Fudgy Fatality: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 10

by Kathleen Suzette

  “No, he’s still looking.”

  I glanced at her. Her back was to me as she finished hanging the orange lights. “Christy, do you think there’s any possibility that John may have been involved in Olivia’s murder?” I didn’t know how to ask it nicely, so I decided to just ask.

  She turned and looked at me wide-eyed. “Why do you ask that? Has Ethan said something? Does he suspect him?”

  I shook my head slowly. “No. He hasn’t said anything, but it’s just odd that John was with her the morning she died.”

  She looked at me. “He didn’t leave with her. He couldn’t have killed her. He was at the parade.”

  “So you did know he was with her that morning?”

  She stared at me. “He mentioned she had been there at the café with him, but she was gone by the time I got there.”

  I looked at her. I was glad she was telling me the truth about it, but I didn’t understand why she was with him.

  “Do you think John had seen Olivia before that day? Did he mention talking to her or seeing her?”

  She shook her head slowly. “No, he never mentioned that. Why are you so concerned about it?”

  “I don’t know. It just seems odd that he was one of the last people to see her alive.” I didn’t know if John would’ve had time to leave the café and kill Olivia or not, but I thought it was possible.

  “I don’t think it’s odd. It was just a coincidence,” she said slowly and picked up a papier mâché pumpkin from the box and brought it over to the fireplace, setting it on the mantle. “I really like these pumpkins. I wish I had some of them.”

  “I wish I had bought more of them. I bet you can get some similar ones just about anywhere though.”

  “Probably so. I’ll have to take a look around.” She turned and looked at me, a thoughtful look on her face.

  I didn’t know what was going on, but I suddenly felt like there was something I didn’t know about the situation. Maybe it was just the fact that she had had breakfast with John when I knew that she had been hurt so badly by him that bothered me. Certainly she wasn’t considering getting back together with him, was she? And what about the murder? Would John have had enough time to slip away and kill Olivia and then get back to the parade? I didn’t know, but I wanted Ethan to know all the details.

  “Maybe you should talk to Ethan about all of this,” I repeated.

  She looked at me steadily. “Okay. I’ll do that. But there’s no way John could have killed anyone. He doesn’t have it in him.”

  I sighed softly. “I know. It’s just good to tell Ethan everything you know. If someone points a finger at John, that information may be what keeps him from being suspected of murder.”

  She nodded. “Of course.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  I didn’t feel like I had gotten anywhere with Christy. I had to wonder if she was over John. Did I have a right to say she shouldn’t feel that way? Of course not. I just wanted better for my sister.

  I saw Ethan drive up across the street and I walked out onto my front step and waited for him to get out of his truck. When he did, he turned in my direction and waved wildly, as if there was more than a simple two-lane street that separated us. I chuckled and waved back.

  “I’ve got chicken taco casserole if you’re hungry,” I called.

  “When am I not hungry?” he called back.

  I shrugged. “Never.”

  “Exactly. Let me wash up and I’ll be right over.”

  “See you in a minute,” I said and went back inside my house. He didn’t need to wash up. He wanted to let Licorice out of the house so she could come with him. He wasn’t fooling me. He had fallen completely in love with that cat.

  “Boo, we are having company and I want you to be on your best behavior,” I said, stooping down and running my hand along his back. Boo purred and arched his back. “Good boy.”

  I headed into the kitchen and took the casserole out of the oven. I had been keeping it warm for Ethan until he got home. I set it on the table and then got the salad I had made from the refrigerator.

  “Hey,” Ethan said from behind me.

  “Hey.” I gave him a kiss before he headed to the table. “That was fast.” I leaned over and looked behind him for Licorice, who was trailing him and cautiously looking around for Boo. The two cats were adjusting to one another, but there was still some hissing and fighting occasionally.

  “I brought a friend. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” I said. “Christy brought over a chicken taco casserole, and I made a salad to go with it.”

  “Sounds great. I’ll get the iced tea.”

  He went to the refrigerator and got the pitcher and poured us both a glass. “How was your day?”

  “Sticky and sweet. What about you? Anything new?”

  He sat down. “It was good. I did some interviews.”

  “Oh? Do tell.”

  He shrugged. “No. I’ve got to have some secrets.” He grinned at me.

  I sighed. “Fine.” I filled him in on what Christy had told me. I was hesitant to do it, but he needed to know.

  He looked at me, his forehead wrinkled in thought. “John already told me most of this. I don’t know why Christy didn’t tell me all of it.”

  “Do you suspect John of killing Olivia?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  I looked at him a moment before answering. “I think I do.”

  “Even with Christy having breakfast with him, I still think there’s a possibility he had time to kill her. Everyone had their attention on the parade. The door to Storage Inc was unlocked. He could have killed her and dragged her body out onto the sidewalk. But I’m not saying he’s the killer. Not yet, anyway.”

  I took this in. “If that’s what happened, why drag her body out onto the sidewalk? Why not leave it in the office for someone to discover Tuesday morning?”

  “That is an excellent question and it’s one we don’t have an answer for yet. We may not get that answer until we make an arrest.” He took another sip of his tea. “That smells really good.”

  “It does, help yourself.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” He picked up the serving spoon and helped himself to the taco casserole.

  I put some salad on my plate and then followed it up with a large helping of the casserole. Casseroles are the manna of the working girl. Quick to put together, and both tasty and filling. It’s even quicker when your sister makes it.

  “I’m starving,” I said.

  “I don’t want you investigating anymore. Don’t ask anyone any more questions.” He looked at me steadily when he said it.

  There was a sharpness in his voice that I wasn’t used to. “What? Why do you say it like that?”

  “Because I don’t know what’s going on here. Christy seems to be withholding something that may or may not be important to the case, and since she’s your sister, I don’t want you involved. Please, Mia. I don’t want any trouble from the chief asking me about my girlfriend’s family’s involvement.”

  “You think she knows more about what happened? That she’s hiding something?” As much as I hated to admit it, I felt like she could be, but I wanted to know what he thought.

  “I don’t know, and that’s the problem. I don’t have all the details. Please, Mia, leave this case alone.”

  He said it softly this time, but it still stung. I couldn’t expect him to allow anyone—me and Christy included—to interfere with a case. Not that we would do that on purpose. But it still hurt my feelings that he had said it.

  I nodded. “Got it. I know, you need to find out what’s going on here. And when you do, I’m sure it will be clear that Christy isn’t covering for anyone.” My eyes went to his, trying to read what he was thinking.

  “And please don’t say anything to Christy?”

  “Of course not. I understand, Ethan.” And I did. I just hoped Christy wasn’t trying to protect John from something.


  ***

  After Ethan went home, I decided to make a late-night trip to the grocery store. I was out of everything. Or at least everything I needed to make a decent meal. Christy’s bringing the casserole by had been a real blessing. I would have stopped off somewhere to get fast food if she hadn’t brought it.

  I pushed my shopping cart to the produce section, reminding myself that I needed to get more fruits and vegetables into my diet. It was something I was always telling myself, but it was also something I didn’t do often enough.

  The apples were on sale and they were one of my fall favorites, so I pulled a plastic bag off the roll and started filling it with Gala apples. I looked up when I saw a familiar figure approaching. It was Carla Steele. She smiled big when she saw me.

  “Hi Mia, how are you doing?”

  “I’m good. I’m just making a late-night grocery stop to pick up a few things. I keep forgetting to go shopping, and with the Halloween season in full swing, I just don’t have time to do it during the day.”

  “You can say that again. With my work being short a salesperson, I’ve been working extra hours. I don’t mind, it’s going to be some great Christmas money, but here I am, shopping late in the evening because of it.”

  “Are they going to hire a replacement for Olivia?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Eventually, but for now, I’m picking up the slack as well as I can. Like I said, Christmas money. But the great thing is that I got a raise and a promotion!” Her eyes lit up, and she nearly squealed when she said the last part.

  “Really? That’s wonderful news! Congratulations. Are you still in sales, then?”

  “Yes, I’m now the senior sales associate. I have to say that I didn’t expect that, but it sure is nice that they’re finally recognizing all my hard work.” She pulled a plastic bag off the roll and began to fill it with Granny Smith apples. “I’m going to make an apple crumble. I love apples and cinnamon anything. It’s very fallish.” She chuckled. “I love the fall.”

  “Apples and cinnamon are two of my favorite flavors,” I said. “So, I forgot, what did you say Olivia did there?” I didn’t forget, she was in sales. But I wondered if she had been the senior sales associate.

  “She was in sales. I got her old cubicle, too. I went to the gift shop and bought some cute Halloween decorations to spruce it up. I’m so excited about the promotion. And of course, my new cubicle. It really sucked to be stuck out at that desk like I was. Everyone thought I should wait on them, making phone calls for them or doing their filing since I was out there like that.” She sighed. “I was not their secretary.” She tied a knot at the end of the plastic bag when she had finished filling it and placed it into her shopping cart.

  “Decorating your new cubicle sounds like fun. Did you get some candles for it? The flower shop also has tons of really yummy smelling candles in.”

  She nodded. “I got a pumpkin spice candle and a vanilla cupcake candle. I also got some papier-mâché pumpkins and a little scarecrow and a witch.” She pulled another plastic bag from the roll. “I think I need some of these pears, too. I might make a pear tart and bring it into work for everyone. To celebrate my promotion.”

  “I love those candles that Frankie sells. They smell so wonderful.” I pulled another plastic bag off the roll and opened it up. “That’s nice that you can burn candles at work. Hopefully it won’t bother anyone with allergies.”

  She nodded. “They make the office smell so good. I love them.”

  “I thought you said someone in your office had allergies and Olivia got into trouble for burning one?” I asked as I reached for a pear. Pear tart sounded good, and I thought I’d make one for Ethan.

  She waved a hand at me. “I complained about the candle she burned because it was one of those cheap ones you get here at the grocery store. It had a fake, plasticky smell and made me gag. The candles the gift shop and the flower shop sell are wonderful smelling, though. No one complains about those.”

  I looked at her. I could suddenly see her complaining about Olivia’s candles, and maybe some other things, too. Maybe that was part of the trouble the two had had with one another. Life with complaining co-workers could be stressful.

  “I do love those candles.”

  She looked up at me, still smiling. “Me too. So, how is Ethan coming along on finding Olivia’s killer?”

  I shrugged. “You know how it is. He’s a detective and some things are confidential, but I’m sure he’ll find the killer.”

  She nodded. “If I had to take a guess, I would take a look at John Green. I know he’s your former brother-in-law, and maybe I shouldn’t say it, but I heard he had breakfast with her the morning she died. He came snooping around the office a few days earlier, and he was surprised that Olivia had been given a promotion. Don’t tell anyone that I said it, but she was the reason he lost his job. He was making eyes at her and she complained about him. The company is very sensitive where sexual harassment is concerned, and they let him go.”

  I stared at her. As much as I didn’t like John at this point, I couldn’t imagine him sexually harassing anyone. “He was fired? I thought he quit?”

  She smirked. “Fired, or laid off, one of the two. But he most definitely didn’t quit.”

  I was stunned. Christy had told me he was laid off due to cutbacks. Why hadn’t she told me he was fired? Unless she knew he had gotten into trouble because of Olivia? And now maybe he had gotten his revenge on her and Christy was covering for him. “I didn’t know that,” I said dumbly.

  She nodded. “I’m sure he wouldn’t want that to get around. Well, I better get going. If I stay out too late, I’ll be too wound up to go to bed on time and then I’ll be cranky all day tomorrow at work.”

  “It was good seeing you, Carla. Congratulations on the promotion.”

  “Thanks, I’ll be stopping by to get some of your mom’s fudge in the next day or two. I love that stuff.”

  I watched as she pushed her shopping cart away. If John had killed Olivia to get revenge on her and to get his old job back, then he missed out on getting her cubicle.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Hey, Christy, that casserole you brought over was delicious. Ethan loved it, too. Not to mention Boo and Licorice got a little taste, and they purred like crazy over it. It was a real hit.”

  Christy sighed loudly and picked up the tray of candy she had just finished making and took it out to the front without speaking to me. I turned and looked at Mom. She had her eyes on Christy’s back as she went, then she looked at me, puzzled.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure.” But the truth was, I was pretty sure I did know. I sighed softly to myself. I knew Ethan was going to talk to her again, but I hadn’t thought it would be this soon. Biting my lower lip, I knew I needed to talk to Christy about it. The front of the candy store was filled with customers and I didn’t want to follow her out there where everyone could overhear our conversation.

  I started packing a candy order, and I waited for Christy to come back into the kitchen, but when she didn’t, I finally headed out front.

  “Mia, this place is hopping,” Linda said as she filled the bulk bins with candy.

  I forced myself to smile. “It sure is. Isn’t it wonderful?”

  “Wonderful is the word for it,” she agreed. “Makes me excited for the holidays to get here.” I loved Linda’s positive attitude. There were times I could take lessons from her and this might be one of them.

  Christy was straightening the imported candy shelf, and I headed over to her, weaving between customers standing in line, waiting to be checked out. Carrie and Lisa were acting as a team, ringing orders up and bagging purchases. I sidestepped the life-size ghost in the middle of the room that Mom had just bought. It reminded me of Casper, and it was a cute addition to our decorations, but it was a little cumbersome to maneuver around.

  “Hey,” I whispered when I stood next to Christy.

  She glanced at
me, but didn’t say anything.

  “Hey, Christy, we need to talk.”

  She shrugged. “So, talk.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at the customers. “Can we step outside?”

  “It’s kind of busy right now to take a break.”

  I nodded. “It is, but it looks like the girls have everything covered. One of our newest employees, Missy Pritchard, was assisting another customer at another shelf and I knew she and Linda would step in if Carrie and Lisa needed help.

  She sighed and set down the box of imported Swiss chocolates she held in her hand, and turned to me, her mouth making a hard line. “Look, I’m busy right now. Maybe later.”

  “Please, Christy,” I said. “You’re obviously angry at me and I hate that. We need to talk.”

  “In a bit,” she said, turning back to the shelf.

  I stared at the side of her head a few moments then headed back to the kitchen. If she wasn’t ready to talk to me, it was pointless to try to force her. There was too much work to be done anyway, and I couldn’t stand around just hoping she’d speak to me.

  “Is everything all right?” Mom asked slowly.

  I nodded. “Everything’s great. Or it will be. But one of your daughters is extremely stubborn and I’ll leave it to you to figure out which one it is.”

  She smirked and went back to stirring the fudge in the saucepan. “I bet I can take a really good guess at which one that is.”

  ***

  When the customers had left, I headed over to Christy. “How about now? Do you have time to talk to me now?”

  She glanced at me, and then at the other employees. I may have spoken a tad sharply. “Sure.”

  We headed out front so no one would overhear our conversation. “You’re angry with me?” I said when the door closed behind her.

  She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. “You told Ethan I was covering for John.”

  “I did not tell him that. Did he say I said that? Other people told him they’d seen John and Olivia together. It kind of looks like you might be covering for him when you said he was with you, but didn’t mention he was with Olivia first. Ethan can’t let anyone interfere with the investigation. You can understand that, can’t you?”