Hemlock and Hedge by Ruby Loren

Author:Ruby Loren [Loren, Ruby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The next morning, I visited the house of the old mayor, Richard Starbright. When I rang the bell and stood waiting for an answer, I thought about how all but one of the entrants into that cake competition, and both judges, had stayed in town, and were probably doing the same things they had done twenty-seven years ago. All except for my mother. I felt a pang of sadness at the loss and wondered what she would have to say about all of this if she were still here. She’d have been able to clear up just what, exactly, that handwritten note meant. I found myself smiling when just for a moment, I was peeved with her dying on me. Even beyond the grave, my mother could manipulate me into altering my existence.

“Hazel Salem! It is good to see you. Come in, come in,” the old mayor said, opening his door wide.

“It’s nice to see you, too, Mr Starbright.” The mayor had made a point of taking an interest in as many of the town’s youngsters as he could. As mayors went, he’d been a good one.

“Please, call me Richard. There are no official titles here anymore. That honour has passed to my son.” The ex-mayor puffed with pride for a moment, before ushering me indoors.

I didn’t blame him for being proud of his son. Gareth had followed in his father’s footsteps and was the youngest mayor ever elected in Wormwood. As well as being mayor, he also ran the town’s only accountants. There were so many small businesses in Wormwood, I knew he did very well for himself. It came with the benefit of being known and liked by everyone in town… and he was likeable in more than one way. He’d been a popular guy to date when I’d been at secondary school, and from what I’d heard, that popularity had not waned.

“What can I do for you today, Hazel?” Richard shook a box of biscuits in front of me.

I accepted one, feeling the thin layer of moisture on my fingers mingle with the white chocolate coating of the Cadbury’s finger. “I’m starting a local interest magazine…” I began.

“Excellent! That is exactly what this town needs. Well done you! I’m so glad you came back and are already contributing to the town,” Richard immediately said, making me feel terrible for the lie.

“I’m glad you approve. I’m actually researching some local history for an article. I’ve been researching a cake competition that took place twenty-seven years ago. I believe you were the judge?”

I wasn’t surprised when he winced. “How could I forget the competition where I got poisoned? That was when I started to consider it might be time to step down as mayor. I wouldn’t change anything about Wormwood for the world, but this town will never fail to surprise me… and sometimes not in the nicest of ways. I’m afraid I can’t help you out with too many details about that day. It’s all a bit fuzzy.

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