Gumballs and Murder (Candy Store Mysteries Book 1)

by Wendy Meadows

  “My name is Margaret Nichols. Do you have a husband named Roger? Thank you for telling me about Mary. Should we call her?”

  “Yes, my husband is named Roger,” said Allie. “How did you know?”

  “Dorothy told me,” said Margaret. “Maybe we should call Mary.”

  “I can take care of that,” said the police officer, who had overheard the conversation. He asked Allie some more questions, and she answered as well as she could. She told him where Mary worked and gave the officer Mary’s cell phone number. Margaret thanked Allie and the police officer and steered Zach back home. They had to get ready to finish working on the shop. Margaret’s head was spinning. What happened to Dorothy? She was still thinking about it as she and Zach drove to the store.

  Chapter Four

  When they got to the shop, Patty was waiting by the door. She asked why they were late, and Margaret told her what had taken place that morning.

  “That’s awful. Let me make you some tea,” suggested Patty. Margaret agreed, and she sat down inside the shop. Zach asked what he could do.

  “If you want to finish cleaning in the back, I would appreciate it,” said Margaret. “I won’t put out the disposable candies until the morning we open.” Which is in two days, she thought. Her head was spinning, and Patty brought her the tea.

  “I have so much to do, but I can’t stop thinking about Dorothy,” Margaret confided in Patty. “I know the neighbors didn’t like her, but she seemed sweet enough. I hope her daughter is okay.”

  Patty laid a hand on Margaret and reassured her. “Why don’t you go and check on Dorothy’s daughter?” she suggested. “Zach and I can get this place spic and span in no time.”

  Margaret didn’t want to leave Patty alone to do all the cleaning, but she wasn’t going to be able to sit and work while she was worried about Mary. At least Patty would have Zach with her, and the distraction would be good for him.

  “Okay. I’ll take a little time and go and see if Mary’s home,” Margaret said. She told Zach what she was doing, and he thought it was a good idea.

  Margaret drove back to her house and parked in her driveway. The Kings’ front door was opened so she decided to go over. On her way there she heard someone yelling. She looked across the street and saw Kyle waving his arms at his dog. The dog stopped running and sat down. Kyle called him over, and the dog went to him. Margaret wasn’t sure what was going on with that, but she hoped the dog was okay. Margaret walked across the lawns and saw Allie standing inside Dorothy’s door. Allie saw Margaret and waved her in.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” said Allie. “I need to run back home. Do you mind sitting with Mary?”

  Margaret agreed, and Allie went back home. Mary was sitting on the sofa in the living room with a mug of tea.

  “Would you like some tea?” she asked Margaret.

  “No, no. Thank you. You sit, and I’ll be okay,” Margaret answered.

  Margaret sat next to Mary. “Do you know what happened to your mom?” she asked gently.

  “The police officer said she was shot,” said Mary.

  “Shot?” Margaret was shocked. “She was murdered? I don’t understand. How could this happen? You must be feeling horrible. Are there any other relatives you can call?”

  “Not that I can think of offhand,” replied Mary, giving Margaret a vague look. “I don’t understand either. I had to work a double shift and spent the night at a coworker’s house. She lives closer to work and I had to be there very early again this morning, so… My God, I had no idea this happened until the police called me.” She shook her head. “My mother always hated when I didn’t spend the night at home. She never wanted to be alone at night, but sometimes I’m just too tired to drive home after a really long day.” She stared at Margaret. “I can’t help but wonder if this wouldn’t have happened if I’d been here.”

  “You can’t think like that,” Margaret said firmly. “If you’d been here you might have been hurt too. Did you ask the police any questions about what happened?” asked Margaret.

  “No, should I have?” Mary asked. “Why? This didn’t really happen, did it?” The vague look was back in her eyes.

  Margaret realized Mary might be in shock. She suggested Mary try to lie down for a bit. It was obvious that she didn’t know what to do. Margaret told Mary she would be back soon. Margaret went outside, and she noticed Kyle putting Dorothy’s trash can back where it belonged. Margaret looked around and figured out which house was Allie’s. She walked over and knocked on the door.

  Allie answered. “Hello, how’s Mary doing?” she asked.

  “Not great,” said Margaret. “I told her to try to lie down and rest. I will come back later to check on her. I have to go back into town but I wanted someone to know that Mary was there by herself.”

  “Okay,” said Allie. “I’ll check on her in a little while.”

  “Do you know if they have any family that needs to be called?”

  “I am not sure, but we can probably check with Mary later about that,” said Allie. Margaret agreed.

  “I was just about to pull my famous apple pie out of the oven. Would you like some? I thought I would take some of it over to Mary,” said Allie.

  “No thank you, but it smells wonderful,” Margaret replied. She thought it was nice that Allie was making Mary some pie. That is good comfort food, Margaret thought as she went toward her car. She saw Kyle and waved. He waved back and kept walking his dog.

  Margaret got into the car and drove back to the candy store. Patty and Zach had been working hard. Margaret offered to buy them some lunch and went over to the café. Stacy was there, and she greeted Margaret as she walked through the door.

  “What can I get you today?” Stacy asked.

  “I would like three cheeseburgers,” said Margaret and then added, “and some fries.”

  “Coming right up. Your shop looks great, by the way. I’ve been keeping an eye on your progress.”

  “Thank you,” said Margaret, glad to be talking about her store and not her neighbor.

  “When are you opening?” Stacy asked.

  “Monday,” said Margaret.

  “That soon?” said Stacy.

  “Yes. I am confident we will be ready by Monday morning,” said Margaret, although she didn’t feel quite as confident as she sounded.

  “I am sure you will,” said Stacy, handing Margaret her food. “Remember, if you need anything . . .”

  “I will let you know. Thank you for the burgers.” Margaret smiled as she left.

  Back at the shop, Patty and Zach were happy to get some lunch. Margaret appreciated their hard work. Yes, they were being paid, but they were also going above and beyond what Margaret expected of them.

  “So, was your neighbor’s daughter at home?” asked Patty.

  “Yes,” said Margaret, “but she seems to be in shock. I don’t think she knows what questions she should be asking the police or what things she should be doing now. Oh—because guess what? I thought maybe Dorothy died of a heart attack or something but it turns out she was shot!”

  Zach choked on his cheeseburger. “What!”

  “Shot!” Patty exclaimed. “She was murdered?”

  “Yes!” Margaret said. “Can you believe it?”

  “Well, I can’t say I’m that surprised. No, that’s a terrible thing to say. No one should be murdered. Does Mary have any family nearby?” asked Patty.

  “We aren’t sure,” said Margaret. “Hopefully she will be able to tell us more later this afternoon. When I got to her house my other neighbor was watching over her. Allie said she would keep an eye on her this afternoon.”

  “That’s good,” said Patty.

  Zach still looked stunned. “Murdered. I can’t believe it.”

  “I just wish I could be of more help,” said Margaret.

  “Well, you know, I know one of the local detectives. His name is David Graham. Maybe he could give you more information about what happened to Dorothy.”
/>   “Thank you, Patty. I’ll stop by later today,” said Margaret.

  Patty shot her a look. “You know you won’t be able to concentrate. Just go on over and meet him now. He should be getting back from his lunch break.”

  Margaret thanked Patty again. Zach agreed to keep working on getting the shop ready for the opening. Margaret thought about how lucky she was to have such an understanding son.

  Margaret left her shop and walked the couple of blocks to the police station. She went inside and asked for Detective Graham.

  “Who are you?” asked the receptionist.

  “I am Margaret Nichols. I am a friend of Patty Matthews. She said I could find Detective Graham here.”

  “Oh, Patty’s friend? Hold on.” The receptionist picked up her phone and dialed a number. She hung up and directed Margaret to an office on the left.

  “He is waiting for you,” the receptionist said. Margaret thanked her and walked to the office.

  Detective Graham got up from behind his desk. He was close to Margaret’s age, tall, with shaggy blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He had a strong jawline. Margaret noticed this while she was introducing herself. He had a firm handshake.

  “How can I help you today?” asked Detective Graham.

  “Well, I wanted to know how the investigation on Dorothy King’s death was going,” Margaret replied.

  “Who are you to her?” asked Detective Graham.

  “I am a family friend,” replied Margaret.

  “Family friend? Dorothy did not have any family friends,” he joked.

  Margaret was a bit put off—the poor woman was dead, after all—but she couldn’t help but grin back a little bit when he flashed his smile.

  “Listen. I just want to help Mary figure out what has happened to her mother. I know people didn’t like her, but that’s no reason to shoot her,” Margaret said.

  “That’s true. Let me see what I can do for you. How do you know Patty, anyway?” Detective Graham asked.

  “She works at my candy shop,” replied Margaret.

  “The place where everything costs a nickel?” he asked.

  Margaret winced. Detective Graham laughed. “No, I’m just joking. Patty told me about the store. It seems like the people around here will like it. I might have to stop by and try some. I am glad to have met you,” he said, getting out of his chair again. Margaret got up and shook his hand. She thanked him for his help. He held onto her hand a little longer than normal. He turned his blue eyes toward her.

  “Any friend of Patty’s is a friend of mine,” he said.

  “It was nice meeting you, and I hope to hear from you soon,” Margaret said.

  “You will,” David replied.

  Margaret walked out of his office. She went back to the shop thinking about David. He’s cute, she thought. I wonder if Patty was trying to set me up. She had noticed he wasn’t wearing a ring. Margaret walked into the shop, and Patty asked if she had met David.

  “Yes, I did. Nice guy. I think he will try to help me,” she said.

  “David is a good boy,” Patty said.

  Margaret smiled. David was Margaret’s age, maybe a little older. Patty was too cute sometimes. “Yes, he was very friendly. He said he would call if he has any leads.”

  “I am sure he will,” reassured Patty.

  Chapter Five

  The next day, Margaret got up and went onto her front porch. It was the weekend. She had decided to give herself some extra time this morning before going back to the store. Everything seemed to be falling into place for the grand opening, and Margaret needed a little quiet downtime. She had brewed some sweet tea the night before just so she could sit and relax on her front porch this morning.

  She stretched and sat down. The birds were up and singing, but there was not too much other movement. Margaret sat and watched her neighborhood wake up. She was sitting behind a large bush, so she went unnoticed by the paper delivery boy. Margaret was thrilled that she had a paper delivery boy. How quaint, she thought.

  Margaret’s thoughts drifted back to Dorothy’s murder. She had not heard back from Detective Graham, and she made a mental note to stop by his office today and see if he had any leads. A movement made Margaret look up. It was Kyle walking his dog. He stopped and bent down. Margaret strained to see what he was doing. He stood back up with what looked like a piece of garbage and put it in his pocket.

  That was nice, thought Margaret. She continued to sip her tea, and soon Zach joined her on the porch.

  “So, final touches today and tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Yes. First, I need to run over to Mary’s and see how she’s doing. Maybe I’ll try to make those pies later.”

  Zach groaned.

  “What’s wrong?” Margaret asked, although she already knew.

  “I thought you were trying to make friends, not enemies,” Zach teased.

  “Whatever do you mean?” asked Margaret, playing along.

  “Well, if you give our neighbors your pies, they won’t come around anymore,” said Zach. “They might feel threatened by another pie if they visit us or help us with anything.”

  Margaret laughed and socked him on the shoulder. She really did love to bake, and she just wished her recipes would come out the way they should. She shook her head and told Zach she was going to go see Mary.

  Margaret walked across the lawn. She knocked on the door but there was no answer. She tried again, but then figured Mary was getting the sleep she needed after such a terrible ordeal. Margaret walked back home, and she and Zach got ready and drove to the candy shop.

  Margaret had given Patty the day off so she could come in the next day. She didn’t want to overwork Patty. Zach had finished cleaning up the walls and had done some sanding on the rough spots on the floor. The shop looked absolutely lovely. The wooden floors were swept, and Zach was going to polish them that day. The counters sparkled, and the cabinets were waiting for their candy goodies. Margaret smiled. She told Zach she was going to run over to the police department.

  “I want to see if they have come up with any new leads,” she said.

  “Okay,” said Zach. “I’ll be polishing the floor. Be careful where you step when you come back.”

  “I will,” said Margaret, heading out the front door. She almost ran straight into Simone.

  “Hello, darling,” said Simone, extending her hand. She had on a different wide-brimmed hat and a vintage dress that looked like it had come out of her shop.

  “How are you, Simone?”

  “I am lovely,” she replied. “How are you this bright afternoon, Margaret?”

  “I am well. Will you be coming to the store opening on Monday?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it,” said Simone. “Are you off to get some more things for the store?”

  “No, I have to make a quick stop, and then I will be back to help Zach.”

  “Very good. I’ll be in my shop if you need anything.”

  “Thank you, Simone.”

  Margaret walked quickly to the police station. She went to the front desk and asked for Detective Graham again. The receptionist recognized her from the previous day and told her to take a seat.

  “Detective Graham is in a meeting, but he should be done soon,” the receptionist said.

  Margaret sat down in the waiting area. There were some coffee and doughnuts available on a table, but Margaret wasn’t hungry. She looked at the magazines and the wanted posters on the wall. Suddenly someone was standing over her.

  “I heard you were looking for me,” Detective Graham said, smiling. “Come on back to my office.”

  Margaret stood up and followed him. He put his hand on the small of her back and directed her to the seat across from his desk while he sat next to her. Margaret did not mind being this close to the detective, and he seemed to be enjoying the proximity also.

  “I stopped by because I wanted to know if you had any leads on Dorothy’s murder,” said Margaret.

  “We do not right now. We
have our suspicions, but we don’t have any concrete leads or suspects.”

  “What are some of your suspicions?” asked Margaret.

  “Well, I can’t really tell you that,” said David. “Surely you can understand that.”

  “Detective Graham . . .” started Margaret.

  “Please, call me David,” he replied, smiling.

  Margaret could not stop the blush from forming on her cheek. “David, I would really like to assist you with this case.”

  “I understand,” said David, “but you are a civilian. I cannot have you poking around police business. I appreciate that you want to help Mary, but you may not be involved with my open investigation.”

  “But you said you don’t have many leads,” said Margaret.

  “Yes, but it’s early days. We hope to get some soon.”

  “Look. I live right next door to your victim. I am happy to let you know whatever you want about our neighborhood. Let me ask around, and I will bring you something that will help you out.”

  “I can’t stop you from asking around, but I do not need your help,” said David.

  “How many leads did you say you had?” asked Margaret, smiling.

  “Fine. Stop by later today and let me know what you have found out,” David said, sighing.

  “Sure thing,” said Margaret happily. Now she felt like she was helping. She left the precinct and called Zach. He was still polishing the floor and Margaret told him she would be back later than she thought.

  “Why?” asked Zach.

  “I’m going to ask around the neighborhood about Dorothy,” said Margaret.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Be careful,” said Zach.

  “Of course,” said Margaret, hanging up the phone. She got into her lemon-colored car and took off for home. As she pulled into the driveway she saw a young child trip in front of Kyle’s house. Before she could do anything, she saw Kyle come out and help the child up. Margaret smiled. Kyle was gruff but he had a sweet interior.

  Margaret got out of the car and walked over to Allie’s house. She thought they might be able to sit and get to know each other better. Margaret also thought Allie might have the scoop on what went on in the neighborhood. Dorothy had filled her in, but Margaret had a feeling that she was only hearing her side of the story.