Costume Catastrophe (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 21) (2 page)

Tommy also had been on the football team, and, if I remembered correctly, also dated Rachael for a while. “He no longer lives in Ashton Falls, but I heard he’s in town right now. Ashton Falls High is playing Bryton Lake on Friday and the winner will take first place and therefore go on to regionals. We really should have a dinner party so everyone can catch up.”

Rachael diverted her eyes and then looked down at her watch. “Geez, I gotta go. It was fun running into you. Let’s do get together soon. I’m pretty busy getting settled in, but it would be fun to catch up with everyone. I’ll text you my number.”

I watched as Rachael grabbed her daughter and dashed out the front door of the Halloween store.

“Was that Rachael Conway?” Ellie asked after joining me.

“Yeah. Can you believe Rachael has a fifth grader?”

“Wow, she must have gotten pregnant right out of high school. I didn’t even know she was seriously dating anyone.”

“She said the dad wasn’t in the picture.”

“That’s too bad. We should invite her to go to lunch with us. Will she be in town long?”

“Actually, she’s moved back. She said her aunt left her the house she owned over on Maple.”

Ellie frowned. She and I had both hung out with Rachael quite a bit when we were in school, especially during the time when Rachael had been dating Levi. We’d all gotten along really well, although Ellie and Levi hadn’t been a couple at that time. Not that Ellie and Levi were dating now, but they were definitely more than just friends. I had to wonder what Ellie
really
thought about Rachael being back in town.

“We should probably get going,” I suggested. “Just let me pay for this and then we’ll head to Rosie’s.”

“I think I’m going to grab some of those scarecrows for my front deck, and maybe one of those flower arrangements for the dining table.” Ellie traded her frown for a genuine smile. “All of a sudden I’m feeling excited about the upcoming holiday.”

“I’m glad. Let’s get a wreath for your door while we’re at it.”

We gathered everything we’d chosen and got into what looked to be an endless line. Every year I think I’m going to get an earlier start on Halloween, and every year life seems to get in the way and I find myself scrambling once again. I tossed a couple of bags of the candy that had been conveniently displayed along the area roped off for the line in my basket. Ellie grabbed a bag of her own, which she opened and proceeded to eat half of before we reached the register. I guess she was eating for two, but I had to question how much food a baby that weighed less than a pound really required. Ellie had a lot of nervous energy and a naturally high metabolism, but if she continued to eat the way she had been the past few weeks she was going to have more than baby weight to worry about.

We paid for our purchases, then drove through town to Rosie’s, which was decorated with its own seasonal displays, including a creative bunch of jack-o’-lanterns. We settled into a booth at the front of the restaurant and decided on the advertised special of the day. Once we’d ordered and our food had been delivered our conversation returned to the idea of Halloween costumes and roomy alternatives.

“I think I’ll look through my closet to see if I can come up with a costume using things I already have,” Ellie said as she dove into the pile of pasta on her plate. “Or maybe I’ll make something. I’ve been in the mood to sew lately.”

“That might be a good idea. You’re creative, but it’s only a week until Halloween. I just hope I can get everything I need to get done between now and then.”

“How’s the haunted house coming along?” Ellie asked after biting into a giant meatball.

I grinned. “It’s going to be our best one yet. I have to hand it to Levi. He really did find the perfect location. And the best part is, as far as I know, the house we’re using isn’t haunted and hasn’t been associated with any murders, which means we may actually be able to keep it open the entire weekend.” The past three haunted houses sponsored by the Ashton Falls Events Committee had been shut down before we’d really gotten going due to very real murders occurring before opening day. “It’ll take a bit of effort on our part to have it ready for the weekend, but I think we can do it.”

“Just let me know what you need me to do. Are you going to finish your garlic bread?”

I passed the bread to my seemingly starving friend. “Levi said he was going to pick up the keys today, so we should be able to start decorating tomorrow. Jeremy is still on his honeymoon, so I need to be at the Zoo until five, but I plan to head straight to the house after that to start the spookification process. If you want to come along we can ride together.”

“I’m free. Just plan to pick me up at the boathouse. Have you talked to Jeremy? Are they having a good time?”

“I haven’t talked to him in over a week, but the last time I did speak to him he said they were having a wonderful time.” Jeremy Fisher, my assistant at Zoe’s Zoo, the wild and domestic animal rescue and rehabilitation shelter I own, had married his longtime girlfriend, Jessica Anderson, two weekends before. Jessica and Jeremy had decided to include a Disney cruise for their honeymoon so that Jessica’s daughter, Rosalie, and Jeremy’s daughter, Morgan Rose, could go along. The new family was due back the following Thursday.

“I’m not sure I’d want to go on a cruise. The thought of being out at sea for days at a time makes me feel claustrophobic,” Ellie commented.

“I know the cruise they chose makes a lot of stops, but I get what you’re saying. I wouldn’t really want to do a cruise either, although based on the photos Jeremy has sent, it does look like something Alex and Scooter would enjoy very much.”

Ellie put her hand on her stomach. “It still seems so odd that it won’t be all that long before I’ll be taking my son or daughter’s enjoyment into account.”

“Have you decided whether to find out the baby’s sex?”

“My doctor said we could do an ultrasound at around eighteen weeks. I think I want to know. It will make planning easier.”

“I’m so excited to be an honorary auntie. We’ll have to have a shower when it gets closer. They have such cute things for babies these days.”

Ellie smiled. “Don’t go too crazy. I’m going to have a serious space issue. I took some measurements and I think I can fit a crib and changing table in the loft next to my bed, but I guess I’ll have to move eventually.”

It made me sad that my best friend would no longer be just down the beach. My grandfather still technically owned the boathouse. Maybe I’d ask him if it was okay with him if we built an addition onto the tiny structure. The property the boathouse sat on was huge, so land coverage shouldn’t be a problem.

I decided not to suggest a remodel until I had a chance to speak to both my grandfather and Zak, so I changed the subject. “I’m going to run to the powder room while you finish up and then we’ll pay the check and take a walk like we planned.”

“One of the waitresses who worked here when I did is manning the cash register tonight. I want to stop and chat with her for a minute, so I’ll take care of the check. I’ll meet you up front.”

I handed Ellie a couple of twenty-dollar bills. “Okay, but I’m paying for dinner. It’s my turn and we agreed. I’ll just be a few minutes.”

Of course when you live in a small town and your intention is to make your way from the front of a popular restaurant to the back, it can take more than a few minutes because at almost every table you pass are seated friends wanting to waylay you to say hi. It was fifteen minutes later that I finally made my way back to the front of the eatery.

“Did you see where Ellie went?” I asked the young hostess who was standing near the front door.

“She wanted me to tell you that she went down the street to Gilda’s.” The girl, who looked to still be in high school, was texting the entire time she spoke to me. “She said she needed to ask Gilda about something, so she figured you could just meet her there.”

“Okay, thanks.” Gilda Reynolds owned Bears and Beavers, a popular touristy type shop that sold everything you could think of having to do with bears and beavers. The shop was only a few doors down from Rosie’s.

“Oh, and a woman came in and gave me this to give to you,” she added without ever looking up.

I took the folded sheet of notepaper from the girl. I opened it and read the cryptic message:
One has died; others will follow unless you can stop it.

I frowned. “Who gave this to you?”

The girl shrugged. “Just some lady. I’ve never seen her before. I’m pretty sure she’s from out of town. She had an accent.”

“What sort of accent?”

“I don’t know. British maybe. I’m not good at figuring out accents.”

I looked at the note again. No one with a British accent came to mind. “What did she look like?”

The girl finally looked up from her phone.

“I don’t know. I guess she was about thirty-five or forty. She had dark hair about shoulder length and was wearing a blue sweater and a pair of black jeans. I really didn’t pay that much attention, but she was just here a couple of minutes ago, so she may still be around.”

“What exactly did she say?”

The girl blew her long bangs out of her eyes. Then she looked toward the ceiling, as if trying to remember. “She asked if Zoe Donovan was here. I told her I thought you were in the ladies’ room. She said a woman had come up to her, handed her the note, and asked her to give it to you. She said she was in a rush and asked if I could pass it along. I said I would and now I have.”

I looked at the note again. It could be a prank, but the chills running up my spine seemed to indicate that it wasn’t.
One has died.
I had to wonder who. “Did she say anything else?”

“Nope, that’s it.”

“Did she mention what the woman who gave her the note looked like?”

“Like I said, she only said to give you the note and then she left.”

The phone on the reception desk rang. The girl picked it up. “Rosie’s Café.”

I pulled on my sweater and headed down the street. It was obvious I wasn’t going to get any more information out of the girl. I looked up and down the street as I headed for Bears and Beavers. There were a lot of people out looking at the lights and taking advantage of the beautiful autumn evening, but I didn’t see anyone with dark hair and a blue sweater.

“There you are,” Ellie greeted me when I entered the store. “I was about to come looking for you.”

“Did either of you see a woman with dark hair, dark jeans, and a blue sweater?” I asked the pair.

“Not me,” Ellie answered.

“Me either,” Gilda seconded. “Why?”

I handed Gilda the note. Ellie read it over her shoulder. Both women looked at me.

“Where did you get this?” Ellie asked.

I explained about the woman in the blue sweater and the totally clueless girl who was working as a hostess at Rosie’s.

“This must be a prank,” Ellie said.

“Yeah, it has to be,” Gilda added. “It’s just too odd that someone would leave a note like this for you at Rosie’s. I mean, who even knew you would be there?”

“I don’t know, but the girl at the hostess station did say the woman who left the note asked for me by name. Maybe someone followed Ellie and me from the costume shop, or maybe a passerby saw us sitting inside and decided to leave the note.”

“The whole thing is bizarre,” Gilda insisted. “It has to be a prank.”

“Maybe. But what if it isn’t?”

Ellie looked down at the note again. “If someone wanted you to take action, to do something to prevent these deaths, it seems like they would have provided you with more information. This is so vague. It has to be a prank. Maybe one of the kids at Zimmerman Academy. Everyone knows you seem to get wrapped up in a murder investigation every year at about this time. Maybe one of the kids is just pulling your leg.”

I took the note back from Ellie and looked at it again. I remembered the past three Halloweens, when there had been three very real deaths to investigate. I wanted to believe the note was a prank, but deep in my gut I suspected it wasn’t. For one thing, my Zodar was on full alert, and if there was one thing I knew to be true, my Zodar was never wrong.

Chapter 2

Tuesday, October 25

The next morning I went down to breakfast with a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. The note had said one had already died. Surely if the note wasn’t a hoax the one who was dead would have been discovered by now. The previous evening, after I’d talked Ellie into picking up her dog Shep and spending the night in one of our guest rooms as a precaution, we’d headed back to my house, where I shared the note with Zak. Like Ellie, Zak had assured me that the note was most likely a prank, but in the unlikely event that it wasn’t, we’d decided to bring the note to Sheriff Salinger, who’d promised to look into it.

“Any word?” I asked Zak as I let Charlie out before I poured myself a cup of coffee. Ellie, Alex, and Scooter weren’t down yet.

“I called Salinger when I first got up. He assured me no one has turned up dead. He sent the note to the lab in Bryton Lake just in case a body is found at some point, but he seemed to agree that the note is most likely a prank.”

“I guess it’s a good sign there isn’t a body. It does make it seem more likely the note is a fake. If it’s a prank it’s a cruel one. Who would do such a thing?”

Zak handed me an omelet and a piece of toast. “I don’t know. Seems like something a kid would do. I talked to Levi yesterday and he said the kids at the high school are all wound up with the big game around the corner.”

“Yeah, but why pick on me? I’m not a supporter of the opposing team.”

“No, but you
are
known in the area as being somewhat of an amateur sleuth and it
is
almost Halloween, in addition to the big game being just around the corner. Chances are someone saw you sitting in Rosie’s last night and decided to have some fun at your expense. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“I guess.” I yawned as I let Charlie back in.

“So what does your day look like today?”