Murder Takes a Fall by Thea Cambert

Author:Thea Cambert [Cambert, Thea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Summer Prescott Books
Published: 2021-12-29T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

After their delicious dinner at the Smiling Hound, Alice, Owen, and Franny walked down Main Street toward Trillium for the Pumpkin Palooza, where they’d be helping to judge the jack-o’-lanterns.

“I believe Estella,” said Owen. “My gut tells me she’s no killer.”

“That’s funny. Your gut was telling you the opposite a little while ago,” said Alice, giving him a playful jab.

Owen sighed. “Well, my gut changed its mind. She clearly wants to see justice done.”

“She’s proven herself to be a very smooth liar, though,” said Alice. “She kept a straight face when she told us Leyla hadn’t been to her cottage just before she died.”

“Makes you wonder,” said Franny. “Would she have come clean about that if she hadn’t been afraid we’d arrive at the truth on our own?”

Alice sighed. “We’ll never know, I guess. On the other hand, I believed her when she said she wanted us to find Leyla’s killer.”

“I think I did too,” said Franny.

As they turned right onto Trillium Street, a whole pumpkin wonderland opened up before them. They were amazed by the number of people and the vast array of pumpkin art.

“We’ve got a record turnout this year!” Pearl Ann McKenzie handed each of them a clipboard with a list of entrants and guidelines for judging. Alice had drafted Pearl Ann, along with her husband Norman, to oversee the judging this year. “Now, as usual, just walk down your designated rows and judge those pumpkins based on the criteria listed.” She chuckled. “Of course, this is old hat to all of you since you do this every year.”

“Thank you, Pearl Ann,” said Alice. She tried to sound casually disinterested when she added, “By the way, are you entering your pumpkin roll in tonight’s bake-off?”

“Sure am,” said Pearl Ann with a smile. “I was going to do something different this year, but Norman insisted I stick with what works.” She elbowed Alice. “He really just wants to buy a slice after the judging is done.”

Alice laughed. “I might have to buy a slice myself,” and as she walked toward her row of pumpkins, she quietly added, “Or ten slices.”

This year’s pumpkin carvers had outdone themselves. In the children’s category, Alice’s favorite was one that had a haunted house painted on the outside, with the windows cut away so that they glowed warmly from the battery-operated candle inside.

“What a good idea,” said Owen, who had been assigned the same rows as Alice.

“Very clever,” Alice agreed. “Wow, look at this one!”

One of the adult entrants had created a Halloween forest. The pumpkin shell that had been left behind formed a relief image of the gnarled trunks and the spindly branches of the trees. One of the branches featured a tiny owl with glowing eyes, and a crescent moon shone above it all. The flickering candle within illuminated even the minute details.

Some of the pumpkin carvers had taken a humorous angle—creating things like the jack-o’-lantern that looked like a cat with a miniature pumpkin carved into a mouse sitting on its head.

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