Candy-Coated Secrets

by Cynthia Hickey

I’d much rather remain where I was, secure in Ethan’s love, relishing his touch, but I knew the wise choice of action. Unfolding my legs, I rose and held out my hand. “Let’s join my aunt and uncle. Where it’s safe.”

  Aunt Eunice and Uncle Roy sat nursing cups of coffee. My aunt’s gray curls stuck in all directions around her face. Uncle Roy looked glum.

  “What’s up?” I reached for the coffeepot.

  Uncle Roy sighed. “Your aunt just told me y’all’s suspicions about that elephant. Sure wish I would’ve been here. I would have told you straightaway not to walk it to the fairground. Sometimes you ain’t got a lick of sense.” He raised his head to stare at my face. “You’re too sweet, Summer. Too kind. Easily taken advantage of. The world ain’t a safe place.”

  “You would’ve done the same thing, Uncle Roy. Someone needs your help, you’re there. It’s as simple as that.” I lowered myself into a chair and gratefully accepted a mug of coffee from Ethan, this time brewed to perfection.

  “What suspicions?” Ethan asked.

  “Eunice and Summer seem to think the carnies asked her on purpose to walk that animal. That someone hoped she’d be hurt—or worse.”

  Ethan sat in a chair next to me and placed his arm along the back of my chair. “It would have to be a pretty elaborate plan, don’t you think? They’d have to stage the accident.”

  “Not if they just took advantage of things when they happened. Saw the opportunity and took it. Animals can be unpredictable. They aren’t all as sweet as our Truly here.” Uncle Roy slurped his drink and scratched behind the dog’s ear with his free hand.

  “Still pretty far-fetched. After staging the accident, they’d have to be certain it would be Summer that found Millie’s body. If that was their plan, they wouldn’t want her killed or injured.”

  “What if they didn’t want me to find Millie? If I hadn’t walked Ginger, I probably wouldn’t have.” I pushed my coffee away. My stomach churned. Thoughts of my possible demise churned the abdominal acids. Thoughts swirled in a circle, making no sense.

  Ethan cocked an eyebrow. “Maybe. But still risky. Animals are unpredictable. There was no guarantee things would work out a certain way.”

  Aunt Eunice rose from her chair. “I still say there’s more to this than meets the eye. As soon as that carnival got to town, Summer’s been in one scrape after another. And this time she didn’t go looking for trouble.”

  She placed her mug in the sink. Something out the window caught Aunt Eunice’s gaze. She parted the curtains. “But trouble sure did find her.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Three chairs scraped back in unison. Truly’s ears rose with the screech of wood against linoleum. Ethan, my uncle, and I dashed to the window.

  “Who is that?” Uncle Roy asked. “Bigfoot?”

  “That, Uncle Roy, is my gorilla friend.” He or she melted into the shadows.

  Aunt Eunice stomped to the phone. “I’m calling Joe. A person can’t get any peace around here, what with Bigfoot, gorillas, elephants, and lions.”

  I couldn’t help but add, “Oh my.”

  “It’s all just scare tactics,” Ethan stated. “It’s the same as my students at school. They square off with someone, jerk their body or head at them, have a stare-down contest. Whatever they think it will take to intimidate the other person.”

  “You don’t think I should be worried?” I let the curtain fall back into place.

  “I think you should be very worried. That’s why I’ll be camping out on the sofa.” Ethan glared at Uncle Roy, daring him to argue.

  I giggled. Last summer the two men had a standoff when Ethan brought in a sleeping bag and spent the night in the front room. Uncle Roy, mindful of my reputation, had forbidden it. Both of them ended up sleeping downstairs.

  “Guess I will, too, then. And I’ll be sharing my sleeping bag with my rifle.” Uncle Roy headed upstairs.

  By the time my cousin arrived, Uncle Roy sat in a straight-backed chair beside the door, rifle across his lap. Joe entered the kitchen and rolled his eyes.

  “Aren’t you going to go have a look around?” Uncle Roy demanded.

  “I’ve got men covering it. Don’t worry. I know how to do my job.” Joe headed straight for the coffeepot. “Has your visitor tried making contact?”

  “No.” I snuggled closer beneath Ethan’s arm. “They never do.”

  Java poured, Joe leaned against the counter. “I hate when the fair comes to town. We have more fights than the rest of the year combined. And why so long? Almost two weeks this year. Mountain Shadows’s police are stretched thin enough. I don’t suppose I can get y’all to go to a hotel for a few days?”

  “Nope,” Uncle Roy stated.

  “Didn’t think so.” He lifted his mug again.

  This was July all over again. Except this time, my “friend” stayed in the shadows. No one had attempted to enter the house, God forbid they should set the place on fire, and Uncle Roy remained adamant about not being run off his property. Strangely enough, I didn’t feel threatened. Not with Ethan’s arm around my shoulders, Uncle Roy keeping guard, and God watching from above.

  Joe peered at us over the rim of his cup. “I could insist, you know. Make y’all leave.”

  “I’d like to see you try.” Uncle Roy shifted his gun.

  “Roy, are you threatening an officer of the law?” Joe’s eyes widened.

  “No, I’m telling my whippersnapper of a nephew what’s what. Short of arresting me, you won’t get me to run from my home.”

  The corner of Ethan’s mouth twitched. My family was a never-ending source of amusement for him. Unlike some engaged couples, there was never a problem getting Ethan to visit my family.

  “Think of the women, Roy,” Joe continued. “They’re in danger here.”

  “They can leave if they want.” He stared straight ahead.

  “I’m staying.” Aunt Eunice stepped beside her husband.

  Not to be undone, I raised my hand. “No one has tried to harm me. I’m staying, too.”

  Joe turned toward me. “You don’t call a dead armadillo in your refrigerator or being stuck on top of the Ferris wheel, someone trying to harm you?”

  I glanced up at Ethan and smiled. “Just scare tactics.” Joe’s face reddened, and I continued. “Look, Joe. I appreciate your concern. I’ve promised you I wouldn’t put myself in harm’s way. I won’t go anywhere alone or question anyone about Millie’s death. I’ll be boring Summer. The carnival leaves town in a couple of days. We’ll just wait it out.”

  “There’s more going on here than someone in a gorilla suit following you!” Joe thunked his cup on the counter. “If y’all want to be stubborn and foolish, fine. God looks out for the fools, the Good Book says. Well, good luck.” With those parting words, Joe stormed out of the kitchen. The front door slammed.

  What did he mean something else was going on? How did he honestly believe I could stay out of things when he dropped a bombshell of information like that? That’s like dangling a meaty bone in front of a dog. He only whetted my appetite. The man played completely unfair.

  Ethan stood. His arm slid from my shoulders. “I’d best be getting home to get my things. Summer, do you feel up to a ride?”

  No need to ask twice. “Let me grab a jacket.”

  Ethan waited on the front porch and greeted me with a smile. “As wonderful as it was, I shouldn’t have fallen asleep. I’ve still got papers to grade.”

  “I’d love to help.”

  We crunched across the gravel driveway and made our way to Ethan’s truck. He held the passenger door for me, and I slid inside. The interior smelled like him: the musky cologne he wore and a scent as individual as the man I loved. I drew in a deep breath.

  I lived three point four miles from Ethan. A country night is dark. Inky black with a blanket of stars in the sky. Not having grown up in the city, I couldn’t give a fair comparison, but I’d have to say, the country was the only place for me. “I love it here.”
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br />   I could feel Ethan’s gaze on me. “Good thing. Because I don’t want to move.”

  With my head on the seat, I rolled to look at him. “Would you move if I wanted?”

  “In a heartbeat.” He started the ignition and backed the truck from the drive.

  “You’re so good to me.”

  “I hope you feel the same after we’re married. After the hundredth time of the toilet seat being left up, or the toothpaste cap not being put back on.”

  “You don’t put the cap back on the toothpaste?”

  “I do. Just testing you.”

  We hit the outskirts of town. Ethan lived in a small house with April, and he drove down the alley toward his driveway. I gazed out the window. “Wait. Slow down.” I straightened.

  Washington Bean dug through a Dumpster behind our local bookstore, Grandma’s Books.

  “Joe’s going to have a fit if he finds out we have vagrants in Mountain Shadows.” Ethan drove past and parked.

  “That isn’t a vagrant. He’s a carny.” I shoved open the truck door and slid off the seat. Keeping the truck between myself and the Dumpster, I kept my gaze glued to Washington.

  “Why are we spying?” Ethan stepped to my side.

  “Several times I witnessed Washington exchange money, and sometimes something else, with either a carny or a townsperson. Now he’s digging through garbage cans. I’ve also noticed he dresses better than most of the carnival workers I’ve met. How much do you think a handyman at a carnival makes?”

  “Not a lot.” Ethan’s breath tickled my neck.

  “Step back. I can’t concentrate.”

  “Really?” He kissed me below the ear. “Why?”

  I flicked a hand in his direction. “Stop. Seriously. Washington is up to something fishy, and I want to know what it is.”

  “Okay. What do you want to do? Follow him?”

  With eagerness, I turned in Ethan’s arms. “Can we?”

  Ethan rubbed his chin. “I guess so. Sure. It might be fun. But we stay far away. Joe doesn’t need to be on my case, too.”

  “It will be fun. I promise.” I grasped his hand and darted into the shadows across the alley. The idea of Ethan sleuthing with me had me floating on a cloud of excitement. My skin tingled. Maybe we could start our own business after we married. A crime-solving business called Banning Investigations.

  Hunkered behind a pile of cardboard boxes, we waited until Washington closed the lid and shuffled away, his arms loaded with black bags of stuff.

  “What do you think he has? He can’t have gotten all that out of the garbage. Do you think he’s been Dumpster diving all over town?”

  “I can’t tell what he has, why not, and I don’t know.” Ethan grabbed my hand. “Stay close to the building. Let’s follow him.”

  “I’d like to see where he lives.”

  “We aren’t going back to the fairground. And why do you want to know where the guy lives? Most likely a trailer with the others.”

  “I know that. But I’d like to see the inside. See if he’s living better than his coworkers. He’s selling something, and I’m not sure it’s legal.”

  Ethan yanked me against a brick wall of the closest building. His outstretched arm kept me plastered against the rough surface. Washington stopped, dropped his bags, then searched through a Dumpster behind a small odds and ends shop.

  A dog barked and Washington paused in his search. If not for the pale yellow shirt he wore, the ebony-skinned man would have melted into the shadows.

  A squad car drove slowly past the alley. Washington ducked behind the Dumpster.

  “Definitely up to no good,” I whispered. Moving to see around Ethan, my foot brushed against an aluminum can and sent it rattling a few inches away.

  Washington spun in our direction. Ethan squatted, yanking me with him. We held our breath and waited. Seconds later, Washington grabbed his bags and dashed down the alley.

  “Sorry.” I giggled.

  “That was fun.” Ethan pulled me to my feet. “Let’s get my things.” We stepped from the shadows and into the glow of a streetlamp.

  “Thanks for coming along.” I leaned into him.

  “I can see why you’re hooked. Being the natural nosy person you are, spying is right up your alley.”

  I opened my mouth to reply when a shout for help sliced through the night.

  Sirens wailed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  We froze. My ears strained to hear where the cry originated. A car barreled down the alley and Ethan tackled me, knocking me out of the way. My head struck the curb. Stars danced before my eyes. A sharp throb started behind my temple and spread across my forehead.

  Through the array of kaleidoscope colors, I noticed the pale face of a woman pressed against the glass of the car window, her mouth opened in a silent plea for help. She looked vaguely familiar. Hopefully, when my headache passed, I’d be able to remember where I’d seen her.

  “Are you all right?” Ethan ran his hands over my arms.

  “Besides the cracked skull, I’m peachy.”

  I stared down the alley. Where were the police? If I were a betting woman, I’d bet the cry for help and the sirens were connected. The taillights of the speeding vehicle disappeared around the corner.

  My vision cleared, and I allowed Ethan to help me to my feet. My head spun and I clutched his arm for support.

  He placed an arm around my waist. “Let’s get you into the house. We need to take a look at your head. Hard as it is, you got quite a knock.”

  “We need to call the police. There’s a woman in the car. She’s clearly in distress. I think she’s being taken against her will.”

  Ethan half-carried, half-pulled me into his home. April sat with a bowl of popcorn in her lap, watching a chick flick. Tears ran down her face.

  “What happened?” She set the bowl on the coffee table, wiped her face on her sleeve, then positioned herself under my free arm. They helped me to the sofa.

  “I’m fine. Just a knock in the noggin. It would take more than that to stop me.” My head ached, and my stomach churned. The bowl holding the popcorn might soon have another use.

  Ethan chuckled. “Thank God for a hard cranium.” He parted my hair with his hands. “Quite a goose egg. We should have you checked out. You might have a concussion.”

  “I’ll get ice.” April disappeared into the kitchen.

  “Call the police, too,” Ethan called after her.

  “I’m fine. It isn’t the first or last time I’ve been hit in the head.” The room spun, and I sagged against the soft sofa cushions.

  “Joe’s coming.” April slapped a plastic baggie wrapped in a paper towel to my forehead. I winced under her rough nursing.

  “Don’t go into nursing, girlfriend.” I lifted a hand to hold the makeshift ice pack to my bump. “Your bedside manners could use improvement.”

  “Sorry.” She sat cross-legged on the sofa next to me. Ethan lowered himself to the floor. April giggled. “Joe gave one of his famous sighs when I told him you were involved.”

  “Great.”

  “It’s my fault.” Ethan laid a hand on my knee. “I allowed you to go chasing down the alley. And it was me that knocked you down.”

  I grinned. “Admit it, you had fun.”

  “I can’t believe you got my straight-laced brother to go sleuthing with you.” April pulled a pillow onto her lap and wrapped her arms around the striped square.

  “I’m not that bad.” Ethan frowned. “I know how to have a good time.”

  “You are that bad, and don’t suffer any illusions about knowing how to have fun. If it wasn’t for Summer, you’d never loosen up.”

  “Okay, you two.” I set the bowl on the table and leaned back. Pictures of the frightened woman flashed behind my eyelids the moment I closed my eyes.

  The doorbell rang, followed immediately by the sound of the front door opening. Joe’s voice carried through the room. “What happened now?” His question carried the wei
ght of a long-suffering person.

  Peering at him through barely opened lids, I answered, “Ethan and I were following a suspicious character. Then a car sped down the alley, and Ethan tackled me to the ground. I hit my head. Oh, and I think the woman in the speeding car was being taken against her will.”

  Joe stared wide-eyed and openmouthed at Ethan. He reminded me of a bigmouth bass stranded on the shore of a lake. “You let her rope you into this?”

  Ethan pushed to his feet. “It was just a carny Dumpster-diving. Nothing to get worked up about.”

  “And the speeding car?”

  “Not aimed at us. We were just in the way. They couldn’t see us in the dark alley.”

  Joe shook his head and turned to April. “Please tell me you weren’t involved.”

  She held up her hands. “I wasn’t. I promise.”

  “Did anyone get the license number?” Joe pulled his notepad from his pocket.

  “Too dark.” Ethan shook his head.

  “What about the woman? Recognize her?”

  Ethan shook his head again. “I didn’t see her. Summer did.”

  “I’ve seen her before. I’m sure of it, but I can’t remember where. She could be a carny.” I tried to sit up and groaned. My hands clutched my middle, and I grabbed the bowl.

  “Are you going to throw up?” Joe stepped back. My cousin had a phobia about vomit. Worse than mine. An upchuck, and we run.

  “I’m trying not to.”

  Pale beneath his tan, Joe set his pen to the paper. “Can you describe her?”

  “Pale and blond, I think.”

  “That’s not very helpful.”

  “It’s the best I can do.”

  He sighed and replaced the paper and pen in his pocket. “You should go to the hospital. You probably have a concussion.” Joe bent, laid a kiss on April’s forehead, then left.

  “I’m not going to the hospital. As soon as the room stops spinning, I’m going to find out who the woman is. She needs us.”

  Ethan pushed April to the farthest end of the sofa and sat next to me, pulling me into his arms. “That’s why you do this, isn’t it? To feel needed?”

  “To help.” And the familiar hunger filled me. Finding Millie dead, presumed a suicide, although I knew someone staged her death, was different. For Millie, I was too late. For this other woman—well, I needed to help.