Deadly Sweet Tooth

by Kaye George

  Nancy Holt was sitting on the side of the unmade bed. She’d obviously been in it for at least part of the day. Tally sat beside her.

  “What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

  “No, she’s not in pain.” Again, Bob Holt answered for his wife.

  “I’m not asking you, Dad!” Tally gave him a pointed, exasperated look. “Mom?” Tally took her mother’s hand and gently massaged the back of it. She realized, as she hadn’t before, that her mother was getting older. The veins in her hand stood out and her skin was more wrinkled than Tally remembered. When had she last taken a good look at her? She did so now and saw an attractive, thin woman who seemed afraid.

  “The detective,” Nancy finally said, “wants to talk to me.”

  “Well, sure,” Tally said. “He wants to talk to everyone.”

  “No, he suspects me.” Nancy reached for a tissue on the bedside table and dabbed at her eyes. Her face looked naked without the full complement of makeup she usually wore.

  “I’m sure he doesn’t. He’s talking to every—”

  “He does! He has to. Everyone heard me arguing with Fran, threatening her.”

  “You didn’t threaten to kill her!”

  “I threatened to ruin her in this town. I think those were my exact words.”

  Bob spoke. “Don’t you think that’s a leap? From ruining a reputation to killing a person?”

  “That’s the best way to get rid of horrible people,” Nancy said. “People who lie about you.”

  Tally thought her mother was being hysterical, but she wasn’t going to tell her that. She was still sick. Maybe that’s why she was overreacting. On the other hand, Tally thought that the dustup between the women might give her father a good motive in the eyes of the law. He adored his wife. Tally had seen him warn people off when they were not treating her well. She had even seen him even attack a man once.

  It was a few years ago, when Tally and Cole were still touring with them, doing their brother-sister act on stage. They tap-danced, rudimentary steps—Tally never did manage to master the art, though Cole wasn’t bad, and sang a duet—“You Are My Sunshine” with a simple two-part harmony in old-fashioned matching costumes, resembling the kids from Our Gang. At one show that stuck in Tally’s mind, a man in the front row booed and called out insults during their act. Tally and Cole both left the stage in tears.

  “That man said I was stupid,” Tally wailed. “And ugly.”

  Cole was sniffling, too, though not complaining as much as his sister.

  Her mother held her small daughter and stroked her head, done up in tight curls at the time, and Tally was soon soothed. Her father patted Cole’s shoulder and told them to ignore the heckler, that there would be others at other shows and that they had to get used to it. And anyway, he was drunk, their dad said. She wondered if that was what their mother would call a “lame excuse.” Tally couldn’t remember seeing anyone as nasty as that before, and they’d been touring for a long time.

  Anyway, the next piece that night was a dramatic reading from a scene in Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Their mother dressed in a simple white slip, played Maggie, and their father wore a bathrobe to play Brick, using a cane to hobble around the stage. Tally always thought they did a magnificent job, playing the scene vividly without any props or background. They talked about the family and their troubles and the scene ended with Nancy, as Maggie, crying that she was living with someone who didn’t love her and it had turned her into a cat on a hot tin roof. The piece usually brought thunderous applause, but this time the audience could barely hear the lines over the clamor of the drunken man, telling them to put their clothes on and grow up, and get over…something…Tally forgot what. He was especially vicious about Nancy/Maggie, yelling out that no wonder Brick didn’t love her, she was so ugly.

  Tally and Cole were, as always, watching from the wings. They were shocked when their dad jumped off the stage, balled up his fists, and started punching the drunk heckler.

  From then on, Tally knew that her dad’s breaking point was her mother. He wouldn’t tolerate anyone insulting her.

  And Fran had certainly insulted her.

  Chapter 9

  Tally shook her head to clear the bad childhood memory from her mind and returned to Tuesday evening in her parents’ room at the Sunday House Inn and Suites.

  “Did you like the things I sent you?” she asked her mom.

  “Things you sent me? Oh, you mean the Clark Bars and fudge? Yes, I ate some.” Nancy turned her head and looked straight at her daughter, her tears and trembling stopped for now. “You know, you’re very good at this. Those things you make are delicious.”

  “Well…thanks, Mom.” Tally broke out beaming. Maybe her parents were beginning to accept her career choice. She often thought they never would. They seemed to want her and her brother to remain in the past, on the stage with them.

  “Yes, I did like them. In fact, I didn’t finish that second Clark Bar. Is it still here, Bob?”

  Tally’s dad nodded and produced it from a dresser drawer, half-eaten and wrapped in a napkin. The chocolate fragrance made Nancy Holt’s face light up.

  “I think I’d like to finish it now,” she said, reaching for it.

  “Chocolate always makes me feel better,” Tally said, approving of her mother’s actions. Maybe now she would stop crying about and dwelling upon her upcoming interview with the detective. She wanted to ask her mother when she was going to the police station, but didn’t want to bring up the subject again.

  As she left, about half an hour later, she pulled her father halfway out the door and asked him.

  “Tomorrow morning,” he said. “She’s supposed to be there at ten.”

  Ten o’clock was when her shop opened. She wished it were earlier so she could go with them. “Tell me what happens as soon as you can, okay?” If she didn’t have brand-new employees, she could maybe have entrusted the shop to them.

  “Love you, punkin pie.” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, just as he had always done when she was a child, about to go onto the stage.

  She left before he could see her tears.

  * * * *

  The next morning, Tally’s mind was on her parents, on her father’s possible shady past—tied up with a convicted criminal—and on her mother’s interview at the police station as she flipped her Open sign and made sure the door was unlocked. She decided to carry her cell phone in the pocket of her smock and even turned the volume up all the way to the loud end of the bar, something she didn’t usually do while working. If her father called, she didn’t want to miss it.

  Lily called early to say she had to be at the police station for questioning. When she got in, soon after opening, Tally asked her how it went.

  “Okay. They just asked me where I was and what I was doing at the reception. They don’t think I killed Fran. At least, I hope they don’t. They let me go. That’s good, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” Tally had to grin. “That’s very good. Did you see my parents there? They were supposed to go in at ten.”

  “No, they weren’t there when I left.”

  Tally decided she would wait for one of them to call her. She had gotten some of the merchandise out, but hadn’t finished. Lily got right to work and helped get the rest of the treats from the refrigerator and arranged them in the display case. At 10:45, Greer still hadn’t shown up. Tally decided she was fresh out of patience and phoned Molly to come in. Molly hemmed and hawed a bit, but said she could get there by noon.

  Greer showed up as soon as Tally finished the call to Molly. A cloud of pungent, fruity smoke accompanied her. Tally swatted the sweet, rotten odor away from her own face and motioned for Greer to come into the kitchen.

  “Have a seat,” Tally said, in case Greer would need to be sitting to get the news she was about to deliver.

 
The young woman climbed onto the stool at the work counter, giving Tally a smile. “I can explain why I’m late.”

  “You don’t need to,” Tally said, feeling like the Wicked Witch of the West. She looked Greer in the eye, then looked away. “I won’t need you here after all. I can’t use someone who isn’t dependable.”

  Greer’s mouth gaped wide open for several seconds, then she recovered herself. “I’m dependable! I told you I can explain!”

  “Please keep your voice down. There are customers in the store.”

  “I guess Yolanda was wrong. She told me you are one of her best friends and that you are a good person.” Greer hopped off the stool and stood inches from Tally. Her breath smelled rank from whatever she had been smoking just before she came in. “I can do this job. Don’t fire me or…”

  “Or?” Tally asked, backing away. “Do you know how bad you smell? You can’t work here selling things to eat with that cloud of cigarette smoke.”

  “It’s not cigarettes. It’s e-cigarettes. They don’t smell.” She shoved her face in Tally’s, disproving her words.

  “Greer, I’m not going to quibble. I hired you on probation and it didn’t work out.”

  They stood toe to toe for a moment. Tally was determined not to back away again. Greer finally gave in, spun, and stomped out through the customers. Tally watched her go, relieved that she didn’t make a scene in the salesroom.

  Greer didn’t disappear right away, though. After phoning or texting someone, she hung around in front of the store for five or ten minutes. Then a man drove up in an old green beat-up pickup. Greer climbed in as Tally ducked to try to see what he looked like, but only got the impression of a silhouette—a man wearing a gimme cap.

  Soon after that, she realized she should pay Greer for the few hours she had worked. She’d paid everyone for the reception, but not yet for any of their work afterward in the shop.

  Molly, as promised, came in at noon and got to work beside Lily. The customers were coming in waves. First a crowd, then one or two by themselves, then another crowd.

  Tally kept an eye on both of her new hires. She considered they were on probation, also, but she’d decided to keep Lily a long time ago. Her mind wasn’t made up about Molly yet. At one point Tally sent her to the kitchen to get more wares. The fudge was selling well today and getting low. When Molly didn’t return, Tally went looking for her. She had dumped a batch of Truffle Fudge on the kitchen floor and was trying to put the pieces back on one of the trays used to bring things to the front.

  “Molly, what are you doing?”

  She looked up from where she knelt, scooping up the pieces. “They won’t be able to tell. It didn’t get smushed.”

  “No! We can’t sell those. What are you thinking? You go out front. I’ll get something to fill the empty space.”

  Molly gave her boss an exasperated look as she passed her. Tally didn’t appreciate that one bit.

  She busied herself selecting some more goodies and arranging the case in the front, keeping her eye on Molly.

  She had another eye on the clock. It was well after noon. Why hadn’t she heard from her father about the questioning at ten o’clock? They had to have been at the police station for hours. She tried calling him twice, but he didn’t answer. She wasn’t going to call her mother. If she wasn’t in a better state of mind than she had been last night, Tally wouldn’t be able to speak to her on the phone. She would want to dash over to her, wherever she was.

  A fleeting image of her mother behind bars flitted through her mind and she shooed it out and looked around the shop.

  Lily was ringing up a nice, big sale. Molly was nearby with a potential buyer who was looking at the Mallomars. Molly leaned in close to the customer and probably thought she was speaking more quietly than she was.

  Tally was horrified when she heard Molly tell the man that she didn’t think the Mallomars were very good. “The recipe doesn’t use enough chocolate,” she whispered. “It should be thicker.”

  The man gave her a surprised look.

  “And I don’t know why they cost this much. The ingredients are pretty cheap.”

  He frowned at Molly and walked out of the store.

  Tally closed the short distance between them in two seconds. “You need to straighten up,” Tally said. “That was awful. You should know better than that.”

  Molly looked just as amazed as Greer had. “Why? What did I do? I’ve been selling things to people. I can’t help it if every single person doesn’t buy stuff.”

  “You don’t use the word ‘cheap’ to describe products you’re trying to sell. You don’t tell the customer that our candies don’t taste very good. And you don’t sell dirty fudge that you’ve dropped on the floor.”

  Tally could read the guilt on her face, knowing she’d been overheard.

  She couldn’t get rid of both of them, Greer and Molly. That would leave her too shorthanded. She would have to give Molly another chance. She couldn’t run the shop with only her and Lily and didn’t have time to look for someone else.

  Tally told Molly to come back the next day. “Just hang your smock on the hook and please leave out the back.”

  Molly threw her smock in the direction of the hook, but did return and pick it up after it landed on the floor. She didn’t look back as she left.

  Tally felt a queasiness overcome her insides and told Lily she needed to go to her office for a minute.

  “Don’t take too long. We’ll probably get busy as soon as you leave,” Lily said. Tally knew she was right.

  Tally plopped into her desk chair, closed her eyes, and did some deep breathing to calm her jangled nerves. To her utter surprise, it worked.

  When she opened her eyes, her hands were steady and she realized she was relieved to be rid of both Molly and Greer for the afternoon. While she was at her desk, she might as well see if she could quickly figure out how much she owed all of them and get checks ready to mail. She had been keeping records, so it was a matter of a couple of minutes to figure the tax and make out the checks. Then she pulled their files to get the addresses.

  All the files had their applications and the ID copies she had made. She pulled the sheets out with the photocopies of their driver’s licenses. After she wrote Greer’s address on an envelope, she glanced again at her application sheet.

  Her phone picked that moment to go off. It was Allen. Tally quickly answered the call. “Yeah? Allen?”

  “Yes, I’m Allen. You sound—”

  “I’m in the middle of something. I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you later.”

  She put her phone down and returned to the papers. Something didn’t look right. Tally set the sheets side by side. The picture on Molly’s driver’s license was clear, as was Lily’s, but the one on Greer’s was blurry. She put Molly’s and Greer’s sheets on top of the other, turned on her bright desk lamp, and held them up to it. The fonts were different.

  Tally fell back into her chair. One of them was fake. She could hear people coming in, ringing the door chime, and more than a few voices in the salesroom. Maybe Yolanda or Cole could look at these and tell what was what. She shoved everything into her middle drawer, locked it, and hurried to help Lily.

  * * * *

  At last, it was time to close. Tally flipped the sign, leaned on the door, then sank against it all the way to the floor.

  “Tally?” Lily, removing trays of candies and sweets to put into the refrigerator, shot her a look of concern.

  “It was a hard day, don’t you think? Well, maybe harder for me. I feel awful that I had to fire Greer.”

  “I’ll tell you, I’m glad you did. Neither one of those women is easy to work with.”

  “Thank you, Lily. That makes me feel a little better. I want to give Molly another chance, though. I think she could work out, after I’ve laid down the law today.�
�� She shoved herself off the door and went to help Lily close up.

  As she was finishing the wipe down in the kitchen, Tally knocked two baking pans onto the floor. They had been washed and were drying on the countertop.

  The clatter made both women jump. Lily picked them up and plunged them into the sink to rewash.

  Tally thanked her. “I’m so clumsy today.”

  “You’re right. You dropped that roll of quarters all over the floor earlier.”

  Tally had been refilling the till and had been all thumbs.

  “You’ll be better tomorrow,” Lily said, reassuring her.

  “I’m not sure I will be.” Tally stopped what she was doing to face Lily. “I probably should tell you this. Both of my parents are, as near as I can tell, prime suspects for the murder of Fran.”

  “What? That’s crazy. They don’t even live here.”

  “They’ve all three known each other for a long time. All four, counting Fran’s husband.”

  “But how about the people working in the theater now? They are with her every day. I’ve worked with her, too, so I know. Lots of them are happy to have her out of the way.”

  Tally remembered that Lily was a dancer at the theater when they did an occasional musical. “What do you know about them? The theater people?”

  “Plenty. And I’ve told the detective, too.”

  “You have?” If Lily had mentioned other people, why was Jackson picking on her parents? “Who are they? Which ones?”

  “At least a couple. For instance, Ionia. She’s been on the outs with Fran for the last few years. I can’t blame her for feeling that she should be the director. I’d like her to be the director, too. Probably most people would. She’s easy to work with. But Ionia told me—and I know she’s told other people—that Fran says she writes her songs, when everyone knows she doesn’t. Ionia says Fran steals other people’s music and cheats the script rental places. I think that’s awful. And Shiny Peth? She could have done it.”

  “Yes, I noticed at the reception the way she hung on Lennie. Why would she kill Fran, though? She seemed to be monopolizing Fran’s husband just fine while Fran was alive.”