Death of a Wicked Witch

by Lee Hollis

  My second clue was when Mona and her dad arrived to pick me up for the party. I wouldn’t fit in the cab of the truck, even with Mona pushing me from inside and her father, Sid, outside throwing his shoulder into the dinosaur’s inflated butt. So that’s how I wound up sitting in the flatbed, bouncing around while we drove to the party.

  After we finally arrived at Beth Sanborn’s house, I thanked my lucky stars no one was outside to see Mona and her dad roll me out of the back and struggle to get me in an upright position. Sid wiped the sweat from his forehead from the effort and told us to have fun before jumping back in his truck and speeding away, promising to be back to pick us up by eleven.

  Once we were inside, I needed Mona to guide me since I couldn’t see where I was going. I could hear the party in full swing, but couldn’t see much unless I stood up on my tippy-toes. I managed to get a partial view of the room and immediately spotted all those adoring girls who had their eyes on Calvin in various sexy Halloween costumes. One was a vintage ’80s Madonna from Desperately Seeking Susan, another a sexy cheerleader, a sexy nurse, a sexy witch. No matter what they came as, they made sure it was sexy! There was no way I could sell the idea that I was a sexy dinosaur, that was for sure!

  I finally saw Calvin, dressed as some kind of explorer, sitting across the room on a couch chatting up a very beautiful foreign exchange student who was dressed as sexy Jasmine from Aladdin. I was devastated. In my mind, it looked like world adventurer Calvin was definitely exploring her!

  I decided in that moment that my best course of action was to just retreat. Unfortunately before I could, someone bumped into me from behind and I lost my balance in the bulky blow-up costume and down I went! I yelled as I fell, which of course drew the attention of all the party guests, and I bounced—yes, bounced—before landing on my back, dinosaur arms and legs flailing in the air!

  As if that wasn’t humiliating enough, Calvin, along with four other guys, rushed over to hoist me up off the ground. It took three tries, but they managed to get me on my feet where I could steady myself.

  I had pretty much had enough. I ran out of there, knocking over two lamps and breaking a vase before I squeezed out the front door and called my mother to come pick me up early. As I waited for her on the front lawn, I was totally deflated, both literally and figuratively, because I stepped on a sharp rock that tore a hole in the costume and let all the air out.

  When we got home, Mom made me one of her club sandwiches (along with some tasty hot chocolate), which did the trick and managed to calm down my hysterics. And that’s how the club sandwich cure for the blues began.

  The story did have a happy ending. The next day in English class, Calvin told me he thought my dinosaur costume was, in his words, “awesome” and he invited me over to watch an old movie he had on VHS called The Land That Time Forgot, which, you guessed it, featured dinosaurs! I forgot what the movie was about but I will always remember the time Calvin first kissed me while we were watching it.

  ADULT HOT CHOCOLATE

  INGREDIENTS

  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

  2 cups milk (whatever you like to use)

  3½ ounces Godiva chocolate liqueur

  3 ounces whipped cream vodka

  Whipped cream and chocolate syrup for garnish

  In a saucepan on medium heat add the chocolate chips.

  As they start to melt add your milk, whisking until it is melted and smooth.

  Bring the chocolate and milk to a low boil, stirring often, and add the vanilla, chocolate liqueur, and vodka. Cook together for about a minute.

  Pour your mixture into mugs and garnish with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. You will love this yummy treat!

  SHEILA’S CLASSIC CLUB SANDWICH

  INGREDIENTS

  4 slices cooked bacon (You can use less, but you

  know how I love my bacon!)

  3 ounces thinly sliced deli ham

  3 ounces thinly sliced deli turkey

  3 slices whole wheat bread

  Lettuce

  Tomato slices

  2 tablespoons mayonnaise or more to taste

  1 slice Colby Jack cheese

  Salt and pepper to taste

  First, toast your bread and set your 3 slices to the side.

  Spread your mayonnaise on all three slices.

  Add your lettuce and tomato to bottom slice. Add some salt and pepper. Take the second piece of toast and place mayonnaise-side down on lettuce and tomato.

  Spread more mayonnaise on dry side of toast, then add your meats and cheese.

  Add your last piece of toast mayonnaise-side down on top of cheese and meats, then cut into triangles using toothpicks to hold everything together. Place on a plate and enjoy because there is nothing better than a classic club sandwich.

  Chapter 38

  Hayley stood at the checkout counter in the drugstore as the clerk behind the register rang up her items. She was drained and dead tired after the attempted break-in at the motel in Portland. Not only did she and Gemma drive straight home behind Bruce and Conner in the middle of the night so they could feel safe sleeping in their own beds, but Hayley had put in a full work day at the office. Now as the time crept toward six o’clock in the evening, and she still had to make dinner before she could plop facedown in bed for a proper night’s sleep, Hayley had swung by the drugstore to restock on some toothpaste, paper towels, trash bags, and a few other household necessities that she was running low on at the house.

  Jenny—the hefty, apple-cheeked girl whose light blue store uniform was two sizes too small for her, the sleeves so tight they threatened to cut off blood circulation to her arms—tapped the keys on the register as Hayley provided a reusable bag to pack up her purchases.

  “That’ll be twenty-six dollars and forty-nine cents, Hayley,” Jenny said, bored, checking her watch to see how much time was left on her shift.

  Hayley inserted her card in the machine, typed in her phone number for her rewards points, and waited for the transaction to be complete.

  Jenny suddenly remembered something. “Oh, by the way, and I’m sorry because the manager is making me say this to everyone, all our Halloween costumes are half price so you might want to think about picking one up now and not wait until next year when the prices will be much higher.”

  “I can never think that far ahead, Jenny. I don’t even know what I’m making for dinner tonight,” Hayley said, laughing.

  “I understand. Like I said, the manager wants me to really push the leftover costumes.”

  “I’m curious, what was your biggest seller this year?”

  “Well, obviously we always sell a lot of witches because of the Garber shindig every year, although I’m not sure about next year given what happened at the party this year.”

  Hayley nodded solemnly.

  Jenny grimaced briefly, but then quickly moved on. “Superheroes always do well. Any Avenger or Justice League character. We sold a lot of Wonder Woman and Spider-Man costumes this year. And of course, the scary characters are perennial favorites. Freddy Krueger, the crazy clown from those It movies, the killer dolls like Chucky and Annabelle. Lord, those really creep me out.”

  “I hear you,” Hayley said, shuddering. “And I know you sold at least one Michael Myers because I was with Mark Garber when he bought it.”

  “That’s right. We only had two in stock and he bought both of them,” Jenny said as she ripped off the receipt and handed it to Hayley.

  Hayley was knocked back on her heels. “What do you mean he bought both of them?”

  “I remember about a half hour after you two were in here buying the one mask, he came back and they picked up the other one.”

  Hayley remembered that when they were perusing all the Halloween costumes in the drugstore and she had suggested Mark go to the ball as Michael Myers, there were two masks on the shelf for sale. He was going to buy both to make sure no one could show up to his party in the s
ame costume, but she had discouraged him and they had left the store after just buying the one.

  “Jenny, you said ‘they picked up the other one.’ Was Mark with his wife, Mary?”

  Jenny shook her head. “No, he was with Ethan Dudley.”

  “Ethan Dudley?”

  “You know, the kid who works in the ticket booth at the Criterion Theatre across the street?”

  “Yes, I know Ethan. But I didn’t know he and Mark were friends.”

  Jenny shrugged. “I guess so.”

  The clerk was not nearly as interested in this development as Hayley was. But Hayley knew this new information was a game changer because Mark Garber’s airtight alibi on the night of the Witches Ball was suddenly on shaky ground.

  “Thanks, Jenny,” Hayley said, snatching her bag before racing out of the drugstore. She swiveled her head in both directions to check for oncoming traffic and then bolted across the street to the Criterion Theatre. The lights on the historical landmark’s marquee flashed brightly as a few people lined up to buy tickets for the seven o’clock showing of Double Indemnity starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, part of a series of Hollywood classics presented every week.

  Hayley waited patiently to reach the head of the line and, as she had hoped, behind the ticket booth’s glass window was Ethan Dudley, a self-conscious, fidgety young man in his early twenties who quite notably was about the same height and weight as Mark Garber.

  “Hi, Ethan, I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Hayley, I work at the Island Times and I’m friends with your parents.”

  “Yeah, my mom likes your recipes. She made your slow-cooker Cuban sandwiches for our Sunday family dinner a couple of weeks ago and they were awesome.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Would you like to buy a ticket for the show?”

  “Uh, no, I just have a couple of questions I’d like to ask you.”

  “Okay,” Ethan said warily, glancing to see if anyone was waiting in line behind her.

  Luckily there was no one.

  “Did you attend the Witches Ball at the Garber house this year?” Hayley asked.

  Ethan hesitated, his eyes darting back and forth.

  “It’s a simple yes-or-no question, Ethan.”

  “Yes... ?”

  “And did you dress up in a Halloween costume?”

  “Didn’t everybody?”

  “Did you go as Michael Myers?”

  “Is that the guy from all those Halloween movies?”

  Hayley nodded. “Yes, that’s him.”

  Ethan hesitated again, not sure where this was going, wondering if he should just keep his mouth shut, but Hayley was on a mission and she was not about to give up until she got what she wanted out of him.

  “Did someone help you pick out your costume?” Hayley asked.

  An elderly man suddenly appeared behind Hayley, clearing his throat as he checked his watch to make sure the movie had not started yet.

  “I’m sorry, I have to get back to work, Mrs. Powell,” Ethan said.

  Hayley stepped out of the way so Ethan could sell a ticket to the old man, but the moment the man sauntered into the theater, she was back in front of Ethan, her face almost pressed up against the glass, confronting him. “Was it Mark Garber? Did he suggest you go to the ball as Michael Myers?”

  Wanting this third degree to be over, Ethan nodded slightly, but didn’t elaborate any further.

  “Did he pay you to go to the Witches Ball as Michael Myers?”

  “Am I in some kind of trouble here?” Ethan asked, his voice wobbly, an uneasy look on his face.

  “No, not at all. I just need to know the truth. Please, Ethan, it’s important.”

  “Yeah, he paid me. I barely make minimum wage here. And I’m saving to buy a new Harley.”

  “Did you ever ask why he was willing to pay you to wear the same costume as him at the party?”

  “It was two hundred dollars. I didn’t care to ask any questions.”

  He had a point.

  Hayley sighed. “Thank you, Ethan.”

  He stared at her, unsettled, as she dashed off.

  It was all becoming crystal clear now.

  If Ethan Dudley was walking around the Garbers’ party wearing a Michael Myers mask, then everyone there would have assumed he was Mark, which would have allowed Mark to sneak out unnoticed if he wanted to kill Trudy!

  Chapter 39

  By the time Hayley reached her car, which was parked in front of the drugstore across the street from the Criterion Theatre, she was already on the phone with Sergio.

  “Slow down, Hayley,” Sergio said with an exasperated tone. “You know English is my second language.”

  “I’m sorry, but it’s Mark Garber! He did it! He killed Trudy!”

  “Yes, I got all your phone messages last night when you called me from Portland,” Sergio said calmly.

  “But now I know how he did it! His alibi is collapsing like a house of cards in a stiff wind!”

  Hayley briefly recounted all the information she had gathered that pointed the finger at Mark Garber.

  “The thing is, Hayley, I went over to his house last night after I got your messages, and Mary said he hadn’t come home from work yet. And today, she told me he had to go out of town on business. I just haven’t been able to track him down yet.”

  Hayley was in the driver’s seat with the engine running. She gripped the steering wheel with one hand as she held the phone up with the other. “Mary may have tipped him off that you were looking for him and he fled town. If he’s on the run, you may never catch him.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll find him,” Sergio assured her. “He could just be hiding out somewhere locally, figuring out his next move.”

  “What should we do now?” Hayley asked.

  “You don’t do anything. This is a police matter. I’m going to head back over to the Garber house and press Mary some more, confront her with this new information and find out how much she knows. Maybe she’ll slip and give me a clue to his whereabouts. You go home. I will call you as soon as I can.” Sergio ended the call.

  Hayley took a deep breath, dropped her phone in the cup holder next to her, and clenched both fists around the steering wheel. Sergio was right. She had taken this about as far as she possibly could. Her job was done. She had given Sergio everything he needed to arrest Mark Garber for Trudy’s murder.

  Now it was a matter of waiting.

  She reached down and picked up her phone again and called Bruce, but it went directly to voicemail. Bruce had a habit of turning off his phone when he was in the middle of writing one of his crime columns. She assumed she would just see him at home when he finally finished. Conner had called his theater director in New York after they had arrived home from Portland earlier that morning, and begged him to give him an extra day in Maine before he was to report for rehearsals. After getting an earful about professionalism, the director, who luckily was still determined to see Conner in the role, reluctantly relented and agreed he could be late one day. Conner had rebooked his flight again and was now scheduled to return the following afternoon. So he and Gemma had driven up to Ellsworth to do a little shopping.

  Hayley had received a text earlier from Gemma telling her they would be home by seven thirty. It was almost six thirty now so that left her an hour to whip up something for supper. Hayley stopped at the Shop ’n Save, picked up a package of pasta and some fresh tomatoes and tomato paste for a simple marinara sauce she could quickly prepare with spices she had at home, and drove straight to the house.

  When she entered through the back door with her bag of groceries, the house was eerily quiet. She found it odd that Leroy wasn’t waiting for her by the door since he could always hear her car pull into the driveway from anywhere in the house. She bent down and pulled out a pot from the bottom cupboard, filled it with water, and set it on the stovetop, cranking the heat up to high. Then she pulled some oregano, salt, pepper, and parsley from the spice rack a
nd went to the refrigerator for her jar of minced garlic. She was cranking the tomato paste open with a can opener when she stopped suddenly, hearing a faint scratching sound.

  She looked around, perplexed, but the scratching soon stopped. She resumed opening the can of paste and dumping it into her food processor when the scratching started up again.

  This time it was accompanied by soft whimpering.

  She certainly recognized that sound.

  “Leroy?”

  Her eyes flew to the door to the basement.

  The scratching and whimpering were coming from the other side of the door.

  “What the—?”

  Hayley was confused.

  Who locked her dog in the basement?

  She crossed the kitchen and tried to open the door to the basement but it was locked. She turned to the ceramic bowl on the kitchen counter where she kept all the keys, but instantly noticed that the key to the basement was gone.

  “Looking for this?” a man’s voice asked.

  Hayley jumped back, startled, and whipped around to see Mark Garber standing in the doorway to the dining room where he had been hiding, the key to the basement dangling from one hand while he gripped a small pistol with the other.

  “Mark... ?”

  “Looks like I beat you home. With just a few seconds to spare. I barely had time to toss that flea-infested mongrel down the stairs into the basement and shut the door before you pulled into the driveway,” Mark sneered.

  “My dog does not have fleas,” Hayley seethed.

  “I bet you’re wondering why I’m here.”

  “The thought had crossed my mind.”

  “Ethan texted me the second you left him and told me everything. You should have paid him something. He would have been more loyal. With me, he knows I’ll keep shelling out cash until he’s riding atop that big, beautiful, brand-new Harley Davidson,” Mark said with a crooked smile.