Page 67 of Poison Apple Crisp
A dark shadow moves in the corner of the room, and I gasp as my feet inch in that direction. A cold, foreboding feeling fills me as I sense its dark presence. It’s the same feeling I had that night when I saw that enormous creature with the blood red eyes.
“Lottie?” a woman’s voice calls my name from behind, and I turn to find Alyssa Thomas as she strides over with an easy grin. Her dark hair is pulled back into a bun, and she’s dressed demurely as if she were about to attend a business meeting. Although, I guess her accouterments are far better suited for a school function than those donkey ears of hers.
“Hello, Alyssa,” I say, scooping up an apple crisp just as she does the same. “How is everything going over at the Brew Ha Ha?”
“Business is brisk. In fact, believe it or not, I’ve got approval from the PTA to cater the homecoming dance.”
“What? That’s fabulous. Congratulations. I know that’s a big deal and an honor.”
She nods. “I was iced out for so long, I had resigned myself to the fact I wouldn’t have much to do with the school. But now that Brenda is gone, Rachelle has stepped in as the interim PTA president. And she says she’s determined to right all the wrongs.” She takes a deep breath. “Lord knows she’s got her work cut out for her, but so far she’s done quite a lot of good things.” She grimaces a moment. “And as much as I didn’t get along with Brenda, I hate to say, without her here the air is just a little bit lighter.” She shrugs as she takes a bite out of my apple crisp. “Oh, Lottie.” Her eyes roll into the back of her head. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m putting this on the menu at the Brew Ha Ha. Of course, I’ll have to find a way to add a little beer to it. But I can’t wait to experiment in the kitchen. Thank you for inspiration.” She toasts me with it as she takes off toward the throngs of people near the silent auction.
I’m about to snatch up another apple crisp when a familiar brunette with sharp almond-shaped eyes, full pouty lips—and who could forget, buns of steel—breaks out into a fit of laughter to my left at something Rachelle seems to be telling her.
“What in the heck?” I march right over. It’s bad enough Hot Hannah has taken over my neighborhood. She’s not taking over my school. “What’s this?” I ask in lieu of a hello, and both Rachelle and Buns of Steel look equally stunned by my outburst.
Rachelle gives a nervous titter. Her blonde hair looks particularly pale and ashen, as if she’s freshly dyed it, and her crimson roots are well covered. She’s wearing her signature turtleneck in winter white with a denim dress over it. And pinned to her chest is the brooch of a red apple with what looks to be green caramel dripping down it. It’s adorable, and I’ll have to ask where she got it.
Rachelle leans my way. “Lottie, this is my friend, Hannah. Her nephew just graduated last year.”
“He’s a Yale man now.” She nods. “But I thought I’d come back to his old stomping grounds to help with the fundraiser.”
“Thank you.” I think. I can’t help but glance down at that skintight dress she’s wearing. It’s blood red, looks to be made of latex, and ends just past her steely buns, emphasizing her stellar figure. “You look fabulous.” I frown because complimenting and envying my irritating neighbor was not how I envisioned this night going.
“Thank you.” Her expression sours as she rides her eyes up and down my body. “After you pop your pup out, I might be able to work with you. Once I have you cut carbs, you’ll instantly bounce back into shape. I’ll have an entire regiment for you to adhere to, free of charge. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some bidding to do.”
An exasperated huff bursts from me as I look to Rachelle. “I happen to cut carbs every day—with apizzacutter.”
Rachelle bucks with a laugh just as a sprinkling of tiny orange stars emits from my left, and sure enough, Ginger appears barking up a yippy storm right into my ear.
“Oh, Lottie, come quickly. Thirteen and I were, well, you, know, trying to populate the spiritual world, and things got out of hand. The next thing I knew, books were falling to the ground and now we’ve done it!” She yaps and yips herself into a doggy conniption.
Rachelle shakes her head with a curious look. “Are you okay? You look stunned for a lack of a better word.”
I glance back at the crowd that seems to have swallowed my too hot to handle neighbor.
“I’m fine. I was just a little thrown. Hannah just moved in next door to me. And let’s just say she’s whipped the entire neighborhood into a frenzy with her early morning singles mingle.”
Rachelle belts out another laugh. “Well, at least you’re apprised of her wicked ways. I’d keep an eye out on her around your husband. She’s already mentioned how delicious he looks. There’s a detective she says she’s got in her sight, though. Maybe he can take her on?”
Ginger lets out another serious riotous barks. “Lottie Lemon! You must comenow.”
“Maybe,” I say to Rachelle. “But if the detective is smart, he’ll steer clear, too.”
Rachelle’s pale lips spread into a thin line. “I’ve met him. He seems a bit clueless to me.”
“Now!” Ginger pleads, and I don’t have a second more to set Rachelle straight about Noah.
“Excuse me,” I say. “My bladder is calling.”
“You’d better hurry. There’s a line for the restroom.” She squints to the hall straight ahead. “On second thought, head into the administration building. It’s just a few more steps, but there’s a restroom near the attendance office that I promise you is empty.”
Ginger leads the charge, thankfully in that direction, and her fluffy cinnamon-colored fur is wafting in her wake like down waves of grain.
The administration building is just through that dark corridor and to the left. The halls are cooler here, empty and dimly lit. Now that the back-to-school portion of the evening is over, they’re doing their best to herd everyone into the gym in hopes they’ll crack open their checkbooks.
Ginger barks and trots as fast as she can right past the restroom Rachelle was telling me about. And for the life of me, I’m thankful that for once I don’t have the urge to sit on the nearest toilet.
Ginger slides to a stop before darting right into the door markedPrincipal.