by Rena Marin
“I will break my neck doing that,” Mia mumbled.
“You won’t be alone,” Chelsea declared as she spared the man in the back of the room a final glance. It wasn’t Millie or any of the contestants he was staring at. It was all Rheanon. His eyes were only for her.
***
The crowd gathered in front of Colonial Apartments told Caleb one thing, the 911 call was legit. Seeing the Sheriff was already there, he parked his squad car and climbed out. A few familiar faces were in the crowd. He saw several of the local teens who were most likely on their way to school when the body was spotted. One, he knew well.
“Tiffany, what’re you doing here?”
Tiffany Reynolds shuffled her feet slightly then glanced around at the crowd of people staring at the car. “I made the call,” she told him then shook her head. “I was passing by on my way to school and saw her. I could see something sticking out of her neck,” she told him then looked away for a minute. “I stepped toward the car and that’s when I saw all the blood.”
Caleb could see by the paleness of the girl’s face discovering a body had reminded her of what she’d experienced only a few short months earlier. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You’re alright. This isn’t like before, okay. Why don’t you go on home and call your mom? She’ll understand about you not going on to school today.”
“Are you sure? The Sheriff said he may have questions.”
“I know where to find you. You don’t need to be here for this,” he insisted.
Taking the opportunity to get far away from what she’d seen, Tiffany nodded her head and hurried back over to the car. Like with most of the kids in Dead Oaks, it was a hand-me-down but enough to get her from point A to point B.
“You just released my witness,” the Sheriff spoke as he stepped over.
“She’s been through too much. She doesn’t need to stick around. We know where to find her,” Caleb told him as he looked back toward the car where Sam was already working. “Who is it?”
“Christine Burke. Purse was still in the car, cash inside. It wasn’t a robbery. We can’t find her cellphone though. Most girls her age can’t survive without one.”
“Bob’s Antiques,” Caleb sighed. “That’s where she works. She’s been there since she was in high school.”
“I’ll call Bob now and see if anything is off down at the shop,” the Sheriff sighed as he pulled out his phone. “The way you keep up with the people in this town, Caleb, you’ll be the next one to walk in my shoes.”
The idea of having to bow down to the mayor and other officials wasn’t Caleb’s idea of a good time. No, he preferred helping the people of Dead Oaks, not lying to them. He couldn’t tell the Sheriff that though. Instead he smiled, and nodded his head, then left the man to make the call.
“I see you have the murder weapon.”
“Deputy Rollins,” Sam called out as he got to his feet. “I expected to see you here.”
“Aren’t I always?”
“Yes, you’re glutton for punishment, but you’re right. Without a doubt, the knitting needle is our murder weapon. I’ve also found black fibers in the backseat. I think her attacker was hiding back there and the girl didn’t know it.”
“Damn,” Caleb mumbled as he pulled back the sheet, revealing Christine’s body. The look of terror on her face was undeniable. “We’ve got issues, don’t we Sam?”
The older man shook his head. “The one at the auditorium I truly think was an accident. This one, this was a murder. There’s nothing strange or unusual about it, Deputy. We have a killer loose in Dead Oaks.”
“And they’re going after the contestants running for Candy Corn Queen.”
“I don’t speculate on those things, son. It’s not my place.”
“You worked Mary Donovan’s case though, didn’t you?”
“I did. It was a sad one. She was all her father had left.”
“Did you have any idea who done it?”
“All the fingers pointed to that girl, Rheanon. All I can say is, if she did it, she was smart.”
“What do you mean?”
“There was no evidence left behind. Nothing we could find. Not to mention, if she did it, she had help. There’s no way that little girl was strong enough to hang Mary Donovan the way she did.”
“Why would they bring someone who was once a suspect in a murder in to be the coordinator of this pageant. It’s crazy.”
“She’s the reigning Candy Corn Queen. Each time they’ve tried to host this thing, the winner has died. Yes, they were crowned, but by the time it was over, she was always the one still wearing it. I guess someone doesn’t want her to lose that spotlight.”
“And there we have the Curse of the Candy Corn Queen,” Caleb muttered to himself.
Sam’s laugh took him by surprise. “I’ve seen a lot around this town, son. Things I’m still not allowed to talk about. This isn’t a curse. This isn’t otherworldly. This is murder, plain and simple. Someone is killing these contestants, and I think you need to find them before they take out another.”
Caleb stared at the man. “Me? Why me?”
“You put this town first. Not the politics. Put an end to it, Deputy. I’m old, and I’m tired. I don’t want to see any more young people on my table. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I need to get her down to the morgue. The scene is yours.”
With a nod of his head, Caleb stepped back to let the man work. He’d always had his suspicions about Sam, but one thing was for sure, he didn’t like all the death in Dead Oaks any more than Caleb did.
Chapter Eight
“You know we’re screwed when it comes to the talent portion of the pageant don’t you?” Mia flipped idly through the pages of the yearbook Chelsea had sitting on the counter of Wicked Treasures.
“Speak for yourself,” Chelsea returned, “I have a great singing voice. She proceeded to belt out a show tune to prove her point.
Mia put her hands over her ears in an exaggerated motion. “If you sing, we’ll never solve this murder.”
Chelsea stuck her tongue out at her friend, starting to sing again at the top of her lungs. She was stopped by the tinkle of the bell over the door. The girl who walked through the door looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place her.
“Welcome to Wicked Treasures,” she said, coming out from behind the counter to greet the young girl. “Can I help you find something?”
The young girl stood in the doorway wringing her hands, a look of worry on her face. “I’m Shelly Baker, and I think the evil in this town is trying to kill my friends.”
Seeing that the girl was shaking, and it wasn’t from the chilly October air outside, Mia hopped up and took her gently by the arm leading her to the sitting area set up in the back of the shop. Shooting Chelsea, a look across the girl's head, she draped a blanket around Shelly’s shoulders and went to get her a mug of coffee. Pressing the mug into the girls trembling hands, Mia took a seat beside her, as Chelsea sunk into the overstuffed chair in front of the coffee table.
“What are you trying to tell us…Shelly was it?” Chelsea asked, wondering what had happened and what caused the girl to come to them with her story.
“The Candy Corn Queen pageant is cursed.” Shelly gulped a sip of coffee, wincing when it burnt her mouth and throat on the way down. “I came here because I’ve heard the stories of all of you fighting whatever is going on in this town. I need your help. My friends won’t listen to me and now they’re being murdered one by one.”
“What do you mean murdered?” Chelsea asked, raising an eyebrow at Mia. “The only girl who has died from the contest was an accident.” She reached over to pat Shelly’s knee. “She tripped on the steps in her high heels and fell. There was no murder, sweetie.”
“Oh! No one’s told y’all yet!” Shelly put one hand to her mouth, her other firmly holding on to her coffee mug.
“Told us what?” Mia asked, the blood draining from her face at the thought that there might
have been another death.
“Christina Burke was found dead this morning. She was a part of the contest, and I’m afraid my other friends are next.”
Chelsea hid her shock at the mention of another death associated with the Candy Corn Queen pageant, vowing to get in touch with Caleb as soon as she could to get the full story. “But, sweetie, what makes you think that these deaths have anything to do with the pageant?” While she might think the same thing, Chelsea had learned over the last year, that you had to be super careful who you trusted in Dead Oaks.
The girl looked up at Chelsea over her mug then shifted her gaze to Mia. “I’m not stupid. I can read. I might not be from Dead Oaks, but I know the history. The slaughter on Halloween out at the lake, the snakes attacking, the Candy Corn Queens dying in supposed “accidents,” it’s all connected.” With tears in her eyes, she sat her mug on the table in front of her so suddenly the contents sloshed over the top and onto the wood below. “So, please stop treating me like an outsider and help me stop this curse from claiming my friends.”
Jerking her head towards the other side of Wicked Treasures, Chelsea reached for their coffee mugs. “Let me get us some more coffee and clean this mess up, and we’ll try to figure out what’s going on.”
Mia followed her to the other side of the store, mug in hand. “There’s been another death?” She whispered. “Why hasn’t anyone called us yet?”
“I don’t know,” Chelsea whispered back, but I’m about to find out. She nodded towards the parking lot, where Caleb’s cruiser had just pulled in. “See what you can find out from Shelly. I think there’s more than she’s telling us with her story. I’ll go outside and find out what’s going on from Caleb with the latest killing.”
Once Mia was back with Shelly, Chelsea threw on her jacket against the wind outside, poured two mugs of coffee and headed out to talk to Caleb before he could get inside of the shop. Shelly Baker was already terrified, the last thing she needed was to hear the gory details of how another young girl had died.
***
Caleb slammed the door on his cruiser, peering through the window of Wicked Treasures. He could see the girl sitting on the couch with Mia but didn’t recognize her as being from around there. He already suspected something was up, but Chelsea hurrying out of the store with coffee mugs in hand confirmed it for him. He honestly didn’t know what he was going to do with her, but after this last death, he was going to put his foot down about her being a part of this contest.
“What’s going on in there?” He jerked his head towards the store, taking the mug of coffee from her and leaning against the squad car to drink it.
“There’s been another murder?” Chelsea said at the same time, leaning against the car beside him. “Why didn’t you call me?”
Already on edge with the brutality of the murder and the fact that once again evil was attacking the town he loved, Chelsea’s demands rubbed him the wrong way. “You do know that I don’t have to keep you in the loop on things going on in this town, right? The last time I checked, you didn’t have a badge. Yes, there was a murder. Yes, it was one of the contestants, but I don’t have to call and inform you of anything.”
The silence that stood between them while Chelsea stood stunned trying to decide how to react was deafening. “I’m not stupid, Caleb Rollins,” she said. “But I do have a terrified girl sitting in my shop that’s worried her friends are going to be next. I understand that this case and everything that has happened in Dead Oaks is getting to you, but you don’t have to take it out on me. I care just as much as you do.”
Ignoring her words, as if she wasn’t even speaking, Caleb spoke firmly and to the point, “You’re dropping out of the Candy Corn Queen pageant today.” He took a deep breath and went on, though the look on her face was thunderous at best. “Not only are you not trained, you have no business there, and now you’ve managed to drag my brother’s girlfriend into a dangerous situation with you and that’s going a little too far. I’ve let you play amateur detective for a while now, but this time you’ve put yourself and Mia in the crosshairs of a vicious killer, and it’s time to stop.”
“You’re not my boyfriend Caleb, and you’re certainly not my father. You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do.”
“Well, somebody needs to because you’re obviously too reckless to take care of yourself,” he snapped, handing her back her coffee mug with a jerk. “I mean it, Chelsea, if you don’t drop out of the contest today, if you don’t stop this amateur investigation, I’ll have you arrested for impeding a murder investigation. You can’t get into trouble if you’re sitting in a jail cell while the pageant is going on.”
Leaving Chelsea with the mugs in her hand, her mouth wide open in shock, he hopped into his cruiser and tore out of the parking lot of Wicked Treasures, refusing to think about the reasons he was so adamant that she stops interfering. He just knew he couldn’t take it if something happened to her in the process.
Chapter Nine
Hearing a car coming down the driveway, Austin set the last box down on the porch then stretched his back against the pain setting in. Tia and her constant deliveries for Critter Connection were becoming a bit much, but the idea of making her hire someone to help with things like that didn’t settle well with him. Especially, when he was there and still deciding the best path for him now that college was over.
Spotting his brother’s car and the speed in which it was moving, he rolled his eyes. He knew something was up. Caleb wasn’t one for barreling down gravel roads with no reason. In his personal truck, maybe? Not in the patrol car for the hell of it. He waited while his older brother emerged from the vehicle, paced back and forth a few times cussing under his breath then started for the porch.
“Chelsea is stubborn and pissing me off. You need to rein Mia in. That’s the only way we can put a stop to this foolishness before they get hurt. If Mia drops this insane pageant idea, Chels will follow.”
“Hey, how are you? I’m good, ya know, carrying boxes, sorting stuff. Maybe we should get together for a beer sometime, catch up, ya know, being brothers and all,” Austin muttered while acting out a makeshift conversation with himself. He hoped the point penetrated Caleb’s thick skull. It did.
“Sorry, bro, but they’re in danger.”
Seeing the concern in Caleb’s eyes, Austin stopped his mocking and took a seat in the wicker chair nearest him. “What happened? Another accident?”
“No,” Caleb sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “A murder. No doubts on this one. Nothing supernatural about it. A contestant was found murdered this morning. It’s all over the news by now, I’m sure.”
“Damn,” Austin whispered with a shake of his head. Immediately, he wondered where Mia was and if she was alright. “I need to check on Mia,” he announced getting back to his feet.
“She’s fine. She’s at Wicked Treasures with Queen Hardhead. I just left there.”
“Thank God,” Austin sighed sinking back into the chair. Caleb’s words replayed in his mind and he picked up on something his brother had said. “You said nothing supernatural? This isn’t like what happened on Halloween with the ghost or what you guys went through with the Night Stalker? This is a real flesh and blood killer like…” he started then stopped. The idea of mentioning the name of the asshole who’d helped kill so many of his friends last Halloween still a bit too much for him.
“Yeah, this isn’t about a curse. I can’t make Chels listen to me though. They are in real danger here, Austin. I don’t see any reason why someone would kill Christine Burke other than that contest. The girl is squeaky clean. She was an angel. She was at work, next to the auditorium. Someone chased her around the shop then we think they hitched a ride in the backseat of her car. From what we gather, she was headed home, most likely to call it in. Her cellphone was found in the office at work. They got her in the parking lot of her apartment building.”
Not knowing what to say, Austin sat there, stunned at what his brother w
as telling him. Sure, Dead Oaks was known for strange deaths and crazy happenings, but knowing how it felt to be stalked by a crazed killer, he couldn’t help but feel sad for the girl who’d died experiencing such horror.
“Will you talk to Mia? Help me put an end to this insanity they are playing with?”
“Yeah, I’ll talk to her,” Austin agreed without hesitation. “I don’t want her in danger. You know that. But…”
“But what?”
“You know how Chels is. With or without Mia, she won’t give up.”
“I know,” Caleb sighed as he took a seat beside his brother.
Austin smirked at the look that settled on his brother’s face. You didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out why Caleb was so protective of the girl he’d been spending time with almost every day for the past year.
“When are you going to own up to this thing with you and Chels?”
Jumping in his seat like someone had just fired a shot at him, Caleb stared at his younger brother, flabbergasted. “What the hell are you talking about? What thing? We talk; we’re friends, that’s it.”
“Uh-huh, I buy that.”
“Dude, I don’t have time for stuff like that. That’s your department.”
“You’re allowed to move on, big brother. You lost Tiff seven years ago. No one expects you to put your life on hold for this town. Even the tubby Sheriff is married, and has women on the side, no doubt. Own it.”
“You’re way off,” Caleb demanded shaking his head. “She’s a friend. One I let get too close to the craziness in this place. It’s my fault she thinks she can do what she wants. I shouldn’t have let her get this involved.”
“You don’t own her. I get wanting to protect the people around you. You’ve always been that way, but sometimes you need to let them learn on their own.”