Candy Corruption

by C A Phipps

  “Who are you?” he wondered.

  Ruby tapped the paper. “Betty called, saying there was an intruder.”

  Scarlett checked her phone. “That was at 9pm. The phone went dead at 9.05 approximately. Before that happened, Betty said that the intruder was in the house already, then a minute or so later, he was in her bedroom. I heard him laugh—it was a terrible sound.” She shivered. “The bed was unmade, so Betty must have been having an early night when she heard him downstairs.”

  She wrote this all down neatly with bullet points.

  “Should we add in about Bob and her brother?” Ruby tapped the paper.

  “Who the heck is Bob?” Sam asked.

  “She’s named the dog,” Scarlett informed him.

  “You’re keeping him?”

  Ruby chewed her lip, and Scarlett ignored them both, refusing to discuss that sensitive topic when they needed to focus on Betty. “Nate will have information on Saul already. Our job is to work on what happened tonight.”

  Ruby raised an eyebrow. “What about you stopping by earlier to see her?”

  “Good thinking.”

  “That’s why you were late home?” Sam queried.

  “Mmmm.” Scarlett crossed out the 1 and made it a 2. Then she wrote about her visit to Bettys above. “What else do we know about the crime scene?”

  “Dishes were in the sink,” Sam offered.

  Scarlett nodded. “Dishes—for one?”

  “I only saw one of everything.”

  “Well done, Sam. Good observation.”

  He grinned. “Glad to help in some small capacity.”

  “You were a big help. Having you beside me, I didn’t feel so scared.”

  Ruby made a small noise—possibly a gag—and Scarlett shot her a warning look before getting back to the task. She expected such heckling from Violet, but Ruby seemed determined to fill that void.

  “Apart from the bedroom, the rest of the house was neat as a pin.”

  “We can’t be sure that someone wasn’t already inside long before they announced themselves,” Sam added.

  Ruby shivered. “No, we can’t. But if Betty was abducted, wouldn’t they have done it earlier? Why risk being caught?”

  Scarlett leaned forward. “Unless they were waiting for the cover of darkness?”

  Sam nodded. “It’s light until at least 8.30pm, so you may be right. Plus, I’m pretty sure that the house wasn’t broken into.”

  “There was no glass, and the front door was locked so they must have got in the open back door. Only, Betty would have locked up if she were going to bed, so that’s odd,” Scarlett mused. “I guess that will be Nate’s first job, and the bigger question is, where is Betty now?”

  Her phone rang, and Scarlett grabbed it, hoping for good news. It was Nate, and his message was brief.

  “We haven’t found Betty, and before you ask, there are plenty of people looking. Stay home, and I’ll get there later tonight.”

  She dropped the phone on the table as soon as he hung up. “No news, so it looks like it could be a long night.”

  “Do you mind if I stay here until Nate comes,” Sam asked.

  “I guess it makes sense for us to all be in one place,” Scarlett agreed.

  Ruby buried her face in George’s fur. “I hope Betty’s okay and not too scared.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nate’s questioning made them all late to bed, and then Scarlett was kept awake wondering where Betty was, and if she was unharmed. The poor woman had been through so much recently, that this could tip her over the edge.

  Then there was the why, which troubled Scarlett on another level because she believed that everything that happened must be somehow linked. Saul showed up and was killed. Betty hears noises and then disappears. Did Betty know the killer and, therefore, her assailant?

  It was also troubling that Nate was still annoyed with her. Justifiably so, but she couldn’t sit by and not do anything.

  Dragging herself from the bed before the alarm could sound, Scarlett slapped her forehead. In all the drama, she’d forgotten again that she hadn’t heard from Violet. It was far too early to call her now, so she showered then woke Ruby.

  Her sister was just as tired but took it with good grace when Scarlett asked her to help get the café stocked for the morning rush. It would be almost impossible to get enough baked by opening time on her own, and Scarlett was grateful for the back-up.

  While it felt wrong to plan on opening the café with Betty missing, they couldn’t afford to close.

  After letting Bob outside while they got ready, and with a promise to come to get him at lunchtime, Ruby locked him in the house. Sitting in the front of the van between them, George was one very happy Tabby, and Scarlett imagined he was smiling.

  They still yawned as they slipped into a routine. Scarlett put the ovens on and began making dough while Ruby started on pastry for pies.

  Aside from Ruby chatting occasionally to George, who sat outside on the back step, and the oven noises, the place was quiet. Until an odd sound from the café startled them.

  It sounded like the door opening, but being fastidious about that kind of thing, Scarlett knew she’d locked up last night. Violet often told her she was OCD, but Scarlett was thankful for it in times like these. And she wished her feisty sister was here right now.

  Gesturing to Ruby, whose eyes were wider than a cartoon character, Scarlett snatched up a rolling pin and crept quietly across the kitchen, bending low behind the counter. Ruby was quiet, yet so close Scarlett heard her breathing as if she were asthmatic. Added to the cacophony that was her heart thumping and blood pounding in her ears, she’d be lucky to hear anything else.

  Suddenly, a moan from over by the corner of the display cabinet made them both jump.

  “Who’s there?” Scarlett demanded, annoyed that her voice was more squeaky than scary.

  Another moan—this time, it was a little louder.

  She waved her rolling pin in the general direction. “Come out with your hands up!”

  A hand rose and grabbed the back of a chair and pulled, scraping the legs noisily along the floor for a couple of inches. Then the hand slid up to the top rung, and slowly a figure rose up from the semi-darkness.

  “Betty?”

  The woman lifted her face, and even from this far away, Scarlett could see a large bruise on her temple. Dropping the rolling pin on the counter, Scarlett sprinted across the room to help Betty onto the chair.

  Ruby turned on all the lights. “Wait there, I’ll get some ice,” she called and ran to the freezer.

  Scarlett had her arm around Betty’s shoulders and took the ice from Ruby, which was wrapped in a towel, swapping it for her phone.

  “Call Nate,” she said softly to Ruby before placing the cloth gently on Betty’s forehead. “Who did this to you?”

  Betty sucked in a breath at the touch. “Someone broke into my place and…”

  Scarlett squeezed her shoulders. “Shhh. It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

  Ruby returned, her eyes shining. “The sheriff’s on his way.”

  “Let’s get you a little more comfortable.” Scarlett helped Betty to her feet, and with Ruby’s assistance led her to the kitchen and into the comfortable chair in the corner.

  Ruby tuck a blanket around the woman’s shivering body, while Scarlett made a pot of strong coffee and called Sam. He sounded half-asleep, but her words immediately changed that, and he promised to get there as soon as possible.

  The first to arrive was Nate. Incredibly sensitive to Betty’s trauma, he encouraged her to tell the story at her own pace.

  Betty clutched her coffee mug in two hands. “I’d just finished making sweets for the café and gone up to bed when I heard a noise from downstairs. I went to the landing and saw someone rifling through my kitchen drawers.”

  “Do you know who it was?” Nate asked gently.

  “My ex-husband. Although, I couldn’t see him at the time and I don’t
know what he thought he’d find. As I’ve told Scarlett, my money from my mom is all but gone, and I have nothing of any value. My brother made sure of that,” she sobbed. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this.”

  Ruby made soothing noises, and while they waited for Betty to get herself back under control, Scarlett poured coffee for Nate, and when he arrived soon after, Sam.

  Sam had a gentle manner as he checked Betty from head to toe. “Anything else? No cuts or scrapes?”

  Betty shook her head, wincing. “I don’t think so, but I hurt all over. He dragged me from my house!”

  Sam made sympathetic sounds. Opening his first aid bag, he looked in her eyes with a thin penlight before tending to the bruise. “Nothing’s broken, but we should keep an eye on that head injury. If you feel extra sleepy or unsteady, give me a call.”

  “Thank you,” Betty managed.

  Sam led Scarlett away, and before he left, whispered in her ear, “Let me know if she has any other symptoms. Sometimes a concussion can take a while to show. Better yet, when she’s up to it, she should drop in to see the doctor just in case I’ve missed anything, and she needs an x-ray.”

  Scarlett promised to watch Betty and hurried back to the others as Nate encouraged Betty to continue her story.

  Betty’s voice shook. “I crept back into my bedroom and called Scarlett. Jimmy must have heard me, or it was always his intention to attack me. When I heard footsteps on the stairs, I hid in the closet. He dragged me out and demanded I tell him where my money was.”

  Nate wrote quickly on his pad, as Betty’s tale culminated with Jimmy hitting her when she told him repeatedly that there was no money.

  “And you’ve been here most of the night?”

  Betty trembled. “Ever since I got away. I was so scared, and my head hurt terribly. I couldn’t think straight.”

  When she paused, Nate added his own update.

  “Deputy Gale’s dog picked up a scent, but it ended at the intersection of Main and Knox Streets.”

  “So there are no leads to Jimmy’s whereabouts?” Betty nibbled her lower lip.

  “Not right now. We’ve been searching for you all night as your safety was the most important thing for us.”

  Nate sounded so apologetic that Scarlett felt sorry for him too. He looked like he’d had no sleep, and knowing his dedication to Cozy Hollow, this was probably true. He’d hate to have a bully, would-be thief, and possible murderer on the loose.

  Scarlett wiped the counter over and over as she pondered the facts. Was this all about Betty’s ex-husband and his greed? If so, he had Betty and the chance to get rid of her. Why would he let her go? And why did Betty call her instead of the sheriff?

  Meanwhile, Nate continued his questioning. “How did you get here?”

  Betty frowned. “It’s all a bit hazy. After Jimmy hit me, I think I was unconscious for a while. Then I remember a rocking movement and decided I must be in the trunk of a car. It was very dark where ever I was, and it seemed like I was there for quite some time.” She took a deep breath. “Then, I found myself on the grass. I guess I lay there for a couple minutes trying to digest what happened and that I was in the park. When I got back a little strength, my legs were still wobbly, and I was so scared that it took a long time to get here.”

  “Why did you come to the café?” Nate asked.

  Betty teared up again. “I couldn’t go home—he might have come back, and I knew I couldn’t manage the distance to the station. Luckily, I remembered the café keys were in my coat pocket. Scarlett gave them to me on my second day.”

  Nate looked to Scarlett, who nodded.

  “And you had no phone to call my office?”

  Betty shook her head. “It dropped it when Jimmy found me. The only thing I was allowed to take was my coat, which was by the back door.”

  “Then what did you do?”

  “Once I let myself in, I crawled over to the corner so I couldn’t be seen. I was exhausted and intended to get to the kitchen to use the phone once I got back a little strength. I must have passed out again. That’s it until I heard Scarlett and Ruby this morning.” Betty put a hand out which Ruby clasped.

  “You found her when you came in?” Nate asked Scarlett.

  “We arrived at our usual time and came in through the back door. We never come into the café itself until we have some baking finished, so we were here for at least an hour before we heard Betty. We don’t talk much, but the mixers were going, so she must have been out cold not to hear us working.”

  “That’s right.” Ruby blurted. “We got a terrible fright when we heard her moaning. Betty was nothing more than a shadow when she stood up. It was only just coming light outside, and we were still nervous about last night.”

  Nate chewed his lip for a moment as he scanned the kitchen. “Excuse me while I alert my team to begin another sweep of the park. They were looking for you, Betty. Now I can give them the suspect’s details instead.”

  While he went through to the café to make his call, Scarlett placed a hand on Betty’s shoulder. “Would you like something to eat? You won’t have had any breakfast.”

  “I don’t think I could stomach food right now. Although more coffee would be wonderful.” She managed a watery smile.

  Scarlett put a cushion behind Betty’s back and another on a chair for her feet. You make yourself as comfortable as you can, and I’ll get that coffee, but you should try to eat something. What about a piece of toast? Or some chicken soup?”

  “Soup would be nice,” Betty agreed but with little enthusiasm.

  Made fresh yesterday, Scarlett heated a small amount. The poor woman looked worn out and in desperate need of a bath to clean her scrapes, but maybe a little food would give Betty some strength.

  When Nate came back to the kitchen, he seemed more preoccupied than when he left. “Would you like me to take you home?”

  Betty’s eyes widened. “No! Thank you. I’d rather stay here. I’ll get to work now unless you want to ask me more questions?”

  Scarlett placed a bowl of soup in front of her, shaking her head firmly. “You aren’t going to lift a finger today. Now, eat this, and then you can rest.”

  Betty’s mouth trembled. “The thing is, I don’t know how restful it would be going home—after last night. I’d really feel so much safer being around people. My husband was verbally abusive, but never violent. He’s changed, and now I don’t know what to expect or what he wants from me?”

  Nate didn’t reply and appeared increasingly troubled.

  “If you’re comfortable here, you can stay as long as you like. And, when you’re ready, one of us will go home with you,” Scarlett assured her, surprised that Nate suggested Betty go home. Surely the house was still a crime scene?

  Betty leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. “Thank you.”

  It came out as little more than a whisper, and Scarlett hoped Betty could get a little sleep. It was going to get noisy as soon as the café opened, but as Sam suggested, it was good that Betty had someone around to keep an eye on her.

  “I’ve got to get to the library and set up for a school group coming in this morning.” Ruby hung her apron on the hook by the door. “Sorry to leave you with all this.”

  “Don’t worry about it. One day of slightly less selection won’t be too much for our customers to bear. Especially once they understand the situation.” Scarlett turned to the sheriff. “I’ll watch Betty, and if she isn’t feeling any better, I’ll shut the shop and take her to the doctor.”

  “That’s a good idea, and you’re right to have her stay with you,” he admitted. “I might need to speak to her again later today, but if you’re not here, I’ll know where to look.”

  Scarlett waited until he was gone before continuing with the baking. It would be opening time soon, and she needed to finish the things she and Ruby had started. Soon enough, she’d be stuck out in the café, and what was made would have to do. And there was no way Betty was going to
help her—no matter what she said.

  Hopefully, Nate would catch Jimmy. She also hoped that Violet would come home soon.

  With everything happening last night, she hadn’t given the fact of Violet not calling too much thought, but on reflection, it couldn’t be a good sign.

  This gave Scarlett something else to worry about. As if she needed more…

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nearly lunchtime, and rushed off her feet, Scarlett didn’t respond to the door opening as she cleared one of the tables.

  “Looks like you could do with some help. What happened to your new employee?”

  The wonderfully familiar voice came from behind her, and Scarlett swung around with a tray of dirty cups and plates. Entertaining the room with an impromptu juggling act, she barely managed not to fling the whole lot over the floor.

  “Violet! Why didn’t you say you were coming home? Are you okay?”

  Her sister grinned. “Hold on a minute, Sherlock. Before the interrogation, could you let me put my bag down?”

  Scarlett made to follow her to the kitchen, but several customers crowded the counter, ready for the next installment of the Finch drama.

  Violet saw how it was and laughed before dropping her bag in the corner out of the way. “Let’s get them served.” She called to Scarlett as she passed. Then she whispered. “I do have news, but it can wait for a quiet moment.”

  “How am I supposed to work until then?” Scarlett muttered, even though she appreciated how right Violet was to delay what she had to say. Some things were not for sharing with the Cozy Hollow general population. At least not right away—and depending on what it was, maybe not even later.

  “Why’s Betty asleep in the kitchen?” Violet asked quietly a little later after returning with an empty tray. “Several people have asked after her, and I assumed she was sick today. Shouldn’t she be at home if she’s as ill as she looks?”

  “I’ll tell you all about it later.” Scarlett nodded at the table of knitting club ladies who’d been here for some time and were more interested in what was going on than all the other customers put together.