Sweet Saboteur

by C A Phipps

  “I wouldn’t say that. Olivia merely told me about your predicament.” He shrugged. “Besides, I like painting.”

  “That makes two of you.” Scarlett nodded at her sister.

  Violet screwed up her nose. “I like to paint, it’s true. But a whole house? That’s not exactly my idea of fun.”

  “It won’t take long.” Nate shrugged. “Many hands and all that.”

  “Do you happen to know how many people are coming?” Scarlett asked fearfully, but in a strange way, grateful that at least he’d seen the house and knew what to expect.

  He gave a deep laugh. “It’s your house. Surely you have an idea?”

  “Olivia is driving that side of things, and she hasn’t told us. I assumed because she hadn’t mentioned it that there weren’t many offers.”

  “Maybe she wanted it to be a surprise.” He winked. “But I do know that it’s a long list.”

  Violet made a hissing sound as if the air was forced from her lungs. “The house isn’t up to having heaps of people.”

  Scarlett heard the translation: our house is a mess, and we’re embarrassed by that.

  Nate smiled as if nothing were amiss. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve seen a lot worse, and I figure we can knock it out in a few hours, then leave you in peace.”

  Tipping his hat, he walked away, leaving the sisters to watch in mirrored dismay.

  “We have a week to get the place ready for visitors,” Scarlett finally managed.

  “Do you think we can at least keep them outside?”

  Violet’s suggestion had merit, but Scarlett immediately saw a few significant flaws.

  “At the very least, they’ll want to use the bathroom. And you can bet most will want to come into the kitchen.”

  “We could set up a table outside for drinks and snacks,” Violet insisted.

  “And we’ll need to supply lunch if they’re there all day.”

  Violet groaned. “So much for the quick fix of a coat of paint.”

  They had to plaster on smiles when their first customers arrived and were kept busy until the parade got underway. Hopefully, standing around would make more people hungry, and since there was nothing to be done but wait for it to finish, they relaxed a little and watched like everyone else.

  The gymnastics team from the local club came first with summersaults and bendy bodies that made Scarlett envious.

  Dale drove a bright red tractor decorated with streamers with a line of classic cars behind him, followed by an ancient fire-engine.

  The boys and girls brigade were up next looking cute, and then, shimmering in the hot sun, came Ruby.

  Stunning under a small parasol she’d borrowed from Olivia, Ruby waved and blew kisses down from her cardboard castle, just like Cinderella. With loud squeals of delight, small children ran alongside the float, their hands raised as Ruby threw wrapped sweets down to them.

  Violet and Scarlett waved energetically, along with the crowd. As promised, Ruby pointed down to their stall and dropped business cards at the feet of adults. Scarlett gave herself a mental note to ensure she picked up any cards that were left behind, lest Arthur have one more thing to moan about.

  Behind her came the cheerleaders and the marching band.

  Suddenly, a yelp pierced the excitement.

  “Help! Help!”

  Scarlett didn’t have to think—she knew that voice. Running between the floats, she narrowly missing being run over by the one with ponies attached and a load of farm animals onboard. A chicken rose a few feet to squawk in her ear as she passed, then she was on the opposite side of the street.

  Olivia lay on the pavement, pale as a cloud. Daisy knelt beside her, almost as pale. Scarlett pushed everyone else aside, unable to register those faces or names. Kneeling, she plucked up a clammy hand, slightly calloused from her craftwork, and pressed two fingers to the wrist. Olivia’s pulse was weak.

  “Out the way. Give her some room to breathe!” Sam shouted, and the next moment he was beside them.

  With Daisy and Scarlett hovering beside him, he retook Olivia’s pulse, listened to her chest, then turned her onto her side. George chose that moment to wriggle between legs and sit beside Olivia, who gasped and coughed, then her eyes fluttered open.

  “Thank goodness,” Daisy whimpered.

  “How do you feel, Ms. Greene?” Sam asked gently.

  “Sickly, if I’m honest,” Olivia managed through dry lips.

  “In what way?”

  “My head is pounding, and I have a funny taste in my mouth.”

  George sniffed at Olivia’s face, and Scarlett pulled him away.

  “It’s those cupcakes again, isn’t it?” From a foot away, Arthur spoke loudly. “Look, there’s a wrapper beside her.”

  Scarlett crouched down. Her sole focus had been on Olivia. Now, with Sam here, it switched to the wrapper. Without thinking, she picked it up, not registering Nate’s arrival.

  “She’s tampering with the evidence, sheriff. Killing Mable Norris wasn’t enough for Scarlett Finch. Now she’s trying to get rid of Olivia Greene!”

  His eyes seemed to pop onto his cheeks with a gleam that made Scarlett feel ill. At that moment, Arthur resembled pure evil.

  “That’s not true, and you know it,” Olivia rasped, but couldn’t be heard over Arthur’s continued yelling.

  Scarlett closed her mind to his vitriol as best she could and handed the pink paper to Nate. “Sorry I wasn’t thinking. But look at it. We don’t use this kind of cupcake paper. Come over to the stall and see for yourself. This paper is thinner and pink only—ours are pink with tiny white hearts.”

  Arthur came closer, his eyes narrowing. “The sheriff will be looking into your whole business as he should have when Mable was murdered. Your sweet talking won’t get you out of this mess again.”

  The smugness in his voice caused Scarlett’s stomach to do another flip. He really must hate her to put on this show. Then there was the wrapper. Something about it troubled her. From a distance, it had looked the same, but once she’d seen it up close, it was obviously different. Yet that wasn’t it.

  Sam made a rude noise. “Arthur, if you can’t be quiet, then move away.”

  “I agree. Inciting the town without any proof is not helpful at all.” Nate stood in front of Arthur, his even voice at odds with a threatening stance.

  “As the mayor, I can go where I like and say what I want,” Arthur spluttered. “Those Finch girls are trouble, and we don’t need their kind in Cozy Hollow.”

  The crowd murmured, which could be construed as agreement, adding to Scarlett’s dismay.

  Olivia tried to get to her feet, but Sam put his hands firmly on her shoulders. “Wait for a few more minutes until you’re stronger.”

  “I don’t want the parade to be spoiled.” Olivia seemed genuinely upset.

  “No need to worry,” Sam told her in a soothing voice. “Most people aren’t aware of what happened, and they’ve followed it on down the street. Anyway, it’ll be finished very soon.”

  At another cry for help, Nate raced off. While they waited, Arthur seized his opportunity to explain to anyone who would listen about the Finch girls and their proclivity for poisoning the good folk of Cozy Hollow.

  Sam’s clenched his fists several times, but Scarlett put a hand on his arm to stop him from doing something he’d regret. In that same moment, appreciating that they were both powerless to stop the mayor and innocent or not, this charade would undoubtedly affect their business once more.

  Olivia’s color finally returned, which was good, but had she been poisoned as Arthur declared? It made no sense. Scarlett gazed around at the crowd, searching for anyone who might want to hurt them.

  There was the undeniable fact that Olivia was Arthur Tully’s biggest rival on the council, but was he capable of murder and framing Scarlett and her sisters? Would he try to kill Olivia because she disagreed with him?

  With the parade coming to its conclusion, more people headed to the stal
ls. Across the road, Violet had several customers waiting to be served. For a moment, the crowd thinned around her sister, and their eyes locked. Violet would understandably be worried.

  “I’m just going to reassure Violet that you’re okay, Olivia. I’ll be back soon.”

  “I’ll stay here. The diner can remain closed for a bit longer,” Daisy assured her.

  Olivia waved her hand. “You go. I’ll be on my feet as soon as our paramedic lets me up.”

  “When you’re ready, I’m taking you to the hospital,” Sam informed her.

  “I don’t need a hospital,” Olivia fussed.

  Sam had a very gentle manner most of the time. Apparently, he could be firm when pushed. “I’m afraid you do. We need to run some tests and find out what caused this.”

  “We all know what and who caused her poisoning!” The mayor returned and was still fired up.

  “I swear, if you don’t get away from my patient, I won’t be responsible for my actions, Arthur Tully!”

  Sam stood, looking furious. Arthur, obviously not the bravest of men, took half a dozen steps back.

  Olivia pouted. “I daresay it was a silly turn what with all the excitement of the parade.”

  “Maybe.” Sam helped Olivia to her feet. “Why not humor me and come to the hospital to make sure.”

  Scarlett was glad that Sam was insistent. “Since you’re such good hands and you have Daisy, I’ll get back to Violet and come by the hospital as soon as we pack up.” Without giving Olivia a chance to object, Scarlett kissed her aunt’s forehead and ran across the road.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Packaging up cupcakes for customers as fast as she could, Violet’s hands poised mid-air when Scarlett neared. Worry etched her face.

  “She’s okay,” Scarlett assured her when she was close enough. “Olivia thinks it was just a funny turn.”

  Violet raised an eyebrow. “I hope that’s all it was and nothing more serious. Naturally, Arthur’s spreading rumors,” she said quietly through a strained smile.

  Scarlett saw and heard Arthur over the heads of the crowd. Since he was so intent on making trouble for them, there was no choice—when they’d finished here, and as much as she loathed that kind of thing, she’d have to confront him. This criminal harassment had to stop, and she’d find out one way or another why he felt the need to do it.

  Daisy Archer was next in line, and she held out a bill. “I’ll have as many cupcakes as this will buy,” she shouted. Then a little quieter, “Sam’s taken Olivia to the hospital, and she suggested I buy your cupcakes to show we don’t believe Arthur.”

  “But you were going with Olivia?” Scarlett protested.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll get straight to the hospital after this. You know how determined your aunt is?”

  With relief, Scarlett filled a box. But as she handed it over, she noticed the people at the back were drifting away. For some, Arthur’s words had the required effect.

  “We’re having a buy one get one free sale,” Violet shouted. “Arthur is talking rubbish as usual!”

  Scarlett was shocked, yet it stalled a few who’d been sidling away. Some even snickered, and several came back to buy. It was more cupcakes than they might have otherwise sold, but all too soon, the stall was bereft of customers.

  After a while, she picked up a plastic container. “We may as well pack up. Even though I dislike the place, the good news is that we can get to the hospital and see Olivia.”

  “I agree. There’s no point in hanging around here, and I’d like to see for myself how she’s doing.” Violet pulled out more containers and gave Scarlett a forced smile. “It’ll be okay.”

  Scarlett shook her head, feeling depressed. “It’s not okay. Look at how many we have left. I was hoping, and I know you and Ruby were too, that we would have made a tidy profit today to make up for our recent losses. Instead, we’ll be lucky if we have enough to buy more supplies.”

  “Of course, we wanted that.” Eyes downcast, Violet paused in her packing. “It seems that anything to do with the café is a problem. I seriously wonder if all this angst is worth us hanging in here.”

  Scarlett felt the words like knives in her soul. It was one thing to be upset at the outcome today and what had happened lately, but this was different. Violet was merely voicing Scarlett’s deepest fear that her sisters were going to call time on the café. A concern she managed to keep at bay. Mostly

  “Are you saying that you’re ready to walk away without a fight?” The tone in her voice belonged to a desperate woman who didn’t want to hear the answer, and she swallowed hard.

  Violet hung her head. “It feels like that’s all we’ve been doing since we lost mom.”

  Scarlett sighed. “We’ve been fighting to keep our head above water—it’s true. What’s been happening the last few days is something new entirely, and it’s not our fault.”

  “Still, things do keep happening. All our plans backfire so that we never seem to take any steps forward.”

  Scarlett chewed her bottom lip for a moment. “I understand your frustration. I don’t want to live hand to mouth either, but we can’t let Arthur win.”

  Violet grimaced. “Is that the best argument you have?”

  “It’s the only one I can think of without getting emotional. This is not the time or place to get into everything, but I’ve decided to confront Arthur and ask him why he wants to hurt us. As soon as I can.”

  Violet clipped a lid on the nearest container with a snap. “The three of us do need to talk about things, but I guess that’s a start. Do you really think he’s going to tell you why he’s being such a pig?”

  Scarlett managed a small smile. “I won’t leave him be until he does.”

  “Good luck with that. You could be there all night,” Violet retorted.

  A shiver ran up Scarlett’s back at the thought of spending any amount of time with the mayor. All night would be asking too much of anyone, including herself. “At least I’ll be doing something.”

  “Unlike me, you mean?” Violet clipped on another lid with an overabundance of force, and the stack wobbled precariously.

  How could Scarlett turn this worsening conversation around? Gently she put a hand on Violet’s shoulder. “You know I didn’t mean anything by that, and I don’t want to argue with you.”

  Her sister’s lips turned down as she shrugged off Scarlett’s hand. “No, you want the world to run, according to Scarlett. Maybe we’re not capable of ever making things work out the way you want it to.”

  Did her sisters think so poorly of her? As Violet said, they would need to clear the air—just not here.

  She swallowed hard. “Are you okay to finish up? I’ll go find Arthur now, then come back and help you carry the cupcakes back to the shop.”

  Violet waved her away, and Scarlett left with a heavy heart. For Violet to hint more than once in just a few hours that they’d be better off if they sold the café, was telling. The thought of alienating her sisters took the desperation from keeping the café running to appreciating that she might end up alone if she didn’t fix things with them very soon.

  First, she would deal with the meddling mayor! Then they would make sure Olivia was okay. Finally, she would force herself to have the conversation that would probably change their world once and for all.

  Arthur was at the back of the parade, shaking hands with as many people as he could. From sideline supporters to the people riding on or driving the floats, he congratulated them on a beautiful parade. By her calculations, Scarlett couldn’t imagine that he’d witnessed much of it since his focus was on Olivia and Scarlett.

  Scarlett caught up with him when he reached the float that Ruby sat on. He helped her down the final step.

  “You look wonderful, Ruby. That was a great job you did out there,” he said loudly. “Just the way your mom always did.”

  Ruby flushed. “Thank you, Mayor.”

  “Now that it’s over, I wonder if I might have a word with
you?”

  He held onto Ruby’s arm for longer than necessary, and she pulled away. “I should get back to the stall.” Ruby looked nervously around her.

  Arthur couldn’t keep a measure of smugness from his voice. “No need to worry about that. People aren’t buying cupcakes today.”

  Ruby finally saw Scarlett, who was gesturing for her to keep him talking. Luckily, Ruby was excellent at charades.

  “That’s terrible news. Why do you think that is?” Ruby asked sweetly.

  “There’s been another poisoning,” he thundered. “Just like Mable’s.”

  There was no mistaking the horror in Ruby’s eyes, but college drama lessons also paid off when she clutched her chest, her voice carrying around the crowd of people.

  “How cruel of you to insinuate that our cupcakes are responsible, mayor. You know that Ms. Norris had a heart attack, just like you know our cupcakes have been cleared of any poison by the Sheriff.”

  Arthur was not to be outdone in the theatrics. “I say it as I see it. With another person sick after eating one of Scarlett’s cupcakes, it does point back to the café.”

  “Even when you know in your heart it’s wrong?” Scarlett spoke just as loudly and stood on tip-toes so she could be seen better. “The wrapper is different from the Cozy Café ones. Therefore, the cupcake Olivia ate was not ours, just like it wasn’t ours found at the scene at the library.”

  Seeing her, he paled. However, he wasn’t about to back down.

  “Some of that could be true, but the evidence is a cupcake. You make cupcakes,” Arthur growled.

  Luckily, Sam had arrived back from the hospital and pushed himself between Arthur and the sisters.

  “That’s quite enough. Without evidence, what you’re saying is malicious gossip.”

  “I agree,” Nate backed him up. “If you don’t stop what I can only term as harassment, I will put you behind bars for disturbing the peace.”

  If Arthur were a chicken, his feathers would definitely be ruffled, and he made a weird, almost clucking sound of disbelief. He glared at Scarlett and the men who flanked him.