Sugar Coated Murder

by Patti Benning

  Chapter Twelve

  * * *

  It was a late night, and Moira didn't get to sleep until the early hours of the morning, when both Candice and David were safely at home. It was late, almost 10 o'clock, by the time she opened her eyes in the morning. The bed beside her was empty, and she felt a moment of panic, wondering if her family had left her home alone. She was terrified that the watcher in the woods would come back.

  As she sat up in bed, she heard the familiar clink of dishes from the kitchen and relaxed. She hated the fact that she was afraid to be left alone and wondered when the person responsible for all of this would be caught. She thought again of the spiky haired young woman who had been there at the candy shop when Bryan fell through the window, and who had been there the day before when Moira had been talking to David about Candice's visit. Who was she? Why would she care if Candice was home? Were they barking up the wrong tree completely? It was a small town, and it was possible that it was just a coincidence that the same person was there both times.

  With a sigh, she got up and stretched. She had to be at the deli in two hours, and still needed to shower and eat breakfast. With the sun shining and her family in the kitchen on the first floor, it was hard to imagine that anything bad would happen that day.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead,” David said, grinning as she came into the kitchen. “Candice made you breakfast but decided to let you sleep in instead of waking you. Happy Mother’s Day.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “This smells wonderful. I'm starved.”

  She sat at the table and served herself a couple of pancakes before drowning them in pure maple syrup. David was cleaning up the dishes from his and Candice’s breakfast, which they had already eaten.

  “Where is Candice?” she asked.

  “Oh, she went into town. She is meeting with Mr. Litchfield to talk about the new schedule for the candy shop.”

  The deli owner put her fork down. “You let her go out without us?”

  “I told her that you would want her to wait, but she said it would only take about half an hour and she wanted to be back in time to help you at the deli.”

  “David, what if something happens to her?”

  “She'll be fine,” her husband said. “She's meeting him in a public place, and no one knows where she's going.”

  “Where is she meeting him?”

  “The candy shop.”

  Moira frowned. She didn't like it, but there wasn't anything she could do. She stabbed her pancake and took a bite, no longer feeling quite as hungry.

  When her phone rang a few minutes later, she jumped up and answered it, relieved to see that it was her daughter and not the police.

  “Hey, sweetie,” she said.

  “Mom, I need help,” Candice said.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I'm fine, and don't freak out, okay? But somebody slashed my tires while I was parked behind the candy shop. I think the auto shop is closed today, and I'm not sure what to do.”

  “Just stay where you are. David and I will be right there.”

  Moira couldn't help but shoot her husband a glare she hurried to put on her shoes and grab her purse. She knew that it wasn't his fault that Candice had left, but she felt that he ought to have tried harder to keep her safely at home.

  “Moira, what is it?”

  “Someone slashed Candice's tires while she was at that meeting. I'm going to go pick her up.”

  “I'll come with you,” David said. “I know the guy who owns the auto shop in Lake Marion; Danny Stalwart. I worked a case for him a while ago. I think he'll probably come in and fix up her car for us today.”

  Mara nodded, too worried about her daughter to pay much attention. It seemed that no matter what she did, bad things just kept happening.

  She found Candice leaning against her car in the parking lot, her arms crossed. The young woman relaxed slightly when she saw her mother and stepfather get out of their vehicle.

  “I can't believe this,” she said.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I'm fine, Mom. But my car...”

  “It will be okay,” Moira said. “David knows the guy who runs the auto shop in town, and he agreed to come in today to fix your tires. The tow truck will be here soon.”

  “Thank you,” Candice said. “I guess maybe I should have stayed home. I never even got to meet with Mr. Litchfield.”

  “I thought he was supposed to meet you at ten?” David said.

  “He was. I thought he might be inside, so I walked around front since the back door is blocked, but the store was still locked and dark inside. I hung around for a couple of minutes in case he showed up, then when I came back here, the tires were slashed. He called a couple of minutes ago to tell me that he got a call unexpectedly, about insurance or something like that, and had to take it. We're going to meet tomorrow instead.”

  Moira frowned. She didn't know if she was being paranoid or not, but something about the situation seemed off to her. David seemed to share her feeling, because he met her gaze and raised his eyebrows, but didn't get a chance to say anything because at that moment, the tow truck showed up and Candice began to get out her insurance and registration information. Once the car was hooked up, the three of them piled into Moira's SUV and followed the truck to the auto shop. Moira glanced at the clock. She had to be at the deli in an hour and a half. With luck, she would make it. Otherwise, she would have to call one of the employees and see if they would be able to step in for her, and since it was Mother's Day, she didn't want to wreck anyone's celebration.

  Chapter Thirteen

  * * *

  “It will be about twenty minutes,” Mr. Stalwart said. “Feel free to take a seat. I don't have any coffee made, but you can help yourself to water or a snack. I've got granola bars in that cupboard there.”

  “Thanks so much for coming in today,” Candice gushed. “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”

  “Any friend of David’s is a friend of mine,” the man said. “Besides, the girls all went out for Mother's Day, and I was feeling a little bit left out. At least this gives me something to do.”

  Candice shot Moira guilty look. The deli owner smiled to let her know that it was okay. She knew that Candice hadn't meant for something like this to happen, and besides, she hadn't been planning to celebrate Mother's Day until that evening, anyway. She appreciated the fact that her daughter had let her sleep in after the late, harrowing night that she had.

  “Still, thank you,” Candice said.

  The man went into the garage to begin fixing the vehicle. David was standing across the room, talking on the phone to Detective Jefferson. The police report had been made, and Moira knew that it was just yet another thing for them to look into. All of this was just too much for her. She didn't know how much more she could take, not when her daughter was the one being targeted.

  “Do you have any idea who did this?” Moira asked. She already knew that Candice didn’t, but couldn’t seem to stop herself from going over it again.

  “I have no idea, Mom.”

  “Could it have been Mr. Litchfield?”

  Her daughter sighed. “Why would he have done it? He’s getting paid to fix the candy shop, there’s no reason he’d want me to leave.”

  “What about that friend of Bryan’s?” Moira asked, suddenly struck by an idea.

  “Charlie? Why would he slash my tires?”

  “Well, he might blame the candy shop for his friend’s death.”

  “But you said Bryan was strangled before being thrown out the window. That means his death wasn’t an accident, so if Charlie does blame someone, he should blame the person who killed him. Which wasn’t me.”

  “I don't think the way that Bryan died is public knowledge,” Moira said. “Detective Jefferson just told me that so that we would know to be careful. I don't think that they have released anything to the press about it.”

  Candice was still frowning. David had finally gotten off his
call with the detective and had walked back across the room to them.

  “Did he say how long it will be?” he asked.

  “About twenty minutes,” Moira said. “Did Jefferson have any new information?”

  “No,” David said. He sighed. “This is getting out of control.”

  That was something that Moira could agree with. She was about to tell David her theory about Charlie, Bryan's friend, when Candice suddenly shot up beside her.

  “Mom, it's her!”

  Before the deli owner could stop her, Candice had run out the door. Moira stood up and followed her, confused at first until she saw the person that her daughter was approaching. It was the young woman with spiky black hair who Moira had seen a couple of times before. Worried, she quickened her pace, but Candice reached the young woman before she did.

  “Hi,” her daughter said breathlessly. “You look familiar. I think I've seen you around before.”

  “Probably,” the woman said, looking surprised to be accosted so suddenly by a total stranger.

  “I'm Candice,” Candice said.

  The woman hesitated for a second, then said, “Eliza.”

  Candice grinned and shook the other woman's hand. “It's nice to meet you. I think I recognize you, and not just from around town. Didn't we go to school together?”

  Eliza took a half a step back. “Um, maybe.”

  “Yeah, you went to Maple Creek High with me, didn't you? You were a year ahead of me. Eliza Potter.”

  “That's me.” She hesitated, then added, “Sorry, but I really have to be going.”

  “Of course,” Candice said.

  The young woman hurried away and Candice returned to Moira's side. She was grinning and looked very satisfied with herself.

  “What was that all about?” the deli owner asked.

  “Well, we've been wondering who she is, haven't we? I figured the best way to find out would be to just ask her.”

  Moira ran her hand through her hair, wondering when her daughter had developed this reckless streak.

  “Now what?”

  “You have her full name?” David asked, coming up behind them. Candice nodded. “Then let's do a search on her. We'll see who she is and what she does, and if she has any prior convictions. It is odd that we've seen her three times now; once at the deli, once right after Bryan passed away, and now, right after your tires were slashed. It's too much of a coincidence for me to be comfortable with. I’ll run her name at the office. I'm going to walk over there now. The two of you head to the deli once Candice's car is done, and I'll let you know if I find anything.”

  Moira nodded. “That sounds like a good plan. It feels good to be doing something.”

  “She was always nice to me in school,” Candice mused. “I don't know why she would want me out of town all of a sudden. We took a cooking class together, and I always thought she was cool.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  * * *

  Moira and Candice made it to the deli just in time. While Candice flipped on the lights and made sure that the tables were clean, Moira hurried around the kitchen to prepare for opening. The soup of the day was a purple carrot purée with vegetarian club sandwiches and a side of veggie chips that she was planning on making herself. She got the deep fryer set up and began slicing the vegetables thinly. She kept the volume on her phone turned all the way up and was so distracted by listening for it to ring that she nearly sliced her finger off.

  “Ouch,” she said, wincing and pulling her hand back as she watched the blood well up in the cut. “Candice, can you come back here? I cut myself, and I need to go find a Band-Aid and get a new pair of gloves.”

  “I'll be right there,” Candice said. “Allison's here.”

  “Bring her back too. We need to get these veggie chips finished.”

  Candice and Allison walked into the kitchen. Allison was wearing capri pants and a T-shirt, and looked quite happy.

  “Hi, Ms. D.,” she said. “Oh, are you okay?”

  “It's just a cut,” the deli owner said. “What are you doing here? You don't work today.”

  “I'm on my way to the grocery store and thought I'd stop in to see what you to want me to grab for the barbecue this evening. I am planning on getting ribs, burgers, and maybe chicken, but I'm not sure what else.”

  “Get the potato salad that they make,” Candice said. “It's the best I've ever had… other than Mom’s, of course.”

  Candice grabbed a new knife and took over cutting the veggies and Moira went into the back room to fetch the first aid supplies and the new box of latex gloves. She was glad that Candice seemed to be in a good mood, though she still didn't think that her daughter appreciated just how much danger she was in. She wished David would hurry up and call about Eliza. She wanted to know exactly what was going on.

  When she came back out, the conversation had changed to darker subjects. The two young women were talking about Bryan's death, and the recent tire slashing.

  “Do you really think that the same person did both of them?” Allison asked. “I mean, I can see the same person having done both the graffiti and the tires, but it's a big jump from vandalism to murder.”

  “I know, but she was there both times. She was there right after Bryan died, and she was walking past the auto shop today right after I got my tires slashed. It can't be a coincidence, can it?”

  “But why would she want to kill someone? Why would she want to force you out of town in the first place?”

  “I don't know. She was always interested in cooking as well, so maybe she is thinking of opening a dessert shop or something and thinks that the candy shop will be competition.”

  “Maybe none of it’s connected,” Allison said. “Maybe Bryan had a disagreement with one of his coworkers about something and they killed him, and maybe the graffiti was just a random act of vandalism from some kids, and the same with the car. It just seems like such a big leap to make.”

  “The police seem to think it's all connected,” Candice pointed out. “I just hope whoever is responsible gets caught. I can’t open the candy shop if I'm going to be putting myself or my employees in danger.”

  “They'll get caught,” Moira said, joining the conversation. “I know Detective Jefferson won’t let someone get away with murder on his watch.”

  “I just don't understand how they haven't been caught yet.”

  The deli owner sighed. She didn't either. She wondered what would happen next. She was grateful that in just a couple of days, her daughter would be leaving town. It was the first time in her life that she couldn't wait for Candice to leave.

  The bell out front rang, and the three of them glanced at each other. “I'll go man the register,” Moira said. “You finish with the vegetables and get them in the deep fryer. Don't let them overcook, okay?”

  “I should get going,” Allison said. “I have to stop at the store.”

  “If you just want to pick up the meats, I will volunteer to make the potato salad and a fruit salad for this evening,” Moira said. “I’ll be stopping at home anyway to change and pick up the dogs, and it shouldn't take me too long.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure,” Allison said.

  “I want to bring something more,” Moira said. “I'll pick up a dessert too.”

  The young woman who looked so much like Candice smiled and Moira followed her through the door that led to the dining area. She was surprised to see Wyatt, the owner of the doggie daycare next-door, standing at the register.

  “Hi,” Moira said. “What can I get you?”

  “I was actually just stopping by to make sure everything's okay,” he said. “I thought you were planning on bringing the dogs in today.”

  “Oh, I totally forgot,” Moira said. “So much has happened today. My daughter’s tires got slashed, and we had to go to the auto shop and I just barely made it to work on time.”

  “I'm glad everyone's okay. She's the one that owns the candy shop, right? I heard what happened there.”r />
  Moira blinked. Wyatt was new to town, and she hadn't been aware that he knew anything about the candy shop or Candice.

  “Where did you hear that from?”

  “Penny's cousin was friends with the young man who passed away. I let her have yesterday off for the funeral.”

  “Oh, I didn't realize the funeral was yesterday,” Moira said, feeling a punch of guilt.

  “It was a small affair, just for people who were close to them,” he said. “I think his uncle didn't want the whole town involved. Charlie and Bryan had been friends since grade school, though, and Penny knew him for years as well, though not as closely.”