Face To Face With A Killer

Spoiler Alert: This scene is re-written from the point of view of the killer. If you haven’t read Sins & Needles and don’t want to know whodunit, stop reading now and revisit this page after you’ve read the book.

This scene is from chapter 18 of Sins & Needles, the seventh book in the Knitorious Murder Mystery Series.

Megan’s father, famous author, Mitchell Monroe is signing books for fans. Megan is helping manage the crowd of fans who’ve lined up to meet their favourite author.

First, we have the original scene as told from Megan’s point of view, followed by the re-written scene from the culprit’s point of view.

Megan’s point of view:

Today, I’m thankful I sell yarn and not books; boxes of the former are much lighter than boxes of the latter. I’m lugging the last box of Shark Attack books from the storage room into the store when Dina flags me down from her place in line. 

“Hi, Dina,” I say, wiping box-dirt from my hands onto my jeans. “How are you?” 

“I’m OK,” she replies, hugging me. “Excited to meet Mitchell Monroe. He’s one of my mentors! I wrote a paper on his creative process when I got my Master of Fine arts.”  She spins around and shows me the black backpack she’s carrying. “I brought my Shark Attack books.” She smiles. “I understand if he doesn’t have enough time to sign all of them.” 

“That looks heavy.” If every book in the series is in there, it weighs about twenty pounds. “Would you like me to put it by the table for you?” 

Dina dismisses my offer with a wave of her hand. “It’s fine. I’m a bookworm, I’m used to toting books everywhere.” We laugh. 

“If you were here earlier, you would’ve run into Brooks,” I tell her. 

“I’ve seen enough of Brooks this weekend,” she says, shaking her head. “I don’t need to see any more of him.”

“Yes, I hear you had lunch together yesterday,” I say. 

“Yeah,” she nods. “We went to the local pub. It was nice. They have excellent food. The Irish nachos are the bomb!” 

“They are,” I agree, suddenly craving a platter of Irish nachos. “Can I ask you something, Dina?” She nods, so I proceed. “I get the feeling you don’t like Brooks. Why did you have lunch with him?”

“He said he needed to talk to me about Claire. He said it was important,” she replies, not denying my allegation that she doesn’t like him. 

“Oh?” I urge. 

Dina looks at the line of people behind her, then uses her chin to gesture to a quiet corner of the store. “If we step over there to talk, will I lose my place in line?” 

I shake my head. “I’ll make sure you don’t.” 

Dina follows me toward the cozy sitting area.

“He wanted me to approach Claire’s family and convince them to sell the Familia film rights,” she whispers near my ear. 

“Brooks wanted you to do that?” I clarify. 

Her eyes are wide, and she gives me a deep nod. “He doesn’t know Claire’s family, but I do. They like me and I like them. He thought my relationship with them would give me an advantage.” 

“Did you agree to do it?” I ask. 

“No! Of course not!” Dina sounds almost insulted. “I wouldn’t take advantage of them in their time of grief. Even if they weren’t grieving, I wouldn’t do it. Claire was clear. She did not want Familia made into a movie or TV series.” 

“Good for you for doing what you felt was right,” I commend her. 

“He said they’re going to approach Claire’s family with or without me. If I helped them, they would’ve cut me in, but I don’t care. I don’t need the money bad enough to go against Claire’s wishes or take advantage of her family’s grief.”

“They, who?” I ask. She looks at me confused. “You said they’re going to approach Claire’s family with or without you. Who are they?”

“Brooks and Jules,” she replies. “They’re partners.” 

Before I can ask her anything else, Zoe summons Dina to meet Mitchell and get her books signed. 

While Mitchell and Dina talk, my back is to them as I empty the last box of books.  

“Don’t stab yourself,” my dad teases with a jovial tone in his voice. “I guess that’s one way to keep pickpockets out of your stuff.” He and Dina laugh.

I turn around to see what they’re laughing about, but come face-to-face with a fan looking for Mitchell Monroe’s previous books to purchase. By the time I refer him to Zoe, Dina and Mitchell finish their meet-and-greet, and I’m ushering Dina toward the back door.  

“It was nice seeing you, Dina,” I say as I gesture toward the back door. “Oops! You have a little something.” I point to her shoulder. “May I?” 

She nods, and I pick a piece of lime-green fibre fuzz from her shoulder. “A bit of fibre attached itself to you. It must be your magnetic personality,” I tease, holding up the offending fluff. 

Dina shrugs. “Well, I am in a yarn store.” She giggles and waves goodbye on her way out.  

The Culprit’s point of view:

After waiting for what feels like hours, I’m finally near the front of the line. I wave my hands over my head to get Megan’s attention. 

“Hi, Dina,” Megan says, wiping her hands on her jeans. “How are you?” 

“I’m OK,” I reply, hugging her. “I’m excited to meet Mitchell Monroe. He’s one of my mentors! I wrote a paper on his creative process when I got my Master of Fine arts.” I spin around so she can see my black backpack. “I brought my Shark Attack books.” I smile. “I understand if he doesn’t have enough time to sign all of them.” 

“That looks heavy.” Megan comments, furrowing her brow. “Would you like me to put it by the table for you?” 

“It’s fine.” I decline her offer with a wave of my hand. “I’m a bookworm, I’m used to toting books everywhere.” We laugh. 

“If you were here earlier, you would’ve run into Brooks,” Megan says. 

“I’ve seen enough of Brooks this weekend,” I comment, shaking my head. “I don’t need to see any more of him.”

“Yes, I hear you had lunch together yesterday.” 

“Yeah,” I nod. “We went to the local pub. It was nice. They have excellent food. The Irish nachos are the bomb!” 

“They are,” Megan agrees. “Can I ask you something, Dina?” She pauses, waiting for permission, and I nod. “I get the feeling you don’t like Brooks. Why did you have lunch with him?”

“He said he needed to talk to me about Claire. He said it was important,” I explain.  

“Oh?” she urges, prying for more details.  

I glance around, searching for somewhere more private, then nod toward the quietest corner of the store. “If we step over there to talk, will I lose my place in line?” 

“I’ll make sure you don’t,” Megan assures me, leading me out of line. 

“He wanted me to approach Claire’s family and convince them to sell the Familia film rights,” I whisper near her ear. 

“Brooks wanted you to do that?” She asks, as if Brooks isn’t the shadiest guy around and always looking out for number one.  

I nod. “He doesn’t know Claire’s family, but I do. They like me and I like them. He thought my relationship with them would give me an advantage.” 

“Did you agree to do it?” she asks. 

“No! Of course not!” Megan doesn’t know me if she thinks I want anything to do with Brooks’s unscrupulous scheme. “I wouldn’t take advantage of them in their time of grief. Even if they weren’t grieving, I wouldn’t do it. Claire was clear. She did not want Familia made into a movie or TV series.” 

“Good for you for doing what you felt was right,” she commends. 

“He said they’re going to approach Claire’s family, with or without me. If I helped them, they would’ve cut me in, but I don’t care. I don’t need the money enough to go against Claire’s wishes or take advantage of her family’s grief.”

“They, who?” she asks, her face blank with confusion. “You said they’re going to approach Claire’s family, with or without you. Who are they?”

Who does she think? Maybe Megan Martel isn’t as observant as I thought. 

“Brooks and Jules,” I reply. “They’re partners.” 

Megan opens her mouth to speak, but Zoe summons me to Mitchell’s table.  

I can’t believe I’m meeting one of my biggest writing inspirations! I have so many questions for him. But I mustn't risk saying too much, so I contain myself and stick to getting him to sign my books. Nervous in the presence of my literary hero, I try to hide my sweaty palms and trembling hands.  

“Don’t stab yourself,” Mitchell teases with a chuckle when a mishmash of loose objects tumble out of my open backpack, scattering on the table. “I guess that’s one way to keep pickpockets out of your stuff,” he teases, raising his eyebrows and staring at the sharp tool.

I’m laughing with Mitchell Monroe! I dig out the books and shove the rest of my belongings back in my backpack. 

Mitchell signs my books and makes a joke about writer’s cramp. Then his wife summons the next person in line and hands me off to Megan, who escorts me to the back door. 

“It was nice seeing you, Dina,” Megan says, gesturing toward the back door. “Oops! You have a little something.” She stops herself from touching me with her pinched thumb and forefinger and points to her shoulder. “May I?” 

I nod, and Megan plucks a piece of lime-green fuzz from my shoulder. “A bit of fibre attached itself to you. It must be your magnetic personality,” she teases, inspecting the offending fluff. 

“Well, I am in a yarn store.” I shrug with a giggle. 

We exchange waves as I leave.   

Are you ready for the next Knitorious Murder Mystery? You can find Rest In Fleece: A Knitorious Murder Mystery book 8 here.