Confectionately Dead

by Kathleen Suzette

  “I feel the same way,” I said. “At first he was so sure she had an accident, and then this story about Harper. Why not say he thought it was Harper, to begin with?”

  Christy nodded her head. “I think he did it. He’s resentful of Ellie’s interference on the wedding and probably a lot of other things. In-laws that insist you do things their way don’t just insist on doing one thing their way. They’re control freaks and they do everything they can to make your life miserable.”

  I glanced at her. She may have been projecting her own mother-in-law troubles onto Charlie, but his story still didn’t add up. It made me think he was trying to cover up the truth.

  Chapter Eight

  “Hi Carrie,” I said when Christy and I walked in the door of the candy shop. Carrie had switched shifts with me when I called her earlier so I could go and talk to Charlie O’Rourke at the car lot.

  “Hi Mia and Christy, it’s been busy in here!” She laughed and finished with the customer she was waiting on at the counter.

  I went behind the counter and got out a green apron and slipped it over my head, tying it around my waist. “Good. I’m glad it’s busy for Christmas. Things will pick up even more in the next three weeks.” I had created a website for the candy store, and we were now selling candy online. We had had a surprising number of sales with very little advertising and that was heartening. As much as I hated for Christy’s marriage to be on the rocks, we needed her to help out with packing and shipping candy orders.

  “Hey Mom,“ I said when I went into the kitchen to see how she was doing. “How are things going back here? Do you need some help?”

  She looked up at me as she mixed a fresh batch of fudge. Her short brown hair was in a hairnet and there was something white smudged across her forehead. “It’s been crazy today. I’ve got more than thirty orders for fudge that came in overnight. I don’t know why I didn’t think of going online before now. I guess I’m stuck in the dark ages.” She chuckled and went back to stirring. “I can always use help.”

  “Nonsense. You’re not stuck in the dark ages. Our candy is pretty awesome, if I do say so myself, so it doesn’t surprise me that we’re selling so much.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Christy asked, joining us in the kitchen.

  “There’s some fudge that’s cooled and set that needs to be cut and packed for the orders,” Mom said, pointing in the direction of the candy sitting on cooling racks. “And Mia, maybe you can help Carrie out. I keep hearing the bell over the door ringing and I’m feeling guilty about not being able to go out there and help her, but I’ve got to keep making candy or we’ll get behind on the orders. I don’t want to disappoint anyone by not getting their candy to them before Christmas.”

  “You got it,” I said and turned around. “Oh, is that the cherry vanilla chip fudge you promised to make?” My eyes had landed on a batch of fudge with chunks of maraschino cherries in it.

  “That’s it. If you’re good, I’ll save you a piece at the end of the day,” Mom promised.

  I chuckled. “I had better be very good then. It looks wonderful.”

  I went back out front and joined Carrie behind the counter. There was a line of five people waiting to be helped. Christmas was always a busy time for us, but internet orders had made it doubly so.

  Carrie and I teamed up, with me cutting and weighing fudge, and wrapping candy from the display case for the customers while she rang people up and answered questions. We made a good team and as more customers walked through the door, we kept the line moving smoothly. It was more than an hour later before things slowed down and we got a chance to sit down and rest on the stools behind the counter.

  “That was fun,” she said and groaned. “But my feet are beat.”

  “I love it when it’s busy,” I agreed. “It makes the time go faster and there’s the added bonus that most people are happy when they come in here.”

  She turned to look at me. “I heard Ellie Adams died.”

  I nodded. “She did. It’s a shame. Did you know her?”

  “A little. She used to come into the pizza place when I worked there. She was so nice, and I knew she was an identical twin. I felt like she was a kindred spirit after my girls were born and she always asked about them. Identical twins are special. At least I think they’re special, but I may be biased.”

  “They are, and yours are adorable.” Carrie had identical twin girls that looked just like her. Tiny, cute, and blond with upturned noses.

  “I just wonder how Laura will be affected. My girls are so close. I think one of them losing the other would be devastating for them, not to mention what it would do to me and my husband.”

  “That’s for sure,” I said. “I think Laura is still trying to process it.”

  She nodded. “I saw Ellie out at a restaurant in Truckee the day before she died,” she said quietly. “I stopped at her table and said hello.”

  I turned to her. “Really? Did she say anything that seemed off? Maybe something that might help with the case?”

  She shrugged. “Not really. She was with a man that I didn’t recognize. He looked younger than she was.”

  “How much younger?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure. Probably at least ten years younger. He didn’t seem like the sort of person she would be with. He looked kind of rough around the edges, if you know what I mean. I didn’t want to disturb her, so I didn’t stop long to chat. Just long enough to say hello, really.”

  “He didn’t seem familiar at all? Like did he look like someone you might have seen around Pumpkin Hollow?”

  She shook her head. “I never saw him before. I had the girls with me, and she seemed so happy to see them. She always loved to see them. I asked how she was, and she said she was doing fine. Then she looked at the man, and then back at me and said she had just made up her mind about a big decision. She laughed about it.”

  “Did she say what the decision was?” I asked.

  “No. It seemed like it was something between the two of them. She looked at me and said it was a big relief just to have made the decision. I guess I could have asked what it was, but it somehow seemed private.”

  I considered this. Was she making a big decision about the man she was with? The sound of the bell above the door ringing made us both turn toward it. Ethan walked through the door and grinned at me.

  “Ladies, how are you both doing?” He walked up to the front counter and leaned on it.

  “We are doing great,” I said, slipping down off the stool and going to him. I kissed him and pulled back. “It’s good to see you. I’ve missed you.” Ethan had been working late every night on the case and I knew he was busy, so I tried not to bother him.

  “I missed you, too,” he said. “And I missed your mom’s fudge.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “I bet you missed my mom’s fudge more than you missed me.”

  He scoffed. “Not a chance. I’m just glad you and the fudge are a package deal.”

  Carrie laughed. “You picked the right girl, Ethan.” She slipped off the stool. “I’m going to head back to the store room and get some more candy to refill the shelves before the next wave of customers arrives.”

  I chuckled and turned back to Ethan. “Anything new?”

  “Not a lot. We’ve been talking to Ellie’s family. Laura is still in shock, I think.”

  “Mom and I talked to her, too. I think you’re right about that. I’ve also talked to Ellie’s son-in-law, Charlie O’Rourke. He’s a suspicious character.”

  “Do tell,” he said with interest.

  I filled him in on the conversation Christy and I had had with him earlier in the day, as well as what Laura had said about him. I didn’t like him and at this point, I was almost certain that he had something to do with Ellie’s death, early as it was.

  He nodded when I finished. “I hadn’t gotten a chance to speak to him yet. I did talk to her daughter, Shelly. She’s devastated, as you can imagine. She wondered if her Au
nt Laura may have had something to do with the murder.”

  “What? Why would she say that?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine Laura killing her twin, let alone anyone else.

  “She said her mother and Laura argued a lot. Seems Laura is bitter about the way their parents treated them. Ellie was their favorite and Laura has always held a grudge against her sister.”

  “Do you believe that?”

  He shrugged. “Laura does complain about Ellie a lot, but I always took it to be a grumpy person’s personality.” He chuckled. “I never really took it seriously.”

  “I never have, either,” I agreed. “She is kind of dismissive about her sister at times. But does Shelly think Laura lured her up the stairs and pushed her down them? Can you picture Laura doing that?”

  “She didn’t say that, and she was kind of wary of pointing a finger at her aunt, but she thought I should know.”

  I nodded. “I don’t want to believe that about Laura.”

  “Me either. The medical examiner said there was a lot of bruising on Ellie’s body and a slight wound to her head. It didn’t bleed very much. He hasn’t completed the autopsy, but this is what was on his preliminary report. There’s a possibility she was beaten and hit on the head with something. Maybe she never was on the stairs.”

  “What about what we thought looked like a broken neck?” I asked.

  “He hadn’t gotten as far as x-raying her neck. We still don’t have enough answers yet, but he’s working on it. In the meantime, I’ll keep investigating and asking around.”

  I nodded, thinking this over. “If her dizziness is as bad as Laura said, I’d have a tough time thinking she would go up those stairs willingly.”

  “Me too,” he said, then his eyes went to the display case. “What is that white candy?”

  “Divinity. One of the classic Christmas candies in our house,” I said, moving over to the display case. “I don’t suppose you’d like to try some?”

  “You know me so well. What’s that fudge called?” He pointed to the new flavor Mom had made that morning.

  “That my friend, is gingerbread fudge.”

  “Really? It’s almost like your mother is trying to make me to eat a lot of candy.”

  “She sure is. You need to try it. She outdid herself with the flavor on that one.” I pulled out the trays of candy and gave him a piece of the divinity to try. Then I cut some fudge for him and wrapped it up along with more of the divinity.

  “Wow, that is good,” he said, speaking around the candy in his mouth. “I better not talk with my mouth full.”

  “It’s allowed,” I said and handed him the bag of candy. I waved away his debit card. “It’s on the house because you have an in with the candy maker’s daughter.”

  “I love the candy maker’s daughter.” As soon as it was out of his mouth, we both stared at each other. He had never told me that he loved me.

  After what seemed like an eternity, I found my voice. “I love you too, Ethan.”

  He turned pink and chuckled. “Well, here it is then. The spot where we confessed our love for one another. The counter at the candy store. We’ll remember it always.”

  “Sweet words in a sweet place.”

  We stared at one another and Carrie walked back into the shop from the kitchen with a tray of peanut butter fudge. “Fresh fudge!” She went to the display case and opened it. “Your mother is driving me crazy with all the fudge.” She placed the tray inside the display case and looked from Ethan to me. “Why are you two so quiet?”

  I shrugged. “We’re eating candy. It’s impolite to talk with your mouth full.”

  “Ah. Got it. Your mom’s making gingerbread cupcakes next. I love gingerbread.”

  “Me too,” I said, not taking my eyes off Ethan. And I did. Love Ethan, I mean.

  Chapter Nine

  I didn’t get to see Ethan for the rest of the day. He had work on the case to do. Instead, I went home and hung out with my cat, Boo. Boo had adopted me when I moved into my little house and since he insisted on being mine, I figured I may as well give in. He was a pure black cat and in the spirit of Halloween, the name Boo seemed appropriate. We fell asleep on the couch watching It’s a Wonderful Life.

  The following morning Christy and I stopped off at the Little Coffee Shop of Horrors. It was owned by my friend, Amanda Krigbaum and her fiancé Brian Schoate.

  “Hi Amanda,” I said as we stepped up to the counter and looked over the menu board.

  “Hi Mia, hi Christy. It’s a beautiful morning, isn’t it?” she beamed. Her hair was done in a thick single French braid down her back and her skin had a rosy hue.

  I looked my friend over. It had snowed most of the night and the smooth white snow that covered the sidewalks and greenery beneath a now clear, bright blue sky was indeed beautiful, but I had a feeling she was talking about something else.

  “It is a beautiful morning. Snow is beautiful, isn’t it?” I teased.

  She chuckled. “It is. But that isn’t the only thing that makes it a beautiful morning.”

  “What else makes it a beautiful morning?” I asked, taking the bait.

  Amanda was lit up and looked even more beautiful than she normally did. “Brian and I set a date.”

  “Oh my gosh, that’s fantastic! When?” I gushed.

  “June eighth.”

  “Wow, Congratulations,” I said, and scooted around the counter and gave her a hug.

  “Yeah, that’s wonderful,” Christy said. “Congratulations, Amanda.”

  I glanced at Christy. She was doing her best to look happy, but it was clear that it was an effort. She smiled at me, but I could see the tears threatening to fall. I turned back to Amanda. “That's wonderful news. Congratulations!”

  She nodded. “Thanks. I’m so excited. There’s so much to do. When we first got engaged, we couldn’t come up with a date, but finally, we just decided that if we didn’t decide, we’d never get married.”

  “That’s the way to do it,” I said, trying to keep my eyes off Christy. I knew in her heart she really was happy for Amanda, but her current heartache wasn’t going to let her enjoy it.

  She nodded. “To celebrate, I’m giving you both a free coffee. What would you like?”

  “That’s so sweet,” I said. “I think I want a gingerbread latte.” I turned and looked at Christy.

  “I’d like a peppermint latte,” Christy said. “Thanks, Amanda. And I’m really happy for you and Brian.”

  “Thanks, Christy.” Amanda made our drinks and then we headed over to a table and sat down. She had also given us each a pumpkin spice muffin. I had left the house without eating and I was starving. More customers came into the shop and Amanda waited on them.

  “Yum,” I said, taking a bite of my muffin. “This is really good.”

  “It’s really great that she set a date for her wedding. I remember how exciting all the planning was.” She sighed and looked at me and smiled sadly. “I don’t want to be a wet blanket. I really don’t.”

  “I know. Give yourself some time to work through this. You don’t have to be excited about everyone’s wedding plans.”

  She nodded. “I hate that it’s making me unable to be truly happy for her. Amanda deserves happiness. She really does. And it’s not that I’m not happy, really. It just hurts so darn much right now.”

  I nodded. “I don’t doubt that at all. Just go easy on yourself.”

  “I’ll try.” She took a bite of her muffin and smiled. “Now this muffin could make anyone forget their troubles. For a few minutes, anyway.”

  “Right? It’s a very nice use of spices. I would love to make something this moist and flavorful,” I said and took another bite. When I had swallowed, I asked, “Have you talked to John in the last couple of days?”

  She nodded. “He asked if I was moving all my things out of the house.”

  I sighed. I shouldn’t have asked. “What did you say?”

  “That I hadn’t decided. I suppose I could move ba
ck to Pumpkin Hollow. Mom seems to need my help at the candy store, although I don’t know if that will continue after Christmas is over.”

  “We have plans to do some major advertising before Valentine’s day. I can totally see The Pumpkin Hollow Candy Store brand going worldwide someday. Business is going to expand and we’re going to emphasize the fact that the candies we sell are handmade in small batches in a Halloween themed small town. None of that corporate stuff for us.” I grinned at her. “We can really use your help here. The three of us Jordan women are going to make it big in candy.”

  She smiled sadly. “Grandma and Grandpa would be so proud. I bet they never imagined their humble little candy shop going worldwide.”

  “I bet they didn’t,” I agreed.

  When things slowed down, Amanda joined us at our table with her own cup of coffee. “So, what are you girls discussing?”

  “The candy business,” I said. I didn’t want to bring up Christy’s marriage troubles, so I left that out.

  “I love your mother’s candy,” she said, then turned to me. “I heard Ellie Adams died.”

  I nodded. “She did. It’s a shame.”

  She frowned. “Is it true Ellie’s body was mangled?”

  “What?” I said. “Who said that? No, she wasn’t mangled.”

  She shrugged. “I had two different people say that in the last couple of days. I thought it sounded crazy, but they sure were positive it had happened.”

  I shook my head. “No, she wasn’t mangled,” I repeated. “It looks like she fell down the stairs at the party house.”

  “Oh, how sad. But does Ethan think it’s murder? That’s what I heard. Did someone push her down the stairs?”

  “I think it’s too early to know for sure,” I said hesitantly. “Ethan’s still investigating.”

  She nodded. “Speaking of Ethan, how are the two of you doing?”

  My face broke out into a grin. I couldn’t help it. Ethan had told me he loved me and it was all I could think about. “Things are going very well. He told me he loved me yesterday.” As soon as I said it, I glanced at Christy. I should have kept it to myself.