Knit of the Living Dead. Peggy Ehrhart
KNIT OF THE LIVING DEAD
The small procession made its way through the trees until the stone building that housed the restrooms came into view. The path, however, was obstructed by the body of a woman.
“What’s that?” Gus whispered, as if the circumstances now called for reverence. “Around her neck?” He aimed the flashlight at a spot below the edge of the sunbonnet’s brim and above the edge of the organdy collar.
Pamela stepped closer and bent down. Several strands of thick yarn had been wrapped around the woman’s neck. “Yarn,” she whispered.
“Strangled, looks like,” Gus pronounced sagely.
“That’s Mary Lyon,” said another voice. It was Nell. She had caught up with them and her tone was more wondering than shocked. “My across-the-street neighbor,” she added.
“Can’t see her face,” Gus said. “So how do you know?”
“Bo Peep,” Nell said, her voice starting to quaver. “That’s her costume—Little Bo Peep.”
Pamela had looked up during this exchange, but now she motioned to Gus to redirect the flashlight, and she bent toward the dead woman’s neck again. She knew not to touch anything at a crime scene, but she stared—hard. There were no marks on the woman’s neck and the ends of the yarn hung loose. It was as if the plan to strangle had been abandoned at the last minute—though the victim had clearly been killed by some other means . . .
Books by Peggy Ehrhart
MURDER, SHE KNIT
DIED IN THE WOOL
KNIT ONE, DIE TWO
SILENT KNIT, DEADLY KNIT
A FATAL YARN
KNIT OF THE LIVING DEAD
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
KNIT of the LIVING DEAD
PEGGY EHRHART
KENSINGTON BOOKS
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
KNIT OF THE LIVING DEAD Also by Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 KNIT - Trick-or-Treat Tote NIBBLE - Pumpkin-Spice Crumb Cake BONUS NIBBLE - Roland’s Easy Candy-Corn Halloween Cookies
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2020 by Peggy Ehrhart
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-1-4967-2365-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-4967-2368-0 (ebook)
ISBN-10: 1-4967-2368-6 (ebook)
For my Sister in Crime, Ann Ray
Acknowledgments
Abundant thanks, again, to my agent, Evan Marshall, and to my editor at Kensington Books, John Scognamiglio.
Chapter 1
Pamela Paterson was feeling unimaginative. The figures moving in and out of the bright circle created by the bonfire’s dancing flames resembled wizards, mermaids, medieval jesters, zombies—and here was her best friend, Bettina Fraser, as a very credible Raggedy Ann, with a red yarn wig replacing Bettina’s own equally vivid scarlet hair. Pamela had done her best with her costume, but the outfit she had come up with—black slacks, a black sweater, and a headband featuring cat ears—now struck her as woefully lacking. At least she could have added whiskers and a tail!
The event was Arborville’s much-anticipated Halloween celebration, a parade down Arborville Avenue that allowed everyone to show off their costumes, followed by a bonfire in the town park. As Pamela chatted with Bettina, they were joined by Bettina’s husband, Wilfred. His post-retirement uniform of blue denim bib overalls formed the basis of his Raggedy Andy costume, and a plaid shirt and red yarn wig completed the look. Bettina’s costume was more elaborate. She wore a long-sleeved cotton dress in a colorful old-fashioned print,