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POSY DIDN’T HESITATE at all, but quickly gave her a wordless hug. Joan gave her a tight squeeze back and then pulled away to swab her face with a tissue that she was already holding in her hand for such an eventuality.
Beatrice didn’t know Joan quite as well. Joan was a quilter in another guild, the Cut-Ups and had spotty attendance at church, where Beatrice would only have the chance to speak briefly with her. Posy knew her as a customer at the shop.
Posy said to Joan, “I’m just so sorry. Of course I heard the bad news this morning.”
Joan said, “Thanks. Dad was always such a huge presence in my life that it’s hard to believe he’s gone.” She paused. “I don’t think I can stand to be at home any longer, so I decided to come here and spend a little time. I was hoping to talk to Salome while I was here, too.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Salome has gone home for the day. Can I call her for you to see if she might be able to come back?” asked Posy.
Joan gave a quick shake of her head. “No, no. She’ll be spending time with that sweet daughter of hers, and I don’t want to intrude on that. Will she be here tomorrow?”
“She sure will . From nine to two tomorrow, I think.”
Joan said, “I’ll try to catch up with her then. Is it all right if I sit here and quilt and chat for a bit? I think it will help me to calm down some. I brought one of my projects, just in case.”
“Absolutely! And you might know Beatrice Thompson? She’s here quilting and brought her corgi, Noo-noo. She’s very cuddly,” said Posy in a persuasive tone.
Noo-noo grinned at Joan and wagged her nubbin of a tail.
Joan smiled. “I think I could use a cuddly corgi right about now. You’ve convinced me. And I do know Beatrice.” She turned around to face the sitting area and raised her hand in greeting before heading in Beatrice’s direction. The bell on the door rang again, and Posy was off to help a new quilter find supplies for her home.
Beatrice stood up in greeting as Joan approached. Joan quickly said, “Oh, please sit down, Beatrice. You’re in the middle of a project, I see.” She looked closer at what Beatrice was working on and said, “For Piper? It’s adorable. I love that you have Piper’s monogram on there and the multi-colored owls are precious. Piper must be so excited. Isn’t it getting very close to time for the baby to arrive?”
Beatrice sat back down and watched as Noo-noo plopped down on top of Joan’s feet as Joan sat across from Beatrice. Joan ran her hand through the soft fur around Noo-noo’s neck and seemed to relax a little.
“She is and Meadow and I are practically apoplectic, we’re so thrilled,” said Beatrice dryly. “I’m not sure how much Piper is going to even be able to hold her own baby in the first few days.” She paused and said, “Joan, I’m so terribly sorry about your father. It must have been such an awful shock.”
Joan’s face was hidden by her hair as she bent over to stroke Noo-noo around her ears. Then a few seconds later, she raised her head and said, “It was, it really was. But Mark said that he felt so much better with Wyatt there and that Wyatt had found Dad. It must have been a terrible morning for him, though.”
Beatrice nodded. “But he was glad to be there to help, however he could. He thought a lot of Gerald and Gerald was a big part of the church.”
Joan said, “Like I was telling Posy, I just never believed that anything could happen to Dad. He was always stalwart. So strong, so strong-minded. He seemed completely indestructible to me.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” she added, her voice breaking.
“Oh goodness, don’t apologize! Of course you’re going to be upset. We can talk about other things.” She gave a rueful laugh. “I could talk about upcoming baby preparations until you’re ready to run away, believe me. Or there’s always my horrific tale of kitchen renovation, if we’re really desperate.”
She was pleased to see a small smile on Joan’s face. “Thanks, Beatrice. Honestly, I think it will help me to sort it all out in my head if I talk it over. Is that all right?”
“Absolutely. Or you know that Wyatt would love to speak with you, too.” Wyatt was trained to handle all of these tough conversations that Beatrice seemed to be having today.
But Joan shook her head. “Nope. Minister’s wife is close enough. Besides, we’ll be keeping Wyatt busy enough with the funeral plans. I think my problem with Dad’s death is guilt.”
Beatrice said, “Guilt is a hard one to handle, for sure.”
Joan looked relieved at this affirmation and quickly continued, “It’s true. And I’ll be honest . . . I haven’t historically had the best relationship with Dad. He’s always been so interested in the family business. I know he wanted me to be interested in it, but I just wasn’t. I couldn’t summon the enthusiasm that he thought I should have. I mean, I was proud of him for developing such a well-known and respected business. Of course I was. But it wasn’t what I wanted to spend my life doing.”
Beatrice was having a tough time remembering exactly what it was that Joan did.
Fortunately, Joan filled her in. “I’m a nurse. So being in the pimento cheese business wasn’t exactly what I wanted to choose to fulfill me, as you can imagine. Although I think the pimento cheese is very tasty!” The last was tacked on with a roll of her eyes.
“I’m sure your father didn’t want to force you into the family business,” said Beatrice. “Do you just feel badly about it because you know it’s what he wanted?”
“He was so disappointed. But I didn’t want my whole life to be sucked in by that company the way he was. Mark is different—he’s business-minded anyway and enjoyed being in an office, doing paperwork, and managing people. He’s much more like Dad. But I didn’t have warm fuzzy feelings for the family business. It took Dad away for my entire childhood. He was never there at the school play or field day or parent night at school.” Joan made a face.
“I’m so sorry,” said Beatrice. “That must have been very tough not having him around.”
“It was. I mean, my mother tried. But there was only so much that she could really keep up with at one time. She didn’t have any help with the house then. And she was trying to get us to our activities and cook meals and do laundry. She was run ragged.” Her lips tightened. “I know you’re relatively new to town and might not know how Mom died. Mark and I were teenagers. Mom was actually running an errand the night she died. She’d finally asked Dad to do one thing. And that was because I pleaded with her to give him something. She asked him to pick up a carton of milk on his way home from work.”
Beatrice winced. “And he forgot?”
“He did. Or simply didn’t care at all. He wasn’t the one who drank it or who put it in his cereal in the morning. By then, the weather had gotten pretty bad outside, and Mom was never a wonderful driver. Anyway, she lost control on the mountain roads.” Joan’s voice broke again, and she paused for a few moments. “I’m sorry. It’s been such a long time that you’d think I’d be over it by now.”
Beatrice leaned forward and squeezed her hand. “But you’ve had the kind of upsetting day that would bring it all back to anyone.”
Joan smiled at her. “You’re right. Anyway, things have been weird at home since then. Dad still spent a ton of time at the office, so Mark and I basically raised ourselves. He did finally think about getting a housekeeper to help out at the house, and Mark and I took turns cooking some basic meals. We got by.” She sighed. “And then Dad met Laura.”
Beatrice said, “I don’t really know her very well, I’m afraid.”
“Who does? She’s always been something of a mystery to me. I don’t think Laura is at all shaken up by my father’s death. They had very separate lives in many ways. She was always happy to go to events with him and be the eye candy on his arm, but the day-to-day life here in Dappled Hills didn’t seem to interest her very much. She never really made any friends here.” She paused again. “I think she was only with Dad because he gave her a very comfortable life. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she marries again, and quickly.”
Beatrice watched as Maisie walked over to curl up against Noo-noo. Noo-noo opened one eye and then shut it again. She felt as if Joan needed to talk herself out—she was happy to just be a sounding board and listen for a while.
But Joan quickly said, “Hey, I’m sorry, Beatrice. Here you are trying to relax for a while and work on your grandbaby’s diaper bag and I’m dumping all my troubles on you.”
“You’re not doing anything of the sort, Joan. I’m happy to listen to you—I can only imagine that your head must be spinning after the day you’ve had. If it helps you at all to tell me some of what’s going on, I’m very happy to be an ear. And I’ve worked myself up to the place where I can quilt as well as listen.” She laughed. “Although it did take a little while. Meadow could tell you stories about some of my first quilts.”
Joan said, “Thanks, Beatrice. You don’t know how much I appreciate it. And you’re absolutely right about my head spinning. I think I need to talk it all out. I don’t really have anything against Laura. It’s just that I don’t think she’s ever really cared to be a big part of this family. Plus, there was some extra tension because of the potential sale of the business.”
Beatrice glanced up from the diaper bag to look at Joan with surprise. “I didn’t realize that the business was going to be sold.”
Joan said, “It wasn’t a done deal, by any means. And, if you’d asked Dad, he’d have said that the business would be sold over his dead body.” She stopped and put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. Then she gave a nervous laugh. “What an awful thing to say. What I meant to say is that Dad would never have willingly sold his business. It was like his baby. He built it from nothing into a really successful company, and it was never his intention to ever sell it.”
Beatrice said slowly, “But other people thought it might be a good idea to sell the business?”
“Yes. Mark was one of them. There was a reputable firm that was interested in buying the company, and he wasn’t sure that we’d get another great offer. He thought it was a good time to sell. Laura agreed with him,” said Joan.
“And you?” asked Beatrice gently.
Joan threw up her hands. “I never really liked the business to begin with, considering all the time my father spent working. I figured if Mark thought it was a good time to sell, then maybe we should consider it. He was the business major, after all.”
Beatrice said, “Did everyone share their thoughts with your father?”
Joan snorted. “That’s phrasing it nicely. Mark was rather pushy, which I knew was going to be a bad approach with Dad. If you push anything at Dad, he’s going to push right back, no matter what it is. Laura did her passive-aggressive thing with Dad about the sale, and he absolutely hated that. And I suppose I probably whined about it.” She sighed. “We sound like quite a group. No wonder Dad wasn’t very receptive.”
“He did consider it, though?” asked Beatrice.
“Only on the surface. Mark had already set up one or two meetings and asked if Dad would at least hear them out. And they were important men from important companies, so he did. But he didn’t really listen. I guess now that Dad is gone, Mark will be free to do what he likes with the company.”
Beatrice nodded, but looked troubled.
“I suppose that gives him a motive,” added Joan slowly. “But Mark wouldn’t hurt a fly. Violence wouldn’t fit into his business plan. And, believe me, Mark is a planner.” She glanced at her watch. “Speaking of planning, I should get out of here. We’re supposed to meet up with Laura and make some preliminary plans for the funeral service before we meet with Wyatt later. Thanks so much for lending an ear, Beatrice.”
She gave Beatrice a warm smile, gave Noo-noo another absent rub, and left.
Beatrice quietly hand-stitched for a few minutes while Posy helped the customer to check out her materials. Then Posy came over to join her.
“Everything all right with Joan?” she asked with concern. “I feel so bad for her.”
Beatrice said, “I think so, although I know she’s shocked about her father’s death. She said he just seemed so impervious to everything.” She kept Joan’s feelings of guilt to herself since she knew Joan was speaking to her in private.
The bell on the door rang again, and they glanced up. It was Edgenora, one of the Village Quilters and the administrative assistant for Wyatt at the church. Beatrice glanced at her watch, having the feeling that it was later in the day than she’d realized. Sure enough, the church office would have closed for the day ten minutes ago, and Posy would be closing in about an hour. Edgenora waved and joined them. “Thought I’d run by here and pick up some more fabric. I’ve been so distracted lately that somehow I miscalculated the amount I needed and then ran out right in the middle of piecing the quilt top.”
Posy wrinkled her brow. “You’re working on the Album Cross pattern, right?”
Edgenora said, “That’s right. I don’t know how you always remember. I hope you have some more left—I didn’t even consider that you might have run out.”
Posy said quickly, “Don’t you worry, I have plenty of it.”
They walked over to a display that had the fabric, and Posy measured it out. After Edgenora made her purchase, she walked back over to see Beatrice.
“I’m almost scared to ask how the kitchen renovation is going,” she said with a wince. “Wyatt seemed so worried about it when I talked to him about it earlier.”
Beatrice smiled at her. She was a huge fan of Edgenora’s because she did a fantastic job as a church secretary. Before Edgenora came on board, Beatrice had found herself fielding a lot of church-related phone calls: everything from questions about whether the church league soccer game would be cancelled for rain to what time the yoga class was. Now Edgenora not only fielded those calls herself, she also kept up with an online church calendar that everyone could refer to. Plus, she’d become a good friend and was always a very rational person to talk to . . . something Beatrice appreciated.
“Fingers crossed, we’re in better shape now than we were in yesterday! The project completely stalled out because Dale had to stop work, but his cousin is on the job now and is supposed to be working at this moment. Noo-noo isn’t crazy about the loud noises of construction, so we’re here giving her a break,” said Beatrice.
Edgenora said, “Well, that’s good news! I know you’re tired of eating sandwiches and yogurts.”
Edgenora asked how Piper was doing. They chatted for a few minutes and then Edgenora said, “I actually wanted to ask you about this morning. I heard about Gerald Carpenter.”
“Isn’t it awful?” asked Beatrice.
“Yes, what an awful morning. Gerald was a good man and was certainly organized. Whenever he’d call the church office to update us on bids for the HVAC work, he never wasted a second, but gave us all the information clearly and succinctly. I went with Wyatt for one meeting with Gerald over in Gerald’s office. He had the most amazingly-organized file system I think I’ve ever seen.” There was a wistful note in Edgenora’s voice. If there was one thing she appreciated, it was good organization. “Unfortunately, we don’t have his latest report on the bids, but it can definitely wait.”
“Did you have any impressions of Gerald at all, personally?” Beatrice asked. “I feel as if I didn’t really know him very well.”
Edgenora said, “You and I are both new to town compared to most people. I don’t think Gerald was one of those people that one got to know unless they’ve been here most of their lives. He seemed private to me.”
Or secretive, Beatrice thought.
Edgenora continued, “And I suppose was a bit gruff with his staff. He definitely had a no-nonsense air about him. He was not the sort of person who joked around with employees or who was a company favorite. No, he seemed like he was all business all the time. Although that’s probably how he became so successful. He was driven.”
“Do you know his family well?” asked Beatrice.
“No. His son, to a certain degree. Gerald acted rather gruff around him, too, as I recall. Mark came into his office while we were there, and Gerald snapped his head off. Then he snapped his assistant’s head off later, too. He’d apparently directed her that he was not to be disturbed while he was in a meeting with us, and she’d thought his son might be excluded from that directive. But he wasn’t.”
Beatrice nodded and said apologetically, “I know I’m asking a lot of questions today.”
Edgenora gave her a smile. “You are, but why wouldn’t you be? You had a very confusing morning and you’re trying to work it all out in your head.”
“This next question may seem unrelated. I was just wondering if you knew or had any impressions of a woman who is planning on having a wedding at our church. Or, rather, planning her daughter’s wedding.”
Edgenora pursed her lips. “You must be speaking of Colleen Roberts.”