by Abby Deuel
“I see. So we are looking for a man with large, narrow feet who had a motive,” thought Mandy out loud.
“Indeed, though I wouldn’t say we. I am happy to lend tidbits of information. I am not getting caught looking into anything. You are on your own there, honey.”
“Fair enough. But thanks for your input.”
As they finished their fritters, Mandy contemplated what to look at next when a whole crowd of people went by all dressed in costumes. There was a clown, a witch, a devil, a Bo peep, a fairy godmother, and a few other costumes which were a little hard to discern through all of the creativity.
“And there are the die-hard costumers. Every year they have a bit of a costume party of their own. One year I joined the fray and dressed up as a hot dog to honor my dachshunds. It was fun but a fair amount of work to make that costume,” said Rhonda as they watched the procession.
“What a great idea. I love when it’s perfectly normal to be different,” said Mandy
“There’s room in this town for all kinds of eccentricities, except murder,” said Rhonda.
“Preach that, sister,” said Mandy. “Speaking of the town, I think I might explore some more of the Hoedown before the softball game.”
“Enjoy, dearie. I’ll see you later on,” said Rhonda.
“Thanks, will do,” said Mandy.
Chapter Eighteen
As Mandy stood looking at the map again, she was approached by Mrs. Bouvier.
“Oh, I’m so glad I found you,” Mrs. Bouvier breathed out.
“Why is that?” asked Mandy.
Catching her breath, Mrs. Bouvier clearly had a mouthful to get out. “One tradition in the Halloween Hoedown is the annual bake-off, where everyone presents their best cakes, cookies, muffins, and breads. Normally, the judging is done by Merv and his wife Myrna, since they are well-versed in tasty fare and it would be an unfair advantage if they entered. However, Myrna’s migraines are acting up and she just could not fathom being in all the noise and lights of the town festivities. The only unbiased person that the town agreed could stand in for Myrna was none other than the new veterinarian in town, you,” exclaimed Mrs. Bouvier.
“Me, well, it would be an honor. I wish I hadn’t just eaten that apple fritter. When is the event?” Mandy asked.
“That’s the thing. It is just about to begin. So I found you just in time,” said Mrs. Bouvier.
“I see. I guess there’s no time like the present. Show me the way,” said Mandy.
“Excellent. You will not be disappointed. It sure is a hoot. And there’s no hard feelings,” said Mrs. Bouvier.
“I’m all over this. I love sampling delectables,” said Mandy.
“You are in luck. We have had a phenomenal turnout this year,” said Mrs. Bouvier.
They walked together in a line like ducklings, Mrs. Bouvier in front, Mandy in the middle, and Lyle last. They couldn’t walk side by side due to the crowds of people. The tent with the food smelled fantastic. Mandy took her spot at the front next to Merv.
“Sorry to hear about Myrna. I hope she can make it later on,” said Mandy.
“She took some medicine and should hopefully be down here this afternoon. Are you ready to feast? The key is to pace yourself. Tiny bites,” advised Merv.
“Sounds logical. What are the parameters we judge on?” asked Mandy.
“Listen to you, sounding professional,” said Merv.
“I have watched a few cooking shows in my time,” Mandy laughingly replied.
“Basically, there are fifteen points total. Five for presentation, five for taste, and five for originality. No half points allowed. There are a few categories: cakes, pies, cookies, and there’s one savory round, open to anything non-sweet. The entries are anonymous to us so there is no favoritism and we will be on our own in this room until we have made a decision, so as not to be swayed by anyone. We are allowed to take breaks, but the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can join the festivities again.”
“Ok. Here we go, then,” Mandy said with a little hesitation.
They diligently went through every entry, sampling with very small bites. It felt like they had been working for hours but it was really only forty-five minutes. They declared a winner in each category as well as an overall winner. Lyle was thoroughly disgusted with all of the sweets at their disposal and yet she had not received a single bite.
“When we are all done with the competition, I will get you some,” Mandy said to Lyle who had puffed her lips and sighed deeply, as if not believing her human’s words.
“We can bring everyone back in now. The good news is that we haven’t had an overall winner from this category in a while so it will be a nice change,” said Merv.
Everyone started filing back in the area for the declaration of winners. A few friendly competitive jibes could be heard in the crowd. Obviously, this town takes cooking and competition seriously, Mandy pondered.
“Ok, everyone,” Mrs. Bouvier firmly said, in an attempt to quiet the room. “Ahem. We are pleased to thank Merv and our guest judge, Dr. Mandy Bell. Let’s give them a round of applause for their efforts.” The room boomed with applause and whistles. “And now I will turn it over to Merv.”
“Well, as usual, this was a hard decision. There were some wonderful entries. Thanks to everyone who entered. The leftovers will be cut up and ready for purchase at the end of the awards ceremony. Please dig deep and be generous. This year, the proceeds go toward improving school playground. And now, without further ado, let’s hand out the awards. Mandy, if you’d like to hand them out as I call the names, please.”
Mandy gave a smiling nod to Merv as she perused the awards, to make sure she handed out the appropriate one to each recipient.
“Ok, in first place in the cake round, was Rhonda with her raspberry white chocolate cake.” Mandy handed Rhonda the blue ribbon with the cake pictured on it. “In first place for the pie category is Beverly with her lemon meringue toasted coconut. In the cookie category, it was the ginger snaps made by Heidi. The savory was a clear winner with the cheesy cranberry pistachio scone made by Fred. And the overall winner of the bake-off today was the ginger snap cookie. Heidi will be keeper of the silver-gilded rolling pin until next year.” Mandy handed out each award with a big congratulatory handshake. “Congratulations to all of the winners and thanks to everyone who entered.”
Mrs. Bouvier chimed in before the crowd dissipated, “Another successful bake-off. Thanks everyone. Enjoy the rest of the day. The softball game will begin in two hours so peruse the booths for apple bobbing, cotton candy, pony rides, and all out family fun until then. The evening will conclude with the square dancing in the main hall. We have a real treat this year. The town has assembled a band, The Shindiggers, to play for the square dancing. They have been practicing diligently and are excited to make this the best dance ever.”
Merv reached out his hand to give Mandy a sturdy handshake. “Thanks for an effortless judging session. That was a real treat, no pun intended,” he said.
“The pleasure was all ours,” Mandy said, looking at Lyle who was happy to receive some treats too. “I think I better do some walking before I have to try to run a base in the softball game. Even with tiny bites, that was a lot of tasting.”
“I’m going to go check on Myrna. See you later,” said Merv.
Mandy purchased some rice crispy treats to give to Lyle as a reward for her patience. Lyle was drooling at the prospect of the treat. She devoured the morsels and sat staring at Mandy as if more might appear.
“That’s enough, little Lyle. Let’s do some mingling now,” Mandy said. Lyle was satisfied with the thought of a walk and trotted behind Mandy.
Chapter Nineteen
Mandy and Lyle explored the rest of the booths at the Hoedown. Both of them were in need of a little break when Gillian and Hamish spotted them.
“Hi Dr. Bell, are you enjoying your day? Looks like Lyle is buzzzzzing with enthusiasm,” Gillian said, fixing Lyle’s anten
nae that were hanging under her chin instead of standing up on her head.
“Yes, so far, this is like the small town event I have only read about in books and wondered whether it happens in the real world.”
“It is a little slice of heaven.”
“I just can’t get those antennae to stay up. I’ll have to alter them for the next time she wears this costume,” said Mandy.
“You can make a different costume for her every year,” Gillian said, nudging Mandy’s elbow. “Hey, not to burst the bubble, but I overheard Jim talking to some of his buddies about the dart championships coming up. He was not shy about announcing that he was glad he would finally get his rightful place in this town as the dart champion. It seemed a tad out of character for him to gloat like that. I thought you might be interested in that little scoop.”
“Indeed I am. I feel like I have been so busy lately, I haven’t had time to go over my list of suspects and link up the clues I have uncovered. Tonight I will sit down and see what I can piece together. It doesn’t sound like Larry and Gerry are any further than I am.”
“That’s not a huge shock. I will see if I hear anything else through the grapevine today and let you know,” said Gillian.
“Thanks. I appreciate it. I feel like if I just had one more piece of information, I could get there.”
“Mom, can we go apple bobbing?” asked Hamish, who had been waiting patiently through the grown-up talk.
“Sure. Want to join us?” Gillian asked Mandy.
“That sounds good, as long as we don’t have to eat anything. I am still stuffed.”
They joined the other kids who were trying desperately to retrieve an apple from the tub of water. So far, everyone was splashing and getting their faces wet, but no one was able to grab one in their teeth.
Lyle’s ears perked up and she watched intently at the children. If there was one thing she enjoyed more than fetch, it was children. And this almost looked like a combination of the two. Gillian and Mandy were standing at the sidelines, giggling at the jubilation of the kids, not paying attention to Lyle. No one saw her creep along the ground toward the tub to make a graceful leap into the water after one of the apples. She emerged from the tub gleefully, with an apple in her mouth. As she shook the water off of her, anyone that hadn’t been splashed by her entry into the tub received a good dousing of water. Her antennae had officially fallen off and her wings were hanging like a drowned bug.
“Lyle!” Mandy screamed.
With everyone dripping in cold water, someone couldn’t help but start laughing and it became infectious. Soon everyone was laughing and Lyle was standing in the middle, apple still in her mouth.
“It’s just water. We will all live. What a hoot. At least someone finally got an apple out of that tub. The kids have been trying all morning,” one of the parents said.
“I’m so sorry, everyone. She just can’t resist being involved, especially if she thinks fetch is part of the game,” Mandy said.
Someone had run to the meeting hall in the meantime and retrieved towels to help dry off some of the kids. Although the sun was shining, the wind was picking up and the last thing they needed was for all of the kids to catch a chill.
Lyle dropped the apple at Mandy’s feet and backed up, oblivious to what had just happened. She was waiting for Mandy to throw the new fetch object she had worked so hard to obtain.
“Not now Lyle. I think we’ve done enough. Let’s head on. You finally succeeded in ruining the costume, though,” Mandy said. She took off the remainder of the costume and stashed it in her satchel.
Ginny was there with her two kids. They were drying themselves off after the unsolicited bath Lyle had given them.
“Ginny, I’m sorry. Lyle gets carried away sometimes,” Mandy said.
“Not a problem. We were all getting a little bored anyway. It’s so hard to retrieve apples from water. You haven’t met my kids yet. This is Jay and Harry,” said Ginny.
Ginny’s kids were a miniature version of her. They were all dressed in a pirate-themed costume. Ginny must have spent oodles of time hand-crafting these costumes. She had even aged the material somehow to make it seem that these pirates had truly been on boats, roughing it through the weather.
“Arggh, hi, Dr. Bell,” said Jay, handing her hook to Mandy to shake.
“Hi there, Jay.”
“Ahoy matey. Polly here may need a vet later on. Will you see parrots?” asked Harry.
“Sure thing, Harry. You know where to find me,” said Mandy.
“It’s nice to meet your kids. I love the costumes. How did you decide on pirates?”
“We take turns choosing a theme every year. This year it was Harry’s turn. He has been enjoying the classic pirate tales like Treasure Island so we honored his current interests. We home school so the kids get to explore their surroundings while we learn. Technically, it’s unschooling, where there is no set curriculum. We end up learning a lot more in every subject than if we did follow a lesson plan. For example, it’s impossible to make costumes without using math, and lots of it,” said Ginny.
“That is certainly true. I have only ever read about unschooling, never met it face to face. It’s very neat to find people living it. Let me know if you ever need help with biology. I love alternative education and would be happy to assist if I can,” said Mandy.
“Thanks. We will keep you in mind,” said Ginny. “We need to get these kids a snack. We’ve been so busy with activities, we forgot to eat lunch!”
“We don’t want the pirates of Crestview to be malnourished. Go forth and feast!” said Mandy.
Chapter Twenty
With all of the excitement, time flew by and it was now time for the softball game. The teams were selected by a random drawing of those wanting to play. Nearly the entire town was in attendance or playing. Mandy made sure to tie Lyle up under a tree to prevent her from intervening in the game.
The two teams were the Woodchucks and the Quail. Everyone was in good cheer as the teams figured out their lineup. Both teams had more than enough players so everyone would be taking turns being in the field. Mandy would start off in right field. The rules were explained so as to educate anyone unfamiliar with the Crestview softball etiquette. The only rule that was novel to Mandy was that sliding into a base was not allowed. The reasoning was to prevent injury since there was such a wide range of ages and skill levels playing. It was really more of a social event than a competitive sport. The teams were supplied with sashes to wear to be able to tell the difference between the players on the field. The Woodchucks were green and the Quail, blue. Mandy thought it was very clever to use sashes, instead of full uniforms, since it saved everyone having to get changed.
The game kicked off with the first pitch. Instead of fast-pitch, like Mandy was accustomed, the pitches would be an underarm lob of a slow pitch. This made it a little easier to hit and for anyone to have a try at pitching. It also kept the action moving to keep the crowd engaged.
Mandy’s team was in the field first and since the ball hadn’t been hit toward right field yet, she took the opportunity to peruse the crowd for clues on the murder. She hadn’t had time lately to even sit down to put her clues on paper next to her suspect list. Tonight she would have to work on it or she might not figure out the murderer before Larry and Gerry. This had become a little competition in her head.
Standing with her glove on her left hand, she could feel the sun beating down on her. She hadn’t thought it would get this warm today and Mandy regretted not putting sunscreen on. There wasn’t any shade in the field. Finally, a ball came toward her. It was a grounder and she effortlessly scooped it up and threw it in to second base. That was the third out of the inning. Playing softball came right back to her, even though she hadn’t played in a while. That made it time to head into the dugout to see who was going to bat first on their team.
Before checking the lineup, Mandy decided to check on Lyle. With the break in the action, she was laying down. Her
eyes were focused on the ball that had been left on the pitcher’s mound. Mandy supplied her with fresh, cold water and then returned to her team.
“That was a nice play out there, Doc,” said Dennis. They were on the same team and Dennis hadn’t been on the field in the first inning.
“Thanks. It’s like riding a bike; you can’t forget the instincts, even if you haven’t played in years,” said Mandy.
“Too right. It looks like they are trying to rotate everybody through the game. Since I didn’t field, I’ll be batting. Don’t hold your breath, I was never a good hitter,” said Dennis.
“Not my strength either,” said Mandy.
“Did you have a chance to go through Anna’s things? Or shall I come and collect them so you don’t have to dig through anything?”
“I am slowly getting through things. I don’t really know what it is that you want or where it is. Can you tell me more about what you want?”
“It’s personal. Can I just come over and help look through her things with you?”
“I’d rather be able to sort through it first.”
“Well, I am leaving town in the next few days and would really like to have those items before I go. Kind of like to close a chapter, you know?”
“I understand, but I have been fairly busy and I don’t really want to start breaking up Anna’s personal items until I am sure that I have accounted for all of her wishes. I keep thinking I will find a diary or something that clues me in on who she wanted her belongings given to.”
“I don’t think this is a big deal. I can just come and get what I need and be out of your hair.”
Mandy felt a bit of a pushy tone from Dennis and she didn’t appreciate it. “I will be in touch when I am ready for you. Until then, respect her space.”
With that said, she departed his company before he could say another word. She grabbed some Gatorade for herself. That sun was really getting to her. Or maybe it was the mountain of baked goods she had eaten on top of an apple fritter.
