Quilt city, p.1
Quilt City, page 1
Quilt City: Measure Once, Cut Twice
A Hadley Carroll Mystery, Book 3
Bruce Leonard
Eye-Time Press
Contents
Awards, Accolades, and Praise
Also by Bruce Leonard
1. Shards
2. Family Matters
3. Or Does It?
4. Playing Games
5. Incisive
6. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
7. Different Kinds of Wounds
8. Not a Surprise
9. What Might Have Been
10. Catching Up
11. Expect the Unexpected
12. More than Insults
13. A Suspect Legacy
14. Who Am I?
15. Higher Anxiety
16. How Many More?
17. A Busted Stitch
18. Perchance to Dream
19. Making Connections
20. Recruitment
21. Looking into the Depths
22. Manifesting a Manifest
23. In a Haystack
24. Expiration Date
25. Camaraderie & Escape
26. Making Progress
27. Maybe Not
28. Fisticuffs & Fentanyl
29. Hide and Seek
30. Secrets Revealed
31. Some Clarity
32. Closing the Net
33. Pulling the Thread
34. Talking First
35. Resolve & Resolution
A Taste of Quilt City Cookbook
The Opening of Quilt City Murders:
Acknowledgments
Awards, Accolades, and Praise
Quilt City Murders was named Best Mystery of 2022 by the National Indie Excellence Awards
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Quilt City: Measure Once, Cut Twice is the BEST book Bruce Leonard has written! I loved Quilt City Murders and couldn't see how it could have been any better, but then he goes and writes this excellent mystery, full of laughs, weighty issues, and fully realized characters, and I'm once again blown away by its awesomeness.
—Jenny Raith
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Measure Once, Cut Twice is an utterly readable and entertaining mystery; I was intrigued right from the start. The characters, led by the engaging and outspoken Hadley Carroll, feel very real. It’s an excellent novel.
—Andrew Balmat
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I like the community of characters in Quilt City: Measure Once, Cut Twice, and how they carry on from the first book. I think it’s a really lovely portrayal of women, the things we care about, and how we support each other. Another winner!
—Jen Maverick
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Praise for Quilt City Murders, the first Hadley Carroll Mystery:
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Hadley Carroll is one of the best characters I have stumbled across in years. … [I] was completely hooked by the end of the first paragraph. My mission in life now is to introduce the amazing Ms. Carroll to all of my non-quilting friends.
—Kathy Krentz
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The characters were masterfully drawn, the language was artful, interesting, and humorous. … Leonard’s writing style is as accessible as it is clever. I loved the tidbits of humor peppered throughout. We can’t wait for the next one.
—John Dodd
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Many of the other 5-star reviews here are eloquent and on-target, so I'll just add that this is the first 'quilt' mystery I've read whose story could stand on its own no matter the milieu, and whose details re quilting and quilters were credible. I enjoyed it, feel like I got a free trip to the quilt mega-festival in Paducah, and will look forward to further series titles.
—A reviewer on Amazon
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Praise for Quilt City: Panic in Paducah, the second Hadley Carroll Mystery:
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Filled with wit, nuggets of wisdom, and twists you won’t see coming, Quilt City: Panic in Paducah is the perfect second installment of the Hadley Carroll Mystery Series. A must-read!
—Rob Samborn, author of
The Prisoner of Paradise and Painter of the Damned
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Reading Quilt City: Panic in Paducah was an absolute treat. Bruce Leonard strikes the perfect blend of humor and mystery in this gripping sequel that is somehow better than its predecessor.
—Shanessa Gluhm, author of Enemies of Doves and The River of Crows
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The witticisms give a break from the tense twists and turns of the plot, and the reader is kept guessing right up until the end. I’m looking forward to Leonard’s next release.
—Ty Keenum, author of
The Little Church in the Valley and The Crystal Palace
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Praise for Quilt City Cookbook, narrated by Hadley Carroll:
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Welcome to the mind and kitchen of Hadley Carroll (and the unbridled wit of Bruce Leonard) as you thumb through this delightful dessert cookbook. She will keep you entertained with her stories and antics as your cookies bake. I can’t say I’ve tested all the recipes, but the peanut butter cookies are out-of-this-world!
—Alex Blevens, author of Bycatch
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Hadley Carroll is my absolute favorite character in the mystery world right now, and this cookbook written from her point of view is another winner by Bruce Leonard. I love a cookbook that has a “readable” style to go along with the recipes, and Hadley’s introduction to the recipes and all the fun bits in between made this the most enjoyable read I’ve had in a good while! This cookbook has earned a coveted place on the shelf of my favorite cookbooks in the kitchen!
—Jenny Raith
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Praise for Bruce Leonard’s upcoming hard-boiled detective novel Hard Exit:
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This is a smart, edgy, state-of-the-art L.A. noir with heart. Jack Drake is a private eye with grit, a few demons and a semi-glamorous life on the beach in Malibu. This series is a terrific addition to the modern hard-boiled genre.
—New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz
Quilt City: Measure Once, Cut Twice
A Hadley Carroll Mystery, Book Three
By Bruce Leonard
Published by Eye-Time Press
Copyright © 2023 Bruce Leonard
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 979-8-9868235-6-0 paperback
979-8-9868235-7-7 ebook
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This is a novel, meaning I made up the story but set it in Paducah, Kentucky, a real and impressive small city where I lived for two years and still visit frequently. The characters came from my imagination, so they’re not based on anyone, living or dead. If one of the characters reminds you of your Uncle Ned, well, that’s just coincidence.
If you’d like to reproduce part or all of this book, you are not legally allowed to do so, in any format. Doing so would violate the copyright, and then lawyers would have to get involved. Although many of my friends are lawyers, I’d rather not involve them because I probably owe them money.
Cover Design: Getcovers.com
Cover Photos: Bruce Leonard
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First Edition
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Printed in the United States of America
Created with Vellum
Also by Bruce Leonard
Quilt City Murders, named Best Mystery of 2022 by the National Indie Excellence Awards
Quilt City: Panic in Paducah, the second Hadley Carroll Mystery
Quilt City Cookbook, a companion book narrated by Hadley at her funniest and most vulnerable
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Coming Soon: Hard Exit, a detective novel set in Malibu and South Los Angeles that’s narrated by depressed private eye to the Hollywood stars, Jack Drake
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My books are available via my website and elsewhere:
https://www.bruceleonardwriter.com
* * *
While you’re there, please sign up for my infrequent newsletter, which will allow me to let you know when my upcoming books will be published.
One
Shards
“How’s the cookbook coming along, Hadley?” Vivian Franey asked during Paducah Quilters Quorum, our weekly quilting group.
“Okay,” I answered, “but the deadline’s almost here, and I may not finish. I’m exhausted, and I haven’t seen Brandon this week.”
“The world won’t end if you allow yourself some downtime,” Cindy Baron said. “You could’ve said no.”
“Yeah, right,” Dakota Crowley said. “When has she ever said no to a challenge, especially if it involves overworking?” The pained expression on my best friend’s face contradicted her playful teasing.
“I thought Quilt City Cookbook was a bad idea from the beginning,” Donna Ackerman said. “I mean, with everything you’re juggling, and you about to become mayor, why’d you agree to that deadline? Not that your panna cotta and biscotti aren’t delicious. They sure as shootin’ are.”
Seven of us were seated around the dining table in my decrepit Arts & Crafts house in Lower Town on that November Saturday afternoon, instead of the usual Sunday because two members wouldn’t have been able to attend the next day. We were putting together a crazy quilt that utilized one one-millionth of the scraps we had collectively accumulated in our stashes. Evelyn Lewy, the sister of the outgoing mayor whose seat I was almost certain to win in three days, had suggested we make a crazy quilt. The idea was fine, but the quilt we were creating was so chromatically and geo
Ashley Pope, the eighteen-year-old Murray State freshman who’d moved in with me after she’d suffered significant traumas six weeks before, shuffled from her room to the bathroom without acknowledging us.
“How’s she doing?” Tasha Wilson asked.
“Better and worse days,” I said.
“Like everyone else,” Donna said. She understood depression in a way no one ever should: Her son, Matt Ackerman, my former fiancé, had been murdered. Donna had technically existed since I’d delivered the horrific news to her, but just barely. Her drinking had increased, and she’d put on a significant amount of weight by rarely eating anything other than Domino’s pizzas and Oreos. She managed to fill her shifts at Michael’s and to attend church occasionally, although I hadn’t seen her at St. Francis de Sales the last two weeks. The only socializing she did was at PQQ, and she missed about one quarter of our sessions. In fact, I was surprised to see her that day because she’d called on Friday to say she likely wouldn’t attend. “My friend from work, Luann, ain’t doing good,” Donna had said, “so I think maybe I’ll visit her instead.” I was glad Donna had changed her mind and joined us.
On her way back to her bedroom, Ashley lifted her hand in greeting, and said, “Hey, y’all.” We said hello, and I said, “Ash, we’re about to eat, so please join us, if you feel up to it.”
“Maybe I’ll grab something quick,” she said. “Don’t want to be a bother.”
“Not even close to a bother,” Vivian said. “It would be nice to gab a while.”
“Maybe in a bit.”
Ash had hardly interacted with me in days, so I took her “maybes” as a good sign, as I did Donna’s presence at PQQ. But Dakota’s expression concerned me.
“You okay, D?” I asked.
“Fine,” she said. “My stomach’s upset, but not enough to stop me from indulging. What’s for dessert?”
“Paducah Cheesecake. Chocolate. It’s my take on New York cheesecake, but less dense. It took me eight tries to get it right. Some recipes required more attempts.”
“No wonder you’re exhausted,” Cindy said. “Well, I can’t wait to dig in. It’s that time, isn’t it?”
We broke for lunch, and our potluck meal that day was as delicious as it usually was. Dakota surprised us all by preparing a dish herself, rather than buying one as she nearly always did. She’d made a simple spinach salad. My tastebuds said she’d under-seasoned it, but I ate my salad as she’d presented it so she didn’t catch me salting and peppering it. I didn’t want to discourage her culinary efforts.
While we ate, we joked and gently teased each other—as usual.
Evelyn said, “Bought me four yards of delightful Moda Berry Basket Blueberry at Fabrics & Notions yesterday. Not a clue what I’m gonna create with it, but sometimes fabric whispers, ‘Buy me,’ don’t it?”
“Or screams it,” Dakota said. A few of us laughed.
“Customer service there’s better than Hancock’s,” Cindy said.
“They’re on the expensive side,” Evelyn said, “but the owner’s not hard on the eyes. Not that I noticed.” We laughed.
At one point, Tasha asked, “Now that we’ve covered binge watching and purchases we didn’t need, anyone seeing someone new?”
“Only the same man I’ve been seeing every day for thirty-two years,” Evelyn said.
“No, but I may soon,” Cindy said. “A few weeks ago, that lump of negativity I’m married to challenged me to create a quilt blindfolded. I chose a Moon over the Mountain. It won’t win any contests, but it’s good enough to collect my prize: a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas. With luck, I’ll meet someone who’d prefer to go on a cruise with me instead of staying home watching football and playing with his infernal trains.”
“Congratulations,” I said. “That must’ve been difficult.”
“Not as difficult as living with Ned,” Cindy said. “By the way, Dakota, how does justifiable homicide work?”
The rest of us laughed, but Dakota, a lawyer, said, “I didn’t hear that. Off the record, however, it’s best to make it look like an accident.” She smiled.
“How ’bout you, Dakota?” Vivian asked. “Anyone promising?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Dakota said. “The dating pool of educated men around here who’d consider me an equal is as deep as a thimble—and I can’t even find the thimble.”
We laughed, then expressed our concern, condolences, and support.
Tasha said, “I was sandbagging. I was hoping someone would ask, so I’ll just tell y’all. Date number five with Montel last night was perfect. I don’t kiss and tell, but y’all ain’t stupid, so. …”
Each of us said some version of, “We’re happy for you.”
However, throughout most of the socializing, my mind was elsewhere. After I’d asked for the PQQers’ opinions a month earlier about the first few recipes in Quilt City Cookbook, Vivian had submitted them without my knowledge to various independent publishers. BigStory Press had offered me a contract (without specifying the terms), but only if I could deliver the manuscript and photos by November 10, a few days after the election. BigStory wanted to release the book in time for the holidays.
During PQQ, I ate and socialized, but I didn’t want the countless hours I’d spent working on the cookbook to go to waste by missing the first writing deadline of my career, so I was antsy because I wasn’t baking, writing, re-writing, or editing.
And yet the cookbook wasn’t as worrisome as what would follow PQQ that evening. The man I was dating, Detective Brandon Green of the Paducah Police Department, would drive me to his hometown of Murphysboro, Illinois, about an hour and a half northwest of Paducah, to meet his mother and three of his four younger sisters for dinner.
I’d spent most of the night perfecting Paducah Cheesecake because Brandon had told me his mother, Lottie Green, didn’t eat cookies, didn’t like lemon bars, and only indulged in dessert when cheesecake was offered. When I was certain I’d perfected the recipe, I’d baked two cakes, one for PQQ and the other for the “meet his family” dinner. My fellow quilters let me know the cheesecake exceeded their high expectations.
In addition to my hypertensive level of stress caused by owning and running the weekly newspaper and ever-changing website Paducah Pulse, my burden would increase that night when my sister, Jenny Carroll, arrived at Barkley Regional Airport from Los Angeles by way of Charlotte, North Carolina. The west-to-east-to-west routing was necessary because of limited air service to and from Paducah. However, it saved me a drive to Nashville or to St. Louis, and Jenny liked to fly, so she said she would enjoy the extra hours in the air. The boyfriend she’d hoped would accompany her on the trip had been arrested for possession with intent to distribute opioids, so she would travel alone.
