Fudgy Fatality: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 10

by Kathleen Suzette

  He turned back to me. “We might have had breakfast. But she never mentioned feeling like her life was in danger. I wonder if murder victims ever have a premonition that they’re about to die? I suppose some people do, but not many, otherwise there wouldn’t be nearly as many murders as there are in the world.”

  I stared at him, considering whether he was really a maniacal killer or just being a jerk. “The problem is that too many people don’t go with their gut reaction when they sense something bad is about to happen. Did you kill Olivia, John?”

  He snorted and shook his head. “Of course I didn’t kill her. Why would I do that? Do you really think I’m capable of murder?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve been surprised before. What happened the morning you had breakfast with her?”

  “We just happened to run into one another at the café and we sat down together. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  “And she didn’t hint that she was worried about anything?”

  “She complained about her job. She was going to stop in that morning and catch up on some work that she didn’t get done on Friday and she was down about having to spend her Saturday morning doing that.”

  “I guess it would be a bummer since it was the opening day of the Halloween season and the parade was about to start,” I said thoughtfully.

  He nodded. “She was also angry about some of her coworkers. She said she was having to do the lion’s share of the work around there and that was why she had to come in on a Saturday. She hoped I could get a job there so I could help her out.”

  I turned to look at him. “Did she say which coworkers?”

  He nodded. “Pretty much all of them. She said she hated her job and wished she had never taken it. She especially complained about Carla Steele, though. Apparently the two didn’t get along.”

  “Did it sound like anything serious?” I’d heard this before, and I wondered if she had gotten specific about the problems.

  He shrugged. “What’s serious? I’ve had plenty of coworkers that I couldn’t get along with over the years. It’s something we all have to deal with at some point in our lives. But I worked with both Olivia and Carla when I worked there. Honestly, Olivia was a bit of a prima donna and Carla was moody. I told her she should look for something else and she said she was.”

  “Was it a cut-throat company?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I think any company that deals with sales can be, but I don’t think it was more cut-throat than any other company. Of course, they’ve got a new manager now, so maybe he’s made things worse since I left.”

  What he was saying made sense. Maybe Olivia was just used to getting her way and a new boss made things harder for her. “What time did she leave the café?”

  He looked at me and narrowed his eyes at me. “You sure are nosy. Does Ethan know how nosy you are? Has he caught on to that?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Believe me, Ethan knows all he needs to know about me. What time did she leave?”

  He thought about it a moment. “I guess around nine o’clock. Maybe a few minutes before. I wasn’t looking at my cell phone and taking note of the time. I didn’t realize I was going to be grilled about it.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Can you remember anything else she said that might be important?”

  He shrugged. “I really can’t remember much about the conversation other than her complaining about her job. She left to go to work, and before I left the café, Christy came in and I invited her to sit with me.”

  “Christy came in and sat with you?”

  He grinned at me. “Why not? She was just grabbing a quick bite to eat before the parade began, so she sat down with me and we talked for a few minutes.”

  I inhaled deeply. “How long did you two sit together?”

  He chuckled and looked away. “Like I said, I wasn’t checking my cell phone to see what time it was. She ordered a bagel and cream cheese and a coffee. She was in a hurry, so she left before I did. I think I left about five or ten minutes later.”

  “Great. I appreciate the information, John. I’m sure Ethan would be interested in the fact that you saw Olivia shortly before she died.”

  “Yeah well, be sure and point out to him that Christy saw that I didn’t leave with her and at no time did I murder her.”

  He was right. He had an alibi, and that alibi was my sister. But I couldn’t understand why she had at first kept this information from Ethan and me.

  “Did Christy know that you had breakfast with Olivia right before she sat down?”

  He shrugged. “I can’t remember if I told her or not. Maybe I did. We didn’t talk about her, we talked about other things.”

  I looked at him. “What kind of things?”

  He chuckled. “There goes that nosy disposition of yours. What difference does it make?”

  He was just trying to toy with me, and I didn’t have time for that. “I’ve got to get going. I’ve got things to do. Thanks for your time.”

  “Any time,” he said.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I wasn’t sure what to think about what John had told me. Could he be lying? I didn’t think so. Something told me he was telling the truth. Did Christy know he had been with Olivia that morning? If she did, why had she lied to me?

  I still hadn’t heard from Frankie about the flower arrangement that had been delivered to Olivia the day before she died, so I headed over to the flower shop. Someone had to remember something about the delivery that was made.

  I stepped into the flower shop and inhaled deeply. The smell always made me happy. Sarah Martin was putting a flower arrangement into the refrigerated display case and she turned around and smiled at me. “Hi Mia, how are you today?”

  I walked over to her. “I’m doing great. How are you doing, Sarah?”

  “Oh you know, it’s fall and the Halloween season, so I couldn’t be doing anything other than great.”

  “Has business really picked up for you all like it has for us?”

  She nodded. “We’re selling tons of fall flower arrangements and candles, of course. Frankie made up a bunch of small arrangements and they’re selling like crazy. There’s a little keepsake ceramic pumpkin in the middle of the arrangements that says Halloween season with the year painted on the back of them. She found them online and had them personalized.”

  “That’s a great idea. Anything that’s a keepsake is going to fly off the shelves.”

  “Boy, you’re telling me. So, business has been great at the candy store?”

  “Very busy,” I said glancing at the refrigerated display case. “I talked to Frankie last week, and she said you were working the Friday before the start of the Halloween season.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I was working that day. We were all working on the shop, making sure it was ready to go for the start of the Halloween season.”

  “Do you remember someone stopping in and placing an order for a fall arrangement to be delivered to Olivia Summers at her office?”

  Her brow furrowed in thought. “I really can’t remember. Was it a custom arrangement?”

  “It looks similar to those there in the display case.” I pointed at one that looked like what I had seen on Olivia’s desk.

  She nodded. “You know, we’ve sold so many of those that I’m not really sure. Betty was running deliveries that day. She’s in the back, let me ask her.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  She headed to the back room, and I looked into the display case. Fresh flowers were so expensive, but they sure were pretty. I thought I might stop back in and pick up a small arrangement for my kitchen table when I got paid.

  Betty came out from the back. “Hi Mia, Sarah said you were asking about a delivery for Olivia Summers. I did deliver those flowers, but I can’t remember who ordered them. It was busy that afternoon and there were some call-in orders as well as some walk-in orders. Since those are already made up in advance, it wouldn’t have taken much to just add them to the others that I need
ed to deliver. Sorry, I can’t really remember.”

  I sighed. “That’s okay. It was worth a try.”

  “Why are you asking about them?” she asked me.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it was just sad that she died, and I had seen them on her desk and wondered about them.”

  She nodded. “She sure was surprised to get them when I brought them to her.”

  “She was? So she wasn’t expecting them?”

  She shook her head. “No, she didn’t seem to be. She teared up a little when she saw them and said what a wonderful surprise they were. I teased her that they were from a secret admirer since there wasn’t a card with them.”

  “Huh. It does sound like she didn’t expect them then.”

  “I don’t think she did,” she said. “I wish I could remember more about it. But I do remember there was no card on them, just the envelope that had her name and where to deliver them to.”

  I nodded. “Okay then, well thanks for the information.”

  “No problem. Tell your mom I said hello. I’ve got to stop in there and get some fudge soon. It isn’t the Halloween season without fudge.”

  I chuckled. “You can say that again. Thanks for your help.”

  The trip to the flower shop was disappointing. I headed back to the candy store to see how things were going there. The day had turned warmer than I had anticipated, and I looked up at the blue sky and smiled. It was a beautiful day.

  When I stepped into the candy store, I was surprised to see it empty of customers. I looked up at Christy and wondered if I should tell her what John had told me. I didn’t know why she hadn’t told me the truth, and I hated to put her on the spot. I didn’t want to embarrass her. My other option was to talk to Ethan about it, but I felt like that would be ratting out my sister. How could I do that? I just hoped she didn’t know something about the crime that she hadn’t told Ethan.

  “Where are all the customers?” I asked. She was leaning on the counter looking tired.

  She shrugged. “I have no idea. It’s been a little slow this afternoon. I’m fine with it though, we can catch up on all the work we’ve gotten behind on.”

  “A lot of Internet orders?” I asked her.

  She nodded. “Tons. Whose big idea was it to start selling online?”

  I chuckled. “I think that might have been mine. But don’t blame me, those Internet orders are keeping us in jobs.”

  “Okay, okay. I won’t complain about it then.”

  I headed back to the kitchen where Mom was standing over the hot stove stirring something in a saucepan. “How are things going this afternoon?”

  She looked up at me and smiled, shaking her head. “Crazy. I almost feel like we need to upgrade some of our equipment. What we’ve got is fine for smaller batches, but we need something to help streamline the process of making larger batches of candy.”

  “We probably should look at doing something like that. I was also thinking we might hire a company to come in here and help us redesign the kitchen and storage area. We have such limited space and I’m wondering if someone with a fresh eye might see better solutions to the space issue. I know the internet orders are only going to increase and we need to be ready for that.”

  She nodded. “It doesn’t hurt to have someone come and take a look. I’m not ready to consider moving the shop, but we have to do something to streamline our processes. I read that in a business article. Aren’t you proud of me for reading about things to do to improve our business?”

  I looked at her, one eyebrow lifted. “I don’t want to move the candy store. I mean, Grandma and Grandpa started the business in this location, and I can’t imagine moving.”

  “I agree. There has to be a way to make better use of the space.” She shrugged and turned the burner off beneath the saucepan. “I’m making orange filled truffles. I haven’t made them for a while. I’m also thinking about making some maple ones. The new fudge flavors have given me all sorts of ideas.”

  “I love maple. Truffles are a great idea. The customers will love them.”

  She nodded. “I had an idea for making some fudge-filled pumpkins, too. I can make the outer pumpkin shell out of orange colored white chocolate and fill the insides with a soft fudgy filling.”

  “Now you’re talking,” I said. “I will be happy to be your taste tester.”

  She chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Christy came in from the front of the store. “What can I help you with back here, Mom?”

  “I need some more fudge made, please. Chocolate with walnuts.”

  She nodded and headed over to the storage room. “Chocolate fudge with walnuts coming right up.”

  I picked up an order from the printer. “We’re going to need more maple nut fudge, too. Lots of maple nut fudge.”

  Mom laughed. “And why doesn’t that surprise me? The maple nut fudge was a great idea.”

  I watched Christy as she returned from the storeroom with sugar and walnuts. She set them down on the counter and then went to the refrigerator and got the cream and butter out.

  I couldn’t imagine her lying about anything and I decided I would just have to give her the benefit of the doubt. She was my sister after all, and I knew her better than almost anyone else I knew. But I decided I would talk to Ethan about it. Ethan would have more insight into it than I did and maybe he had already talked to Christy and I should just let things go.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Hey,” Christy said when I opened the door. She was standing on my front step with a casserole dish in her hands.

  “Hey, Christy,” I said. “What’s up?”

  I stepped back to let her inside.

  “I was fooling around in the kitchen, and I made you a chicken taco casserole."

  “Really?” I said brightening. “That sounds awesome, and it smells really good, too.” The scent of the casserole filled the living room and my stomach growled.

  “I made one for Mom and Dad, so I thought I’d make one for you while I was at it.” She headed to the kitchen with the casserole dish and I followed along behind her. Boo caught the scent of the casserole and got out of his bed to see what we had, stretching his long black legs before following us into the kitchen.

  “That’s really sweet of you to make me a casserole. Saves me having to make something for dinner, thanks,” I said. She set the dish on the counter and I lifted the lid. Inside there was chicken in a cheesy sauce layered between tortillas. I inhaled deeply. “That really smells good. I appreciate you making this for me. When Ethan gets off work, he’ll be starving, and I know he’ll appreciate it, too.”

  “Well, I feel like a freeloader living at Mom and Dads and I thought I may as well make myself useful tonight. Mom is working so hard down at the candy store it makes me feel guilty.”

  “Me too,” I said. “She’s a workaholic.” Mom was a workhorse, and as much as we insisted that she not feel she had to do most of the candy making, she insisted on it.

  “I think it’s time I found my own place. I’ve been looking around, but rents are so high.”

  “I know, I was surprised that this little house was such a great deal.” Ethan had lived in the house across the street for years and I had moved into my cottage last year. There were six little white houses with black shutters on both sides of the street. They were adorable, even though they were tiny.

  “Maybe one of these little houses will come up for rent soon,” she said.

  “That would be fun if you moved into one of them,” I said. “Want some lemonade?”

  “Sure.” She sat down at the table while I got us glasses of lemonade. “I’ll have to buy everything new. I took almost nothing with me when I left John.”

  I nodded and set the glasses on the table. “I didn’t have much either when I moved in here. Thankfully the place is small, so I didn’t need a lot.” I chuckled and poured lemonade into the glasses.

  “Any news on Olivia’s killer?” she asked a
nd took a sip of lemonade.

  I shook my head. “Not a word yet.” I wondered if she wanted to say anything about having breakfast with John the morning Olivia died.

  “I really think Ethan needs to look at her ex-boyfriend, Aaron.”

  “He mentioned he was going to talk to him again,” I said, picking up my glass of lemonade and taking a sip. “I was just getting ready to decorate for Halloween. I’m a little behind on it. Do you want to help me?”

  She nodded, and we headed into the living room. I had already brought several boxes of Halloween decorations out of storage. I loved vintage Halloween decorations, and I had a lot of things I had been collecting for years.

  “There are those little lights that need to go around the front window there,” I said, pointing to a box of them.

  “You got it.” She picked them up and headed over to my living room window. There were some hooks that I had left from last year and she began hanging the lights up. Boo followed us into the living room and sat down, observing us as we worked.

  I picked up some old-fashioned paperboard Halloween cutouts from another box. Some of the items I had collected were vintage-look Halloween decorations, and some were authentic.

  “I left all of my Halloween and Christmas decorations with John. I need to ask him what he did with them since he’s moving back to town. I hope he didn’t get rid of them.”

  “I hope not,” I agreed as I placed some cardboard cutouts on the fireplace. “I need to get some pumpkins.” The local grocery store had gotten a shipment of pumpkins in, but I liked to go out into the field and pick my own. It would make a fun afternoon date with Ethan.

  Boo walked over and rubbed up against Christy’s legs. “Hi, Boo,” she said, reaching down and scratching his head. “If I get my own place, I can get a kitty of my own.”

  “You could get a black cat to match mine and Ethan’s black cats.” I chuckled. “Has John found a job yet?” I wanted to bring the conversation back around to him, but I wasn’t sure if I could just straight out ask her what was going on.