Candy-Coated Secrets (6 page)

She continued to stride toward my car then leaned against it. I looked around the floor of my prison for something to throw. Nothing. Clean except for rust spots. What to do? I had absolutely no way to alert anyone to my presence.

Aunt Eunice pushed away from the Sonata and stalked back to the arts and crafts building. Don’t go! If she would’ve been where she belonged in the first place, I wouldn’t have gotten chased by the hog from Hades.

I crossed my arms and flounced back in the seat. My movements caused the car to sway, lodging my heart in my throat. What happened to the ride operator? How long did it take to go to the restroom?

Someone below would have to notice a swinging car on a motionless Ferris wheel. I increased my movement, stopping when nausea threatened. Suddenly, the Ferris wheel didn’t seem as frightening as spending the night in the dark, millions of feet above the ground. And the night grew cold.

Other lights around the fairgrounds blinked out until I found myself cast into the darkness of a quarter moon. Normally, a dark night didn’t frighten me, but these were extenuating circumstances. I broke into a cold sweat and wiped damp palms on my dirt-streaked pants.

Think, Summer
. I dug in my pocket for my cell phone. No bars. When would I start remembering to charge it? You’d think after all I’ve been through in the last few months, a fully charged phone would be a priority.

What would any normal, red-blooded, almost thirty-year-old woman do at this point? I screamed until my throat hurt. When Aunt Eunice drove away, I cried. Huge, quarter-sized tears complete with hiccuping sobs. This counted on my scale as being worse than when I’d been locked last summer in Richard Bland’s musty car trunk. A simple act of taking out the garbage had warranted me a knock on the head and a greasy rag stuffed in my mouth. Diamonds or not, I’d wanted that particular mess to be over. Now, mere months later, I found myself trapped again. I never should have given my aunt a set of keys to my car.

Once I’d cried myself dry, I wiped my eyes on my sleeve and rose, keeping a death grip on the gently moving car. I surveyed the world from my perch. Lights flickered on from trailers around the perimeter. Okay, I’m not alone.

You’re never alone.

Okay, God. Once again I forgot who was in control. I’m sorry.

Moving at a snail’s pace, I curled myself into a ball on the seat of the car and prepared to wait. Away from the terror of realizing I was suspended above the world. It wasn’t long until a full bladder called to be emptied. Where was the carny who operated the contraption?

Visions of him murdered in the men’s room rose in my mind. I couldn’t come up with any other reason for him not to return. My thoughts definitely did not spin in comforting circles.

What now, Lord?

The wind increased and whistled through the iron bars of my prison. I peered again over the edge. How high could it be? I’d climbed plenty of trees in my youth. The bars of the Ferris wheel crisscrossed, providing plenty of hand and foot holds. The carnies probably scaled it all the time. I couldn’t possibly be the first person to ever be stuck on the top of this ride, could I?

With a deep breath, I got to my knees, wiped my hands once again across my thighs, and slung my leg over. An increasing wind buffeted my back and I shrieked, plastering myself to the bars.
Oh God, I am so stupid. Your Word says You protect the foolish. Well, I’m queen of the foolish. What was I thinking?

The thought of returning to the relative safety of the ride beckoned. I turned my head. A thin ladder stretched about twenty feet from me. The feat was accomplishable. Even for me. My spirits rose despite the breeze that caused me to shiver. My teeth chattered. With knees shaking, I inched my way across the iron beam.
Don’t look down. Don’t look down.

If I’d known I’d be clinging like a locust to the side of a metal structure, I would have worn white. Even what little moonlight shone would have cast off me, making me easier to see. Maybe someone would’ve noticed.

My Sonata, driven by Aunt Eunice, pulled into the parking lot followed by Joe’s squad car. Aunt Eunice gestured wildly with her hands. Giddiness caused me to lose my grip. I squealed and hugged the beam. Continuing to clutch my lifeline, I turned my head. “Help! Aunt Eunice. Joe!”

The weak beam of a flashlight illuminated me. I craned my neck farther and thanked God that Joe had better hearing than my aunt. He ducked into his car and pulled out a bullhorn.

“Stay where you are!”

And where, exactly, did he think I would go?

“I’m calling the fire department!”

Horror. If Mabel or Ruby found out, my picture would be across the front of the newspaper. Thank goodness I hadn’t wet my pants. Yet.

Carnies swarmed from the outlying trailers and gathered below. The ride operator approached Joe. Music blared from the loudspeakers, and Joe had to keep busy with crowd control. They were all having a party at my expense. Probably wishing I’d fall. One death this week didn’t seem to be enough for this bloodthirsty crowd.

Aunt Eunice yanked the horn from Joe’s hand. “Are you all right?”

How could I answer her? She wouldn’t see my nod. I waved, and slipped, hooking my arm over the nearest bar. The crowd roared. Never in my life had I been this popular.

“Keep. Your. Hands. On. The. Ferris wheel!” Aunt Eunice’s voice boomed.

I rested my forehead against my arm. Good grief.

What seemed like eons later, a fire truck pulled up and extended the ladder. It moved in slow motion toward me. With a peek beneath my crooked arm, I cringed. Bill Butler, a high school not-so-good friend, grinned up at me. And far below, Mabel and Ruby stood, one with a camera, the other with a notepad.

“Got yourself in a fix, didn’t you?” Bill slipped an arm around my waist. “Relax, Summer. Grab ahold of my neck, and I’ll pull you over. You’ll be down in a sec.”

My face flamed, but I kept my mouth shut. Anything I said would be printed in tomorrow’s paper. Flashbulbs exploded as we descended.

Aunt Eunice ran up to us, bullhorn still held to her mouth, and blasted my eardrums. “What were you thinking? Ethan is going to kill me.”

Joe reached over and shut off the horn. “No more need for this.” He removed the horn from her grip and tossed it through the open window of his car. Then he leaned with folded arms and glared at me. Much worse than a lecture.

Aunt Eunice would make up for that. “Tell me how you managed to get up there, hanging like a fly on the wall?”

I sagged against the car. “Thanks, Bill.” Then I turned to my aunt. “A fly on the wall is pretty apt, actually. I heard some very interesting information while in the Tilt-A-Whirl. And, I really need to use the restroom.”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“Fine.” I crossed my legs. “After you disappeared, I went into the livestock building to look for you. The biggest pig I’ve ever seen charged at me. A carny gave me a test ride on the Ferris wheel. Only he went to the restroom and never came back.” Someone handed me a bottle of water. My bladder screamed.

Joe’s lip curled. “He said someone locked him in.”

Mabel ran to me, a microphone clutched in one hand, while Ruby continued to blind me with flashbulbs. I held up a hand to shield my face.

“Why did you try to kill yourself?” Mabel barked. “How close to jumping were you?”

Joe pushed away from the car. “She wasn’t going to jump, Mabel. She was on the ride, unbeknownst to anyone else, and they turned it off. It’s that simple.”

“Well, that isn’t news.” Mabel frowned and clicked off the microphone. “That’s just Summer getting into trouble.” She turned to Ruby. “Come on, Ruby. We have all we need for the paper. I’ll make something up. Summer won’t mind.”

Actually, I would, but I had more important things to talk about. Once Mountain Shadows’s nosiest were out of hearing range, I turned back to Joe. “Two men were talking about Millie’s death. How they’d bungled making it look like a suicide, and how they needed to get rid of that nosy Summer Meadows. How’s that for sleuthing?”

“Not much considering you could’ve been killed. But not bad, either. Did you see their faces? Would you recognize their voices?”

“No to both. They were kind of filtered through the sides of the Tilt-A-Whirl. Plus, I had my hands over my ears for part of the conversation.” I gulped some more water.

“Why did you? Oh, never mind.” Joe turned to Aunt Eunice. “Can you get her home in one piece?”

My aunt nodded. “I’ll tie her up if I have to.”

“Doesn’t either of you care about what I heard?”

“Yes, Summer. I care. And I’ll check into it.” Joe rubbed a hand across his buzz cut. “It’s kind of difficult to do an investigation when I have to keep saving you. Man, I’ll be glad when Ethan gets home.”

I agreed with his thoughts of Ethan getting home. If I lived that long.

Chapter Seven

The picture of me dangling from the Ferris wheel graced the front page of the newspaper. My rear end looked huge. Not a good angle. I skimmed the article. Without coming right out and saying so, Mabel alluded to the fact that, although unconfirmed, it appeared I had a death wish. She quoted my cousin as agreeing.

Like it or not, this case concerned me. I couldn’t hide in a closet just because someone was out to hurt me. God tells His children not to fear, and I didn’t intend to. I may be taking the words out of context, but regardless, it helped calm me.

My Dolt book lay open on the table in front of me. My newest acquisition, The Handy Dandy Guide to Spying, lay next to it. Last night, burrowed under the warm blankets of my bed, I had skimmed through the contents, searching for something that would help.

The fair officially opened tonight, and first on my list for the day was a trip to the closest electronics store to buy a wireless camera to stash in my rented space. No more surprises in the refrigerator. I had the perfect duffel bag in which to hide the camera. No one would suspect a thing.

“Don’t tell me you’re reading that again?” Aunt Eunice joined me at the table.

“I need some tips on grilling the carnies for information.”

Aunt Eunice grabbed a slice of toast from a nearby plate. “We could crash the masquerade party after the fair tonight.”

“Masquerade party?” I straightened so quickly, I spilled coffee on a place mat and grabbed a napkin to dab at the spreading stain.

“Yeah, I heard some of the vendors talking. They do it opening night everywhere they go.” Aunt Eunice spread butter across the warm bread. “Of course, since we’re vendors, it wouldn’t exactly be crashing, but that makes it sound more fun.”

“If we want to hear anything of value, we’ll need really good costumes. We can’t be recognized.” The idea definitely had merit. I wonder if Aunt Eunice could hear my wheels spinning.

“I’ve always wanted to be a giant Hershey’s Kiss.” Aunt Eunice stood and modeled for me. “I’ve already got the right shape.” She cackled with glee.

Leaning back in my chair, I gnawed my lower lip. If we drove twenty miles, we’d be able to visit a costume shop. What disguise could I wear to make myself unidentifiable? I’d just need to keep my mouth shut long enough to listen and not be heard. It would be tough, but I had faith I could do it.

I slapped the table and jumped up. “Let’s drive to the Costume Corner. That should leave us time to stop by work and pack candy boxes.”

“I’ll get my purse.”

I grabbed my own from the counter, slung it over my shoulder, then dashed out the door to my car. Not wanting to spend a half hour having every bone in my body jarred from riding in my aunt’s 1952 Chevy truck, it was imperative I be behind the wheel of my Sonata with the engine running.

Aunt Eunice frowned as she opened the passenger door. “You know I like to drive.”

“My car gets better gas mileage. We need to do our part to save the environment. Go green.” I turned the wheel in a circle, drove onto the highway, and headed east.

“Since when do you care about the environment?”

“It’s never too late to start.”

“Hogwash.” Aunt Eunice crossed her arms and pouted. “You can think about saving the earth in silence. I’m not speaking to you until we get there.”

Thank God for small favors. I turned up the volume on my radio. Worship music filled the car. Sometimes I felt older than my aunt.

She perked up when the costume store came in sight. She opened her door before I’d turned off the car.

“We should find costumes that go together.” Aunt Eunice grinned like a child. “This’ll be fun.”

I could only imagine what she’d come up with.

Only a few patrons inhabited the store, and we made a beeline for the adult sizes. Aunt Eunice grabbed a white square of fabric. “Look at this. I could go as a bar of soap, and you could go as a shower.” She held up something else. “Or a roll of toilet paper and a toilet.”

No way. I shook my head.

“Well, we can’t go as something ordinary. Where’s the fun in that?” She slammed the costumes back on the rack. “I suppose we could go as a donkey. I’d be the head and you’d be the—”