Read Online Yarn Over Murder (A Knitting Mystery) by Maggie Sefton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Maggie Sefton
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eating dinner, of course,” Jennifer added.
“Don’t tell Marty. He’ll be over here for lunch to finish off that pie.” Kelly laughed.
“That means Cassie’s going to have a growth spurt. Kids’ appetites always pick up right before they shoot up in height,” Burt said. “I remember watching my daughter grow up, and my grandkids. It happened like clockwork.”
“Wow, she’s pretty tall for her age now.”
“When’s her twelfth birthday?” Kelly asked.
“July tenth. It’s a Saturday, so we’ll have a big party late that afternoon. With all this heat in June, it’s bound to be broiling by July.” Jennifer glanced around at the smaller amount of midmorning customers starting to thin out before the lunch crowd arrived. “I’ll check on you two later,” she said, turning away toward the other tables.
“I only stopped in for coffee before I pick up some supplies for the Salvation Army folks. All of their staff are on duty out there at the Ranch, serving hot meals from their special food truck. So I volunteered to run stuff from town out to Landport for the Red Cross and to the Salvation Army at the Ranch by the interstate. Trying to be useful.”
“How’s that fire look from the highway outside town? You can get a better long-range view of the mountains from there. Last night, Steve and I drove out to the interstate for a long-distance view. Black clouds were glowing red, orange, and yellow. Even the setting sun glowed bloodred. It was frightening.”
Burt’s expression sobered. “Fire’s gotten worse, judging from all the smoke. The national incident commander gave the news update this morning, if you watched it. The Hot Shots jumped right in, but the fire had spread so much it’ll be hard for even them to slow it down. More are coming in today.”
“Both Steve and I watched the update. Thank goodness we’re getting some help. Plus a water tanker plane. He said one was coming in today. Poudre Canyon residents were evacuated, and the road’s closed from Ted’s Place store at the intersection with the main highway, all the way west into the canyon up near Rustic.”
Kelly’s smartphone that lay on the table beeped with a text message. She picked it up and read. “From Lisa. She said . . . Oh, no. Wildfire has spread over Soldier Canyon Ridge. Greg spotted the fire blazing in the trees from his office windows at the university.” Kelly looked up at Burt; his surprise mirrored hers.
“Good Lord,” Burt said, then tossed down his coffee and pushed back his chair. “I’d better get those supplies over to Landport, then see what else I can do.”
Kelly rose and pushed her laptop closed. Spreadsheets could wait. “If it’s spread over the top of Soldier Canyon Ridge, that means it’s burning on the ridge right above Horsetooth Reservoir. There are bunches of mountain homes all along there.”
Burt pulled his cell phone from his pocket as he walked toward the back door of the café. “They’re gonna have to get those folks out of there. I’m calling Dan to see if the department needs any help with directing traffic away from that area. Talk to you later, Kelly.” He was out the door and down the steps quickly.
Kelly headed for the front door and down the steps, then out the curved stucco archway entrance to the front parking lot near the busy city street. Walking away from the shop, she aimed for the edge of the golf course, hoping she could glimpse something from there. Peering westward in the hot, hazy midmorning sky, Kelly thought she spotted a new plume of smoke, but buildings in Old Town blocked a clear view.
Her phone beeped again, and it was a message from Marty, sent to the group. He could see the fire from the tall bank building where his law offices were located, west of Old Town. Flames were burning hot red orange.
Kelly’s gut squeezed.
Oh, no
. So many people had made the foothills near Horsetooth Reservoir their home, building some grand but mostly modest
“Don’t tell Marty. He’ll be over here for lunch to finish off that pie.” Kelly laughed.
“That means Cassie’s going to have a growth spurt. Kids’ appetites always pick up right before they shoot up in height,” Burt said. “I remember watching my daughter grow up, and my grandkids. It happened like clockwork.”
“Wow, she’s pretty tall for her age now.”
“When’s her twelfth birthday?” Kelly asked.
“July tenth. It’s a Saturday, so we’ll have a big party late that afternoon. With all this heat in June, it’s bound to be broiling by July.” Jennifer glanced around at the smaller amount of midmorning customers starting to thin out before the lunch crowd arrived. “I’ll check on you two later,” she said, turning away toward the other tables.
“I only stopped in for coffee before I pick up some supplies for the Salvation Army folks. All of their staff are on duty out there at the Ranch, serving hot meals from their special food truck. So I volunteered to run stuff from town out to Landport for the Red Cross and to the Salvation Army at the Ranch by the interstate. Trying to be useful.”
“How’s that fire look from the highway outside town? You can get a better long-range view of the mountains from there. Last night, Steve and I drove out to the interstate for a long-distance view. Black clouds were glowing red, orange, and yellow. Even the setting sun glowed bloodred. It was frightening.”
Burt’s expression sobered. “Fire’s gotten worse, judging from all the smoke. The national incident commander gave the news update this morning, if you watched it. The Hot Shots jumped right in, but the fire had spread so much it’ll be hard for even them to slow it down. More are coming in today.”
“Both Steve and I watched the update. Thank goodness we’re getting some help. Plus a water tanker plane. He said one was coming in today. Poudre Canyon residents were evacuated, and the road’s closed from Ted’s Place store at the intersection with the main highway, all the way west into the canyon up near Rustic.”
Kelly’s smartphone that lay on the table beeped with a text message. She picked it up and read. “From Lisa. She said . . . Oh, no. Wildfire has spread over Soldier Canyon Ridge. Greg spotted the fire blazing in the trees from his office windows at the university.” Kelly looked up at Burt; his surprise mirrored hers.
“Good Lord,” Burt said, then tossed down his coffee and pushed back his chair. “I’d better get those supplies over to Landport, then see what else I can do.”
Kelly rose and pushed her laptop closed. Spreadsheets could wait. “If it’s spread over the top of Soldier Canyon Ridge, that means it’s burning on the ridge right above Horsetooth Reservoir. There are bunches of mountain homes all along there.”
Burt pulled his cell phone from his pocket as he walked toward the back door of the café. “They’re gonna have to get those folks out of there. I’m calling Dan to see if the department needs any help with directing traffic away from that area. Talk to you later, Kelly.” He was out the door and down the steps quickly.
Kelly headed for the front door and down the steps, then out the curved stucco archway entrance to the front parking lot near the busy city street. Walking away from the shop, she aimed for the edge of the golf course, hoping she could glimpse something from there. Peering westward in the hot, hazy midmorning sky, Kelly thought she spotted a new plume of smoke, but buildings in Old Town blocked a clear view.
Her phone beeped again, and it was a message from Marty, sent to the group. He could see the fire from the tall bank building where his law offices were located, west of Old Town. Flames were burning hot red orange.
Kelly’s gut squeezed.
Oh, no
. So many people had made the foothills near Horsetooth Reservoir their home, building some grand but mostly modest
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