by Kate Bell
“She said she was going to have a meeting with others that want the Halloween season to end. The mayor is on their side, so do we even have a chance?” I tried to keep the whine out of my voice, but I wasn’t sure I was successful.
“I still think the mayor isn’t serious. And we have a lot of people on our side, too. It’s way too early to give up.”
“I’m not giving up,” I protested. I hated sounding like a whiner, but if I had to be honest, I guess I was. “I will fight for this. I don’t want to do anything less.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it. I think it’s providential that you came home when you did. We need you. Your education will come in handy.”
I smiled at him. I couldn’t help myself. Lies about spiders in my hair or not, he didn’t seem so bad. Perhaps he had grown up since seventh grade.
“I hope it is providential. We’ll put everything into it and we’ll make this happen,” I said. I didn’t want to tell him what Stella had said about my moving home to make money off the business owners. It hurt my feelings and had never even entered my mind.
“I have a good feeling about all of this,” he said.
“Have you heard anything new about Hazel’s murder?” I asked. I probably sounded nosy, but I had to ask. Someone had done it and we needed that someone off the streets of Pumpkin Hollow.
“Not much. They’re still interviewing people. Mia, you do believe me when I say I don’t suspect you, right?”
I took in a deep breath. “Yes, I know. I know you’re just doing your job and I’m not taking it personally.” That wasn’t the complete truth, but I wasn’t letting on. I just wanted the killer off the street and as long as Ethan didn’t suspect me, then I was fine.
“Good. Well, I’ve got to get back to work. And don’t worry about the Halloween season. We’re going on with it as planned.”
I hoped he was right. In the meantime I would brainstorm some ideas to get things going. I intended to make this Halloween season the best we had ever had. I wasn’t sure how I was going to go about it, but I would mange it somehow.
--14--
“Hi Mia,” Amanda said when I walked through the door of the coffee shop. “I was wondering where you’d gotten off to. What are you doing?”
“Trying to wake up. I think I need some caffeine,” I said, looking up at the menu board. The mummy’s curse latte sounded good. It had vanilla and almond flavors.
“I’m impressed with the turnout for last night’s meeting,” she said. ”Everyone had good ideas.”
“I was impressed, too,” I said. “I really think we can turn this town around. And, I think I’ll have the mummy’s curse.”
“With whip?” she asked.
I nodded. “No curse unless there’s some whip on it. Presuming the curse part is all the calories in it.”
She chuckled. “That’s true. I happen to love this kind of curse though.”
I looked around the shop. At one table sat a young mother with her toddler in tow and at another sat Mr. Gott. He was reading a newspaper and had a cup of coffee sitting on the table.
I turned back to Amanda. “Amanda, how has business been for you guys?” I asked in a lowered voice.
She shrugged. “Not too bad. People will always buy coffee. It’ll pick up any day though, just like everyone else’s business will pick up, but it can always be better.”
I nodded. “We could use a boost in business, too. I'll have that city website done soon, but I’m not ready to unveil it yet.”
“That’s great. Maybe Brian can hire you to build one for us? He’s been talking about putting one up, but you know him. He’s a procrastinator.”
I smiled and pushed Stella’s accusation that I had come home to make money off the merchants out of my mind. I would help in any way I could.
Amanda was right about Brian. He really was a procrastinator. He had promised to take me to the winter formal in the tenth grade and hadn’t gotten round to ordering a tux for himself until the day before. It was too late by then and he had worn a too large suit of his father’s. I had been embarrassed, and a little irritated when he hadn’t gotten the tux after more than a month of near daily reminders.
She handed me my latte, and I inhaled the sweet vanilla scent. “That smells so good. Thanks,” I said, and looked at Mr. Gott sitting at a table by himself. I dug through my purse for my debit card to pay for the drink.
“Don’t worry about it, Mia. This one is on the house,” Amanda said.
“Are you sure? I can pay.”
“Positive,” she said. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Well be sure and stop by the shop for some fudge. Mom’s been working on some new Halloween flavors. We’ll make a trade for the coffee.”
“Sounds like a plan. I love your mother’s fudge,” she said.
I picked up my cup of coffee and headed over to Mr. Gott’s table. He didn’t look up as I stood by his table, so I cleared my throat. He still didn’t look up. I glanced at Amanda and shrugged.
“Good morning, Mr. Gott,” I said loud and clear. I looked at his cup of coffee. There was no lid on the cup and his coffee was black. Nothing fancy for Mr. Gott.
He looked up from his paper and focused his eyes on me.
“Morning? It’s nearly noon. But I guess by a technicality it’s still morning,” he said.
“That it is,” I said. “May I have a seat?”
He nodded and motioned to the one across from him.
“Thank you. How are you doing Mr. Gott?”
“I’m fine. I don’t have a pesky neighbor to bother me anymore, so I guess you could say I’m doing all right,” he said and grinned.
I smiled at him. I didn’t know what to say to that. I still thought it was a shame, so many people weren’t the least bit sad Hazel had died, but at the same time, she had brought so much dislike on herself.
“So, Mr. Gott, did you happen to hear anything the day Hazel died?” I asked. I wondered what he would say after telling me he hadn’t heard anything and then telling Ethan he had heard a loud noise.
He grinned bigger. “I noticed the neighborhood is quieter.”
I sighed and shook my head. “We all noticed that. I just wondered if there was anything the police might have missed is all.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“But what about the day Hazel died? Or the night before? Did you hear anything?”
“I can’t remember,” he said, and turned the page of his newspaper.
I sighed. This had been a pointless exchange. For something else to say, I asked, “The Halloween season is almost here. That’s exciting isn’t it?”
He scowled. “I don’t know how you can call it exciting. Those pesky tourists stop in and they dilly dally, driving slowly up and down the streets causing traffic jams. They should have done away with that Halloween season years ago.” He folded his newspaper over, rattling the pages.
“Now, Mr. Gott, the town relies on the Halloween season for revenue. And so many people just really enjoy it.”
“I don’t know why you’d think people enjoyed it. It’s a mess. And who wants to look at goblins, mummies, and vampires for months on end?” He snorted and looked at his paper again.
I sighed. Trying to get him to change his mind was pointless.
“Well, Mr. Gott, it’s fun for the kids. And if you are so against it why are you drinking coffee in a Halloween coffee shop when there are other regular coffee shops in town?”
“If you must know, it’s closer to my house,” he said and stood up. “I’ve got business to attend to now. You have yourself a wonderful day and don’t let any witches cast a spell on you.” With a wink, he picked up his cup of coffee and left the shop.
I sighed again. We needed to change the minds of other townsfolk, along with bringing in new business. We had a job ahead of us.
Amanda plopped down in the chair Mr. Gott had vacated. “No love lost between Mr. Gott and Hazel, huh?”
I shook
my head and took a sip of my latte. “Not a bit. But then, there was no love lost between Hazel and anyone else, either. It’s odd that no one saw or heard anything, don’t you think? I mean, whoever stuffed her clothes with straw and sat her on that bench did it in broad daylight. Why didn’t anyone see it?”
She shook her head. “I really don’t know. Has Ethan mentioned if the police have figured anything out yet?” she asked.
“No, nothing new. At least, he hasn’t told me if he knows anything. But if I had to put my money on someone, I would vote Stella Moretti. She really couldn't stand Hazel and she’s so against the Halloween season. She’s just a cantankerous person. Cantankerous. I’ve always wanted to use that word in a sentence,” I said and giggled.
“You’re so learned,” she said and laughed.
“It’s all that education. At least it isn’t going to waste.”
“I wonder what Stella would say if you flat out asked her if she murdered Hazel,” she asked.
“I did ask her the other day.”
Amanda gasped. “What did she say when you asked?”
“She was flippant, as usual. To be honest, she didn’t really answer my question.”
And that was what made me doubly suspicious when it came to Stella Moretti. The woman wasn’t right in more ways than one and if she had killed Hazel, I was going to find out.
--15--
Amanda and I decided to ask Stella if she had killed Hazel. Maybe we were crazy. Maybe she would be in a talking mood and we would find something out. But the killer needed to be caught before the tourists caught wind of what had happened. On the other hand, maybe a rumor that a murderer was on the loose would help business. Pumpkin Hollow had a reputation for being family friendly and a killer on the loose was the exact opposite of that. But maybe we could draw in another type of crowd with the rumor; those that liked slash and gore. I shivered. That wasn’t exactly my kind of Halloween.
I pushed open the door to Sweet Goblin Bakery and Amanda followed me inside. Stella was sitting on her stool behind the counter, reading her newspaper. It was Saturday, the first day of the Labor Day weekend and I expected the crowds to be here any moment, but the bakery was empty except for the three of us.
“Good morning, Stella,” I said. The bakery display case was filled with all sorts of Halloween themed donuts. Vampire’s blush raspberry filled donuts, mummy cupcakes, and black cat cookies. It surprised me a little. What wouldn’t have surprised me was if Stella had said forget it and not done anything Halloween.
She glanced up from her paper and snorted, then went back to reading it. I glanced at Amanda.
“Those donuts sure look good this morning,” Amanda said, walking up to the counter.
“They sure do,” I said. “Everything’s so nice and festive looking. Stella, those Frankenstein bars look good. I think I need those,” I pointed to the chocolate bars with Frankenstein monsters drawn on in green icing.
She sighed and folded her newspaper. “Is that it?”
“Yes, thanks. Stella, today’s the big day,” I reminded her. “We’ve got loads of customers coming and we need to greet them with a little more enthusiasm.” I probably sounded like a Pollyanna, but I didn’t care. We needed to draw more customers in, not chase them off.
“Look kid, and yeah, to me you’re still a kid, I don’t have any enthusiasm left over. The last time I had enthusiasm was when we buried my mother-in-law three years ago. So take it or leave it,” she said, sliding down from the stool. She went to the sink and washed her hands.
Stella was a ray of sunshine.
“I’m really glad you have a variety of Halloween themed pastries,” Amanda said. “Your customers will love them.” She sounded a lot more enthusiastic about it than Stella was.
“I only did it because I have left over frosting from last year. Orange isn’t a color I use very often.”
“Ew,” I said. “You’re kidding, right?”
She shrugged. “Whatever you want, toots.”
“Okay, well, how about four of the Frankenstein bars? My mother will want one and Andrea and Lisa are working today. And I agree, I’m glad you have the Halloween themed pastries. You aren’t changing your mind on the Halloween season, are you?” I was hopeful, but I knew there wasn’t much chance that would happen.
“No,” she said and slid open the glass door in the display case.
“Great. Maybe when business picks up again, you’ll change your mind,” I said.
“No,” she said and stuffed four Frankenstein bars into a plain white paper bag. “And for you?” she asked Amanda.
“Um, two maple boo bars would be nice.”
Stella picked up another paper bag and stuck two maple bars into it. “Anything else?”
Here was my chance. I glanced at Amanda for reassurance and she nodded.
“Stella, can I ask you a question?”
“You just did. Fork over the cash for the donuts,” she said and went to the cash register. I dug into my purse while she rang them up.
“Stella, do you know who killed Hazel?” I asked and handed her five dollars. I was dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and Amanda was Tinker Bell. Our costumes were as unthreatening as they could be and I wondered if we might have chosen the wrong time to ask the question. Maybe I should have dressed as Jason from Friday the 13th. We might have gotten her to confess if I had brought a chain saw.
“Why would I know that?” she asked and handed me a quarter and a dime back.
I shrugged. “It’s a small town and you seem to have a lot of friends. I just thought maybe you had heard something by now. Or maybe one of your friends have heard something.”
She handed me my bag. “Look. No one in this town cares who killed Hazel. The sooner you and the police figure that one out, the better. Whoever did it, did the town a favor. We are at peace now. Namaste.”
I stared at her. With Stella, you never knew what you were going to get. Namaste, my foot.
“Stella, it seems like you may have had some issues with Hazel,” Amanda suggested and handed her some change for her donuts.
“Ya think?” Stella asked, taking the coins and handing her the bag.
Amanda nodded, and I felt like we might be in over our heads.
“Stella, did you have something to do with Hazel’s death?” I asked, as fast as I could. I took a deep breath.
The boredom never left Stella’s face. Her eyes went from Amanda, then back to me again.
“Are you two out of your minds? Didn’t those fancy schools you attended teach you anything?”
I glanced sideways at Amanda, but she had her eyes on Stella.
“What do you mean, Stella?” Amanda asked.
“Are you so stupid as to think I would just admit to the two of you that I killed Hazel? I mean, really? Why would I do that?” she asked. “And you--you already asked me that. What’s wrong with you?” she pointed a puffy finger at me.
“So, you did kill her, but you won’t admit it?” I asked.
Stella looked at me. Then she tilted her head back and roared with laughter. Amanda and I looked at each other. I wasn’t sure if Stella was admitting to it or not.
The laughter went on for over a minute, and then she settled down, snorted, and wiped her eyes. “You two are just precious. No. I did not kill Hazel. She was a nuisance to be sure, but I did not kill her. Now get out of my shop. I have a newspaper to read and I’m sure some of those pesky tourists will be here any minute and then I’ll have to be nice to them.”
“Oh,” I said and smiled.
“Stop it. You know I am not going to be nice to them. Now get out of here.”
I nodded. “Okay Stella, well, thanks for the donuts. Sorry about the misunderstanding.”
“Thanks for the laugh. College graduates. Funniest thing I ever heard in all my life,” she said and scooted back onto the stool with her newspaper in her hand.
We left the donut shop with our tails between our legs. I felt like an idio
t. We should have kept our mouth shut.
“I’m not sure what to make of all that,” Amanda said, opening her paper bag.
“I think we made fools of ourselves,” I said. “I also think she killed Hazel.”
“Do you?” Amanda asked, looking at me as we walked down the sidewalk.
I nodded. “Stella’s a grumpy bully. I think she got tired of another bully picking on her and she lost it. All that back there was simply her way of distracting us.”
Amanda nodded and took a bite of her donut. “These sure are fresh. I’m glad to see people are out and about already.”
And they were. It wasn’t eight o’clock yet, and most of the stores were still closed, but people were walking up and down the sidewalk, peering into windows. I inhaled deeply. I loved the Halloween season. There was nothing like it.
“I just hope Stella can try to be a little bit nice. I’d hate for her to run anyone off,” I said and pulled a donut out of my bag.
“If she isn’t nice to people, they’ll just stay away from her shop and she’ll be the one to suffer for it. People love coming here and they’ll keep coming. I have faith in that,” she said.
Amanda was right. Stella’s business might suffer because of her attitude and she would have to deal with that. The rest of us would enjoy the season and do our best to make the customers happy. And if Stella had killed Hazel, I hoped it came to light as soon as possible. One thing was for sure though. The killer was not going to get away with it if I had anything to say about it.
--16--
Amanda crossed the street, heading to the coffee shop. Brian had already opened the coffee shop for the early birds and from the look of it, he was doing a brisk business. The weather hadn’t turned cold yet, but it soon would. I had noted in previous years that the earlier in the season the weather turned cold, the more visitors flocked to Pumpkin Hollow. It seemed the cold weather put people in the mood for the holidays, regardless of what the calendar said.