Sweet Saboteur

by C A Phipps

  “Oh, I am pleased. That degree Ruby earned mustn’t be wasted, but we would like to keep her in Cozy Hollow if at all possible.”

  “Exactly.” Scarlett waited expectantly.

  Olivia frowned, then her eyes widened— the penny well and truly dropping. “Do you mean as the librarian?”

  Scarlett grimaced. “Is it too awful that I’m already thinking about it?”

  “No.” Olivia turned thoughtful. “Well, not for me. Then again, I’m a practical woman who, having tried hard to be friendly with Mable more than once, can report that there was no love lost between us. I admitted as much to the sheriff because I believe in honesty, to a point. We do need a new librarian, it’s true. But . . .”

  “The timing is bad? I understand, and we won’t suggest it to anyone else. I just wanted your opinion before I brought it up with Ruby. We can wait a while.”

  “I guess you’ll have to gauge when it might be received more favorably. Perhaps sometime after the funeral?” Olivia nodded to herself. “They’ll want to get the position filled, and it will no doubt come up at the next meeting. I promise to put in a good word for Ruby as soon as it’s mentioned.”

  “Thank you. Let’s just hope you get the memo in time,” Scarlett teased.

  “Indeed.” Olivia’s eyes twinkled with amusement before turning harder.

  Scarlett wondered if Arthur understood that Olivia had his number and wasn’t going to be a walkover. She didn’t feel even slightly sorry for the man.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next day, Scarlett had perfected the flavors for the cupcakes, and now she needed to pick up a few things from the convenience store to decorate them with to make them as enticing as possible.

  She hadn’t had much time to investigate the things which nagged her, so it was an excellent excuse to do so. Waiting until after the lunch rush, she’d gotten her supplies and decided to stop at the diner to ask Daisy’s opinion. As a matter of course, she looked over the specials in the diner window. Daisy’s food was plain, but she made a fair trade because, as Scarlett knew, it was tasty.

  Just then, Dale came out of the diner. Scarlett wasn’t one for signs, but this was very timely since she’d been meaning to catch up with him and had considered going to the garage to speak to the mechanic.

  He beamed when he saw her.

  “Lovely day, isn’t it?” she said conversationally.

  “Fantastic. Being out from under a car is always nice.”

  “I can imagine, and I’m so glad to see you. Could I ask you another question about the meeting?”

  His smile faltered. “We’re not really supposed to talk about what happens there.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing about the voting,” she assured him. “I just wanted to know about the cupcakes. They never got eaten at the meeting, so I wondered, did Mable take them all home?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “If she did, I couldn’t possibly charge for them.”

  He relaxed. “I guess not. I saw the plate and was going to take one back to the garage, but Arthur shooed us out of there. Unless he had some, she must have taken them all.”

  “Because they were the last two people there?”

  “I think so.” He frowned. “Now that I think on it, Mable had already left to open up the library.”

  “So, she couldn’t have taken the cupcakes?”

  He smiled again. “And you’ll be able to charge Arthur the full cost of the food.”

  Scarlett was frustrated, Mable had the cakes, but didn’t take them. Therefore, someone brought them to her, and Arthur was the logical choice.

  She tilted her head. “It does seem awful to be considering it.”

  “Nonsense, I know for a fact that the town can afford it.” he winked. “By the way, I never thought you poisoned Mable.”

  Stunned, Scarlett stood for another minute or so trying to wrangle these clues into some kind of order, while musing over Dale’s comments.

  “Thanks for saying so. People seem to be in two camps over the whole business.”

  “With a certain person in their ears, it’s no wonder some residents are a little edgy about it.” He frowned. “You know, I was curious about something myself.”

  “About Mable’s death?”

  “No, about Ruby. She’ll look lovely on the float, but I was puzzled by Arthur asking her to do it when he makes hateful remarks about the café to anyone who’d listen.”

  Scarlett’s mouth gaped, but she pulled herself together. She and Ruby would be having a few words later today. Why hadn’t she thought to ask Ruby how being on the float had come about? Because she’d assumed it had come from Olivia, who always helped out with the parades.

  “You know how unpredictable, Arthur can be,” she managed.

  “I do. I used to enjoy a beer or two with our mayor, but ever since his accident, he’s like a bear with a sore head one minute and quiet as a mouse the next. Olivia is always saying what a big heart Ruby has, so I’m picking she didn’t like to refuse since it was for the community as a whole.”

  Scarlett had never seen Arthur quiet so she couldn’t talk to that, but the rest intrigued her, and now that he’d said so, she remembered other people commenting on Arthur’s fickleness. He was also right about Ruby needing to help everyone, yet Scarlett felt that aiding Arthur was a step too far. Or was she being too harsh? After how he’d treated them, she didn’t believe it was.

  “That accident, was it the one right after my mom passed away?”

  He blanched. “Oh, dear, yes. Sorry to bring it up.”

  Dale was not your usual burly mechanic, and he was a notorious softie. She put a hand on his arm. “Please, don’t be sorry. She’s on my mind every day because of the café, and that’s fine with me.” She swallowed past the inevitable lump when talking of her mom. “How hurt was the mayor?”

  “He came out with a broken leg, but his car was totaled. If you saw it, you’d appreciate just how lucky he was.”

  “Really? You think it would make him happy to be alive.”

  “He really should feel that way.” Dale shrugged. “Well, it’s been lovely to chat, and good luck with the bill.”

  “Bill?”

  He laughed. “For the food.”

  She slapped her forehead. “Thanks for reminding me. And I nearly forgot why I was going to see Daisy.”

  “Hah! I thought that only happened to me. Although it’s usually around food,” Dale laughed again and went on his way, whistling a happy tune.

  Scarlett watched him go, thinking about what he’d said. Was there something wrong with Arthur? A medical reason why he acted so awfully? Could it be that he had a hand in Mable’s death by causing her heart attack? That was a little far-fetched, perhaps because they were friends.

  She went into the diner and waved at the young server who was waiting to take an order. “Is Daisy here?”

  Julie nodded towards the kitchen.

  Daisy was bent over a large pot of some stew, adding in herbs. The kitchen was clean and serviceable with tall solid-looking shelves holding an array of pots and pans. A corner drew her closer as it contained all the baking things that could be found at the café. Daisy didn’t make a lot of cakes, concentrating mainly on desserts, and if Scarlett had spare money, she’d offer to buy the baking pans since some of theirs were getting old.

  There were other things that she’d find a home for, including decorations stacked in clear containers. She sighed wistfully. Maybe, one day.

  Daisy turned at the sound. “Scarlett! What are you doing over there?” Face flushed from the heat; Daisy wiped her forehead on a cloth.

  “Just admiring your bakeware. I wanted to ask your opinion about new cupcake flavors and whether I should make some tried and tested ones for the parade as well.”

  “Sorry, dear, I’m flat out preparing this stew. I have several orders for tonight. I could drop by tomorrow?”

  “Of course.” She was a little disappointed but was pretty happy
with her choices, so it wasn’t a big deal.

  Movement caught her eye. George was at the kitchen door. “Is it okay if I go out this way. The cat’s there.”

  Daisy screwed up her nose as she exhaled. “He’s always hanging about. I promise I don’t feed him or encourage him.”

  “It’s probably the delicious smells enticing him.”

  “No doubt. See you tomorrow.” Daisy shut and locked the door.

  “Why do you insist on walking all this way when you could stay at home and relax, George?”

  He meowed, rubbed against her legs, and headed in the opposite direction.

  Where are you going? The Café’s back this way.” She pointed, feeling foolish.

  He turned, and she was sure he nodded for her to follow him. She checked her watch. There was time if they hurried. Where? She had a feeling that she already knew the answer as they went around the corner—to Mable’s house. George climbed the two steps to the front door, stared at her, then faced the door then turned back to her.

  Scarlett crouched to look into his eyes. Maybe cats weren’t her favorite animal, but George, with his intriguing personality, was definitely growing on her. “Do you simply miss Mable? Or do you not understand that she’s gone? Either way, I can’t let you in.”

  George opened his mouth—and yawned.

  Great! Now she was conversing with a cat, who needed a breath freshener. Surely, she hadn’t expected an answer? She shook her head. “I wish I could understand what you want from me, but I have no idea, and I need to go. Are you coming or staying here?”

  Ruby would be annoyed if she found out that Scarlett allowed him to wander away, but she could hardly tie him up when everyone knew that cats liked to roam. Still, she called him, and after several glances at the house, he reluctantly came with her.

  Ruby noticed George immediately when he perched in the doorway of the kitchen. “I thought he was at home?”

  “I’m pretty sure he comes to town and then goes home when he’s ready. I found him outside the diner, and then he made a detour to Mable’s. I’d be surprised if it was the first time.”

  Ruby filled the dishwasher. “It’s understandable, I suppose. Poor George.”

  “Indeed.” Scarlett waited until Ruby straightened. “What’s not understandable is the fact that you were asked to ride on the float by Arthur, and you never told us when you asked if we minded.”

  Ruby looked down at her feet and mumbled.

  “Pardon?”

  “I didn’t mention it because I knew you wouldn’t like it,” she said a little louder.

  “Like what?” Violet placed a tray of cups on the counter.

  Scarlett grimaced. “Ruby will be on the float at Arthur’s request.”

  “No way!” Violet glared at Ruby. “You didn’t think, even for a minute, that we’d object?”

  “Of course, I did. Which is why I didn’t tell you.” Ruby’s little chin jutted.

  “But why would you want to do it at all?” Violet argued.

  “At first, I did say no.” Ruby’s lips quivered. “Then Arthur told me about Mom being on that same float for many years, and how I looked so much like her that it would be as if she were here for a little while. You should have seen his face, and suddenly I wanted to do it so badly—for me as well, and I was afraid you’d stop me.”

  Scarlett hugged her sister’s stiff body and felt the fight leave both of them. “You could have told us.”

  “Absolutely.” Violet joined them.

  “Really?” Ruby sniffed. “You both would have said it was okay?”

  Violet smirked. “We’ll never know.”

  Scarlett hugged them tighter. “I’d like to think we can talk about things like this, but we’re old enough to make our own decisions. And we don’t have to agree on everything.”

  “Yeah, that’s not likely to happen very often,” Violet teased.

  It was a fair comment. Taking traits from both of their hard-working parents and mixing them up, they were very different, and that was okay.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Late Friday afternoon, the parade was to begin on the edge of town underneath the sign that read Cozy Hollow - Home of Hospitality.

  Good with her hands, Violet fashioned a costume for Ruby that depicted all the things spring represented.

  Even with some earthy tones, via an old dress of their mom’s (what they had was what they could use), it had to be said that Ruby looked like a fairy princess—minus the wings. Her blonde hair woven with flowers and the sparkly overlay, provided by Olivia from her collection of material at the craft shop, finished the job beautifully.

  After the mammoth task of baking, Scarlett and Violet wished Ruby well before heading out to set up the stall, amongst several others, along Main Street.

  The committee and their helpers had been very busy all morning, and Dale had kindly set up a tent to protect their baking.

  Banners ran between the street lights, with flags attached beneath each one. All the windows shone, and many had trestle tables out the front. It was almost as colorful as the Christmas parade and made Scarlett feel happy as a child.

  Their stall, situated in front of the library, consisted had a fold-out table, care of Olivia. And from here, they would get a clear view of the floats as they came by.

  Violet attached handmade leaves and flowers around the table and sides of the canvas to help brighten it up. Although, the cupcakes which were in a variety of flavors and colors did that too.

  Violet had also made signs advertising their wares and the prices, which they positioned in front of the table. Because they’d opted for cupcakes alone, they’d managed to produce a large amount of stock, and Scarlett crossed her fingers and toes that they’d sell everything. They’d depleted all their ingredients and would need money to get more. Due to the scare over the poison, takings weren’t yet back to where they needed to be. She knew that their loyal customers were spreading the word. It was just a matter of being patient, which wasn’t easy.

  George dozed behind them under the shade of a large elm. He perked up when Sam appeared in front of their table.

  “They look delicious.”

  Scarlett’s heart fluttered at how handsome he was in his paramedic uniform.

  “You look pretty good yourself, Sam,” Violet teased.

  His ears turned pink, and he fussed with his backpack, which was not his normal state of calmness and control.

  “Are you working today?” Scarlett couldn’t think of more than the obvious, and her cheeks burned. Wishing she hadn’t said anything, she moved cupcakes from one pile to another.

  “That’s right.” He coughed. “It’s all hands on deck for the parade. We have a stall across the road, showing the benefits of knowing CPR, plus a first aid station beside it. I’m in charge of both with a couple of doctors assisting. You’d be surprised how many people get cuts and scrapes on a day like this.”

  “We loved getting the themed band-aids when we were small, didn’t we, Violet? Even when the scrape was minuscule,” Scarlett burbled.

  “I don’t remember that, but I’ve had a few turns kissing the dummy.”

  Violet had a naughty streak a mile wide, and it was hard to corral her once she got going unless a particular sheriff was in the vicinity.

  Sam coughed again. “Right. Ahh, I’d better get to my station before the parade starts, in case I don’t get through.”

  “See you later, Sam. I might have another try at the CPR. When you’re not busy.”

  When he turned and hurried down the street, Scarlett slapped Violet on the arm.

  “What?!”

  “You know exactly what. Sam’s a nice guy, and you just scared the heck out of him.”

  Violet shrugged. “He talks a good game, but he needs to step it up.”

  Scarlett was confused. “What game? Am I missing something?”

  “He likes you,” Violet spoke slowly as if Scarlett was a simpleton. “A lot.”

 
“He likes all of us.” Scarlett grew hot, and it wasn’t from the sun, which was climbing higher. “Equally.”

  Violet leaned forward so she could see Scarlett’s face. “It doesn’t look that way to me.”

  Scarlett shrugged. “Luckily, not everyone sees the world the way you do.”

  “It would be boring if they did. But if you really don’t think of Sam as boyfriend material, I’m not the only one who’ll be disappointed.”

  Scarlett chose to ignore her sister—or pretend to. After all, a little flirting meant nothing. One day she hoped for something more like their parents had. Right now, her focus was the business. Everything else could wait.

  They laid the cakes in lines with net covers. They also had a stack of napkins for single sales and various boxes for small or large amounts.

  “So, you don’t have someone you would like to date?” Violet continued as if this were still a viable conversation.

  Scarlett saw a familiar figure nearing them, and her eyes narrowed. “Do you?”

  Violet snorted. “I’m too busy for dating.”

  “That’s a shame.” Nate stood directly in front of Violet. “About dating.”

  Also, in uniform, he looked every bit as good as Sam. It was a fact that Cozy Hollow had two of the best looking first responders in these parts. It was also a fact that the sheriff was keen on Violet.

  A little less sure of herself, Violet took a step back. “There are other things that need my attention. More important things.”

  He grinned good-naturedly. “So I hear. I’ve put my name down for the working bee, by the way.”

  “Sorry?” Violet stared at him.

  “The working bee at your house. On Sunday?”

  “Olivia cornered you, didn’t she?” Scarlett grimaced. Although, if she’d given a thought to whom Olivia would ask, she’d surely have guessed it would include Nate. She’d told her sisters about the painting, but had omitted to say that there might be some help available. Violet did not look impressed.