Dropped Dead Stitch by Maggie Sefton Read Free Book Online

earlier.”
    A collective gasp sounded all around the deck. Then the women exploded with angry accusations.
    Jane let fly with another stream of curses and pushed back her chair. “That pig! I’m gonna go punch him out.”
    “Settle down, Jane,” Dr. Norcross said, holding up her hand. “This is Jennifer’s situation, not yours. And she’s handling it. Jennifer and I took a walk before the session, and Everett happened to cross our path. Jennifer stood right there and stared him down. Meanwhile, I told him I didn’t want to see him anywhere near any of you this entire weekend. So, I don’t think Cal Everett will show his face except at night, and we’ll be around the campfire or in our cabins.”
    “What’d the scumbag say?” Dawn asked, picking up her knitting needles again.
    “He didn’t say a word,” Jennifer said. “But he looked scared and went white as a sheet, then ran inside his house. It felt good to watch that.”
    “Good for you, Dr. Norcross!” Edie said with a small smile.
    “I still think we should all go and confront him. Scare the snot out of the punk.”
    Several comments greeted Jane’s inventive suggestion. Kelly decided this was as good a place as any to add a comment, even though it wasn’t her discussion.
    “I know how you feel, Jane,” she said. “Some of Jennifer’s friends and I wanted to round up a posse and go get him, but one of our lawyer friends reminded us that wouldn’t be a good idea. We’d wind up getting charged with assault, not Everett.”
    “I still think he deserves punishment,” Edie said, scowling.
    “Punishment comes in many forms,” Dr. Norcross said. “I don’t advise letting thoughts of vengeance occupy your mind. Vengeance has a way of backfiring.”
    That comment sparked another animated conversation which lasted several minutes. Then peaceful silence fell upon the group for a while until another soft voice spoke up.
    “I know what Jennifer means . . . about the bars and all,” Sue said. “The same thing happened to me one night.”
    Kelly watched the women drop the yarns to their laps once again as they listened intently to the next confession.

Four
    “Okay, come at me from behind again,” Greta said from the front of the classroom.
    Kelly stood beside Jennifer and watched Greta as she moved through the routine.
    Jane had volunteered to be Greta’s helper, and her job was to “attack” Greta from the back and from the front. Jane was nearly a foot taller than Greta and packed a lot more muscle than the smaller teacher. Nonetheless, Kelly was fascinated to see Greta toss the unsuspecting Jane over her shoulder when Jane tried to grab Greta from behind. Blam . Jane was flat on the practice mat.
    The result was the same when Jane tried to come straight at Greta—flying at her face. Greta moved her body to use the force of Jane’s attacking movement against her. Once again, Jane was on the floor.
    “Boy, she’s good,” Jennifer observed.
    “Yeah, she is. No wonder she teaches so many classes,” Kelly said.
    Lisa joined them at the back of the classroom. “Greta certainly makes it look easy.”
    “It doesn’t look easy to me,” Jennifer said, watching Greta’s movements.
    “Have you ever tried any martial arts?” Kelly asked Lisa.
    “Once, years ago, but I didn’t stick with it. If I ever want to learn again, I’ll definitely join one of Greta’s classes. She’s good.”
    “Yeah, and tough for someone that small. She doesn’t look like she’s much over five feet tall.”
    Kelly was intently watching Greta’s movements when the familiar jangle of her cell phone sounded. She quickly backed away from the others. “See you guys at lunch,” she said as she headed toward the classroom doorway and flipped open her phone. Her friend Jayleen’s voice greeted her as she stepped outside onto the lodge porch.
    “Hey, Kelly, I hope I’m not interrupting you or anything, but I was wondering how Jennifer was doing and all. Megan