Halloween Candy With A Side Of Murder Page 9

  Elizabeth shook her head. “Oh dear. I don’t even know what to say to that.”

  “I do.” I took a few steps toward my car. “I should be going.”

  “To work on the case, right?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Uh-huh.”

  Elizabeth stared at me. It was impossible not to detect the disappointed tone in her voice as she replied, “You’re stopping for free candy first, aren’t you?”

  “Don’t judge me,” I replied.

  “Tell your grandmother she’s a bad influence.”

  “I will,” I replied. “But she’ll probably be too busy enjoying her candy to care.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Costlow seemed more cavernous than ever that morning. That was probably because there were more employees in the store than customers. In all the times I had been there in the past, that had never been the case before. Then again, I had never wandered the aisles shortly after the place opened, either.

  The hundred-pack of toilet paper and the fifty-can mega case of tomato soup were practically begging to be thrown into a cart. But right then, any urge I had for a deep discount on bulk goods would have to wait. After all, I was on a sweet-toothed quest for Halloween candy.

  When I began walking down free sample row, I saw my feisty, eighty-two-year-old grandma, Betsy Daley, grabbing a chocolate square from one of the displays.

  While Betsy was as joyous as could be, the same could not be said for Linda, the short, twenty-three-year-old sample clerk who stood across from my grandma.

  Linda folded her arms. “Ma’am, don’t you think you’ve had enough samples?”

  Betsy looked at Linda like she had two heads. “No. What would give you that crazy idea?”

  “How about the fact that you’ve had five of them already?”

  Betsy held her pointer finger up. “There’s a good reason for that. These peanut butter chocolate squares are delicious.”

  “That may be the case—”

  “No. That’s definitely the case. It’s a shame they only sell these for Halloween.”

  “Ma’am, if you like the chocolate squares so much, then why don’t you buy a bag of them?” Linda asked.

  Betsy scoffed. “What a ridiculous question.”

  Linda’s eyebrows knitted. “I’m sorry. I don’t follow your logic.”

  “I can’t buy a whole bag of these.”

  Linda shrugged. “Why not?”

  “Because then I’ll eat them all in one sitting.”

  Betsy grabbed for another sample.

  Linda groaned. “So instead of buying a bag you’ll just keep taking free samples?”

  “That was the plan.”

  Linda pulled the tray of samples back so Betsy couldn’t grab anymore.

  “I’m afraid that’s your last one,” Linda said.

  “Wait a minute. Are you cutting me off?” Betsy asked.

  “Please don’t make me say it twice.”

  “I don’t know who made you the chief of the candy police, but I don’t have to take this,” Betsy said. “Instead, I’ll just hit up another booth.”

  Betsy began to walk away. She stopped when she spotted me.

  “You’ve been making new friends, I see,” I wisecracked.

  Betsy grumbled. “I’ll tell you. Some of these young people need to learn to respect their elders.”

  “Or the appetites of their elders,” I joked.

  “That, too. But hey, it’s that clerk’s loss. If she’s going to withhold free chocolate from me, then I’m going to withhold my nuggets of wisdom from her.”

  “If you have some new wisdom to share, I’m all ears,” I said.

  “Boy do I ever,” Betsy replied.

  “Let’s hear it.”

  “A square of chocolate a day keeps the blues away,” Betsy said.

  I laughed. “And how about five squares of chocolate by nine-thirty in the morning?”

  “That’s living the dream.”

  I smiled. “Grandma, I have to hand it to you. I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

  “And you never will again. I’m one of a kind and proud of it.”

  “I can’t disagree. That said, when you’ve already loaded your belly up with Halloween candy this early in the morning, where do you go from here?”

  “Anywhere I want,” Betsy boasted.

  “That’s just the kind of answer that I’ve come to expect from you,” I said.

  “I’m eighty-two-years-old. I have earned the right to do whatever I want, whenever I want.”

  I grinned even wider. “Grandma, you really are something.”

  “Something awesome,” Betsy replied. “Now, let’s get some more free candy.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  What a surprisingly eventful start to the day. Not to mention a delicious one. The trip to Costlow ended up being a very satisfying one for my taste buds. I became so wrapped up in grabbing free samples that all of my previous reservations about Costlow being built on the former site of the old banquet hall entirely faded into the background.

  Unfortunately, unlike my grandma, I couldn’t spend the whole day sampling Halloween candy. There was still a murder case to solve, so I turned my focus back to the investigation.

  Much to my chagrin, when I arrived at the police station and met up with David, I discovered that there were no new developments with the case to report. Our leads had all dried up. The suspects had all been questioned. And forensics wasn’t able to produce anything else for us to work with.

  It wasn’t until I began searching the Internet that I turned up any usable information. Fortuitously, I discovered that it was league night at the archery range that particular evening.

  There was no doubt in my mind that it was crucial for David and me to make an appearance. Depending on how many of the suspects showed up, it could prove to be an explosive night. It might also be quite telling if a number of the suspects skipped the league event entirely.

  David and I arrived at the archery range that night not knowing what to expect. I kept my eyes peeled for anything that stood out. It didn’t take long for my mind to start racing.

  Surprisingly, every single one of the suspects in the case was in attendance. I almost couldn’t believe that Michael Gordon, Kaitlin Gordon, Deanna McMillan, Tyler O’Connell, and Peter Skelton were all in the same room together.

  Although they weren’t standing in one large group. Instead, they appeared to be fanned out across the room. I had a feeling that was by design.

  Even though the suspects had congregated in separate groups, an unmistakably awkward tension still filled the air. That led me to wonder—was league night always this tense? Or was everyone’s emotions heightened because of Allison’s murder? David and I were determined to find out.

  There were other questions at play as well. For example, why had they all shown up? Did they really care that much about their local archery league? Or were they just desperate to let off some steam? After all, everyone had their own means of cutting loose. Some turned to alcohol. Others devoured chocolate. For these suspects, perhaps firing off some arrows was just the release that they needed.

  Thankfully, no arrows had started flying through the air quite yet. For the moment, the suspects were just chatting with their fellow league members. That all changed when they spotted me and David.

  Uh-oh.

  So much for flying under the radar. For the sake of looking inconspicuous, we had both shown up wearing jeans, flannel shirts, and trucker hats. In retrospect, a full disguise may have been necessary in order to not draw attention to ourselves.

  Then again, with a small league of only twenty people, perhaps it was inevitable that we would stick out regardless.

  Either way, David and I suddenly found ourselves staring down a potential hornet’s nest of trouble.

  Peter Skelton was the first of the suspects to spot us. He raised his voice as he addressed us to make sure that everyone at the archery range could hear him. “What
are you two doing here?”

  All eyes were suddenly on David and me.

  There were plenty of glares to go around.

  If the tension in the air was thick before, now even an arrow would have a hard time piercing it. While a series of snarls and scowls made the rounds, I tried to lighten the mood with a joke.

  “Did we come at a bad time?” I asked.

  Peter folded his arms. “As a matter of fact, you did. This is league night. It’s members only.”

  “Maybe we’re looking to become members,” David replied.

  “After all, we’ve heard so much about this league. It seemed like a no-brainer to come and check it out,” I added.

  Deanna scoffed. “You don’t actually expect us to believe that bogus story, do you?”

  Kaitlin glared at David and me. “You’re here to spy on us, aren’t you?”

  “Those are your words, not mine,” I said.

  Tyler spoke up. “That’s not a denial.”

  “Tell me I’m not right,” Kaitlin said.

  “I think you’re focusing on the wrong thing,” David said. “The only thing that matters to me is finding Allison’s killer. And I believe they are in this building right now.”

  Kaitlin remained fired up. “So you are here to spy on us, then?”

  “We’re strictly here to gather information,” David said.

  “You can call it whatever you want. You’re not fooling us,” Kaitlin replied.

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

  Tyler spoke up. “I’m not worried. I’m annoyed.”

  “Trust me. You’re not nearly as annoyed as I am. Someone killed my friend. I won’t be able to rest until I find out who,” I said.

  “I want Allison’s killer to be caught, too,” Tyler replied.

  “If that’s the case, then cooperate with us,” I said.

  “I already have,” Tyler replied.

  “So have I,” Deanna added. “And I have nothing else to say. Except that you two should leave.”

  I shrugged. “Why? Are you afraid of what we’ll see if we stick around?”

  Deanna shook her head. “No.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” I asked.

  “You say you want the truth, but I told you everything I know and you don’t believe me. That’s the problem,” Deanna replied.

  Tyler spoke up. “Exactly. Same here.”

  “Me, too,” Peter added.

  “I told you all of this before, but it would be a lot easier to believe you if you had verifiable alibis,” David said.

  Michael stepped forward. “I have a verifiable alibi, and I still get the sense that you don’t believe me. I just want you to leave me and my family alone.”

  “I’m afraid we can’t do that,” David said.

  Tyler shook his head. “And you wonder why we’re annoyed. I mean, you come in here and tell us that you’re sure Allison’s killer is in this building right now, but do you have any proof of that?”

  David stared down each of the suspects individually as he replied. “We have our suspicions. Not only that, but we’re getting closer and closer to uncovering the evidence we need. It’s only a matter of time now before the killer is put behind bars.”

  “Yeah? Well until you have any proof, I’m done talking to you,” Tyler said.

  Tyler grabbed his bow and set of arrows then took a few steps toward the exit.

  “Where are you going?” David asked.

  “Home,” Tyler replied.

  David threw out his arms. “So that’s it? You’re just going to walk away?”

  “Yeah, I am. And since you don’t have proof that I did anything wrong, you can’t stop me,” Tyler said.

  Before Tyler left the building, David was sure to make his opinion known.

  “Not yet, at least,” David replied.

  Peter was the next to grab his archery gear and make a move for the exit. “I’m out of here, too.”

  “What’s the hurry?” I asked.

  “What can I say? I’m just not in the mood for league tonight,” Peter said.

  “Yeah. I’m with you on that,” Michael replied.

  Michael began heading to the exit.

  I looked at Kaitlin. “What about you?”

  Before Kaitlin had a chance to answer, Deanna spoke up.

  “Are you happy now?” Deanna snapped. “I was really looking forward to shooting some arrows tonight.”

  “There’s nothing stopping you from staying,” I said.

  Deanna scoffed. “Why would I want to stick around now?” She turned to Kaitlin. “Honey, are you coming?”

  “Absolutely,” Kaitlin said.

  Deanna and Kaitlin both exited, leaving no remaining suspects left in the building.

  As my frustration mounted, I turned to David and let out a sigh.

  “Well, that definitely could have gone better,” I said.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I normally wasn’t a fan of going to bars. Then again, it was also pretty rare that one of my plans worked out so poorly. After things crashed and burned at the archery range, I needed something to take the edge off. Granted, I always kept a bottle of wine at home, but that evening, I wanted something with a little more oomph. I only had to take one look at David’s face to see that he felt the same way.

  We headed over to O’Shanahans, a local watering hole, bellied up to the bar, and ordered some drinks.

  “Talk about a situation blowing up in our faces,” I said.

  David sighed. “You aren’t kidding. I’ve seen drug busts go better than that.”

  “You’re right. Let’s call it like it is. That was a dumpster fire.”

  “That said, what did you really expect? Did you think the killer would see us showing up at the archery range and just give themselves up?” David asked.

  I shook my head. “No. I knew we wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms. I just thought we might get a lead out of it.”

  “Instead, we just got an earful. It isn’t often that I’m in a room with that many people who hate me.”

  “Hey, if you have any ideas, I’m open to hearing them.”

  “Another drink would be nice.”

  “I meant, ideas about the case.”

  “Unfortunately, I’m fresh out of those,” David said. “But who knows? Maybe an idea will hit me when the alcohol kicks in.”

  “And if it doesn’t?”

  “Tomorrow is a brand-new day with all-new possibilities.”

  “I understand. I just…well, you know—”

  “You thought your plan might work. I get it. And I wish that your idea had been successful. Unfortunately, we are right back to the drawing board.”

  “So, what now?” I asked.

  “Finish your drink. When you’re done, I’ll drive you home. From there, I suggest you call it an early night,” he said. “We have some serious regrouping to do tomorrow.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  It wasn’t a half bad plan. The problem was that the evening wasn’t done with us quite yet. David pulled his car into my driveway, but before I had the chance to get out of the passenger seat, trouble found us.

  I was just about to say good night to my boyfriend and give him a kiss when a projectile hit David’s driver’s side door.

  The sound of the unknown object hitting the metal door produced a loud popping noise that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

  What was that?

  Where had it come from?

  Was that just the beginning?

  My pulse began to race as fear took hold of me.

  As I glanced at David, I saw that he was flustered as well. It didn’t happen very often, but his eyes were filled with panic.

  “Get down,” he said.

  I complied, sliding my body down as far as I could in the passenger seat.

  David reached for his police-issued pistol that he kept holstered at his waist.

  As
he turned his head to look out the driver’s side window, I heard the sound of tires screeching as an unknown car peeled away on the street in a hurry.

  “David, what do you see?” I asked.

  David squinted as he stared out the window. Frustration was in his voice as he replied, “Unfortunately, nothing useful.”

  My nose crinkled. “You don’t see the car, then?”

  He shook his head. “No. It darted off in such a hurry that I can’t tell you the make, model, or even the color.”

  “How about your door? What was that thing that hit your car? Was it a bullet?” I asked.

  “Stay here. I’ll check it out.”

  David cautiously got out of his vehicle and took a look at his door. A few moments passed without him replying.

  I grew impatient. “David. Answer me.”

  He shook his head. “You’re not going to believe this.”

  “Why? What is it?”

  “You need to come out here and see this for yourself.”

  I slowly got out of the car and walked over to the driver’s side. That was when I saw an arrow lodged in the door of the car.

  That wasn’t all. A small sliver of paper was taped to the shaft of the arrow. A warning was written on the paper.

  It read: Drop the case or you’re dead.

  My jaw dropped.

  “It looks like we really touched a nerve at the archery range tonight,” David said.

  I placed my hand over my chest. “I can’t believe someone shot at us. I mean, they could have killed us.”

  David stared out at the street. “Without a doubt. It’s a good thing they decided to only fire a warning shot.”

  “I’ll say. That was horrifying. I don’t want to die.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “That said, judging by the note on the arrow, I have a feeling that next time they will be shooting to kill.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” David said.

  I put my head in my hands. “How did things come to this?”

  “Clearly, we got under someone’s skin. To the point where they want to scare us off.”