by Zoe Arden
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2 5
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We sat around the kitchen table, staring at Eleanor.
"You what?" Sheriff Knoxx asked.
It was six in the morning and he had come by before we left for the bakery to check on Wilma, who was getting ready to go back to her own bakery. I hadn't said anything to her or anyone else yet. I was still trying to figure out the best way to go about it. I'd stayed up all night thinking, talking to Snowball, and had yet to come up with a solid plan. And now Eleanor was completely befuddling my mind with her latest statement.
"Say that again," Sheriff Knoxx said, very slowly. I could hardly blame him. What I'd discovered last night was nothing compared to what Eleanor had just told us. She'd just dropped a major bombshell, and she wasn't one to be dropping bombshells.
"I'm running for mayor," she said for the second time.
"Of what?" Trixie asked, dumbfounded.
"Of Sweetland Cove," Eleanor said, irritated. "Mayor Thomas is being recalled. They announced it last night. That means a new election is going to be held to see who should replace him. Why shouldn't it be me? I've lived in this town all my life, and I know what needs to be done to make it safe again."
"Yeah, but, honey..." Sheriff Knoxx said, which was when I knew he had no idea what to say. He never called Eleanor honey. At least not in public.
"Don't you honey me," Eleanor snapped at him.
Sheriff Knoxx wisely shut his mouth.
"Eleanor, what about the bakery?" Trixie asked. She looked as though Eleanor had just told her she was planning a trip to the moon.
"What about it? My work here won't be affected. Oh, maybe I'll have to put in fewer hours, but with Eli and Ava here all the time, I don't think it will hurt anything."
"Well, I think it's wonderful," my father said, hugging her. "It's about time Sweetland Cove got itself a mayor who knows what they're doing."
Eleanor blushed happily. "It's not official yet, of course. I still have to run."
"You'll get it," I said, deciding to follow my dad's lead. I hugged her tightly.
Wilma cleared her throat, smiled, and hugged Eleanor, too. "Good luck. I was actually thinking of running myself. We may be competitors." She said it lightly, jokingly, as if they were old friends instead of acquaintances who merely tolerated each other. I wondered if Wilma had really been planning to run or whether she'd only thought of it now that she knew Eleanor was planning to. The woman definitely had an agenda, I just wasn't sure what that agenda was. Yet.
"I'm sure Mayor Thomas can help you with that," I said to Wilma. "If you decide to run, I mean." I was tired of her lies. "Considering how close the two of you are, he might even be your campaign manager."
"I told you yesterday," Wilma said through gritted teeth, "Mayor Thomas and I don't know each other."
"Oh. Right. Sure." I was being obviously sarcastic now.
"Ava!" snapped Eleanor. "Be nice."
Wilma kept calm. "I don't know why you think I'm lying, but I have not now nor have I ever dated Quinn Thomas. I've only been here a short time. When would I have ever met him before now?"
"I don't know," I said. "Maybe when you were visiting your sister?"
Her smile faltered ever so slightly. "My sister?" she asked, her lips pressed tightly together, which was awkward because she was trying to laugh off my statement. "I don't have a sister."
"Do you mean you've never had one, or you haven't since Anastasia Peacock was murdered?"
Everyone was staring at me now, their mouths open.
Wilma's face darkened. The lines around her eyes grew more detailed as she glared at me.
"Ava," Sheriff Knoxx warned, "be very careful what you're saying here. You don't want to throw around accusations that might hurt someone."
"It's not just an accusation," I told him. "It's the truth."
I dug my phone out of my pocket and pulled up the picture I'd snapped of the letter. "I found this in Wilma's purse last night."
"You went through my purse?!" Wilma squealed, her face growing red.
"Ava, how could you do that? I didn't raise you to be that way," my father yelled.
"Dad, just look at the photo."
I passed my phone to him, and he passed it around the circle. Wilma looked at it, too. Now everyone was looking at her instead of me. Her brow began sweating and she started stammering her words.
"I... I... I don't know..."
She turned and ran out of the room. Snowball darted out in front of her, tripping her before she could make it to the door. "Ow!" she yelled as she landed with a thud.
We surrounded her, arms crossed. There was no way she was getting out of here until we got some answers.
"What?" she asked, trembling as she got to her feet. "So what if Anastasia was my sister?" She looked desperately toward our front door.
"You mean it's true?" Eleanor asked.
"You lied to us," Trixie said.
"When?" cried Wilma. "None of you ever asked me if Anastasia was my sister, or if Polly Peacock was my niece. Those names have never been brought up to me the entire time I've been here."
"Yeah, but you bought Anastasia's old store and never bothered to tell anyone in town you were related to her," Eleanor said accusingly.
"I'd like an explanation myself," said Sheriff Knoxx. "A lot of things have gone wrong in this town since you got here."
"Now hold on," said Wilma. "You can't think that I have anything to do with this assassin stuff."
"I don't know," Sheriff Knoxx said. "How about you tell us what you know? You can do it down at the station if you'd prefer."
"Certainly not!"
She looked around at us as we circled her.
"Look, I... I may have come to Sweetland with the intent to... make amends for the way my sister and niece have been treated, but I don't know anything about the assassin, I swear it."
"What do you mean 'make amends?'" asked Eleanor.
"I wasn't planning to kill anyone, if that's what you want to know. But a little competition never hurt anyone. You were the only bakery in town; why shouldn't I open my own?"
"Oh, my roses," I said, as understanding hit me. "You came here to put us out of business, didn't you?"
Wilma rolled her shoulders back and stood up straighter. "Yes. So? Is that a crime?"
"No," said Sheriff Knoxx, "but lying about who you are won't make you any friends in this town."
"That's right," Trixie chimed in. "Especially not when people are finding Band-Aids in your cupcakes!" She nodded her head to emphasize her point.
"That wasn't my fault!" Wilma cried. "How was I supposed to know that cake batter was contaminated? I paid a fortune for—" She stopped, slapping her hand over her mouth.
Eleanor and Trixie looked at each other.
"Paid a fortune for what?" Eleanor asked.
"Don't tell us you don't make your own cake batter," Trixie said, looking like she'd been punched in the gut.
"I bet she doesn't even make her own frosting or mood extracts,” I said. "Do you?"
Wilma attempted to speak confidently, but her voice was shaking almost as much as her body. "The items I sell are imported from the finest online shops."
Trixie started to laugh. "Oh, my roses, and to think that when you first opened your shop, we were so worried. You're not even a real baker."
"What about your phone call last night?" I asked suddenly. "You told the person on the other line that 'they'd never know what hit them.' Were you talking about us?"
"I was talking to Polly, if you must know. She's allowed phone calls even in prison. I am simply keeping her apprised of the situation."
"Were you actually robbed?" I demanded. "Or did you lie about that, too, just to get into our house? What were you looking for? Something you could use against us? Blackmail?"
She looked offended but I didn't fail to notice that she didn't contradict me.
"I'd like to know that myself," said Sheriff Knoxx. "Did yo
u fake the robbery?" He was giving her that look he was so good at, the one he'd developed over years of practice. The one that said, "Tell me now or you'll be in some real trouble."
"I, uh..." Wilma looked around the room, her eyes misting over, her cheeks a deep purple now. She made a wild run for it. I dashed after her.
"Oh, let her go," Eleanor said as she opened the front door.
"Let her go?" I asked. "But she's a liar. Don't you want to arrest her?" I asked Sheriff Knoxx.
He looked at Eleanor.
"There's no law against robbing your own place," Sheriff Knoxx said. "I could get her on filing a false police report, but I'm not sure it's worth it."
Eleanor was beaming. "You know what? I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to call Lottie Mudget and tell her the news. I think the truth is punishment enough for Wilma Trueheart."
"By this time tomorrow, Wilma won't have a bakery left," Trixie said, smiling.
"To think, I actually felt bad for her last night," my dad said, shaking his head.
"I'm gonna find Lincoln and Colt," Sheriff Knoxx said. "I need to let them know Wilma's break-in has nothing to do with anything. It was a red herring."
We all followed him outside. It was bright and sunny and a little fresh air felt good.
Sheriff Knoxx stopped suddenly on the front lawn, drawing his gun. He turned back to us, his eyes wild. "Back in the house," he yelled. "Back in the house now!"
"What—" Eleanor started to say.
"Just do it!" Sheriff Knoxx yelled.
We all saw it at the same time. Two people dressed all in black, approaching from opposite angles. One of them was the spitting image of Tazzie Singer. The other looked just like me.
"Two assassins," I muttered as my father dragged me back inside and slammed the door.
* * *
2 6
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Colt, Lincoln, and Sheriff Knoxx paced our living room. None of them would let us leave.
"You're being ridiculous," Eleanor said. "We need to open the bakery."
It was nine a.m. now and people were undoubtedly lining up outside our doors expecting muffins and cookies.
"No one's going anywhere until we know what's going on," Lincoln said.
Sheriff Knoxx's brow was sweating. He'd chased one of the assassins all the way to Beggars Forest before losing him. Or her. We still had no idea. Their disguises had been near perfect, helped along no doubt with some very clever magic.
"Well, we know that Tazzie couldn't have been here," Sheriff Knoxx said. "She was sitting in a jail cell. And Ava... well, she was right beside me. So where does that leave us? Two assassins. Who were they here for? Ava?"
"Could be," Colt said. "One of them tried to push her off those rocks at Mistmoor Beach, don't forget." He looked at me. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you told me that."
"It's okay," I told him, though I had to admit it felt good to be right.
"Where's Otis?" Sheriff Knoxx suddenly barked. He seemed extra irritated now that the threat against us had doubled.
"Right here, uh, Sheriff Knoxx, sir," Otis said, coming down our hallway. Tadpole sat perched on his shoulder like a parrot. Sheriff Knoxx had called him and Elwin as he'd chased assassin number one, the Tazzie lookalike. Elwin was still at the station, holding down the fort, as Sheriff Knoxx had said.
"Where have you been?" the sheriff snapped.
"I had to, uh, make a quick phone call," Otis said, casting his eyes downward. "Sorry, Sheriff Knoxx, sir."
"I thought you told me this crazy idea of yours wasn't going to affect your job as deputy."
"Oh, it won't, Sheriff Knoxx. Uh, unless Tadpole and I win," he said, smiling sheepishly. "But I'll make sure to give you plenty of notice if we do."
"What are you talking about?" I asked Otis. "You're not running for mayor, are you?"
"Mayor of Sweetland Cove," Otis corrected me. "Not Mayor of Mistmoor Point, because Tadpole and I don't live in Mistmoor Point. We live in Sweetland Cove. See?"
"Well," I murmured, looking at Eleanor. No wonder Sheriff Knoxx was so irritated with Otis. I was sure that there was no way that Otis would win, but if he did, it meant the sheriff would lose his number one deputy. Though with the amount of yelling Sheriff Knoxx did at him, I wasn't sure that would be such a bad thing.
"I'm running, too, Otis," Eleanor said, smiling at him.
"You are?" Otis asked, beaming back at her. "Well, I didn't know that. Sheriff Knoxx never said anything."
"That's because I just found out this morning," Sheriff Knoxx muttered grumpily.
Eleanor cast him an annoyed look. Otis walked over to her and shook her hand. "Well, howdy, fellow mayoral candidate. I'm happy to be running against someone as nice as you are. You're sure to win."
"Oh, I don't know, Otis," Eleanor said. "We'll have to see what happens, I think."
"Oh, no, you're a lot smarter than me. You'll win. Although I do have some good ideas on things to do with this town."
"Like what, Otis?" I asked, interested and hoping to steer the conversation away from the assassins for a minute. It was putting everyone on edge. Colt had barely left my side since he'd arrived. He was clinging to me like I might float away.
"Oh, well," Otis said, scratching his head, "like the town garbage dump. If we just got a new incinerator and added a speed charm to it along with a cleaning enchantment, I think we could get rid of the garbage at twice the rate and keep the air real clean. Tadpole likes clean air."
My jaw dropped slightly. "That's actually a really good idea," I said, looking at Eleanor to see what she thought. She looked impressed. Trixie and my father were both nodding.
"Ava's right, Otis, that is a good idea," said Eleanor. She almost looked sorry she hadn't thought of it herself.
"And Whisper Crossing," Otis said, on a roll now. "It's the halfway point between us and Mistmoor, and the border, too. Well, if we really want to improve relations between our towns, I thought we could make one long super-speed train from here to Mistmoor, stopping in Whisper Crossing. I bet people would like that. Make it real easy for them to get Fluffernutter root and stuff you can only get there."
Sheriff Knoxx had been staring at the ground, shaking his head. He looked up now, mystified. "Otis... those are great ideas." I could hear the surprise in his voice.
"Thanks, Sheriff Knoxx."
"How did you come up with those ideas?" Sheriff Knoxx asked.
Otis shrugged. "They just sorta came to me is all."
"Actually," said Lincoln, "I think that Mistmoor would like the train idea, too. That really is a good idea."
We all looked around at each other, silently contemplating Mayor Otis Winken, then shook it off. Otis was a great guy, but a mayor? Maybe he could join the city council, though. That might be a good forum to get his voice heard without being placed in charge of everything. Maybe I would mention that to him once the election was over.
The phone rang. Eleanor went to answer it. When she returned, her face was red. "Trixie, can you put on the radio? Turn it to the Mistmoor news, please."
"Why?" Trixie asked, turning the dial as the radio powered on.
"That was Lottie Mudget. She told me something... but I just can't believe it's true."
Trixie found the station Eleanor asked for. Hadley Miner's voice rang out. She was clearly making a speech.
"And I think that with this new threat against both Mistmoor Point and Sweetland Cove, we should be in this together."
The crowd cheered.
"What's she talking about?" Colt asked. "What new threat?" He was quickly shushed by us as Hadley resumed speaking.
"We cannot allow anyone to decide who should or should not be our mayor. Assassins have no place on Heavenly Haven and no place in our lives." There were more cheers, so loud it sounded like a dozen lions all roaring at once into a microphone. The entire town must have been there.
"I was attacked by one of these assassins and defended myself. I c
an defend Heavenly Haven, too!" It seemed like the crowd would never stop cheering.
"Now that these assassins have threatened to blow up Heavenly Haven, a home both Mistmoor Point and Sweetland Cove share, we must work together. If we cannot work together, then we must work as one. Mayor Thomas was right when he said there should be one mayor for all of our island. The Mayor-for-All Rule is an old one, but it is a good one. I suggest we take this to you, the people, and ask what you think. Do you want one mayor for both towns?"
There was a deafening cheer.
"Do you want one mayor to set things right?"
There was another deafening cheer.
"Do you want ME to be that mayor?"
The cheer that erupted was like nothing I'd ever heard before. I could hardly hear myself think. We all stood around, looking at each other. The doorbell rang, and Eleanor went to answer it.
"Is Hadley Miner really proposing the Mayor-for-All Rule?" Trixie asked. "The same rule that Mistmoor almost went to war with Sweetland over?" No one could believe it. "What's all this talk about blowing up Heavenly Haven? Is that a real threat?"
"I haven't heard anything about it," said Sheriff Knoxx. "It sounds as if she's got the whole of Mistmoor behind her, though. Real or not."
I had no idea what to think. How could Hadley believe in this idea? One mayor for both towns? Yes, it made sense on paper, but in reality, our towns were different in so many ways. Eleanor returned holding a manila envelope. Her face was pale.
"What's wrong?" asked Sheriff Knoxx, alarmed.
"I don't think it's just Ava the assassins are targeting now," she said. She handed Sheriff Knoxx the envelope. Inside was an eight-by-ten photo of Eleanor... kissing my dad! Along with it was a note in black block letters. DROP OUT OR THIS GOES PUBLIC.
"I swear this photo's not real," Eleanor said.
"Definitely not," said my dad. They were both looking at Sheriff Knoxx with worried expressions. He put the photo down.
"Please believe me," Eleanor said, looking near tears.
"Eleanor, Eli, I don't doubt either of you," Sheriff Knoxx said gently. He took Eleanor's hand and kissed it tenderly.