by Linnea West
She looked a bit off the mark, as usual. But mostly she looked like she should be standing next to someone else. Someone who seemed to appreciate her a bit more. If this was the best picture Candy could find of her and Earl to frame for work, that was saying something about their relationship.
"Earl was trying so hard to run the dealership," Candy said. I tried my best to keep my eyeballs firmly in place instead of rolling because from everything I'd heard, he was not trying so hard. "He was such a go-getter. And he just wanted to do things differently, but when he tried to change things, everyone got all upset. I just wish they could have seen what he was trying to do."
I was pretty sure that what he was trying to do was to line his own pockets with cash, but I managed to hold my tongue. I glanced around and spotted an empty chair that I hauled over to sit next to Candy. I settled myself into the uncomfortable, vinyl covered chair and set my purse on the floor next to me.
"Tell me some more," I prompted her as I leaned towards her. "I'd love to hear how you met."
Partly, I just wanted to hear more to add to my investigation. But I also felt sorry for Candy. She had always wanted a boyfriend in high school. She managed to go out on a few dates, but she always came on way too strong. Candy had once told us that she longed for that fairy tale type of love at first sight where they quickly go on to marry and live happily ever after. So far, that hadn't happened for her.
"When Earl came to town, I was thrilled," Candy said. "I tried for almost two weeks to track him down because I saw his picture and thought he was just so handsome. I also heard he had inherited the car dealership and I was interested to hear if he was going to stick around town."
Poor Candy was much more transparent than she thought. She had grown up living in a trailer park and had once confided in us that she didn't want to end up a part of the working poor like her parents. I'm sure the thought of a new, potentially rich man in town had been very exciting for her.
"I finally tracked him down at the bowling alley," she said with a smile on her face. "That is where we took this picture. It was the first time we had met. I told him I'd been looking all over town for him and he said that he'd heard a pretty blond had been looking for him and that must be me. That was all I needed. I was smitten."
That made me ache a little inside. Poor Candy had always wanted to fall in love and Earl had been there for her. And then he had died, leaving Candy alone once again. No matter how slimy Earl was, I got the feeling that he had actually loved Candy.
"What a lovely story," I said, plastering a smile on my face. Candy just stared at the photo with the smile fading slightly.
"I'm just so sad our story is over before it even really started," Candy said. "We had been talking about marriage and instead, this happened. It doesn't help that we parted on bad terms. We had an argument that morning."
"Oh really?" I said. I remembered driving by them that morning, wondering what was going on. But Candy's back had been to me. Only Earl had seen my roll by.
"Yes and it is a horrible thing to think about," she said. "I confronted him because I thought he may be cheating on me. I couldn't believe he would do that to me, but he assured me that he wasn't cheating."
"Well at least you knew that he didn't cheat," I said.
"We still didn't leave on a good note," Candy said. "I was still pretty upset because he had canceled a date with me and I heard he was out for coffee with another woman. I told him I believed him, but that I was still mad and I couldn't be around him."
Her face crumpled and tears started falling down her face. I fetched a few more tissues for her from a box on a nearby shelf. She gratefully used them to dry her tears.
"Are you okay Candy?" I asked after a few moments. I had to meet with Ronald, but I didn't want to leave her in such a flustered state.
"I'm okay," she said. She glanced at her wrist where she must have worn a watch usually. But her wrist was empty today. She must have forgotten it in her flustered state. "You're here for a meeting with Ronald, right?"
"Yup, he wanted to see me about the Halloween Hayride."
"Well I'm sorry I kept you," Candy said as she wiped her eyes again. "Go on in. He's been waiting for you."
I took one last look at her tear streaked face and I reached over to squeeze her hand one more time.
"It will all be okay Candy," I said. She nodded at me. "Here, let me write down my number for you in case you need to talk some more."
After jotting down my number on a scrap of paper, I turned to the door that had Ronald's name on it. I'm not sure how I got so lucky, but I was somehow talking to all of the suspects today. Too bad I wasn't getting anywhere so far.
Chapter 15
Ronald's office looked more like the office of a high school principal than a mayor. It was a bit messy, with a book shelf that looked like the books he took out were subsequently thrown back around the ones still standing up. His desk was currently covered in Halloween knick-knacks and he even had a banner of smiling jack-o-lanterns hanging above the large windows that looked out over Shady Lake. Somehow the oddness of it seemed just like Ronald in a nutshell.
"Ah, Tessa! Just the woman I wanted to see."
"Hello Ronald," I said. He was sitting in a big leather chair behind his desk, looking genuinely excited to see me. He motioned for me to sit down in one of the chairs across from him.
"I wanted to touch base with you about the Halloween Hayride," he said. Ronald folded his large hands on top of a stack of papers in front of him. " I know we are getting closer to it, but the investigation is still pretty up in the air, although from what I hear, they may be bringing in a suspect soon."
"Oh really?" I asked. I realized I was playing innocent to get more information, which is the exact same thing Mandy does that drives me nuts. I was starting to see why she did it because it was pretty effective to get more info, at least with people who don't know you super well. "If you don't mind me asking, who are they bringing in?"
"Well, I'm not totally for sure," Ronald said, fidgeting with a little witch shaped toy on his desk. "I was kind of hoping that you would know."
"Oh, well I have actually heard a few rumors, but nothing solid," I said.
Technically Ronald was on my list of suspects so I wasn't sure if I should tell him anything or not. Was he guilty and wanted to hear if he was going to be arrested soon? Or was he innocent and just totally in the dark? Currently, he was playing with a small fidget toy that was shaped like a pumpkin. Could he really be the murderer?
"By the way, did you ever find your watch?" I asked. "I remember you had lost it the other day."
"Oh, that," Ronald said, his face contorting into a grimace for a split second before he caught himself. "I'm not quite sure. I kind of forgot to look for it."
For a few moments, our conversation hung in the air between us. I looked around for something to cut the awkwardness, but I didn't think I should play with the toys on his desk and I was a little disappointed to see that his candy dish was only filled with candy corn, something that despite my love of all things seasonal, I did not even consider to be candy.
"Why don't we just discuss the Halloween Hayride?" I suggested after a few moments. "I really should have stopped and gotten us a few coffees and some donuts from Mandy. I'll have to remember that next time."
"Oh, no donuts," Ronald chuckled as he patted his stomach. "I'm supposed to be on a bit of a diet. Mellie thinks I've gained too much weight and she is worried about me gaining even more during this holiday season. So she told me that if I stuck to my diet until Thanksgiving, the rest of the holiday season would be less of a worry when it came to my weight."
There were many things that Melinda hated, such as anything seasonal, joyful, or traditional. But one of her biggest pet peeves was Ronald's weight. As far as I could remember, Ronald has always been a bit overweight. He appears to be the sort of person who is also healthy while carrying around a few pounds.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said. T
he mere mention of Melinda seemed to suck all of the happiness out of the air. I always wondered what their home life was like. I imagined a battle of good and evil was constantly being waged in their living room.
"But that's alright," Ronald said conspiratorially as he pointed at the pumpkin shaped candy dish that looked like it belonged in my grandmother's kitchen. "Mellie doesn't know about this candy corn. You can help yourself if you'd like."
"No thank you," I said. I tried to think up an excuse, but I couldn't, so I decided to just switch topics. "Now, the Halloween Hayride. Have the police released the tractor from evidence yet?"
"Not yet, but they said they would by the end of this week," Ronald said. "If they don't, I have had several citizens offer their tractors for a night or two, so no worries."
"What about the haunted house?" I asked. "Has Clark updated you on how the plans for that are going?"
"No, I was going to assign that duty to you," Ronald said with a wink. "I know you and Clark are pretty close friends."
I smiled politely. Shoot, now I would have to discuss Halloween costumes with him. I made a mental note to text him back after the meeting and suggest we get together in the next couple of days. I also made a mental note to actually figure out which man to turn down and then come up with a list of possible costumes.
The rest of my meeting with Ronald was mostly uneventful except for things related to the Halloween Hayride. We talked about the list of volunteers, the tractor driving safety event we were hosting the next weekend for everyone who would be driving the Hayride, and the menu of food that would be available for sale. It was all pretty boring, especially considering the the Hayride stayed pretty much the same year after year. The only thing that typically changed was the order in which we set up the scary scenes the tractor drove through.
I was just about to stand up to leave when Ronald looked around nervously. He was wringing his hands and a worried expression settled onto his face.
"Umm, Tessa? Can I confide something in you?"
"Sure Ronald," I said. I was used to people confiding things in me. I was someone who apparently had a nice and trusting face. I was often roped into long conversations with strangers or near strangers while out and about where my Minnesota nice upbringing battled against my can't stop talking mouth. "What's wrong?"
"I was actually out at the hayride field on the day when Earl was murdered," Ronald said. He was almost twitching, he was so nervous. "I had gone out earlier that day to practice driving the tractor. I'm not very good at it and I really didn't want to embarrass myself or the entire town by being totally incompetent."
Whoa. For a moment I felt like time had slowed down a bit. Even after finding the watch out at the field, I still figured that Ronald couldn't possibly be the murderer. But he was admitting to being out at the field. Why would he tell me that? Did he know I had the watch? The wheels in my head were spinning with possibilities.
"I just thought you should know," he said. "The police have asked me a few questions and I don't think I'm their main suspect, but they are keeping me in the dark so I'm a little worried. I swear I didn't kill him. Sure, I didn't like the nincompoop, but I never would have harmed him."
I wanted to believe him, but the watch I had found told me otherwise. I decided I really needed to make my exit from his office. I might be in over my head a little here. For a moment, I thought my dad might be right.
"I will keep that in mind, Ronald. And like I said, I won't let anything happen to the Halloween Hayride. I promise it will go off without a hitch. Well, without anymore hitches I guess."
After a long, Minnesota goodbye discussion about what my parents and each of my siblings have been up to lately, I finally left Ronald's office. Candy was on the phone, thankfully, otherwise I would have been roped into another long goodbye. Instead, I was able to give a small wave of my hand and make my leave. She waved her long fingernails at me, looking more like her normal self. Her face was no longer tear streaked and her desk had significantly less tissues than it had before.
As I walked down the beautiful, winding staircase, I considered the facts of the case so far. Every time I thought I was ruling someone out, I was actually ruling them in. The crime shows made it look so easy. The detective always seemed to know exactly what was going on and who did it. It was like once they saw the initial facts of the case, they automatically knew who did it and then just slowly investigated until they could definitively prove they were right. Well, at least I knew no one would ever make my life into a television show.
Chapter 16
Once I was back at the house, I made my way to my bedroom. My bedroom is in the part of the B&B that guests are not allowed to go in. It is for just my parents, siblings, and I to enjoy. It consists of part of the second floor along with an addition that was built on the back of the house and on top of our garage. It sounds kind of like a jumbled up monster house when I describe it like that, but it really is quite charming.
The private section of the B&B was the perfect size before I moved in, but I had to take over the small library in the private section of the house. My youngest brother Tank actually has a nice suite over the garage, but I told my parents they didn't have to kick him out of it. Besides, he would graduate soon enough and then, if I was still living here, I could move in there.
I don't plan on living at the B&B forever. I'd love to buy my own little house in town. The only problem with living in a small town is that all of the houses for sale tend to be old and need work. There is nothing wrong with a fixer upper, but I just wasn't used to that right now. Living in the city, the worst thing I'd have to do when we moved was change the paint colors. Remodeling and redoing a kitchen or bathroom just seemed totally overwhelming.
I flopped down on my bed and decided I needed to message Clark immediately before I forgot again. I would have to get together with him soon and I think he was the one I would have to let down. He would have no problem finding someone else to dress up with if he wanted to. He had ladies falling all over him most of the time. Max didn't have the same luxury of being the new, handsome man in town. I typed out a quick message for him.
Are you free tonight? Ronald gave me the task of checking up on you and the haunted house. ;)
I set my phone down on my nightstand and shut my eyes for a few moments. I started to run through everything that I had learned in the last couple of days. I had always been a listmaker, but this time I decided to keep my list in my head instead of written down like the last one that Susy almost saw.
Ralph didn't actually like Earl and he definitely wore boots that probably matched the print I found. He was also the last person to see Earl alive as far as I knew.
Susy was mad about Earl getting the car dealership and land and her car was dusty and dirty.
Ronald had lost his watch and I had found it out in the field. He also admitted to being at the field that day.
Candy had argued with Earl that day and said that she was still mad because he may be seeing another woman.
As I mulled over the suspects and clues, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I flipped it open expecting to have a message from Clark, but I was surprised to see it was from Max instead.
Hey Sweet Thing, I'd like to take you out again soon. Are you free if I stop over with some coffee?
Clark hadn't gotten back to me yet, so I figured it would be as good time as ever for me to try and pick Max's brain a little bit about the murder and to talk about our Halloween costumes.
Sure, you can stop by. I'll be waiting for you in the front room.
I took a look in the mirror. I wasn't one for fashion, but I did try to look good most of the time. Small town living meant that if you didn't look good, everyone would know you ran to the store in your pajamas and bedhead. I was wearing my normal fall uniform of a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt. My hair was in a long, messy braid that was pulled over one shoulder. And I didn't really wear much makeup, but when I get up in the mornings I always put on ey
e liner. So I guess I look as good as I usually do.
I put my phone in my pocket and traipsed down the stairs and through the door that separated our private area with the B&B area. Susy was in the sitting room. She had a book in one hand and a package of crackers beside her. I gave her a small wave and she smiled back at me as she waved a half-eaten cracker at me.
My bottom had just barely hit the seat when the front door opened and Max appeared holding two travel cups of coffee. He must have just figured I would say yes because there was no way he could get coffee and get here that fast.
He gave me a cheeky smile as he handed me my coffee which I took to mean he knew what I was thinking. I sat down in one of the wing chairs in the window and Max sat in the other. He was in his uniform, so he must be on duty. The nice thing about a small town was that there sometimes wasn't much for him to do so he was able to take breaks like this.
"Thanks for being free to have coffee with me right now," he said with a smile. "I've been having a pretty slow day at work."
"I thought you'd be really busy considering we just had murder," I said, arching an eyebrow. Max smirked at me.
"You'd think, right?" he said. He took a sip of coffee before looking at me slyly. "So, tell the truth. Have you put any thought at all into our Halloween costume?"
I looked out the window, avoiding his gaze and he knew it. I pretended to be very interested in my coffee while he giggled to himself.
"Well, at least one of us has done the legwork needed to make a great costume," he said. He tossed a piece of paper on the table beside me. On it was written a list of ten costume ideas, including quarterback and cheerleader and cop and robber. I smiled at the sight of his familiar chicken scratch. It was probably illegible to most people, but I'd spent years reading it and could figure it out without much trouble.