“Thanks, Mags,” I said.
I put the phone on the table. Then I picked up Owen and kissed the top of his head. “From Maggie,” I said. I knew he understood what I’d said because he started purring again.
• • •
I got to Riverarts at about five minutes to ten on Monday morning. I carried the coffee cake up to Maggie’s top-floor studio. She was standing in front of a large piece of particleboard propped on her easel. I tapped on the open door. “Good morning,” I said.
She turned around. “Hi, Kathleen,” she said. “Is it ten already?”
I nodded. “Uh-huh.”
She rolled her eyes. “That means I’ve been standing here staring at this for the last twenty minutes and I’m still no closer to figuring out what color I want to use on the background.”
“What are you working on?” I asked.
The piece of wood was at least two feet wide by three feet high.
“It’s a collage for Riverwatch, all things I found washed up on shore. They’re starting a public information campaign to make people aware of what’s ending up in the water.” She moved over to her sink and reached for the kettle. “And you wouldn’t believe what ends up in the water.”
“I hope it helps,” I said.
“Me too,” she said. “Sometimes it’s easier if people see what goes into the river instead of just hearing about it.”
She filled the kettle and plugged it in. I set my cake keeper on the counter. I knew Maggie had plates and forks, but I’d brought napkins.
She picked one up. “I like these,” she said with a grin. The design was cartoon cats on a dark blue background. “That one looks like Owen,” she said, pointing to a cat in the upper left corner. “Where did you get these?”
“My mother found them somewhere,” I said. “She thought that cat looked like Owen and the one just to the right of the middle could be Hercules.”
Maggie squinted at the paper square. “She’s right,” she said. “I forgot to tell you, she e-mailed me on Friday.”
I took off my heavy sweater and draped it over one of the stools at the work island in the middle of the room.
“My mother e-mailed you?”
Maggie nodded. “You know that she’s taking one of her classes to New York for a theater weekend.”
I nodded.
“She said she’s going to join the crowd outside the Today show and see if she can get Matt Lauer’s autograph for me.” Maggie’s blue eyes were sparkling.
“If anyone can do it, my mother can,” I said.
Ruby poked her head around the doorway then. “Are we having cake?” she asked. Her hair was mint green with a black streak at the front.
“Rhubarb streusel coffee cake,” I said, grinning at her.
“Is Rena around?” Maggie asked.
“She’s downstairs,” Ruby said. “I saw her about fifteen minutes ago. You want me to ask her to join us?”
Maggie nodded. “I’ve been wanting to ask her about maybe doing a workshop when we get the new space finished at the shop.”
“Be right back,” Ruby said.
Maggie gave me a look and then went to get plates and forks from her storage cabinet. “Tea or hot chocolate?” she asked.
“Hot chocolate, please,” I said. Despite Maggie’s efforts, I wasn’t a big fan of herbal tea, but I liked cocoa almost as much as coffee.
Rena Adler paused in the doorway of the studio when Ruby returned with her. “Are you sure I’m not intruding on anything?” she asked. She was wearing gray yoga pants with her hair pulled back in a low ponytail.
“You’re not intruding on anything,” Maggie said. “Kathleen brought coffee cake.”
I turned from where I was slicing the cake and smiled. “Hi, Rena,” I said.
“Hi, Kathleen,” she said.
“Tea or cocoa?” Maggie asked.
“Cocoa, if it’s not too much trouble,” Rena said.
Ruby was already perched on a stool at the center workspace. “Hey, Kathleen, when is the library going to reopen?” she asked.
“It looks like the end of the week,” I said, handing her a piece of cake.
Rena took the seat beside her and I gave her the other plate I was holding.
“Does Marcus have any leads?” Maggie asked as she brought mugs to the table. She gave Rena a sideways glance. “Kathleen’s boyfriend is a detective.”
I turned to pick up the other two plates. “Nothing he’s telling me about,” I said.
“What happens to the rest of the artwork?” Rena asked. She ate a forkful of cake and then smiled. “Oh, Kathleen, this is good!”
“Thank you,” I said. I reached for the container of marshmallows Maggie had set in the middle of the table and dropped two into my cup. “The artwork is all going back to the museum. The rest of the stops for the exhibit have been called off.”
“That bites,” Ruby said around a mouthful of cake.
“It does,” I agreed. “And I’m sorry you all lost your chance to have your work be part of the exhibit here at the library.”
Maggie smiled over the top of her tea. “It just wasn’t meant to be. Something else will come along.”
“Hey, Kathleen, any chance we could put together an exhibit of local art at the library, maybe this summer?” Ruby asked. “I know it wouldn’t pull in as many people as the museum artwork would have, but there are a lot of tourists in town then.”
“I’ll have to run it by the board, but I like the idea,” I said. “Would you be willing to put together something in writing that I can take to them?”
Ruby shrugged. “Sure.” She looked at Maggie. “That okay?”
“Yes,” Maggie said. “And maybe we could coordinate some workshops at the store. Oren should have everything finished by summer.” She turned to Rena and smiled. “Would you think about coming and doing a workshop in egg tempera?”
Rena nodded. “If I’m in town, absolutely.”
“How did you start working in egg tempera, anyway?” Ruby asked, shifting sideways on her stool to look at Rena.
“I liked the effect,” Rena said, brushing a loose tendril of hair back off her cheek. “I started playing around, but believe it or not, it was actually a weekend workshop that got me hooked.”
“How did you end up in Red Wing?” I asked.
She smiled across the table. “Would you believe I saw a short video about Red Wing online and fell in love with the town?”
Maggie’s mouth was full but she began to nod.
“The man with the springer spaniel?” I said.
Rena nodded.
“That’s Morgan,” Maggie said. “The dog, I mean. Tim, his owner, is a documentary filmmaker. He grew up in Red Wing.”
“Where did you live before Red Wing?” Ruby asked as she speared another piece of cake. I wanted to hug her. She was asking most of the questions I’d been going to ask.
“Pretty much everywhere. My dad designs recycling plants. We’d spend a year or two somewhere and then move on. Living in Red Wing may be the longest I’ve ever stayed in one place.” She looked at the three of us. “What about you? Did you all grow up here?”
“Ruby and I did,” Maggie said. She slid off her stool and headed for the kettle. “Kathleen came here from Boston to supervise renovations at the library.”
“And you fell in love with Mayville Heights,” Rena said.
Ruby looked up from her plate. “More like with a certain police detective.”
I felt my cheeks getting red. “That’s not the only reason I decided to stay,” I said. “I really do like living here. And there’s Owen and Hercules.”
Rena looked confused. “Owen and Hercules?”
“My cats,” I said. “They kind of think they’re people. I don’t think they’d do well in the city.” I looked over at Maggie, who had just put more water in the kettle and plugged it in again. “They’re a bit spoiled.”
“Owen and Hercules are not like other cats,” Maggie said. “They’re very intelligent.”
That was an understatement, I thought.