Sugared Demise

by Kate Bell

  I nodded. Stella had owned the bakery next to Polly’s gift shop and her death had been a shock to everyone.

  “Me too,” Ethan said tiredly. “But we’ll find the killer.”

  “I hope things turn around,” I murmured. I had hoped things were looking up for Pumpkin Hollow, but I was losing confidence that that would ever happen. I didn’t know Eldon Howell, but he was important to someone somewhere and he was one of Pumpkin Hollow’s own.

  “Polly, did you see anything unusual? Even if it was earlier in the day?” Ethan asked.

  “No, things were business as usual. It was very busy because of the holiday and I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. When I saw Mia standing out here, I stopped before getting into my car and she told me someone had been killed. Again,” she said. Polly was tall and thin with long black hair that was graying at the temples. Tonight she was dressed as Morticia Addams, a fitting character that she naturally resembled all year long.

  “Mia, how long was it before you checked for a pulse?” he asked, turning to me.

  “Seconds,” I said. “Not more than a minute or so. I had heard voices before I got to the alley, but I couldn’t make out what was being said. One voice sounded angry. The werewolf had just killed Eldon when I walked by the entrance to the alley.”

  Ethan sighed and glanced back in the direction of the other officers. “I’ve got to get working on the investigation,” he said. “I’ll need names and phone numbers in case I have any more questions.” He pulled out a notebook from his pocket and wrote down the information the pirate and witch gave him.

  I looked past Ethan and toward the alley entrance. Something had to be done to prevent more murders. I just didn’t know what.

  Chapter Three

  November 1st dawned cold and gray with dark clouds hanging in the sky. It matched my mood. Finding a dead man and watching as his killer ran from the scene did that to a person. I was kicking myself for not going after that werewolf. I had just stood there, staring after him. Why hadn’t I thought to do something? Why hadn’t I dialed 911 faster? I sighed as I walked down Spooky Lane, pulling my coat tighter against the wind. We would have rain before the day was over.

  I felt as empty as the street was. The day after Halloween was always this way. People needed a break from the festivities, but they would be back by the weekend. We would have two more weekends of Halloween fun, and then we would go back to being an almost normal small town, except for the Halloween business district still selling their Halloween wares. The stream of tourists would slow down, but they wouldn’t go away completely. We would still see a fair number of them throughout the year.

  I had had the idea for a mini Halloween season in early summer complete with the types of events we had during the regular Halloween season. People would be on summer vacation and looking for some place to go. If I could get enough of the merchants and the owners of the haunted house and the haunted farmhouse behind the idea, we could make a go of it and bring in more money for the town.

  I pushed open the door to the Little Coffee Shop of Horrors and let myself in, the door swinging shut behind me. The scent of freshly ground coffee beans hung in the air and I inhaled, instantly feeling just a hint of a mood lift. The coffee shop was empty except for Amanda standing behind the counter.

  “Hi, Mia, how are you this morning?” she said as I approached the counter.

  “Not that great,” I said, frowning. “Did you hear?”

  “About Eldon Howell?” she asked.

  I nodded and placed my hands on the countertop, leaning on it. “I found him in the alley behind the bank.”

  She gasped. “Oh, Mia, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that.”

  I looked at her and felt tears spring to my eyes. “I saw the killer run off, and I didn’t try to do anything. I didn’t try to stop them.”

  “Oh, Mia, don’t do that to yourself,” she said putting a hand on mine. “You couldn’t do anything. Who knows what might have happened if you had tried to stop them?”

  “I know,” I said, nodding. “That’s what Ethan said, but I feel terrible about it.”

  “He knows what he’s talking about, Mia. Now, what can I get for you? Coffee will help you feel better,” she said.

  “I guess I’ll take a large mocha with an extra shot of espresso,” I said. She was right. I needed a coffee, and I needed to stop beating myself up about not going after the killer.

  As she made my coffee the door opened, and I glanced over my shoulder. When I saw Jane Graves, I smiled and turned toward her. “Hi, Jane, I haven’t seen you in forever. How are you?” Jane had worked for my mother before I went off to college and I had always liked her.

  She gave me a tired smile. “Hi Mia, I’m not so great today.”

  I could see the strain in her eyes and she looked as tired as she sounded. “What’s going on?” I asked, concerned.

  “A friend was killed last night. It’s just been a terrible shock.”

  My eyes went wide. “Eldon Howell?”

  She nodded. “I suppose it’s gotten around town by now. Things seem to travel quickly around here. He was stabbed. I can’t believe he was murdered.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I said. “I—I saw what happened. I mean, I saw him right after he was killed,” I said.

  Her eyes went wide. “What do you mean you saw him?”

  “I was going to my car after I got off work last night, and I heard voices. When I looked into the alley, I saw him laying on the ground,” I explained, feeling completely inadequate in my description of what had happened. “I’m sorry to hear he was a friend of yours.”

  She stared at me. “You saw him in the alley?” she asked, looking confused. “You saw him after he died?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “They told me there was a witness. Was it you? What did you see? Did you see the killer?”

  I hesitated. Should I be telling her what happened? Ethan hadn’t told me to keep it quiet, but I hesitated to tell her everything I knew.

  “I didn’t witness the—what happened. I was there right afterward. I’m sorry Jane, I didn’t realize he was a friend of yours. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes, and I wondered how close of a friend he had been. Jane had been married to Dr. Graves when she worked for my mother and I wondered if she still was.

  She nodded slowly. “I see. Well, I was led to believe there was a witness to the murder.”

  “No, I didn’t actually see it happen,” I repeated.

  There was an awkward silence and then I heard Amanda set my drink on the counter behind me. I turned to pay for my drink.

  When I was done paying, I went to a table and sat down, still stewing over the events of the previous night.

  Jane placed her order and then headed toward me.

  “May I?” she asked, nodding toward the other chair at my table.

  “Yes, of course.”

  She sat, placing her cup on the table. “I can’t believe this is happening. I mean, I just had lunch with him yesterday. But I’ll tell you one thing. I know who killed him.”

  I eyed her. “Who?”

  “Matthew Barnes.”

  I searched my memory. Did I know a Matthew Barnes? “I’m not sure I know him.”

  “Eldon and I went to school with him,” she said and took a sip of her coffee. “He’s a lawyer.”

  “What makes you think he killed Eldon?” I asked her.

  “They were friends, once. But it’s been a number of years since they were. Both Matthew and Eldon went off to the same Law school. They shared a dorm in college and then they both went to work for the same law firm in LA. It was a huge firm with about thirty lawyers, if I remember right. Eldon said they could hardly believe their luck. Both of them getting into law school and then getting on at the same law firm.”

  “If they were such good friends, why would you think Matthew killed Eldon?” I asked, lowering my voice when a young couple walked into th
e coffee shop.

  “Because Eldon said Matthew changed. He started drinking and then his work began to suffer. He tried to get Eldon to join him in his nightly visits to the local bars, but Eldon said the law firm they worked for had stringent requirements and he was already overwhelmed as it was. He knew if he began drinking and running around after work, he’d never get the work done on time. As expected, Matthew’s work suffered. He wasn’t filing paperwork with the courts on time and he tried to get Eldon to cover for him. When he refused, he got angry, and the relationship deteriorated,” she said, sitting back in her chair.

  I thought this over. “So, he was resentful of Eldon for not covering for his mistakes?” It didn’t seem like reason enough to kill someone over.

  She nodded. “Clients were let down and Matthew kept backpedaling, trying to keep it from the senior partners. But finally Eldon had had enough, and he spoke to them about Matthew. The State Bar of California eventually suspended Matthew’s license, and then he was let go from the law firm. Matthew was angry and threatened Eldon.”

  I thought this over. “Matthew lives in Pumpkin Hollow again? Just like Eldon?” I asked her.

  “He moved home after he lost his job. Eldon followed four years later. The law firm he worked for was stressful and Eldon decided he wanted more for his life. He said he was hoping Matthew would let bygones be bygones but every time they ran into one another, Matthew was angry and resentful. I think he finally let his anger get the best of him,” she said sadly. She rummaged through her purse for a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I just can’t help myself. I knew Eldon for so many years.” She looked up at me and gave me a sad smile.

  “Don’t apologize. I understand completely,” I said. I needed to talk to Ethan about what she had said. Matthew needed to be interviewed.

  “I’m sorry, Mia. How are you doing? It must have been traumatizing to find someone right after they were murdered,” she said, apologizing again.

  I breathed out. “It was, but I’m okay. I’m just sorry more couldn’t be done for him.”

  “Did he—did he suffer?” she asked quietly.

  “No, I think he died instantly,” I said, hoping it made her feel better. Eldon hadn’t suffered. He wasn’t even breathing by the time I got to him.

  She nodded and looked away. “There’s that, I guess.”

  My heart went out to Jane. It must have been a terrible shock to be told that someone you cared about had been murdered. We needed to get a killer off the streets of Pumpkin Hollow.

  Chapter Four

  I headed to the candy store feeling just as gloomy as the day had dawned. My mother had already opened the shop and was busy putting a fresh batch of peanut butter fudge into the display case. She looked up and smiled when I walked through the door. “Good morning Mia,” she said. “How are you today? I guess the busiest part of our year is over now, and I have to say, I’m a little sad about it.”

  I hadn’t talked to my mother about what had happened the previous night yet. By the time Ethan was done questioning me, it was after 11:00 pm and I didn’t want to wake her.

  “Mom, I have some terrible news,” I said, leaning on the front counter. I waited for her to look up at me again. “Eldon Howell was murdered last night.”

  “Eldon Howell?” she asked her eyebrows furrowing in thought. “The lawyer in town?”

  I nodded. “I found him right after he died. It happened over by the Pumpkin Hollow Bank. I saw the murderer run off down the alley.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Oh my goodness Mia, how terrible! Are you okay? Did you see him get killed?”

  “I’m fine now. I just missed seeing him killed by seconds. I feel terrible about it.”

  “I don’t blame you,” she said. “What a terrible thing to have happened. How did he die?”

  “He was stabbed. By someone in a werewolf costume.”

  “Oh.”

  I handed her the coffee I had bought for her earlier and went around to the back of the counter and sat on a stool. “I can’t believe there’s another murder in Pumpkin Hollow.”

  The door opened, and we both looked up. Ethan walked through it, looking grim. “Good morning Mrs. Jordan, Mia, how are you both this morning?”

  “I’m fine,” Mom said. “I don’t know about Mia though.”

  “I’m okay, just feeling a little down about the murder is all,” I said and took a sip of my coffee.

  He leaned on the front counter. His blond hair had been recently cut, and he looked handsome. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said. “I wish you hadn’t been there.”

  “I wish I hadn’t been there, either. I ran into Jane Graves at the coffee shop this morning. She was a friend of Eldon’s, and she told me she thought Matthew Barnes may have killed him.”

  “Matthew Barnes? He’s a lawyer too, isn’t he? Why would she think it was him?” he asked me.

  “Yes he is. The two had been friends when they were younger and lived together in the dorm when they went to law school. Then they both got jobs at a big law firm in LA, but she said Matthew had begun to drink, and shirk his duties at work. Eldon apparently told the senior law partners at the law firm that he wasn’t doing his job and got his license suspended for a while with the State Bar Association, and eventually, he got fired from the law firm. She thinks Matthew is still holding a grudge against Eldon.”

  Ethan nodded slowly, taking this in. “I spoke to Eldon’s ex-wife by phone this morning, she lives over in San Bernardino. She hadn’t spoken to him in a couple of months and was shocked to hear the news.”

  “Do they have kids together?” I asked him.

  “They have a daughter that just graduated from college and an older son. She said they didn’t have as much contact as they did when the kids were younger, and she had no idea who might have killed him.”

  “What do you think about what Jane said about Matthew Barnes?” I asked him. I really didn’t know Eldon or Matthew, and I wondered if what Jane said was true.

  “I’ve only had the chance to speak to Eldon’s ex-wife so far. It was late by the time the coroner came and collected his body last night,” he said. “I’ll definitely check into it.”

  I slipped down off the stool, went to the front counter and set my coffee down on top of it. “What is Pumpkin Hollow coming to? Why this string of murders lately?”

  He shook his head and then shrugged. “There’s no telling. Maybe there’s a curse on us?” He said it with a sly grin and waggled his eyebrows at me.

  I reached out and lightly slapped his hand. The rumor of a curse on Pumpkin Hollow had been going around for some time, but I had hoped it would have died down by now. It was something that reared its ugly head from time to time over the years. Apparently, a witch had put a curse on Pumpkin Hollow back in 1892 when the town was first built. Every thirty years tragedy supposedly strikes and doesn’t stop until the witch wakes up from the sleep she was cursed with and sacrifices someone. The witch was an old woman that lived here on the mountain before anyone else and she didn’t want a town built here. I had no idea who had cursed the witch with sleep—it was something no one seemed to know. But, I didn’t believe in witches or curses anyway, so I paid the rumors no mind.

  “Don’t get that started again,” I warned.

  “Why not? The Halloween season is nearly over and there won’t be many tourists left in the season to run off.”

  “Because a curse is the last thing we need,” I said. “I’d hate for that kind of rumor to attract less than family-friendly elements to town.”

  “I think we already have less than family-friendly elements with these recent murders,” Mom said as she closed the back of the display case.

  “You can say that again,” Ethan agreed. “But we’ll figure it out and get the killer off the street. I promise.”

  The front door opened again, and we all turned to look. Fagan Branigan from the Little Shop of Costumes walked in. He smiled when he saw the three of us looking a
t him. “Am I just in time?” He chuckled, looking at each of us in turn.

  “In time for what?” Ethan asked.

  He shrugged. “I have no idea, but the three of you turned to look at me expectantly, so I thought something must be going on.”

  “Actually,” Ethan said glancing at me. “Something is going on. We had another murder last night.”

  He stopped, the smiled leaving his face. “Seriously? Who?”

  “I wouldn’t joke about something like that,” Ethan said. “Eldon Howell. Do you know him?”

  Fagan came and leaned on the display case next to Ethan. “I guess I know of him, but I can’t really say that I know him. Why would someone want to kill him?”

  “I don’t know the answer to that yet. But, I was just going to come see you. I was hoping you could help me out with some information,” Ethan said.

  “What kind of information?” he asked him. Fagan had once been suspected of murder and I could see his discomfort at the question.

  “He was wearing a brown werewolf costume. Do you remember selling a brown werewolf costume in the last couple of weeks?”

  “Or it may have been a gray werewolf costume,” I added. I had sworn the murderer had worn a brown costume, but once the woman in the witch costume brought up seeing a gray werewolf, it put doubt in my mind. “It was one of those furry ones, with a hood and mask that completely covers the person wearing it.”

  Fagan searched his memory. “On the hood, was the mouth open and were there white latex teeth?”

  “That’s the one,” I said, hoping Fagan would have some leads for us.

  “I’ve sold a lot of those. I’m not sure I could come up with a list of names of people who bought them. Back in July, I received a shipment of probably thirty werewolf costumes in different sizes. I’ve only got one left in the shop now. It could have been tourists that bought them as well as someone local. Did someone see this person in the costume?”

  “I did,” I said, feeling down knowing there were twenty-nine werewolf costumes running around town if it wasn’t the tourists that bought them. “But it’s impossible to know who it was under that costume.”