Premeditated Peppermint

by Amanda Flower

“I agree, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she did it.”

  “You’d say that about your own girlfriend? That she was capable of murder?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know her that well, and we’ve only hung out a handful of times.”

  I scowled at him.

  “It’s not like I ever thought you were capable of murdering anyone, well, murdering anyone but me. I could see you doing that.”

  I frowned. “Not a funny joke under the circumstances, Eric.”

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “Will you help me or not? Will you save me from some Podunk prison in the backcountry?”

  I sighed. “Did you tell Deputy Brody all this?”

  “I would, but I don’t think he or the sheriff would pay much attention to me. They still think I am the prime suspect.”

  “I think you need to give Aiden a little more credit.”

  “So what do I do now?” he asked.

  “You don’t do anything. You should follow your attorney’s advice and go back to the guest house.”

  “Please just tell me your answer. Will you help me?” I sighed because I knew the answer I was going to say all along. It was the answer I was going to give even before he asked, right from the moment I found him in that gazebo standing over Rocky’s dead body. I was going to help him—of course I was—and I kicked myself for doing it. “Yes,” I said. “I’ll help you, but it is as much for Rocky as it is for you. She seemed to be an interesting woman. I wish I had gotten the chance to know her better.”

  He rushed at me and threw his arms around me. I didn’t have time to run away. I didn’t even have time to react as he hugged me tight. “Bailey, I always knew—”

  The door to the kitchen swung in, and Charlotte froze. “Oh!” She covered her eyes with her hand. “I’m so sorry. Clara just sent me in here to get my peppermint extract for the peppermint rolls.” Her face was turning the same shade as her bright red hair. “I’m so sorry to interrupt. I didn’t know that you were in here.” She stared at the tops of her sneakers.

  I pushed Eric away from me. “You weren’t interrupting anything, Charlotte.”

  Charlotte still wouldn’t look at me and concentrated on the tops of her black sneakers. I walked over to the shelf where we kept the bottles of extract. I took the peppermint extract bottle off the shelf and handed it to her. “Here.”

  She took the extract from my hand. “Danki.” She spun on her heel and disappeared through the door.

  After Charlotte left, Eric started to laugh. “Are they going to kick you out of Amish Country for touching a man?”

  “No,” I said, already regretting agreeing to help him. “But they might kick you out if you’re not careful.”

  “I wish they would,” he said wistfully.

  Chapter 12

  Through the swinging door that led into the shop I heard excited voices. “Is Bailey here?” a loud, high-pitched southern voice asked.

  My mind immediately went into panic mode. The last thing I wanted was for Juliet Brody to find me alone in the kitchen with Eric. Our meeting was completely innocent, but I wasn’t sure Juliet would see it that way, seeing as how she had been planning her son Aiden’s wedding to me since the moment I set foot in Holmes County. Aiden and I weren’t even officially dating, but I still didn’t want his mother to overreact to finding me with Eric.

  “You have to go,” I said in a harsh whisper. I grabbed Eric by the arm and started to pull him in the direction of the back door to the building.

  Eric dug his heels into the polished wood floor. “Wait, what? Why are you sending me out the back door like I’m some kind of criminal? I thought you were going to help me.”

  I tugged on his arm until he started moving again. “We don’t want you to create a scene with the customers. It’s just easier if you go out the back.”

  He stopped again. “Easier for me or easier for you?”

  “Easier for both of us. Now go!”

  He laughed. “I don’t remember your being this bossy when we were together, Bai.”

  “Maybe Ohio has changed me. Now please leave before she sees you.” I pushed him a little harder toward the door.

  “She? She who?” He looked around. “We are the only ones in the kitchen. What’s going on?”

  “I need to talk to Bailey right away. I have a wonderful idea to share with her. Bailey is always willing to listen to my ideas.” The kitchen door started to swing inward.

  I threw the deadbolt on the back door and opened it. Eric was still standing in the same spot. “Who’s at the kitchen door?” he asked.

  “No one,” I answered in a harsh whisper. “Now you need to go.”

  The door pushed in farther, and I saw Jethro’s snout poke around the bottom corner.

  “Juliet,” Charlotte’s voice interrupted. It sounded a bit closer than Juliet’s. “You know that you can’t take Jethro into the kitchen. Bailey has told you that a bunch of times.”

  “Fiddlesticks,” the pig owner shot back. “Jethro is nothing to worry about. He is cleaner than most people, and you let the cat in the shop.”

  “Nutmeg knows he’s not allowed in the kitchen,” Charlotte said.

  “What’s going on out there?” Eric asked.

  “Is Bailey in the kitchen?” Juliet asked in her singsong voice.

  Charlotte was quiet. I knew that she wouldn’t lie directly to Juliet’s face about where I was. “She’s . . . she’s occupied.”

  Juliet laughed. “She’s not too occupied to have a visit from Jethro and me, especially when I have such a terrific idea. She is going to absolutely flip over it. I’ll only be a minute.”

  Just as Juliet pushed inward on the kitchen door, I shoved Eric out the back door.

  “Hey!” he cried. “You can’t—”

  I slammed the back door closed and bolted it before he had a chance to get out the rest of his protest. For the briefest moment, I hoped that he hadn’t hurt himself as he tripped down the back stoop, but my worry was brief. Juliet stood in the middle of Swissmen Sweets’ kitchen with Jethro tucked like a football under her right arm.

  “Juliet!” I said as if I was delighted to see her. “What are you doing here?”

  She came toward me and gave me a hug, squeezing Jethro between us. The small pig snorted in protest. “It’s so nice to see you, sugar. You grow prettier every single day. I was just telling Aiden that when I ran into him by the gazebo. He didn’t take much time to stop and talk with his mama. You know that boy works so hard. He will make a fine husband. You can bet on it. And you will be an absolute vision as a bride.”

  “Umm,” I didn’t know what to say to that. I swallowed and stepped away from her. “It’s very nice to see you here, Juliet, but you know Jethro can’t be in the kitchen. The candy shop could get into trouble if the food administration decided to make a surprise visit.”

  “They are too fussy,” she complained.

  “Even so . . .” I trailed off.

  “Ridiculous.” She adjusted Jethro in her arms. She was wearing the same polka-dotted coat that I had seen her in the day before. She was very partial to polka dots because they matched Jethro, of course.

  According to Aiden, Jethro was technically a comfort animal for Juliet, which was why she had permission to take him everywhere she went. Few places were off-limits to Jethro, but one of those few places was the kitchen of my candy shop.

  “I’m sorry, Juliet. My hands are tied. It’s the law that farm animals aren’t allowed in working kitchens.”

  “Jethro hasn’t slept on a farm one day in his entire life.”

  “I know but—” I motioned her back toward the swinging door that led into the main room of the shop.

  “Why don’t we talk out back?” she asked, and started to maneuver around me to the back door.

  “No!” I said a little too quickly, stepping into her path.

  She blinked at me.

  “I mean, the Dumpster is back there. It’s not the most pleasant place to cha
t. I know Jethro has a sensitive nose. The smells might bother him.” I put the most understanding look on my face that I could muster.

  “Oh, Bailey.” She squeezed my arm. “You are always on the lookout for little Jethro. I feel like the experience the two of you went through together a few months back bonded you for life. We really are like a little family.”

  When all else failed with Juliet, it was best to appeal to her pig’s comfort. She was even more concerned about Jethro’s happiness since he had been lost for a few days back in October. It was hard to believe that it could be possible, but she had started babying the little bacon bundle even more after he was found. Everyone in Harvest had given a sigh of relief that Jethro was found. Juliet had not been quiet in her dismay while he was gone. Not that I could blame her. He was awfully cute, even if he was known to bite from time to time. She called his bites love nips, but I didn’t think love had anything to do with it.

  “Where should we speak? I’m not sure I want the whole village to overhear what I am about to ask.” She lowered her voice. “You know how they talk, and this has to remain between us until we are absolutely ready to spread the news.”

  I did know this. The Amish gossip machine had more dirt than any of the most scandalous tabloids in New York. If the tabloids wanted to really ramp up their business, I would suggest that they hire some Amish gossips. They would never fear going out of business then.

  “If it’s quick we can talk here, just please don’t set Jethro on the floor,” I said.

  She hugged the pig a little closer to her body. “I won’t. The reason I have Jethro with me is because I want to talk to you about him.”

  “You do?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it. The last time Juliet had a problem with Jethro, I had gotten locked in a mausoleum with the pig and was almost killed by a madman. It wasn’t an experience I wanted to repeat. Ever.

  “Yes! Aiden tells me that you know the people here from New York, the TV people,” she added, as if there might be anyone else from New York in the tiny village of Harvest during the holiday season.

  I winced. I wondered how much Aiden told her about how well I knew them, particularly Eric. However, I couldn’t see Aiden talking to his mother about my ex-boyfriend. From what I had observed of their mother-son relationship, Aiden was much more the parent than Juliet seemed to be. Upon reflection, that must have been different when Aiden was growing up . . . or maybe not. Aiden was the type of man who was born responsible.

  “I know some of the people from New York, but not all of them.”

  She beamed at me. “That’s all I need to know, and it makes me realize how lucky Jethro and I are to call you family, well, almost family. You and Aiden have to get engaged to make it official. Have the two of talked about that, or when you would like the wedding to be?” She squeezed the pig closer to her chest. “Oh, I cannot wait for that day. Spring weddings are always nice.”

  I stared at her. She couldn’t possibly think that Aiden and I were getting married anytime in the near future. We still couldn’t decide if we wanted to go out on a single date. I felt that much of our hesitation stemmed from the very situation I was in at the moment. Juliet wanting us to get together so badly was putting us both off. The only times I saw the deputy was when he came into the candy shop and when there was a dead body involved. That didn’t really add up to the makings of a great marriage to me.

  “I know you are the right one to talk to since you know the right people.” She smiled even more brightly at me. “Can we make Jethro a star? I really think he has what it takes. Can you imagine how wonderful he would be on the small screen? Why, he might even jump to the movies. The next Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web, and it’s been a long while since there has been a great pig movie like Babe. He would do so well in a role like that.”

  I took a breath, which was just long enough for me to register what she had said. Jethro in a movie?

  The pig stared at me and licked the tip of his black and white polka-dotted nose.

  “A star?” I asked.

  She nodded. Juliet held the toaster-sized pig to my face. “Do you think that Jethro could have a part in the cooking show? I think I have always known that he could be a star if given the right opportunity. I know that he would be a perfect fit, and if they really want to show a true Amish Christmas, then they need to add Jethro to the program. He will bring the show together and help it stand out from all other holiday programs on television.

  “Pigs aren’t really Christmas animals,” I said. “I mean, I’ve never thought of them that way.”

  She wrinkled her small nose. “Of course they are! You should see Jethro in his Christmas sweater. He is the toast of the town during the holidays.”

  Juliet thought that Jethro was the toast of the town for every holiday, not just Christmas, so I wasn’t putting much weight on her pronouncement. And I didn’t add that it wasn’t very Amish to dress up a pig in a sweater either. The Amish saw pigs as food and little else. I’m not sure what Jethro, sweater or not, would add to the Amish Christmas aspect of Eric’s special.

  “What would you like me to do?” I asked. I didn’t see much point in fighting it. Maybe if I concentrated on making Jethro a star, Juliet would lay off the idea of my marrying her son. Probably not, but I was willing to try.

  “If you could, I would love you to speak with the television people and ask them to give Jethro a part on the show. I know deep down he’s got what it takes. He has so much talent, and no one can dispute that he is the most handsome pig in the state, if not the country.” She held Jethro up in my face as if challenging me to question the little pig’s star power. I had to admit he was a cutie, but that didn’t mean he had what it took to be a television star. Also, there were the love nips to contend with. I guessed one nip on the back of the leg of producer Linc would be all it would take to get Jethro banished from TV forever.

  “You want me to talk to the production crew?” I asked. “I don’t even know if the special is going on. You must have heard what happened.”

  She shook her head sadly. “I did. It is a horrible thing. I can’t believe that such a beautiful woman was killed. She seemed so vibrant and put together. She was a real working woman.”

  I did my best not to make a face at the working woman comment. I was a working woman, too, as was my grandmother, and almost every other woman I’d ever met, including Juliet.

  She smiled. “But as sorry as I am over what happened to that Rocky woman, I’m so happy that I’m the one who gets to tell you—the production is definitely going on. I heard that from Aiden himself.”

  Aiden tended to be a good resource when it came to investigations and information in the county, even more so than the sheriff. Not that I would ever speak to the sheriff without being forced to. “Did Aiden say why the production is continuing? It seems . . .” I searched for the right word. “It seems a bit callous to go on as if nothing’s happened. A woman is dead.”

  Juliet nodded solemnly. “It’s true, and it is horrible. But Margot was very insistent that the production would go on, and the TV people thought it would be a great thing to do in Rocky’s honor since she was excited about this special. I think Margot made some calls. You know how she can be.” She laughed.

  I bet Margot made more than a few calls. I can imagine the network giving in to her just to stop the incessant calling, a little sarcastic voice in the back of my brain whispered.

  “Did Margot tell you where she was all morning?” I asked. “You said before she was on some kind of secret assignment.”

  “She didn’t say,” Juliet said. “The only thing she said about this morning was ‘Mission accomplished.’”

  I was terrified to learn what the accomplished mission might be. I just hoped that it didn’t involve me.

  “As you can imagine, I have already spoken to Margot about getting Jethro on the television program, and she thinks it is a fabulous idea. She says it would be great for the village to include as many residents
of Harvest as possible, even the animal residents, because it will make tourists want to visit here.”

  “Why doesn’t she talk to the television people, then? She seems to have the right amount of pull with them.”

  “Oh, she will, but she suggested that I speak to you about it. She said that you were close with someone on the show. Who are you close to?”

  I winced. I had a feeling that Margot was having a little too much fun stirring the pot. “I know people who are associated with the production.” That was one way to put it, I thought. “But I’m not close to anyone on the show at the moment.” I thought my comments were just vague enough to avoid lying. The last thing I wanted was for Juliet to know that my ex-boyfriend was the star of the show. I’m not sure what she would do if she thought I was betraying Aiden, even if it was only in her mind.

  “Oh.” Her shoulders drooped. “I just thought you could help me get Jethro’s talent recognized.” She looked as if she might actually cry over it.

  I sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  She looked at me with her big blue eyes. “Really?”

  “I’ll try,” I said finally. “But I can’t promise that anything will come of it.” I scratched Jethro’s head. The pig was half asleep, getting a jump on his afternoon nap.

  She threw her free arm around me and crushed the three of us into a massive hug. “Thank you, Bailey, thank you so much. I just can’t wait for Jethro to have his big television debut, and I can’t wait to call you my daughter. I will have to tell Aiden to hurry up. I’m not getting any younger, and I want grandchildren!”

  I grimaced.

  Juliet hugged Jethro into the curve of her neck, and the pig made mournful eyes at me. “I have the perfect idea,” she said. “This afternoon I have choir practice at the church, and before that, Reverend Brook and I are meeting to talk about the Christmas services. He likes to have my input on these things. I always tell him that he’s the pro. Nevertheless, he likes me to lend my support. You know, over the holidays there is so much going on all the time.”

  I suppressed a smile as I always did when she spoke about the reverend. Juliet and Reverend Brook weren’t fooling anyone. Everyone in the village knew that they were sweet on each other.