Silence of the Lamb's Wool (A Yarn Retreat Mystery) by Betty Hechtman Read Free Book Online Page A

looking at them. She picked up a dingy-looking woven rug. “Most of the woven and knitted pieces I get don’t come with labels, so I have to figure out what they’re made of and when. It’s amazing what you can find out.”
    Nicole had made the back area into her studio. Beyond, there was a half partition left from when it was a bank and a couple of cubicles that had been used for privacy when checking safety-deposit boxes. It was odd to see the thick metal door of the open vault showing over the top of the divider, with the selection of spinning wheels in front of it. She had both antique and modern machines. She’d demonstrated how they worked, but looking at them now with all their wheels, hooks and pedals, I had no idea how to use them.
    I didn’t mention Wanda, but asked Nicole if she was ready for the retreat.
    “You look tense,” she said to me. “Don’t worry, I can handle everything. I’ll be there tomorrow morning to teach your pre-retreat people how to use a drop spindle. And I’ll have Will bring these wheels over later in the week.”
    “I need your advice,” I began, and then told her about the no-sheep-shearing situation. I didn’t have to explain. She knew right away it was Kevin St. John’s doing.
    “Kevin St. John is so possessive of that place. I know all about it. Remember, my husband works for him. Though Will never has a problem with him because he just does everything Kevin’s way.”
    I brought up the idea of bringing in roving and making the spinning the center of things, but she said there was no need to change anything. “Why don’t you just go to the farm and pick up the fleeces? You won’t have your razzle-dazzle beginning, but we can go from there.”
    I nodded in agreement, even though I didn’t want to give up the razzle-dazzle beginning. She sensed my concern about the retreat. “Don’t worry. The group will get caught up in picking through the fleeces and washing and carding them. Everybody is going to have a great time. The first time I started with fleece and ended up knitting with the yarn, well, there was something magic about it.”
    She was going to show me some handspun yarn she’d made, but the sleigh bell went into a frenzy as the front door opened.
    A customer?
I looked across the large space and saw a man in a familiar sports jacket. Burton Fiore? I checked beyond him, expecting to see Cora Delacorte, but he was alone. He seemed intent on his mission and didn’t look around enough to see me, walking right to the U-shaped glass counter in the center of the place. As soon as Nicole saw him she stepped away and went behind the counter. He looked down through the glass at something and they spoke for a moment or two. Apparently what he saw hadn’t pleased him because a moment later he walked to the door. Even from where I was standing, I could see that he’d left an envelope on the counter. I was going to call out to him, but when I looked again, the envelope was gone.
    Nicole seemed a little disconcerted when she returned. “He was just looking for a gift for his fiancée. You do know that Cora Delacorte is engaged.”
    I explained I’d just heard the news that morning. Though Nicole was new to Cadbury, her husband had grown up in the area so she knew all the local stories. I was curious about what Burton Fiore had been considering and walked to the counter and looked inside. The glass cases had an assortment of mini-treasures. Things like silver chafing dishes and old silver dresser sets. But below the spot he’d been standing, there was a pink velvet backdrop with some pieces of jewelry on it. I’d never seen anything like them. The one thing the drop earrings, the watch chain and several brooches had in common was they were all brown. The piece that really caught my eye was a wreath shape decorated with tiny brown flowers.
    “What are these?” I said, looking again at the drab pieces.
    “Interesting color, huh?” she said, coming to stand next to