Read Online Monica Ferris_Needlecraft Mysteries_01 by Crewel World - Free Book Online

would never think of moving away. But now you’re here, and it would be too much to hope that both of you die.” Jill grinned.
    â€œBoth...” Betsy hardly knew where to begin her response to that. “She thinks I’m going to take over the shop?”
    â€œShe probably suspects you and Margot are going to run it together. At the very least, you have put her out of her part-time work here. She just doesn’t realize she hasn’t a prayer of succeeding on her own, even if this place closes. I mean, would you go into a store a second time to buy something from her?”
    Betsy grimaced. “She isn’t dangerous, is she?”
    Jill said sharply, “Now don’t go getting weird ideas! The only thing she’s crazy about is needlework. She’s actually tremendously talented at it. Most of it is museum quality. She routinely takes first prize in any contest she enters. Her problem is, she was never properly socialized. A few years ago Irene begged and nagged until Margot hired her to teach a class, but Irene has no patience with people not as talented as she is, and every one of her students quit by the fourth lesson.”
    Betsy nodded. “Yes, she was trying to show me how to purl when you came in, but wouldn’t slow down enough for me to catch on. Now let’s see if I remember how to open the cash register.”
    A few minutes later Betsy was handing over the correct change. “Where’s Margot?” Jill asked, pocketing her money. “I’ve got a question for her.”
    â€œUpstairs having a bowl of soup. She’ll be back any second. Do you want to wait?”
    â€œI can’t, I’m on patrol. Tell her I’ve got a pair of tickets to the Guthrie, and my boyfriend went and switched shifts with someone, so now he can’t go. Ask her if she wants to come with me.”
    A new voice asked, “What’s the show?”
    They turned; it was Margot, coming in from the back.
    â€œ The Taming of the Shrew .”
    â€œOooooh,” sighed Margot. “When are the tickets for?”
    â€œTomorrow. I know Wednesdays are your day off, so I was hoping you could make it.”
    â€œThe Guthrie!” said Betsy, remembering. “I’ve heard about the Guthrie. It’s been written up in national magazines, hasn’t it? It’s supposed to be a great place to see good plays. I’d forgotten it was way up here in Minneapolis—or is it in St. Paul?”
    â€œMinneapolis,” said Jill, and for some reason there was disapproval again in her voice.
    Margot explained, “Minneapolis and St. Paul don’t like being mistaken for one another. Jill, I’m sorry, I can’t go. I promised to make a presentation at our city-council meeting about next year’s art fair tomorrow evening. Debbie Hart’s going to be out of town and I promised her I’d do it. I’m really sorry.”
    â€œYeah, well, maybe another time. Though I hate to see this ticket go to waste.”
    â€œWhy don’t you take Betsy?”
    â€œMe?” They looked at her and Betsy tried to explain the tone of voice that had come out in. “I mean, I like Shakespeare very much, but if this is a grand production, you don’t want to waste that invitation on someone you hardly know. Surely another friend ...”
    But some signal must have run between Margot and Jill because the latter said, “Betsy, you’ll have to take a look at what passes for the big city in this part of the world sooner or later. Might as well be tomorrow. So let’s make a night of it; we can have dinner at Buca’s, and you can tell me how awful Italian food is in the upper Midwest. Then we’ll go see how badly our legitimate theater compares to the stuff on the Great White Way.”
    Betsy took a breath to say no, but Margot had that look that meant she was hoping Betsy would not be rude, so Betsy turned to Jill and said only a