Candy Coated Murder

by Kate Bell

  I headed out of the room and down the stairs, still dressed in my Dorothy costume. Thankfully, in this town, no one would look at me strange. We had brought home some of the leftover fudge, so I went to the kitchen and wrapped up a large piece for Mr. Gott. It might make him feel a little better.

  “What are you doing, Mia?” Mom asked from the living room.

  “I’m going to take some fudge to Mr. Gott,” I answered. I picked up a Halloween decorated paper bag and slipped the wrapped fudge into it, folding down the top of the bag. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Okay, dear. Don’t be too late. Dinner will be ready soon.”

  I headed out the front door and over to Mr. Gott’s, crossing over Hazel’s lawn. I wouldn’t have dared do it if she were still alive. I’d never hear the end of it and we would get a letter from the homeowners association.

  It was completely dark outside now and Mr. Gott’s front porch light was off. I pressed the doorbell and hoped he could hear it from the backyard.

  When no one came, I pressed it again. There was still no answer, so I pounded on the door. Finally, I heard shuffling footsteps on the other side of the door.

  The deadbolt slid back in its track and the doorknob jiggled, followed by the door opening.

  “Good evening, Mr. Gott,” I said. “It’s me, Mia. I brought you some fudge.” I held up the paper bag with its bright Halloween print.

  Mr. Gott peered over his silver wire-framed glasses at the bag. He smiled and looked at me. “Good evening, Mia. That was thoughtful of you. Why don’t you come in?”

  “Sure,” I said. “But just for a minute. My dad is making dinner and it will be ready soon.”

  He opened the door wider and turned around, shuffling back inside. I followed him into the darkened house and wondered when he would turn a light on. It was darker inside the house than it was outside, and I willed my eyes to adjust, hoping I didn’t trip over anything.

  “Mr. Gott, do you have a light?” I asked.

  “What? Oh, yes,” he said and flipped a switch that illuminated the living room.

  The living room hadn’t changed since I was a little girl. The old frilly shaded lamps still sat on the maple end tables and the sofas were still covered in plastic. I smiled when Millie trotted into the room. She came to me and sniffed my leg. Then she sat down and looked up at me hopefully. Millie was a cross between a schnauzer and a Chihuahua and had loads of personality.

  “Sorry, Millie, but dogs can’t have fudge,” I said and bent down, patting her head.

  Mr. Gott continued into the kitchen and I followed after him with Millie on my heels. The kitchen was done in a 1980s country cow theme that Mrs. Gott had loved.

  “Did you get to go downtown for the opening of the Halloween season?” I asked Mr. Gott. “It was a good one. Lots of people and that’s good for the town.”

  Mr. Gott stopped and turned toward me. His face was expressionless, and he looked at me without answering. Then he turned and went to the kitchen counter and opened a drawer.

  ---19---

  “I don’t like the Halloween season,” Mr. Gott said, rummaging through the drawer. “I told you that.”

  He turned toward me and I gasped.

  “Mr. Gott, what are you doing?” I asked.

  He held a revolver in his hand and pointed it at me.

  “I said I don't like the Halloween season," he repeated.

  My mind shut down, and I went numb. I was aware of the paper bag of fudge in my hand and Millie sniffing at my heels again, but little else.

  “What are you doing with that?” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the gun.

  “Mrs. Downs said you were working very hard on keeping the Halloween season going. I do not like it. Mrs. Downs does not like it, and neither does anyone else. You should not have come back to Pumpkin Hollow, Mia,” he said slowly.

  My eyes went to his. He seemed in a daze. “Mr. Gott, I think we can talk about this rationally."

  “Come,” he said and motioned with the gun to the back door.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Put the fudge down. I always did like your mother’s fudge.” He motioned to the kitchen counter.

  I reached over and put the bag down, trying to make my mind work.

  “Now, come,” he said again and motioned toward the kitchen door.

  I put one foot in front of the other and moved toward the back door. When I got to it, I stopped.

  “Now, push it open and go down the steps,” he said, stepping up close behind me.

  I did as I was told.

  Stall.

  “Mr. Gott, my parents are expecting me home in a minute. My dad made roast beef for dinner. Would you like to eat with us?”

  “Roast beef. I’m sure it would be nice,” he said, “But we have business to attend to.”

  “What kind of business?” I asked. It was then I saw the hole he had been digging. Seeing it closer up, I realized it was far too big for little Millie. My stomach churned.

  “Important business,” he said, following close behind me. I felt the gun press into my back and I stopped breathing for a moment.

  “Mr. Gott, I don’t understand. If you don’t like the Halloween season, there will be a vote at city hall soon. You can voice your opinion then,” I explained. Then it hit me. “Mr. Gott, did you kill Hazel?”

  “Yes,” he said, but didn’t elaborate as we walked toward the hole.

  “Why?” I asked. “I don’t think she was a fan of the Halloween season. She would have been on your side.”

  “She hated the Halloween season. If she had lived, she probably would have been the person most likely to get it stopped. Sadly, she died.”

  “But why?” I asked. My head swam with what was happening and I had to breathe deeply to keep from passing out.

  We stopped near the edge of the hole and I turned toward him.

  “She was always complaining about my grass, Millie’s barking, my flag. Everything bothered her. I didn’t mean to do it. We got into an argument about the height of my grass and I accidentally pushed her. She fell down the steps at the front of her house. Her head hit the concrete, and she didn’t move.”

  “Maybe you could tell the police what happened. It was an accident and I’m sure they’ll understand,” I said helpfully.

  He smiled at me, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I suppose I could have called them and told them she tripped. They would have believed me. But it seemed like such a fine idea to turn her into a scarecrow; something she detested. So I did. It would be too late to tell them it was an accident. They’d never believe me.”

  I nodded. “Okay, well, what do I have to do with her? I’m not following any of this.”

  “You have been asking people about her death. People have told me you have. Stella at the bakery said you accused her. You even asked me about it. I didn’t want you to find out, but you just kept asking. I also want the Halloween season stopped and there you are, trying so hard to save it. So, I figured if I did away with you, it would solve two problems at once. I’m sorry, but I have no choice.” He looked at me sadly, shaking his head.

  “Someone will hear the gun shot,” I pointed out. “My parents are expecting me home.”

  “That’s why I have this,” he said and produced a silencer from his pocket and attached it to the gun.

  I took a deep breath and hit his hand holding the gun. It flew off to the side and bounced once on the grass.

  “You!” he said and then swore under his breath. He bent and reached for the gun. I grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him into the grave he had dug for me and I ran for the house.

  I wondered if he might be able to get out of the hole and grab the gun before I could get all the way through his house. It might have been ridiculous, but fear had me in a strangle hold. I sprinted for the back door and ran through the house. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t get enough air.

  I was out his front door in less than a minute
and running across his front lawn, and then Hazel’s lawn. Once inside my front door, I slammed it shut and leaned against it, breathing hard. I felt like I would faint, so I crouched down in the foyer and gasped for air.

  “Mia, what is it?” Mom asked, getting out of her chair.

  “Dial 911. Mr. Gott tried to kill me,” I gasped.

  “What?” she asked, staring at me.

  I looked at her with tears in my eyes.

  “Please,” I whispered.

  --20--

  I sat on the bottom step of our staircase with a blanket wrapped around me. The police had taken Mr. Gott away, and Millie sat at my feet, resting her head on my shoe. Mom had brought me a cup of cocoa, but I had hardly touched it. The front door was open and I could still see the red and blue lights flashing on one of the patrol cars parked at the curb.

  A figure walked toward me in the dark and I braced myself. I’d had all the excitement I could stand for one day.

  Ethan walked into view, his jaw set hard. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. “Hey, Mia,” he said gently.

  I nodded at him. “Hey.”

  He sat down on the step next to me. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded, but didn’t look at him.

  “The other officer told me what happened. I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “I can’t believe Mr. Gott would do that. I always thought he was a nice man.”

  “I’m pretty surprised, too,” he said. “I don’t think anyone suspected him in Hazel’s murder.”

  “This whole thing is crazy. He murdered Hazel because she made him angry, but I still don’t get why he would dress her up as a scarecrow. He said it seemed like a fine idea. What does that mean?”

  “He told the arresting officer he thought it would give the Halloween season a bad name and the mayor would stop the celebration. That almost worked.”

  “It still might,” I said and took a sip of my now cold cocoa.

  “Let’s hope not. He also said he was sorry he had done it and that he should have just called the police and said she fell,” he said. “That probably would have been the smarter move.”

  “Is he still saying it was an accident?” I asked and reached down and scratched Millie’s ear.

  “Yes, he still maintains it was an accident. It’ll be up to a judge to decide, but I think we both know it isn’t true.”

  I nodded. “I guess it was convenient to use her death to try to stop the Halloween season from going on. I can’t believe someone hated it that much.”

  “He said he was tired of the crowds and the traffic. He also said he was embarrassed that grown people dressed up in costumes,” Ethan said with a chuckle. “I guess the old guy had some pride in him.”

  I shook my head and looked at him. “I’ve never been so scared in my life. I mean, he just went out into the back yard and dug a grave for me. He was going to shoot me like it was no big deal.” I trembled at the thought.

  “I know. You never can tell what goes through a person’s mind. I’m sorry you went through that. How did you get away?”

  “In my sophomore year of college, there were several assaults on female students on campus so the school offered self-defense courses. I took one, but once they caught the perpetrator, I never thought I would use those skills. Was I ever wrong. Not that it took much. I just knocked the gun out of his hand and ran.”

  “It’s a good thing you took the class. It probably gave you more confidence than you would have had otherwise, and things could have turned out very differently.”

  “To be honest, it wasn’t that much of a challenge. He lost his grip on the gun pretty easily.”

  “I’m glad of that,” he said softly.

  I shook my head. “For the first few minutes, my mind was a blank. It wasn’t until the last minute that I remembered the instructor saying don’t go anywhere with someone who had a gun. He said we'd die for sure if we did. Something inside me made me reach over and knock that gun out of his hand. I didn’t even think.”

  “It’s amazing that sometimes our subconscious mind will remember things and help us out when we need it. I’m glad you’re okay,” he said again and reached out and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

  “Thanks,” I said. “We’ve got Millie here if Mr. Gott’s relatives don’t claim her.”

  “Will you keep her if they don’t?”

  “Probably,” I said. “She’s pretty old and I’ve known her all her life. She was a puppy when Mr. Gott brought her home. Besides, she’s never tried to shoot me. I can’t hold it against her that her owner tried to.”

  Ethan chuckled. “Let’s hope she stays on the right side of the law.”

  I nodded. I wasn’t sure how I would get up and go to work the next day, but I knew I would. Staying home with my freshly dug grave just two houses away wasn’t an option. Besides, we had a Halloween season to save. And regardless of what anyone else thought, we were going to save it.