Candy Corruption

by C A Phipps

  “Therefore, he was either shirtless when killed or someone redressed him sometime later,” she added.

  “I’d say the latter was more plausible. Although that’s just a guess,” Sam acknowledged.

  “I imagine it’s all guesswork right now until the autopsy’s finished. The most troubling question now, is why would a person hold on to a body? Just to hide the wounds doesn’t seem a good enough reason.”

  Sam tilted his head. “I guess there could be plenty of reasons depending on what the beef was with the deceased.”

  “Yes, there has to be a motive. But who knew Sal was here, and better yet, why was he here? According to Betty, he’s a wastrel, so money is probably the answer.”

  Sam stepped closer, his eyes on her lips. “There’s something fascinating, odd, and more than a little scary, about the way you enjoy unraveling mysteries so much.”

  She moved away, a small hitch to her voice. “My sisters might agree with you about me being odd. I read mysteries from the time I could, and they often tell me that I have a wild imagination.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “How does that work when you love things a certain way?”

  Scarlett crossed her arms. “You’ve noticed I’m a bit fussy?”

  He chuckled. “I’ve noticed a lot of things about you.”

  She flushed. “You’ve changed the subject.”

  He reached over and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, causing a tingle down her neck, and another when he replied huskily, “It’s a much better one.”

  A warmth flowed through her, yet it did feel inappropriate in light of their conversation. “We’d better go inside. Ruby won’t be happy if I don’t help her with supper.”

  He leaned against the door frame. “Ruby is always happy.”

  Scarlett couldn’t deny it. “Most of the time. She does get upset about animals regularly.”

  Her youngest sister reminded her of Beth from Little Women. The death of the sweetest character was the one thing she disliked about that book and made her shiver in a totally different way than from the one she’d experienced with Sam’s gentle touch.

  “Does she?” he asked.

  “She’s their self-appointed champion.” Scarlett shook her head in mock despair. “That’s why we now have a cat and a dog.”

  “But the dog’s going, right?” he pointed out.

  “Hah. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  They entered the kitchen where Ruby was preparing vegetables.

  “What else is for supper?” she asked.

  Scarlett put her bag on the counter. “I hope no one minds that I brought home quiche. I couldn’t face cooking any more today.”

  Sam’s laughed. “Are you kidding me? Anything you cook will be a hundred times better than my takeout, or something I’ve heated in the microwave.”

  Pleased that he liked her food so much, Scarlett lay the table and heated the quiche. Sometimes having leftovers was the best thing about working in a café. Plus, a meal like this took little time to prepare.

  She smiled fondly over at Sam, who was tossing the salad, and Ruby, who drizzled a little butter over new potatoes. There were many things about the café that made it an awesome place to be, and she hoped it would remain that way even after the book sold.

  Money was a horrible thing to be constantly worried about, and despite their best efforts, the takings were down. Tomorrow she would have to look at ways to lessen their overheads—never a pleasant task.

  When they’d eaten, Sam stayed to help clean up, but when he saw Scarlett yawning, he left, saying he’d see her tomorrow.

  It was nice to have this to look forward to, and she’d love to crawl into bed, but she’d promised to call Violet, and knowing her sister was okay might help her sleep.

  Putting them on speakerphone so Ruby could hear, Violet answered right away.

  “Hi, Vi. How’s Portland?”

  “We miss you,” Ruby called out.

  “I miss you too, kiddo. It’s crazy busy here and very loud. The shops are fantastic, as I knew they would be.” While trying to sound excited and awestruck by everything she was experiencing, there was something that didn’t ring true, and Violet’s voice sounded strained.

  “What about your hotel?” Scarlett asked casually.

  “Clean.” Olivia wasn’t giving much away.

  “Not fancy?” Ruby asked hopefully.

  “Fancy is horrendously expensive anywhere, and more so here. But the hotel is nice enough and walking distance to everything I need.”

  “Right.” With the pleasantries over, Scarlett had to ask, “What about the book?”

  There was a long pause, and it didn’t take a genius to read between the lines.

  “So, it’s not valuable?”

  Violet made a frustrated sound. “It is Scarlett. Just not to the extent we thought. Phin has two buyers interested, and he’s pushing the price because he believes it’s worth more than they’re offering, but so far, they’re not budging.”

  Ruby’s hand slipped into Scarlett’s, and they squeezed.

  “Do you need to be there if he’s negotiating?” Scarlett wondered. “It may take a while.”

  “That’s true, but I’d like to stay another day, just in case. You know—to see it through. Don’t you think that the person handing over the book for the last time should be one of us? Unless you’re desperate for me to return?”

  There was no point in worrying Violet from so far away and nothing to gain by being petulant about the sale price of the book. At this stage, any amount of money was welcome. Which didn’t mean she wasn’t hugely disappointed.

  Scarlett forced some lightness into her voice. “I’m not desperate at all. In fact, I hired Betty Davis to help me.”

  Violet gasped. “That’s awesome! I didn’t know she was looking for work.”

  “Apparently, you leaving gave her the incentive to apply, and she does need to have an income, so it worked out great.”

  “That’s a shame. I really thought Betty was comfortable. Still, I can’t deny that having someone else in the café helps with the guilt of staying longer.”

  Hearing the strain leave Violet’s voice, Ruby smiled at Scarlett. “Betty makes the best fudge ever!” she yelled.

  “It truly is.” Scarlett glanced at the almost empty container. She’d brought it home to share with Ruby and Sam, and to stop the temptation to eat the lot on her own. “Betty also wants to stay if you find another job when you come back. If not, well, I told her that it wasn’t permanent. I think it’s a win-win situation.”

  There was a long pause from Violet. “I guess that’s still hinging on the outcome of the book.”

  Scarlett sucked in a deep breath. “Not really. With Betty happy for now to stay on the pay rate I offered her, you could look for a job straight away.”

  “Do you think so?”

  Violet’s wavering excitement made Scarlett more determined to make this happen. “I do.”

  “I don’t want to get my hopes up,” Violet said quietly.

  “I know.” Scarlett could appreciate that. They’d all been let down so many times before. Mainly by their mom’s medical relapses. With that in her mind, there was no way she would tell her sister about the murder and that it was Betty’s brother because who knew where that was going to lead. “We’ll talk more when you get home.”

  “And I’ll call as soon as the sale’s finalized,” Violet assured them. “Fingers crossed.”

  “And toes.” Ruby sniffed.

  They hung up, and Scarlett put an arm around her sister’s shoulder. “Thanks for not saying anything about Betty’s brother.”

  Ruby tilted her head. “I figured you would and then that you had a good reason not to. When will you tell her?”

  “That depends on how long she’s gone. Violet’s flat out in Portland. What would be the point in making her worry about us when she’s so far from home? Besides, none of us were that close to Betty before, and we certainly didn�
�t know the deceased.”

  They didn’t keep many secrets from each other, and Ruby was unconvinced that this was a good enough exception. “How is she flat out, exactly?”

  “She’ll be shopping.”

  Ruby’s eyes widened, then she snorted. “Window shopping, you mean.”

  Scarlett shrugged. “It won’t do her any harm.”

  Ruby hugged her again. “No, I guess it won’t.”

  Chapter Nine

  Having given her Violet’s keys, Betty was at work when Scarlett arrived at the café the next morning. Another dish of fudge sat on the counter.

  Scarlett eyed it forlornly. “The first batch was so delicious I should have asked you not to make anymore.”

  “I needed something to do.” Betty didn’t laugh as her hands became still in the bread dough. “You’ll think me silly, but last night I could swear I heard a noise inside my place.”

  “What was it?”

  “I wish I knew. It frightened me, and I couldn’t sleep, but I couldn’t make myself go downstairs to find out.”

  “You hear noises often?” Scarlett slipped on her apron, not particularly alarmed. Who didn’t hear noises in the middle of the night in Cozy Hollow?

  “Not every night, but often enough that I end up in the kitchen regularly. Depending on what kind of noise it is, and how loud, I make sweets when I can’t get back to sleep.”

  “My mom and I both tended to do that. Bake that is.” Scarlett smiled wistfully. “It was awesome when it happened to us at the same time.”

  “Really? I thought it was just me.” Betty sighed deeply. “How nice that you and your mom got to do that.”

  Scarlett nodded. “It’s soothing to do something physical, which is so ingrained in you that you don’t have to think too much.”

  “Exactly. I began making sweets so long ago, and now I don’t need a recipe.”

  “Well, I hope you get some sleep soon. I’d hate for you to fall sick.” Scarlett winked. “For both our sakes.”

  Betty finally laughed, then wiped her hands to rip the lid off the fudge. “Have one. We need our strength.”

  Scarlett couldn’t resist and made a vow to hide the fudge—from herself. As they got stuck into the baking, Betty began to hum, and Scarlett decided not to ask right then how her talk with Nate had gone. Perhaps at the end of the day?

  And when she heard from Violet she must ask her if she’d been messing about with the cafe paperwork which was suddenly all mixed-up. She sighed fondly. Her sisters didn’t appreciate how long it took to sort things out, but they weren’t as finicky as Scarlett.

  ~~~

  Late that afternoon, Mayor Tully came to the café in a particularly jovial mood. Betty had taken a break and gone for a walk in the park, and with no customers at that moment, Scarlett was alone.

  “You’re looking lovely today. How’s the café business treating you?”

  Sometimes his attitude towards her still felt bizarre, when not so long ago he’d never been described as even slightly pleasant unless he wanted something. It was right to say that he’d undergone a complete personality change after his friend Mabel Norris died, and the diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder treated.

  It came to light that Arthur had always loved Lilac Finch, and when she died, he blamed her daughters for Lilac’s refusal to entertain his advances. The Finch sisters could do no right as far as he was concerned. Although, he’d always had a soft spot for Ruby who looked so much like their mom.

  Unable to get over seeing Lilac’s daughters daily, he’d tried to run them out of town. Fortunately, his dramatic mood swings pointed Scarlett and Sam in the right direction, and now everyone was benefiting by his change.

  Scarlett sighed deeply. She missed her parents very much. It was still a struggle to fill her mom’s shoes at the café and, as the oldest child, be responsible all the time.

  Arthur waved a hand in front of Scarlett’s face. “You’re miles away.”

  She pushed the dark thoughts away and smiled. Everyone deserved a chance to redeem themselves, and Arthur certainly had. “Sorry. I guess I was. We haven’t seen you around for a while. How are you?”

  “Wonderful. I took your advice and managed a few days away. It did me a world of good, and I’ve come back refreshed and raring to get stuck into my Mayoral duties.”

  “Good for you.” He did seem chipper for a mayor who’d just had a murder discovered in his town. “Did you come straight here?”

  He frowned. “You mean, have I been into the office yet?”

  She nodded.

  “No. I feel like I’m playing hooky by not going there first, but I was off the grid while on holiday, and I didn’t think a few more hours would hurt. Plus, I needed bread and something tasty for supper. With the diner still closed, there are limited choices.”

  Scarlett hesitated too long with a reply, as she thought of Betty and her brother. She didn’t want to burst his bubble of happiness, but the mayor should know, and he would have mentioned it if he did.

  His smile slipped. “Do you want to tell me what’s bothering you? I thought we were good, you and I.”

  “We’re fine.” She took a steadying breath. “It’s not really my place to say, but I guess you’ll find out soon enough—there’s been a murder.”

  He recoiled just as she imagined he would. “What? No one contacted me.”

  “Unfortunately, it’s true. Ruby and I found him, and I guess if you were off the grid, contacting you would have been difficult?”

  “Reception was poor,” he admitted. “Anyway, who was it? A local?”

  “No, it’s Betty Davis’s brother.”

  That confounded him. “I didn’t know she had a brother.”

  “I don’t think many people did. They were estranged and hadn’t seen each other for years.”

  “Is that so? Well, you’d better tell me everything because apart from the sheriff, you’re bound to know more than anyone else. No offense.”

  A kernel of indignation rose along with Scarlett’s eyebrows. They did not know everything, but Nate did share more than he wanted or perhaps should. Asking questions was the only way she knew to get all the facts, and that was important when she was trying to deal with her mother’s illness.

  Reason took hold before she made a fool of herself justifying things, but her chin did lift. “There’s not a lot to tell yet. Her brother was dropped on the verge out in the country, and Ruby and I found his body and what might be his dog. Poor Betty’s naturally upset and has already spoken to Nate. By the way, she’s working for me because Violet’s gone to Portland with an appraiser to sell our book.”

  Arthur blinked several times. He looked as though he was trying to digest the information, so Scarlett let him be. It was almost closing time, and Betty hadn’t returned, so Scarlett locked up in case she did and wanted to chat with Arthur.

  “Come and have coffee with me while I clean up.”

  Arthur followed and took a seat at the table. “I go away for a couple of days and look what happens.”

  Scarlett poured his coffee and answered several questions about how it had all come to be. By the time he finished his drink, she was packed and ready for home.

  Arthur stood. “I’d better go see Nate.”

  “Could I come too? I’d like to hear if there’s any progress.” Scarlett asked, hopefully.

  “Being town business, I should talk to him alone. And I’d like to hear his opinion on things and where the investigation is heading. No doubt, he’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Disappointed, she nodded. Arthur had a job to do, and she couldn’t take this personally.

  “I should go find Betty, anyway. I’m going to offer to help with the funeral.”

  “I’m sure there’s plenty of time for that. The coroner could take a while to release the body. Hopefully, by then, we’ll know who did it.”

  She saw him to the shop door, aware of how troubled he was. “You know we had nothing to do with the mu
rder, right?”

  He gave her a level stare. “It never crossed my mind.”

  Chapter Ten

  In the frame of mind she was in, Scarlett couldn’t go home. Not only did she want to know if Betty was okay, but she also had to talk to someone about the murder. As sweet and smart as he was, Sam was not the answer.

  Ruby had a dedicated children’s reading group booked, who met up every chance they got, so she was staying late at the library. Even though it was unpaid, her sister never missed the opportunity if she could help it. She loved animals but adored children even more.

  With no one to dissuade her, Scarlett headed to Betty’s modest two-storied house close to town. There were no cars out front, and the curtains were already drawn.

  Scarlett barely knocked when Betty opened the door a crack and peered around it. “What are you doing here? Did I do something wrong?”

  “Absolutely not.” Not understanding where this fear came from Scarlett smiled encouragingly. “You have to know that you’re a wonderful asset.”

  Betty’s answering smile was small, but she opened the door further. “You’re so sweet to say that.”

  “I say it because it’s true,” Scarlett insisted.

  “You’ll have me big-headed in no time, talking that way.”

  “I can’t imagine that,” Scarlett teased gently before getting to the reason for her visit. “I’m sorry to turn up unannounced, but I wondered if you were okay?”

  “I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t come back. You did say I could go home anytime, but I should have explained how down I suddenly felt.”

  “No need to apologize.”

  “I should have at least called you when I got home, only I took a nap.” Betty explained.

  “Then you must have needed to.” Scarlett took a deep breath. “I wonder since I’m here, could talk about your brother?”

  Betty’s mouth drooped. “I feel like that’s the only thing people want to talk about.”

  “If you’d rather not, then I understand,” Scarlett assured her. “I don’t want to upset you more, and talking isn’t for everyone.”