Free Silent Knife (A Celebration Bay Mystery) by Shelley Freydont Page B

may need more. If you can just take that other side.”
    Liv positioned herself on the far side of the frame.
    “You just hold that side steady.” Miriam disappeared under the other side of the frame, the frame shifted, and Miriam’s head popped up. “Now lift up your end.”
    Liv lifted. The frame came away from the legs.
    “Now, we’re just going to carry it into the main aisle and prop it against the shelves.” In a matter of minutes, the frame was dismantled and moved out of the way and two sewing machines and a machine Miriam called a serger had been installed in its place.
    “Wow,” said Liv. “You really have this down.”
    “Yes, though sometimes it gets awfully tiresome always juggling for space.”
    Liv thought of the Trim a Tree shop next door. It had to be twice the size of the fabric store. She said so.
    “Oh, it is,” Miriam said. “Also twice the rent. I actually considered moving for a while, but with the economy the way it is, I was afraid to take the chance. Now I wish I had. Struggling to make rent would be better than having to put up with that . . . that . . .”
    Woman
, Liv finished for her.
    “I don’t know why Jeremiah Atkins leased the space to those people. He should know better.”
    “Jeremiah owns the building?” Jeremiah Atkins was president of First Celebration Bank.
    “Oh, he owns a whole row of stores along this side of the square and a few rental houses in town. I don’t know what he was thinking to let them take over the lease. That tacky window display, the cheap ornaments. It’s just a crime.”
    And a crime scene
, thought Liv morosely.

Chapter Six
    Ted and Hank arrived at the front door about ten minutes later, along with two other women, who nodded to Liv and went straight back to the sewing area.
    Miriam came out to greet them.
    “I sure appreciate this.” Hank nodded, docile as a kitten and sounding very depressed. Liv just hoped he’d bounce back to his jolly self by tomorrow’s breakfast.
    “Now, Hank, you don’t worry about a thing. Here’s the plan. We’ve got most everything cut out, but we’re going to need to fit it on you a few times. I took the liberty of calling Nancy Pyne to see if we could use her back room. That way you could rest up for tomorrow morning in between fittings. This might take most of the night.”
    “Good thinking.” Ted lifted his eyebrows at Liv and pushed Hank toward the back of the store. “We’ll just cut across the alley. I’ll call over to Buddy’s and have them send over some sandwiches and things.”
    Now that he had mentioned food, Liv was ravenous. “Can I do anything here? Or should I go over with Ted and Hank?”
    Miriam looked surprised. “Well, why don’t you go over with the men. Or you can go on home and get some sleep. I bet you could use it.”
    She could, but no way was she going to leave before that suit was finished and under lock and key.
    “I’ll stick around for a while.” When Liv caught up with them, Ted was scooping out de-icer from a plastic tub and tossing it out the door. “We don’t need anyone slipping and breaking an arm or anything. Come on, just be careful.”
    As soon as they stepped outside, they were hailed by the same police officer who had stopped Liv.
    “Just going to the Pyne Bough,” Ted called. “Making a new Santa suit. Lots of folks going to be coming back and forth all night, but we won’t get too close.”
    “Thank you, Ted.” The officer disappeared into the shadow of the building.
    Nancy met them at the back door. “Come on in. Make yourselves at home.” She didn’t sound nearly as welcoming as she had the last time. And who could blame her? She probably just wanted to go home to bed, not have to put up with witnesses and seamstresses and a suitless Santa.
    Liv could sympathize. This wasn’t even déjà vu. It was more like being stuck in the same loop, like those people in the old French movie who could never leave the party, or Bill Murray in
Groundhog