Candy Coated Murder

by Kate Bell

  “Are you sure he said he heard a noise? Because a few minutes ago he told me he didn’t hear anything that night,” I said.

  “Hm,” Ethan said. “Maybe he’s confused which night it was that he heard the sound.”

  “Maybe,” I said. Mr. Gott was getting up there in age. He could have been confused about the whole thing.

  “And you said you saw her at the candy store the morning of the murder?” he asked, looking at me.

  I nodded. “Yes, that’s what I told you the last time we talked. Hazel stopped in and was upset that she couldn’t get a baker’s dozen donuts. Which, by the way, is what Stella Moretti is now selling. Thirteen donuts, not twelve. I think it’s odd that as soon as Hazel died, she started selling them that way to other people.”

  “Stella never liked Hazel,” Dad said. “Whenever I went into the bakery, she complained about Hazel. I think they were women that liked to complain about other people, to tell you the truth.”

  “I see,” Ethan said and made a note in his notebook.

  “I didn’t know Pumpkin Hollow had a detective,” I said. “The mayor is complaining about not having money for the Halloween season, yet we can afford a detective?”

  “Oh, that’s just Johnson. We’re borrowing him from Greenwood. We don’t have one on staff. That’s why I’m interviewing people, too,” he said, holding up his notebook.

  “Still, it’s got to cost something,” I said.

  “That’s true,” he said. “But I’m not privy to that kind of information.”

  The front door opened, and we all turned to look. My sister Christy and her husband, John, walked through the door. Christy held a bowl of salad in her hands.

  “Hey, everyone,” she said and looked at Ethan. “Hi, Ethan.”

  “Hi Christy, hi John. How are you two?”

  “We’re fine," Christy said. "Are you joining us for dinner?”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m just asking your mom and sister a few questions about Hazel Martin’s death.”

  “That was terrible. But I can kind of see where she got on people’s nerves.”

  “You don’t know anything about her death, do you?” I asked her. I was being a smart aleck.

  She smirked. “Yeah, right after I had my nails done, I stopped by and stuffed her with straw. You have to admit it was kind of fitting, in a way.”

  “What do you mean?” Ethan asked.

  She shrugged. “She hated anything to do with the Halloween season, and she hated people decorating their yards. In death, she was turned into a great big Halloween decoration for her own yard. The killer’s got a wicked sense of humor, pardon the pun.”

  John chuckled. “That is kind of twisted.”

  “Don’t make fun of the dead,” Mom said. “It’s not right.”

  “She isn’t going to come back and haunt me. I don’t think,” Christy said, setting the bowl of salad down on the table.

  “She would if she could,” I said and put the garlic bread into the oven.

  “Well, I suppose I should let you folks enjoy your dinner,” Ethan said. I think he had had enough of our less than sensitive humor.

  “You should stay. We’ll be nice,” Christy said.

  “I’ve got a shift to finish,” Ethan said. “You all will let me know if you remember anything, right?”

  I nodded. “You’ll be the first we call. I hope you find the killer. I’d hate for them to be running around town, maybe thinking about who to murder next.”

  “Oh, Mia,” Mom said. “Don’t say that. I’m sure whoever it is won’t kill anyone else. At least I hope not.”

  “I’ll see you to the door,” my dad said and led the way for Ethan.

  “So, are you two suspects?” John asked.

  I rolled my eyes. “We better not be. I was trying to do a good deed when I went over there that night. I really regret it now.”

  “Never regret a good deed, dear,” Mom said. “It will come back to you some day.”

  I sighed and sat down. All I wanted was for Hazel’s killer to be arrested and the Halloween season saved.

  --12--

  It was Friday evening, and I was standing on the gazebo at Pumpkin Hollow Park waiting on other Halloween business owners to show up. I had handed out flyers to everyone I could think of and posted them all over town. The Baptist church loaned me some folding chairs, and I set them up in rows, hoping they would all be filled for the meeting. I was pleased we already had a small group eagerly waiting for the meeting to begin and my fingers were crossed, hoping for more.

  A police cruiser pulled up and parked at the curb. I squinted my eyes and saw it was Ethan. I wasn’t sure whether to be happy he was here, or stay mad at him because he was asking my mother and me about the murder again.

  He got out of his car and sauntered over. “Hey, Mia,” he said with a nod.

  “Hi Ethan,” I returned. I had a paper with notes I wanted to remember creased in my hands and I looked down at it and straightened it out.

  Ethan looked around. “It looks like we’ll have a nice turnout.”

  I smiled. We.

  “I was hoping for a few more people,” I said. I glanced at my watch. We still had ten minutes until we started. Fourteen business owners had shown up along with a handful of others, and I was less than excited with that number. Now was the time to stand up for our rights and the more that showed up, the better chance we had at success.

  “Give it a few more minutes,” he said, leaning against the gazebo wall.

  “Anything new on the murder?” I asked while we waited.

  He shook his head. “If there is, I haven’t been informed.”

  “Seems like you could spend your time better by looking for more clues and not talking to the same people over and over.”

  If I could, I would have sucked those words right back into my mouth. I was thinking them, but I hadn’t meant to say them.

  He gave me a sideways look. “I’m just doing my job. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone.”

  “Sorry,” I said and looked away.

  “Mia, I know you didn’t kill Hazel. Do you still think I suspect you?”

  I shrugged. “It seems like you might have your eye on me or my mother.”

  He chuckled. “Guilty conscience? Maybe I should take a closer look.”

  I gasped. “No, I do not have a guilty conscience! I just don’t like being accused of murder after I did a good deed by checking on Hazel. Or rather, by checking on the odd Halloween decoration on her porch which turned out to be her.”

  “You were never accused,” he said. “I think your imagination may be getting the best of you. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Fine, I won’t,” I said as three more cars pulled up and parked at the curb. I smiled when Amanda and Brian got out of one of the cars.

  “We just might have a lot of support,” Ethan said, watching as two more cars pulled up behind the three.

  “We might,” I said. “Ethan, can I ask you why you want this?”

  “It’s my town, too. I protect and serve it every day and I grew up here, just like you did. Why wouldn’t I want to save the Halloween season?”

  I nodded and thought I might be a bit of a jerk in the way I was treating him. “I’m glad you’re here to support us,” I said.

  He studied me a minute. “My parents wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor. But I couldn’t imagine moving away. I guess I could have come back after getting my education, but I had no desire to be either one of those professions.”

  “Yeah? It takes a lot of guts to go against what your parents want,” I said, nodding.

  “Why did you come back?” he asked.

  I smiled and looked away. “I had big dreams. A part of me couldn’t wait to get away from this small town where everyone seems to know everything about everyone. But when I got out there in the big world I didn’t know what to do with myself. I got a few degrees, decided I wasn’t happy, and moved home.”

  “Some
people just take longer to learn,” he said with a grin. “At least I was smart enough to stay where I belonged.”

  “Some of us take a little longer to figure things out,” I said, trying not to sound defensive.

  I glanced at my watch again. It was 7:00. “Well, here goes,” I said. I stood up and went to the edge of the gazebo.

  “Excuse me,” I said as loudly as I could. No one turned in my direction. A microphone would have made it easier, but I didn’t know anyone that had one. I looked at Ethan.

  He straightened up and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Ladies and gentleman. Can we have your attention?”

  When people turned in our direction and stopped talking, Ethan continued. “Mia Jordan would like your full attention, please.”

  I smiled at him and then turned to the small crowd. “As most of you know, the city council is considering ending the Halloween season. I know most of you grew up here in this town and have fond memories of Halloween celebrations and traditions. It would be a shame to lose them. It’s what makes our town unique. I believe we need to fight for the town and for the season. We need to get together and figure out a way to make extra money, both for ourselves and to make the season profitable for the city. I called this meeting so we could put our heads together and come up with some ideas. Does anyone have any suggestions?”

  Fagan stood up.

  “I say we get rid of the mayor and his no good brother-in-law. The two of them are trying to run this town into the ground. I don’t know how he got into office to begin with.”

  I glanced at Ethan. “This meeting isn't about getting rid of the mayor. It's about figuring out what to do to save the season.”

  Fagan rolled his eyes and sighed. “Getting rid of the mayor will save the season.”

  “Yes, but, I think voting the mayor out of office will take a long time and we need something short term and more specific to saving the Halloween season.”

  “Who said anything about voting the mayor out?” Fagan said and looked around him. There was a murmur that went up and some heads nodded in agreement.

  “Why don’t we concentrate on strategies to improve business?” Ethan said. “I think that would be more productive.”

  I gave Ethan a look that said, "thanks for being here."

  “Fine,” Fagan said. “You mentioned advertising and using the Internet to bring in more business at the city council meeting. Have you done anything with that yet?”

  “I’ve been working on a city website focusing on the Halloween season with a visitor’s guide, but I’m not done with it,” I said. “It shouldn’t be too much longer though.”

  “I think that’s our best bet,” he said. “People need to know what we have to offer. In recent years it seems like we’ve slipped off of many people’s radars.”

  I nodded. “I do too.”

  George Givens from the gift shop stood up. “I was thinking maybe we could have town guides to take visitors around to various events on the weekends. We have the horse drawn wagons at the haunted farmhouse. What if we extended it and had a fixed route to take people from place to place? Residents could be told in advance so they would be careful of the horses, and people could pay to ride.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” I said. “I like that.” I looked at Ethan and he smiled and nodded.

  “I was thinking we might add a county fair of some sort,” Erica Johnson said, standing up. “You know, like an old fashioned one. We could charge for events. It would only have to be on weekends and it would provide part-time jobs to townsfolk.”

  I smiled and nodded. People had been thinking about saving the Halloween season. They cared what happened, and I felt my eyes tear up. I had been afraid no one would care, and I had never been so happy to be wrong.

  Elle Woods stood up, flipping her red hair over her shoulder. “We need someone to judge the pumpkin carving contest this weekend. Will you do it, Mia? You could be our key contact person for all things Halloween. We’ve never been organized enough to have a contact person.”

  “We used to have someone,” Fagan pointed out. “It was the mayor. But ever since Stan Goodall was voted in, he’s refused to do it. That’s the real reason the Halloween season has suffered.”

  There was a murmur that went up, punctuated with several “Yeah” and “that’s right” comments.

  I didn’t want this to turn into a political argument, so I spoke up. “I’ve never done anything like that before, but I can try. At least, temporarily, until we can find someone permanent.”

  I was getting excited as people talked about ideas. We might really be able to save the Halloween season. I glanced around as people tossed ideas around and I noticed Stella wasn’t there, along with a couple other business owners. I decided not to worry about it. We had far more business owners show up than were missing and most importantly, we had some excitement going on. People really wanted to save the town.

  I looked at Ethan. “This might work. I’m excited.”

  He nodded. “Me too. I think we’ve got something here.”

  I sat down on the step and listened in on the conversations. With some organization, we could become a force to be reckoned with.

  --13--

  I was sitting on the gazebo steps with a brown bag lunch the next day, feeling smug. I had left the meeting the night before walking on air. The turnout had been delightful and as far as I was concerned, we would not lose the Halloween season. I felt it deep in my bones. We would fight city hall if need be, but we would not lose the celebration we all held so dear. I took a bite of my tuna sandwich and checked my phone for messages. No one from my old life had checked up on me since I had moved home and I was feeling a little dejected.

  “I’ll just have to renew acquaintances here in Pumpkin Hollow,” I murmured.

  “Well, Mia Jordan. I heard all about your meeting,” I heard a voice say.

  I looked up from my phone. Stella Moretti stood in front of me, her hands on her hips.

  “Excuse me?” I asked.

  “That stupid Halloween season. It’s a nuisance. One this town can’t afford. I don’t care how many people tell you they’ll help you save the celebrations, they won’t follow through. Oh, they’ll tell you they will, but they won’t. I know these people.” She wagged a finger at me and her bangs blew up in the light breeze.

  “Stella, what do you mean? We had a good turnout last night. I think we can do this,” I said, looking up at her. “I was a little disappointed that you didn’t come.”

  She snorted. “Why do you even care? You moved away for what, ten years? Twelve? Why did you bother to come back? A young educated woman like you could do anything with your life.”

  “Yes, I can. And what I want to do is come home and renew the town’s values and traditions. Why are you against that, Stella? Your bakery is one of the Halloween businesses. It seems like you’d want to be more successful.” I was confused by her hostility. We all stood to make more money with increased business and if we could build a solid plan, we would have that increased business.

  “Are you kidding me? Those stupid celebrations! I would make far more money if I could run my business like a normal bakery, like I told you before. But no, since it’s located where it is, I have to continue the Halloween theme. Why, I could branch out and make wedding cakes! But no one will come to a Halloween bakery for a wedding cake. Why don’t you get it?” Her lips pressed tightly together and I could see where her bright red lipstick bled into the fine lines around her mouth.

  I shook my head. “Why not? Why not bake wedding cakes and advertise them? Put pictures in the advertisement so people can see you offer more than just Halloween themed baked goods. I think it would be good if we all did that. It would help draw new customers in.”

  She snorted and looked up to the sky, then back at me. “You are one clueless woman, aren’t you? This town is too small. No one thinks outside the box. We’re stuck with this Halloween theme unless we completely do away with it.�
��

  “We are not going to do away with it. I can assure you of that,” I said, looking her dead in the eye. “And I would be glad to help you bring more business into the bakery in any way I can. Honestly, Stella, we’re all in this together.”

  She sighed and looked at me. When she didn’t say anything else, I looked down at the sandwich I still held in my hand.

  “I guess that answers the question of why you moved back, doesn’t it?”

  I looked up at her, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

  “You ride in here like the Lone Ranger to save the day. But all you really want is to make money off all us hard working business owners. I bet you’ll be offering all kinds of services. For a big fat fee.”

  I gasped. “Stella Moretti, that never even crossed my mind. My parents own a candy store. Why wouldn’t I want to help them and the other business owners do more business? My moving back had nothing to do with trying to make money off of people.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see bout that. I’ve got to go. My husband is minding the shop. But I can tell you I’m not the only one that feels this way. I can have a little meeting, too, you know. I can gather together the people that want to drop Halloween altogether.” With that, she turned and strode back to her car.

  I sighed and looked at my sandwich again. It made no sense to me that people wouldn’t support our efforts to save Halloween. I felt queasy and wrapped up the rest of my sandwich and put it back in the bag.

  A police cruiser pulled up to the curb and when Ethan got out, I felt myself smile. Stop that, I scolded myself.

  “Hey,” he said when he got to me.

  “Hey yourself,” I said. “I just had an unpleasant conversation with Stella Moretti.”

  “Oh?” he asked and sat next to me on the step.

  I nodded, looking at my feet. This whole thing now made me feel a little depressed. I looked back up at him. “It seems she doesn’t want to save Halloween. I don’t get it. It’s our heritage. It’s what we’re known for.”

  “Don’t let the naysayers worry you. There will be people who won’t support us. But what difference does it make? We’ll just keep working on it.”