Murder Most Wholesome

by Staci McLaughlin

  Jason pulled out of the apartment complex, and I leaned back against the seat. “Remind me when we get to the fair that I need to sample fudge for Gordon,” I said.

  “Anything special about it?” he asked.

  “It’s from Evergreen. Their jams and honeys have been selling well at the farm, and Gordon wants to expand our offerings.”

  The traffic light switched from yellow to red, and Jason eased to a stop. “Who from the commune is going to be there?”

  “I’m not sure, although Millie mentioned she’d be helping. I just hope Ryan has the good grace to either not show up or stay away from Millie if he does.”

  A few minutes later, we crested the small hill that led to the fairgrounds. I looked down to where the usual barren patch of dirt and three plain buildings had been transformed into a ride-and-show extravaganza. The Ferris wheel spun lazily in a circle, the lights shining brightly in the approaching twilight. Nearby, a dragon roller coaster sped along the track, while riders on the swings flew through the air, their feet dangling.

  With the main parking lot full, the attendant directed us to the dirt overflow lot. The moment I opened my car door, the organ music that was so unique to carnivals reached me.

  “Man, I love that sound,” I said. “You know people are having a great time.”

  Jason came over to my side of the car and put his arm around my waist. “Let’s go join the fun.”

  He bought our tickets at the gate, and we merged with the other fair-goers, most of whom seemed to be heading toward the closest building. Off to the side, a large grassy area held a petting zoo and a small collection of sheep and cows. Kids with their parents pointed to the animals and tried to pet them over the gates. The sugary sweet smell of cotton candy and the buttery rich aroma of popcorn filled the air.

  With the building in my way, I couldn’t see the rides, but I could still hear the shrieks of delight. My pulse quickened in anticipation.

  Jason pulled me out of the throng of people and off to the side. “What would you like to do first?”

  I surveyed the crowd, which seemed to be growing by the minute. “Let’s find the commune’s booth. I can try that fudge before we hit the rides.”

  We entered the first building and wandered up and down the rows, passing booth after booth. Vendors were selling everything from car wax to mini blenders to dips and salsas. The aisles were narrow, and we inched along behind a logjam of shoppers.

  After completing the circuit without seeing anyone from the commune, we headed for the exit. Outside, a light breeze blew by. It was a welcome relief after being stuck in the crowded building.

  I led Jason to the second building, and we walked in. Like the first one, the place was dense with people and wares, and our search was just as fruitless. I kept a tight grip on Jason’s hand as we struggled through the mass of people. After a quick trip up each aisle, I pushed my way through the crowd and back outside.

  “Man,” I said to Jason, “I think every resident of Blossom Valley is in those two buildings.”

  “Must be out-of-towners here, too, as many people as there are,” Jason said. He pointed toward the third and smallest building. “Only one more to check.”

  The building sat off by itself behind a fenced area that usually housed old farming equipment but was currently being used to sell goods, while the outside had caged birds and reptiles for sale. Before going in, I took a moment to look at the animals in their cages, dreading how busy the inside was sure to be.

  When I’d seen every gecko, mourning dove, and goose, I grabbed the door handle and turned to Jason. “Ready for this?”

  “Let’s do it.”

  I took a deep breath and pulled open the door, ready to face the onslaught of shoppers.

  But I needn’t have worried. While people were milling around the aisles, the crowd’s size was a fraction of those in the other buildings. I started down the first row, quickly moving past the guy selling aluminum siding and the woman hawking face creams. I hung a left at the end, and moved up the next row.

  Just as I started to wonder if Millie had been mistaken about the booth, I spotted Frank and Ryan in the far corner. Ryan was tapping on his phone, with his eyes glued to the screen. Frank stood with his arms crossed while he glared at the shoppers. No customers approached their booth, not that I was surprised with that kind of welcome.

  I pointed them out to Jason. “There they are,” I said. We made our way over. Ryan glanced up, grimaced, and returned to his phone. For a guy who may have killed Birch and tried to kill Millie, he certainly didn’t act guilty. Mostly, he seemed annoyed.

  I addressed Frank. “Have you seen Millie?”

  “Her shift starts in an hour.” He frowned as a woman moved toward the table. “Then I can get away from this zoo.” The woman must have heard him, because she veered away at the last second. If this smaller crowd was too much for Frank to handle, I couldn’t imagine what he’d do if he had to work in one of the other buildings.

  I surveyed the offerings on the table. “Have sales at least been decent?”

  “Not bad,” Frank grudgingly admitted. He jerked his head toward Ryan. “But I wish this yahoo would help when it gets busy.”

  Ryan looked up from his phone. “I don’t even know why I’m here.”

  Frank started arranging the jars of honey. “That makes two of us,” he mumbled to the table.

  Ouch. I snuck a peek at Jason, and he raised his eyebrows in return.

  Pearl walked up to the booth with a cardboard box in her hands. She wore jeans and a white button-up blouse, with a colorful scarf around her neck. She set the box on the floor and gestured to it. “Hi, Dana. Check out the fudge. It’s selling like hotcakes.” Her eyes widened. “Hey, maybe we should sell hotcake mixes. What do you think?”

  “Not a bad idea for next year,” I said. “You might have a real winner on your hands.”

  She beamed and began to remove little cellophane packages of fudge from the box. She placed them in an empty spot on the table. As she worked, her scarf would occasionally slip down and get in her way, and she would brush it back.

  Jason put his hand on my back and leaned in close to speak in my ear. “I’m going to check out that booth of sports memorabilia over there. I’ll be right back.”

  He walked off, and I turned back to Pearl, who was still setting up the bags.

  “Does the farm have a booth here tonight, too?” she asked me.

  “Nope, I’m here to enjoy the fair.”

  She paused in her unpacking. “It’s the best, isn’t it? Everyone has so much fun, and there are all these wonderful foods to enjoy. I always ride the merry-go-round at least once.”

  “What time does your shift end?” I asked.

  “I don’t have an official shift,” she said. “I offered to help with the little things, like restocking supplies or fetching food for whoever’s running the booth. I’m taking short breaks here and there when things are quiet. I even found a booth that sells hot herbal tea.”

  “How nice for you,” I said. “I’ve noticed you’re quite partial to tea.”

  Pearl smiled. “I’ve always found it so soothing. The world would be a better place if everyone drank more tea.”

  If only it were that easy. “Before I forget, I need to buy a little fudge,” I said. “We might sell it at the farm.” I picked up a bag. “How much?”

  “On the house. It’s the least I can do after that incident in the woods the other night.” She blushed.

  “I’ve already forgotten about that,” I said, though of course I hadn’t. “I’m stopping back here in a while to say hi to Millie. Maybe I’ll see you again.”

  I put the fudge in my pocket to share with Jason later and joined him at the sports memorabilia booth, where he was shaking a man’s hand. He plucked a card from the table and stuck it in his pocket.

  He saw me and smiled. “Ready for some excitement?”

  “Absolutely.” We walked outside and over to the rid
e area, where a little kid was dragging his mom by the hand to the giant slide. The lights on the nearby Tilt-A-Whirl flashed in time to the music, and I watched the thrilled faces of the riders as they spun by. A shiver of excitement shot up my spine. While we waited in line at the nearest ticket booth, I studied the rides, trying to decide which one to start with.

  “Let’s go on the Viking first,” I said, pointing to the giant pirate ship that was swinging back and forth. At one point, the ship swung up high enough that I thought it was going to turn all the way over, but at the last second, it swung back down. The screams of the riders reached us from across the blacktop.

  “You don’t kid around, do you?” he asked.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet. I plan to ride everything.”

  We bought our wristbands and made our way over to the pirate ship. While we waited for our turn, I handed Jason a piece of fudge and took a bite of my own. The creamy, smooth chocolate practically melted on my tongue. I’m pretty sure I moaned aloud at the rich flavor, but luckily no one could hear me over the jaunty music from the ride and all the people talking.

  When we reached the front of the line, I followed Jason onto the ship and pulled down the lap bar. A gap remained between my thighs and the bar. I pushed down harder, but the bar didn’t budge. The attendant came by to check that everyone was seated securely. She gave my bar a cursory tug and started to move on to the next rider, but I reached out and touched her arm. “Um, shouldn’t this be a little tighter?” I asked.

  “Naw, it’s fine. No one’s fallen off the ride yet.”

  Well, that was not reassuring.

  I looked over at Jason. He was holding back a grin. “You’re not nervous, are you?”

  “Not at all,” I said. “I was only checking.”

  The ride started to move, swinging back and forth slowly at first before picking up speed. As the boat started to rise, I felt myself stomach rise with it.

  Beside me, Jason said, “This is great, right?”

  I was afraid if I opened my mouth, I’d throw up on him, so I merely nodded. The boat continued to swing higher, and I used all my concentration to fight the queasiness.

  After what felt like an eternity, the ship made its way back to port without my getting sick. I managed to navigate my way down the steps to the exit, where I allowed Jason to drag me off to the next ride. After the Hurricane, the dragon roller coaster, the fun house, and the Tilt-A-Whirl, I called for a time-out. I didn’t remember the rides making me nearly this nauseated when I was a kid. Was this what it was like to get old?

  I sank onto the nearest bench and let out a groan. Jason sat down next to me.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “I thought you wanted to go on all the rides.”

  I blinked twice to try and clear my head, but the ground still kept spinning. “I’m pacing myself.”

  “How about a funnel cake? It’ll give us the energy to tackle the rest.”

  At the suggestion of the sugary fried treat, my stomach did a flip-flop. “I’ll start with water.”

  “Coming right up.” He moved over to the concession stand, while I leaned back against the bench and closed my eyes.

  A slight pressure on the seat indicated someone had sat down next to me. “Are they out of water?” I asked, opening my eyes.

  But Jason wasn’t sitting next to me; Olive was. I jumped a little.

  “Oops, didn’t mean to scare you,” she said. She looked around. “I just love the fair, don’t you?”

  I put a hand on my stomach. “I’m not loving it right now. Not after the Tilt-A-Whirl. I don’t remember it spinning that fast when I was a kid.”

  “I never go on any of those rides,” she said. “Haven’t you seen how rusty all the bolts and other parts are?” Maybe Olive and Ashlee should compare notes on the dangers of carnival rides.

  “Are you here alone?” I asked.

  “No, a friend and I rode over together. We’re celebrating our luck. We’ve both landed jobs at the new casino that’s opening.”

  I sat up straighter, my woozy stomach forgotten. “Congratulations. That’s great news.”

  “Especially since I got my notice at the other place. I was too ashamed to say anything before, plus I was hoping management would change their minds. A bunch of us were talking about banding together and suing to keep our jobs, but that seemed like a lot of trouble and it’s probably expensive to hire a lawyer. Besides, I want to work where I’m wanted.” She stood. “I see my friend’s out of the bathroom. Take care.”

  She walked off toward the restrooms as Jason joined me at the bench. He handed me a bottle of water and popped the top on his can of soda.

  “Wasn’t that Olive?” he asked.

  “Yes, it was. You know, Detective Palmer should really come to the fair. I’m pretty sure every person associated with Birch is here tonight.” I unscrewed the cap on the water bottle and took a drink. “Anyway, Olive was telling me how she got hired at that new casino over on the coast.”

  “Glad things are working out for her.”

  “Me, too.” I checked the time on my phone. “Let’s see if Millie’s at the booth yet. Then I think I’ve recovered enough to face the Zipper.”

  Jason didn’t look convinced. “Isn’t that the one where they put you in a cage and then flip the cage around a bunch?”

  “I can handle it.” I laid a hand on my stomach. “I think.”

  “If you’re sure.” We walked back to the small building, where the crowd was still manageable, but growing. When we got to the back corner where the commune’s booth was set up, I found Millie and Zennia there, with Frank and Ryan nowhere in sight. Zennia was busy talking to a woman who was reading the label on ajar of preserves, but Millie smiled as we approached.

  “Did Ryan leave?” I asked.

  “That scoundrel? He darted away like a frightened deer the moment he saw me.”

  The customer paid for her purchase, and Zennia came over to join us.

  “Zennia, I didn’t know you’d be here tonight,” I said.

  “After listening to you and Millie talk about it earlier today, I decided to come out and help. I haven’t been to the fair in years.”

  “I bet it hasn’t changed much,” Jason said.

  “Not a bit. All the same rides are here, and the food hasn’t gotten any healthier.”

  “I’m sure I saw a place where they were selling salads,” I said.

  Zennia gave me a knowing look. “Right next to the deep-fried candy bar booth, I bet.”

  I was about to ask Jason if he wanted to try one of those candy bars now that I wasn’t feeling as sick, but he was looking across the room. I checked to see what had caught his attention and saw an older gentleman in slacks and a polo shirt talking to a fair employee in coveralls.

  “Do you know those guys?” I asked.

  “The one in the polo shirt is the mayor. I’ve been trying to nail down his position on a Starbucks opening in town,” Jason said, “but he’s been avoiding my calls. I’m going to talk to him. I’ll be right back.”

  “Sure, I need to make a trip to the little girl’s room anyway,” I said. “I’ll find you when I get back.”

  Jason walked off, and I took a moment to enjoy the view of his backside before heading in the opposite direction to where the bathrooms were located. I made quick use of the facilities and washed my hands at the sink before stepping back out.

  I scanned the area and saw Pearl down at the end of the row, standing near the exit. She noticed me at the same time and waved for me to join her. When I didn’t immediately move in her direction, she started waving more insistently.

  “Do you need help?” I called to her, though I knew she couldn’t hear me from this distance.

  A woman at the closest booth looked up from the pair of earrings she was holding. “No, I’m fine.”

  “What?” I said, not realizing for a second that she was answering my question. “Oh, no, I was talking to that woman over there.” I
pointed at Pearl, only to watch her suddenly dart out the door.

  With a feeling of unease, I headed after her, wondering if something was wrong.

  Chapter 32

  When I reached the door, I got tangled up in a small group of fair-goers who were entering the building. I tried to keep an eye on Pearl, but lost track of her as I made my way outside. I felt a moment of panic until I spotted her standing on the edge of a crowd watching a teenager ride a mechanical bull. As I walked over, I noticed she was looking around and frowning, but her face brightened when she saw me.

  “Is everything all right?” I asked. “You were waving at me like there was an emergency.”

  She wrung her hands. “We’re running short on fudge again, plus Millie would like more strawberry jam to sell. I was hoping I could get help carrying the boxes from the van.”

  Behind Pearl, the mechanical bull bucked the teenager off its back. Spectators whistled and clapped as the kid stood up and dusted off his jeans.

  “Why did you run out the door like that?” I asked.

  “I thought I saw Ryan and was going to ask him to help, but now I can’t find him. Can you help instead?”

  I considered her request. Jason might be talking to the mayor for a while, plus he could always call my cell if he couldn’t find me. “Sure, if it doesn’t take too long. Where’s the van parked?” I asked, hoping it was closer than Jason’s car out in the overflow lot. I didn’t want to schlep the boxes farther than I had to.

  She pointed toward a fenced-in parking lot off in the distance. “In the employee lot. This won’t take but a minute.”

  “All right. Lead the way.”

  I took a few seconds to text Jason about my plans and put the phone in my pocket. I followed Pearl past the mechanical bull as another teenager climbed on its back. We looped around the BMX demonstration, across a grassy area where workers were dismantling a small circus tent, and over to the employee lot. We could still hear the music and other noises of the fair behind us, but the sound was decidedly fainter.