Marshmallows and Murder

by Christy Murphy

  We'd avoided watching the news, because we didn't want Dar to be jealous he wasn't on. I saw from the window that the same brunette reporter from the other day had been the one to cover the story, so I wasn't exactly eager to see her either.

  Thinking about her made my mind drift back to DC. He'd called last night to tell me that he wouldn't be able to see me. He was working two homicides.

  I both wanted to see DC and wanted to avoid seeing him at the same time. I knew we'd have to talk about the wife slip on television. After the discussion over who was going to be mayor subsided, the gossip turned to different topics, including the prospect of a wedding between DC and me. Everyone seemed to be excited about having the wedding here in town.

  I got out of the shower and dressed quickly. It occurred to me that I've never really been an adult on my own before. I went straight from living with my family to living with Robert and then back here again.

  I knew I loved DC, but if I married him would I be making a mistake by not standing on my own?

  Maybe it was the fact that we'd stayed up late, but walking down the hall, I felt even more tired. I needed coffee.

  "What's wrong, kid?" Mom asked as I entered the kitchen.

  "What do you mean?" I said as I grabbed a coffee mug out of the cabinet.

  "Something's bothering you, I can tell by your face."

  "I don't know," I said as I made a mental note to watch my face a little more closely.

  "That means you don't want to tell me," she said. "Which means you should really tell me."

  I laughed. It'd taken my entire life to finally realize that Mom was almost always right.

  "Do you really think Al killed Wayne Boggs?"

  "Probably not," Mom said. "But that's not what's bothering you."

  I laughed again and took a sip of my coffee. "I don't know what I'm doing with my life. It's like I've never grown up."

  It was Mom's turn to laugh. "You're overthinking things again. Growing up is something that happens. You can't stop it."

  "It's not that, it's just that I've never been on my own in life," I said. "I've always been dependent on you or Robert."

  "You were never dependent on Robert. He was dependent on you," she said. "You took care of everything for both of you. If you're going to rewrite history, you should write it so you're the winner. Not redo it all so you can feel bad about things that you did right."

  "My marriage to Robert was not something I did right."

  "But what you got wrong wasn't that," she said. "What you got wrong was picking Robert."

  There was no arguing with that.

  I sat down while Mom finished her coffee.

  "I'll get dressed and then we'll go," Mom said, getting up from the table. She came back carrying a beach bag and wearing her skirted, one-piece polka-dotted swimsuit.

  "Why are you wearing your suit?" I asked, but I should've realized why.

  "For the dunk tank," she said.

  "I thought you were going to interview all of the employees," I said.

  "I'll do both. This makes me one of them. I'm undercover," she said.

  Even with Mom's poker face, I knew she didn't care about being undercover. She wanted to heckle people with Wenling.

  When we got to the Lucky Dragon, guess who was also wearing her skirted, polka-dotted, one-piece swimsuit.

  "We look like twins," Wenling said.

  "Yeah, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum," Mom said. "Why did you copy my swimsuit?"

  "You're not supposed to bark at us. We're supposed to say that to other people."

  "Why didn't you wear your blue swimsuit?" Mom asked.

  "I liked yours from when we were at the resort in the Philippines. You said to get one. This will be like our uniform," Wenling said.

  "Like some sort of senior-citizen synchronized swim team," Mom mumbled.

  "Stop doing that. Save it for the people," Wenling said.

  The three of us gathered up the marshmallows, but Mom and Wenling continued to argue the entire time.

  I was relieved to find that all of Main Street was open with the exception of the Fletcher Diner. That was still cordoned off.

  "It's a shame about the diner," Wenling said, but I knew she didn't mean it. Now the Lucky Dragon would be the only place people could go besides the hot dog stand and pretzel stand to get something savory to eat.

  Austin was almost done refilling the dunk tank. He explained it had to be emptied every night for safety reasons. "You guys look great. Love the costumes," he said.

  Wenling smiled. Mom didn't.

  I was sad to have to throw away yesterday's marshmallows, but there was no way around it. I stocked our booths with the new goodies. I'd have to go back to the Lucky Dragon when we ran out of stock.

  Austin finished filling up the tank.

  "Should we get into the tank now?" Wenling asked.

  "It doesn't look like there's many people here," I said.

  "Yes, but when they come I want to shout at them right away," Wenling said, handing me her phone and heading for the little ladder.

  "I'm supposed to be first," Mom said, handing me her phone and then rushing over to her friend.

  "You got to be first yesterday," Wenling argued.

  "You stole my outfit," Mom said.

  "If I let you go first, then you're not allowed to be mad at me for the rest of the day," Wenling said.

  Mom thought about it for a minute and agreed. Wenling climbed down from the latter and let Mom up first.

  "Remember not to touch the glass," Wenling said.

  "I won't, it's all greasy anyway," Mom said, climbing in.

  Forty minutes went by, and barely anybody had walked by.

  Dar-Dar came out of the Mocha Muse. He looked up and down the street and shrugged his shoulders before deciding to come over and say hello.

  "I've only sold coffee to people who work here," he said.

  "Try and knock us over," Wenling halfheartedly shouted from the tank.

  "You're supposed to be funny about it," Darwin yelled over at them.

  Mom motioned at Wenling to get out of the tank. "We're going to take a break," Mom yelled out to Austin.

  "I don't think that's going to be a problem," he said.

  Dar-Dar and I went over to the dunk tank to make sure that Mom and Wenling didn't fall.

  "Let's get a mocha," Wenling said to Mom as she climbed down the ladder. They got out without any help.

  "We'll get our mochas to go so we can interview some of the employees about the murder," Mom whispered to Wenling.

  "I've been thinking that Al didn't do it," Wenling said.

  "Me, too." I said.

  "Do you mean that, Wenling?" Mom said. "Or are you just bored?"

  "I don't know," Wenling said.

  I thought we were going to head to the Mocha Muse, but Mom walked over to Austin. We followed her.

  "We're going to get some coffee and wander around. Do you want anything?" Mom asked.

  "I'll be fine," he said.

  "Call me on my cell if it gets busy," Mom said.

  He nodded. Mom turned away from him and then turned back. "Is Wayne's wife here today?" she asked.

  He shook his head no.

  "Is that unusual for her not to come? I thought she was some kind of supervisor," Mom said.

  It all seemed casual, but I knew Mom's first employee interview had begun.

  Headlines and Ham

  "The Nancy Drew Crew is back," Dar whispered as we hovered around the table at the Mocha Muse.

  "Austin said that it's unusual for her not to be here to manage operations," Wenling said. "Maybe she did it. It's always a spouse."

  "But she wasn't here the day that he died either," Dar said.

  "That depends on the time of death," Mom said.

  "Wouldn't Al or Sheila have noticed if there was a dead body in his office when they came in?" I asked.

  "Probably, but we should ask them anyway," Mom said. "There's also the possib
ility Hannah Boggs hasn't come to work because she's grieving her husband's death even though they fought."

  "How did you know here name was Hannah?" I asked.

  "Do you think the employees will know anything?" Dar-Dar asked.

  "There's only one way to find out," Mom said. "We'll ask them."

  "This isn't like being around town, Mom," I said. "They might not want to talk to us."

  "And I don't even know if this fair is going to be open much longer," Dar-Dar said.

  "If I were them, I'd call it a day soon."

  "This fair has been the worst thing for business ever," Dar said.

  "I've got a way for us to drum up some business and have an excuse to talk to the carnival company workers," Mom said, standing up.

  "I'm going to take my half-hour break early," Darwin called out to his coworker. "Mind the shop for me."

  We all followed Mom out the door and back out to Main Street.

  Mom walked up to the young bird-like girl behind the cotton candy counter, who looked bored. I remembered her from when the fight broke out between Al and Wayne the second time. She was the one who stepped in to help stop the fight. Her name tag said "Morgan."

  "Hi Morgan!" Mom said.

  "Hi," she said.

  "It's really slow, isn't it?" Mom said.

  She nodded.

  "Well, we just wanted to tell you that we're offering a special at the Lucky Dragon for fair employees. You get 20 percent off."

  "We're doing the same at the Mocha Muse," Dar said.

  "You guys still have the sandwiches?" Morgan asked Darwin.

  Darwin shook his head no. "We got those from the diner, and it's closed."

  "It's really sad about Wayne," Morgan said. "Do you really think that guy killed him? The one from the diner?"

  "He was always a really nice boss," Darwin said about Al. "He had a temper, but he was still a good boss."

  "Yeah," Morgan said. "Wayne had a temper, and I still liked him. I hope your boss didn't do it," Morgan said.

  "Who else do you think might have done it?" Wenling asked.

  She shrugged. "I thought he had another heart attack."

  "He had a heart attack before?" Mom asked.

  Morgan nodded. "Two years ago. They found him on the floor of his kitchen with his phone. He couldn't get to his phone in the other room I guess. If the paramedics hadn't gotten there when they did, he might've died there."

  "Where did it happen?" Mom asked.

  "At his house in Bakersfield," she said.

  "Did Hannah find him?" Mom asked.

  "She was out of town at the annual amusement managers convention. It's the biggest tradeshow for independent carnivals and their companies," Hanna said. "I was supposed to go to it this year, but rumor has it that Hannah is going to sell the company."

  "Maybe the new owner will take you," Dar said.

  "She's going to sell off the equipment to other places. Mr. Boggs's business partner has been wanting to do that for years. Hannah says it's too much work."

  She sighed.

  "How much is the lunch special?" Morgan asked.

  "Seven ninety-nine," Wenling said.

  "Minus the 20 percent?" she asked.

  Wenling nodded.

  Morgan's lips moved and she stared into space for a moment. "So how much would that be?"

  "You'd save a dollar sixty," Dar said.

  Morgan's lips moved again.

  "It's six dollars and thirty-nine cents plus tax," Wenling said.

  Morgan smiled. "I can get it to go so I can eat at my booth, right?"

  "Sure," Wenling said.

  "Can you guys watch the booth while I go get it?" she asked. "You just use these little paper things and wrap the candy around them. The sugar sticks to your arms, and you can peel it off and it takes off the hair. It's fun."

  That didn't sound fun at all, but we all smiled anyway and Morgan bounded down Main Street to get her lunch.

  "For someone who doesn't seem all that bright, she sure knows a lot about what's going on with the carnival," Mom said out loud.

  "It doesn't look like they have too many employees. Maybe it's common knowledge," Wenling said. And then she added, "Wanting to sell the business is a really good motive to kill her husband," Wenling said.

  "And there's also a business partner who wants to sell," Mom said.

  "Don't forget about the possibility of him having a heart attack," I said.

  "Has anyone seen Al today?" Mom asked. "He wasn't in handcuffs, and even if they had arrested him, he could afford to get out on bail."

  "He didn't come into the shop today, and he hasn't called, which is really unusual," Darwin said.

  "When she gets back, we'll talk to the other employees," Mom said.

  Austin came up to us. "Where's Morgan?" he asked.

  "We're watching the booth for her while she goes to pick up her lunch," Mom said.

  "Employees get 20 percent off at the Lucky Dragon," Wenling said.

  Austin nodded. "I've been craving Chinese food for days. I might come by after we close up," he said.

  "Close up?" Mom asked.

  "I just got a call from Hannah. She talked to Al, and considering how slow things are and the story in the Times today, they agreed to some kind of arrangement. All I know is I'm supposed to close up shop."

  The four of us traded looks. None of us had seen today's paper or had talked to Al.

  "I've got to let all the employees know now to pack up so we can save on payroll," Austin continued. "Can you tell Morgan when she gets back?"

  "Will do," I said.

  "Can you tell the employees about their discount?" Wenling called out after Austin.

  "They get 20 percent off at the Mocha Muse, too!" Darwin added.

  My guess was they'd be eager to have their Saturday off. And not only would Main Street be more deserted, we wouldn't even get a chance to interview the rest of the staff.

  We waited for what seemed like a half hour.

  "Sorry it took so long," Morgan said as she returned to the booth. "At first the lady at the restaurant didn't know about the employee discount, and then I told her that I met you guys and she remembered."

  Mom and Wenling traded looks. We forgot to let Jennifer know that we dreamed up the employee discount ruse.

  "It looks like you have the day off," Wenling said.

  Morgan's expression turned confused.

  "Austin came by and said that everyone can wrap up their booths, and then they can go home," Mom said.

  A loud cracking sound came from the Ferris wheel. We looked over, and there were four workers standing next to one of the carriages.

  "Is it supposed to make that noise?" Wenling asked.

  "They're tearing down the down the whole fair early?" Morgan asked.

  "Yup," Dar said, looking at his watch. "My break is just about over. I'm gonna go down to the Lucky Dragon and get some lunch."

  "Oh," Morgan said. "You can get 20 percent off since technically you helped me here at the booth."

  Darwin always got free lunch from the Lucky Dragon, but he said thanks anyway.

  "Well, I guess I'll just save this for home," she said, grabbing her cashbox. She yelled over to one of the men working the pretzel booth. I overheard her ask them if they could turn in her receipts and tear down her booth for her.

  They agreed, and she headed down Main Street to take the trolley bus back to her car.

  "For a ditzy girl," Wenling said, "she sure knows how to delegate."

  The employees were absorbed and closing out their booths. There was no way they were going to talk to us.

  "We need to see today's paper," Mom said.

  "They're always reading the paper at the barbershop," Wenling said.

  "Don't you get the Times delivered to the Lucky Dragon?" Mom asked.

  "They haven't delivered since the street closed. Jeb gets his newspaper at home, and then he brings it in to the shop," Wenling said.

  We
walked over to the barbershop. Jeb was on the bench out front reading the paper.

  "What's the Times got to say about Fletcher Canyon?" Mom asked.

  "They're calling us Murder Town," Jeb said. "I hoped that thing they say about any publicity is good publicity is true, but it looks like people don't want to visit a fair in Murder Town."

  "Let me see that," Mom said.

  "They make it sound like we're killing people left and right here," Mom said after reading the article.

  "Three people have died on this very street, and one just outside of town," Jeb said.

  "When you say it like that, it sounds pretty bad," Wenling said.

  "Doesn't do much for property values either," Margaret said. Margaret had lived in town for a her entire life. The death of her father was our first case.

  Wenling shrugged her shoulders. "Houses are so expensive in Los Angeles, maybe people will be okay with a little murder to become a homeowner."

  "I hope so," Margaret replied.

  "What brings you here?" Jeb asked.

  "I came to hand out business cards, but it's as bad as I thought it would be," Margaret said. "First the memorial taxidermy service doesn't work out, and now my real estate career is going down the drain too."

  None of us understood why Margaret kept trying to start a business. She lived in the biggest house in Fletcher Canyon, and her father Harold had left her quite a bit of money. He also left my cousin Celia some money, but she had yet to receive it. His estate was pretty complicated, and it was still in probate. But still, she had enough money on her own. I kind of admired the fact that she still felt the need to work.

  "Well, you still have your yoga classes," Mom said.

  "That's true, but it's only part-time. You three should come down and get a free class," she said, standing up. "Maybe some of the fair employees are in the market," she said. She headed across the street toward Austin and then stopped and turned around. "And tell your fiancé that I'm sure we can get a good price for that four-bedroom he was looking at."

  DC had been looking at a house here in Fletcher Canyon?

  "Looks like your fiancé has got his eyes on starting a family," Jeb said.