Free Knot in My Backyard (A Quilting Mystery) by Mary Marks Page B

Ed’s backyard was—right across from the maroon-and-gold monstrosity. If he killed Martin, he could have tossed the murder weapon over the fence into Ed’s yard. Then he could have called in the anonymous tip to the police.
    Now I had a suspect, so finding a witness was more important than ever. If the homeless couple Javier and Graciela saw the murder, they might be able to identify Jefferson Davis as the killer.
    The clock read nearly five. I hadn’t eaten anything since the apple fritter at breakfast. Remembering breakfast made me once again think of Beavers. I needed food. Now.
    Thawing a chicken breast from the freezer and broiling it would take way too long to prepare. Ditto with a salad. Too labor intensive. I emptied a can of chicken noodle soup into a bowl and nuked it in the microwave for one minute and thirty seconds. Meanwhile, I counted out five saltine crackers and cut in wedges one medium peach for dessert. Total prep time from can to steaming bowl to table was three minutes—my kind of cooking.
    I had just finished the last juicy segment of peach when the phone rang. “Hi, Martha, this is Ed.”
    “Hey, Ed. You okay?” I could sympathize with his ordeal. My recent experience of overnight detention in jail was scary and exhausting.
    “Yeah, so far. Listen, what you did for me last night was awesome. I can’t thank you enough. Crusher says you were really brave. I think he likes you.”
    Crusher was in the background. “Aw, come on, man.”
    Ed chuckled. “Anyway, I’m having a meeting here tomorrow morning at ten with my lawyer and some other people to talk about my situation. Do you think you could come? You risked your life for me. You found the body. You’re good at putting things together. And my man Crusher—he’s crushin’ on you.”
    From the background, “. . . it, man!”
    Ed was only teasing, but I didn’t need another romantic complication in my life—even if it was just one-sided. I didn’t like Crusher in that way; but when Beavers walked out of my life, he apparently thought I did.
    On the other hand, I remembered Diane Davis and the phone call from her husband. I had just stumbled upon someone besides Ed Pappas who might have had a motive to get rid of Dax Martin. “Sure. I’ll be there.”

CHAPTER 14
    I arrived at Ed’s house at ten o’clock on Thursday morning. Three Harleys sat in his driveway and a blue Prius sat at the curb. I knocked on the door. Ed gathered me in a warm hug. “Thanks for coming, Martha. And thanks for everything you’ve done.”
    He led me into the living room, where Crusher sat along with two other men and a woman. “You already know Crusher.”
    We nodded at each other.
    Next to Crusher sat a man I recognized as the biker who had scooped the bleeding Arthur off the ground and put him in the backseat of my car. He was slender, with strong shoulders and arms, had blond hair, and looked to be barely out of his teens. Ed introduced him as Carl.
    “Thanks for helping me with my dog the other night.”
    Carl smiled. “He’s one great dog. How’s he doing?”
    I remembered how furious Beavers had become when he learned Arthur was seriously wounded because of my stupidity. I also remembered the pretty blond vet who flirted so openly with him. “He’s recovering.” Would I?
    Ed pointed to a man sitting alone in a chair. “This is our friend Simon Aiken. He’s also my attorney. Fortunately, he was here when the cops arrested me. He stuck with me during the interrogation and eventually got me out without being charged.”
    Simon Aiken acknowledged me with intense dark eyes. He had a raptor’s nose, high cheekbones, and dark hair. Instead of biker leather, Aiken wore a gray Italian suit, with a tie of sky blue silk loosened around his neck.
    Ed finally introduced me to a young woman, with very long brown hair, wearing gray linen slacks and a blue cotton blouse. The Prius probably belonged to her. “This is Dana Fremont, Simon’s assistant.