The Rescue Quilt Page 12

  “I think I’d like to do that,” she said finally, “but I don’t know anything about fabric.”

  “You know what you like – what designs and what colors appeal to you. We’ll just walk through the aisles until something reaches out and grabs you.”

  Sarah thought she heard a faint giggle on the other end of the line. “Okay,” Penny responded. “Are you going today?”

  “Yes, I think we can make it before the snowfall.”

  “When are you leaving?”

  “How about right now?”

  * * *

  The snow had come the previous night as predicted and the school board anticipated schools being closed for the rest of the week. There was eighteen inches of snow already, and it was still coming down. Charles had fired up the propane fireplace and Tim had followed the snow plow up the road in order to deliver Penny. “You just might get snowed in here,” he told her as he was leaving. Sarah had assured him that would be fine with them. “We’ll sew all night,” she had said playfully.

  “I love this fabric,” Penny was saying as she pressed out the creases before cutting the strips. “Are you sure I should cut it? I’m afraid I’ll ruin it.”

  “I’ll show you how and cut a few strips first, but remember, there’s plenty more where this came from,” she added casually. She wanted to show Penny that quilting could be fun and relaxing. She could tell the girl had a tendency to take things very seriously, and she was afraid she’d have trouble learning to enjoy quilting.

  They had found a simple star pattern in a beginning quilting book that they both liked and Penny had spotted a playful piece of fabric with stylized cats in bright shades of hot pink, purple, blue, and green. The cats were crowded close together and were outlined in gold with a curly tail and gold whiskers. Fearing that Penny would soon tire of such a bold pattern, Sarah suggested tone-on-tones to go with it to help soften the overall look. They decided to place the cats in the center of the star with the points made of the simpler fabrics. They chose an off-white background and planned to use strips of the cat fabric for the borders.

  “How long will it take to make this?” Penny asked.

  “I think we can finish it this week. It’s really an easy pattern. Once you get a few strips cut, I’ll start sewing.” Sarah had already cut the borders and the star centers. “Of course, it’ll still need to be quilted. I’ll take it to Judy as soon as we finish.”

  “Judy?”

  “Judy does the quilting for me. She has a long-arm quilting machine.” Penny looked confused. Sarah pulled out one of her quilts and went over the part of the quilt: the top, the batting, and the back. She explained how the three layers were patiently and methodically sewn together in the old days by hand but went on to tell her about Judy’s long-arm quilting machine. “I’ll take you to her house to see it if you’d like.”

  “That would be fun. I’d love to see it,” Penny responded enthusiastically. “Maybe we can go after school next week.” She’s beginning to make plans for the future, Sarah told herself. That’s a very good sign! But she knew they had a long way to go. Caitlyn had been right when she said Penny needed to talk about her feelings. She was keeping too much pain inside.

  Sarah promised herself she would be patient.

  Chapter 20

  “Sophie, calm down. What’s happened? Is it Penny?”

  “Yes, it’s Penny,” Sophie said breathlessly, “and I have no idea what to do. Can you come over and help me?”

  “Sophie, I’ll help you, but you’ve got to tell me what’s going on.” Reflecting on things she had learned from Caitlyn, Sarah feared the worst. I hope she hasn’t announced her unrealistic plan to go to Alaska.

  “It’s a boy.”

  “What’s a boy?” Sarah asked, now confused.

  “She brought a boy home from school with her.”

  “And?”

  “Don’t you get it? She has a boy here.” Sophie had been whispering, but her voice was beginning to rise.

  “What are they doing, Sophie?”

  “They’re doing homework in the kitchen, but…”

  “But what?”

  “But I don’t know if he should be here. Penny’s only fourteen, and…”

  “Sophie, I think this is fine. I’ll come over if you really need me, but I don’t think this is anything to worry about. I’m actually glad to hear she’s making friends. He’s her age, right.”

  “Yes,” Sophie said sighing.

  “Why don’t you go fix them a snack, and maybe you could find something to do in the kitchen so you can see that everything is fine.” At that moment, Sarah heard laughing in the background. “Was that the kids?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sophie, if this boy can make her laugh, I think we should all be thankful that she found him. That sad young girl needs a good laugh. In fact, with your outrageous sense of humor, I think you should work on making her laugh as well.”

  “I’m sort of tied in knots around her. I don’t know kids, you know?” There was a pause and Sophie said, “Someone’s at the door. Hold on a second.” Sarah heard Sophie opening the door and could hear her welcoming someone to the house. She returned to the phone a different person.

  “It’s Andy and Caitlyn. They’re on their way to the park and stopped by to pick up Emma and Penny. I’ll send the boy along with them. Andy can tell me what he thinks when they get back. Thanks anyway, Sarah. I think everything is going to be okay.” She hung up leaving Sarah holding the phone and shaking her head.

  “It’s going to take our Sophie some time to get used to having a teenager in the house,” she said to Charles who had just come in from the garage.

  Sarah sat down with a cup of coffee and thought about all the changes in Sophie’s life. “You look far away,” Charles commented as he poured himself a cup.

  “I was thinking about Sophie and all her new ventures – the Pup Mobile, becoming a grandmother, and now helping out at the quilt club. It’s pretty amazing.”

  “I think her whirlwind romance with Higginbottom last year was a turning point for her,” Charles speculated.

  “You’re probably right. That experience motivated her to get her knee replacement and she’s been much more active since then. And if you notice,” Sarah added, “she went into grandmothering, and even quilting, with excitement instead of her usual reluctance.”

  “Don’t discount the part you’ve played in all this,” Charles added.

  “No. I haven’t done anything. She’s done this all herself.”

  “Okay, she’s done it, but you’ve been a very positive influence on her and a very good friend to her. You’re the one who got her onto that cruise ship a couple of years ago, and you brought our Barney into her life, helping her to learn what she was missing by not having a pet to love.”

  “I suppose I sort of nagged her into the knee replacement…” Sarah added reluctantly.

  “And she’s been out there detecting with you despite the police department threatening you both with jail time if you didn’t stay out of their cases…”

  Sarah laughed. “I guess my influence hasn’t always been the best…”

  * * *

  “Do you have anything for me?” Charles asked as he entered the Medical Examiner’s office. Dr. Charlotte Johansson raised her head from the microscope and smiled. She wished she could return to the old days when Charlie Parker was on the force. Things were better then, she told herself. More human.

  “Charlie, am I ever glad to see you. It’s been a madhouse around here today. Do you have time for a cup of coffee? I just brewed a pot.”

  Charles accepted the offer and sat down in the small kitchenette with Charlotte. They had been good friends back in the day and he, too, was glad to see her. He was always able to count on her to bring sensitivity and logic to his cases.

  Years ago he would sit in this little make-shift kitchen sipping coffee and going over evidence with his friend. He had even wondered back then if there could po
ssibly be a future for the two of them, but it quickly became evident that they were destined only for friendship.

  Charlotte set a cream-filled pastry in front of him along with a mug of coffee already prepared with double cream and sugar, the way he always drank it in the old days. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he accepted it with a smile and didn’t point out that he could no longer enjoy these little extravagancies. He knew Sarah would not be pleased but also knew she would understand why he made the exception. At least, these are the things he told himself as he rationalized the extravagance.

  “So tell me,” he began after a period of polite conversation and a few heavenly bites of the pastry. “What have you learned?”

  “Okay. Here it is. I was able to pick up a few good prints and if you find the guy, I’ll be able to match the prints for you. But the prints aren’t in the system. I can’t tell you who he is,” she said regretfully.

  Charles lowered his head and shook it. He was disappointed, knowing that it was unlikely they would ever find the man now. He took another sip of his coffee but without his original enthusiasm.

  “But it’s not all bad news,” Charlotte added.

  Charles lifted his head and looked at his friend hopefully. “Tell me.”

  “I was able to get several DNA samples from saliva around the rim of the glass.” Charles remembered lifting the glass from his pocket by the rim and was thankful he hadn’t damaged the sample.

  “And?” he asked.

  “And I sent it off to the lab. It’ll take a couple of weeks, Charlie. I’m sorry, but at least there’s hope.”

  “Well, that’s true but DNA doesn’t give me a name if he’s not in the system.”

  “True, but it gives you something you don’t have now. I’ll call you the second we get something from them. I marked it as a priority, but if anything comes in through the official channels…”

  “I know, I know. My request gets bumped.”

  “It’s not like the old days…,” she said, “when the lab would give top priority to anything coming to them from the illustrious Detective Charles Parker.”

  “Nope,” he responded, knowing exactly what she meant. For Charles, retirement didn’t just mean giving up his job. It meant giving up the place he’d gone every day for thirty years, having a routine, a purpose, a career, office friends, and co-workers. But of all the losses Charles had to face with his retirement, he felt the most impact from the loss of his status within the police department. He had served for many years and, as a lead detective, he was respected by his superiors and looked up to by the younger officers. He told himself he was being vain, but the fact was – he missed it all.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Charlotte said walking back toward her lab and abruptly shaking him out of his reverie.

  As he was leaving the room, he handed her his business card with his cell and home numbers. “Thanks Charlotte.”

  Chapter 21

  “Why are we going to the airport?” Penny asked timidly as the small private airport came into view.

  “This is where we’re picking up the dogs.”

  “They’re coming on an airplane?” she asked looking surprised.

  “This time they are,” Sophie responded with a broad smile. Sophie was proud to be part of the rescue network and, once she parked the van in front of the office of the small private airport, she turned to her granddaughter and explained that there were people who owned small planes who volunteered to carry rescued dogs and cats from city to city. “That way the animals don’t have to spend so much time on the road. This man, I think his name is Roy, is carrying three dogs to Chicago and he agreed to stop here with these two little Pekingese.”

  “Where is he coming from?”

  “Somewhere in Kansas, I think. Maybe Wichita,” Sophie responded. “Let’s take a look at the paperwork. Sophie reached into the side pocket and pulled out several computer pages clipped together and entitled Final Run-Sheet. “Okay, here it is. They’re names are Molly and Polly and they’re two-year old females.”

  “What’s that you’re reading from?”

  “It’s the run-sheet. Everyone along the way gets a copy and that way we all know who we’re transporting, where to pick them up, and where to take them. Look here,” she said pointing to the second page. “See, we are picking them up at Middletown Regional Airport and taking them to this address.”

  Penny looked at the address. “Is this a no-kill shelter like you were telling me about?”

  “No,” Sophie said with a wide smile. “That’s the address of their forever home. These little girls are sisters and they’re very lucky. They’ve been adopted together.”

  About that time they heard a roar and looked up to see a small plane circling the field.

  “I’ll bet this is Roy,” Sophie announced and the two hurriedly got out of the van and headed for the office. Once inside, Sophie approached a man sitting at a desk behind a sign that read, “Fixed Base Operator.” She explained why they were there and introduced Penny who was, of course, embarrassed by the attention. Will I ever remember what it was like to be fourteen? she chastised herself.

  “That’s your guy coming in right now,” the FBO responded, “in that single-engine Cessna out there. Once he’s turned his engines off, you can walk on out and meet him.” Sophie was surprised to see how animated Penny became once they were out on the tarmac. She ran ahead of her grandmother and arrived at the plane just as the pilot was opening the door.

  “Do you have our dogs?” she asked the man, again surprising Sophie with her lack of shyness. “May I see them?” she asked before the pilot had a chance to answer her first question.

  “You bet I have them. Would you like to step into the plane so you can see them?”

  “May I?” she asked, now looking a bit reticent.

  “You sure may.” Looking toward Sophie, he asked, “Is it okay?”

  “Sure,” Sophie responded. “I wish I could get my stiff bones up there, but I’ll wait out here. Go on in, Penny,” she encouraged and Penny hopped onto the plane.

  Once inside, the young girl was taken aback by the four kennels lined up in the make-shift cargo section. Two were large and each contained a big dog. “Is that a Collie?” she asked pointing to the long-haired dog with gentle eyes.

  “Yes,” Roy responded. “That’s Angie and this is Bear over here. He’s a Golden Retriever mix, I think.” There was a small travel crate with a tiny white Chihuahua laying on a blanket looking up at her with terror in his eyes as if he were pleading for her help.

  “Aww,” she said, looking back at him sadly. “Oh look,” Penny squealed suddenly as she looked into the fourth kennel. Inside were two small brown furry dogs with flat wrinkled faces, big round eyes, and wagging tails. “They’re so cute,” she said as she got down on her knees in front of the kennel. “Are these ours?”

  “Those are your girls,” Roy responded, reaching back to lift the kennel forward. “I was lucky I had room for them. I just had three seats removed to make more cargo space.”

  The two little Pekingese puppies wiggled with excitement as they tried to get to Penny. “Look at their little flat faces,” Penny squealed. “They’re so cute.” Sliding closer to the door so she could see her grandmother, she looked at her pleadingly, “Can we keep one of them, Grandma?” Penny implored. “Please, please?”

  “Honey, we’re taking them to their forever homes. We aren’t allowed to keep any of the dogs we transport.”

  “Oh please,” Penny repeated but this time with less conviction, already knowing the answer. She stuck a finger into the crate to touch the little dog’s nose. A tiny pink tongue popped out and licked the tip of her finger. “Aww,” Penny crooned softly. “Which one is this,” she asked Roy.

  “Let’s see,” he responded looking at his run-sheet. “That one is Polly. She’s the lightest color and the friendliest.”

  “If I could have one, I’d want this one,” she said as she petted the dog’s nose th
rough the crate.

  “Just think how disappointed the family would be that’s expecting them this afternoon.”

  “I guess,” she said looking disheartened. Turning toward Sophie and suddenly looking hopeful she asked, “Can I ride in the back with them?”

  “You sure may. In fact, we’ll tether them to the safety hook in the back so they won’t have to get into a crate.” That seemed to totally satisfy Penny and she told the pilot they were ready to take them.

  Roy opened the kennel door, snapped their leashes on, and carried them down to the tarmac. Penny hurried out of the plane behind him, took both leases, and ran to the grassy area near the fence with the regal little pups at her side. Sophie saw her immediately plop down on the ground while the dogs climbed up on her. She could see the look of excited exhilaration on her granddaughter’s face. “There’s hope,” she said silently to no one.

  Roy handed Sophie the dogs’ health certificates. She then signed off on the transfer and thanked him for bringing the puppies to Middletown. She and Penny watched him take off into the sky with his precious cargo, headed toward his next delivery.

  The roar caused the dogs to tense up and they snuggled closer to Penny. “I think they love me,” she said with a touch of sadness in her voice. Sophie wondered if she should talk to Tim about getting a small dog for the girl. She knew Penny loved Emma, and she had even thought about letting her take the dog when she and her father moved to their new house, but she knew she could never part with her Emma.

  That’s what I’ll do, Sophie told herself. I’ll talk to Tim about finding her a dog of her own.

  * * *

  Charles could hear his cell phone ringing but wasn’t sure where he left it. The sound seemed to be coming from the closet. Suddenly he remembered sliding the phone into his coat pocket when he was walking Barney. He had tried to reach the detective in Buckner to see if he’d made any progress.

  By the time he found the phone, it had stopped ringing. He checked the missed calls listing and read, “Buckner WV.”

  “Must have been Bartlett,” he muttered as he hit redial.