we had talked until our voices were hoarse.

  When the group wrapped up, I pulled Adele aside and asked about her workshop people.

  “I called them all and told them what happened,” she said. Then she let out a sigh. “They’re begging me to stick with them. I suppose I could continue on as a sort of assistant. I was thinking it over, and I think Alexandra just made up all the mean things she claimed Timothy said. Hey, I got the guest spot. Which obviously means what he said to me about me is right. I am a born personality.”

  I was stunned by how she had managed to twist things around until they worked for her.

  “You could thank me and Elise for not letting on that you were her unidentified client,” I said.

  “Thank you, of course. I appreciate your sense in not wanting to stand in the way of my future. I’ll be sure to thank both of you when I get my first award.”

  * * *

  The phone was ringing when I got home from the bookstore.

  “I think we need to celebrate,” Mason said. We’d talked numerous times since my big moment with Lara-Ann and the cops. “You did agree to a second date,” he teased.

  “So I did,” I said with smile.

  He was still at work, so we agreed on the following night.

  “We can go to the She La Las’ show. They’re debuting their new number,” I said, and he agreed. “Don’t work too hard,” I said. “As for me, I have a date with a bubble bath, followed by a romantic comedy.”

  There was a momentary pause, as if he was considering what to say. When we’d been together before, he’d always ended our calls a certain way. “Love you,” he said just before he hung up.

  My house was quiet for a change. There were no cartons of takeout or Mystery Cakes on the counter since the ladies were resting their voices for the show.

  There was a note from Samuel that the animals had all been fed and given outdoor time and that he’d taken in a floral delivery for me. A vase with a bouquet of roses sat next to it, a card addressed to me tucked among the blooms. I turned it over and read it.

  It was from Leo and said, “Thank you for the lessons. I’m ready to put them into practice. You said that I should go after who I wanted. And that’s you. I will call you to make a date.”

  What had I done? I let my shoulders release as I walked across the house. I was thinking ahead to a hot bath and kicking off my shoes and stripping off my clothes as I went toward the bathroom.

  I was down to a camisole and undies when I shut the bathroom door behind me, thinking of what kind of bubble bath to add. The thud didn’t register at first until I looked back at the door and saw that the handle had fallen off. Not again. I picked it up and tried to screw it back on with no success. I looked through the hole in the door and saw why—the other half of the handle with the rod was lying on the floor. There was nothing for this half to fit onto. It took a moment for me to figure out that when I’d fixed it before, I’d had access to both sides of the door.

  I tried sticking the end of a hair brush through the opening, but the door wouldn’t budge. I tried other assorted tools, but nothing would push the metal mechanism back. I was locked in the bathroom.

  Don’t panic, I told myself. There has to be a way out. There was the window over the tub that looked out on the enclosed patio. It was really three windows—a big one that didn’t open and two slim side ones that did. With great difficulty, I squeezed through one of the side ones and slid to the ground. The floodlights illuminated the small enclosure. What idiot had designed it? There was no gate to the outside, just the locked door that led to my bedroom. My only option was to go over the wall and hope the spare key was still in the garage. With bare feet, I gingerly climbed up the tiers of the fountain, finally grabbing onto the top of the wall and hoisting myself up. I sat on the top and looked down at the darkness below on the other side, considering the drop and how much it was going to hurt. I finally took a deep breath and turned around, prepared to face whatever. Just as I was about to let go, I heard a voice.

  “Wait. Hold on and I’ll catch you.”

  “Barry!” I said, surprised and relieved.

  “I’m not even going to ask how you got there. It looks like I came to take care of Cosmo at just the right time.” He positioned himself below me and told me to let go. I slid right into his arms.

  “You brought me the scarf,” I said, seeing it sticking out of his pocket. “And I hope the front door key.”

  He showed me the key in his hand. Since I was barefoot, he wanted to carry me, but I refused, though I did accept his jacket as he wrapped it around me and we headed to the front door.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  He turned toward me, and his face was illuminated by the overhead light on the front porch. There was no cop face this time. Just Barry with a soft smile.

  “You know I’ll always be here to catch you when you fall.”

  CeeCee’s Baby Blanket

  The blanket starts out with three stitches and then increases on both ends, which forms a triangle. When the triangle reaches approximately 37 inches across, the decreasing on both ends begins and it will turn into a square. It makes a sturdy, stretchy blanket that washes and dries well.

  Easy to make

  Supplies:

  2 cones Peaches & Creme yarn, 100% cotton, approx. 706 yds/645 m, 14 oz/400 g

  Size K-10½ 6.50 mm hook

  Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

  Gauge: not important

  Dimensions: approx. 27 × 27 inches

  Stitches used: chain (ch), single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc), slip stitch (sl st), yarn over (YO)

  Directions:

  Ch 4

  Row 1: Sc in second ch from hook and in next 2 chs—3 sc made.

  Increase rows:

  Row 2: Ch 1, turn; 2 sc in first sc, sc in next sc, 2 sc in last sc—5 sc made.

  Row 3: Ch 1, turn; working in back loop only, 2 sc in first sc, sc in each sc across to last sc, 2 sc in last sc.

 
Row 4: Ch 1, turn; working in both loops, 2 sc in first sc, sc in each sc across to last sc, 2 sc in last sc.

  Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until the piece measure approx. 37 inches across.

  Decrease rows:

  Row l: Ch 1, turn; working in back loop only, pull up loop on first 2 sc, YO and draw through all 3 loops on hook, sc in each sc across to last 2 sts, pull up a loop in last 2 sts, YO and draw through all 3 loops on hook.

  Row 2: Ch 1, turn; working in both loops, pull up loop on first 2 sc, YO and draw through all 3 loops on hook, sc in each sc across to last 2 sts, pull up a loop in last 2 sts, YO and draw through all 3 loops on hook.

  Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until 3 sts left; ch 1, turn, pull up a loop in first 3 sts, YO and draw through all 4 loops on hook.

  Edging:

  Row 1: Ch 1, sc loosely around the blanket making 3 sc in each corner, join with sl st to first sc.

  Row 2: Ch 2 (counts as first dc), dc around blanket making 3 dc in each corner, join with sl st to first dc.

  Row 3: Ch 1, sc around blanket making 3 sc in each corner, join with sl st to first sc, fasten off and weave in ends.

  Stretch to shape.

  Molly’s Incriminating Scarf

  The scarf is worked the long way. The glow-in-the-dark yarn Molly used has been discontinued, and a substitute yarn has been given. Unfortunately, it doesn’t glow in the dark. But it also won’t implicate you in a murder.

  Easy to make

  Supplies:

  For Scarf: 1 skein Red Heart Super Saver yarn, Carrot, 364 yds/333 m, 7 oz/198 g, 100% acrylic

  Size J-10/6.00 mm crochet hook

  Dimensions without fringe: approx. 68 × 3¾ inches

  For Flowers: 1 skein Red Heart Super Saver yarn, Lemon, 364 yds/333 m, 70 oz/198 g, 100% acrylic

  Size D-3/3.25 mm crochet hook

  Dimensions: 2¾ inches across

  Stitch marker (optional)

  Tapestry needle to weave in ends

  Gauge: not important

  Stitches used: chain (ch), single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc), treble crochet (tr), slip stitch (sl st)

  Scarf:

  Ch 201

  Row 1: Sc in second chain from hook and across.

  Row 2: Ch 2 (counts as first dc), turn, dc across.

  Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc across.

  Row 4: Repeat Row 2.

  Row 5: Repeat Row 3.

  Row 6: Repeat Row 2.

  Row 7: Repeat Row 3.

  Row 8: Repeat Row 2.

  Row 9: Repeat Row 3, fasten off and weave in ends.

  Add fringe to both ends.

  Flowers (make 4):

  Ch 10 and join with sl st.

  Round 1: Ch 1, make 15 sc in the ring (recommended to mark first sc with stitch marker so easier to see), sl st to first sc.

  Round 2: Ch 1, sc in first sc in previous row (the one with stitch marker) * ch 3, skip next 2 sc, sc in the next sc * repeat from * to * 3 times, ch 3 and sl st in first sc.

  Round 3: *Sl st to move yarn into ch 3 space, sc, dc, dc, tr, dc, dc, sc * repeat from * to * 4 times, sl st to first sc, fasten off, leaving a tail of yarn to use to tack the flower onto the scarf.

  Tack the flowers to the scarf.

  Liza’s Mystery Cake

  1½ cup olive oil

  2 cups shredded carrots

  4 eggs

  ¾ cup organic sugar

  ¾ cup organic brown sugar

  2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

  1 cup cake flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  1½ teaspoons salt

  2 teaspoons cinnamon

  1 cup chopped walnuts

  Beat together the olive oil, carrots, eggs and sugars. Sift together the flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add to the olive oil mixture, mixing just until blended. Stir in the walnuts.

  Pour into a greased tube pan and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50 min. Cool in pan before removing.

  Also available by Betty Hechtman

  Crochet Mysteries

  Hooking for Trouble

  Seams Like Murder

  Knot Guilty

  For Better or Worsted

  If Hooks Could Kill

  Behind the Seams

  You Better Knot Die

  A Stitch in Crime

  By Hook or By Crook

  Dead Men Don’t Crochet

  Hooked on Murder

  Yarn Retreat Mysteries

  A Tangled Yarn

  Gone With the Wool

  Wound Up in Murder

  Silence of the Lamb’s Wool

  Yarn to Go

  Author Biography

  Betty Hechtman was born in Chicago, Illinois and on a particularly eventful weekend graduated college, got married and moved to Los Angeles, California. She has a degree in Fine Arts and has had a variety of professions. Her love of mysteries started with Nancy Drew and blossomed when she began to read Agatha Christie’s books. She has been doing handicrafts since she was a child. It is like a dream come true to be able to mix mystery and yarn craft in her books.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reaction to the recipes contained in this book.

  Copyright © 2018 by Betty Hechtman

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.

  Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.

  Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.

  ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-68331-565-0

  ISBN (ePub): 978-1-68331-566-7

  ISBN (ePDF): 978-1-68331-567-4

  Cover illustration by Jesse Reisch

  Book design by Jennifer Canzone

  Printed in the United States.

  www.crookedlanebooks.com

  Crooked Lane Books

  34 West 27th St., 10th Floor

  New York, NY 10001

  First edition: May 2018

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Crochet Pattern 1

  Crochet Pattern 2

  Recipe

  Also available by Betty Hechtman

  Author Biography

  Copyright