A Corpse at the Polls: An Ella Sweeting Aromatherapy Magic Cozy Mystery (Ella Sweeting: Witch Aromatherapist Cozies Book 3)

by Lisbeth Reade

  "Guys," I said and pointed. "Rory might be onto something. Look." I pointed to half-filled Styrofoam coffee cups. "Think someone might have drugged their cups?"

  Andy shrugged and waved one of the guys over to pop the cups into evidence bags. The bodyguard moaned. The second guard was moving around a bit too. At least they were breathing. They definitely seemed drugged.

  But why?

  Andy asked me the same question I'd just thought.

  "The obvious answer is to get to Caitlyn," I said slowly. "Did she scream? Do you think whoever attacked her meant to send a message, or get rid of another candidate?"

  "I definitely heard her scream," Andy told me. "I called it in and came out here. The bodyguards were out and she was down. The other officers took pictures but there's nothing on the ground. No notes or anything. Just the coffee cups that you spotted."

  "Hopefully the drug used will help us," I said, frowning. The attack didn't sit well with me. I wasn't sure why. I wanted to think about it. Maybe later Ruby would let me talk to Caitlyn again.

  "Ruby got in the ambulance with Caitlyn," Rory told me. "Want me to drive you home?"

  "Yes, alright. We can talk to the Aunts."

  I thanked Andy and Rory led me back to his car. He sat down but didn't start the car. He just sat there thinking. I tousled his hair, and he blinked.

  "Sorry, I was a million, miles away there for a second."

  "Look at this." I pulled the card loose and flipped it over so he could read it.

  "Max's business card. So? Where did you get it?" Rory asked.

  "The mayor dropped it," I said, flipping it over again so he could see the note.

  "What do you think it means?"

  "I don't know. But after that attack it makes me wonder if the mayor didn't ask Max to take care of the top candidates. Ensure a re-election?"

  "We could ask him," Rory said and nodded at the windshield.

  I turned to look. "Whoa. Is that Max with the mayor?"

  "Certainly looks like him. Oh, and that is definitely a fat envelope the mayor's handing him." Rory added.

  We looked at one another with wide eyes. "Wow."

  We ducked down in the car so neither one would see us. "It could just be regular business plans, right?" Rory whispered.

  "Yeah, it could be, but why here? Why now? I knew we couldn't trust Max. Poor Ruby."

  "Hey, let's not jump to conclusions yet," Rory said. "We wait until they leave then we'll go home and run it by the Aunts. See what they think."

  "Okay, but Max and the mayor have just gone to the top of my list," I whispered back.

  I turned back to see Max whisper something in the mayor's ear. I bit my lip. I really wanted to know what was in that envelope. There was no way to see from here.

  If it was money, though, no one counted it. Max just stuck it in his inside pocket and the Mayor leaned into answer him. I couldn't even try to read their lips. It was so frustrating.

  There was a knock on the window of Rory's car. Startled we both jumped back away from the sound. It was one of my clients. I carefully rolled the window down. "Mrs. Henderson?"

  "Hello, Ella dear," said the brunette in a power suit. She was a lawyer in town and one of my regulars. She beamed at me. "Funny seeing you in the park with our mailman. Hello, Rory!"

  "Hello, Mrs. Henderson. How are you today?" Rory said in a less than friendly tone.

  "Fine, fine, our dog misses you. Anyhow, Ella can you send over more of that blend you made up for my Robert? He's used it all up and he smells better with it if you get my drift," she said with a pained smile.

  "Eating too much garlic again?" I asked in sympathy. She nodded. "I'll have it sent over tomorrow," I assured her

  "Oh, thanks, dear," she said, waving as she headed off towards the park.

  "And good riddance," Rory growled. "That woman's dog is a menace."

  "Jimmy? He's just a tiny corgi," I said searching the crowd but Rory was right, the mayor and Max were long gone. I let out a frustrated sigh.

  "Yeah, well it's bitten three of us so far," Rory said, turning the car on.

  "Do you think Mike Hutchinson will be next?" I asked.

  "Not if Andy can help it," Rory said taking us out onto main street and heading back towards my home.

  "Andy? Why would Andy care?" I asked.

  "Oh, ah, Andy is Mike's cousin by marriage. He told me he was going to personally take over looking after Mike." Rory said. "Apparently Hutchinson was the one that encouraged Andy to go into the police force."

  "I had no idea," I told him.

  "You were too busy thinking he was cute," Rory groused.

  I laughed. "Rory, are you jealous?"

  "You were flirting with him," he said flatly.

  "He's nice, but I wasn't really flirting. I'm spoken for," I said.

  "Yes, you are," he agreed.

  Rory insisted on parking his own car when we arrived home, much to Girard's chagrin. My head was swimming with facts and ideas. Inside, Rory met me in the sitting room where the Aunts were laughing and teasing each other about tea cakes. I took my usual spot on the love seat so Rory could sit with me.

  "Caitlyn Jones was attacked," I told them once Rory was comfortably settled beside me.

  "The cat hater?" Aunt Hazel asked.

  "I've already explained that, but yes," I said, exasperated with my aunt.

  "Is she alright?" Auntie Joe asked.

  "She was fine. Talking to Ruby and the paramedics... Someone had snuck up behind her and knocked her out."

  "Just like Detective Garza," Aunt Sarah said. "Think it's related?"

  "I do," Rory said. "But why not kill her, like Helen? That would definitely take her out of the running."

  "Do you think they just wanted to scare her off?" Aunt Sarah asked.

  "Too soon to tell," I said. "Someone may have drugged her bodyguards to get a shot at her. But then that leaves us still with the same question— why not kill her?"

  "Maybe they were interrupted," Aunt Hazel suggested.

  "Well, if we don't want to get interrupted," I said, "We need to close the door before Mother wanders in here and catches us. Because then I am going to be marched out to the garden to admire flowers."

  "You don't admire flowers?" Rory asked, arching a brow.

  I winked. "I admire them in bouquets and in essential oils, but in the ground... I'm not much of a gardener."

  I got up and closed the door. "There. Now let's talk murder."

  Chapter 8

  We spent hours going over every detail of the case— until Mother caught us. Rory and I were both marched outside to see the roses.

  As expected, they were lovely. They had lost their flowers from the shock of being transplanted but they were leafy and green. Mother cooed over them until Rory made his excuses and escaped. If only I'd had that option. Instead I got treated to a lecture on all the signs of mold and mildew.

  "We have to protect against it," Mother had said, her eyes nearly crazed.

  Eventually we came back inside, and while the Aunts and I had planned on magical training, Mother and Father wanted family time. Who were we to deny them? Especially when Father offered to get out the old air popper and let Aunt Hazel pick the movie. Three Days of the Condor it was, accompanied by plenty of oohing and ahing by the Aunts about how handsome Robert Redford was.

  But then it was Sunday. I spent the morning in the kitchen mixing potions. Mrs. Henderson's husband's blend was a popular item, so I made a larger batch and bottle it. Next was herb crushing to make my own essential oils. Sure, I could purchase the oils readymade but there's nothing like working with oils you've made yourself. I always felt I got better results with my own, and since I'd discovered my magic I wondered if that had anything to do with it. So, mortar and pestle in hand, I looked one hundred percent the witch as I crushed lavender, then mint, then roses from the garden.

  Aunt Sarah turned up in her dressing gown. "Hello dear, making potions?"

 
"Making potions and thinking about murder," I said with a laugh. "And to think I could have just been a debutante like Mother wanted."

  "Sounding a bit sour this morning, Ella," Aunt Sarah remarked.

  "I fought with Ruby yesterday," I confessed. "I'm feeling guilty about it. She's been my friend since grade school. I don't like when we're at odds." I crushed some roses viciously. "Not sure how to fix it."

  "Over Max?" Sarah asked, blue eyes twinkling.

  I huffed a bit in frustration. "Aunt Sarah, I know he is involved up to his eyeballs in this. I just need to prove it. But if I prove it, Ruby might never speak to me again." I told her about the meeting between the mayor and Max and the padded envelope.

  She listened, her frown deepening. "Well, you have to investigate that!" she exclaimed. "But being corrupt is one thing. Murder is quite another."

  "I should call her," I murmured.

  "You should ease up on those roses or all the oil is going to make people angry. You have to be careful that you don't imbue your oils with negative emotions," Sarah chided. "Why not call Ruby? Set a truce and see if you can't get her and Max in a room with you and Rory. Then you can see if he slips up."

  "Isn't that a bit devious?" I asked, warming to the idea anyway.

  "Ella, you have two choices: let it go and try to make friends with Max, or investigate and deal with the truth. You never know, he might be innocent this time and you'll have to apologize," Aunt Sarah said, arching a brow in her direction.

  "Or I send Ruby's new man to jail," I said. We both knew which one I thought was more likely. "Ugh! This is a pickle."

  "Let's go see the detective," Aunt Sarah suggested.

  "Yes, alright," I agreed, rinsing my hands off. They still smelled vaguely like a witchcraft shop, but it was part of the allure. "I have a few things to deliver to clients and it would be a great way to accidentally bump into Ruby."

  Andy Daniels was outside Detective Garza's room reading a newspaper. I startled him into dropping it. Laughing, I grabbed it up for him and handed it back with an apology. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!" he said sharply.

  "Sorry, Officer," I said, stung. "I just walked down the hallway. Wasn't actually trying to sneak up on you. Tell you what, my aunt is buying us coffee from the machine. You have mine."

  Andy was contrite. "No, sorry Ella. It's just strange. I can see why they would go after Helen, but not Caitlyn Jones."

  "Why?" I asked, curious.

  "Just doesn't. Call it a hunch," Andy said. "I mean Caitlyn's numbers have been dropping too."

  I nodded. "Makes it seem less election based and more personal... Wonder what Caitlyn and Helen had in common? Other than Mike Hutchinson."

  Andy dropped his paper again. "Oh, I am just...butterfingers today."

  I snagged the paper again. "You can't be trusted with this." I said and tucked it under my arm for now. He gave me a sheepish grin. "How is Garza?"

  "Same," he remarked. "I wish she would wake up. I'd feel so much better if she was okay."

  I narrowed my eyes. "Why? Don't you think Ruby is doing a good enough job in her place?"

  "What? No, Ruby's great," Andy said. "I just— "

  Aunt Sarah appeared carrying three coffees. She handed one to Andy with a flourish. I took mine and some of the creamers she had stuffed into her purse. She pulled out a handful of sugar packets and handed them out. "Have you been in to see her yet?"

  "No, I was too busy catching Andy's paper for him," I said.

  "Yeah, right," Andy said. "Let me know if she wakes up, okay?" he asked with a worried frown.

  "We will," I told him. We entered the room and sat on either side of the detective's bed.

  "I'm glad you know the officer on duty. Without Ruby there's no way they would let us in to see her. And I need to..." Aunt Sarah pulled a small hand sewn bag out of her purse and slipped it under Garza's pillow. "There!"

  "What are you doing?"

  "Um, well it's nothing, really." Sarah said. "Just a bit of this and that. It's good for the soul. Nothing anyone would know is magic. So don't worry about it."

  "Don't worry about it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Aunt Sarah snapped her purse shut and started sipping her coffee as the door behind us opened. I wanted to question her further about what she had done but she wouldn't meet my eye. Behind me I heard Ruby say, "Any change?"

  "No," I said, relieved she was talking to me at least. But she had a cold expression firmly in place. I was definitely still in the dog house.

  "Ruby," I began.

  "I don't want to hear about how Max is a bad person, Ella. I know that you think that. I just thought you would give him a chance for me. I haven't had anyone around since Lance left for college, and you know that was ages ago. Max is good to me. Be a friend." Ruby finished speaking with a pointed glare.

  Ah, how could I tell her about the envelope exchange now? I glanced at Sarah, who was shaking her head no.

  I bit my lip and bowed my head, playing for time. I couldn't lose Ruby as a friend. But I couldn't trust slimy Max Stewart. But Ruby....

  "Ruby, I am sorry. I was out of line. Max and I have an unfriendly history and I need to get over myself. I can put up with Max if he makes you happy. And maybe eventually I could even learn to tolerate him a little bit for you. If you want me to, that is."

  Ruby dove into my arms and I nearly lost my hot coffee. "He's just an acquired taste. You'll love him when you get to know him, I promise!"

  She let go of me and I offered her a weak smile. "Like wine?"

  She nodded. "Yes, he's like a fine wine: A bit sour but generally good."

  I snorted. "Okay, I will try."

  "We could double date," she offered. I heard Sarah sputtering into her coffee.

  "We could," I said warily, feeling the trap closing in around me but helpless to stop it.

  "You and Rory have a date tonight, don't you? At the new barbeque place?" Ruby asked.

  Oh! Rory was going to kill me. I plastered on a pageant smile. "The Spotted Pig at eight," I told her.

  "Max will call and get the reservation increased by two," Ruby said cheerfully.

  "Great," I said and tried to mean it. At least I could try and pump Max for information over dinner. Ugh, now I hoped he wasn't guilty. Why couldn't Ruby like someone nice? And even more troubling— how was I going to break the news to Rory?

  Since we were in the hospital we snuck down the hallway to see if Caitlyn Jones was still there. But the nurse, a sweet guy named Jim who moonlighted as a chef and seemed much more into cooking than nursing, informed me that she had mainly been shaken up and was sent home almost immediately. He also handed me a lasagna recipe to try and we talked sauce until Aunt Sarah was practically vibrating with boredom.

  "What are you going to do if Max turns out to be the killer?" Aunt Sarah whispered as we left the hospital.

  "Move. Hide? Hide, then move? Change my name surely," I told her as she laughed. "Andy was right though," I told her.

  "About what?"

  "This seems more than an election thing. I can't help being worried that all three victims were women..."

  "And Andy," Sarah added.

  "Yeah. See that's where it gets weird. Caitlyn's bodyguards were probably drugged so not the targets for that attack. The killer just wanted them out of the way. Same with Andy and probably Garza... Except that doesn't make sense either. If the killer was still there when I found the body, why am I still here? Why didn't they attack me?"

  "Don't say such things!" Aunt Sarah said worried. "But I can't help thinking you might be right. Why didn't they escape before the police turned up? They could have gone out the window, like they supposedly did after."

  "I don't know. But we need to find out," I said, offering Aunt Sarah my arm. "Let's go see what we can find out about the connections between Helen and Caitlyn."

  "They both like Mike Hutchinson," Aunt Sarah reminded me.

  "Mm," I agreed. "If only we could
find that scarf."

  "You're the only one who saw it," she reminded me.

  "You don't think the suspects would let me look through their wardrobes do you?"

  "No," she said and led me to a pastry shop.

  Later we made our way home and onto the internet. Auntie Joe was floating cakes and looking at online yearbooks. Since we knew three of the candidates had gone to school together, we started there. I texted Rory and he said he would talk to Pete from D&B Construction about the Max connection. I also broke the news of our double date. He was silent for a breath too long before agreeing. I would definitely have to make it up to him somehow. But he did agree that maybe we could get Max to slip.

  Rory and I met outside the restaurant so the Aunts wouldn't get the chance to spoil his dinner. He gave me a quick kiss and a tight hug, whispering in my ear, "I don't like Max either. How are we going to get through this?"

  I laughed into his shoulder as he dropped me back to my feet. I had dressed in a blue sundress. No telling how many more sundress days were left in the year and I wanted to look extra nice since I had spoiled our private evening out. Rory must have had the same thought. He was dressed in nice dark gray slacks and a light navy blue sweater. He had made an attempt to tame his hair and failed adorably. "You look wonderful!" I exclaimed.

  "Had to dress up for Max," he teased. "But I don't look anywhere near as good as you do. Glad we both decided on blue."

  "Coincidence or fate?" I asked with a grin.

  "United front," he countered.

  Inside the restaurant we quickly spotted Ruby by her hair. Quaint tables with red and white striped cloths were dotted around a room done mostly in dark wood. The rich scent of wood smoke mingled with barbecue sauce. Rory led me to the table and pulled a chair out for me. I sat and gave Max a brittle smile. Rory managed to look friendly when he shook Max's hand. Ruby beamed at all of us.

  "This place smells great," she said. "I hope you don't mind, but I ordered drinks for all of us."

  "That's fine," I said, grinning at her enthusiasm.

  I made the mistake of making eye contact with Max. He was staring. I stared back. He blinked owlishly at me and looked away. Rory put his menu up. I did the same and he winked at me. Ruby was cheerfully naming things and debating over no less than three different options. I dropped my menu. I wanted ribs. I might get messy, but what was the point of coming to a barbecue place without getting ribs?