Fudgy Fatality: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 10 by Kathleen Suzette (good books for high schoolers .txt) 📗

still stung. I couldn’t expect him to allow anyone—me and Christy included—to interfere with a case. Not that we would do that on purpose. But it still hurt my feelings that he had said it.

I nodded. “Got it. I know, you need to find out what’s going on here. And when you do, I’m sure it will be clear that Christy isn’t covering for anyone.” My eyes went to his, trying to read what he was thinking.

“And please don’t say anything to Christy?”

“Of course not. I understand, Ethan.” And I did. I just hoped Christy wasn’t trying to protect John from something.

***

After Ethan went home, I decided to make a late-night trip to the grocery store. I was out of everything. Or at least everything I needed to make a decent meal. Christy’s bringing the casserole by had been a real blessing. I would have stopped off somewhere to get fast food if she hadn’t brought it.

I pushed my shopping cart to the produce section, reminding myself that I needed to get more fruits and vegetables into my diet. It was something I was always telling myself, but it was also something I didn’t do often enough.

The apples were on sale and they were one of my fall favorites, so I pulled a plastic bag off the roll and started filling it with Gala apples. I looked up when I saw a familiar figure approaching. It was Carla Steele. She smiled big when she saw me.

“Hi Mia, how are you doing?”

“I’m good. I’m just making a late-night grocery stop to pick up a few things. I keep forgetting to go shopping, and with the Halloween season in full swing, I just don’t have time to do it during the day.”

“You can say that again. With my work being short a salesperson, I’ve been working extra hours. I don’t mind, it’s going to be some great Christmas money, but here I am, shopping late in the evening because of it.”

“Are they going to hire a replacement for Olivia?” I asked.

She nodded. “Eventually, but for now, I’m picking up the slack as well as I can. Like I said, Christmas money. But the great thing is that I got a raise and a promotion!” Her eyes lit up, and she nearly squealed when she said the last part.

“Really? That’s wonderful news! Congratulations. Are you still in sales, then?”

“Yes, I’m now the senior sales associate. I have to say that I didn’t expect that, but it sure is nice that they’re finally recognizing all my hard work.” She pulled a plastic bag off the roll and began to fill it with Granny Smith apples. “I’m going to make an apple crumble. I love apples and cinnamon anything. It’s very fallish.” She chuckled. “I love the fall.”

“Apples and cinnamon are two of my favorite flavors,” I said. “So, I forgot, what did you say Olivia did there?” I didn’t forget, she was in sales. But I wondered if she had been the senior sales associate.

“She was in sales. I got her old cubicle, too. I went to the gift shop and bought some cute Halloween decorations to spruce it up. I’m so excited about the promotion. And of course, my new cubicle. It really sucked to be stuck out at that desk like I was. Everyone thought I should wait on them, making phone calls for them or doing their filing since I was out there like that.” She sighed. “I was not their secretary.” She tied a knot at the end of the plastic bag when she had finished filling it and placed it into her shopping cart.

“Decorating your new cubicle sounds like fun. Did you get some candles for it? The flower shop also has tons of really yummy smelling candles in.”

She nodded. “I got a pumpkin spice candle and a vanilla cupcake candle. I also got some papier-mâché pumpkins and a little scarecrow and a witch.” She pulled another plastic bag from the roll. “I think I need some of these pears, too. I might make a pear tart and bring it into work for everyone. To celebrate my promotion.”

“I love those candles that Frankie sells. They smell so wonderful.” I pulled another plastic bag off the roll and opened it up. “That’s nice that you can burn candles at work. Hopefully it won’t bother anyone with allergies.”

She nodded. “They make the office smell so good. I love them.”

“I thought you said someone in your office had allergies and Olivia got into trouble for burning one?” I asked as I reached for a pear. Pear tart sounded good, and I thought I’d make one for Ethan.

She waved a hand at me. “I complained about the candle she burned because it was one of those cheap ones you get here at the grocery store. It had a fake, plasticky smell and made me gag. The candles the gift shop and the flower shop sell are wonderful smelling, though. No one complains about those.”

I looked at her. I could suddenly see her complaining about Olivia’s candles, and maybe some other things, too. Maybe that was part of the trouble the two had had with one another. Life with complaining co-workers could be stressful.

“I do love those candles.”

She looked up at me, still smiling. “Me too. So, how is Ethan coming along on finding Olivia’s killer?”

I shrugged. “You know how it is. He’s a detective and some things are confidential, but I’m sure he’ll find the killer.”

She nodded. “If I had to take a guess, I would take a look at John Green. I know he’s your former brother-in-law, and maybe I shouldn’t say it, but I heard he had breakfast with her the morning she died. He came snooping around the office a few days earlier, and he was surprised that Olivia had been given a