Free Gone But Knot Forgotten by Mary Marks Page B

provide you with an appraisal.
    Judging by the signatures on the red and white blocks, you appear to have a friendship quilt. The central block with a circle of thirteen stars on a blue square is especially intriguing. This may indicate the quilt dates back to Colonial times. As you know, the first American flag featured the same design.
    I will send the photo to a friend of mine, who is the curator of American Quilts in the Smithsonian, for her opinion and let you know what she says. You may have something rather unique.
    Very truly yours,
Anne Smith, Curator
International Quilt Study Center

    Birdie had observed an avid collector of Early Americana should have owned some quilts. According to this letter, Harriet did have at least one and had sought an expert appraisal. A quilt made so long ago would be quite valuable.
    Friendship quilts had been made in some form or another since Colonial times. Occasionally, when a new bride left home or when a friend or relative moved away from their community, loved ones gave them a quilt as both a remembrance and a practical gift. Each friend contributed a block for the top. Sometimes the blocks were signed, like a going-away card, only in fabric. When the industrial revolution and the westward expansion created a mobile population, friendship quilts were assembled for those preparing to travel far from their roots.
    Was this the “old quilt” Estella said she wanted? As soon as the police permitted us to return to Harriet’s, I’d search the upstairs thoroughly. The quilt might be stashed in some drawer or closet. Or maybe it lay on one of the beds underneath the duvet, especially if Harriet knew the best way to store a fragile old quilt was unfolded and out of the light. If the quilt hid anywhere in her house, I’d find it.
    Dr. Anne Smith sent another letter a week later.

    January 28,
    Dear Mrs. Oliver,
    I enjoyed our conversation yesterday regarding your remarkable quilt. Today I consulted with my friend, Dr. Naomi Hunter, curator of American Quilts at the Smithsonian. She is most anxious to examine this possibly historic item of great significance. I will call you to arrange a time when we may come to Los Angeles to visit you.
    Warmest regards,
Anne Smith

    Judging from the date of this letter, Harriet was still alive on January 27 when she spoke to Dr. Smith. Another letter arrived two weeks later from the Smithsonian.

    February 13
    Â 
    Dear Mrs. Oliver,
    Dr. Anne Smith faxed me the photograph of your friendship quilt, and I am very eager to examine it. This quilt may be a priceless American treasure. Perhaps you have heard of the Declaration Quilt? Mrs. Abigail Adams mentioned it in some of her correspondence with Mrs. Sarah Franklin Bache, Benjamin Franklin’s daughter. Historians know this quilt existed, but its whereabouts has been lost to history.
    I understand Dr. Smith was unable to reach you again after your conversation. I urge you to call Dr. Smith or myself. I will gladly provide you with more information when we meet.
    Yours truly,
Dr. Naomi Hunter, Curator

    The letter from the Smithsonian indicated Harriet failed to respond to Anne Smith’s second letter, so Harriet must have been murdered sometime between January 28 and before February 13. If she lay dead in her closet, who opened the letter from Dr. Hunter? Who else had hunted for this “priceless American treasure”?
    I’d never heard of the Declaration Quilt, but I’d call Dr. Hunter on Monday to find out more. How long had the Oliver family owned the quilt? How did they acquire it? Did Estella know the true value?
    The rest of the papers from Harriet’s desk yielded only one interesting item, a checkbook she kept for personal use. The register indicated she wrote weekly checks for five hundred dollars to Paulina Polinskaya, a name I recognized from the blue address book. The woman never returned my call.
    The checks began two years ago and continued on a