A Corpse at the Polls: An Ella Sweeting Aromatherapy Magic Cozy Mystery (Ella Sweeting: Witch Aromatherapist Cozies Book 3)

by Lisbeth Reade

  Rory looked like he swallowed a lemon. "I can come with you."

  "Stop being jealous," I said, mildly annoyed. "It's just Andy."

  "Fine, I'll go save the environment on my own." He sighed. "Don't solve the murder without me."

  "I'll try, but you never know. I am just that good," I teased and gave him a kiss.

  Rory grinned and headed off. I waved at him, then hurried after Andy. He was pale, but I'd expected that.

  "Hey, Andy!"

  Andy spun around. "Ella?"

  "Hi. Yeah, wait up. I've got to talk to you." I said, approaching him. "Are you alright? You look tired."

  Andy ruffled his hair. "Am tired. I guess my head isn't as hard as I thought it was."

  "Really? Are you sure it isn't just your conscience bothering you?" I asked.

  Andy's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "Um, no. Why would my conscience be bothering me? You mean my concussion? I'm always getting those two words mixed up," he said, tugging at his hair and flitting his eyes around.

  "Come on, Andy. I know about the scarf," I blurted.

  Andy grabbed my arm and pulled me down a side street. "I don't know what you are talking about."

  "I know why you took it from the scene," I told him. "But I don't know why you gave it back to your uncle. Because if you took it, it meant you knew it was his when you saw it on Helen's body and wanted to protect Mike." I pressed. "But why give it back?"

  Andy stared. "I didn't..."

  "I saw you." I lied. "I saw you at the hospital and you gave it to Mike Hutchinson while he was on the steps."

  Andy flushed. "Don't turn me in, Ella. Please!"

  "Tell me what happened," I said keeping my voice calm.

  He ran a hand over his mouth and let out a shaky breath. "I did it," he whispered.

  "Did what? The murder?" No. I couldn't believe that.

  Andy squirmed. "No! No. I didn't kill anyone. Why would I do that? I just... I got upstairs and saw the scarf. I knew it was Mike's. He's my uncle, Ella. I...I thought he did it and I thought I could protect him. So when Garza was coming up the steps, I leaned over the body and pulled it loose. I jammed it into my pocket and that was that. I was just going to get rid of it." His face clouded over and his voice slowed and thickened. "I've never been that close to a body before. She smelled like tea." He swallowed. "That was it."

  "No it wasn't," I said. "You hit Garza."

  He spun back to face me and let out an agonized sound. "I did! I know. I know. I did. I— Ella you have got to believe me. I never meant to hurt her. I just wasn't thinking. I panicked. She had noticed fibers around Helen's neck. She also noticed a bit of the scarf hanging out of my pocket. She's a machine! She is the best detective there ever was and she was in the bedroom telling me she knew exactly who it was. I panicked, I swear."

  Andy crowded me until my back hit the brick wall of the bakery. His eyes were wild. "I don't know what to do. I gave the scarf back to my uncle. I thought if I didn't have it anymore there wouldn't be anything to connect me to anything. I've been waiting and waiting for Garza to wake up. If she remembers, my career is all over. I'm a good cop!" he shouted. There was a long silence. "I'm a good cop," he repeated, more subdued this time.

  "Okay, Andy," I told him. "I believe you. Everybody makes mistakes."

  Nodding, Andy took a step back from me. "That's what it was. I made a mistake. But what do I do now?"

  "Turn yourself in," I suggested. "Get out ahead of it, Andy. Maybe you can work it out with Garza. It's obviously eating you up inside."

  "What about my uncle?" Andy demanded. "I don't honestly know if he did it. I still can't wrap my head around him doing something so vicious. And if I turn myself in, I'm going to jail for obstruction. I can't do that. My mother needs me." Andy whimpered. "Can you just not tell anyone?"

  "Andy," I began.

  "If Garza remembers, I'm going to jail. If it comes to that, I'll handle it... but Ella, please. You don't have to turn me in."

  I bit my lip. "Andy, you put her in a coma."

  "Please," Andy begged. "I've never done anything like this in my entire life."

  "I have to think about it," I said. "I won't do anything without talking to you first."

  Andy nodded, defeated. My heart went out to him. "Okay," he replied, "as long as you talk to me first."

  I nodded. Andy engulfed me in a bear hug. Before I could even hug him back, the he'd ran off. I was standing alone on the sidewalk, shaking. Auntie Joe turned up a minute later.

  "What's happened?" she asked. "You look awful!"

  I shook it off. I had to finish this investigation today. Andy said Helen had smelled like tea. My mind started whirling. "I'm fine. But we need to get to Aunt Sarah. I think she might be in trouble."

  "Why would Sarah be in trouble?" Auntie Joe asked, wrinkling her brow.

  "I'll explain on the way. Come on, I still need you to drive. I might crash us into the nearest fire hydrant, I'm so jittery from all the caffeine." And the shock of Andy's confession, I kept myself from adding.

  I called Ruby as we hurried to the car. She was going to need to meet me. But Max answered.

  "She doesn't want to talk to you," he growled into the phone.

  "Oh, really? I don't care. This is about the case. Tell her to meet me at Caitlyn Jones' offices and don't even think of not giving her this message," I warned him.

  Max paused before answering, "Why would I tell her anything that comes out of your poisonous mouth? You are determined to ruin our relationship."

  "Yes, I suppose I am. But only because I found out about your park scheme."

  "Park scheme?"

  Auntie Joe opened the car and I slid in as she turned the engine over. Max sounded surprised.

  "Just tell Ruby to meet me." I ordered, and hung up the phone.

  "That guy is slime," I told Auntie Joe. "Ruby should seriously consider online dating."

  "What did Andy tell you?" she asked as we took off to the other side of town.

  Meet us at Caitlyn Jones' offices, I texted Rory while Joe managed the traffic.

  Well, that was done. We were on our way to Sarah, and Auntie Joe was waiting for an answer. I looked over at her and let the bomb drop. "Andy told me exactly who the murderer is. And it's not his uncle."

  Chapter 12

  Caitlyn's offices were halfway across town, and the trip there seemed to take forever. I tapped my knee impatiently. We had to make it there fast.

  I thought back to the murder scene. Andy'd said that Helen smelled like tea. And I clearly remembered the tea set on the table, with two cups sitting pretty on their saucers.

  I looked at Auntie Joe, "Just drop me off at the door and park. I need to get there already."

  "Ella, why? Is Sarah in trouble?" Auntie Joe asked, brow furrowing.

  "I think she might be," I told her, honestly worried. "I've been struggling to understand this thing. First I thought the murderer was Mike because of the scarf, but now I think— no I know its Caitlyn."

  "Caitlyn Jones?" Auntie Joe squeaked. "But surely Caitlyn has no idea who Sarah is."

  "I doubt she knows who Aunt Sarah is. But she does know who I am, and she likes to poison people," I told my aunt, mentally urging her to drive faster.

  Auntie Joe tried to stare at me but she needed to keep her eyes on the road ahead of us. "Ella, that's my sister out there." Her voice was a whisper.

  "Yes," I said. "And she doesn't know she's watching a killer."

  Auntie Joe sped up, slamming on the brakes when we reached the offices. I almost flew through the window, but my seatbelt held me back. I popped it loose and hopped out of the car.

  "Hurry up and park. I don't know if I'll need magical backup."

  Auntie Joe nodded and drove off to park the car as I raced up the steps and pushed my way into the offices. The lights were at half mast and Caitlyn's assistant Liam was the only one in view. He had his briefcase in hand.

  "Can I help you?"

  "Hi,
Liam. Caitlyn Jones here? I was supposed to meet my aunt and Ms. Jones." I said, slowing to a brisk walk and plastering a smile on my face.

  "She doesn't have any appointments listed," Liam answered stuffily.

  "Is she here?" I asked. "I'm sure I've got the date and time correct. I'll just have a quick look around and be on my way."

  "Caitlyn's not here," Liam said, moving to block me. "She went home. Miss Sweeting, I do all of Caitlyn's scheduling and she doesn't have you listed for today or tomorrow or ever. I think you better leave."

  "Fine," I agreed easily. "You wouldn't happen to have her home address? My aunt will have a fit if I miss this appointment." I tried to school my features into damsel in distress.

  "You should leave." He reiterated.

  "Oh, I will. Fine. When did she leave?" I asked.

  Liam glowered. "About a half hour ago. There was a woman in the bushes. Miss Jones is taking her to the police." He shook his head. "We get them sometimes. People have opinions on how this place should run, and sending a letter or making a phone call just isn't enough for them."

  Drat. Caitlyn had found Sarah.

  "Did she call the police?" I asked. Best case scenario, Ruby now had a reason to give my aunt a dressing down. Worst case scenario... I didn't want to think about it. "Is that where she went?"

  "She must have," Liam said, slightly uncertain. "Yes. I'm sure that's what she did. That's what we usually do."

  "Great, I'll just make another appointment later. Can you give me one of those business cards with her number on it? I lost mine." I asked sweetly.

  He just glared at me.

  This was really bad. I turned on my heel and raced out of the office, crashing into Auntie Joe. "She's not here!"

  "Sarah or Caitlyn?" Auntie Joe asked.

  "Both," I said. "Liam says they found Aunt Sarah lurking outside and Caitlyn called the police. But where are the cops? Where is Aunt Sarah? This is all my fault. We need to find them now."

  "We should call the police, or Ruby at least," Auntie Joe suggested.

  I nodded. "I'll call Ruby. In the meantime, can you call Aunt Hazel? I need to make sure she's not having any problems over at the hospital."

  Joe nodded, and I got busy with dialing Ruby. But I didn't get through. It rang once and went directly to voicemail. Frowning, I dialed the police department's nonemergency line. A tired sounding Andy answered.

  "Andy! Great you're back at the station. Listen I really need your help. Did someone call in about prowlers near the Caitlyn Jones' election offices?"

  "Ella, is that you? You know I can't give out information on any ongoing investigations."

  I gritted my teeth. He was wasting time here. "Listen Andy, this is important. I was told that my aunt was being taken in for trespassing or stalking or something by Caitlyn Jones. But there aren't any cops here now. Is she there? My aunt? The brown haired one, Sarah?"

  "No," Andy said. "Wait, Ella— is this about the murder?" he asked, sounding nervous.

  "Oh, Andy, I can't comment on any ongoing investigations," I said sourly.

  Oops. I realized my mistake almost immediately.

  Coldly, Andy told me the line was for more important things and hung up before I could wheedle Caitlyn's home address out of him. Me and my big mouth.

  I tried Ruby again. She would have Caitlyn's address on file. But she still didn't answer. Max must not have told her about my call.

  Fine. I needed another way to get her address. Think, Ella, think, I told myself.

  Finally I hit on it. "Rory!" I shouted.

  Auntie Joe up. "Is he here, dear?"

  "No, no. He would know where Caitlyn lives. He's been the mailman here forever. They rotate them around. He must have done her route at least once and he's crazy good at remembering numbers and addresses and people."

  I pulled my phone out of my purse and dialed.

  "Hey, Ella. Good news. Marsha's friend is running with the story— "

  "Great. Brilliant even, but not now. Can you tell me where Caitlyn Jones lives?"

  "Yeah, I think so. I delivered to her complex for six months last summer. It's the Willow Terrace condos. Um," he let out a breath, thinking. "Um, building 8. Everything alright?"

  "Sarah's missing. We think Caitlyn has her. We sent her to watch a murder suspect and she got caught. Rory, I have a bad feeling about this. Do you know what suite?"

  "404 or 406? Did you call Ruby? I can be there in fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. I'm pretty close to there." Rory said.

  "I tried, but she's not answering."

  "Get going. I'll try her again on my way over. Maybe she'll answer for me."

  I nodded. "Okay, good. Thanks, Rory. I'll see you there."

  I looked back at Auntie Jo. "What's with Aunt Hazel? Is she all right?"

  She raced around and hopped into the car. "Yes, fine, fine. She hasn't been able to get a hold of Sarah for the last hour. I tried, too, and no answer. Hazel says Garza's readings have improved, though. The doctors think it's only a matter of time before she wakes up again. I told her to stay there."

  "Good. One less person to worry about," I muttered, meaning Garza. Aunt Hazel could take care of herself— and Garza.

  I climbed into the car, with Auntie Joe right behind me, peppering me questions. But I was too busy looking up the address of the Willow Terrace Condos to answer. I quickly shot Ruby a text. Maybe I could get her that way. We really needed her.

  Auntie Joe and I arrived at the condos and were relieved to see that it wasn't a gated community. I didn't want to have to deal with a security guard now. While Auntie Joe parked the car, I climbed out, looking for the building numbers. Auntie Joe followed me, clutching her bag.

  "You said you know its Caitlyn. Why?" she asked.

  "The tea set in Helen's living room was set for two. That meant she had company. I can't be sure that it was Caitlyn." I told her. "But it's all making a lot of sense. And now that we know she didn't call the police... I have to assume I'm correct. Caitlyn Jones is our killer."

  "And my sister is with her," Auntie Joe said, pointing to building 8. "In the hands a of a killer."

  We hurried towards the innocent looking building. "We don't know that. Sarah is resourceful. Let's find Caitlyn first."

  The building was white brick, with large open terraces sporting ficus trees and potted plants. It looked peaceful and calm, and not at all like it housed anything amiss.

  I raced over and took the steps up to the fourth floor. Auntie Joe followed closely behind me. She had her own phone out and was busily texting someone, but I didn't have time to ask who as we scanned the walls to see where Caitlyn's condo was. We ended up outside the only condo without plants, number 404. Through the window I saw Aunt Sarah sitting comfortably in a white leather sofa. She had a teacup in her hand, poised to drink.

  I couldn't let her drink that tea! I inhaled, touching that little piece of magic buried deep inside of me and waved my hand. The tea cup flew out of Aunt Sarah's hand, spilling all over the floor.

  Auntie Joe clapped. "Nice one! You take after your tea cake-exploding aunt."

  Caitlyn's eyes raged as she stood up and tossed a rag over the tea. I tried the door. Locked. Auntie Joe grabbed the handle and whispered something. The door popped open suddenly and the two of us tumbled into Caitlyn's condo.

  "Joe? Ella? What are you two doing here?" Aunt Sarah asked.

  "Ella Sweeting," Caitlyn Jones exclaimed, meeting each of our eyes in turn. "This is turning into an interesting afternoon, isn't it? So this is the niece you were telling me about?" she asked Aunt Sarah.

  Aunt Sarah seemed a bit twitchy. "Oh yes, Ms. Jones," she said. "This is my niece, Ella Sweeting. She's an aromatherapist." With Caitlyn still staring us in the eye, she bent down and picked up the teacup, slipped it into a plastic bag and then into her purse. "I was just telling you all about her, wasn't I?"

  "No, I believe you were going to explain to me which one of the candidates had put you up to spying on
me. But now I see you're actually a part of that cop's investigative team. Isn't that right, Ella? I know you've been working with the police to solve Helen's unfortunate murder." Caitlyn said. She frowned, as if attempting to look sad, but strangely devoid of emotion.

  "Yes," I said, "I've been working with the police force to narrow down the list of suspects— and I have."

  "Oh." Caitlyn shuffled the items around on her tea tray. "Don't suppose I can interest you all in a cup of tea? Yours seems to have made a mess of my carpet." She glared pointedly at Sarah.

  "Butter fingers," Aunt Sarah remarked. "I'd stay away from the tea, ladies. It's probably bitter and bad for your health."

  "I don't know what you mean," Caitlyn said, puffing up with insult. Her hand moved over the tea tray again and I noticed the knife was missing from cheese plate. I moved to put myself between the Aunts and Caitlyn, but before I could move the door burst open.

  Ruby was first, gun drawn, followed by Andy and a few the other officers. Downstairs, I could clearly see a few more, their guns trained on the living room window. Showdown time.

  Caitlyn pounced, pulling Aunt Sarah to her and slipping the knife against her throat.

  My heart froze.

  "Put the knife down!" Ruby shouted.

  "I can't. You'll shoot me." Caitlyn pulled Sarah a few steps back and closer to the bedroom. "Call Liam. Call my lawyer! Put those guns down. You have no right to be in my home!"

  "Caitlyn," Ruby began. "Please drop the knife and come quietly. We have you on suspicion of the murder of Helen Christianson and the assault of Morgan Gray and Lewis Thorne."

  "I didn't kill Helen!" she shouted, pressing the knife into Sarah's neck. "And I have no idea who those other people even are."

  "They're your bodyguards," I told her.

  Caitlyn frowned. "Oh. Well, they're fine. Why bring them into this?"

  Ruby took a step forward. Caitlyn dragged Aunt Sarah along with her into the hall and ever closer to the bedroom. If this place was anything like Helen's, she was heading for the terrace. Ruby took another step and Andy was able to slide into the room. He also had his gun trained on Caitlyn.

  "Release the hostage and put your hands above your head," Ruby stated.