Chocolate Heart Killer: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 14 by Kathleen Suzette (guided reading books .TXT) 📗

she would get him back because he laughed at her when she demanded he marry her. She wasn’t kidding either, the girl was mad. I think she just lured him back to her until she had the opportunity to set him up to die.”

Ethan considered this. “That’s cold-blooded if she did kill him. Do you really think she would do that?”

“I know she would,” he said sounding sure of himself. “I told Logan he needed to get away from her. She was trouble from the beginning, always fighting with him, and demanding that he spend all his money on her. She wanted him to be with her all the time and resented it when he wanted to hang out with his friends.”

“I’ll certainly take it into consideration,” Ethan said carefully. “Do you have any solid evidence that she did it?”

Mel looked at him, and then reluctantly shook his head. “I guess I don’t. But if it wasn’t her, then the only other likely person is Amber Gleason. You know that she owns a rival business, right?”

He nodded. “I do. She hasn’t owned the shop long though, has she?”

He shook his head. “No, but she worked for Tangles and Bangs salon and that rivalry has been going on for a really long time.”

“But why would she kill him? What about that rivalry would make her go to the extent of murdering someone?” Ethan asked.

Mel stared at him. “Because at one time Logan and Amber were going to go into business together. You know how Logan was, he had a way about him, and people liked him. She knew he would be good for her business, but he backed out at the last minute, and instead of going into business with her, he took over his dad’s business.”

I could see where that would disappoint Amber, but drive her to murder? I wasn’t so sure about that.

“Logan had worked for his dad for a number of years, so the disappointment over a partnership most likely happened a long time ago,” I pointed out.

He nodded. “That’s right. It was right after he graduated from barber college. I think it was about ten years ago. He and Amber were dating back then, so there was a lot riding on them going into business together. When he decided to take over his dad’s barbershop instead, she broke up with him and she’s been bitter about it ever since. That’s why she spreads rumors about his barbershop. She’s still bitter about him not going into business with her.”

“But still,” I said carefully. I didn’t want to upset him or make him think I wasn’t taking what he was saying seriously. “Why kill him now?”

“Because when Logan and Mariah broke up last December, Amber tried to make a move on Logan. She came by his house and tried to sweet-talk him into going out with her. Of course, he knew she was spreading rumors about him, so there was no way he was going to go back to her. She became livid when he turned her down.”

Oh, I thought. And that was what would do it. If Amber was humiliated over Logan turning her down, then maybe she did have reason to kill him.

Ethan took this in. “I think that’s something I need to check into. I had no idea they once dated, or even that she had any interest in him at all.”

“She did have an interest, and that interest turned to bitterness. I keep going back and forth, thinking about it, and I think either Amber or Mariah had enough reason to kill him.”

“You might be right about that,” Ethan said, settling back into the couch. He took a sip of his soda, thinking this over. “Logan told you about all of this?”

He nodded. “He did. I’ll be honest with you, he laughed about it. I didn’t think it was right the way he treated Amber to begin with, but then when he came back and told me that she wanted to go out with him again, I was shocked that he laughed about it. He said she was a loser and there was no way he would waste his time with her.”

Ethan frowned. “Logan said that?”

“He did. I know, we all want to believe that Logan was a great guy, but sometimes he wasn’t.”

I watched Ethan’s face and I could tell it bothered him that Mel had said it. “I guess we all can’t be perfect,” Ethan said lightly.

“Well, I know Logan was a good guy. But he was a guy and sometimes we don’t act decent,” Mel said, glancing at me.

“I’ll check into these things,” Ethan said. He was looking off into the distance when he said it.

The doorbell rang, and I got up to get it. Now I wished that Ethan would let someone else handle the case. The investigation was wearing on him.

Chapter Ten

The morning of Logan’s funeral was dark and overcast. It was fitting for what we were about to do. Logan had been full of life, bright and happy, and so his funeral would be overcast and dreary, to match Logan’s loved ones’ moods.

Ethan and I rode over to the funeral home in silence. Christy was going to meet us there with her boyfriend, Devon Brown. Mom and Dad would also be there. We had known Logan’s family for years, and they had been regular customers at the candy store. One of the advantages of a small town is that people are close. We ran into one another throughout our lifetimes, going to school together, working together, going to church together. It was only natural that grieving one of our own would be done together, too.

Ethan parked his truck and turned to me before getting out. “Well, here goes.”

I nodded, taking in his furrowed brow. “Here goes.”

I got