Page 12 of Bobbing for Bodies
Mom called an hour ago and asked if I would meet her at McMurry’s Pumpkin Patch to pick out a few of the happy squashes and gourds for her bed and breakfast and, of course, I was more than happy to oblige. Nothing makes me happier than a cool fall night spent at Honey Hollow’s famed questionably haunted pumpkin patch. The McMurrys play up the Halloween angle every year and wisely so. Their haunted hayrides are so famous you need to buy tickets weeks in advance before they sell out. They have a haunted maze, a haunted house, which is more of a series of trailers that have been welded together, and, of course, there are a ton of family activities for the younger sect—games, petting zoo, bounce houses. It’s a real party the entire month of October, and usually I’m here every single night soaking it all in.
The pumpkin patch is festooned with scarecrows in every shape and color all around the enormous farm, and they stand illuminated against the backdrop of a glowing purple night sky. There’s a traditional pumpkin patch lot, and then there’s the pick-it-yourself version, which leads you out into the acreage the McMurrys own. As far as the eyes can see, the cheery orange globes dot the landscape, and the surrounding trees have all shed their colorful leaves as stacks and stacks of hay are strewn about with people sitting on them, climbing on them, and taking an endless array of selfies. The air holds the slight scent of cinnamon, and I spot a cider booth not too far off from here. Nothing pairs better with a crisp, fall night than a steaming cup of cider. My feet are already headed in that direction when I stop dead in my tracks and gasp.
Standing next to the cider booth is a tall, lanky, hair-flipping two-timer that I’d know anywhere and yet loathe to see just about everywhere I spot him. It’s Tanner Redwood handing some bleached blonde a cup full of apple cider goodness. His free hand is pressed into her lower back, and they’re laughing it up as if they didn’t have a plus one in the world—or more to the point, at how bamboozled he has my sister. As much as I want to boot scoot in that direction, and dump that scalding cider over his head, I don’t feel like racking up assault charges for accidentally blistering the blonde next to him. Him I might consider doing a tiny stint in the slammer for. A misdemeanor in exchange for getting him out of Lainey’s life for good seems like a reasonable exchange. But I think better of it and do the next best thing—take a few clandestine pictures.
A pair of hands gives my ribs a quick tickle from behind, and I scream as I bounce my way to safety.
I turn around to find my mother laughing her head off.
“You about gave me a heart attack. Don’t ever do that again.”
She’s quick to wave me off. She’s donned her favorite denims and is swaddled in a flannel printed down jacket. My mother is forever the fashionista and would never miss an opportunity to dress for pumpkin picking success. I’ve donned my favorite knee-length boots, denim, and flannel as well, and I can’t help but think I got the memo from my mother, but a quick look around the vicinity proves everyone in Honey Hollow got the memo. A flannel and jeans are your typical uniform around these parts anyway.
“Well, I didn’t know how else to break your spell. You looked like you were intensely doing something on your phone. Texting the good detective, perhaps? Or if the rumor mill is correct, was it the good judge?” That smile of hers is quickly replaced with a pinched frown, her fists digging into her hips with disapproval. “Lottie Lemon, how could you keep the fact you have two budding romances away from me? And I had to hear it from the grapevine no less!”
A horrific groan comes from me as we make our way toward the pumpkin patch. “I’m not even sure if I have one romance, Mother. Besides, who is busy spreading rumors about my love life? Please tell them I think they can use something constructive to do during waking hours. The bakery is hiring, by the way, so feel free to spread that rumor. It happens to be true.”
“You know I will, honey,” she says, grabbing one of the free wagons they offer to help haul your load.
When my sisters and I were little, we used to make our mother push us around in circles until we were dizzy and fell right off those red wagons. I’ve often wondered if that’s where Meg got her love for tossing herself about so violently. She’s at the top of her game, though. I’ve heard people place more bets on her matches than any other female wrestling pairing, so there’s that.
Mom holds up a pleasantly plump, light peach Fairytale pumpkin for me to inspect.
“I love it,” I say, taking it from her and setting it into the wagon. “Get at least three of those. There’s something magical about them, and women especially just love them. You want to make sure your visitors feel good about every aspect of the B&B. In Business 101, I learned that depending on how you made your customers feel was ninety percent the deciding factor on whether or not they came back. Although, in my case, I’m sure the tasty treats have something to do with it. I hope.”
She chortles at the thought. “I know so. That’s all anyone’s talking about is that grand opening of yours.” She winces as she says it before picking up a few small pumpkins tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hands.
“Get at least thirty of those,” I say, taking in a lungful of the earthy soil beneath us. “And you don’t have to hide it. I know exactly why my grand opening was the talk of the town. Poor Bear hasn’t even responded to my messages. He’s really broken up about losing his cousin like that. And who wouldn’t be?”
Mom shudders as the evening grows dark and sinister around us. “I just ran into Dee Fisher at the florist. She said poor Hunter didn’t have anyone but them. I didn’t realize his parents had passed away a few years back.”
“Wow.” I’m stunned to hear it. “I didn’t realize that myself. I bet that’s why he had no one to turn to for the loan,” I say that last bit under my breath, mostly to myself.
“Loan?” Mom startles. “Come to think of it, he did speak to Wallace extensively about his finances.”
“Hunter did?” I take a few steps toward my mother in haste. “What did he say? Was he looking for a loan? Why did he need the money?” Who knew it would be my mother of all people who had the potential to crack this case wide open?
Mom scoffs while leading us over to the gourds. “Wallace and I don’t make it a practice to mix business and pleasure.” She hikes her shoulder my way suggestively. “We much more prefer the pleasure.”
“Mother! I’d cover my ears if my hands weren’t filled with acorn squash at the moment.”
“What? You should be happy for me that I’ve found someone so handsome and eager to please me. Just like I’m happy that you found two someones looking to occupy your time. You don’t know how thrilled I am to know you won’t really grow to be some old cat lady. You need a man in your life to spice things up.” She rocks her chest my way, and I’m quick to avert my gaze. “Someone to heat the sheets with on those cold winter nights. Speaking of winter, I need to have a new heating system put in at the B&B.”
A thought comes to me, and I can’t catch my next breath I’m so excited. “We should double date!”
“What?” She blinks at the curveball I’ve just thrown at her. “A double date?” Her eyes expand to the size of baseballs. “Why, that’s a fabulous idea! We could bring Lainey and Tanner in on the fun. I couldn’t think of any better way for the Lemon women to kick off their brand new love lives than together.”
“No, not Lainey.” I glance to the area where I spotted Tanner with his optional plus one, but they’re no longer haunting the vicinity. “I think she and Tanner are on the rocks. But don’t tell her I told you so,” I’m quick to warn. My mother would spoil the surprise before I ever got home as far as Tanner’s inadvertent exit strategy to leave my sister goes. “Just the two of you and Noah and me.”
I couldn’t think of a better way to do a little inadvertent strategizing myself. I’ve been chomping at the bit for a date with Noah, and I don’t see why I shouldn’t ask him on one myself. I did ask him to that football game in Ashford last month, and that totally counts even if we were secretly spying on Coach Hagan. But nonetheless, this will be another easy excuse to get together with him. Once he sees the potential value in gleaning all we can on Wallace, he’ll happily go along—and hopefully be happy to spend time with me at the same time.
“In fact, I’ll text him right now and see when he’s free.”
I step a few feet away while my mother busies herself filling that wagon to the brim. Just as my thumb is about to float over my screen, I spot an all too familiar scene at the cider booth, only this time it’s not Tanner laughing it up with that bleached blonde of his—it’s Noah and a leggy redhead who looks all too eager to snuggle up next to him. Her hand is on his arm, and her shoulder edges toward his chest as if she wanted far more of him than she’s touching at the moment.
I’ve suddenly lost the urge to discuss Hunter’s murder with Noah Fox.
Instead, I’m entertaining two new potential homicides.