A Wicked Whack: Mad River Series (Prequel)

by Constance Barker

  "Wait....I knew Nancy was crazy, but this borders on mental," Jenny told me. "Why would I want that woman's husband let alone his job?"

  I was happy see Nancy arrested, but now I had to juggle multiple voices, both dead and alive, at once. It felt like I was heading an auction. Or I was a judge standing above a disorderly courtroom. The more Nick dragged her towards the door, the louder her voice rang out.

  "I knew Jimmy was on the brink of losing his job. He saw the correspondence between Annabelle and city councilman Brooks. Annabelle wanted to replace Jimmy with Jenny! Jenny knows nothing about politics. She was trying to steal my life!"

  "This is crazy. You mean to tell me I could have been deputy mayor? What a hoot!" Jenny exclaimed before bursting into laughter.

  I looked over to Annabelle. She covered her face in embarrassment. The media was going to have a field day with these claims.

  "Then Jenny has the nerve to spend all this time with him here to sweet talk her way into his-"

  "He wanted some advice on bread and cupcake recipes a couple times?" Jenny said to me. "Goodness, the things you learn when you're dead."

  "The problems of the modern living I tell you," Matthias chirped.

  "So why peg Annabelle?" I asked.

  "Jimmy needed to keep his job. When the police ruled out Annabelle, my next opportunity was you. You can't keep putting your nose in other people's business, Shelby. It doesn't look good on you."

  "Says the town gossip," I said with a little too much glee. "I suppose you also paid off someone to hide the axe you killed Jenny with. I saw Jimmy the other day rummaging through a trash can!" I exclaimed.

  I was on fire heeding the charge. My veins coursed with adrenaline. It was like being in the midst of a police show's climax. You revealed the killer and the detectives get to tell everyone why the good guys win today.

  "What? I was out for lunch and disposing of my left over sandwich," Jimmy shouted to me. "Ever since I brought up the divorce, I've started eating a lot more than I should lately."

  Or maybe not entirely. Jimmy was equally as confused as we were. Something told me he was unaware like the rest of us.

  "Shelby, one thing at a time okay?" Nick exclaimed from across the room. "I need to get going."

  "Sorry! Got a little ahead of myself!"

  The other police officer held the door open for Nick. Everyone watched him drag a frazzled Nancy out the door. Her fury turned to an emotional explosion of tears. In the thick of the chaos, Jenny moved to look at her photo near the front of the aisle. She gave me a smile of profound thanks. Everyone focused on Nancy so I could easily speak with Jenny one last time.

  "Well, I guess that's it eh," she said. "I can't thank you enough, Shelby."

  "Be seeing you, Jenny. Safe travels."

  She hugged Matthias goodbye. After that, she gave me a jaunty salute and danced away into the air. Her presence here on Earth was finally no more.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A week passed since news broke of Nancy Gordon's arrest. The axe disappearing from the station was a false alarm. It was found a week later in a locker. Then there was Jimmy's desire for a divorce. Media trucks took over the entirety of the Old Town to do interviews and follow-up coverage about all the events. It's common that bad things happen to good people every day. Yet, when a public persona commits the deed, it always causes a stir.

  Living in a small town usually proved uneventful. The worst we suffer is an act of God causing some buildings to blow over. Sometimes there's the odd car accident. There's never anything scandalous enough for the outside world to take serious interest. Everyone and then some clogged the roads to the Old Town with cars. Some even just watched along the roads. All this was just to see what spunky media personalities might have stopped by.

  Once the media skipped town, Matthew and Calinda gave the staff extra days off. I could only imagine their exhaustion. No one wants to answer the same questions over-and-over again for days on end. It was no secret they required a new plan of action for the Old Town's operation. The deputy mayor's former wife committing murder didn't look good for future business at all.

  Harriet was fortunate enough to share her day off with me. The sun made the day balmier than expected. I convinced her to walk to Zaharako's ice cream shop. It wasn't far from where we lived. Our mom used to take us when we were a lot younger and both Harriet and I enjoyed it. When adult responsibilities piled on to both of us, we hardly went. Given all that happened, I realized more everyday how life is short and we need to take advantage of our time.

  When you entered Zaharako's, the smell of candy instantly hit your nose. Oh, to be a kid again where you could pummel your stomach with copious amounts of sugar and not get sick!

  I immediately went to look at the long rows of the different ice cream tubs in the freezer. I wanted something tangy, like orange or lemon sorbet. I needed to get color and fun back into my life. What a better way to start than with ice cream.

  The place had not changed since it first opened in the early 1900's. It was traveling back in time. Marquee lights lined the edges of menus above the counter. Everything about the place remained inviting in the best way possible. My appreciation for the old still sticking around within the new had grown over these past few weeks. I respected it a lot more now.

  It took a while to look through the selection. I settled on the lemon sorbet in a waffle cone. Harriet got chocolate chip cookie dough. After paying, we took a seat on some bar stools next to the counter.

  "Hey is that the mayor over there in the corner?" Harriet said as she took a big spoonful of her ice cream from her bowl.

  I spun around on my stool to see where she was pointing. Annabelle was in the far corner with Mark enjoying their own treats. She giggled shamelessly at something Mark had said. They appeared happy out in public. I imagined she still wanted privacy in mind concerning their relationship. Hardly anyone was in Zaharako's today. It was the perfect place for a date that suited Annabelle's needs.

  "Who is that man she's with? She scored herself a looker."

  I swerved back around to face her.

  "He's too old for you. We shouldn't stare. You know it’s rude."

  "Okay, okay!" she exclaimed.

  Annabelle's biggest anxiety was prying eyes and minds when it came to Mark. I know Harriet would not have gone far with her curiosity. With all that happened recently though, Annabelle deserved a break.

  "So now that the hoopla has died down, what's happening with your job?" Harriet asked.

  "I don't know. Matthew and Calinda are going to need a new plan of action-and fast."

  "I must say though, you did well in finding the evidence. I can't believe that one of your blankets was hidden with the evidence," she added.

  "I can't imagine every murderer thinks their actions through. Desperation can make people do crazy things."

  "How did you even come to your conclusions?" Harriet asked.

  "Jenny...sort of helped," I said in a hushed voice.

  Harriet's eyes grew wide. It was strange that I peaked her interest on that piece of information.

  "She was with you? Did she know Nancy killed her?" she asked. "That's...sort of cool...I guess."

  Harriet's tone was confusing. She couldn't seem to allow herself to get on board with what I knew about the other side being interesting.

  "No. Nancy axed Jenny from behind so she didn't see anything. Not to mention, it's hard to use a ghost as a witness to their own death."

  "So what did she know then?" Harriet asked.

  "The transition to the other side can be hazy. When you pass over though, you still know yourself best. Jenny knew there was evidence missing. No one thought the preserve jar she was eating from existed. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

  I put a spoonful of sorbet into my mouth. Harriet stared at the window ahead of us. That statement seemed to get her thinking. The sharp sound of an excited electric guitar cutting into earshot quickly
stopped it. Archie, the ice cream boy, had turned on the television. He was a gangly seventeen years old with ginger hair. He appeared more engrossed by the show than doing work. I don't know why this placed had installed a TV. I always thought if you brought somebody to Zaharako's it was to enjoy his or her company. TV was just a distraction and took away from all the old-world whimsical charm this place had. How times had changed.

  On the screen was the Bright and Gaunt ghost hunting television show. It was a kooky half-hour about the misadventures of its hosts Nathan and Adam. They inspected supposedly haunted locations for paranormal activity. After all the jump-scares, they displayed some research. This usually consisted of stories about whom they thought they encountered. I never paid much attention to those types of shows. It was easily classified under the reality TV umbrella. In other words, cheap television only appeared real. The genre name was just a guise. Speaking with the dead was a lot more complicated than what any producer could paint it out to be.

  To my surprise, the show caught Harriet's eye. I had no idea she even had interest in such a thing. Not to mention, it wasn't a topic she professed profound admiration for. Who was this girl in front of me? I needed to spend more time with her.

  "Maybe the Old Town can bring these guys in to boost the morale? A national television show shooting there would make for some excellent publicity," Harriet suggested.

  It wasn't a bad idea. It just wasn't the best idea either. Only I knew the true nature of the Old Town's ghosts. They weren't always the welcoming kind and it took a while for them to warm up to you. These ghost hunter guys were so over the top, at times making a mockery of the dead. They might as well have thrown lit matches into the air with their approach to reaching out. The Old Town's ghosts would have a banner time with those two.

  "Who watches these types of shows though? They're so fake," I replied.

  "I do," Archie piped up. "These guys are so fun. It's fascinating to think about what's on the other side."

  I couldn't believe Harriet didn't want to hear me out. Instead, she would take mind-numbing entertainment's word for what ghosts were like. I had to look on the bright side in this case. It seemed like the right start to leading her down that path of understanding what I knew better.

  I sat back against the counter on my stool and ate more of my sorbet. I glanced at the TV wondering if there was anything I could take away from this type of program. At the end of the day, knowing I did the right thing was enough. Jenny was set free and justice served. I knew my friends on the other side couldn't get any credit no matter how much I wished for it. That whole part of our existence will still be misunderstood. If anything that was something I could relate to.

  Eventually though, us misunderstood types find our place somehow.

  ******

  Read the next release in the Mad River Series:

  A Prickly Predicament

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  You can read Constance Barker’s books for free with Kindle Unlimited. These books are all from my Caesars Creek Series

  A Frozen Scoop of Murder (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book One)

  Death by Chocolate Sundae (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Two)

  Soft Serve Secrets (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Three)

  Ice Cream You Scream (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Four)

  Double Dip Dilemma (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Five)

  Melted Memories (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Six)

  Triple Dip Debacle(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Seven)

  Whipped Wedding Woes(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Eight)

  A Sprinkle of Tropical Trouble(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Nine)

  A Drizzle of Deception(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Ten)

  Sweet Home Mystery Series

  Creamed at the Coffee Cabana (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book One)

  A Caffeinated Crunch (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Two)

  A Frothy Fiasco (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Three)

  Punked by the Pumpkin(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Four)

  Peppermint Pandemonium(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Five)

  Whispering Pines Mystery Series

  A Sinister Slice of Murder (Whispering Pines Mystery Series Book One)