Counted corpse, p.18
Counted Corpse, page 18
Then, we all loaded up my car and Mika’s car for the farmer’s market the next day while Demetrius called the Pierce Inn to see if they had a room we could use for a burger bar in a half-hour.
That is one of the perks of a small town – even the best restaurant usually has space for you at the last minute. So we all walked over and enjoyed great burgers while we tried to forget just how messed up our world could be, at least for a few minutes.
* * *
Then next morning, I dropped Sawyer off early at his dad’s, and he was delighted to see that the slip and slide was already out and ready for him. He gave me a behind-the-back wave goodbye, and I headed into town to meet Mika at her shop.
I was very surprised to see Dad, Lucille, and Mary there when I arrived, but when they said they were coming to help us at the market, I almost cried. I had been worried that we couldn’t handle the kind of traffic that came through, and I was so very tired from the events of the week.
When we pulled up to our spot, a prime location at a corner near the walking mall in the city, Santiago was already there with two canopies open and three tables lined up at the front of our space. He was in the process of putting out camping chairs, and when I saw him, I ran to him, kissed him deeply, and said a heartfelt thank you. Now, I was excited about the day.
Soon, we had our “Stitches and Yarns” sign up on the front of the table, and Lucille had set up her phone with the new mobile credit card machine Mika had ordered. All of our merchandise was displayed on the tables, and Mika had brought a few of her handmade items to hang around the tent for sale and to add visual interest.
While the four of us women finished with the details of our booth, Dad and Santiago went to get us savory crepes from the booth down the way, and soon, the customers started rolling in. Dad’s picture frames went fast as did the one coffee table he’d made as a sample for custom orders. My cross-stitch kits were a big hit, and Mika sold out of all the hand-spun yarn she had brought with her as well as several baby sweaters she’d had on display.
The day went by briskly, especially since the guys kept us plied with good food and drinks from our fellow business owners. And by the end of the day, we had more than doubled the money we had put into the booth, given out dozens of business cards, and had a ton of fun in the process. Before we left, Mika booked us for the next three weekends, and I found I was looking forward to it.
Just as the market closed in the early afternoon, Demetrius Cleveland stopped by and asked if we all had time for a little pit stop on the way back to Octonia. I was exhausted and really ready to cross-stitch and watch TV, but he seemed so excited that I didn’t have it in me to say no.
He led our caravan of vehicles through downtown Charlottesville and over to the grounds of the University of Virginia. After we parked in the garage and walked up to the main level of the campus, we saw there, right in front of the Rotunda, a group of people gathered around a central circle. Many of them were dressed in colorful regalia that was covered in beads and feathers, and under one tent at the edge of the circle, three men and a woman were beating a drum and singing.
As we approached, Chief Stephenson stepped out to meet us. She was dressed in a long deerskin skirt and a matching top with delicate fringe decorated with white beads at the base of both pieces. In her silvering hair, she had two feathers attached to a beautiful, beaded headband. “Welcome to our celebration,” she said as she hugged each of us.
“Thank you,” I said. “What are we celebrating?”
“All of us,” she said as she took my hand and led me to the circle. “Our ancestors and our stories. The truth coming to light. New friends.” She left us standing at the edge of the circle as she and a group of women took to the center and began to dance.
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Also by ACF Bookens
St. Marin’s Cozy Mystery Series
Publishable By Death
Entitled To Kill
Bound To Execute
Plotted For Murder
Tome To Tomb
Scripted To Slay
Proof Of Death
Epilogue of An Epitaph - Coming October 2021
Hardcover Homicide - Coming December 2021
Stitches In Crime Series
* * *
Crossed By Death
Bobbins and Bodies
Hanged By A Thread
Counted Corpse
Stitch X For Murder - Coming in November 2021
Sewn At The Crime - Coming in January 2022
About the Author
ACF Bookens lives in the Southwest Mountains of Virginia, where the mountain tops remind her that life is a rugged beauty of a beast worthy of our attention. When she’s not writing, she enjoys chasing her son around the house with the full awareness she will never catch him, cross-stitching while she binge-watches police procedurals, and reading everything she can get her hands on. Find her at bookens.andilit.com.
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