Sugared Demise Read online

  Sugared Demise

  A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 5

  by

  Kate Bell

  Kathleen Suzette

  Copyright © 2018 by Kate Bell, Kathleen Suzette. All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination, or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.

  Books by Kate Bell, Kathleen Suzette

  Apple Pie a la Murder,

  A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery, Book 1

  Trick or Treat and Murder,

  A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery, Book 2

  Thankfully Dead

  A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery, Book 3

  Candy Cane Killer

  A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery, Book 4

  Ice Cold Murder

  A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery, Book 5

  Love is Murder

  A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery, Book 6

  Strawberry Surprise Killer

  A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery, Book 7

  Pushing Up Daisies in Grady,

  A Gracie Williams Mystery, Book 1

  Kicked the Bucket in Grady,

  A Gracie Williams Mystery, Book 2

  Candy Coated Murder

  A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, Book 1

  Murderously Sweet

  A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, Book 2

  Chocolate Covered Murder

  A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, Book 3

  Death and Sweets

  A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, Book 4

  Sugared Demise

  A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, Book 5

  Other books by Kathleen Suzette:

  Clam Chowder and a Murder

  A Rainey Daye Cozy Mystery, book 1

  A Short Stack and a Murder

  A Rainey Daye Cozy Mystery, book 2

  Cherry Pie and a Murder

  A Rainey Daye Cozy Mystery, book 3

  Barbecue and a Murder

  A Rainey Daye Cozy Mystery, book 4

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Author’s Note

  Chapter One

  “This has been the best Halloween ever!” The woman standing in front of me said. She was dressed as Little Bo Peep, complete with staff and stuffed lamb tucked beneath her arm. “I’ve been to Pumpkin Hollow six times this Halloween season.” She chuckled and moved the lamb from one arm to the other to dig into her purse for the money to pay for her purchases.

  “Wow, six times? We love seeing repeat customers,” I said as I wrapped up her pumpkin spice fudge, and then slipped it into a cute Halloween print paper bag.

  “I can’t tell you how much pumpkin spice fudge I’ve consumed in the last two weeks. I’m afraid to get anywhere near a scale,” she said and laughed. “I love it! It’s a shame Halloween is almost over.”

  “It doesn’t have to be over,” I told her. “We’ll still be here and my mom will be making pumpkin spice fudge until Thanksgiving. After that, we’ll have some Christmas flavors, and we’ll still have most of the other Halloween items all year long.”

  I worked in my parent’s candy shop, The Pumpkin Hollow Candy Store, and it was Halloween evening. In Pumpkin Hollow, we celebrate Halloween all year long, but we were getting ready to wind down the Halloween season. The season ran from Labor Day until around two weeks after Halloween and it was our busiest time of the year.

  During the Halloween season, my mother liked to bring out special items that she wouldn’t make any other time of the year, like the pumpkin spice fudge and candy corn marshmallows, but most items would be available all year long. Even at Christmas time, we had Halloween items.

  “Well then, there’s no reason for me to stop driving over from Tahoe, is there?” she said as she paid for her fudge. “I’ll have to stop in around Christmas time and see what’s new. That will give me enough time to work off the weight I’ve gained from your mother’s Halloween fudge.”

  “We’d love to see you come back,” I said and handed her the bag of fudge.

  I glanced at the black wrought iron frame clock above the door. It had a distinct gothic look with its curlicue frame and black Roman numerals on its white face. It was 7:45 and my feet were aching. Tonight we were closing at eight instead of our usual six o’clock to allow customers to stop by between visiting the Halloween attractions around town. The businesses in the Halloween business district had hosted trick-or-treat for the kids earlier in the evening and most of the tourists were now either at the haunted house, one of the Halloween party houses, or the haunted farmhouse. Business had been bustling all day, but things had slowed down to a trickle during the past hour as the festivities really got going at the Halloween attractions.

  The door opened and my friends, Amanda Krigbaum and Brian Shoate, walked through it. “You are so cute, Mia!” Amanda said, looking me up and down. “I love your costume. Are you and Ethan going out to celebrate later?”

  I was dressed as a black cat, wearing black tights, a long black sweatshirt, tail, and cat ears. I had painted on whiskers and a black nose with Halloween makeup. Simple, yet cute.

  “Thanks Amanda, I think we’re going to stop over at the haunted farmhouse. Ethan should be off work by now and a moonlit hayride sounds like fun. Your costume is really cute, too. How are things going at the coffee shop?”

  Amanda owned the Little Coffee Shop of Horrors with her fiancé Brian Shoate and she was dressed as Frankenstein’s bride. “It’s been busy. We have a couple of part-time people sticking around until ten tonight in case people stop by to get warmed up with some coffee or cocoa, but Brian and I are knocking off early.”

  “It’s been crazy here all day, but it’s slowing down now. What can I get for you?” I asked her.

  “A quarter pound of candy corn fudge, and whatever Brian wants.”

  Brian walked up to the counter with a bag of candy corn and a bag of black and orange jelly beans from the bulk bins. He held the bags up. “Nothing like a straight shot of sugar to keep you going through the evening.”

  Brian was dressed appropriately as Frankenstein, complete with fake bolts attached to his neck. His makeup was great, and I was sure Amanda had helped him out with it.

  “Gotta have the sugar,” I said and rang up their purchases. Amanda was my best friend from school and Brian had been my boyfriend for more than a year in high school. They were engaged now and I couldn’t be happier for them.

  “It’s kind of sad that the Halloween season is ending soon,” Amanda said. “It seems like it just got started.”

  “I know. It’s been exhausting, but fun,” I said. “It seemed to really fly by this year.”

  Amanda ran her debit card through the card reader and the two of them headed out for Halloween fun. I watched them go, with a promise to see them later at the haunted farmhouse.

  We had a quite final few minutes before closing, a
nd I made the most of it by straightening the shelves and wiping down the front counter and display cases.

  “I’ll lock the door,” Carrie Green, our part-time employee called when the clock struck eight.

  “I’m so glad it’s closing time. My feet are tired,” Mom said and headed back to the kitchen to clean up.

  It didn’t take us long to get the shop cleaned and straightened. We were out the door by 8:15.

  “See you later,” I called to Mom and Carrie, and I headed toward my car. Earlier when I had come back to work after lunch, I had had to park a block and a half away in front of the bank. Every parking space on our block had been filled with customers shopping at the Halloween themed shops. I pulled my black coat a little closer against the cold breeze that blew and looked up at the sky. It was clear and bright with a full moon. The stars filled the sky, twinkling brightly against the ink colored sky.

  I passed people dressed as a skeleton, a ghost, and Alice in Wonderland, but otherwise, there were few people out on the streets. The Halloween attractions would be busy with tourists tight now. It made me a little sad that the Halloween season would be over soon. We had been through a lot this year with the city council wanting to cancel the season completely, the arson fire that destroyed the corn maze and straw maze, and then there were the murders. Things had really begun to turn around though, and it was a shame the season was ending before we could really enjoy it.

  My car was parked on the next block and around the corner. As I approached the alley entrance that divided the two blocks, I heard voices. I couldn’t make out what was being said, but the voices sounded angry. The heels of my black boots echoed in the darkness and I slowed my pace, straining to hear what was being said.

  There was a muffled shout and then a groan. I reached for my cell phone in my purse and pulled it out. The street was dark except for one dim streetlight on the corner. At the entrance to the alley, I peered into the near darkness and saw something that made me stop. I squinted my eyes. Was I imagining things? A werewolf stood over someone lying on the ground. I stopped in my tracks and shook my head slightly, blinking. My mind said it wasn’t real. That two people in costumes were goofing off. Except that the person on the ground wasn’t in a costume and he wasn’t moving.

  The werewolf looked at me, its eyes staring blankly at me from its furry face. I could hear heavy breathing being forced through the narrow opening in the mask from where I stood and the wolf seemed to consider me for a moment, then he turned and ran down the alley. At the end of the alley the werewolf glanced over its shoulder before disappearing into the dark. I stood rooted to the spot for a few moments looking after it, then my eyes went to the person on the ground.

  I hurried over. His back was toward me and he still wasn’t moving. I knelt down beside him “Are you okay?” I said, afraid to touch him. I glanced in the direction the werewolf had gone, but there was no one there. When the man didn’t respond, I said, “excuse me, sir?” He still didn’t move, so I reached a hand out and rolled him toward me.

  I bit my lower lip to keep from screaming when I saw the knife in his chest and a pool of blood running onto the asphalt. A movement at the far end of the alley caught my eye and I looked up, but if there had been something there, it was gone. It must have been a shadow or something blowing across the alley as the breeze kicked up. I turned my attention back to the man and felt for a pulse on his neck, but couldn’t find one. I punched 911 into my phone keypad.

  When the operator answered, I told her about the man and gave her my location, then hung up to wait. Everything seemed surreal as I sat there. I considered trying again for a pulse, but it seemed pointless with that knife in his chest and the stillness of his body.

  I stood up and backed away from the body, then dialed Ethan. Ethan Banks was my boyfriend and a police officer who doubled as Pumpkin Hollow’s only detective.

  “Ethan, someone was just stabbed in the alley near the Pumpkin Hollow Bank,” I whispered into the phone. “I need you to come quick.”

  Chapter Two

  I stood on the sidewalk, shivering. Polly Givens, the owner of the Pumpkin Hollow Gift Shop had stopped when she saw me standing there. I told her about the body in the alley and she waited with me, but we didn’t talk much. There was another murder in Pumpkin Hollow and there wasn’t much more to say.

  Ethan pulled up, arriving on the scene before the uniformed officers and the ambulance. He got out of his truck and headed toward me, his face grim.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, reaching out and putting both hands on my arms.

  “I’m fine,” I said, and silently cursed the waver in my voice. I had just missed seeing a man killed, and all I felt was numb.

  “Thank goodness,” he whispered, giving my arms a squeeze. He looked over at Polly. “Hi, Polly.”

  She nodded. “Hello, Ethan.”

  “Where is he?” he asked, turning to me.

  I pointed in the direction of the victim and he moved past me and into the alley, hurrying to the man’s side, and kneeled down.

  “He looks familiar, but I’m not sure I know him,” I said, following Ethan. The man’s eyes were still open, the streetlight glinting off them, and I looked away.

  “It’s Eldon Howell,” Ethan said as he checked for a pulse. “He’s a lawyer here in Pumpkin Hollow.”

  I nodded even though Ethan wasn’t looking at me. “That’s right. I remember now. I’ve seen him in the newspaper. He did a lot for the Boy Scouts, didn’t he? Raising money?”

  He nodded and looked up at me. “Yes, he did. He organized carwashes and cleanups around town. What did you see?”

  “I was headed to my car when I heard voices coming from the alley. I stopped at the entrance,” I said and swallowed, my mouth going dry at the memory of it.

  “Did you see the killer? His body isn’t cold yet,” he said looking back at Eldon.

  I nodded and licked my lips. “It was a werewolf.”

  He turned back, narrowing his eyes at me. “A werewolf?”

  I nodded again, sticking my hands into my coat pockets for warmth, and shivered. “The killer was wearing a werewolf costume. One of those deals with a full hood and mask.”

  “Did you get a good look at the costume?” he asked me, still crouched by the body.

  I shrugged. “It was brown and furry with two cutouts for eyes. I couldn’t see whoever was beneath the costume.”

  Ethan looked up and Polly and two other people had gathered behind me. “Did anyone else see anything? Did anyone get a good look at the werewolf costume?”

  A woman wearing a witch costume took a step forward. “I passed a werewolf on the street less than thirty minutes ago, but it was gray, not brown. I was coming out of the Sweet Goblin Bakery and he passed right by me.”

  Ethan looked at me. “Are you sure the costume was brown?”

  I looked at him, trying to think. It was brown, wasn’t it? I nodded hesitantly. “I’m sure it was brown. At least, I think it was. It was so shocking to this guy on the ground, dead. I—I’m pretty sure it was brown.”

  Ethan gave a curt nod of his head and looked back at the woman. “Where did the werewolf that you saw go? Did you notice?”

  She shook her head. “No, I was headed to my car to stow what I had bought at the bakery and then headed to the gift shop. I didn’t notice where he went.”

  “Are you sure it was a he?” Ethan asked her. “Did he speak to you?”

  “No, sorry. I’m just making an assumption, I guess,” the woman said. “I just passed him, like I said. We didn’t speak.”

  Ethan looked at Polly and the man. “Did anyone else see anything?”

  “I passed a brown wolf more than an hour ago,” the man said. The man was dressed as a pirate with red striped stockings and a black felt hat. “I was leaving the souvenir shop, and he was heading inside. Or they, I guess. I don’t know if it was a man or a woman.”

  “Did you notice anything unusual about this wolf?” Ethan ask
ed.

  He shook his head. “Not a thing. Whoever it was, they were just enjoying the sights, I guess. It’s Halloween. Everyone’s out tonight.”

  Ethan nodded and looked at me. “Can I get everyone to step back onto the sidewalk? I’ll need a statement before you leave.”

  Sirens filled the air as an ambulance pulled up to the curb in front of the bank. Polly headed out front to meet them and the witch and pirate followed after her.

  “It all happened so fast,” I said apologetically. “I didn’t think. Maybe I should have followed the killer. Tried to stop them.”

  “No, you should not have followed the killer,” Ethan assured me. “That could have ended badly.”

  “I feel terrible about this,” I said, rubbing my arms in the cold. “I wish I had paid closer attention to the costume, but I’m almost positive it was brown.”

  “Don’t blame yourself,” he said kindly. “I’m sure it was a terrible shock. No one expects to see something like this.”

  Ethan stood and stepped aside so the ambulance attendants could take a look at Eldon. As two police cars showed up, we walked back out to the sidewalk.

  “I wish I had seen more,” I repeated, wrapping my arms around myself.

  “No, it’s fine. Seriously, don’t ever follow someone that’s just committed a crime. You’d be putting your life in danger and that’s the last thing I want.”

  Ethan wasn’t dressed in a costume even though we had made plans to go to some of the last Halloween attractions of the season. We would have to skip them now and that was fine. I was no longer in the mood.

  “I don’t know what this town is coming to,” Polly said, stepping up to Ethan and me as we got to the sidewalk. “I had hoped after Stella Morreti’s death, we would catch a break.”