Cruel Candy

by Mildred Abbott

  The way the knife trembled in her hand, I wasn’t certain how in control she really was. She might change her mind about Watson, or change her mind about needing to get me somewhere else. And she was right about time. I needed as much of it as I could get.

  Not wanting to push her any further, I sat up, making a much greater show of it being difficult than it actually was. Hoping I could use that for when she told me to stand. Give me the time when it happened to look for any chance of attack. With as birdlike as she was, it shouldn’t be too hard to shove her into a wall hard enough to do some damage, though doing so without tripping over the extension cord or falling into her knife could be a challenge.

  She nodded in approval as I finally rose to a seated position.

  “Good. Now stand.”

  She really wasn’t wasting time.

  Time really was the thing, wasn’t it?

  How to get more of it….

  Countless mysteries I’d read through the years, and just as many submissions to our publishing company, flitted through my mind. It was a trick as old as the first mystery. One even used on Inspector Gadget, for crying out loud. But if it was good enough for all of them….

  “So you killed Opal because she was dating Sid?”

  If a person can get the killer talking, it was always their downfall. At least in books.

  Maybe Lois hadn’t read as many mysteries as I had, because she took the bait.

  She sneered at me. “No, of course not. I would never kill my sister because of a man. Why would I kill her because she dated those horrible men? That would be stupid.”

  Despite needing to think of a way out of this, Lois’s words ended up distracting me. “You mean you killed Sid?”

  “Of course I killed Sid. He was taking her away from me.”

  She said it so nonchalantly, as if it was the simplest, most obvious thing in the world. The man in her sister’s life was eating up her sister’s time, so he had to die. No, not man… men.

  “You killed her three husbands too, didn’t you?”

  Again her look said the answer was obvious. “They were easy. And planned. They weren’t as juvenile as what accidentally happened to Opal. Or what is even happening with you right now. Gradual poisoning is not inventive, but it works. Fiddling with a car, a live wire on a wet floor. No cleanup needed at all.”

  I most definitely hadn’t seen that coming. “I can’t believe Opal would cover for you.”

  “She didn’t know. Of course she didn’t know.” Her watery eyes grew wide and desperate. “But she would’ve. If Opal had known, and I was in danger of jail, she would’ve covered for me. She would have.” She waved the knife in my direction. “Now stand up. This isn’t a show-and-tell. Get this done.” As she spoke, she took a step back. She might be crazy, but she was aware enough to know I wasn’t going down without a fight.

  And again, I made a show of standing, though it truly was more difficult than sitting up. With my ankles tied so closely together, I had to lean against the wall to push myself to my feet.

  And there was no opportunity to attempt anything.

  As soon as I was standing, Watson seemed more at ease. He still cast wide eyes in my direction, but he left my side and began to prance around the room in agitation.

  “Just to be clear, Fred.” Lois waited until I met her gaze. “No funny business. I don’t want to, but if it keeps you in line, I will hurt Watson. And if I have to, I’ll end you here and now. Figure out how to clean up your mess later.”

  She meant it. Not that it surprised me at this point, but it was clear there was nothing she wouldn’t do. Now that I was standing, my panic rose, and I attempted to keep a clear head. There had to be a simple way out of this. She was a frail old woman. But one who was obviously insane. One who had already killed at least five people. Keep her talking. Just keep her talking. “Why did you kill Eddie?”

  She flinched, and for the first time since I’d awoken on the floor, she looked like Lois again. “Who?”

  “The owner of Green Munchies?”

  Her confusion was genuine.

  “The dispensary in Lyons. Where Sid and Opal first got their start to grow their own marijuana plants.”

  She looked pleased. “I didn’t know him, but serves him right. Corrupting my sister that way. I’m glad he got what was coming to him. I wish I knew who it was. I’d bring them a candy basket.”

  I’d known whoever killed Eddie was different from the person who had killed Opal.

  Watson was still skittering around, darting between me, Lois, and the front of the shop. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, staring at me and whining.

  Lois wheeled on him. “Be still, Watson. Be a good boy. I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t have you getting loud.” I’d just started to attempt a step toward her but halted when she whipped back around to me. “And you, enough of this.” She motioned toward the back door with the knife. “Get moving.”

  I took a few shuffling steps. Watson hurried to my side, then paused. Time. I still needed time. “Then why Opal? If you didn’t kill her because of Sid? Then why?”

  Despite Lois’s desperation to get me moving, her lips snarled at my question, hurt and anger crossing her features. “I never meant to kill Opal. She was my sister. My world. I just….” A tear ran down her cheek, and she wiped at it with the back of her hand, the knife coming dangerously close to her forehead.

  Watson went back to the doorway of the kitchen, trying desperately to get me to follow him.

  More tears made their way down Lois’s cheeks as she glared at me. “I assumed she had a new man. She was sneaking off every night. She thought I didn’t know, but I did. So I finally followed her. Followed her right into Sid’s shop and up to that kitchen. I confronted her. And she admitted it all. What Sid had introduced her to, how she had turned it from the crackpot idea he’d had to the full business it became. How she’d made a small fortune from those poor dead animals Sid had left behind, and never shared it with me. And the whole time she was talking, she just kept packing. Just packing and packing, because you were in town and going to take over the shop. Telling me I should be glad, that it was helping keep my store afloat.” Lois’s cadence grew more frantic. “I tried to talk her into letting me be part of it. We could do the cooking right there.” She gestured around the kitchen with the knife. “If anything, it would make more sense to come from me. That the business would really take off with my all-natural recipes. She just laughed. I didn’t mean to hit her. I really didn’t.” Even as she shook the knife at me, her expression and tone begged for my understanding, for my forgiveness. “I would never hurt Opal. But she was laughing. At the idea of me making her business better. Not even caring that she’d kept this whole part of her life a secret. That she left me out of it.”

  The tears had become rivers, and she wiped across her eyes again.

  As the time-tested ploy of buying time proved true, I saw my chance. With the knife lifted to her own face, and Watson scurrying back toward me from the kitchen doorway, just behind the back of Lois’s feet at the exact right moment, I launched myself toward her. Springing, I smashed into her chest with my shoulders. At the force of my impact, she stumbled back and fell over Watson, who let out a high-pitched yelp, and we crashed to the floor.

  I landed on my right shoulder, the pain taking my breath away and causing my vision to go white. I blinked quickly, trying to scurry backward.

  But there was no hurry. Lois had hit her head on the counter, or something, on the way down. Her eyes were closed, and the small pool of blood was already growing beneath her head.

  Dead. I’d killed her.

  There was a flash of panic, a wave of guilt, but I shoved both away.

  This time, standing up was harder. Between the pain in my shoulder and my feet getting caught on the hem of my skirt, it took considerable effort. Watson was back at my ankles, whimpering like he was in trouble.

  I started to soothe him, but heard a jingle and
the scrape of metal at the back door. I attempted to shuffle into the main room, to try to make a run for it. Though, who I was running from, I couldn’t say.

  Before I’d managed even a step, the door swung open, and Katie stepped inside. “Lois, I’m sorry. I feel horrible, and I shouldn’t have—”

  Her words fell away, and her eyes grew huge, staring at Lois bleeding on the floor. Then she looked at me, taking in my tied feet and arms. “Fred! Oh, Fred!”

  Without sparing another glance at Lois, Katie rushed into the kitchen and began to untie me.

  “Fred! What in the world? Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  With my hands untied, I motioned toward Lois and bent to work on my legs. “Check on her. Is she dead?”

  Katie only hesitated for a moment before going to Lois and kneeling. She paused one more second, then pressed two fingers to her throat. A heartbeat passed and then another. She looked up at me. “She’s not dead. There’s a pulse.”

  “Thank God!” I nearly sank back to the floor in relief, then refocused on Katie. “Call 911, will you?”

  I watched through the window of Healthy Delights as Lois was strapped to a gurney and wheeled through the front doors toward an ambulance. She still hadn’t regained consciousness.

  Branson raked a large hand through his thick dark hair and shook his head at me. “You are something, Fred Page.”

  As irritated as I’d been with him earlier, I had to admit I thought the same about him. He’d shown up mere minutes after the first two police cars. He’d clearly been off duty, as he wore a sweater, jeans, and snow boots. He’d stepped in and taken charge, the whole time keeping a protective hand on my shoulder or a watchful eye over me as he spoke to the others.

  I glanced over at Katie and handed her my cell. “Would you call my mom? Fill her in on what happened and let her know you’ll be joining us for dinner.”

  “Sure thing.” She gave a knowing glance toward Branson, took the phone, and walked away.

  Turning back to Branson, try as I might, I couldn’t keep the I told you so out of my tone. “I told you it was all about the licorice candy.” It seemed the I told you so wasn’t only in my tone.

  “That you did.” He grinned, started to reach for my hand, but then seemed to think better of it. “I’m sorry about that. It appears I should have given your gut feeling a little more credence.”

  “Remember that in the future.”

  His brows shot up. “Do I need to? Is there another murder you’re plotting to solve?”

  “No.” Just the thought made my stomach clench. I narrowed my eyes at him. “But what about Eddie? You thought he and Opal were connected. But Lois genuinely didn’t seem to know who he was.”

  “I was wrong.” He shrugged. “I guess they weren’t connected. But now that they’re not, I really won’t be on the case at all, since Eddie isn’t part of Larimer County. But I’ve heard they already have a suspect in his murder.” This time his eyes narrowed. “Fred, even if they didn’t, you can’t go investigating Eddie’s death. This was enough.”

  I liked his protective nature, and I also appreciated how quick he was to say he was wrong and apologize. Again, it set him apart from my ex-husband and more into the category of my father and Barry. But still….

  I poked him in the chest. “Maybe you haven’t caught on, Sergeant Wexler, but I don’t like being told what to do. In the future you might remember that, or I promise you won’t find a quicker way to solve a case.”

  He threw back his head and laughed, the same full, hearty sound he’d let loose in my kitchen. It did things to my heart I would rather it not do. When he looked back, his green eyes were bright and full of affection.

  “Noted. Don’t tell Fred what to do. Got it.” His smile changed slightly. “As a demonstration of that, may I request you reconsider and go to the hospital? If you don’t want to take the ambulance, I can drive you.”

  I started to argue, but the throbbing in my head let me know I was being stubborn for a stupid reason. “I’ll ask Katie to take me before we go to my mom’s for dinner.”

  I glanced down at Watson who blinked up at me from where he sat on my foot. He hadn’t moved in probably half an hour. I wouldn’t be able to say he wasn’t affectionate anymore. I’m not sure why I looked at Watson, maybe asking his permission, hoping he’d tell me to reconsider what I was about to do. I didn’t find either in his gaze, just corgi adoration. So I made the decision myself and looked back at Branson.

  “Would you like to join us after? For dinner? My mom made her grandmother’s enchilada recipe. And I know for a fact she picked up her hatch green chilies from some vendor in the canyon, so it should be good and spicy.”

  He shook his head, the tickle of disappointment clarifying exactly what I was beginning to feel for Branson. “No, thank you. I think your family has seen enough of the police for a little while.” That time he did take my hand. “Rain check? When you feel up to it. Perhaps dinner with just you and me?” He gestured down to Watson with his chin. “And little man too, of course. I know you’re a package deal.”

  I nearly said yes, then shrugged. “We’ll have to see, Sergeant. This might’ve been your one and only chance. Ask me later and find out.”

  Branson shook his head and gave a forced exasperated eye roll. “You really are something.”

  The entire family had demanded to meet Katie and me at the hospital, and by the time I was released with a clean bill of health, Mom had to rewarm the enchiladas, causing them to be unusually dry, but still delicious. With five people I loved surrounding me at the table, and Watson still snuggled at my feet, I felt at ease for the first time in days. And with the aroma of home-cooked food combining with the soft glow of the lights, the gentle background sounds of Christmas carols that Mom always put on before Thanksgiving arrived, and snow falling lazily outside the window, I knew I was home. Truly and completely home.

  I stayed up a little longer after Katie and my uncles left, simply needing to be in my mother’s presence for a while. The twins were returning with their families in a few days, so I needed to soak up as much solitary Mom time as I could before the grandkids took over. At the doctor’s urging, I agreed to stay the night, just to have Mom and Barry near.

  The next morning, Barry walked Watson and me out to the car. Mom was still asleep, but I needed to be home. Strange how quickly my grandparents’ cabin had become home, even without any of my belongings.

  “Hold on for a second, Barry, will you?” After I opened the door and let Watson hop in and over the console to his spot, I leaned inside and reached under the passenger seat.

  When I handed him the black box tied with a green ribbon, Barry’s gaze grew large and darted back toward the house.

  I chuckled. “We both know Mom is not going to make a big deal about it. Not really. She might pretend she wasn’t aware, but you’ve known each other since you were kids.” I tapped the box. “Consider this a last gift from Eddie. He really did love you.”

  Barry gave me a long hug, and when he spoke, emotion snagged his voice. “Glad you’re all right, kid. I don’t know what we would do if anything ever happened to you.” He pulled back to look me in the eye. “I only met your dad a couple of times over the years, but with as proud of you as your mom and I are, I can only imagine how proud he’d be of you right now.”

  And then the emotions were gripping around my throat. I didn’t attempt to respond, just squeezed Barry’s shoulder in thanks. Somehow in all the mess of things that night, for the first time since arriving in Estes Park, Dad hadn’t entered my mind. How strange. Maybe because I was doing exactly what he would’ve done. Well, not exactly. I’d made a near mess out of it all at the end, but still….

  Barry’s typical wacky smile returned, and he kept his voice low. “I might know your mom is okay with this”—he shook the box gently—“and you might know that your mom is okay with this. But that doesn’t mean your mom knows she’s okay with this.”

  “
It’ll be our little secret.” I gave him a wink.

  My shoulder, neck, and head ached something fierce, but after a hot shower and a few pain pills, it was manageable. If I hadn’t already booked an appointment to have the internet hooked up at the Cozy Corgi, I would’ve crawled into my own bed and slept a couple of hours. Why they could get it to the shop two days earlier than they were willing to schedule it at my cabin, I had no idea. One more thing I decided I would chalk up to small-town life. But as it was, it felt good to get up and move. It wasn’t like there was anything to do yet. My things from Kansas City wouldn’t be delivered for a while, so I had nothing to do at the house. At least with the internet working at the shop, I could get my first inventory order in. The whole store wouldn’t be murder mysteries, but my first order most definitely was going to be nothing but.

  I paused as Watson and I walked from the car to the store, and I stared into the window of Healthy Delights. Who would’ve thought? I gave a little shudder and then spared a glance toward Sinful Bites. I supposed I’d have new neighbors. Hopefully they wouldn’t be killers. Another thought hit me and warmed my heart a little. Maybe Katie would get her bakery, after all. It would be lovely having her next door.

  Barely ten minutes passed before there was a knock. Watson barked more hysterically than normal. Probably a little traumatized from the night before.

  We made our way back downstairs when there was another knock. I could see a man in uniform outside the glass front door. Surprise, surprise, apparently there were some advantages to small-town life. You’d never get an internet provider showing up early in the city.

  When I opened it, I realized my mistake. Not the internet provider. Instead a cute young man with his brown delivery uniform showing between the folds of his jacket. He held out a tablet. “If you’ll just sign this, I’ll bring your delivery inside. It’s heavy.”

  One look at the large box, and I knew what it was. My heart began to beat like mad. I scribbled my name and thrust the tablet back into his hands. “Thank you so much! Have a good day.” Then I practically shoved him out the door.