Batter and Spells

by Zoe Arden

  I saw Wilma Trueheart standing alone near the edge of the stage. She was looking up at Mayor Thomas like he was a celebrity and she was his star-struck fan. After a few more minutes, someone threw a carrot at Mayor Thomas. It smacked him square in the face.

  "Who did that?" he demanded. His question was met with a round of laughter. A pickle flew at him, getting him in the eye. He wiped his face and started shaking his fist in the air.

  "Unacceptable! This town needs me!" A round of salad fixings began sailing through the air. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers... they pelted against him until he finally gave up and left the stage.

  "I feel kind of bad for him," I told Lucy. "I mean, we know he didn't kill Thaddeus. Right?"

  "Yeah, but he did try to pin the murder on Tazzie. And there's something else fishy about him. I can't put my finger on it. Call it witch's intuition."

  I saw him walk around the back of the stage. Wilma followed him.

  "That's strange," I said.

  "What?"

  "Wilma Trueheart just followed Mayor Thomas around the back."

  "She probably wants to give him a piece of her mind, like everyone else."

  "Maybe," I said, biting my lip. "Let's follow them. I want to see what they say."

  We hurried so we wouldn't lose sight of them. I wondered if he really would lose his position as mayor, and if he did, who would take his place?

  He and Wilma were a distance from the stage now, heading away from the thinning crowd. The only people who lingered were the ones who were petting Tadpole. Although Mayor Thomas had been booed off the stage, Tadpole was a hit. People loved his furry face and pleasant demeanor. It wasn't every day you met such a likable skunk.

  I saw one little girl, maybe four or five, run her hand dangerously over Tadpole's tail and pull. Instead of spraying her, though, he rubbed his nose against her and simply took his tail back. The girl's parents laughed delightedly.

  "Come on," Lucy said, pulling my arm. "They're going by that tree."

  We got as close as we could so we could hear them, but without risking them seeing us.

  "Nothing's going according to plan," Mayor Thomas said. He was pacing, frustrated.

  "Now, Quinn," Wilma said, running her hand up his arm.

  "They know each other," I whispered to Lucy, who nodded. She was as surprised as I was. When had they even met? Wilma had been in Sweetland for all of five minutes, yet it looked as though she and the mayor were old friends.

  "I did everything right but it all went wrong," said the mayor.

  "It's not too late. You can still set things right, I'll help you."

  "I should have enacted the Mayor-for-All Rule when I could. I should never have let Dean Lampton interfere.”

  "Everything will be fine. Trust me. I'll make sure of it."

  Mayor Thomas looked at Wilma with tenderness. "I'm glad you're here."

  "Me, too," she replied.

  They held each other's gaze a moment before he slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her.

  Lucy had to slap her hand over her mouth to keep from making any noise. We were both shocked. We hurried quickly away from the tree we'd been hiding behind.

  "Was that for real?" I asked.

  "We have to tell someone what we saw, don't we?"

  "I'm not sure. I mean, they're allowed to date."

  "Yeah, but you heard what he said about the Mayor-for-All Rule. He's planning something. He probably hired the assassin." Lucy grabbed my arm excitedly. "Maybe Wilma's the one who pushed you off the rocks at the beach that day, or knocked you out at the office last night."

  I frowned. "I don't know about that..."

  "Well, whatever the mayor's up to, Wilma's involved somehow."

  "Or she just has really bad taste in men."

  "Okay, I'll tell Colt about it. I guess it can't hurt."

  * * *

  CHAPTER

  FOURTEEN

  .

  .

  .

  * * *

  * * *

  .

  Colt had no interest in Quinn Thomas’ love life. I'd told him what Lucy and I had seen, and he'd told me I was crazy.

  "So what if Mayor Thomas is smooching on Wilma Trueheart? I don't see what that has to do with an assassin. Unless Wilma's kisses are deadly." He chuckled lightly, dismissively. It irritated the heck out of me.

  That had basically been the same reaction I'd gotten from my dad, aunts, and Sheriff Knoxx. Trixie and Eleanor had been mildly shocked to hear the news but had found nothing suspicious about it either.

  "Wilma Trueheart is a vibrant woman in her early forties. There's no reason she shouldn't see Mayor Thomas. Maybe she's attracted to powerful men who like to kill." I noted the sarcasm in Eleanor's voice and decided not to press the subject any further.

  I was so desperate to find someone who might care, though, that I considered telling Lottie Mudget when she came into our shop. Luckily, I came to my senses. Lottie would have loved the information, but she might also spread where she'd gotten it from. I wasn't sure I needed Mayor Thomas or Wilma to know I was watching them.

  Business at Mystic Cupcake was slowly picking back up. As Lottie informed us when she bought some pumpkin bread and orange cranberry scones this afternoon, "Sweets n' Treats is good, but sometimes I feel like Wilma's methods are a little... slipshod."

  "What do you mean?" asked Eleanor, who was relishing in the news that Wilma's pastries weren't as perfect as everyone had at first thought.

  "Well, I hate to spread gossip, as you well know," Lottie said, leaning in close to Eleanor, a happy gleam in her eye, "but I found a Band-Aid in one of her sugar cookie delights the other day."

  Eleanor's eyes widened. "A Band-Aid?"

  Lottie nodded. "Yes, and I heard from Natalie Vargas that one of her kids found an orange peel in their jelly belly cupcake."

  "Orange peel doesn't sound so unusual," said Eleanor.

  "It does when it's covered in mold," Lottie said.

  Eleanor made a face. Too bad Trixie wasn't here, she'd had have loved to hear this. She was visiting Melbourne, trying to lure him back out of his house. He was still upset about William not wanting to give up Coffee Cove and wasn't sure what to do with himself. He just muddled around his house most days. As Trixie liked to tell him, he was going to have to get used to letting people see him around town again, otherwise, he'd become a hermit.

  "That woman is a walking contradiction," Lottie continued, still talking about Wilma. "Her stuff tastes so good, but who wants to eat it when it's laced with garbage? Your items may be a little duller, but at least I know I won't find a fishing hook in any of them."

  Eleanor's cheeks burned at the backhanded compliment.

  Lottie was about to leave when she turned back around. "Oh, are you going to Wilma's party tonight?"

  "What party?" I asked.

  Lottie smirked. "Surely, she didn't exclude you from her invitation list."

  I shot a glance to Eleanor. "No," Eleanor said, "we've been invited."

  This was news to me. I had no idea what party Eleanor and Lottie were talking about.

  "And are you going?" Lottie pressed.

  "Yes, we're going," Eleanor said.

  I lifted an eyebrow in Eleanor's direction.

  "It's good to be neighborly," Eleanor said. "Even if her cupcakes are substandard. I can't imagine throwing myself a welcome party. It seems a bit grandiose, doesn't it? A little pompous? But from what I hear, it's bound to be explosive."

  "Why is that?" I asked.

  "You know that Mistmoor is running its election again, don't you?" We nodded. Since Thaddeus had died, the winner of the mayoral race but hadn't yet taken his oath of office, he had no staff officially in place to take over for him. Which meant that Tazzie had resumed her role as acting mayor and a new election had been scheduled for two weeks from now.

  "The candidates for the new race are all going to the party, Tazzie, Grayson, and Amanda Hollyberry. This time,
I hear that Grayson and Amanda are putting up more of a fight," Lottie revealed.

  I wasn't sure how much stock to put into Lottie's rumors. She enjoyed spreading them, that was for certain, but I wasn't sure they were always the most accurate.

  "Well," Lottie said, "I'll see you tonight." She left our shop and I started pressing Eleanor for more information. Why hadn't she told me about the party invitation?

  "I was going to tell you, but you've been running around so much with Lucy the last couple of days I haven't had the chance. Besides, I wasn't sure I wanted to go until now."

  "You mean until you heard what Lottie said about Wilma's slipshod baking?"

  "Yes."

  "Do you think that's true?" I was thinking of the rusty nail I'd found in my own cupcake. Maybe it had been an accident after all.

  "If there's one thing Lottie doesn't lie about, it's pastries."

  The party at Sweets n' Treats that evening was packed, but not quite as packed as it might have been a few days ago. Word was getting around about Wilma's haphazard baking, and people weren't quite so impressed

  Still, Grayson, Amanda, and Tazzie had all come, as promised. They were making the rounds, shaking people's hands and smiling as widely as possible. Lottie had been right. I watched Grayson work the room and could tell he was trying to win people over. Tazzie was doing the same, but to a lesser degree.

  Now that Thaddeus was gone, Tazzie was the next most likely candidate to win. Grayson was second. Rumors continued to abound that Thaddeus had somehow rigged the election the first time. Between blackmailing Mayor Thomas and the rumors that were circulating about him, if he'd still been alive, he would never have won the second election.

  Eleanor was with Sheriff Knoxx, enjoying some iced tea and pecan sandies. Trixie had somehow managed to get Melbourne out of the house. He was pale, which was normal for him, being a vampire and all, but his eyes were redder than usual. I didn't think he'd been sleeping. I said hi when I saw him and he'd shrugged a hello back to me. Lottie Mudget was standing around talking to whoever she could get ahold of. She just liked to talk and wasn't picky about who it was she talked to.

  Felicity came over when she saw us. Her red hair had been pulled high on her head, and she was wearing a summery dress that moved with her body as she walked.

  "Hi," she said. "Any news on your side?"

  "You mean about the assassin?" I asked. She nodded. "Nope. I think everyone's kind of at a standstill right now. When Thaddeus died, everyone thought Tazzie did it. Then Mayor Thomas got arrested and got Tazzie off the hook. Now... I think people are just waiting to see what happens next."

  "Right," said Lucy. "If the assassin is still out there, then he'll probably strike again before the new election. Especially given what he said during our phone call."

  "Phone call?" Felicity asked, looking confused.

  Lucy shot me a look. "You didn't tell her?"

  "I haven't seen her."

  "Oh, my gosh," Lucy said, eager for the opportunity to spread a little gossip of her own. She filled Felicity in on what had happened in Mayor Thomas’ office, and when she was finished, Lucy stared at us with eyes like saucers.

  "So, the assassin thought you were Mayor Thomas?" she asked. "You mean Mayor Thomas really did hire him?"

  "I don't know," I told her. "It seemed like it at the time, but..."

  "But what?" Lucy and Felicity asked.

  "It almost seemed too easy. Like a setup."

  "You think someone's trying to frame Mayor Thomas?" Felicity asked.

  "Maybe. They tried to frame Tazzie and it didn't work, right? Maybe they moved on to the mayor."

  Lucy frowned. "I just had a thought... what if it's Tazzie who's trying to frame Mayor Thomas?"

  We all looked at each other uncertainly, frowning, scowling, smirking.

  Tazzie was talking to some people from Mistmoor, smiling and eating cookies. We slowly made our way toward her. When her conversation ended, we seized our chance.

  "Hi, Tazzie," I said.

  She smiled at us. "Hi. Great party, isn't it?"

  I didn't want to get into the fact that Wilma had thrown herself a welcome party. It just seemed lame to me, plus I was becoming more and more disenchanted with her.

  "Yeah," Lucy said, jumping right in. "Hey, we were wondering something. The night of Thaddeus’ victory party, you and he were out on the balcony for a while arguing. What about?"

  I looked at Lucy, impressed. She'd cut right to it.

  Tazzie seemed more stunned than upset. "I... just normal candidate stuff."

  "Sure," I said, "but when you came back inside, you looked sort of disheveled. Like you two had really been going at it."

  Tazzie blushed. "The argument was heated." I could sense that her initial surprised at our questions was turning to anger. "I didn't kill him, if that's what you're implying."

  "No, of course not," Felicity said, trying to keep the peace. "We just wondered what happened, that's all."

  "If you must know, Thaddeus accused me of trying to buy off the election. I accused him of the same thing. You've heard the rumors. I got upset and threw my drink in his face. When I turned to go, I turned too fast and tripped. He just stood there, laughing."

  I guess that explained why she'd looked so disheveled.

  "Now, if you're through with your accusations, I'd like to get back to the party."

  She left in a huff.

  Lucy, Felicity and I huddled together. "What do you think?" I asked. "Do we believe her?"

  "I do," Felicity said. "I've known Tazzie all my life. I just can't believe she'd kill Thaddeus or try to frame Mayor Thomas." I opened my mouth. "Or hire an assassin," Felicity said, cutting me off.

  I frowned. The lights flickered around us.

  "What was that?" Lucy asked.

  "Don't know. Trouble with the power?"

  We searched the room as the lights flickered again. People were beginning to take notice.

  "What's going on?" someone asked.

  "Forget to pay your bill?" joked another party guest.

  Wilma looked mortified.

  "I'll just check the breaker box," she said, running into the back. The second she was gone, the lights flicked off completely and we were left in darkness.

  "Interesting party," Lottie Mudget said, in her loudest, shrillest voice. It was immediately followed by the sound of glass crashing. "Ow! What was that? I tripped over something."

  The lights flicked back on. I blinked to readjust my eyes. Lottie screamed. I looked over to where she was still sprawled on the floor. Tazzie Singer lay motionless beside her. Lottie had tripped over Tazzie's body.

  * * *

  CHAPTER

  FIFTEEN

  .

  .

  .

  * * *

  * * *

  .

  "She's alive!" Lincoln Maxwell yelled. Dr. Dunne was already making his way over.

  Tazzie sat up, her hand on her head. It was bleeding.

  "What happened?"

  Dr. Dunne looked at her scalp, where blood continued to flow. "Looks like someone hit you over the head."

  "What? Who?"

  No one knew. The lights had been out and no one had seen anything.

  "Do you think it was him? The assassin? Oh, my roses, is he trying again?"

  I noted how different her reaction was from her first attack before the election. She'd refused to admit an assassin had tried to take her down, instead insisting that someone had tried to rob her. Now, she was fully admitting to the assassin, even pushing the idea that she'd been attacked again.

  "You're fine," Dr. Dunne proclaimed. "It's only a flesh wound, but we need to get you home so you can rest."

  "I'll take her," I said out of nowhere. Everyone looked at me.

  "Well, I just... I could use some air, and a nice drive to Mistmoor sounds like just the ticket."

  "I think it's better if an officer takes her," Lincoln said. Sheriff Knoxx was nodding his a
greement, as was Colt.

  "No," Tazzie said, surprising everyone. "I'd prefer it if Ava took me."

  The party had officially ended. No one wanted to stay after an attack had taken place. I asked to borrow Aunt Elanor's car, and Tazzie and I started the drive. I used a speed charm to make the car go faster, but I didn't want it to go too fast. I had a few more questions for Tazzie.

  "I know what you're thinking," Tazzie said.

  "You do?"

  "Yes. You're wondering if I was really attacked, or if I just faked it."

  I hadn't been wondering that, but now that she mentioned it... "Did you?"

  "No."

  I nodded. It was the answer I would expect.

  "And I didn't hire the assassin."

  "So, now you think there is an assassin? Because last time you were attacked, you insisted it was an attempted robbery."

  Her lips set into a thin, hard line. "I didn't want to admit that someone was out to get me, but after everything that's happened, what else can I think? I'm not blind."

  There was a long pause. "I wanted you to drive me home because I know how close you are with Detective Hudson and the sheriffs. I don't want anyone getting the wrong ideas about me, and I know how our two towns can talk."

  "So, you want me to put in a good word for you with the sheriffs?" I asked.

  "I know that you're a fair-minded person, Ava. I just want you to help stop people from jumping to conclusions, should that happen."

  "I'll do my best." I nodded, not sure I could sway anyone's mind if they chose to blame Tazzie for anything.

  We reached her house in record time. "Can I use your bathroom before I head back?" I asked her.

  "Of course."

  She went to unlock her front door, but when she touched it with the key, she realized it was already open.

  "Did you forget to lock it?" I asked, my heart starting to pound.

  "No. I always lock it, especially after my last attack."