by Cindy Bell
There was little that Ally valued more than being able to spend an entire afternoon baking with her grandmother. She looked across the room to find her. She looked beautiful in the scarlet dress that stopped just above her ankle. Once more Ally marveled at how good her genes were. If at her grandmother’s age she looked half as good she would be ecstatic. A waitress came and picked up a tray of tarts to walk around with to serve to the guests.
“Could I try one of those?” A man with dark eyes and a long goatee paused in front of the tarts. She noticed that he had a large camera hanging around his neck.
“Sure, here’s a plate.” Ally handed him a small plate and a fork to go along with the tart. Then she served one to him.
“Thanks. Wait.” He frowned as he looked at the tart. “Is this chocolate?”
“Oh yes, they all are.”
“Never mind.” He sighed and put down the plate. As he walked away Ally wondered how a man as thin as him could be worried about his waistline. Maybe he had another reason why he didn’t want to eat the tart. Her attention shifted to the woman who walked up to her.
“I’ll take two.”
“Great.” Ally smiled and served the woman two tarts. When she looked for her grandmother again she noticed that she’d stopped at a table near the front of the room, at the main table where Deputy Mayor Julia Turnamas sat. They seemed to be having a lively chat. Ally’s attention remained on them until she was struck by a flying napkin. Startled, she looked up to see a camera pointed directly at her. She raised a hand to shield her face. Laughter emerged from behind the camera. She caught a glimpse of a goatee. “Weirdo.” She narrowed her eyes.
If the photographer heard her, he didn’t say a word about it. Ally shook her head and returned her attention to her grandmother. She was easily moving between people having conversations with them. By the time Charlotte made her way back to Ally she looked a bit winded.
“Did you have fun making your rounds?” Ally smiled.
“You know how it is, if we get noticed we get more business. Plus, I just enjoy seeing everyone. Especially tonight, with everyone so dressed up.”
“Yes, it’s a nice affair,” Ally said as a man approached them smiling from ear to ear.
“Your tarts are so delicious.”
“Thank you, Mr. Housers.” Charlotte smiled. “Would you like another one?”
“I shouldn’t.” He laughed. “But I will.” Ally handed him a plate with a tart on it. “Thank you,” he said as he turned and walked back towards his table.
“Looks like another happy customer,” Ally said.
“Yes, it seems like the tarts are a huge hit with the politicians.” Charlotte smiled. “If you’re under control, I’m going to mingle a bit more.”
“I’m fine. Enjoy yourself.”
As Charlotte walked off Ally scanned the room again for familiar faces. A lot of the people that she saw were familiar from her childhood, but there were none that she could claim as a current friend. Once more she wished that Luke was there with her. It would have been more fun to observe the party with him at her side. They shared a similar sense of humor that would have made the event more enjoyable. It’s good for the shop, Ally reminded herself.
It was hard for her to see the politically powerful gathered together under one roof knowing that the event must have cost quite a bit. She found it hard to believe that it was a necessary cost. Maybe in the long run it made a difference, but to Ally it seemed that the only pockets being lined at this event were those of the politicians. She pulled out her phone to see if she’d missed any texts or calls from Luke. When she saw there was nothing listed, she sighed and pushed her phone back into her purse.
“Bored?” A man paused in front of the table. He looked to be in his forties, with a mixture of red and brown hair that was reflected both on the top of his head and on his upper lip. She didn’t recognize him, but the wry smirk on his lips made her think he shared her views.
“A little.” She smiled. “But don’t tell anyone.”
“Oh, trust me, I won’t. I’m not even sure why I’m here.” He looked over at the tables closest to the stage. “Those people will never understand what it’s like to work for a living.”
“It certainly isn’t blue collar work.” Ally nodded and did her best to signal an end to the conversation by turning her attention to the tarts. However, the man didn’t seem to have any interest in letting things go.
“Oh please, would you look at those two?” He rolled his eyes and took another long swallow of his wine. Ally followed the direction of his gaze. She saw Julia and her husband with their hands intertwined and their heads tilted towards one another.
“I think it’s sweet.”
“Sure, they look like they’re in love don’t they?” He rolled his eyes again and finished his glass of wine. “But it’s all for show. It makes me sick.”
“What do you mean it’s all for show?” Ally bit into her bottom lip. She didn’t usually engage in gossip, but the man seemed as if he needed someone to talk to.
“I mean, he’s dying for a divorce, and she refuses to allow it because it will hurt her career. Is that love? Not in my book.” He narrowed his eyes and continued to stare at them.
“Maybe they’ve made up.” Ally tilted her head to the side. From everything she saw, there was no hint that the couple was unhappy. If it was an act then it was a very good one.
“No, trust me, they haven’t. Everyone around town knows. They are barely married at this point. He would do anything to shake her off him, but she refuses to allow it until her term is up. Probably because she’s hoping to get elected as mayor. Trust me, the conservatives in this town are not going to elect a woman that goes through a messy divorce. Nothing bugs them more than the thought of alimony.” He chuckled as he pointed at a tart. “This looks good.”
“They’re very good. Please enjoy one,” Ally said as she placed a tart on a plate and handed it to him. She leaned against the table as she watched him have a forkful. “So, what do you think they’re actually saying to each other?”
“Here, let me tell you.” He peered at them for a moment, then began to mimic their conversation. “Would you please not embarrass me tonight, Kirk? You’ve already had too many glasses of wine.” He paused, then deepened his voice. “Why shouldn’t I drink? I should be drunk all the time to put up with you.”
Ally tried not to smile, but she couldn’t resist. She took on the role of the deputy mayor. “Oh yes, your life is so hard, with all of the money my job provides you.”
“I have my own money I don’t need yours. You’re the one that needs me so that we can look like the perfect couple to the voters in this town.”
“Wow, you’re really good.” Ally laughed a little. “Do you come to these types of things just for the entertainment?”
“I’ll admit, I’m a little drunk, but I don’t consider these things to be entertaining. It bothers me to see a bunch of fat cats making plans for people who have no say in what happens next.”
“How do you know about their marriage?” Ally raised an eyebrow.
“Everyone does.” He stared at the couple once more.
Ally studied him. She suspected he might have his own romantic interest in Julia. She decided it was time to stop digging before she found out more than she wanted to know.
“Well, I guess that’s how politics works.”
“For now.” He nodded. Then he shifted his gaze to Ally. “But wouldn’t it be great if something happened, to shake them all up a little? To give them a dose of reality?”
Ally looked back at him with concern. “Are you okay?”
“Sure, I’m fine.” He chuckled and waved his hand. “Please, ignore the insane ramblings of a bitter man.” He straightened up. “I’d better get back to my wife before she thinks I’m getting too chatty.”
“Good idea.” Ally smiled. “Would you like to take her a chocolate tart?”
“Yes please.” Ally placed a tart on h
is plate.
As he turned away to walk back towards his table a woman with shoulder length, black, curly hair walked over to him. She smiled sweetly at him.
“I was just coming back,” he said.
“I thought you got lost.” She laughed lightly as she hooked her arm through his. Ally presumed she was his wife.
“Let’s go sit down.” He handed her the plate.
“These look delicious.” She smiled.
“Thanks for the tarts,” he said as he looked over his shoulder at Ally.
“Let’s go. We don’t want to miss the speeches and champagne. We might as well see if these traitors have anything important to say.” Ally’s eyes widened slightly at her words. The ill-feeling towards politicians obviously ran in the family.
Ally watched as they walked towards one of the tables in the back. She wondered whether his wife knew how interested he was in the deputy mayor’s relationship.
“Not my business.” She focused on the tarts again and tried to put the conversation out of her mind.
As everyone’s glass was being filled with champagne ready for the toast, the deputy mayor took to the small stage at the back of the room. Some of the guests gathered in front of the catering tables so they could get a better view of the stage. The deputy mayor walked up to the microphone and smiled.
“Hello and welcome, friends, neighbors, we are all here for the same reason. We want Freely to continue the long tradition of being the greatest little town to live in. Of course there is plenty of good food, and good wine on tap tonight, but as you enjoy yourself please take the time to remember that a town can only be as successful as its government. We want to make sure that Freely stays a wonderful place to live, so please keep those donations flowing.” Her voice waned as she began to cough. At first it was a few delicate sounds, but soon it was outright hacking. She covered her mouth and tried to clear her throat. But the coughing continued. She rested her hands on the podium to steady herself. She continued to cough with such intensity that Ally wondered if she might be choking. She must not have been the only one that considered that as Ally saw her husband give her a glass of water. She stepped back from the podium to drink some of the water. She returned to the podium with the glass of water still in her hand.
“Sorry about that.” She smiled and took another long sip of the water. Once she set the glass down on the podium she looked back at the audience. “As I was trying to say, we have some amazing events coming up this year that I’m sure you will all be interested in. It is your support that makes all of these wonderful activities possible in our community…” She started coughing again. “I’m sorry.” She looked flustered as she took another sip of water. “I think it’s time for the toast.” She reached out her hand as someone handed her a glass of champagne. Ally tried to see if she was okay, but from the crowd of people standing in front of her she was out of sight. “If you could raise your glass.” She lifted her champagne flute up. “To the future of Freely and its wonderful people.” She took a sip of her champagne. She coughed again and took another big sip of champagne then put it next to the water glass on the podium. “Now, if you could please…”
Ally looked up as the deputy mayor trailed off. In the same moment that she looked up, the woman collapsed to the stage behind the podium. A collective gasp rippled through the audience. People lurched forward out of their chairs. Mayor Malcolm rushed forward to her side. When he reached her, he cried out.
“Someone call an ambulance! Right now! She’s not breathing.”
Ally’s stomach churned and her chest tightened at his words.
“What is it? What happened?” Charlotte rushed to her side from the entrance of the room.
“The deputy mayor collapsed. The mayor said she’s not breathing. I have no idea what happened.” Ally started to move closer to the stage, but she was brushed aside by paramedics that rushed forward. The people in attendance at the party gathered in a tight semicircle near the stage and spoke in hushed voices about what they predicted had happened.
“I’m sure she will be fine, she has to be fine, I was just speaking to her.” Charlotte grabbed Ally’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Ally offered her a supportive smile, but she wasn’t as sure.
“Where were you?”
“I had to duck into the restroom.” Charlotte frowned. “This is terrible. I hope she’s okay.” She clasped her hands together under her chin. The mayor, his face as pale as porcelain, walked up to the podium.
“I’m sorry everyone, we’re going to have to end the party early. Please, keep our deputy mayor in your thoughts.” The paramedics lifted Julia’s body onto a stretcher and prepared to roll her out of the room. Ally tried to look away, but she simply couldn’t. The paramedics whisked her out past the crowd and into a waiting ambulance. As they hurried by, Ally could see the woman’s glassy stare. It struck her that she was dead. There wasn’t hope for her to recover. Charlotte must have seen the same thing because she grabbed tightly onto Ally’s hand.
Ally turned towards her grandmother. As she held her hand she wondered what might have happened. Did she have some kind of seizure? Or a stroke? People began to file out through the doors. The decorated tables were abandoned. Some of the delicious food lingered untouched. The staff of the country club all appeared dazed and unsure what to do. Ally could sympathize. Moments before she’d been inwardly criticizing local politicians, and now, one was dead. She turned to look at Charlotte and took a deep breath.
“We’d better clean up.”
“Yes, I guess we should.” Charlotte shook her head. “I’m going to check with the manager to see if there’s anything that I can do to help the staff. This will be a big undertaking for them.”
“Okay, I’ll get our things organized so that we can stay and help.” Ally frowned as she began to pile the tarts into a large white pastry box to take back to the shop. They hadn’t planned on having many leftovers. As she began to close the lid, an officer walked up to her. She didn’t recognize him, but she didn’t know any officers from Freely.
“Ma’am, please leave the box.”
“Oh, did you and the other officers want some?”
“Excuse me?” He raised an eyebrow. His bulky frame and stern tone made him more than a little intimidating. She read the name tag on his uniform.
“I’m sorry Officer Frank, I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“We need you to leave the food because we suspect that there is a chance that the deputy mayor might have been poisoned. All of the food she ingested might have to be tested.”
“Oh.” Ally stared at him. “Well, we baked these ourselves, there’s no chance they could be poisoned.”
“There’s always a chance.” He took the box from her and carried it with him over to a group of officers. Stunned by the revelation that the deputy mayor might have been poisoned Ally could barely get her thoughts together. As Charlotte walked back towards her, the pinch of her eyebrows indicated something was very wrong.
“Mee-Maw, what is it?”
“We need to leave, Ally, as quickly as possible.”
“Okay.” Ally didn’t take the time to question her further. If her grandmother said leave, they would leave. By the time they reached the car, she needed to know what was going on.
“What is it, Mee-Maw? Can you tell me please?”
“We can expect some visits from the police. The manager told me that the last item she ate was one of the chocolate tarts. The police suspect she was poisoned, and since that was the last thing that she ate, they’re focused on it as a possible source right now.”
“But that’s impossible.” Ally shook her head.
“I know it is, you know it is, but neither of us have a badge, do we? Let’s just get home before things start getting too wild around here.”
“Okay.” Ally frowned as she looked back towards the country club. Had she just witnessed a murder?
Chapter Three
On the drive home Ally stared out throug
h the windshield of the car. Her mind replayed the party over and over again. Was there ever a time when she had walked away from the tarts? Did anyone else hover over them close enough to add something to them? She couldn’t think of a single moment that she was distracted enough for anything like that to have happened. In fact, the more she thought about it the more certain she was that no one could have done anything to the tarts. Unless they were poisoned after they had left her catering table. It struck her that Charlotte was out of the room when the death occurred. Would that make her look guilty?
“Are you okay?” Charlotte reached over and patted the top of her knee. “You’re very quiet.”
“I’m fine. It’s such a shock. I guess, I’m a little worried about the police suspecting us.”
“They don’t really suspect us, I mean it isn’t even officially a murder yet. They just have to rule us out. They can test those tarts until their tongues fall off, there isn’t a drop of anything but pure ecstasy in them.”
“Oh my, you didn’t tell them that did you?”
“Huh?”
“You didn’t tell them that there was ecstasy in them did you? That’s a drug, Mee-Maw.”
“Oh no.” She laughed. “Don’t be silly. I know better than to speak to police officers. If they want to find out any information from me they will have to lock me up.”
“Ugh. What a horrible thought.”
“Maybe so, but that’s the only way I will willingly talk. You see, police often rely on intimidation, and I am not one to be intimidated.”
“Maybe not, but aren’t you worried at all?”
