Murder by Gravity (A Quilted Mystery) Read online

  MURDER BY GRAVITY

  A QUILTED MYSTERY

  MURDER BY GRAVITY

  THE COFFIN QUILT

  * * *

  BARBARA GRAHAM

  FIVE STAR

  A part of Gale, Cengage Learning

  * * *

  Copyright © 2014 by Barbara Graham

  Directions for “the coffin quilt” are included throughout the text.

  Five Star™ Publishing, a part of Cengage Learning, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously.

  No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  The publisher bears no responsibility for the quality of information provided through author or third-party Web sites and does not have any control over, nor assume any responsibility for, information contained in these sites. Providing these sites should not be construed as an endorsement or approval by the publisher of these organizations or of the positions they may take on various issues.

  * * *

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

  Graham, Barbara, 1948–

  Murder by gravity : the coffin quilt / Barbara Graham. — First edition.

  pages ; cm. — (A quilted mystery)

  ISBN 978-1-4328-2947-6 (hardcover) — ISBN 1-4328-2947-5 (hardcover)

  — ISBN 978-1-4328-2944-5 (ebook) — ISBN 1-4328-2944-0 (ebook)

  eISBN-13: 978-1-4328-2944-5 eISBN-10: 1-4328-2944-0

  1. Sheriffs—Fiction. 2. Police—Tennessee—Fiction. 3. Quilting—Fiction.

  4. Tennessee—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3607.R336M855 2014

  813'.6—dc23 2014027425

  First Edition. First Printing: December 2014

  This title is available as an e-book.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4328-2944-5 ISBN-10: 1-4328-2944-0

  Find us on Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/FiveStarCengage

  Visit our website– http://www.gale.cengage.com/fivestar/

  Contact Five Star™ Publishing at [email protected]

  Printed in the United States of America

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 18 17 16 15 14

  To the rescuers—of people, animals, and places

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  * * *

  I need to thank so many people for their assistance and patience during the writing of this book. It can’t be altogether entertaining to listen to my whining about the mystery quilt or the characters not doing exactly what I ask them to do. It seems little to ask of imaginary friends that they behave at least as well as my real ones, but they don’t.

  Thanks to my husband, Dennis, who is willing to let me stab him in the back.

  Thanks to my best friend, Michelle Quick, who is willing to test my mystery quilts even though she doesn’t like them.

  Thanks to my dogs, Max and Grace, who have heard the story in progress almost every morning during our walk at the lakes and still want to go there.

  Thanks to my editor, Alice Duncan, who must wonder about the way my mind works.

  THE COFFIN QUILT A MYSTERY QUILT BY THEO ABERNATHY FIRST BODY OF CLUES

  * * *

  Finished size is 72″ × 48″, which makes a long lap quilt. All fabric requirements are generous and based on standard widths of approximately 40 inches. The instructions assume familiarity with basic quilt construction techniques and the use of an accurate 1/4″ seam throughout.

  Remember this is your quilt, not mine. If you yearn to use calicos, or jungle prints, or baby fabrics—go for it. No one is entitled to criticize your choices. When people show me the quilts they have made from my patterns, I am often blown away by their creative choices and find myself wishing I had done it like that. Have fun!

  This quilt can be done in any color palette. For a more muted look, use varying shades of one color. The fabrics (A) and (D) should have the strongest contrast to the other colors.

  Fabric requirements:

  Fabric (A) is the main or theme fabric. Select a print on an uncluttered background or a solid (uncluttered in the sense that the motifs are not tiny and pressed against each other). 2 yards.

  Fabric (B) accent color, reads as solid, goes well with a color in print (A). 2 yards.

  Fabric (C) another print sharing colors from (A). 1 yard.

  Fabric (D) a strong accent color—is much lighter or darker than fabric (A) or is a definite change of color and reads as solid. 2/3 yard.

  Cutting instructions. Be sure to label each cut with color designation and size:

  From fabric (A) Cut:

  4 strips 4 1/2″ by LOF (length of fabric)

  4 strips 2 1/2″ by LOF

  1 strip 2 5/8″ by LOF—cut into 16 squares 2 5/8″

  3 strips 2″ by LOF

  From fabric (B) Cut:

  4 strips 2 1/2″ by LOF

  3 strips 2″ by LOF

  7 squares 7 1/4″

  14 squares 4″

  28 squares 3 1/2″

  14 squares 3″

  From fabric (C) Cut:

  16 squares 4″

  28 squares 3 7/8″

  From fabric (D) Cut:

  4 squares 4 1/2″

  32 squares 3 1/2″

  14 squares 3″

  16 squares 2 5/8″

  4 squares 2 1/2″

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  The cold awakened Theo Abernathy. Hoping for warmth, she tried to snuggle closer to her oversized husband. Tony could usually heat the world, but he wasn’t in their bed. His side was still warm so she moved into his spot and pulled the quilts higher around her ears, hoping it wasn’t time to be up. Being married to the sheriff of Tennessee’s smallest county meant never being quite sure where he was, when he left, or when he’d be back if he was called out in the night. If one of the children cried she heard it immediately; when his cell phone rang, she usually slept through it. She’d gotten plenty of practice ignoring calls during the first four years he’d been sheriff.

  Her eyelids lifted slightly. Pale light seeped between the edges of the curtains, making a vertical line of white between the expanses of dark red and gold striped fabric. White? Ignoring the cold, Theo crawled out of the bed and scurried to the window to check. Snow before Halloween? Opening the curtains, she stared at the fairyland created by snow covering the trees and grass of the park across the street. They had been warned about a storm approaching, but when she went to bed, it was rain driven by howling winds. She guessed this newest weather change and Tony’s disappearance were connected.

  The boys trotted into the room, excitement in their eyes.

  “Will they cancel school? I hope not.” Chris looked disappointed. “We’re supposed to have a party.”

  Theo knew he had worked hard on his Halloween costume and was eager to show it off at the school. She had helped him cut head and arm holes in a cardboard box. The rest, the decorating, was all his work. He was going as a television—showing cartoons. Theo had to laugh. “It’s still days before the party. The snow will melt.”

  “Where’s Dad?” Jamie climbed onto the bed and pretended to look under the covers.

  Theo knew Jamie would be thrilled to have school canceled. She guesse
d Jamie was already anticipating a snowball fight in the park. His plan for a Halloween costume wasn’t much different from his usual clothes. Jamie planned to add a numbered football jersey and a helmet and magically morph into his current favorite player.

  “Even if they cancel school for today, your party isn’t until Halloween. There’s still plenty of time for the weather to clear up.” Theo, not knowing the answer to anything they’d asked, heard the twin girls fussing in their cribs.

  The day was getting off to a rip-roaring start. She sincerely hoped school would not be canceled. If it was, she would have to take the boys to her quilt shop with her, and they would be bored within fifteen minutes. Entertaining two active children and two babies did not allow her to get much work done, and the new quilt pattern had to go to the printer today, tomorrow at the latest, so it would be available for the winter shoppers. Deadlines were not flexible. Mothers had to be.

  “Please let this day be normal,” Theo whispered out loud, and then laughed, having amused herself. She didn’t know what normal looked like. Between her work, her family, her husband’s work, and his extended family, they hadn’t had more than a handful of days they might be able to call “normal” since they had moved back to Silersville, Tennessee, from Chicago.

  Snowflakes drifted past his office window, surprising Sheriff Tony Abernathy. The forecast was rarely quite so accurate. Snow this early in the season was rare and unexpected. As long as it melted on the roads instead of freezing, it shouldn’t cause too much trouble. Nothing seemed to bring out the “stupid” in the county residents like a half an inch of snow. There would likely be a heavier snowfall in the higher elevations. The Smoky Mountains with a coating of frost or snow could rival any Christmas card for sheer beauty.

  The edge of a massive storm had brought them cold, driving rain that quickly turned to ice, and this snow was accurately predicted to follow. This autumn had been unusually warm, but now that was yesterday’s news. If this storm continued to grow as predicted, there were bound to be power outages and a multitude of traffic accidents, plus his small department had many frail and elderly citizens to check on.

  Silently thanking his secretary/assistant, Ruth Ann, for setting up a community listing of people in need—the elderly and impoverished—Tony hoped the system was working. He knew Ruth Ann couldn’t have everyone on her radar, but probably most were. Up in the ageless Smoky Mountains, there were still roadless pockets of homes, ones filled with independent, but endangered, people. Even places where the mail carrier still arrived on a mule.

  Tony’s study of the beauty of nature ended abruptly when he spotted his deputy, Wade Claybough, standing in his office doorway. Normally Wade was good-looking enough to stop traffic, at least when women were driving. Today the younger man looked like he’d been locked in a room with a hungry lion. “What happened to you?”

  Wade staggered into the room and fell, more than sat, onto a chair. “It’s a dangerous world out there.”

  Tony’s hand automatically reached for the telephone. “I’d better make sure the road crew is prepared.”

  Waving off the suggestion with one hand, Wade said, “It’s not the roads, it’s the crowd gathered to watch the football team and the cheerleaders winding through the town. This is just for homecoming. I can’t wait for the Halloween parade.”

  Before Wade could say more, Rex Satterfield, the wizard on the dispatch desk, interrupted. “Sheriff, there is a multi-car pileup out on the highway, near Ruby’s. Sheila and Mike are working another couple of accidents. Can you and Wade check this out?”

  Minutes later, Tony stared at the cluster of vehicles blocking the road. Ice on the pavement seemed the obvious cause of the accident. Front bumpers tangled with door panels. The rear of a pickup dangled over a ditch. The assorted drivers stood together in a clump, chatting and pointing at something he couldn’t see. A couple waved him over. They were smiling despite the fact that their back bumper was resting in a weedy ditch and the front bumper was aimed almost directly at the sky.

  “When we tried to stop, there was no traction and we just slid off the road.”

  Cautiously making his way across the road, Tony soon understood. He was doing more ice skating than walking. He notified Rex to call out the sand truck while looking to see what damage there was and maybe learn what was making the drivers so cheerful.

  The star of the show was a puppy. Standing on the slick pavement, homely enough to be totally endearing, was a mixture of collie and maybe bulldog. It had short bowed legs, a squashed face, and long hair. Thankfully, a round green rabies tag dangled from a leather collar. Tony knew it would have the owner’s phone number on the back and make it easy to find the puppy’s home. It ambled toward Tony with an odd rolling gait and sat on his left foot. He’d swear the puppy laughed when Tony lifted it into his Blazer instead of standing still and being its personal furniture. “Don’t get comfortable. I’ll take you home when I get this clog cleared up.”

  By the time the tow truck arrived and the road was cleared again, and he’d filled out enough paperwork to satisfy everyone, especially the insurance companies, the puppy had fallen asleep on the passenger seat. It snored and it drooled on the faux leather. Now Tony had a moment to check for an address or phone number on the tag, hidden under the heavy fur. The puppy’s name was Sammy.

  He dialed Sammy’s number on his cell phone and a woman answered. When he identified himself and described his furry passenger, the woman laughed, a sound of great relief.

  “Oh, thank you, thank you for rescuing her. Can I come get her?” The owner chattered on. “I don’t know how she escaped.”

  Tony understood. He’d spent some time looking for his own dog on occasion. In her youth, Daisy had been an escape artist. “She’s asleep in my car. If you give me your address, I can deliver.”

  Moments later, Tony pulled into a short driveway belonging to a modest home. The falling snow blowing around the side of the house was stacking mostly in the yard next door. The front door opened and a young woman with purple hair popped outside in her slippers, without a jacket. She did carry a leash. “Where’s my naughty girl?”

  Now wide awake on the front seat, Sammy began barking, wagging, and wetting all at the same time. The woman flushed with embarrassment and offered to get a towel.

  “It’s okay.” Tony lifted the dog to the sidewalk and held onto her until the clasp on the leash clicked onto the collar ring. “I have what I need to clean it up. It won’t take me but a moment.” He waved the pair toward the house and pulled out the industrial tub of wipes he kept in the Blazer. It was far from the worst clean-up job he’d done in his vehicle this month. Hauling drunks was the worst.

  “I found a hole under the fence.” Sammy’s owner kept a tight grip on the dog’s leash but stayed near the Blazer. “That’s how she got out.” The woman frowned at the puppy. “No more digging.”

  The puppy’s response was a noncommittal swipe of a tongue. No promise was made.

  Tony climbed back into the Blazer. Before he could turn the key, Rex radioed to see if Tony could help with some frozen pipes. Every deputy, every firefighter, and every other person on the community volunteer list was already tied up. Tony agreed immediately.

  The drive was short, and he was greeted by the elderly couple standing in their open doorway waiting for him. At least they were warmly dressed, in heavy coats, boots, and hats and gloves. The house was frigid inside. “Thank you for coming, Sheriff.”

  Tony nodded and went to work. His initial check of the cold water produced nothing. “If you think it might get this cold again, and now that winter’s on the way that’s very possible, you might leave the water running a bit.” He turned the hot water handle and water trickled out. It was tepid. “Well, that’s a good sign. The pipes aren’t completely useless.”

  The couple nodded like toddlers. “Our son usually comes to turn on the heat, but he had to go to Nashville.”

  Tony was so relieved that they norma
lly had assistance that he didn’t mind slithering around in the half-frozen mud in their crawl space in order to light the pilot light. Smelling something a bit off made him look past the furnace. Puffed up like a balloon, a dead possum sharing the same space made him momentarily yearn to be sitting behind his desk. He had acres of paperwork he could be enjoying instead of this. He dragged the corpse out with him. Heating it would only make the stench worse. “Once the heat starts working its magic and the hot water melts some of the ice, your pipes should open up just fine.”

  Tony hadn’t had breakfast and now his stomach was grumbling and gurgling complaints. The best solution he could come up with was having a big slice of apple pie at Ruby’s café. He’d be able to work on his notes, eat, and catch up on local news. He hoped Blossom Flowers, the plus-size baking queen, wasn’t letting her upcoming wedding keep her from the kitchen. She was the closest thing to a groupie he’d had, or ever expected to have. He was in luck.

  Blossom waddled from the kitchen, delivering his prize in person. “I’m glad you got here when you did.”

  Tony couldn’t help himself from asking, “What’s the problem?”

  “Oh, there’s no problem. Yet.” Blossom giggled, setting more than just her chins in motion. “I’m not baking again until after me and Kenny get back from our honeymoon.”

  Tony could hardly protest. She was entitled to some time off following the nuptials. He hoped it was a short trip.

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  “Uh, Sheriff?”

  It was the hesitation in the question that fully caught Tony’s attention. Looking up from his notebook, Tony was struck by the man’s neatness. Standing before him in Ruby’s Café was a middle-aged man wearing pressed jeans—with a crease, no less—polished loafers, and a bright orange Hawaiian shirt under a suede jacket. Not the usual attire worn by his county’s residents, especially not on a snowy day. The oddly familiar face didn’t immediately come with a name. “Yes?”