The Ginseng Conspiracy (A Kay Driscoll Mystery)

by Bernhardt, Susan

  “Was Pete around?” I asked.

  “No, other festival workers were. I explained I was getting the pumpkin. He picked it up and hurled it over the fence and told me where to go. You wouldn't believe how fast I followed that pumpkin over the fence. The guy's nuts!”

  I frowned. “Does he ever come into the patisserie?” I asked.

  “From time to time. He isn’t a regular, thank goodness. I don’t even know if he recognized me. Well, better go and see what I can do to help Pete. See you both tonight.”

  We walked toward the music, and I saw Ted and Beth standing with Al Stewart listening to a bluegrass band. A coaster wagon brimming with pumpkins parked next to Ted.

  “The band sounds great,” I said.

  “It sure does,” Al said. “Kay, did you have any luck finding costumes for tonight?”

  “Yes. Some pretty good ones, too.”

  I looked over at Beth. “Beth, how was the movie last night?”

  “Scary! It was a double feature: Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Dawn of the Dead.” Beth put her hand on Ted's arm. “Would have been nice to have someone to hang on to.”

  Ted shrugged his shoulders. “I know. Bummer that I was called away on business,” he said in a sing-song voice. “Believe me, I would rather have gone to the movies with you.”

  “Ted, are all of those pumpkins yours?” Deirdre asked, pointing to the wagon, her eyes wide.

  “Why, yes, they are.”

  Beth draped one of Ted's arms over her shoulders. “Ted's taking them over to the pediatric unit at the hospital this afternoon to brighten up each kid's room for Halloween.”

  “Nice gesture,” Deirdre said.

  “That's our Ted. Do you know this guy has been my best friend since grade school?” Al said.

  Ted donned a modest smile. “Halloween was one of my favorite holidays when I was a kid.”

  Beth looked up at Ted, smiling. “Still is,” she said, giving him a peck on the cheek.

  “Just trying to bring some joy to the kids who won’t have the fun of trick-or-treating.”

  “Gotta love this guy,” Al said.

  “At Christmas, he dresses up as Santa, and gives each child a gift at the hospital,” Beth continued. “He's a real hero to those kids.”

  I looked over at Deirdre, raised my eyebrows, and then looked over towards Ted. “Wow, Santa Ted. I'm impressed.”

  “What can I say? Guess I'm just Mr. Wonderful, huh, Beth?” Ted snaked his arm around Beth's waist and squeezed in a playful manner.

  A couple of Ted friends came over. “Ted, you missed a tough football game last weekend,” one said to him.

  “Where were you?” the other asked. “We could have used your passing arm.”

  “I heard it was a disastrous game,” Ted replied. “Over in La Crosse County, rock climbing with some friends. I've discovered some great bluffs there.”

  Deirdre and I moved closer to the band. At the end of their first set, we walked over to the pumpkin patch where hundreds of pumpkins awaited us. Heavy, tangled vines sprawled in every direction.

  “Geez, Ted is almost too good to believe,” Deirdre said, looking over the pumpkins.

  “Next I thought Beth was going to tell us about how he saved a puppy from a burning building and got a key to the city from the mayor,” I said. “Do you think he might be a bit full of himself?”

  Deirdre laughed. “Could be, with Beth singing his praises all of the time.”

  “Although it is wonderful what he is doing for those children,” I said.

  We nodded in agreement and selected our pumpkins. All the while, however, I kept mulling over the good deeds of my handsome neighbor. Somehow, something seemed amiss, but I had no idea what. Here was a guy who always put business first, who thought nothing of leaving his fiancée alone, no matter when or where, and yet would not allow anything to interfere with his sense of duty when it came to those children. Maybe he was just not committed enough to Beth. It could be as simple as that. Oh, well, I had had enough of thinking about Mr. Wonderful.

  The farm was swarming with people, like bees in a hive, by the time we had loaded our pumpkins in our bike panniers.

  * * * *

  After putting my bike away in the garage, I carried the pumpkins into the kitchen just as the phone rang.

  “Hey, Mom! I'm calling about my birthday weekend.”

  “Hello, Will. How's everything going? How's your social work internship?”

  “Oh fine, lots of work. I’m calling to say I'll be sure to make it home for the fish fry at Jo’s on Friday, two weeks from now. I may be a little late, so don't leave without me.”

  “Okay. Andrew and Rose are coming on Saturday for your birthday.”

  “How about making fajitas?”

  “Sure, that's a great choice!” Those would be easy enough to make. “Are you doing anything special this weekend for Halloween?”

  “Going to the Zombie Pub Crawl tonight.”

  “The what?”

  “Zombie Pub Crawl. It's bar hopping in costumes. My friends and I are dressing up as Zombie Guns 'n' Roses!”

  “Sounds like fun. Dad and I are going to the Halloween Ball tonight.”

  “Great, Mom. I have another call on my cell. Catch you later.”

  * * * *

  Late in the afternoon, Phil called. “The instructor is keeping the classroom open for an extra hour or two, and I need to take advantage of the lab time. Why don't you go ahead, and I'll meet you at the Ball. You shouldn't have to miss out on any of the fun because of me.”

  I shook my head at hearing this. “Okay, please don't be real late Phil and please, please make sure you actually show up. We're supposed to meet Deirdre, Mike and Elizabeth at 7:30. They volunteered to greet people until then.”

  * * * *

  “Walters has been out cold since last night,” John Stewart said, jerking his head up.

  “What did Michael give him?”

  “Amo-something. Doc said there wasn’t any way Walters would have been able to see or taste it in his drink.”

  “Amobarbital?”

  “Think that’s what he said. Do you know what it does?”

  “Slows the heart way down and has a sedative effect. Walters looks like he's just sleeping.”

  “Doc was in a couple of hours ago and gave him a shot to keep him knocked out. We lucked out.” John snickered. “Wife's out of town. Nobody will miss him for a while. I don’t know why I have to be the one to stay with him all night and today.”

  “Maybe, John, because it’s your fault Walters is here. He found out about the ginseng from your farm. Why didn't you get rid of the stuff like you were supposed to? Do you realize the trouble you've caused for everyone? Again? And what's worse is that he had the names of your past embarrassments, the researchers who looked into your ginseng.”

  John motioned toward the professor with his chin. “Don’t raise your voice with me. We don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

  “I sure as hell hope he didn't give the names to anyone else. John, you little weasel, you're always out of control. I’m not putting up with your shit anymore. Why couldn't you have tried and keep a lower profile like Al or Bill or any of us? People look up to us. We're respectable members of the community. And you...you just go around shooting your mouth off, acting like the tough guy. You disgust me!” He shook his head. “You're absolutely going to have to get rid of that ginseng this time. I like Walters. He's a good guy.”

  “I know I have to get rid of the ginseng. I know Walters is a saint…heard all this,” John said in a sarcastic voice. “Al called me this morning. What’s with this holier-than-thou attitude? Who are you to preach to me? You need to be taken down a peg or two and have a reality check. You may fool others, but stop kidding yourself, buddy!” John said the word ‘buddy’ with disdain, his face getting hotter by the second. “You aren't any different from me. Everyone will figure that out, one of these days.”

  “You'll be lucky i
f Al even allows you to stay in Sudbury Falls. You're a risk to all of us. You sure as hell better not be selling ‘that’ ginseng around town anymore. I've heard rumors. We're all getting tired of having to babysit you and clean up your messes. There's going to be a meeting tonight to try and figure out what we need to do with Walters.”

  John snickered. “Should be pretty easy to figure out.”

  “Wouldn’t be looking forward to that meeting if I were you. After we figure out what to do with him, we should figure out what to do with you! I’m out of here!”

  Chapter Four

  A quick look through my closet uncovered a pair of dark silk slippers that went well with the fairy costume. I dressed and applied more makeup than normal, extending green eye shadow upward over my lids. A generous portion of blush gave my cheeks a radiant glow. The overall effect was dramatic but tasteful. Enchanting, if I could say so myself. I did a little twirl in front of the mirror.

  At seven o’clock, I put on my forest green cloak and headed out into the crisp evening air. It was dark outside, as there was a new moon. It was hard to see the steps as I went down. Phil needed to fix the porch light before the kids came trick-or-treating on Halloween. Ted’s house lights were out. He must have left for the Halloween Ball, I thought. I glanced up at the witch in Ted's tree as I passed. It was especially creepy looking at night.

  Half a block before I reached Main Street, I saw a person straight ahead, passing under the streetlights wearing a silk-gossamer hooded robe, just like the one in Margaret's small trunk. It couldn't be Margaret, could it? Had she come back from her sister's already? I almost called out but hesitated. This person had too long a stride to be Margaret. I watched the anonymous figure move along at a quickened pace.

  As I turned right onto Main Street, I noticed a second, shorter person with an identical gossamer hooded robe up ahead on the other side of the street. What's up with the costumes? The first person crossed the street, made a sudden left turn, and disappeared. The second person followed, turning left where the first had. Being curious, I picked up my pace, crossed the street, and arrived to where the hooded strangers had disappeared.

  I stood in front of a vacant storefront, once a furniture store, half of a block down from Sweet Marissa’s Patisserie. A dusty FOR RENT sign rested behind the spider-web cracks in the window. I peered into the store. The building was dark inside. Just for a second, I noticed a light flicker in the back. For an instant, a storeroom full of boxes and dust covers sprang into existence before being swallowed back into the blackness. Moments later, the light flickered once more. I made out a freeze-frame image of the second person in the costume going into a back room before the store darkened again.

  What was going on? Who were these people? Was this a pre-Halloween party before the main one? It felt like something sinister was going on, but what? I supposed I should have kept going and minded my own business, but when had I ever done that? My curiosity kept calling me. I had told Elizabeth and Deirdre that Phil and I would meet them at seven-thirty. It was seven-fifteen, and I was just two blocks away. I had plenty of time to find out what was going on. It was a bit creepy, but I could just take a peek. Not knowing was killing me, so I made the decision to check it out.

  I ducked into the dark alley and went around to the double back door of the store. The entire area looked shabby and desolate. I'd never been in the alley behind the stores before. This presented new territory for me. A smell of wilting trash prevailed. Trashcans on their sides spilled their ancient contents into the rutted pavement. Piles of old wood and broken pallets leaned against the side of the building. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to be here after all, but I continued on to satisfy my curiosity.

  I pulled open one of the unlocked doors, entered, and heard faint voices coming from behind an inner door down a hallway. Slowly, careful to not make a sound, I opened the inside door and just as silently closed it behind me. A curtain blocked my view into the room, so I moved forward to peer around its edge.

  Six people stood in a storage room in a circle, all of them wearing the same silk gossamer hooded robes. It was a bizarre scene. No party atmosphere here. Fresh footprints from the mystery people scattered around the thick dust on the floor. Cobwebs covered the walls. This was becoming much more like The Da Vinci Code than I would have liked. All that was missing was a body. I was beginning to think I had been right in the first place. I shouldn't be here. Way past having a bad feeling about this, the hair on my body stood on end. But I didn't move for the door. I was determined to stay and find out what was happening. The robed people all gazed down at the floor. Stepping onto a low box in front of me, I strained my neck to see what they were looking at. Lying on the floor was a person. Had someone passed out? I could see a man. He was someone I knew, the professor we saw on our morning walks, who passed our home on his way to the college, whom Elizabeth hadn't introduced me to yet. I couldn’t believe it. The professor was lying there, looked lifeless. My skin tingled. I held my breath as my heart raced.

  Someone started to talk. He motioned toward the professor. “How can this keep happening? You were warned, John. This is the last time.” Where had I heard that voice before? I knew that voice. Al? From the post office? Yes! Oh, my gosh! I peered at the others but couldn't see any of their faces. The curtain wavered in front of me. I must not have closed the doors tight enough. Damn! One of the members of the group glanced over at the curtain. It was Bill Murphy, the police officer who stopped me for speeding when we first moved to town and gave me a warning. I didn't think he could make out who I was, or even if he could see someone behind the curtain at all, but I wasn’t going to wait around to find out.

  I stumbled as I stepped down from the box that I stood on. Backing away from the curtain, I swung the door open wide and ran toward the alley door. Footsteps sounded in the hallway as I slammed the back door shut. I grabbed a thick piece of wood lying beside the door, shoved it though the door handles, and raced through the dark alley behind the stores. I got about a block away before I heard the sound of splintering wood. It was only a short distance to get to the Vermilion Pathway where Elizabeth, Deirdre, and I walked each morning. I hoped to lose myself in the wooded area.

  I reached the pathway, removed my slippers to make it easier to run, and sprinted down a short distance before I made a sharp left turn up an embankment. I heard hurried voices coming in my direction on the path. Halfway up the embankment, I hid behind an old gargantuan oak tree I had often admired on our walks. I pulled the skirt of my cloak tight around my legs and held my breath. My heart pounded so loudly in my chest, I thought for sure they would be able to hear it. The pursuing group passed without slowing, within twenty feet from where I hid. The moonless night concealed me. Why the chase? What had I interrupted? Everything spun out of control. I couldn't believe this was happening to me...in Sudbury Falls!

  I waited until I no longer heard their voices and then continued up the embankment and ran through backyards that were parallel to Main Street. I put my slippers back on. I needed to head for the safety of home where I could process the adrenaline-fueled events of the last several minutes. In the middle of the block, with no direct streetlights overhead, I dashed across Main Street and through two backyards. I kept in the shadows, running between the houses.

  This was a night of shadows. I could see a woman through her back picture window standing over at the stove as I ran through her yard. Her dog, tied up in the backyard, started barking as he saw me. But I was already gone before I heard her backdoor slam shut. I crossed Elm Street, hoping not to be seen in the streetlights. Eerie Jack-O’Lanterns leered out at me from the corner house. Phil and I had just laughed about them last night when walking home from Jo's, but now they were unwanted eyes watching me as I tried to move undetected through town. Their sneers looked fixedly at me as I passed. Stretches between the yards seemed longer. Running under brooding trees on Maple Street, I reached the entrance to the alley behind our house.

  I sto
pped in the shadows, searching the night for any signs of movement, making sure I wasn't followed. It was creepier back here than I expected. A cat screamed. I jumped and bolted down the alley, through our squeaky gate, and let myself in the back door, locking it behind me.

  Keeping the lights off, I made my way to the living room. I looked out the front window before closing the drapes. No one was out there. I sat on the floor for a few minutes catching my breath, my heart throbbing. The living room light suddenly turned on, and I let out a bloodcurdling scream. The lamp timer on the end table had turned on.

  I pulled my knees up to my chest and laid my head on them. What was going on? What had I just witnessed in the vacant store?

  * * * *

  I called Phil on his cell phone, but he didn't pick up. Where was he? I sat on the floor for a short while longer, waiting for my heart to stop its frantic thundering. I still needed to go to the Halloween Ball. With all of my talking about the Ball to everyone around town, including Al, I didn’t have a choice. Besides, Phil would be looking for me there, making my absence even more apparent.

  I went into the bathroom and sprayed off my feet in the shower. I leaned against the edge of the sink and looked at myself in the mirror. I gasped. A haunted, frightened, face stared back at me. I cringed and splashed cold water on my face. I needed to find the strength to make it through this evening and do it without acting too suspiciously. I took in some deep breaths and put on fresh makeup, adding extra blush.

  Heading out once more to walk to the Halloween Ball, I saw shadows everywhere. I made sure I didn't look up at Ted's witch. Jack-O'-Lanterns on the porches gloated menacingly as I passed them. My heart was beating fast again, and I half-walked, half-ran most of the way there. Once I reached the block of the Civic Center, I slowed down and composed myself.

  It was just before eight-thirty when I arrived. I went in the side door, not wanting to make a grand entrance. The dimmed ballroom had taken on the guise of a cornfield. Cornstalks stood everywhere as a backdrop. Dozens of monstrous and comical Jack-O’-Lanterns were strategically placed throughout the room. Stars hung from the ceiling. Strobe lights flashed to make a lightning effect in the “sky.” At the main entrance, the people coming in walked through a dry ice fog. As they emerged from the mist, a scarecrow hung overhead to greet them with a devilish grin. Papier-mache ravens were everywhere: on the tables, perched on the cornstalks, hanging from the ceiling mid-flight. Life-sized witches hid between the cornstalks, sat around a glowing cauldron, or flew among the ravens on their brooms above the dance floor.