Cross-Stitch Before Dying Read Free Page A

enough to be of help,” Reggie said, lowering her head in modesty and pushing her silver wire-framed glasses up on her nose.
    “Good enough?” I scoffed. “She wants you to give the rest of us—including her crew in San Francisco—a crash course!”
    “I’m looking forward to seeing this movie,” Manu said. “Sonam Zakaria was an incredible talent.”
    “Yes, she was,” Reggie said. “But she had such extreme highs and lows in both her career and her personal life. Who will be playing her in the movie?”
    “I don’t know,” I said. “I didn’t think to ask Mom when I was talking with her.”
    “Will you have to go to San Francisco?” Ted asked, tossing a piece of pizza crust to Angus.
    “I should go at least overnight to get a feel for the designs and what Mom will need,” I said. “But most of our actual work will be done here. Reggie, I’d love for you to go with me to San Fran. How about this coming weekend? Maybe we could all go.”
    “I’d like that,” Reggie said.
    “Great. I’ll check to see if Mom thinks it’s a good idea. If she does, I’m sure the studio will pay for our flight, and we can stay with her. We could try to get a flight out right after work tomorrow evening and. . . .” I noticed the guys were looking at each other. And although I couldn’t read their expressions, I knew Ted well enough to realize that one or both of them would not be going to California. “What?”
    “Ted and I can’t go,” Manu said. “Our robbery suspect escaped this morning.”
    “Escaped? How?”
    “He punched the deputy who was cuffing him, and then he got away,” Ted said. “He apparently ran through one of the shops and out the back where we think there was a car waiting.”
    “You believe he had an accomplice?” I asked.
    “He would have had to have,” Manu said. “He got away too easily.”
    “We’re thinking he must’ve hidden in the trunk or the back floor and that his driver simply merged into the traffic and fled the scene while we were still combing the shops for our suspect,” Ted said.
    “Oh, my goodness. That’s terrible.” I placed my hand over Ted’s. “I’ll call Mom back and ask her to get someone else.”
    They all spoke at once.
    “No, you won’t,” said Ted.
    “Over my dead body,” Reggie chimed in.
    “That’s not necessary,” Manu said. “We’ll catch this guy . . . hopefully before the sun sets today.”
    “Still, I don’t think it’s appropriate to leave and go to San Francisco,” I said.
    “It’s a perfect time to go,” Ted said. “If we don’t catch this guy, Manu and I will be working around the clock to find him. You and Reggie might as well enjoy yourselves.”
    I turned to Reggie.
    She shrugged. “He’s right. Let’s go. We won’t do them any good by pacing the floors and wringing our hands at home. Trust me—I’ve been there and done that.”
    “Besides, somebody has to babysit.” Ted inclined his head toward Angus.
    “Our men are too busy for us this weekend, Marcy,” Reggie said with a wink. “We might as well skip town.”
    I smiled uncertainly. “I’ll make the arrangements.”

Chapter Two
    A fter lunch, I called Mom. “Reggie is on board,” I said. “In fact, she and I want to visit you this weekend so we can get a better feel for the project.” I had no intention of worrying Mom with the fact that the gunman Ted had pursued this morning had escaped. I might tell her over the weekend during our visit if he hadn’t been recaptured by then, but not now.
    “That’s wonderful. I was thinking of coming to you, but your coming here will be much better. You and Reggie can visit the set, meet with Henry and some of the other cast and crew members, and Reggie can show my in-house embroiderers some of her chikankari work,” she said. “When will you be here?”
    “I haven’t made the travel arrangements yet—I’ll do that as soon as we’re finished talking—but we hope to leave right after work