Sugared Demise

by Kate Bell

  “Do you think Matthew and Eldon had contact with one another recently?”

  He gave me a knowing smile. “I know they did. You know Jane Graves? Eldon was dating her for quite a while before his death. But at some point in time, Matthew became interested in Jane and Eldon didn’t like that one bit. Not that you could blame him.”

  I tried not to act surprised. Jane’s name had been thrown around so many times it still made me wonder about her. “I hadn’t heard that. I guess you never know what goes on in people’s private lives. Do you think Matthew would have killed Eldon because of his interest in Jane?”

  He shrugged and leaned on the front counter. “Maybe it was his final act of vengeance. Payback for losing his job. Steal Eldon’s girlfriend and then kill him. Poetic justice.” He grinned, and it sent a chill down my spine.

  “But Eldon was murdered in the alley near the bank. Why would Matthew kill him in the alley and why was Eldon there to begin with?”

  He shrugged. “I have it on good authority that there was a confrontation that occurred earlier in the week. And it was in a public place.”

  This might change everything, I thought. “What public place are you talking about? And what do you mean you have it on good authority?”

  “O’Malley’s Pub. Do you know it?”

  “No, I don’t drink,” I said.

  “It’s over in Tahoe and it’s a high-end kind of place. Not the kind of place that you go and get smashed drunk, but a place that you dress up and take your time enjoying your drink and the company that you’re with.”

  This information gave me goose bumps. If Eldon and Matthew had gotten into an argument in a pub, and if Matthew actually was the killer, he probably could have controlled himself as long as he hadn’t had too much to drink and waited to get his revenge later. And because the confrontation didn’t happen here in Pumpkin Hollow, it hadn’t gotten around town.

  “Were you there at the pub when it happened?” I asked him as I finished ringing up the rest of his candy.

  “No, I wasn’t, but I do know someone that was. Jane Graves. She told a friend of hers what happened. This happens to be a mutual friend. Eldon had caught her flirting with Matthew and they got into a nasty fight after they left the bar.”

  Things were starting to fall into place. But, if things happened the way Benjamin was saying, it was possible that either Matthew or Jane could have murdered Eldon. It was also possible that the two of them could have gotten together and done it. If Jane and Eldon had a nasty fight, and things had gotten out of hand, she may have had enough and decided she was done with Eldon. She already had a reputation for having a bad temper and for fighting with him, and it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities that she could have just had all she could take and killed him.

  “That’s interesting information.” I put the rest of Benjamin’s candy into the bag and he ran his debit card through the card reader. “Does Ethan know about all of this?”

  He shrugged again. The smile on his face hinted at smugness and it irritated me. “I just found out about it this morning. I have no idea if Ethan knows anything about it.”

  “I think it’s information he needs to know. Maybe you should speak to him about it.”

  He nodded and picked up his bag of candy. “I suppose I should speak to him. Well, Mia, I need to get to work. You have a good day today.”

  I watched as he headed out the front door, both irritated at his attitude and wondering if Jane or Matthew had indeed killed Eldon. I also wondered why Jane had never mentioned the argument to Ethan if it had been innocuous.

  Chapter Twenty

  As I watched Benjamin leave, I saw Dr. Graves meet him on the sidewalk. They stopped and talked for a few minutes. Then they both turned and looked in my direction through the closed glass door. After another couple of minutes, they began laughing and looked in my direction again. Dr. Graves came into the store while Benjamin headed to his car and I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  “Good morning, Mia,” he said cheerily. “How are you today?”

  I forced myself to smile. Something wasn’t right here. “I’m fine, Dr. Graves. What brings you out this morning? You aren’t leaving a patient waiting back at the office while you stop in for candy, are you?”

  He chuckled. “No, no. I had a cancellation. I don’t know what’s going on around here with the cancellations, but I suspect it’s because everyone overindulged in Halloween candy and now they’re too ashamed to make an appearance in my office.”

  “You may have something there. Who wants to show up at the dentist’s office after an all-out candy binge?” I asked. “What can I help you with this morning?”

  “I heard an ugly rumor that your mother’s pumpkin spice fudge is going to be off the market soon. I may be a dentist, but I love sweets just like everyone else and I thought I’d better get in here and get some before it’s too late. Just don’t tell my patients.”

  “Mum’s the word. And you’re in luck, we’ve still got some left. How much would you like?” I moved over to the display case and opened the back door.

  He peered in at the fudge. “As much as I would like to splurge, I’m going to say just a quarter of a pound. That’s more than enough.”

  “You got it,” I said and removed the tray of fudge.

  “I stopped in at the police station and spoke to Ethan the other day. He sure is working hard on this murder case. Makes me proud to live in this town.”

  “Ethan has an incredible work ethic. I know he’s going to make an arrest soon.” I cut the fudge and kept one eye on him while I weighed it out.

  “Really? Do you think he’s that close to making an arrest?” he asked, leaning on the front counter.

  “I really do. It’s not like a murder is ever committed without clues being left behind.” At this, I could see the interest in his eyes.

  “I suppose that’s true. Has Ethan mentioned what clues were left behind when Eldon was murdered?” he asked, sounding nonchalant.

  “No, he has to keep that sort of thing quiet. You know how the police are,” I said, wrapping his fudge. It was a lie, but I suddenly felt funny about Dr. Graves.

  He nodded. “Of course. It’s not like they’d want every detail spread around town. Usually the police keep some key bit of evidence to themselves to see if they can trip up the killer. I guess he’s doing that.”

  “I would imagine,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Would you like anything else?”

  “Uh, no, I think that’s going to do it,” he said and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. “I am glad Ethan is on the case. I know he’s doing his best to find the killer and wrap up this thing. I wouldn’t want anyone else on the case.”

  “I agree completely,” I said, watching as his hands trembled. Dr. Grave’s wallet was old and beat up. Papers bulged out the top of it and it appeared he hadn’t thrown out a receipt in years. It wasn’t the sort of wallet I would think a dentist would carry around.

  “You need to clean that wallet out,” I commented.

  He chuckled. “That’s the truth. My kids gave it to me more than twenty years ago. I know I need a new one, but you know how it is. I’m a sentimental person and I can’t bear to part with it.” In frustration, he set the wallet on the counter and began searching through it for his debit card.

  “I know how it is. Somewhere in the recesses of my mother’s closet lies the very first little black patent purse she bought me for Christmas when I was five.”

  He chuckled again without looking at me. “I know that card is here somewhere.” Receipts slipped out of his wallet as he rummaged through it. “This is embarrassing.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed. My purse often looks like that.”

  I watched as a coupon for 50% off frozen yogurt fell from the wallet and a ticket to pick up dry cleaning. Next came a bank ATM receipt. I averted my eyes, not wanting to look at his personal business, but as he continued to struggle with the wallet, my eyes we
nt to the receipt again. It was from the Pumpkin Hollow Bank. The date was 10/31, and the time was 08:09 pm. I thought about it a moment. That was shortly before Eldon was killed. I thought back to when I left the candy store that night. We had been in a hurry and left quickly. I headed straight to my car. My heart skipped a beat when I realized that Dr. Graves must have been at the ATM somewhere around 5-10 minutes before Eldon was murdered. That put him at the scene of the crime at almost the exact time of the murder if he hadn’t left immediately after using the ATM.

  “Found it!” Dr. Graves said, triumphantly holding the card out to me. His eyes went to what I was looking at and he got quiet. I shook myself and took the debit card from him, forcing myself to smile.

  “I knew you could do it,” I said weakly and ran it through the card reader for him. I felt my hand tremble as I handed the card back to him. “There we go. This will only take a minute.”

  I could suddenly hear Dr. Grave’s breathing and I saw the tremble in his own hand as he took the card from me. He stuffed it along with the bank receipt and assorted items that had spilled onto the counter back into his wallet.

  “Well, now. I do appreciate it.”

  The front door swung open and Ethan walked through it. We both looked in his direction.

  “Hey, Dr. Graves, Mia,” he said with a smile. “How are things going in here this morning?”

  “Great!” Dr. Graves said. “I just stopped in to get some of that pumpkin spice fudge before it’s all gone. I better get back to the office. I know my next appointment has got to be showing up about now.”

  I looked at Ethan and tried to signal him with my eyes. Ethan narrowed his eyes at me, questioning.

  “I need some fudge, too,” he said turning to Dr. Graves. “It’s the best around, isn’t it?”

  “Well, I better get going,” Dr. Graves said without answering him and made a hasty exit.

  “Ethan, Dr. Graves had a receipt for an ATM transaction done 5-10 minutes before Eldon Howell was killed at the Pumpkin Hollow Bank. He’s the killer.”

  He thought a moment. “I think I’ll have another talk with him.”

  I followed Ethan to the front door and watched as he called out to Dr. Graves once out on the sidewalk. Dr. Graves looked over his shoulder, panic in his eyes, and he ran to his car parked halfway down the block. Ethan ran after him and caught up to him before he could get into the car. They had what looked like a heated discussion, with people on the street stopping to watch.

  It took a few moments, but Ethan convinced him to come with him. He kept a hand on Dr. Graves’s arm as they walked and Dr. Graves turned to glare at me before getting into Ethan’s car. The two drove off as people stopped to discuss what they had just witnessed. I took a deep breath and closed the door.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  I didn’t get to see Ethan again until late in the evening. I had forced myself not to text him and bother him with questions. When he got off of work, he picked up a pizza and stood on my doorstep with Boo rubbing against his leg.

  “Dinner is served. Can I come in?” he asked when I opened the door.

  “If I don’t let you in, Boo will never forgive me.”

  “That’s right. He smells pepperoni, and he intends to have some,” he said with a tired grin.

  I stood back so he could pass. “I know he does. He rather enjoys a good pepperoni once in a while.”

  We went into the kitchen to get plates. “So, was I right? Dr. Graves was the killer?”

  “You were absolutely right. Dr. Graves was the killer. But he had a little help from his friend,” he said, setting the pizza on the counter.

  “Oh? Help from who?” I asked, setting plates on the counter next to the pizza. I felt like I already knew the answer to that question. “There’s soda in the fridge.” I went to another cupboard and got some glasses and filled them with ice.

  “Benjamin Cartwright. Seems they were buddies and plotted the murder together. We picked him up for questioning. Of course, they’re blaming one another right now. It seems getting caught for murder is something that makes friends part ways.”

  I sighed and put a slice of pizza on each plate while he got the soda from the refrigerator. “When I first spoke with Benjamin at the bookstore, he pointed a finger at Dr. Graves and acted like he barely knew him. I had no idea they were friends until he came into the candy store right before Dr. Graves did. They had gone on a fishing trip together this past weekend. When Dr. Graves showed up, they stopped and talked for a few minutes out on the sidewalk. They were laughing about something. Maybe they thought they got away with murder.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, Benjamin was setting things up in case things went bad. I think they both felt pretty confident they wouldn’t be caught though. They were both bitter about how Eldon had handled their legal cases and decided to take out their grievances on him instead of going to the California Bar Association.”

  I shook my head in frustration. “Which one wore the werewolf costume?” I asked.

  “Benjamin. Dr. Graves drove. They stopped off at the ATM for money to get into the Halloween attractions.”

  I looked at him. “Why were they in the alley? And how did they know Eldon would show up there?”

  “They didn’t know for sure that he would show up there, it was an unhappy coincidence that Eldon showed up at the ATM to get some cash. Their plan was that they would try to track him down at one of the attractions, then kill him. If they couldn’t find him out and about at one of the different attractions, they’d stop by his house under the guise of trick-or-treating. The plan was that Benjamin would pop out of somewhere and stab him while Dr. Graves drove the getaway car. They got a rental car for the occasion and the werewolf costume afforded them anonymity. There was no way anyone would be able to recognize Benjamin in that costume.”

  “And why did Eldon go into the alley with Dr. Graves?” I repeated.

  He shrugged. “Dr. Graves came up behind him and hit him on the back when Eldon was using the ATM. It was just hard enough to make Eldon angry. He followed Dr. Graves into the alley where they argued. He said Benjamin had hidden in the alley and was waiting for him once they saw Eldon get out of his car.”

  I nodded, thinking this over. “Who owned the watch?”

  “It was Eldon’s. Benjamin and Eldon struggled, and it was pulled off his wrist. Eldon grabbed for it, thinking Benjamin meant to steal it, I guess. Dr. Graves was still in the alley when you found Eldon, you know.”

  “That was the shadow I saw,” I said sadly. We took the pizza and soda into the living room to watch television. “That’s a shame. If I had been there a few minutes earlier, they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to kill him.”

  “It sounds to me like they were pretty determined. They would have looked for him elsewhere.”

  I took a bite of my pizza as Boo begged for a taste. “I don’t understand this kind of thing. I don’t think I ever will.” I pinched off a piece of pepperoni and fed it to Boo.

  “Me either,” he said thoughtfully. “Evil people will find a way, I guess.”

  It was truer than I would have liked to admit. Even though Pumpkin Hollow had seen more than its fair share of murder this season, I refused to let it make me bitter. Ethan had done a great job catching the killers, and the killers were now behind bars. I leaned my head against his shoulder. It may have been the only positive thing we had, but at least they would pay for their crime.

  Author’s Note

  One more murder has been wrapped up in Pumpkin Hollow! I think Mia and Ethan are probably relieved that the Halloween season is over. Now there will be time for them to focus more on their relationship. I enjoyed this episode of Pumpkin Hollow because it felt like Mia was becoming more confident in herself when searching for clues and questioning people. She and Ethan make a great team and I hope you’re enjoying this series.

 
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