by Kate Bell
I sat back on the sofa and thought this over. An affair could be reason enough for either Angela or Vince to kill Stella. Especially an affair that had a long history as this one seemed to.
Chapter Seven
I was putting a fresh batch of bonbons into the display case when Beth Ramirez came into the candy shop. Her short, dark curly hair was pulled back into a single ponytail and she still wore her white and pink striped apron. Beth owned the Sweet Shoppe Bakery on the east side of town.
She smiled big as she walked up to the display case and peered in. “Good afternoon, Mia,” she said without looking at me. “Everything sure looks good in here!”
“Hello Beth, how are you this afternoon?” I said as I continued putting the bonbons in the display case. I had made green, purple, orange, and chocolate bonbons. Each one of them had a soft creamy filling that matched the outside color.
She straightened up with that smile still on her face and looked at me. “I heard what happened to Stella Moretti. Isn’t it a shame?” Her tone of voice and smile didn’t match the words that came out of her mouth, but Beth was one of the happiest people I knew. Nothing seemed to bother her.
“It’s really sad. Pumpkin Hollow has lost another one of its own,” I said and closed the display case. “I guess everyone knows about it by now?”
“You know how it is in a small town, bad news travels fast. I drove by her bakery, and I see that it’s still dark inside. I wonder how long it will stay that way? I also wonder if Vince is going to sell the business. He doesn’t seem like the type of person that enjoys baking.”
I pulled a tall stool up closer to the front counter and had a seat. My feet were aching from being on them all day. “I think it’s a little early to know what he’s going to do with it. I’m sure he doesn’t even know at this point.”
She put both hands on the glass countertop and grinned even wider. “That Stella Moretti was never a help to the Halloween season, was she?”
I was surprised by this comment. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at, Beth,” I said.
She shrugged. “I don’t mean to be negative, but I don’t know why Stella wanted a business license for the Halloween business district when she had no intention of participating. It was such a waste, really. I mean, everyone knows that her sister Daisy got her that business license, and if it weren’t for Daisy being on the city council, I’m quite certain she would never have gotten it.”
“I guess I’m really not privy to that kind of information. I don’t know who else would have wanted a bakery on this side of town.” But I sure could guess…
Her eyes went wide. “Are you kidding me? Don’t you know every business owner in Pumpkin Hollow wants a business over here? Everyone knows that all of you over here make so much more money than any of the other businesses in town. I would have loved to have had the only official Halloween season bakery in Pumpkin Hollow.”
“I’m not sure it’s an accurate statement to say that all the businesses here on this side of town make a lot more money than anyone else. After all, we do pay higher taxes than the rest of you and I’m sure that evens things out.”
She sighed. “That’s not what I hear, but if that’s what you want to believe, go ahead. You have to admit that Stella Moretti wasn’t helping business during the Halloween season.” Her eyes went back to the display case. “I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead. It was a terrible tragedy what happened to her and I’m sorry she’s gone.”
“It was a little frustrating that she didn’t fully participate. But, maybe she did the best she could with what she had,” I said trying to be charitable toward Stella now that she was gone. I could have been kinder while she was alive, and it was all I could do for her now.
She whipped her head around to look at me. “What does that mean? She did the best she could with what she had? Are you trying to say that Stella was struggling with her business?”
I shook my head. “I’m not saying that at all. I really don’t know about that, but that’s kind of my point. It’s easy to look at someone and think you know them and what’s going on with them, but in reality, you really have no idea. And I think it’s really terrible that she was murdered in her own bakery.”
She nodded and thought about this. “I guess I see your point. But, she had a responsibility to Pumpkin Hollow to assist with the Halloween season in ensuring that tourists had a great experience when they came here. She was so grumpy with her customers sometimes that I’m surprised she ever got repeat business.”
I could hardly disagree with anything Beth was saying, but her attitude bothered me. “So I guess what you’re saying, is that you had applied for a business license here in the business district and you didn’t get it?” I thought I’d cut to the chase.
“Oh, I applied for it all right, and I should have gotten it. But, like I said before, Daisy helped her get that license. It’s just a shame that she wasn’t helpful when she could have been.”
I nodded. “You’re right, she didn’t do a lot to help us over here. But I’m not going to say anything terrible about her because it isn’t polite to speak ill of the dead. Someone murdered Stella Moretti, and I think that’s a terrible tragedy.”
She studied me a moment. “You’re right Mia. I’m sorry if I’m coming off as being shallow or hardhearted. I do feel terrible that Stella was murdered. It worries me that we have a murderer on the loose. If you want to know the truth,” she said and looked over her shoulder at the empty shop, and then turned back to me. “If I had to guess who did it, I’d say it was her husband, Vince. Everyone knows that he was a philanderer.”
“I’ve heard the rumors, but sometimes rumors are just rumors. I really don’t know how true they are,” I said. I didn’t want to feed those rumors with what I knew in case Vince was innocent. I couldn’t think of anything worse than being accused of your spouse’s murder if you didn’t do it.
“Maybe I know some things firsthand, but I’d rather not comment on that. I also heard they had other marital issues. Vince wasn’t at all happy in the marriage and maybe he was getting ready to leave Stella. How much easier would it be to kill her, and maybe collect insurance if there was any, plus still keep the business?”
I was having trouble with this conversation. I didn’t want to agree with Beth and theoretically, I didn’t. Sure, anybody could stand to benefit from someone else’s death, especially a spouse’s death, but that didn’t mean he did it. Vince seemed like a nice guy and I thought he was truly grieving his wife. I didn’t want to add to any gossip that was flying around Pumpkin Hollow.
“Let’s just hope it wasn’t Vince,” I said. “We have a lot of people passing through Pumpkin Hollow this time of year and it could have been one of them. Maybe they came into the bakery thinking they would rob it and found Stella still there.” I didn’t know if the bakery was missing any money and I realized I needed to ask Ethan about that.
She stared at me pointedly for a moment. “I think I’d like a half pound of your mother’s pumpkin spice fudge. I don’t know how she gets it to be so creamy and the spices mixed with the pumpkin are exactly perfect. But, I’m still going with the thought that Vince did it. You mark my words Mia, Vince Moretti is going to be arrested for his wife’s murder.”
I slipped down off the stool behind the counter and opened up the display case door again. She had a point about Vince and his cheating ways. I had heard it more than enough times to think that it was true. But, that didn’t make him a murderer. I hoped Ethan was having some luck figuring out what did happen to poor Stella.
Chapter Eight
“I think Millie smells Boo on me,” I said to my dad as the little dog sniffed around my feet.
“Who’s Boo?” Dad asked, reaching down to scratch Millie’s head.
“Boo is a cat that I found hanging around my house. He was there when I moved in. Ethan had been feeding him, but I think he likes my house a lot better,” I said giving Ethan a grin.
“I h
ave a feeling Boo gets more attention at your house,” he said to me.
“Well, Boo sounds like a fine fellow with great taste,” Dad said sitting down at the dinner table.
Mom had invited Ethan and me to dinner after work and I was glad she had. Some days I had no desire to make anything for dinner after working all day and lately I had been running through the drive-through far too often. A home-cooked meal was just what I needed.
“There’s pot roast, carrots, and potatoes. Everyone help yourself,” Mom said to us.
“Ethan,” Dad said as he helped himself to the potatoes. “I heard about Stella Moretti. It’s a shame. I went to school with Stella and Vince, and they’re nice people.”
“It is a shame,” Ethan agreed. “I hate to see something like that here in Pumpkin Hollow.” He reached for the pitcher of iced tea and filled the glass in front of me and then filled his.
“Ethan is investigating the murder,” I informed my dad. “I just hope he’s able to find the killer soon so justice is served.”
“How’s that new position working out for you Ethan? Mia told me all about it,” Dad asked him.
“I like it just fine, Mr. Jordan,” Ethan said. “Of course, I’m not actually a detective yet. But I’m hoping to take the test soon and become one.”
“Pumpkin Hollow should be proud to have you as a detective,” Dad said.
“Ethan, was there forced entry into the bakery?” my mother asked. “I just don’t understand how the killer got in there.”
“No, we think that whoever killed her must have come in before closing time. Mia probably told you the kitchen was still in a mess, as if Stella hadn’t had time to clean up after doing the day’s baking,” Ethan said and helped himself to the carrots.
“I guess it could be anyone then. I had thought maybe if there was a robbery or forced entry, that would leave more clues as to who killed her,” Mom said.
He nodded. “The doorknob had so many fingerprints that had smudged together, they won’t do us any good. But, a killer always gives themselves away in some way, or at least, that’s my theory,” he said with a chuckle. “The truth is I have limited experience at this point in time, but I can ask for help from the police department in Trukee if I need it.”
“So did there appear to be many clues left behind?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “Not much. We found those cookies, but Stella may have made those. It was odd they were in the middle of the floor.”
It worried me that there seemed to be so little evidence. The bakery closed at six p.m., the same time many of the nearby businesses closed on a weeknight. I wondered who would be brazen enough to just walk in and shoot Stella. And why hadn’t somebody in the area heard anything?
“What about the businesses on either side of the bakery? Did anyone hear anything?” I asked him.
“No, I checked with everyone on the block. No one heard or saw anything,” he said.
The gift shop was on one side of the bakery, and the florist was on the other. Even though Ethan had already checked, I decided I would stop by and see if they knew anything. Sometimes people remembered things after having some time to process events.
“So Ethan, it’s football season. Who’s your team?” Dad asked changing the subject.
“Oh, now you’re getting personal,” Ethan said with a chuckle as he launched into the pros and cons of the current football team’s rosters.
***
“So there was no forced entry, and nothing was left behind in the bakery,” I said to Ethan as he drove me home.
He shook his head. “Nothing out of the ordinary. We picked up a used tissue off the floor, and some of those little wax paper squares that Stella used to pick up donuts and cookies out of the display case, and a couple of used Styrofoam cups. And the little bag of cookies. But at this point in time there’s no telling if they’re of any significance. There was only one bullet fired, and it hit its mark.”
“So you’re looking for someone that’s a good shot,” I said.
He nodded. “Or just lucky. The killer was shooting at close range.”
“Beth Ramirez stopped in at the candy shop this afternoon. I have to say she doesn’t seem very sad that Stella was killed. I just can’t understand that attitude when someone has died.”
“Did she have anything interesting to say? And I agree with you, I don’t understand that attitude either,” he said.
“She volunteered the information that she thought Vince Moretti had killed his wife because he was known to have affairs. She wondered if he had an insurance policy on her and said it would be convenient for him to kill her off instead of divorcing her.”
“Well, he wouldn’t have gotten insurance money if he got a divorce, now would he?” Ethan said. “And I’ve heard Vince has an eye for the ladies.”
“No, he wouldn’t. Beth was also jealous of Stella because she got the business license in the Halloween district.”
“That’s interesting,” Ethan said.
“I also talked to Daisy Browning the other day, and she thought Angela killed Stella. She was angry because she thought Angela was taking advantage of Stella’s goodwill. She said Angela had treated her badly in the past, including having an affair with her husband, and Stella had hired her part-time after Angela’s husband left her.”
“These are certainly things to consider,” Ethan said. “I’ll have to check into them a little more closely.”
I looked out the windshield at the sky. It had cleared up, and the stars were twinkling in the fall sky. There was a full moon, and the view was breathtaking. I laid my head back on the seat and inhaled the cool air. “Sure is pretty out tonight. I love fall and nights like this are exactly why.”
“I hear you on that,” Ethan said as he pulled up to the front of my house. He stopped the truck and turned to me. “It’s not very late yet, want to sit outside?”
I turned to look at him and smiled. “You read my mind. Come on,” I said and got out of the truck.
Ethan followed me over to my front steps and we both sat down and looked up at the night sky.
“I can’t believe it’s possible the sky could be this beautiful,” he said. “Look, there’s the Big Dipper.”
“Seems like somebody made this on purpose, don’t you think?” I said and then shivered as a light breeze blew across my body.
“I agree.” Ethan scooted over and put his arm around me and I laid my head on his shoulder. A moment later Boo came out from beneath a bush and rubbed up against me. “I was wondering where you were,” Ethan said to him.
I reached my hand over and rubbed Boo’s head. “Makes me a little sad,” I said quietly. “Stella Moretti can’t see this beautiful night.”
“Well, I hadn’t thought of that,” Ethan said and sighed.
“Sorry Ethan, I guess that was kind of a bummer wasn’t it? Let’s talk about happier things. Like the fact that we now have a goat tying competition for the remaining Halloween season weekends and Tom Baker has volunteered to run the whole show.” Tom had stopped in at the candy store earlier and volunteered. It was some of the best news I’d heard in several days.
“Did he? That sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it? This whole Halloween season is really turning around. A few weeks ago we wouldn’t have thought this was going to happen, would we?”
I shook my head. “No, a couple weeks ago I thought we were going to lose everything.”
And that was exactly what I had thought was going to happen. I was excited things were turning around, but another murder really put a damper on my mood. I shivered again. We needed to catch a killer.
Chapter Nine
It had been a week since I had found Stella Moretti shot to death on the floor of the kitchen in her bakery. It seemed like there were at least a couple of people who may have wanted Stella dead, but so far there weren’t any positive leads. Ethan had been working a lot of late hours and I wasn’t getting to see him nearly as much as I would have liked to. But
I understood he had a job to do, and I wanted him to get Stella’s killer off the streets just as badly as he did.
Stella’s funeral was Monday afternoon, and my mother and I had decided we needed to go to the funeral. We spoke to Stella almost every day since our businesses were so close to one another. I ate far too many donuts on a regular basis and chatted with her frequently, and because of that, I felt I needed to pay my respects.
The funeral was being held at the Baptist Church on Edgar Avenue and when we got there; I was surprised to see how full the church was. Carrie had stayed behind to mind the candy store so we could attend the funeral.
“Mom, let’s sit in the back here,” I told her and steered her over toward a back pew that was only half-full.
“There certainly are a lot of people here, aren’t there?” she said as we took our seats.
“Yes there are,” I said looking around. “And I’m glad to see it. It’s nice to know that she will be missed by so many people.”
“Stella was a member of the business community for a lot of years,” Mom agreed. “She was known by almost everyone in Pumpkin Hollow, I’m sure.”
I studied the crowd while people stood around and visited with one another, a hum rising throughout the church. The front of the church was filled with flower arrangements and Stella’s closed casket was at the center of the arrangements. The casket was a pretty pale blue color, and I thought she would have liked that.
Vince and Stella’s sister Daisy sat on the front pew, waiting for the service to begin. At the far corner of the front pew a young man sat by himself. I squinted my eyes at him, wondering who he was. Then I remembered that Stella and Vince had a son, Stanley. I hadn’t seen him in what seemed like forever and I tried to remember how old he was.