East Pender Boxed Set: Cozy Mystery Series Bundle of Books 1-14

by Leona Fox

  “What do you want?” she sneered.

  “We're just asking around about who might have poisoned the pies.”

  “I've already talked to the police. I don't need nosy busybodies coming around here hassling me, especially ones who steal people's husbands.”

  “I never stole him. You drove him away!”

  “He left me because I couldn't have kids and I'm just old and washed up. All he wants is some pretty thing on his arm, but one day you'll get older too, and he'll toss you aside. You have all the luck, all the looks and that talent but it's not enough for you, is it? People like you make me sick. It's never enough and you have to take and take until you have it all and there's nothing left for the rest of us. Well, I've had enough and I don't have to stand here and talk to you.”

  “We're only trying to help your mother,” Ellen said, trying to salvage the situation, but her words fell on deaf ears. Her sentence was cut short as Justine slammed the door in their faces.

  “Maybe I should have hung back,” Kelly said, and the two women turned away.

  Chapter 6

  The dinner rush at the cafe was quieter than usual, so Ellen was able to clean up quickly and an early night beckoned for a change. She wasn't sure if that meant she would get any more sleep than usual, though. She still was wracking her brain, trying to think of who could have poisoned the pies. She had theories and suspicions but there didn't seem to be a trail of evidence. She still couldn't believe it was Carrie, even though everything seemed to be moving closer and closer to that conclusion. Even meeting the other contestants hadn't proved conclusive as they all said much the same thing and, really, it could have been anyone.

  When Andy came in it was a welcome relief, and he seemed happy to see her as well. She moved from behind the counter and kissed him on the cheek. They hugged warmly and Ellen enjoyed the feeling of his warmth against her, and his manly scent. They took a seat in the corner. It was the evening, so the candles were burning brightly. The whole place had a secluded, intimate atmosphere about it but, of course, since there was a case going on all the talk was of business.

  “Carrie isn't holding up well in the cell. I want to release her but I can't. Is there something that we're missing here?” he asked, the frustration plain in his voice.

  “I feel the same way. None of my theories have panned out and I don't think I'm any closer to solving this thing than I was at the beginning.”

  “Unless Carrie is really a criminal mastermind and has been playing us this whole time,” Andy suggested, but neither of them took it seriously.

  “Maybe there's some kind of clue? The name seems familiar but I can't quite place it.”

  “I don't think so; the poison could have been put into the pies at any time. It didn't matter whether they were being heated up or not. And, short of questioning the whole town, I don't see how we're going to get anywhere.”

  “Let's think back and look at it logically. The pies were poisoned, either to kill Carrie or to make her lose the pie tasting contest, right?”

  “Or it was an elaborate plan to kill someone in the crowd, someone who was going to taste the pies. That opens up a whole new world of possibilities and I don't think we have time to consider all of those.”

  “But you said the poison was still deadly whether it was hot or cold. So, theoretically, it could have been put into the pies at any point, not just at the festival. That would narrow the list of suspects down to those who had access to the pies, which would have been only the people who went to Carrie's house. Did she have many visitors?”

  “She did mention to me that she had all the other contestants over as a kind of shared good luck celebration thing. Apparently, it's a tradition. One of them could have had the opportunity to poison them then, but again, we still need a way to prove it.”

  “I'll try figuring it out. There's still something that doesn't sit right with me about that chemical. I'm sure I recognize it from somewhere but I just can't place it.”

  “I'm sure it'll come to you at some point when you're not even thinking about it. That's usually how these things work.”

  “Yeah, another sleepless night probably beckons for me. I was speaking with Kelly earlier. Have you noticed a change in East Pender during the past year or so?”

  “Not particularly, I suppose there have been some more crimes than usual. Although a lot of those I put down to the heatwave in the summer. Things like that always make people crazy. But, hey, it keeps us busy doesn't it?”

  “It certainly does.”

  “I think we've all changed, though. I know I've changed a lot, mostly thanks to you.”

  “Me?” she said, blushing slightly, which she was glad was not visible under the dim candlelight.

  “Yeah. Before you came along I was very straight and narrow and still kept looking to my past. You've helped me see that, sometimes, you have to go beyond the confines of procedure and that what I do now is valuable and just because there are things in my past that I regret or that haven't been solved, they don't have to define me.”

  “I feel honored,” she said, and they basked in a mutual appreciation for each other.

  A yearning for him burned inside her and she thought back to what Kelly said. It felt so natural to be with him like this and the feelings that simmered inside her were becoming more impossible to ignore. As she gazed into his eyes memories of their kiss came back strongly, and she was tired of dancing around the subject.

  “Andy, I know we've got a case going on, but when it's over, do you want to go out sometime, properly I mean?”

  “You mean we haven't gone out properly before?” he said, teasing her.

  “You know what I mean. We've been dancing around this for too long. We always seem to reach a certain point but it never goes any further. I know it's because both of us have been scared, I guess. There always seems to be another case to solve, but I'm tired of us getting close to something and then turning away.”

  “I am, too,” he said, and slid his hand over the table to clasp hers tightly.

  “I know that I haven't always been as forward as I should have been. I've been attracted to you for a long time. I've wanted something to happen between us but the truth is, it's been so long I've almost forgotten how to go about that. Then, of course, there's the matter of work. My job takes up so much time that, for a long time, I was worried it was unfair to anyone I was becoming romantically involved with because I wouldn't be able to give them the time they deserved or needed.”

  “It was the same with me and the cafe. I put so much time into setting it up, and then before that, I was looking after my parents. It feels like there's a big chunk of time where I wasn't allowed to have a life of my own. But Andy, I'm not expecting to be together every minute of every day like Kelly and Andy are. I like my independence, and I like knowing that I don't need anyone else, but I want someone else. I want there to be times when I can just be with someone, and not have to worry about anything else.”

  “So how do you want to go about it?” he said.

  “I don't know,” she replied, and they both laughed at their ineptitude.

  “I guess it's like Kelly says, we just go for it and see what happens. So how about once we finish this case and figure out what's been going on with Carrie, we go out properly and spend some quality time together?”

  “That sounds like the perfect plan to me,” Andy agreed, and their hands remained linked together, resting against the wooden table as the candle’s flame danced between them.

  “Can you tell me something?” Ellen asked. “And I'll understand if it's too personal, but it's just been on my mind ever since the vigil.”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “Who was that candle lit for? I know your family is all still alive, but you haven't told me much about your personal life, at least not if there's someone you were close to who has died. But again, if I'm overstepping my bounds then just tell me and we can forget about it.”

  “No, it
's fine. Mostly I remembered all the people I couldn't help, but the main person was Elise. When I was younger my mother gave birth to a daughter, my sister, but she was born with a rare medical condition and she was only alive for five days before she died. The doctors tried to do all they could and we looked into different treatments but there simply wasn't enough time for us to do anything. I often wonder what would have happened if things had turned out differently. What kind of life she would have had, and what kind of person she would have grown into?”

  “With you as her big brother I'm sure she would have grown into a fine person,” Ellen said, squeezing his hand tightly.

  The personal revelation only deepened the bond between them. Ellen was sure the feelings she held for him were akin to love. As she allowed herself to let these sensations flow through her she almost was overwhelmed by the warmth and serenity of the love.

  Ellen happily could have stayed there with him for the rest of the night but there was still much to be done, on both their ends. With a heavy heart, after about an hour, Andy rose and left Ellen to return to the station, where he had some more paperwork to catch up on. Ellen watched him leave with a smile on her face, for she was looking forward to the future and all that it held. But first she had to figure out who poisoned the pies and get Carrie released, then she could start focusing on her own life. She couldn't shake the feeling of knowing something about the poison used. So, as she usually did when she needed a sounding board, she closed her cafe a little early and went to see Kelly.

  Chapter 7

  The artist had been enjoying a session of creativity. So when Ellen entered her home she found Kelly wearing her overalls, covered in paint stains. The smell of cleaning fluid was heavy in the air.

  “So I just saw Andy,” Ellen began. Kelly listened intently, eager for any kind of gossip. When Ellen told her they were going to try going out once the case was solved, Kelly clapped enthusiastically.

  “That's great! And then me and you and Andy and Matthew can go on double dates!”

  “Oh...maybe I should reconsider…” Ellen said quickly, receiving a quick, sharp slap on her shoulder.

  But Kelly was playing, and the two of them quickly had plans for the future. Ellen began to get used to the idea of being part of a couple again, even though at first, after being single for so long, it had been daunting. The more she and Kelly thought about it, however, the more excited she became about what was to come. The idea of being a couple became a more natural one, so much so that she almost wished she and Andy had had this discussion much earlier. But as they were talking Ellen's mind was still on the case.

  The gnawing feeling of knowing the chemical but not being able to remember its name or where she knew it from was frustrating. The longer it went on the more distracted she became, until she realized she had been drifting away from Kelly. She had been listening but not actually understanding any of the words Kelly had been speaking. Ellen hoped Kelly wouldn't be too angry about it since it happened often with her. Kelly always was distracted by any shiny thing that happened to enter her sphere of vision, or by a stray thought that sparked in her mind. But with Ellen it was odd because she usually was so focused, and Kelly picked up on it straight away.

  “Are you alright, or are you off dreaming about you and your new man?” she asked with a wicked smile playing upon her lips.

  “He's not my man yet, so let's stop that talk right now,” Ellen said.

  Not a moment later, Kelly made her way across the studio to where a bottle of wine had been placed. Offering Ellen a glass which she gladly accepted, and then refilling her own, they made their way to the couch.

  Ellen leaned back in the couch and sighed heavily, holding the glass of wine in her hand. Hers was still mostly full but Kelly had been drinking hers quite eagerly, which she often did after she had been through an intense creative session.

  “Okay then, so what's wrong?”

  “Andy told me the chemical that poisoned the pies, but I just can't remember where I know it from!”

  Then Kelly asked what the chemical was and Ellen told her. Kelly furrowed her brow, then promptly rose from the couch. Ellen rolled her eyes and threw up her hands, for she thought Kelly simply had been distracted and wandered off, as she often did. It only became more ironic, since Kelly had just been the one to chastise Ellen for not paying attention to her. Kelly disappeared from the lounge and went through to her studio. Ellen wondered if she should get up and follow her. Sometimes Kelly could get lost to the world if she felt a sudden flash of inspiration, but it was only a few moments before Kelly emerged from the studio. She still was carrying her glass of wine in one hand, but in the other she held something new, a large, white, plastic container with lots of writing all over it.

  “You mean like this?” Kelly asked, and held up the container in front of Ellen.

  Ellen set her glass aside and took the container, feeling the liquid slosh about inside. She read the writing and then squealed in delight.

  “It's a cleaning fluid. I use it to clean up any of the paint that gets spilled. It's pretty powerful stuff, but it's specialized. I don't think you could get this from just a general store. Maybe one of those big department stores but we don't have one close. You'd have to go out of your way to get it. There must have been easier things to get than this,” she continued, but Ellen already had connected the dots. She leaped up and said that she had to get to the station immediately, leaving Kelly wondering what on Earth was happening.

  Ellen drove with real purpose, pushing the boundaries of the speed limit because she didn't want Carrie to spend one more minute in that cell than she had to. Finally, everything made sense to her. She felt frustrated that she hadn't seen it before. All she needed to do now was confirm her theory and then Carrie could be freed, and she and Andy could get together. This time, when she reached the station, Andy was there and seemed surprised to see her. She wanted to greet him with a kiss and a hug but she was so enthralled with her discovery that she told him she needed to see Carrie. At first he protested, saying that visiting hours were over, but when Ellen told him that she might have found out who did it, he relented and saw her through.

  Carrie was dozing lightly when Ellen entered, but as soon as the strong electric lights flashed on, buzzing loudly, she stirred and rubbed her eyes sleepily. She seemed pleased to see Ellen, but her tiredness now made her expressions more earnest. It became clearer she wasn't holding up at all well. Ellen almost felt guilty since the only reason she had been in there this long was because Ellen hadn't been able to figure out the real culprit until now. But there were still a few questions that Ellen had to ask, just to make sure her new suspicions were correct.

  She entered the cell as before and sat down next to Carrie, speaking in soft tones. Andy waited at the door, checking his watch to make sure Ellen didn't stay for too long.

  “What are you doing here at this hour?” Carrie asked.

  “I'm sorry for disturbing you. I just have a few important questions to ask you. It might lead us to the person who poisoned the pies and I thought that you wouldn't want me to wait. Now, this is very important, can you think of anyone who had a grudge against you, or that you had a disagreement with lately?”

  Carrie scrunched up her face as she tried to think but, like before when Ellen had visited her, she couldn't come up with anyone.

  “Does your daughter get included in that?” she asked, and once again a thoughtful look came over Carrie's face.

  “Why, no, but we always have little disagreements here and there, that's just the nature of being family. She's been on the rocks ever since the divorce really. I suppose she did get mad because I tried to tell her to change back to her old self just like Matthew wanted. She accused me of taking his side, but I hope she knows I only had her best interests at heart.”

  “Does she have a key to your house?”

  “Of course she does.”

  “What are you getting at Ellen?” Andy asked.

&
nbsp; Ellen glared at him and then looked back at Carrie, almost dreading to put forward her theory, which she was sure was true. It had been a difficult thing to think of questioning Kelly about Matthew. It would be even harder to tell Carrie what she was about to say, for she was sure it would break the elderly lady's heart. Even so, she knew that for the greater good she would have to reveal the truth.

  “Ever since this case began I feel like we've been missing something. Something didn't quite add up and I was never sure of it until tonight. As soon as you mentioned the name of the chemical I remembered that I'd heard it before. It was only when I was around Kelly's that I knew for sure. It's an industrial cleaning agent that Kelly uses to clean her paints, something that a cleaner would be able to get their hands on easily. I know it's difficult to hear Carrie, and I wish that things could be different, but I'm confident that Justine is the one who poisoned your pies.”

  It took a moment for her words to be processed, but when they were Carrie's entire demeanor changed. All this time she had been holding herself together, only letting a small sliver of her anguish through her mask, but the thought of such betrayal by her daughter was the final straw that completely tore away any façade of strength or resolve. Her entire body trembled and shuddered as the tears welled up in her eyes and then came down in hot streams. Her mouth moved, as though it wanted to say something, but she was so hurt and so shocked that nothing came out. Ellen felt awful and only could offer Carrie a hug in support. It felt as though she was the one who had twisted the knife that had been planted in Carrie's back, and it was the worst feeling she ever had endured.

  Anger boiled within her, directed at Justine, for Ellen couldn't understand how anyone ever could do that to their parent, especially one as loving and nurturing as Carrie. It only proved further that Justine really was bitter and twisted and burning up with rage at anything aside from herself, and that nothing was exempt from suffering at the hands of her resentful mind.