Frosted on the Ferris Wheel

by Laura Pauling

  Holly also needed a distraction. Just the thought Millicent was on her way over to Trent’s to subtly interrogate him drove Holly nuts. Not knowing what happened to their relationship or when it had gone off the rails disturbed her. Eventually, she’d have to sit down and ask him.

  One road led to another. Before Holly realized it, she was on her way to Charlene’s. Hopefully her friend was home. She pulled into the driveway to a darkened house even though her car was in the driveway. Just in case, Charlene had fallen asleep, Holly approached the front door. She knocked several times.

  “Charlene? It’s me. Holly.”

  When no sound came from the other side of the door, Holly went back to her car and then her shop. She’d lose herself in baking for a couple hours and then go back to Charlene’s. Eventually, her friend had to come home.

  Two hours later, Holly sat back and stared at her lovelies. The golden brown cookies lay cooling. Ready for the competition tomorrow. Maybe simple would work best. Who could resist a delicious cookie? And if she lost, Holly was okay with that too. Her product would still be out there, being tested and tasted.

  She sighed. Time to go. This time, she refused to leave until Charlene got home. Kind of like a stakeout. First, she zipped home to feed Muffins.

  “Sorry I can’t take you with me on this one.” She scratched behind his ears. “You need to rest up anyway. You’ll be with me all day tomorrow. Your job is to attract kids, so their parents will buy a smoothie. When it comes down to it, you’re my secret weapon.” She added food and water to his dishes. “So don’t give me that pouty look.”

  She dressed in dark clothing, packed a thermos of hot chocolate and a bag of trail mix, and drove to Charlene’s. This time, she parked further down the road and walked the rest of the way. It was nine p.m. Charlene never stayed out that late.

  With the windows still dark and Charlene’s car gone, Holly put her beach chair down in the woods, hidden behind a large oak tree, and settled in for however long was necessary.

  The trees creaked in the warm breeze. Crickets went silent around her. Every once in a while, a squirrel rustled the brush nearby. She tried to focus on the investigation: Chip and Judy arguing, Joel and real estate, and that jealousy has the potential to drive a normal person to commit abnormal acts. Like murder. Her last thought before dropping off was that instead of meeting with the club, she should’ve stayed and followed Chip. Maybe that would’ve been more helpful.

  Tires crunched on the driveway. Headlights briefly scanned the woods before focusing on Charlene’s house. Holly shot up. Pieces of nuts and dried fruit littered her shirt and the ground.

  Someone walked Charlene to the door.

  Everything fell into place. How could Holly not have seen this?

  A man stood over Charlene at the door, blocking Holly’s view. He was tall and broad-shouldered. She strained to hear what they were saying, feeling guilty at the same time.

  They spoke low. Their voices nothing but a mumble. The man leaned down. Was that a good night kiss?

  Holly sucked in a breath. Now she felt awful. If Charlene didn’t want to share about the men in her life, she didn’t have to. Holly closed her eyes, offering her friend privacy.

  “Goodnight, Pierre,” Charlene called.

  He headed back to his car and drove away.

  Pierre? Holly’s eyes blinked open. Pierre Monroe? As in Millicent’s father? Everything turned crystal clear. That’s why Millicent was allowed in the club. That’s why the meeting was held at The Tasty Bite. That’s why Millicent felt the right to steal Trent. That’s the secret information Millicent hinted at during the meeting.

  “Did you get an eyeful?” Charlene said from the porch. “Might as well come out. I spotted you the second we pulled into the driveway.”

  Holly froze.

  “Yes, I’m talking to you Holly Hart!”

  Holly sheepishly stepped out from the trees. She shuffled over to the porch. Shame washed through her. At the steps, she stopped. “I’m sorry. I had no idea. It’s just that I was worried about you.”

  “Might as well come up here and talk. I’ll get some coffee brewing.”

  Minutes later, they sat at Charlene’s kitchen table.

  “So how long has this been going on?” Holly asked.

  Charlene narrowed her eyes. “Don’t we have more important things to talk about? Like the murder investigation?” She waved. “I know. I’ve missed two meetings. I didn’t mean to disappear.”

  “No.” Holly refused to back down. “You’re my friend. Sometimes friendship and a much-needed heart-to-heart needs to come before murder.”

  “Fine.” Charlene sipped her coffee. “What do you want to know?”

  “Um, anything you’ll tell me?”

  Charlene stifled a smile. “Pierre and I go way back. Been friends for a while. At your Fourth of July thingamajig, we reconnected. It’s been slow, but this past week, right before the murder, he stepped it up a bit.”

  Holly smiled, happy for her friend. After all, last month, Holly was the one to see through to her friend’s loneliness. “That’s wonderful.”

  “Wonderful? Now I have to deal with flowers and chocolates and an overload of pastries. He sure knows how to treat a girl right.” She traced her finger around the rim of the mug. “I think I’m going to break it off.”

  “What?” Holly almost jumped to her feet. “Don’t you dare. Why would you do such a thing?”

  “Because doggone it. It’s getting in the way of what I love. Mysteries. It’s means I have to be nice to Millicent, and I’m not sure how much longer I can handle that.”

  Holly let a giggle slip out. “I don’t envy that.” She decided to remain happy for her friend. Yes, she missed her, especially on this case. “Has Kitty filled you in on our plans for tomorrow?”

  “Not yet. Tell me.” Charlene’s eyes glinted with excitement. “I want to know everything.”

  Holly told her all the information they’d covered at the meeting. As hard as it was and as much as she wanted to spill her horrible afternoon with Millicent and all her lies, she kept that part to herself. She didn’t want to mess things up with her and Pierre.

  “We thought that while Millicent and I distracted Trent tomorrow, you could visit his office and poke around.”

  “You bet I can.” Charlene hesitated, then asked, “How do you plan on distracting Trent while he’s on his job?”

  Holly shrugged. “You leave that to us.”

  Bright and early the next morning, Holly woke determined. For the first time in days she felt focused. After a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, she attempted once again to create the perfect strawberry cheesecake smoothie. This time she added crushed ice.

  Delicious. Perfect for the festival.

  Working non-stop, like a robot, she made batch after batch. She stored single servings in Ziplocs bags and layered them on ice in a large chest. With a nod of satisfaction, she closed the lid.

  “Not bad for a last-minute job. Right Muffins?”

  He yipped at her feet.

  “I’ll take that as approval.” She crouched. “Are you ready for your job today? Look adorable and draw kids over to pet you. That’s all you have to do.”

  Holly showered and pulled on a Just Cheesecake T-shirt and a pair of white shorts. The expected temperatures were high eighties, high humidity. She packed an extra cooler with lunch, drinks, and treats for Muffins.

  “Okay, ready to go?”

  Muffins clawed at the door in response.

  The only part of the day she wasn’t excited about was the preplanned “fight” between her and Millicent. It wouldn’t be much. A few smashed cupcakes, a spilled smoothie, mostly all for looks. Millicent would call Trent. When he arrived it would look like they’d been fighting. Millicent would play up the dramatic, upset female, and Trent would have to spend time calming her down.

  They chose early afternoon, hoping a lot of the crowd would have thinned due to heat and napping babi
es, and the rest would be focused on the parade. They were both willing to possibly look bad in the public for the sake of the investigation.

  The morning felt crisp and cool, but she didn’t let that fool her. She could already tell it would be a scorcher. The fairgrounds were fairly quiet, humming with the background noise of merchants setting up their tents and wares. Like her, they hoped to sell a lot.

  She tucked her cooler in the shadiest part under the table. She stacked the plastic cups and lids on the table and hung her banner across the front. It read, Taste of Heaven. Only 4.99. She’d added graphics of ice crystals that would make people think cool, refreshing, and then want to buy her smoothies. She placed a stack of coupons offering twenty percent off any size cheesecake. Ann was at the shop, ready to go. Kitty would bring extra bags of ice partway through the morning.

  Holly sighed, the confidence and focus still with her. She tied Muffins’ leash to a leg of the table, and then, she glanced at the spot reserved for The Tasty Bite. Pierre had set up. His bakery treats were under glass containers. The new cupcake design Millicent bragged about wasn’t that big of a deal. Just flower-shaped ones. The whole setup was elegant and attractive.

  But there was no sign of Millicent.

  The first few people drifted under the large white canopy that housed all the merchants. The midway would start up at ten a.m. That was when Holly hoped for a surge of customers.

  She sold two smoothies.

  Still no sign of Millicent.

  She sold five more.

  No sign of her arch nemesis. Now she was worried. Nothing would stop Millicent from competing with Just Cheesecake. Should she text Charlene? Call The Tasty Bite? The police?

  Half an hour later, Millicent strolled through. Even though she looked well put together as usual, she appeared tired, shadows under her eyes.

  Right in front of Holly’s table, she yawned. “Woo wee. Late night last night.” She winked at Holly. “Budding romance can be a killer. No pun intended.” Then she flounced to her father’s reserved spot, her hips swaying in her short shorts.

  Holly fumed. Mixed emotions of jealous, rage, and hurt churned.

  All morning, she’d tried not to think about Millicent and Trent’s date. If it had been a date. But here was the proof. They’d spent the night together or their date had ended extremely early in the morning. As Holly’s mother always said, “Nothing good happens after eleven.”

  Muffins growled.

  “I know. Don’t let her bother us.” Millicent knew exactly what she was doing when it came to pushing Holly’s buttons.

  The morning marched on. Holly’s plan for Muffins to draw the children and then the parents worked perfectly. Muffins loved the attention, and while parents waited, most of them bought a smoothie and picked up a coupon.

  At eleven a.m., Millicent disappeared from the table. Again, Holly was baffled at her lack of motivation to sell. Usually she enjoyed competing with Holly. This was the first time Holly seemed to have the upper hand.

  At noon, Holly could barely manage the surge of customers. If this continued, she’d be out of smoothie mixes. She was debating whether to take an hour off and run home to whip up some more and make it back in time for their plans.

  Then, just as the parade started, the music echoing down the street, Millicent walked in with what looked like a horse. It was a Great Dane. She flashed Holly a smug smirk, assuming she’d topped Holly’s efforts. But Holly knew dogs and she knew what could possibly happen.

  The large dog, seemingly uncomfortable in crowds, strained against his leash. Millicent’s face turned red as she struggled to rein him in. He barked and growled. Eventually, his presence drove the crowds away. Children were scared. The other merchants mumbled their complaints.

  Holly walked over, calm and in control. Millicent had to see how her idea had gone terribly wrong. “You have to get him out of here.”

  “Why should I listen to you?”’ Millicent lifted her chin. “You just can’t stand the idea that I outdid you. That my dog is bigger than yours.”

  “Your dog is driving customers away.” Holly motioned to the merchants. “We’re all losing money.”

  “You’re just jealous,” Millicent hissed, but the doubt showed on her face as her dog yanked on his leash. Sweat trickled from her brow. “You’ve always been jealous of everything I have from Trent’s affection to my history with Charlene and the girls. You need to get over it.”

  Holly backed away. The dog drooled, great slimy globs stretching from his mouth. “I think he has anxiety issues. You need to get him out of here. Seriously.”

  “You just—” The Great Dane, with a final lunge, broke free from Millicent’s grasp. Scared, he ran back and forth. He bumped into Millicent’s table, sending the treats sliding to the ground. His eyes emitted fear, and Holly ran back to Muffins.

  She texted Trent. Emergency! Come now!

  Okay, so the plan wasn’t working exactly how it was supposed to. This was much worse than planned.

  The beast of a dog crashed through the line of vendors and headed toward the street and the lines of children and families watching the parade. He bounded into the street and hurdled through a banner of the local marching band. The music stopped.

  Kids screamed.

  Seconds later, Trent arrived. He must’ve been close by. He ran toward the street and the screaming crowds.

  Holly kept a firm grip on Muffins as the scene played out. Trent took off down the street chasing the Great Dane, breaking up all the acts of the parade. She wandered to the sidewalk, curious, hoping he’d get him under control.

  An older lady stepped out, whistled low and held out her hand. The dog stopped, perked its ears.

  The lady walked backwards, away from the parade, away from the crowds. The dog followed. Holly lost sight of them. Assuming it was taken care of, she headed back to her booth.

  Her cooler was open, her smoothie bags opened and leaking onto the grass. The rest of her supply destroyed. She marched over to Millicent, who hadn’t followed the dog, even though she was responsible. Instead, she attempted to save whatever treats were left.

  “Why?” Holly demanded.

  “Well,” Millicent said in a light, breezy tone. “I had to follow through with the plan. I had to make it look good.”

  Holly grabbed a cupcake and smushed it in Millicent’s face.

  She gasped and wiped at the frosting. She spluttered and stammered before completing a full sentence. “How dare you?”

  “Just wanted to make it look good.”

  Trent rubbed his temples. “Tell me again, Millicent. What happened?”

  The three of them stood at the edge of the fairgrounds near the line of portable potties. The excitement died down, eventually. The parade ended and now the crowds surged onto the grounds to the rides and the cotton candy and the popcorn.

  Holly held Muffins as much to comfort herself as to comfort him. She listened to Millicent’s blubbering and lies, her heart sinking.

  “It was her fault.” Millicent pointed at Holly. “And her stupid little dog. When I brought Sprinkles in to attract customers, her dog went crazy. That made Sprinkles anxious so he ran away.”

  “Millicent.” He sighed and spoke softly. “Is his name really Sprinkles?”

  Millicent hesitated, then said. “Well technically, no.”

  “Isn’t he the fire chief’s dog? I believe his name is Thumper?”

  “Fine.” Millicent huffed. “But he looks more like a Sprinkles to me.”

  “And isn’t Thumper known to have anxiety issues? Why did you think this would work?” Trent asked.

  “I don’t know.” Millicent sobbed. “I felt so much pressure. I wasn’t thinking clearly. Of course, now, I see it was a bad idea. In hindsight…” Millicent brought on a fresh wave of emotion. “Then she came over and ruined my father’s display. Just to rub it in. That she was selling more. That her products were more original than boring old cupcakes.”

  Holly lis
tened to the lies. It didn’t surprise her, and she stayed calm, almost numb. Her mind almost detached from the emotion pumping through her body. Then she realized she wasn’t required to stay or give her side of the story. She had no desire to engage in this kind of battle. “May I go?”

  “Would you like to share what happened?” Trent asked, gently, while Millicent’s blubbering turned to quiet sobs.

  The kindness in his words made Holly’s breath hitch in her chest. It had only been a couple of days, but she missed him. Then she thought about Millicent and how easily she snowed him. Holly stiffened. If he couldn’t see through her lies, if he was going to handle her like she was a five-year-old, then maybe Holly had misjudged Trent.

  “No, thanks. I’ve had quite enough,” Holly said.

  “Okay, then you two. I suggest you stay clear of each other. No more trouble for the rest of the festival, or you’ll both be banned.” His voice grew stern. “You understand?”

  “Yes.” Holly marched back to her table to clean up. She’d call it a day. Head back to the shop, throw together more cheesecakes, and whip up enough of smoothie batches for the next day.

  Maybe before she fell into bed exhausted, she’d have worked through the emotions raging in her heart. Never mind…think about the murder investigation.

  ***

  The next morning, Holly stayed in bed and stared up the ceiling. Mentally, she tried to prepare for another day with Millicent. Hopefully, after yesterday, they’d both man their booths and ignore each other.

  She thought about the murder, about Gary Schilling. Charlene’s digging around in Trent’s files had come up with nothing. She thought about the tried and true fact that the murderer was often family or close friend to the victim. As far as she could tell, that left Joel Atherton and Judy. Then there was Chip, who seemed to have some sort of connection to Judy.

  Maybe on lunch break today, she’d visit Sunny Side Realty again and talk to Joel. Maybe ask if he knew Chip.

  Muffins barked from the door.