"I'll probably go by the church later and see if Jenny and DeAnn need any help arranging the flowers. The Dutch people are all in the business, so they called home last night and apparently have arranged for a lot of flowers to arrive this afternoon."
"I'll have my cell phone on if you need any help,” Harriet said and left.
July through September were among the warmest months in Foggy Point, but they also are the months when morning fog returns, and such was the case as Harriet drove down her driveway and headed for Foggy Point Fire Protection. Wisps of white mist clung to the Muckleshoot River and curled toward the roadway as she drove to the factory.
Lynn was in her customary place at the reception desk when Harriet came into the lobby.
"Is the big man in?” Harriet asked.
"Yeah. Want me to see if he's receiving this morning?"
"Please."
But before Lynn could carry out her offer, Carlton emerged from his office.
"Hi, Harriet,” he said “What can I do you for?"
"Gerald's funeral is going to be tomorrow at the Methodist Church. We're trying to get the word out, so I thought I'd come by and see if there are any people here that knew him and might want to be notified.” She mentally patted herself on the back for her brilliant ruse.
"I can post a notice in the lunchroom,” Carlton offered.
"I was hoping to be a little more pro-active than that. You know-I thought I could personally invite them."
"I'm sure they appreciate your concern, but that's what we have Human Resources for. They handle this type of thing. Lynn, have HR call Pastor Hafer at the Methodist Church and get the details. Thanks again for stopping by, Harriet.” He put his arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the entrance.
Harriet planted her feet before he could get her out the door.
"A couple of us went up to Miller Hill Park the other night to get mineral water,” she said. “We realized we were looking down on your factory."
Carlton didn't say anything.
"I didn't think you ran a night shift,” she said finally.
"We don't."
"Someone was working. The lights were on, and a big door was open on the side toward the end of the building."
"We rent that section to an outside company for warehouse space. Maybe they were shuffling their goods around. That wouldn't be a shock, if you think about it. Now, I've got to get back to work. It was nice seeing you, and thanks for the information about Gerald's funeral. We'll be sure and let anyone who plans on attending have the time off."
He turned his head at the sound of a door opening somewhere down the hall. Bebe appeared dressed in a bright-pink flower print mini-dress.
"Gosh, Harriet, are you here again? Seems like every time I turn around you're here bothering Carlton."
Harriet could feel her shoulders tensing, and it hurt. “I was telling Carlton about the funeral arrangements for Gerald. I thought since Gerald had worked with Carlton 's dad for so long, he'd want to know."
"So what did that have to do with what's going on in our warehouse? That's what you were talking about when I came in, wasn't it?"
"Darling, it's okay. Harriet was at Miller Hill Park the other night and noticed the lights, that's all."
Bebe gave Harriet a mother-lioness-protecting-her-cub look then pivoted on her pink spike heel and went back down the hall.
"Don't mind Bebe,” Carlton said. “She's helping me manage my stress."
Harriet had no choice but to leave. She wasn't sure what else she could ask if he wouldn't acknowledge the basic fact that people were doing work at night. She got in her car and drove back to downtown Foggy Point.
Marjory was at the cutting table when Harriet walked into Pins and Needles.
"Did you come for a look at the new Christmas fabric I just got in?” she asked. “Connie beat you to it if you were hoping to be the first."
"I haven't given Christmas a thought yet. It's still summer."
"Exactly. Summer is when you should be thinking about those Christmas projects, especially if you plan on making bed quilts."
"I suppose it couldn't hurt to look."
"That's my girl,” Marjory said with a smile. “Can I get you a cup of tea?"
Harriet smiled back and nodded then continued on into the small classroom, where Marjory had set up a temporary display of all the new fabric. She'd arranged the bolts of material around the room, draping lengths from some across chair backs while others were stacked on tables against the wall. All of them were placed for easy access and viewing. Once they went onto the shelves with all the other bolts of fabric, only their edge would show, like books on a shelf.
An hour passed before Harriet even thought to ask where Carla was.
"She asked if she could rearrange her schedule today. She said she was worried about her friend Terry and was going to look for him.” She checked her wristwatch. “She should be here in just a bit."
"Did she say where she was going to look?"
"She was going to check his hotel room and then drive up to Miller Hill Park and see if he was there."
"Why can't she just stay home and wait for him to resurface?” Harriet asked.
"Maybe she's been watching her mentor a little too close. Or maybe she wants you to know how your aunt feels."
"In any case,” Harriet said, not ready to admit Marjory may be onto something, “I think I'll go by Aiden's on my way home and see if she's back."
She tried to pick up four bolts of Christmas fabric with her one arm but could only manage two.
"Here, let me help you,” Marjory said. “How much do you want?"
"I think I'll have two yards of each.” She didn't have a plan for the fabric, but with two yards of each she should be able to do something. “And maybe I better have a yard of the cream-colored print that goes with them.” Harriet was trying to adhere to an article she'd read that pointed out most quilters didn't have enough light-colored fabrics in their stash and should therefore make it a point to pick up a neutral light color with every purchase, whether they needed it at the time or not.
Marjory unrolled several rotations'-worth of fabric off the first bolt and smoothed it out on her cutting table, measuring and moving it until she had two yards of the maroon-and-gray tree print to her right. She made a small cut on the fold of the fabric to mark the two-yard point then slid that point to the middle of her cutting mat and used her plexiglas ruler and rotary tool to cut the fabric in a straight line.
"You were here twenty years ago when Mavis's husband disappeared, weren't you?” Harriet asked.
"I've lived in Foggy Point my whole life, so yes, I was here when Gerald Willis died-the first time. I didn't own the store, of course, but I was around."
"Can you think of anyone who worked with Gerald back then and is still around now?"
Marjory thought for a moment. “You know, I can't. Remember, Foggy Point Fire Protection wasn't called that, and it was much smaller. Let me think again.” She tapped her forefinger against her upper lip. “You know, my brother worked there around then. What I remember is that there was a big layoff. I remember it because the unemployment in Washington State had been improving for a number of years and was at one of its lower points, so it was weird that Carlton 's dad laid off almost the whole work force.
"My brother found another job within a week. I think most of the other people did, too. FPFP actually had trouble a few months later when they started making the fireman's turnouts. They had a big job fair in the middle of town. I even worked for them for a few years. They offered signing bonuses and everything, but my brother didn't trust Carlton 's dad and refused to come back."