Fudgy Fatality: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 10

by Kathleen Suzette

  Her brow was furrowed as she considered what to say to me. “Maybe I’m making more of it than there is. I just don’t want John accused of something he didn’t do.”

  “John just needs to be open with Ethan, so he has all the details. I don’t know if he’s withholding information, but it seems like he might be.”

  She nodded. “Fair enough. But I know that John had nothing to do with Olivia’s death. I didn’t want anyone to jump to conclusions and point a finger at him.”

  “Ethan would never jump to conclusions. You know he takes his job seriously, and he is going to do a thorough investigation,” I said, trying to keep my tone light. I could have taken offense to the fact that she had jumped to the conclusion that Ethan wouldn’t be thorough and fair, but I decided to let it go.

  “I know,” she relented. “I guess I was just worried is all.”

  I studied her a moment. Her cheeks had turned pink, and it almost looked like she was ready to cry. “Why were you worried? Why does it matter? After what he did to you?” I asked.

  She shook her head, not looking at me. “It shouldn’t matter to me. But for some crazy reason, it does. Isn’t that silly? Isn’t that stupid of me?” Her voice cracked when she said it.

  I sighed. “I guess it isn’t silly or stupid. You loved him. You married him because you thought it would be forever. No one can tell you how to feel about him.”

  She looked at me, her eyes wet from unshed tears. “I hate that I still feel that way. I really do. I shouldn’t be angry at you. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize,” I said softly. “I understand.” And I did, now. I could suddenly see why she did what she had done. If I were in the same position, I might have done the same.

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  She nodded, blinking back the tears. “Sure, I guess so.”

  “Did John get fired from Storage Inc.?”

  Her eyes widened. “No, he was laid off. Sales were down and he and Curtis Smith were laid off. Why?”

  I shrugged. “Carla Steele said he was fired for making Olivia uncomfortable.”

  She rolled her eyes. “He always said Carla was the worst person he worked with there. He was pretty ticked off when they kept her and let him go. Of course, they did demote her and stick her at that desk up front so she could handle the reception duties and work as a backup to the sales department. That was the only reason she still has a job. John didn’t want the reduction in pay, and he said there was no way he was going to be a receptionist, so he didn’t take that position.”

  “She told me she wasn’t the receptionist when I went in there,” I said.

  “Of course she did. She doesn’t want anyone to know she was demoted.”

  I nodded. That made sense. I gave her a quick hug. “If everything’s okay between us, let’s go make some candy.”

  “Of course everything is okay between us. I’m going to make some maple nut fudge and eat the whole pan myself. It’s stress relief, you know.”

  “You need to share,” I told her. “I could use some stress relief, too.”

  We headed back inside as Carrie and Linda were heading out. “Is it four o’clock already?” I asked.

  “It is,” Linda said. “Time to go home and rest my poor aching feet. See you girls tomorrow.”

  “See you,” Christy said, then turned to me. “I’m going to clean up behind the counter so it’s not a mess when we get ready to close up.”

  “I’ll help you.”

  I looked up when the bell over the door rang. It was Frankie Malone from the flower shop.

  “Hi, girls!” she said to Christy and me. “I need some candy. Okay, need is a strong word, but I sure do want some candy. I’ve been meaning to make it over here and see what you had since the beginning of the Halloween season, but it seems like something always gets in the way.”

  “It’s been really busy here, too,” I told her. “How have the candle sales been?”

  “Sometimes I think I sell more candles than I do flowers,” she said with a chuckle. “I told my husband I was going to expand the gift items we carry, but I don’t know how Polly Givens at the gift shop will feel about that.”

  I laughed. “Uh oh, we don’t want to have gift sales war on our hands.”

  “I know, I told my husband the same thing. I might just stick with the candles and the few gift items we have now.” She looked into the display case. “How about a quarter pound of the candy corn fudge and three of those big bonbons? I’ll eat one on the way home and tell my husband I only got one for each of us.”

  “That sounds like a plan,” I said and opened up the back of the display case.

  “Oh, Mia, I almost forgot to tell you, I talked to Betty, and she said she did remember who bought that flower arrangement that was delivered to Storage Inc. It was Carla Steele.”

  I stopped what I was doing and looked at her. “Carla Steele? Is she sure?”

  She nodded. “Yes, she paid in cash. Betty said she completely forgot who had bought it, but then when Carla came in this morning and bought another one, she remembered. She said Carla said the first one was to congratulate Olivia for her promotion, and now she was buying one for herself.”

  “Olivia got a promotion?”

  “That’s what she said. Anyway, Betty said to tell you she was sorry that she forgot who it was that bought it.”

  “That’s no problem,” I said and set the tray of fudge on the counter to cut a piece for her.

  It didn’t make sense that Carla had bought Olivia the flowers. It made me wonder if Betty was even remembering correctly since she couldn’t remember that when I spoke to her. Why would Carla have bought flowers for Olivia?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Fudge is one of those candies that is simple to make, and yet there’s a skill to it. If you overheat it, you’ll have a scorched mess on your hands. Under heat it, and the sugar granules won’t dissolve, and you’ll end up with a grainy texture. I used to wonder if I would ever get over loving fudge in all of its many flavors since I spent so much time making and eating it. I no longer wondered. I knew the answer. No. I would never get over loving fudge.

  When our employees began arriving the next morning, I looked over at Christy. “Want to take a break?”

  “Sure,” she said and tossed the kitchen towel she was wiping her hands with onto the counter.

  “Mom, would you like us to pick up anything for you? We might stop by Amanda’s and get a coffee and a scone.” I untied the apron I was wearing and tossed it onto the counter next to the dish towel.

  She turned to us. “Oh. I think I’d like a pumpkin spice latte and a cranberry white chocolate scone. I saw the scones the other day, and I resisted them then, but I didn’t get a chance to eat anything before leaving the house this morning. I think I want one now.”

  “You got it,” I said, and we headed out the kitchen door and onto the sales floor. “Does anyone want anything from the coffee shop?”

  Linda turned to me. “Pumpkin spice latte?”

  “Sure. Anyone else?”

  Carrie and Stephanie had brought their own, so we headed to get the coffees. The air was brisk outside, and I inhaled, trying to enjoy all the fall scents. If only fall was year-round. “Smells like fall.”

  “It does, doesn’t it? Remember when we used to visit Grandma and Grandpa after school for a candy corn bonbon in the fall?” she asked wistfully.

  The memory nearly brought tears to my eyes. “Yeah. That was so much fun. Grandpa used to do his Donald Duck impressions. We need to make those candy corn bonbons again.”

  “We really do. They were so good. I can’t believe I haven’t thought of those in years.”

  “It’s settled then. We’ll add them to our Halloween season candy lineup. I’m sure Mom still remembers the recipe.”

  We headed down the street toward the coffee shop, but instead of continuing straight, I made a left turn. Christy looked at me.

  “Where are you going?
”

  “Let’s stop in at Storage Inc.” I stopped, waiting for her to catch up to me and smiled at her.

  “What’s up?” she asked, making the turn.

  I shrugged. “Why don’t we go and see what’s up?”

  She chuckled. “I hope this is worth waiting to get that scone and coffee.”

  “I hope it is, too.”

  In the middle of the night it had come to me that Carla ordering Olivia flowers was no coincidence. Not adding a gift card saying who they were from wasn’t a coincidence, either. Of course, Betty could have been wrong about her ordering them since she had at first forgotten who it was. But I was willing to bet she wasn’t wrong now.

  When we stepped into the office, the cubicles were filled with people and there was the buzz of conversation in the air as phones were answered and calls were made. This was perfect. Everyone seemed to be busy with their own concerns and we could have a little conversation without anyone listening in. If things didn’t go well, what was she going to do? Shoot us? Not with all these people in here she wasn’t.

  No one was sitting at the desk out front that Carla had sat at when I’d come into the office the other day, so we headed for Olivia’s old cubicle. Carla was on the phone and she looked up at us, surprised. She smiled and nodded a greeting, and we took it as a sign we should come in. Christy took one visitor’s chair, and I took the other.

  Carla smiled at us again and continued her phone conversation. There was a pumpkin spice candle on a candle warmer on the desk and the scent hung in the air. I glanced at Christy. She was watching Carla.

  The cell phone in my hand said it was just after nine a.m. I considered texting Ethan to let him know that I thought I had figured out who the killer was, but if I was wrong, he’d be angry after he had already told me not to investigate.

  Carla hung up the phone and smiled at us again. “Hi, Mia, hi Christy. How are you two today?”

  “We’re great,” I answered. “We just thought we’d stop in and say hello.”

  A puzzled look crossed her face, but she recovered quickly. “Well, that’s sweet of you.”

  “Congratulations on your promotion,” Christy said. “Mia told me about it. I bet you’re excited.”

  Her eyes lit up. “I am just thrilled. It should have been mine to begin with, you know. I’ve put in the years, and now I’m reaping the reward for all my hard work.” She folded her hands together and placed them on the desk in front of herself.

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “It should have been yours to begin with?”

  She sighed. “If it had been up to my supervisor, it would have been given to me months ago. But it was the decision of two of the other managers and it was given to someone else.” She shrugged. “Oh well. Better late than never.”

  “Who was it given to?” Christy asked.

  Her eyes widened slightly, but then she grinned at Christy. “I shouldn’t say. It isn’t right to talk about someone that isn’t here anymore.”

  “You mean Olivia?” I asked.

  She looked at me and the smile slowly slipped from her face. “What can I do for you two today? Did you ever contact one of those businesses that I gave you a card for?”

  “Not yet. It’s been crazy busy at the candy store, and I haven’t had the chance. Those are lovely flowers. Did someone send them to you?”

  She glanced at the arrangement on the credenza. “No, I bought them for myself. To spruce up my new cubicle. Aren’t they pretty? I love everything fall. I guess I’ve told you that.”

  “They sure are. Aren’t they the same arrangement that was sent to Olivia the day before she was murdered?” I asked sweetly.

  She swallowed. “I don’t know. Are they? I can’t remember what they looked like.”

  “I bet you do remember what they look like,” Christy said, lowering her voice. “Because you had them sent to her so you could pretend she had a secret admirer and maybe that secret admirer had killed her.”

  “You were no admirer of hers, were you, Carla?” I asked.

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “I’m going to have to ask you both to leave. I’ve got a lot of work to get done today.”

  “Why?” Christy asked. “We’re just here congratulating you on your new promotion. A promotion that was made possible because of Olivia’s death. And for your information, John was not fired. He was laid off due to slow sales.”

  Carla looked uncomfortable and glanced out her cubicle doorway. “I must have made a mistake. I think I mentioned he may have been laid off, didn’t I, Mia?”

  “How could you kill her like that? Did you look into her eyes when you did it?” Christy asked.

  Carla’s face turned red, and her jaw clenched tightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You need to leave. Now.”

  Christy looked at me. “I don’t feel like leaving. Do you?”

  “No, but I do feel like calling Ethan. I bet he’ll want to have a nice long talk with you, Carla.” I held up my cell phone for her to see.

  “Get out!” she shouted, getting to her feet. The buzz of voices in the office stopped at her outburst. “Get out of here, right now!”

  “But why?” Christy asked.

  “Carla, is there a problem?” a woman asked, stepping to the cubicle doorway. She was older, with short curly blond hair and wore a business suit. I wondered if it was her boss.

  “Mrs. Owens, these ladies need to leave. I already told Mia that we didn’t do business directly with small business owners.” Carla was breathing harder than she should have been if we had been having a nice, normal conversation. The words almost came out in gasps.

  The woman looked at Carla, puzzled. Then she looked at me. “Perhaps you should leave.”

  Christy and I stood to our feet. “Thank you for your time, Carla,” I said, and we headed for the door. I had Ethan on speed dial before we got to the sidewalk.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Poor Olivia,” I said.

  “It’s sad, isn’t it?” Christy asked.

  “Yes. I even feel sad for Carla.”

  “What? Why?” she asked, turning to me.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. She took Olivia’s life and by doing that, she threw her own life away. She’ll be in prison for a very long time. It’s just sad all the way around.”

  “I’m not going to be sad about Carla throwing her own life away. She had the ability to choose not to do it, but she did it anyway. She deserves what she gets.”

  “I know, she does,” I agreed and sighed. We were sitting on my front step, staring up at the full moon. There was a slight chill in the air, and it felt good. I couldn’t wait until the weather got colder so I could wear sweaters and boots and be comfortable in them.

  Headlights appeared, coming up the street, and they turned into Ethan’s driveway.

  “Look who’s home,” Christy said. “I should be mad at him, but I guess I won’t be.”

  “He would never be unkind to you,” I pointed out.

  Ethan got out of his truck and walked across the street, his hands in his pockets. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” we both answered him.

  “Is there room on that step for one more?”

  “Maybe,” I said. We both scooted over for him.

  He sat down next to me. “So,” he said, but didn’t continue.

  “So, what did Carla say about it all?” I asked.

  “She was jealous of Olivia. Jealousy is an ugly thing.”

  I glanced at him. “Did she say why she was jealous?”

  “Olivia was hired on and she had a real knack for sales. Carla thought Olivia made her look bad to their bosses, and she was sure Olivia was talking to them about her behind her back. She resented being made the receptionist when she had seniority.”

  I sighed. “Why didn’t she just get another job? Seems like that would be easier than killing a coworker she didn’t like.”

  He chuckled. “It sure would have made things easier. I know Oliv
ia would have appreciated it.”

  “And just like that, she killed her?” Christy asked.

  “Yes, but first she got thrown out of her cubicle when Olivia got a promotion, and that humiliated her. Their other coworkers teased her about the new girl getting her demoted. I guess the environment in that office was pretty ugly and she couldn’t take it, so she killed her, thereby eliminating her problem.”

  I shook my head. “Why were they at work on a Saturday?”

  “Olivia had work to do, but Carla wasn’t supposed to be there. She knocked on the locked door and Olivia let her in under the guise of having left her purse behind at the office the day before,” Ethan said.

  “And so she killed her,” I said. “It was planned out then?”

  “And so she killed her. Looks like it was planned, but she says it was a spur of the moment kind of thing.”

  “Why did she drag her body out onto the sidewalk?” I asked.

  “She was trying to drag her to the alley in the hopes that we would think someone had jumped her when taking out the trash. The backdoor was blocked by a new shipment of supplies they hadn’t put away yet so she had to use the front door. It’s harder to drag a dead body around than she thought it would be and she panicked and dropped her on the sidewalk.”

  “Dead weight,” I said.

  “Dead weight.”

  “I just can’t imagine killing someone over the loss of a cubicle and a promotion,” I said, leaning my head on his shoulder.

  “Right?” Christy said. “I mean, I could see if it was an actual office, but a cubicle? That’s crazy.”

  Ethan chuckled. “When contemplating murder, it’s best to really think through your priorities.”

  “Yeah,” she said softly. “Stupid.”

  “It seems like it would have taken a lot of strength to strangle her,” I pointed out.