by PJ Fernor
“Mrs. Mickels, I’m very busy,” I said. “Can we just be honest here. You reporting a murder without much to offer seems a little…”
“What?”
“You don’t want the parade on your street. You and Mayor Jim have a past. Now you’re here talking murder.”
“Has anyone gone to see where this is?” Ben asked.
“That’s why I’m here!” Mrs. Mickels yelled. She ran to Ben. “I know what I saw. A murder. An actual murder. I had to close my curtains, check the doors. I had to check the backdoor. Oh, I thought he was coming to get me.”
“It was a male?” I asked.
“I can’t be sure. I’m assuming.” Mrs. Mickels looked at me. “It could have been a woman. Or a man. Does that even matter?”
“To catch the murderer, yes, it does matter,” I said.
“So then go investigate.”
“What time was this at last night?” Ben asked.
Mrs. Mickels looked at him again. “Eleven. I had just put on the news. Then I saw it. Got so scared, I rushed upstairs and stayed there. Didn’t sleep at all.”
“Why didn’t you call for help?” Ben asked.
“She wanted to wait and talk to me,” I said.
“That’s right,” Mrs. Mickels said. “I go right to who I have to talk to. That’s how I work.”
Ben glanced at me.
I had a decision to make here…
Raccoons.
“I want to be very clear about something here, Mrs. Mickels. Please look at me while I speak.” She listened and looked at me. “I do not take my job lightly. I do not take any kind of call or threat lightly. The way things were done before me, they aren’t the same. I can tell you right now, think carefully. If I drive all the way over to your house and waste time… I’m going to be upset. If this is your way of trying to stop this parade, just tell me now. Get it out in the open and let’s move forward.”
Mrs. Mickels took a second to think.
Then she shook her head.
“I know what I saw,” she said. “I know what I saw and I have to make this right. That’s why I’m here.”
“Okay,” I said. “Now I’m going to go do my job. Remember what I said. I’ll be upset, Mrs. Mickels. If I’m upset… well, Detective Welloski can tell you what that’s like.”
“Very cold and exhausting,” Ben said.
* * *
“Then we all can feel the same,” Mrs. Mickels said. “That’s how I feel right now. It’s how I’ve felt for a while now too. Ever since the announcement of the parade.”
“So, this is about the parade,” I said.
“No,” she said. “I’m just making my point clear. Of how I feel right now. How I’ve been feeling.”
“Then let’s go,” I said. “I’ll have Officer Muldavey drive you home and-”
“He can,” Mrs. Mickels said, pointing to Ben.
I looked at Ben. “Okay then. She’s made her choice.”
Ben stared at me.
I caught myself almost wanting to smile at him.
His handsome looks and caring heart would always get him into trouble.
Being the professional he was, Ben nodded. “Okay, Mrs. Mickels, show me where this murder took place.”
Chapter Eleven
BEN
I had a list of places I’d rather be than going to Mrs. Mickels house. The list grew by the second. I knew Allie was under a lot of pressure. More than she normally felt just by her own doing. She was not just running the department. That in itself would have been a tough job. Allie was cleaning up after a mess that sat and grew for years. A mess that occurred right under my own nose too.
In a way, I too had taken advantage of the small-town cop thing. Never in a million years would I have believed what Laura did could have been done in our small town. How far her reach went. How close all of us came to meeting up with death and not even realizing it. I sometimes would catch myself thinking about being in that office with Laura. Conversations we had. Cases we worked on. How much she fit right into the general acceptance of the town.
All for nothing.
And without Allie coming back to town and being the person - and the detective - she was, Laura would still be behind that big desk.
It honestly was a lot to take in at once.
Add to that what life was like at home and it became hard to find a spare minute to think. Yet I knew it was part of my job to soak up every moment I could have with my father. In a way, I was able to grieve slowly and in small doses. I knew the ending to his story. It definitely wasn’t the kind of ending he wanted for his life. Walking around a house that wasn’t his, forgetting more by the day, and now reaching a point where he was scaring himself and those around him.
At least I had Allie at home. And Lo.
They kept me grounded. And they kept me busy.
My thoughts drifted away when I parked my car outside Mrs. Mickels’ house.
She had pulled into her driveway.
The first thing she did was jump out of her car, with the door open, and ran toward my car.
I hurried to get out of my car, fearing something was wrong.
My right hand was ready to be in position to get my gun.
“What is it?” I called out to her.
“Watch that curb!” Mrs. Mickels yelled. “If you hit that grass…”
I looked down. I sighed. “There’s plenty of room here, Mrs. Mickels. I will not damage your grass.”
“Good,” she said.
I took a deep breath and had to reach back into my car to get the keys out of the ignition.
I followed Mrs. Mickels up to her porch and into her house.
The smell of lemon and pine cleaning products hit my nose.
She kept her house very clean and very organized. In fact, her house looked like a museum for decor forty years prior.
“I’m sure you want to get right to work here,” Mrs. Mickels said. “Or else I would offer you some coffee, tea, even a beer.”
“I’m good but thank you,” I said. “Now tell me what’s happening. What you saw. When you saw it. Run me through it all again.”
“Fair enough,” she said. She pointed to a recliner where the cloth had faded from a rich, hunter green to an ugly, light green color from years of sitting. “I was sitting there, watching the television. I told you about the news and me looking out the window…”
“What window?” I asked. “And why were you looking?”
“That window there,” Mrs. Mickels said, pointing to the window behind the couch. “And I always look. I thought I heard a noise too. I have to keep an eye on my street. To keep it safe and protected.”
“Right,” I said. “Then what did you see.”
“I just… I just knew. I sensed it. I saw it…”
“Mrs. Mickels,” I said. “I need to know exactly what you saw.”
“Figures. Shapes. Okay? Then that sinking feeling went through me. I just… knew…”
“And you said it was right across the street?” I asked.
“Right across the street,” she said.
The only thing I saw across the street was the orange color of a pumpkin on the ground.
I walked to the front door and opened it.
“Where are you going?” Mrs. Mickels asked.
I looked back. “Across the street to look.”
“You have to be careful over there. It’s dangerous. Did you see the pumpkin?”
“I saw the pumpkin,” I said.
“Let me call someone to come help you,” she offered.
“I can do this on my own,” I said. “Just stay here.”
As I walked off the porch, Mrs. Mickels stood on the porch.
“This isn’t a joke,” she said.
I paused and turned. “I never said it was. What would you like me to do?”
“You can call in a team to look around,” she said. “They have those robots and stuff, right?”
“This is a small town, Mrs. M
ickels,” I said. “The only robots around here are the ones kids get from Santa on Christmas morning. And those robots are good at math and making noises. How much of those crime television shows do you watch?”
“Enough to make me alert to my surroundings,” she said. “I know what’s happening at all times. I’m alone. I have nobody to protect me. My husband used to do all of this. Now I have to. My life used to be easier. I used to be calmer. I used to feel… safer…”
Mrs. Mickels looked ready to cry.
My heart ached for the woman.
I backtracked my steps and joined her on the porch.
“Listen to me,” I said to her. “You are not alone. You can call the station or call for help anytime you feel you need it. I’m sorry for the way life has twisted and turned on you. But I need to know right now, is this all a hoax because of the mayor’s parade. This is just two people talking.”
“You’re a kind man,” Mrs. Mickels said. “I promise you, this has nothing to do with the parade. I’ll handle that situation when the time comes.”
“Please don’t say things like that to me,” I said. “I’m going to go across the street and check around.”
“Look in the pumpkin,” Mrs. Mickels said. “I just know what I feel.”
I went back down the porch steps, then went across the street.
There was some thick brush that gave way to thicker shrubs and eventually trees. To dig through there would be a pain in the you know what.
I looked around.
There weren’t signs of anything.
Other than the pumpkin on the ground.
A cliché pumpkin face cut out, the pumpkin tilted back a little, looking up at me, smiling.
My best guess at that point was someone put it there in the hopes of scaring Mrs. Mickels. In a small town like Sandemor, kids were always going to play pranks. And a target like Mrs. Mickels was just too easy to pass up.
I put my foot to the pumpkin and tilted it back to look under it.
There was nothing out of the ordinary.
Just to satisfy myself - and Mrs. Mickels - I reached down and took the carved top off the pumpkin.
I dropped the lid and jumped back into the street.
That morning’s breakfast jumped up from my stomach to the back of my throat.
I blinked fast to give my mind a second to process what I just saw.
A severed body part in the pumpkin.
Chapter Twelve
Mayor Jim looked at me. “Hope you don’t mind, Allie.”
“What? That you faked leaving and waited for Mrs. Mickels to leave so you could come back and bother me some more?”
“We have a lot to get organized,” he said. He held out his wrist. “Time is ticking. We’re closing in on Halloween.”
“I can read a calendar,” I said. “I know what you need. Believe it or not, there is also actual police work to do here. Files to go through. The mess from Laura… remember her?”
“Now you’re getting touchy,” Mayor Jim said. He clapped his hands together. “Hey, how about lunch? My treat? Let’s get out of here.”
“Your treat? You mean… my treat… my tax dollars paying for lunch.”
“Then you have no reason to say no.”
His eyes lit up and he had that perfect smile.
I shook my head.
I could see him going door to door, offering handshakes, hugs, and empty promises.
This parade had nothing to do with the town or what happened over the last year.
The parade was about Mayor Jim getting as much spotlight on him as possible.
I started to point at him, my head and heart fighting over what to say to him.
I wanted to tell him where to go. Hint, it was warm there.
I wanted to tell him where to stick his lunch offer. Hint, he could turn his head and look down to see.
Before I made a noise, my phone began to ring.
Ben just saved Mayor Jim from a well-earned verbal attack. And he saved me from making more of a mess than things already were.
“Ben,” I said as I answered the call. “You have no idea what-”
“Allie, get over here right now,” Ben said in a breathless voice.
I glanced at Mayor Jim.
I had to play it calm and cool.
“That I can do,” I said.
“Allie, this is bad,” Ben said. “Mrs. Mickels was right.”
My heart sank.
“Meaning…”
“Someone was murdered over here,” Ben said. “Get over here now.”
“On my way,” I said.
I ended the call and hurried around my desk.
“Lunch?” Mayor Jim asked.
“You need to leave,” I said.
“Is this about Mrs. Mickels?”
“Just please listen to me this one time, Jim…”
“I’m going with you. What is she up to this time?”
“I don’t think it’s smart of you to tag along,” I said.
I ripped open my office door and ran out.
As I hurried down the stairs and to the first floor of the station, I called out for Muldavey.
He appeared a second later.
“Mrs. Mickels house,” I yelled to him. “Follow me there. Right now.”
“I’m following too!” Mayor Jim said from behind me.
At that point I didn’t care what the mayor did. If he wanted to stick his nose into this, so be it.
I ran out of the station and got into my SUV and peeled out of the parking lot.
I thought about flipping the lights and siren but… small town…
Every flashing light and crying siren was another rumor to be told.
Anyone who saw me driving fast just figured I was annoyed. Which I usually was to begin with.
I arrived at Mrs. Mickels house to find Ben pacing along the side of his car that faced the street.
I stopped and put on my four-way lights.
“Ben,” I said as I got out.
“What is he doing here?” Ben asked.
I looked back and there was Mayor Jim climbing out of his fancy car, taking off his large-framed sunglasses.
“Mrs. Mickels,” he called out as he waved to her on the porch. “What brings us all here?”
“You’re not going to like it!” Mrs. Mickels called back.
“Ben, talk to me,” I said.
“Go look for yourself,” he said.
I crossed the street with Ben at my side.
“Hey, wait up!” Mayor Jim yelled.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Ben said. “You don’t need to see this.”
“See what? That pumpkin right there?” Mayor Jim asked. “Is it a haunted pumpkin?”
“Back off, Jim,” I called out.
I saw the pumpkin on the side of the road.
“Allie,” Ben said, touching my hand. “Be careful…”
“Of what?” I asked.
I crouched down and began to lean over the pumpkin.
I quickly turned my head when I saw the severed foot.
When I looked up at Ben, his jaw was tight.
“She wasn’t kidding,” I said.
“No,” Ben said. “I haven’t started looking for the rest of her.”
Her.
I glanced back down.
The toenails were skinny, medium length, painted a dark orange color.
It was safe to assume it was a female’s foot.
“What’s in there?” Mayor Jim asked.
I pointed to him. “Stay back. This is officially a crime scene. A homicide…”
“Homicide?” Mayor Jim asked. “The case of the carved pumpkin or what?”
He continued to step forward.
Until he finally peered over the side of the pumpkin.
He let out a gasp and screech sound.
His arms flared out and he stumbled back like someone threw a snowball at his face.
“You didn’t listen,” Ben said.
“What.. is that?” Mayor Jim asked.
I stood up. “It’s a woman’s foot, Jim. A severed foot. In a pumpkin.”
“That can’t be real,” he said. “That’s a joke. A rubber foot. From a novelty store.”
“If that helps you sleep tonight, you can believe that,” Ben said.
Mayor Jim looked at me. He blinked fast, waiting for me to give an answer.
“You saw it,” I said. “That’s not a fake foot. The texture, the smell…”
Mayor Jim grabbed his stomach and began to curl forward. “Stop. I’m going to throw up.”
“Go back to your car and leave,” I said. “You do not belong here right now, Jim.”
“Allie,” he said. He swallowed hard. “Where’s the rest of her?”
I put my hands to my hips. “Looks like my day just got a whole lot busier, huh?”
Chapter Thirteen
I welcomed a small sense of calm in the current chaos and what was going to be even more chaos. The idea of a severed human foot in a pumpkin just seemed…
It took me back to a previous case where a killer had been cutting off victims’ hands. This wasn’t the same case or killer though. I knew that for sure.
This was…
“Allie.”
I turned my head and saw Mayor Jim’s face.
Still pale. His eyes sickly.
“I shouldn’t have looked,” he finally admitted.
“You shouldn’t have looked,” I said. “Now I need you to step away and stay away. I need to figure out exactly what’s going on here.”
For the first time ever, I watched Mayor Jim begin to concede.
He turned and almost stumbled back to his car as though he were drunk.
I then looked at Ben.
“If anything, maybe that’ll shut him up,” Ben said.
“Not for long,” I said. “I know where this is going to end up next.”
“He did have one small valid point. About the rest of this poor woman…”
I turned and pointed at Muldavey.
He ran across the street, ready to take orders.
Another reason I liked Muldavey so much.
He listened. And he was always ready.
“We’ve got a mess here,” I said to him.
“I heard.”