Halloween Candy With A Side Of Murder

by Meredith Potts

  David held his pointer finger up. “Actually, Sir, before you go, we have a question to ask you.”

  The man squinted. “What sort of question?”

  “There was a murder at this marina this morning.”

  The man’s jaw dropped. “Are you yanking my chain?”

  David shook his head. “Unfortunately not. Did you happen to see or hear anything suspicious?”

  “No. I’ve been out fishing since five o’clock. I just pulled back into the marina.”

  ***

  So much for being able to dig up a lead. The old man wasn’t the only one who was unable to provide David and me with information. A half dozen deputies made their rounds of the marina, in hopes of finding a boat owner who had witnessed the murder. None of those deputies were able to turn up any useful information.

  It was hard not to get a little discouraged by that news.

  David groaned. “So much for catching a break.”

  I didn’t respond.

  Although, with so many suspects left to interview, there was still plenty of opportunity to get lucky.

  “All right. It’s time to head out. These suspects aren’t going to question themselves,” David said.

  David began to walk back to his car.

  I did not follow him. Instead, I stared out at the water.

  A few moments passed before David noticed that I hadn’t joined him.

  He turned around with a confused look on his face. “You coming?”

  I pulled my head out of the clouds. “Uh…yeah.”

  He stared at me and saw the faraway look that was in my eyes.

  David grimaced. “Are you sure you’re okay to investigate this case?”

  “I’m fine,” I replied.

  “Really? Because you don’t look fine.”

  “I’m just having a hard time wrapping my mind around this.”

  “I can tell. Do you want me to drop you off at home?”

  I shook my head.

  “I’m not saying this to annoy. I’m just looking out for you—”

  “And you’re concerned about me. I know,” I said. “I appreciate that. But I wasn’t thinking about Allison right then.”

  His brow furrowed. “You weren’t?”

  I shook my head. “No. The thing I’m having trouble with is the murder weapon.”

  “This isn’t an easy one for me, either. It’s highly unusual for a victim to be shot in the heart with an arrow.”

  “Especially at a marina. That’s the part that really doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, why wouldn’t her killer have just taken her body out to sea and then dumped it?”

  “Maybe the killer doesn’t own a boat,” David replied.

  “Fine. In that case, why didn’t they kill Allison and just toss her body overboard right here in the marina?”

  David winced. “That’s a good question.”

  “Do you have an answer?” I asked.

  His eyebrows knitted. “Maybe the murderer worried that if they killed her at close range that they would be spotted. After all, there are a lot of boats docked here.”

  I bit my lip. “Perhaps.”

  “Do you have another theory?” he asked.

  “My gut is telling me that it isn’t an accident that the killer left Allison’s body on the deck of the boat to be found. Or that an arrow was used to kill her instead of something more efficient like a gun.”

  “So what do you think happened?”

  “Allison was really into archery, so maybe the use of the arrow as a murder weapon was symbolic,” I said.

  “That could be,” David replied.

  “Allison was also a member of a local archery league.”

  “Do you think someone from her league might have done this?”

  “Don’t you think that’s worth checking out?”

  He nodded.

  “After all, her killer is clearly a really good shot.”

  Chapter Ten

  An arrow flew three hundred feet through the air in the blink of an eye, hitting a target with incredible precision. My eyes stared at the target in complete disbelief.

  David and I had only been at the archery range for less than a minute, but that was plenty long enough to realize how deadly accurate people could be with a bow and arrow. I didn’t recognize the bearded man who was doing target practice, but his skill with a bow was impressive.

  For a moment, I was completely speechless. David shared my sense of disbelief. He was just as slack-jawed as I was.

  While my mind was still processing what I had just seen, a second arrow flew through the air, hitting a target with impressive accuracy. The bearded man had now made two shots look like child’s play. If that wasn’t amazing enough, the guy wasn’t even sweating. If anything, he made those shots look effortless.

  I was finally able to muster a response as I watched the bearded man from the front counter in the lobby of the range.

  “That’s incredible,” I said.

  John Brady, the long-haired, burly, middle-aged owner of the archery range, stood behind the counter and shrugged. “If you say so.”

  I turned to John with a wrinkled forehead. “You don’t think that’s amazing?”

  John looked completely nonplussed. “If you think that’s special, you should come here on league nights.”

  “Why? Are the league members even better than that?” I asked.

  John nodded. “Oh yeah. Everyone in the league is better than that.”

  “That’s hard to believe.”

  “You should come by one week and see for yourself.”

  My eyes widened. “That must be some league.”

  While I tried to wrap my head around everything that John was saying, David got down to business. “Do you happen to have a list of all the members in this league?”

  John nodded. “I do.”

  “Can you print out a copy for me?” David asked.

  John folded his arms. “That depends. Who are you?”

  David pulled out his police badge then explained who he was and why he was there.

  Until that point, John had shown little to no emotion. All that changed in an instant when he heard the terrible news about Allison.

  “I can’t believe it,” John said. “That’s so awful. Someone actually shot her in the heart with an arrow?”

  David nodded. “Unfortunately. Now will you please print us out a list of all of the members in your league?”

  “Of course. Although, I can do you one better,” John said.

  David scrunched his nose. “How so?”

  John pointed at a framed photograph that was hanging on the wall. “That’s them, right there.”

  David and I both turned our focus to the photograph. There were about twenty people pictured. I only recognized a handful of them. The ones I did recognize all happened to be suspects, though.

  “So wait. The whole Gordon family are members of the league, then?” I asked.

  John nodded. “Uh-huh. Why? Do you think one of them might have killed her?””

  “I hate to say it, but it’s a definite possibility,” I replied.

  “That would be unbelievable,” John said.

  “It is a terrible thing to think about, but at this point, we can’t rule them out,” David said.

  “That’s where you come in,” I added.

  A blank look came to John’s face. “What do you mean?”

  “We’re hoping you can help us,” I said.

  “How?” John asked.

  “You’re the one who runs the league. Were there ever any tense moments between Allison and her stepdaughter? Or how about Michael Gordon’s ex-wife?” I replied.

  “Actually, yeah,” John said.

  “To which question?” I asked.

  “Both,” John said.

  “Care to elaborate?” I asked.

  “Last week, there was a blowup between Kaitlin Gordon and her stepmother,” John said.

  My eyebrows rose. “What kind
of a blowup?”

  “Kaitlin got into this huge shouting match with Allison.”

  “Over what?”

  “Kaitlin wanted Allison to quit the league.”

  “And what did Allison do?”

  “She stood up to Kaitlin.”

  “I’m sure that didn’t go over well,” I said.

  John shook his head. “No. It sure didn’t. Not with Kaitlin or her birth mother. Deanna McMillan quickly sprung to Kaitlin’s defense.”

  “How about Michael Gordon? Where was he during all of this?” I asked.

  “He tried to avoid jumping into the fray. But when things got heated, he stepped in and defended Allison,” John said.

  “That probably made Kaitlin even angrier,” I replied.

  John nodded. “Yeah. It got pretty tense. I finally had to break things up. I told them to take it outside. I can’t have drama like that in my place. I’m trying to run a business here.”

  “I understand,” I replied.

  David spoke up. “How did they react to that?”

  “They didn’t like it, but they didn’t have any choice in the matter,” John said.

  “Do you know what happened after you kicked them out?” David asked.

  John shrugged. “I have no clue.”

  I switched gears. “What about Peter Skelton? I know he and Allison used to date. Did you ever see them arguing on league nights?”

  John shook his head. “No. But that might be because Peter hasn’t shown up for the league in a few months.”

  I scratched my chin. “Hmm. Interesting.”

  “Anything else?” John asked.

  I held my pointer finger up. “Actually, yes. One more thing. I happened to see Tyler O’Connell in that picture as well. Can you recall any tense moments between Allison and Tyler?”

  “I know they were big rivals, but they never caused a scene here,” John replied.

  “Good to know,” I said. “Can you think of anyone else that Allison didn’t get along with?”

  John shook his head. “No. Now are we done here? I have a business to run.”

  “We’re all set,” David replied. “Thanks for your help.”

  David and I left the archery range feeling much differently about this case. How could we not? To start, each one of the suspects was a member of the league. In addition, according to John, they all had impressive archery skills.

  Chapter Eleven

  I was not looking forward to the drive over to Treasure Cove Sporting Goods. Not just because I had a bad feeling about interviewing Peter Skelton but also because the route to the store took David and me past the site of the old banquet hall on Treasure Cove Lane.

  Even though Jake Williamson had bought the land, demolished the banquet hall, and had put up a new Costlow Warehouse on the site, I still got creeped out every time I drove down Treasure Cove Lane.

  There was a good reason for that. I knew what dubious things had gone down at this very location just a few years ago. I was all too aware of the secret meetings that had taken place at the banquet hall. Not to mention the infamous vote the secret society had cast to murder Gregory Morton.

  Those haunted memories sprung up in my mind as David’s car drove by. As much as I wanted to move forward, the past sometimes refused to be pushed aside.

  David looked over from the driver’s side of his car and saw me staring out the window. He couldn’t help but comment on the faraway look that was in my eyes.

  “Are you daydreaming about free food samples?” he asked.

  David could not have been more incorrect. Although, it wasn’t a terrible guess. My stomach was known for having some pronounced cravings. Especially when free food was available. And there was never a shortage of samples available at Costlow.

  If only this warehouse had been constructed in another part of town, my stomach would probably be rumbling. Instead, I remained preoccupied with other thoughts.

  I bit my lip and glanced at David. “Actually, I wasn’t thinking about food at all.”

  David became deflated. “I suppose that was just a little wishful thinking on my part.”

  “Are you having some cravings?” I asked.

  “You know I’m not the kind of guy who makes a habit of turning down free food,” David replied.

  “I wouldn’t want to be with a guy who did,” I deadpanned.

  “That’s a fair point.”

  “A delicious point, even.”

  “That depends. Do you think they are sampling Halloween candy today?” David asked.

  “If we didn’t have this pesky murder case to solve, we could find out.”

  “Yeah—if. That said, neither my stomach nor the case is the focus of this conversation,” David replied. “My initial question was about you and what was on your mind. What’s the answer?”

  “Not Halloween candy,” I replied.

  “Were you thinking about the old banquet hall again?”

  I exhaled. “I was trying not to.”

  “How is that working out for you?”

  I shook my head. “Not great.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” he asked.

  “No. But I appreciate your concern.”

  “Of course I’m concerned. I don’t like to see you all stressed out.”

  “It’s hard not to be when you’re in the middle of a homicide investigation.”

  “True,” he replied. “All the more reason to get a free sample. Or a whole bag of Halloween candy.”

  “Now you’re just enabling my sweet tooth.”

  “Hey, you’re not the only one who loves chocolate around here.”

  “I’ll have to take a rain check on the candy. I’m not in the mood to fight through the crowds. Even if it is for free chocolate.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “Besides, I need to save my energy and patience for questioning murder suspects.

  “Good call.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Whatever lingering thoughts I had about the old banquet hall immediately disappeared when David and I arrived at Treasure Cove Sporting Goods. There was a murder suspect to question, and I needed to focus all of my attention on the owner of the place, Peter Skelton.

  The gray-haired, mustached man was in his early fifties and was carrying around a few extra pounds. Normally that would make me believe that he didn’t actually ever use any of the sporting goods that he sold. Only I knew better. After all, Peter was an archery enthusiast.

  He was also Allison’s ex-boyfriend. On top of that, Allison’s husband, Michael Gordon, was Peter’s biggest business rival. That made for a combustible mix.

  David approached Peter with his police badge out. When David informed Peter of Allison’s death, paranoia quickly took hold.

  “I don’t like where you’re going with this,” Peter said.

  David held both of his hands out. “Calm down. You don’t know where we’re going.”

  Peter squinted. “So you don’t think I’m a suspect in Allison’s death, then?”

  “I didn’t say that,” David replied.

  “Of course not,” Peter said. “Because you actually think I might have killed her, don’t you?”

  “Mr. Skelton, we’re the ones asking the questions here,” David replied.

  “I’ll save us all a bunch of time. I had nothing to do with her death. Now, I have to get back to work,” Peter said.

  Peter moved to take a few steps away from David and me.

  David held his arm out. “I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. Now you can either answer our questions here, or I can drag you into the police station. It’s your choice.”

  David and Peter stared hard at each other. Both clearly expected the other to back down. Neither was willing to give an inch.

  Instead of waiting to see who blinked first, I spoke up.

  “If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about,” I said.

  “I don’t have anything to hide,” Peter replied.
r />   “Good. Then let’s get started,” David said.

  Peter folded his arms and groaned. “All right. But make it quick.”

  “Mr. Skelton, you’re an avid archer, aren’t you?” David asked.

  Peter shrugged. “So what?”

  “Allison was shot in the heart with an arrow,” David said.

  “That’s truly awful—” Peter replied.

  I nodded. “It sure is.”

  “But I wasn’t the one who shot her,” Peter said. “I mean, there are a lot of highly skilled archers in this town. Her husband, for example.”

  “Her husband didn’t quit the archery league, though,” David replied.

  “I didn’t quit,” Peter said.

  “John Brady told us you haven’t been in months,” David replied.

  “That’s because I’ve been busy running my business. Do you have any idea how much work it takes to keep this place going?” Peter asked.

  “Especially when you’re in the middle of an intense rivalry with Michael Gordon’s sporting goods store,” David said.

  “I didn’t say that,” Peter replied.

  “You didn’t have to,” David said.

  “Speaking of Michael Gordon, why don’t you go talk to him?” Peter asked.

  “Nice try, but we’re not done with you yet,” David said.

  I spoke up. “After all, not only are you Allison’s ex-boyfriend, but she dumped you to be with your biggest business rival. That had to really sting.”

  Peter smirked. “Nice try, but I’m not biting.”

  “Peter, we’re just trying to get to the truth,” I said.

  Peter shook his head. “No. You’re trying to bait me into saying something incriminating.”

  “You can call it whatever you want, but I’m just going over the facts. Or are you going to lie and tell me that she didn’t dump you and marry your business rival?” I asked.

  “She did, but that was a long time ago,” Peter replied.

  “Are you telling me that it doesn’t still sting?” I asked.

  “I got over it,” Peter said.

  “You’ll have to forgive us if we don’t believe you,” David replied.