Apple Pie and Arsenic

by C A Phipps

  Maddie had been asked to say a few words. It had been hard to think of something which wouldn’t make her cry like a baby yet still convey how much Denise had meant, not only to her but to the town in general.

  “Denise was a special lady who touched the lives of so many. She was a can-do person who sought to break down the barriers in our community with a cup of coffee and a chat. Denise was the sort of person you aspire to be like. She was approachable, kind, resourceful, clever, and inspirational. Outside of the mayor’s job, at which she was a natural, Denise would help anyone, friend or not, who was in need, or simply be there to listen to a problem. She was always available.”

  Maddie looked out at the sea of faces, many sad and some thoughtful. “I think she would have been the mayor forever if it had been possible. Not because she would have wanted to, but because we wouldn’t have let her quit.”

  That drew a smattering of laughter, and the Girlz smiled their encouragement.

  “I’m convinced Denise has gone to a better place, because that’s what she deserves. Just as I’m sure she knows how much we love and will miss her.”

  As Maddie moved back to her seat, she had to bite her lip to keep from crying. That had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. The Girlz hugged her, then resumed holding her hands.

  The only thing that would make this more bearable would be if they found the killer, but she was glad no one had mentioned that today.

  As they walked out into the beautiful sunshine, Maddie’s could see Ethan talking to Denise’s parents. Out of uniform and wearing a dark suit, he was nodding at something Denise’s father had said. The three of them looked so tired. Ethan had probably worked late last night, like she had, and Maddie hoped he’d made some progress. Denise’s parents needed the closure, as did they all.

  The Girlz were chatting with people wanting to offer condolences, but all Maddie could hear was buzzing as she gazed around. There seemed to be an awful lot of strangers here today. Her mind ran riot, wondering who they were and why they were here. Was the killer among them?

  Seemingly out of thin air, a small, slender man in a crumpled suit bobbed up in front of her. He brushed past their group, knocking Maddie into her friends. Suzy was forced to take a step back.

  “Rude,” she muttered.

  “Some people,” Maddie agreed as her skin prickled. She wasn’t a person who suffered from claustrophobia, but she imagined how she was feeling was something like it. Her skin was clammy, and her breathing was way too fast.

  She was done with the crowd surrounding her, and it was getting hard to keep everything together. Could she leave? Only the family was headed to the crematorium for a final goodbye, so surely no one would think her uncaring.

  “Let’s pay our respects, then head to the town hall,” she said. “I want to make sure the meatballs have been heated and that there’s enough tea and coffee.” It wasn’t a total lie; she really did care that everything was going to go smoothly.

  “There’s certainly enough food,” Angel said. “The tables were groaning when I dropped my plates off. You must have been up all night.”

  “Not all night, and Gran helped. Anyway, I’ve been having trouble sleeping, so it was good to have something to do.”

  Angel shook her head in exasperation. “I know how you feel. I’ve been tossing and turning myself, but you should have let us help, Maddie.”

  “You’re so stubborn with the whole independence thing,” Suzy added.

  It was hard for Maddie to explain that she was worried about them being with her all the time without telling them about the note. She hated keeping secrets, but she couldn’t bear to lose any of them. It was bad enough Gran lived with her and might be in the line of fire if the killer was looking at Maddie as the next victim.

  “I know you all would have been there, but it was something I needed to do. Like I said, I did have Gran’s help, and we all know how good her food is.”

  The other Girlz nodded in unison.

  “Stop talking about food,” Angel said. “My tummy is rumbling.”

  The others smiled affectionately at Angel, who looked like she survived on lettuce leaves, and often used food as a way of diffusing a difficult situation.

  “We should tell Denise’s parents that we’ll see them there, then we can go.” Maddie led the way over to the Loughlins, who she thought were being very brave.

  The Loughlins hugged each of them, and Maddie’s throat was tight with tears. Suzy came to the rescue.

  “It was a lovely service. We’re heading off to the hall to check on things.”

  “Thank you, girls,” Mr. Loughlin said with a stiff smile. “I know you’ve worked hard to make this a good sendoff for our little girl. We’ll come by a little later.”

  After ensuring Gran was happy to come with her friends from the community center, the Girlz left before they could break down and upset the Loughlins further, and Angel handed out tissues as they sniffled their way to the hall. By the time they’d walked the few hundred feet, several others were already there. Fortunately, they were the ones who had offered to heat up the food and make tea and coffee, which had been done. Maddie need not have worried, but it had kept her mind busy.

  Without discussion, the Girlz headed to a table-and-chair setting in the far corner and sat down with a collective sigh. The home-made tablecloths had been donated by the community center, and each had been hand-embroidered with a different flower. It was a lovely touch which softened the dark wood of the hall.

  Maddie was about to put her bag on the floor when she noticed an envelope sticking out of it. A chill ran up her spine as she pulled it out. It was the same size and color as the one she’d received the day before. She could feel the color drain from her face.

  “What’s that?” Angel asked.

  “Nothing.” Maddie pushed it back into her bag with a shaking hand. She should have known the Girlz would see her anguish.

  “What’s going on?” Suzy demanded.

  “I can’t talk about it.” Pointedly ignoring her bag, Maddie traced the pattern of a rose on the tablecloth.

  “Can’t, or won’t?” Angel’s tone was full of concern.

  “Can’t.”

  Suzy leaned in. “Is this something to do with the murder?”

  Maddie meant to shake her head, but, to her dismay, she couldn’t help but nod instead.

  Angel moved her chair closer. “You have to tell us. Otherwise, we’ll only assume the worst. Please.”

  Maddie sighed. As Denise’s friends, they did have a right to know, and she trusted most of them to keep it to themselves. There was still a question mark after Laura’s name.

  “This letter—it isn’t the first one I’ve received, and it wasn’t in my bag before the funeral. I don’t know how it got in there, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be in the same vein as the last one.”

  Suzy leaned toward Maddie’s bag, trying to get a better look. “And what vein would that be?”

  “Threatening.” Maddie’s voice caught a little, and Angel put a hand on her arm.

  “I can’t believe this. Who would threaten you, and why?” Angel asked.

  “That’s the point. I have no idea.”

  Suzy pointed at the bag. “As scary as you’re making this sound, I’m intrigued. Go ahead and open it. You’ll have to eventually.”

  “I should wait for Ethan,” Maddie said as she reached for it. The other three women craned their necks as she ripped it open. Maddie wished she had a similar enthusiasm, but how could she, when she had a pretty good idea of the contents? “It won’t be anything good,” she muttered, as the familiar scent hit her nostrils.

  “Be positive. It could be a thank you note.” Laura leaned over her shoulder.

  If only it was something that pleasant. Maddie wanted to tell them to go away, to not get involved for their own safety, but she was scared to be alone with whatever this was. If only Ethan were here. The first thing she’d done after she’d found the envelope was
to search the room for him.

  With a shaking hand, she carefully undid the flap and pulled out the single sheet of paper by its edges. With a deep breath, she unfolded it, a sense of déjà vu hanging over her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I told you to mind your own business. Go back to New York.

  Angel picked the paper up from the floor where it had fallen from Maddie’s numb fingers. She smoothed it out on her lap before Maddie could tell her to be careful of fingerprints.

  “What the heck is this about?” Angel demanded.

  She didn’t get angry very often, but she was now, and her usually porcelain skin was a deep red. Laura and Suzy were pale by comparison as they bent over the note. Maddie wished she could take back that they knew. She should be tougher than this. Now they’d all be worried, and that was another burden.

  “Someone must think I know who the murderer is. This is the second letter warning me to leave.” Maddie shuddered. “I shouldn’t be showing or telling you about this. I’m a bad friend, getting all of you involved.”

  Angel made a rude sound. “Oh my goodness. You’re right, this is awful, but if you’re being threatened, how can I not be involved? I’m your best friend, aren’t I?”

  “The same goes for me,” Suzy said firmly.

  “And me,” Laura added with a worried expression as she scanned the room.

  “Thank you,” Maddie told them, “but this could be a dangerous situation.”

  Suzy looked around. “There’s nothing more dangerous than having a killer on the loose. He could be watching us right now.”

  “Or she,” Angel said.

  Maddie had been thinking about strangers as possible letter-senders. “Pardon me?”

  “What makes you think it’s a man and not a woman?” Suzy put her hands on her hips, ever the feminist.

  “I guess I never considered it. You’re right, it could very well be a woman,” Maddie conceded.

  The room had filled to capacity. There seemed to be more people here than at the funeral, which meant more strangers, and a greater chance one of them wasn’t here to pay their respects.

  “I promised to take a turn making tea and coffee. I hope I can do it without spilling everything. Look at my hands.” Laura held her shaking hands out.

  “Good luck. I’ll come and give you a hand in a while,” Angel told her.

  Maddie sat back and clenched her fists. This wasn’t how she’d intended to live her life. Running scared wasn’t an option she cared to choose. Making a new life here with her bakery and being back with Gran and the Girlz was a change she knew was right, and she wouldn’t be run out of town.

  “Isn’t it weird how the letter is typed?” Suzy asked.

  Maddie nodded. “Very. Who even has a typewriter, let alone uses one?”

  “Did you notice how the small ‘t’ is missing the lower half?”

  They looked at the note again and sure enough, it was.

  Angel tilted her head. “Doesn’t Mickey Findlay have one in his office at the front of his house? I remember going in there to talk to Anna Ramsey about her next appointment, and it was on a stand in the corner of the room among some other pieces of old things.”

  Maddie stared at her in amazement. “I might take a look for myself.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “We don’t want to make it seem as if we know anything.”

  “Well we don’t know anything for sure and I’m the one with the lead.”

  Maddie took the paper and the envelope and put them in her bag. Then she took hold of Suzy’s and Angel’s hands

  “I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me, but I do want the killer caught. For Denise, and for the town. Something like this affects us all. We shouldn’t have to live in fear. The police have no real leads, so I’m going to do what I can to change that.”

  Angel thumped a delicate hand on the table. “I agree. Let’s go find Ethan.”

  If this had been happening to any of them, she would want to help. Now she had little choice but to accept her friends’ help, since they would hound her until she did. But she could still protect the others, or at least try to.

  Maddie grabbed her arm. “No. Listen to me. This has to be a covert operation. I’m going to find the killer. If you want to help, that’s fine, but no one else. Not even Gran.”

  Angel gasped. “You’re going to keep all this a secret from her?”

  “She knows about the first letter. I don’t want her to worry more than she already is. I’m not going to tell her about this one. Everything that’s happened lately is taking a toll on her.”

  “It’s your call, but she’ll be plenty mad when she finds out.”

  Maddie knew without a doubt Gran would be furious, but she lifted her chin. “Let me deal with that if it comes up.”

  Suzy had gone a little pale. “I don’t think we’re equipped to be detectives, and Ethan will be even madder than Gran when he finds out we’re snooping around. You could be subverting justice or interfering with an investigation.”

  Maddie hadn’t thought about that. How could she protect Ethan if she told him? But if she didn’t, and if because of it the killer got away, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself. This was tricky, but she felt a determination welling up inside her that was reminiscent of her move to New York City and wanting the bakery.

  “Okay, Ms. Encyclopedia,” she said. “We’ll tell him about the letter, but not about us trying to help. If we get some real clues, we can hand them over to him.”

  “I don’t know.” Suzy was torn. “It sounds risky.”

  “Like I said before, you don’t have to be part of this. I totally understand that it’s scary.”

  Suzy gave her a weak smile. “Yes, it is. Very scary and potentially illegal. But we’re a team. Count me in.”

  “All right!” Angel actually did a fist pump.

  They stood in a circle and hugged.

  Maddie leaned in, as did the others, until their heads touched. “Okay,” Maddie said. “Looks like we’re doing this.”

  “So, what happens next?” Suzy asked.

  “We go back to my place as soon as we can leave here and make a plan together.”

  A deep voice interrupted their huddle. “A plan for what?”

  They wore their guilt like a bad costume. Blushing every shade of red and more than a little flustered, they began to talk at once. Ethan held up a hand and nodded to Maddie, and they couldn’t help but hush.

  “We’re thinking about a cooking class,” she said with her fingers crossed behind her back.

  “Yes, that’s it exactly. A cooking class!” Angel nodded a little too zealously.

  “Wonderful idea, isn’t it, Ethan?” Suzy added.

  “Really? You have time for that?” He didn’t look sold.

  Angel was standing next to him, wide-eyed and taking her time searching for something plausible to say. Maddie nudged her.

  “Uhhh, actually, it’s something I asked Maddie to consider when she came home. We all suck at cooking, and it’s time we addressed it.”

  Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Then maybe I should join you instead of relying on the goodwill of the town and my sister.”

  “No!” Again, it was a chorus, and Ethan regarded them suspiciously.

  “We want it to be a close-knit, fun thing, and having a man around would cramp our style,” Maddie explained.

  Ethan had no choice but to surrender. “Seems a little sexist to me, but I wouldn’t want to get in the way of women bonding. By the way, I thought you’d like to know that there’ve been a lot of compliments about the food. Well done, Maddie, and to you ladies for organizing things for the family. Denise was lucky to have you for friends.”

  Maddie blushed again. “Thanks, Ethan. She would have done the same for us.”

  “I have no doubt. Maddie, can I have a word?”

  She hesitated at the coolness in his voice, but he had already moved away with a clear expectation she
would follow him.

  “Good luck,” Angel said quietly.

  Maddie followed him into the small, secluded yard behind the town hall. It had a maple tree in the far corner, creating shade and giving the impression there was a roof overhead, and a small fountain was trickling water over a trio of cherubs. The peace of the spot fell away when Ethan turned to her with a face like thunder.

  “Where is it?”

  She took a step back. “Pardon?”

  “No games, Maddie. You received another letter, didn’t you?”

  “How did you know?”

  He sighed heavily. “I could see you from across the room, showing the Girlz.”

  That didn’t bode well. If Ethan had seen everything, the killer might have as well. She needed to get a lot better at this if she was going to get any results.

  “I was going to tell you.”

  “You expect me to believe that?”

  Her cheeks were hot. “Ask the Girlz if you don’t.”

  “As if they’d tell me if you didn’t want them to.”

  Maddie was insulted by his insinuation that she would ask them to lie for her. Then she saw reason. They would if they felt they had to. That was different. Right?

  “I can’t make them do anything they don’t want to do. I’m not Suzy.” She hoped reminding him about Suzy being the sweet talker amongst them would lighten him up a little.

  It didn’t.

  “No, you’re not, but those women are incredibly loyal to you, and you darn well know it. Are you going to hand it over, or do I need to search you?”

  Horrified, Maddie handed him her purse. “It’s in there.”

  He held the black bag as awkwardly as if she’d handed him her underwear. “Just the letter would have done fine.”

  She tried for nonchalance while her heart pounded in her chest. This wasn’t going according to her plan. It might be impossible to do anything quietly to help the investigation with a such a determined sheriff in town.

  “Help yourself.”

  His big hands were perfect for cutting wood or arresting people, but not so good for opening delicate bags. Frustrated, he pawed at the clasp and finally got it open. Carefully, he pulled out the envelope and the sheet of paper with two fingers.