Boxed In(42)
“What a cozy, homey place!” The mother exclaimed, as she looked around at the displays Kate and Mary Beth spent hours each week updating and refreshing. “And the colors! Gorgeous!”
“It’s almost as bright as my room, Mom.” The daughter nudged her mother’s arm, and pointed at the crochet section. “They have tons of crochet stuff.”
“That’s my cue,” whispered Kate. She hurried to the front to speak to the newcomers. “Hello! Welcome to A Stitch In Time.”
“We were so happy to see your shop,” said the mother. “We’re on a cross-country trip, and my daughter has been working on a crochet project she started at camp. I know nothing about crochet, I’m afraid.”
The daughter carried on from there. “I’m done, but I don’t know how to finish it. Can you show me what to do next?” She lifted a canvas bag up to show Kate.
“And maybe we can pick up another project for the trip home too,” added the mother. Alice and Annie smiled at each other when they noticed the woman’s hand reach out to feel the skeins of yarn sitting on a display near her. They could never resist the beckoning of the fiber either.
Stella turned her eyes back within the circle, signaling for the continuance of the meeting. “Shall we resume? Alice, your pattern looks great, according to Kezi. She simply said to keep in mind while you’re creating the pattern on cloth that symmetry is important. Be meticulous in your stitch counting.”
“If that’s all the curator had to say, I’m thrilled!” Alice responded. “I’m no Betsy, but counting I can do.”
Before anything else could be said, the door set off the chime again. It wasn’t customers this time; instead Jason entered with something tucked under his right arm. He strode toward Stella, immune to the look of irritation she shot in his direction. “Now Jason,” she started her scolding.
“Hold your fire,” Jason said. “Mr. Palmer just asked me to deliver this to you. He said you’d need it for the meeting.” He held out Gwen’s leather portfolio to her.
“Did John say anything about Gwen? Is she ill?” asked Annie.
“He didn’t say much,” answered Jason, “only that I needed to bring the portfolio to the meeting right away.”
“I’m glad to have my design back,” said Alice. “But I’d also like to know if Gwen is all right.”
“I think I’ll pop in on John at the bank after the meeting and ask him about Gwen,” said Annie. “One mystery at a time for the group is quite enough.”
“We will conclude in good time and allow everyone to get along to their commitments,” Stella insisted. Jason took that as his dismissal, and he nodded his farewell to the ladies and left to return to his post near the Lincoln. Stella continued, “Annie, Kezi was pleased with your design and how your color choices reflected the more contemporary urchin baskets in the museum. She agrees the round pillows would highlight the urchin pattern better than a flat piece. She also thanks you for your willingness to send your artifacts for her to examine. The impressions she shared with you last week were confirmed with the closer look.” Stella bent down to reach underneath her chair, retrieving Annie’s zippered tote bag.
Annie took the tote bag from Stella’s hand. “This is so exciting! Now we know the dates of the box and collar could coincide with the date on the bottom of the poem. Now we have to figure out if they were family heirlooms for Clara, or if she found them somewhere.”
Peggy blurted, “Who’s Clara? What date?”
“That’s what you get for being late, Annie,” said Alice. “You didn’t have a chance to share your news.”
“Peggy, I don’t want to make you late to work, so here’s the short version,” said Annie. “While I was cleaning in the library yesterday, I found the bottom part of the poem. Besides having the last line of the second stanza, there was a third stanza, and it was signed and dated! ‘Clara Stewart, 1904.’ There was also a Passamaquoddy phrase below the signature that means ‘Remember me.’”
“Clara Stewart, eh?” Peggy glanced at the clock on the wall across the room and stood, obvious reluctance on her face. “1904. Drat, I have to get back or Jeff will give me grief. But I’ll ask around about Clara. Some of the lobstermen’s families have been around way before 1900, and they know the other families up and down the coast.”
“Peggy Carson, P.I. is on the case!” Alice cheered. “But before you dash out, Peggy, we should check with Stella first. Stella, do you recognize the name?”