Four-Patch of Trouble Read Online Free Page B

organized in shifts so we can camp out here 24/7 until the quilt show starts. After that, we'll need to take more drastic steps. I'd rather see the show canceled than have Tremain in it. I'd hate to do that though. We've had a show here in Danger Cove for thirty-two years now, without missing a single year."
    Dee and Emma and most of the other quilters were of a generation that made an arrest for civil disobedience more of an honor than a humiliation. Still, I doubted the older women would appreciate the realities of handcuffs, mug shots, and holding cells. "Getting arrested isn't going to help your case."
    "Keely may be right," Matt said. "From what I know of Tremain, he isn't the sort to give in to pressure, but you might be able to blindside him if you let him win a small skirmish. He'll think you're weak, and you can get some concessions from him before he realizes his mistake."
    "That sounds reasonable." Emma looked to Dee for the final decision.
    "I hate being reasonable," Dee said irritably before turning to Keely. "Do you think we have any chance of getting Tremain to do the right thing?"
    "Not as long as the protestors are outside. Matt's right that a good-faith gesture can open up communication."
    "All right," Dee said. "Everyone's probably getting anxious to go pick up their kids or grandkids from school anyway."
    Emma opened the door for Dee to go out and dismiss her protestors. Matt pointed past them at a slight-bodied man in the crosswalk at the end the end of the block, near the alley where I'd met Alyse. "Here comes more trouble," he said. "I'll take care of Stefan while the protestors are disbanding."

 
CHAPTER THREE
     
    I trailed after Matt, wondering what kind of trouble the unimposing Stefan could possibly offer. He wasn't much taller than Dee and looked just as frail, despite appearing in his thirties. He wore baggy clothes that were even less fashionable than Matt's, if less faded and worn out. The cuffs of his pale-blue shirt were buttoned but still managed to float down near his fingertips, and the hems of his navy slacks dragged on the sidewalk. Add in a little red bow tie, and it was hard to see him as a troublemaker.
    Stefan eluded Matt's attempts to divert him and scurried over to air-kiss Dee. "It's so good to see you, Darling Dee. Have you finally convinced the police to shut down Monograms?"
    "Not yet," Dee said. "But we will. One way or another."
    Emma opened her mouth, presumably to tell the little man I was an avenging angel cum lawyer, when Dee silenced her with a pat on the arm. "Keely, this is Stefan Anderson. He owns the folk art gallery across the street. His quilts are legit."
    I recognized the last name. Stefan was the dealer whose quilt I would be appraising for the museum.
    "Of course my quilts are legitimate. I have scruples." Stefan peered at Matt. "And good taste. You, sir, are a disgrace, squandering all your potential."
    Matt shrugged. "All in the eye of the beholder."
    "Some eyes are more skilled than others," Stefan said. "As a connoisseur of all things beautiful, I have the credentials to tell you you're a mess today. Just like the last dozen times I've seen you."
    "Credentials are easy to come by," Matt said. "Your buddy Tremain claims to be an expert too."
    "He's hardly my buddy." Stefan raised his hands to waist level and shook them so the cuffs fell back to his wrists. "He prefers to hang around with people who have no soul. Politicians and businessmen. He gets his so-called credentials with their influence, not from actual knowledge and experience."
    The two men continued to bicker as Matt maneuvered Stefan to one side, allowing Dee and Emma to send the picketers home. I might have intervened, except I was curious why Stefan was so critical of Matt, and my asking would give the impression that I cared about the answer more than I was prepared to admit. Besides, the bickering didn't have any real heat to it, as if it was more a habit than anything else. Or maybe a game.