Chocolate Heart Killer: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 14

by Kathleen Suzette

  Christy leaned over toward me. “I think Amber did it. Look how confident she is, sitting up there just daring Mariah to turn around and say something to her.”

  I nodded. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

  Devon leaned forward. “I heard Logan and Mel had an argument a couple weeks ago.”

  I turned to him. “Over what?”

  Devon leaned in closer. “Apparently, Mel was looking at Mariah. And it made Logan mad.”

  This was news. I glanced over to where Mel and Fred sat on the other side of the room. I turned back to Devon. “Do you know that for a fact?” With the rumors flying all over town like they were, I wanted to know if he had first-hand knowledge of it or not.

  He nodded. “Gary Briggs told me they were at the bar playing pool when Mel came in and Logan started an argument with him.”

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “Logan got in Mel’s face and threatened him. But from what Gary said, Mel tried to smooth things over. Told him that he was mistaken and that he would never make a move on his best friend’s girlfriend.” He shrugged. “They didn’t fight physically, it was just a verbal altercation, from what I hear.”

  I nodded, taking this in. Then I turned and glanced at Ethan. He had heard what Devon said, and he was deep in thought. Maybe Mel had had time to think over the argument and decided to cut Logan’s brake line. Mel was on the skinny side and Logan was a bigger guy. Maybe was afraid to fight him, but had been embarrassed enough about being caught taking an interest in Logan’s girlfriend that he sabotaged his car and took care of his problem. He could be with Mariah now that Logan was out of the picture.

  “We’ll talk about it after the funeral,” Ethan whispered to Devon.

  Devon nodded and sat back in his seat. The pastor from the Baptist Church was performing the ceremony, and he approached the lectern. I sighed.

  ***

  When the funeral service was over, we got up and paid our respects to Logan’s family and Mariah. Then I took Ethan’s hand, and we headed up the aisle of the sanctuary, stopping to give Mom and Dad a hug on the way out.

  “Sure was sorry to hear about Logan,” Dad said to Ethan. “I know the two of you were close. I’m sorry for your loss, Ethan.”

  Ethan nodded, his cheeks turning pink from the emotion of the day. “Thank you, I appreciate that.” I squeezed his hand.

  “We’re going to go and talk to Logan’s parents for a minute,” Mom said. “We’ll talk to you kids later.”

  “It’s so sad,” Christy said, glancing back at the casket.

  “You can say that again,” Devon agreed.

  We all headed up the aisle and worked our way through the milling people at the back of the sanctuary. When we stepped outside, the sky had grown darker, and I looked heavenward. It was turning into a warmer day than had been expected, and I wondered if we would get rain instead of snow.

  “Hey Ethan,” we heard from behind us. We turned to look, and Mel and Fred were following close behind us.

  “Hey everyone,” Fred said, nodding to us.

  “Hi Fred,” I said.

  “It was a nice funeral,” Mel said, glancing at Fred. “I guess if you can say that funerals are nice, anyway.”

  “Yeah, it was nice,” Ethan agreed, sticking his hands in his pockets and looking up at the sky.

  “Ethan, are you any closer to finding Logan’s killer?” Fred asked.

  Ethan look at him. “We’re working on it. I’m hoping we’ll have enough evidence to make an arrest soon.”

  Fred’s eyes got big. “Really?” He glanced at Mel, then back at Ethan. “That’s great! Who have you got in your sights?”

  Ethan’s mouth made a tight line. “I really can’t talk about those things. You understand.”

  Fred nodded slowly. “Of course, what was I thinking?” He chuckled, but it came out sounding uneasy. He glanced at Mel again. “Well, I’m certainly glad that you’re close to making an arrest. I hate to think that Logan’s killer is wandering around scot-free.”

  “Oh, they won’t be scot-free for long. I can tell you that.” Ethan nodded.

  I looked at Ethan. Did he really have somebody in mind? If he did, he was keeping it from me.

  “It’s good to hear you may be making an arrest soon,” Mel said, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. He was wearing a T-shirt and a light denim jacket in spite of the cold.

  “Well,” Fred said hesitantly. “I’m glad the Pumpkin Hollow police department does such a great job for us. You should be proud of your work, Ethan.”

  Ethan smiled at the compliment. “Thanks, it’s nice to hear that.”

  Fred nodded and looked at Mel again. “I guess we better get going. We’ll see you all later.”

  We watched as Fred and Mel got into a red pickup and drove away. I turned to Ethan. “Are you really close to arresting somebody?”

  He smiled. “I’m always close to arresting somebody. Optimism is the name of the game when hunting a killer.”

  I took his hand and turned to Christy and Devon. “I guess we’re going to get going. We’ll talk to you two later.”

  “See you,” Christy said, and they headed off toward Devon’s car.

  We walked to Ethan’s truck, and I gave his hand a squeeze. I knew he would find the killer, I just hoped it would be soon. Logan’s death was wearing on him.

  Chapter Eleven

  The day began to turn brighter as the sun poked it’s head out from the clouds. I was glad about it, the overcast sky had been depressing. After the funeral we all went back to our jobs. I stood at the front window in the candy store and looked out at the bright blue sky. So much for rain.

  “I made some cherry swirl fudge,” Mom said, carrying a tray out from the kitchen. “I thought we needed another flavor for Valentine’s Day. Would you like to try a piece?”

  I went over to her and she handed me a small piece to taste.

  “Wow, that is really good. The cherry flavor is bright and flavorful.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad you like it. I’m also thinking about spring flavors, not just Valentine’s Day. It might be just a bit early yet, but you know me. I’m always trying to come up with something new.”

  “I know, that’s what I love about you,” I said as she went behind the counter and opened the display case, setting the tray of fudge inside.

  I was restless, the day was slow, and I had filled every Internet order we had. I knew another would come in any moment, but I wasn’t really in the mood to work and that was part of the reason I felt so restless.

  She chuckled and closed the display case. “I’m thinking about key lime. How do you think key lime fudge will sell?”

  “It will be tasty, and it will sell like crazy,” I said, turning to her. “You know what? I think I’m going to run to the bakery and get some donuts and coffee. Would you like a coffee?”

  She brightened. “It’s chilly outside, coffee would be wonderful.”

  “Did I hear coffee?” Christy asked, coming out of the kitchen.

  “Of course you did. Oh, and donuts too. I think I’ll go to the bakery.” Our part-time help, Linda Reid, Carrie green, and Missy Pritchard had run the shop while we were at the funeral and they had gone home when Mom, Christy, and I had gotten to work. There was only the three of us for the rest of the afternoon.

  “I’ll go with you,” Christy offered and went to the back room for our coats.

  “We’ll be back in a few minutes, Mom,” I said as Christy returned and handed me my coat.

  I wrapped my coat around myself as we stepped out into the chilly air.

  “I’ll be glad when spring gets here,” Christy said, wrapping her arms around herself.

  “Me too,” I said. As we passed the gift shop, we saw that Polly Givens had added some Valentine’s Day decorations. There was also a large pumpkin in the corner of the window. We stopped and looked into the window. “Looks like Polly got a new shipment of Valentine’s Day gifts.” I had
my eye on a small wrought iron birdcage with a small pink candle inside of it.

  “We need to stop in when we have more time,” Christy said.

  “We do. I love that birdcage.” I pointed it out. It was small and wouldn’t take up too much room on my fireplace mantel.

  “That’s adorable,” she said.

  We looked a little longer and then we headed off to the bakery. Having a business on Spooky Lane had its advantages. We were in walking distance of most of the other shops in town.

  I pushed the bakery door open and stepped into the warm shop. Inhaling, my nose was filled with the sweet scent of donuts and cookies. “Sure smells good in here.”

  Angela Karis was sitting on a stool behind the counter and she looked up and smiled at us. “Hello, girls,” she said, slipping off the chair and coming to the front counter. “How are you two doing today?”

  “We’re good,” Christy said. “We’re just in need of some sugary sustenance.”

  She chuckled. “Well then, you’ve come to the right place. What can I get for you?”

  I looked into the display case at the rows of donuts. She had more left than I had imagined she would. She did her baking in the morning and many times by the afternoon there wasn’t a lot left to choose from. “I’m so glad you still have a lot of donuts,” I said.

  “I baked a few extra this morning. We’ve been running out earlier and earlier it seems, but of course, wouldn’t you know that today wouldn’t be one of those days?”

  “It figures,” I said and smiled. “I think I want one of those Boston cream donuts.” I pointed at the two that were left on the tray. “I think Mom would like a blueberry donut.” The blueberry donuts were frosted with vanilla bean frosting and I knew Angela had used fresh blueberries when she made them.

  She nodded and got a small box to put them in.

  “I think I want a raspberry jelly donut, and a sprinkle donut.” Christy pointed at the sprinkle donuts.

  Angela nodded. “You got it,” she said.

  I glanced at Christy. “Two donuts?”

  Christy wrinkled her nose up at me. “Yes, I’m hungry this afternoon.”

  I turned back to the donuts. “Why don’t you add another blueberry donut and another sprinkle donut to the box?” I turned and looked at Christy, giving her the eye.

  “Copycat,” she hissed.

  I chuckled. “How are things going around here, Angela?” I asked.

  She looked up as she was setting the Boston cream donut into the box. “Things are going okay. Vincent and I have been talking about adding other items to our menu. Like maybe some fancy French pastries,” she said. “I just want to make something new.”

  I wasn’t a fan of Angela’s, but I was glad to see she was thinking about changing up what they offered here at the bakery. In a small town, sometimes businesses got stuck in a rut and didn’t offer much variety to their customers. This was good news.

  “That would be awesome,” I said. “I hope you do it.”

  She nodded. “I’ve been itching to make a change.” She put the rest of the donuts into the box. We gave her our coffee orders, and she went to make them for us. When she had finished, she set them on the counter and turned and looked at me. “So, I hear Ethan’s on another murder investigation?”

  I nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.”

  She nodded. “I heard that. I heard it was Logan Michaels.”

  I smiled. I wasn’t going to give her any information, if that’s what she was looking for. “Yes, it was Logan.”

  She shook her head, making a tsk-tsk sound and began ringing up our order. “I hate to hear it. Does he have any idea who killed him?”

  “You know how it is,” I said glancing at Christy. “He’s investigating.”

  She stopped and turned to me and nodded. “Oh yeah, sure. I’m sure it takes a while to figure out who the killer is when a murder occurs.”

  “Yes, unfortunately killers don’t like to volunteer the information.” I said it lightly, but once it was out of my mouth, I realized it might have sounded smart alecky.

  She turned and glanced at me, one eyebrow raised. “Well, I don’t want to gossip, but I heard that he and Fred Tillman got into an argument not long ago.”

  “Fred Tillman? What would he get into an argument with him about?” I asked.

  “I heard Logan took his car in to the garage and Fred overcharged him for the work he did.” She finished ringing up our order, and I paid for it.

  “Shouldn’t he have gotten an estimate before the work was done?” Christy asked.

  Angela slid the box of donuts across the counter. “Yes, and apparently he did, but then when Fred got to work on the car, he said he found something else that needed to be fixed. And when Logan went to pick the car up, and he got the new bill, he blew his top.”

  “Who told you that?” I asked. Angela liked to gossip, so I wasn’t putting a lot of credence into what she was saying.

  “Janice Lee,” she said. “She came in here a few days ago and told me that she was there having her car worked on and she heard the entire argument. According to her, Logan was hot about it.” She nodded.

  I knew Janice Lee, and she was as big a gossip as Angela was. It wouldn’t surprise me if what was really a simple discussion in her mind turned into an argument. I nodded. “Well, I guess I wouldn’t be too happy about it if I had some work done on my car and was given an estimate for one amount and ended up being charged another.”

  “He should have called Logan and told him that more work was needed before doing the work,” Christy added.

  She nodded. “Right? That’s exactly what I told Janice. But I guess Fred just thought the car had to have that work done, so he did it for him without asking.”

  “I don’t think I would’ve paid for it, then,” I said.

  “Yes, but then what if he wouldn’t give you your car? You’d have to pay for it. And that was what made Logan so mad. Fred charged him an extra five hundred dollars for the work he did.”

  “I don’t think it works that way,” I said doubtfully. “I don’t think Fred could have kept his car when he didn’t tell him about the work before he did it.”

  “What was he having done?” Christy asked.

  She shrugged. “Janice thought it had something to do with the radiator, but she wasn’t sure. I think Ethan needs to check into that.”

  I wasn’t sure Ethan would be interested in looking into something that was secondhand gossip, but I didn’t want to say that and hurt her feelings. “I guess it doesn’t hurt to mention it to him.”

  She nodded, excited now. “That’s exactly right. You need to talk to him and let him know what happened between the two of them. You never know when something is important.”

  I smiled at her and we thanked her and left. I really didn’t know if Ethan would be terribly concerned about it, but I would mention it anyway.

  Chapter Twelve

  It was two days after Logan’s funeral that Christy and I ran into Mariah at the Pumpkin Hollow nail salon. She was already in the chair and Clarice Hanson was working on her nails. They were laughing about something as we stood at the counter, waiting for our appointment. I glanced at Christy and she looked at me. For the funeral having been so recent, it seemed odd that Mariah was as lively and upbeat as she was.

  Sue Miller came to the front counter and greeted us. “Hi Christy, hi Mia. Are you ready for your appointments?”

  We nodded. “Yes, all set,” I said.

  She led us back to two chairs next to Mariah, and we sat down. “Do you know what you want?” Sue asked me. Janice Kippler appeared from the back room and came over and sat in the chair in front of Christy to get started on her nails.

  “I think I want something simple,” I said. “To be honest, it’s been ages since I’ve had my nails done. I want them to be short, and I’d like a nice, simple French manicure.” I didn’t often wear acrylic nails, but occasionally I was in the mood for them. I could have gotten s
omething cute for Valentine’s Day, but I love the look of a French manicure.

  “And you, Christy?” Janice asked.

  “I think I’m going to go with dark red nails. I want them to be very cute, but fairly short, too. It’s hard getting any work done when they’re longer.”

  “Hi Mia, hi Christy,” Mariah said, looking over at us.

  “Hi Mariah,” I said. “How are you doing?”

  She sobered at the question. “I guess I’m doing as well as can be expected,” she said with a sigh.

  I nodded. “I know this has got to be so hard.”

  “Is Ethan any closer to finding Logan’s killer?” she asked.

  I glanced around at the ladies doing our nails. It wasn’t like I was going to tell her anything personal anyway, but I felt funny discussing this in front of them. “He’s still working on the investigation. You know how it is, sometimes these things take time.”

  She nodded. “Of course. I have all the faith in the world in Ethan that he will find Logan’s killer and bring them to justice.”

  I sat back in my chair as Sue got to work on my right hand. “I know he will.”

  “You know, Mia,” Mariah said after everyone had been silent for a few moments. “I’ve been thinking things over, and if I were going to point a finger at anyone, I would say that Mel Tillman may have had something to do with Logan’s murder.”

  I looked at her. “Mel? I thought they were best friends.”

  She nodded. “They were. Or at least, at one time they were best friends. To be honest with you, and this is between the six of us,” she said and chuckled. “Logan was trying to put some distance between the two of them. I think he really just outgrew Mel. Sometimes friends don’t grow with you, if you know what I mean.”