Death by Chocolate: a Candy Land cozy mystery

Chapter 9

Build over the swamp, Gloopy's house comprised a large mound of sticks held together with copious amounts of molasses. He emerged from below the swamp's molasses surface and oozed over to the shore when we approached.

"Hello, again," Gloopy said, his tearful voice hitching.

"We know Knave, and you knew each other before today, that the two of you met while doing a nickel over in Fairy Tale Land, that you even shared a cell. Three essential items you failed to mention when we interviewed you this morning." Licorice berated angrily.

Gloopy broke down. "You're right. I didn't tell you the whole truth. Knave and I knew each other. We were good friends." Sobs racked his massive, oozing shoulders.

"A witness tells us that Knave came to see you this morning." I waited patiently for Gloopy's sobs to dwindle while Licorice shifted restlessly from one pointy black wingtip to the other.

"He was here this morning," Gloopy admitted. His large, tear-swollen eyes pleaded with me.

"What time was that?" I asked, retrieving my notepad from my coat, pushing aside my empathy for the witness.

"He arrived here at 7:30."

"How can you be sure?" I pressed.

"Because my morning yoga program had just ended."

Licorice snorted and then stooped to whisper to me. "We should haul him in for lying about being so fit. Yoga and swimming indeed."

I leaned away from Licorice, trying to place physical distance from him as well as his ideologically. "We're not here to body shame anyone," I said through clenched teeth.

"Please, continue." I took a step forward, placing my back to Licorice.

"Knave was terrified. He wouldn't tell me why, but he wanted protection."

"What kind of protection?"

"Weapons are illegal in Candy Land," Licorice said, moving toward Gloopy.

"I know they are, and that's why I couldn't give him anything. I'm still on parole, and can't go back to that Fairy Tale Land jail. The people locked up there are horrible." Gloopy shivered. "Have you heard of the Pied Piper? Talk about a creep. All those kids gone forever. There's no way I'd risk going back there."

"Knave showed up, asked for protection, and then what?" I scribbled in my notebook, recording every detail.

"He left." Gloopy shrugged. "Or at least I thought he did. I heard his bike start and then drive away. But then, a couple of hours later, I found him." Gloopy's tears fell again.

I scanned the swamp's shoreline. From here, the crime scene wasn't visible. I turned to Licorice. "How far from here was Knave's body found?"

Licorice thought for a beat. "Three miles at least." Then to Gloopy, "Wait, you swim three miles every morning?"

Gloopy nodded his large, chocolately head.

"How do you still look like that?" Licorice said with unabashed disgust.

"I have a thyroid condition," Gloopy replied, returning Licorice's glare.

"So far enough away not to have heard the motorcycle when it returned," I pondered, bringing everyone back to the case.

Gloopy shook his head. "I only heard it when he pulled up and left. I never heard it again."

I tapped my pen against my lip. "Something's not adding up. We need to speak to Gramma Nut again about her missing shingle."

"Her missing what?" Licorice asked as we walked back to the patrol car. That was when I spotted them, two colorful characters standing on the other side of the bright road.

"Hello," I called.

The tall purple one wearing a donut as a ruff waved as if his hand moved without asking his brain first. The short green one grabbed his buddy's rogue appendage to stop its waving.

I walked past the patrol car and straight to the odd couple. "What can I do for you?"

They peered at me wide-eyed and then at each other, mouths opening and closing like fish yanked from the water.

"Well?" I had had just about enough of these sugar-coated crazies. I missed Nurseryville, where everything made much more sense.

"Plumby has something to tell you," the tall one said, shoving the little green one toward me.

"Remind me to unfriend you, Jolly," Plumby said with a menacing glare.

"Unfriend me from what?" Jolly asked, looking stricken.

"Life," spat Plumby.

"Enough," I shouted. "What do you want?"

"Plumby thinks he saw a ghost." The words tumbled from Jolly like a winter avalanche on Gumdrop Pass.

"Chop, chop," Licorice said, joining me as I stood in the street before Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. "We're in the middle of a murder investigation."

"Tell them," Jolly urged.

With a reluctant sigh, Plumby spoke. "This morning, I saw Gramma Nut and the Knave of Hearts get into a spat."

"What's that now?" Licorice said, stepping closer.

"When and where did you witness this?" I grabbed my notebook. Gramma Nut said she hadn't seen Knave both times I had asked.

"I was on my way to deliver gingerbread plums up to Candy Castle when he came out of Lollipop's shop. He put some boxes in the saddlebags of his bike and started fiddling with his phone when Gramma Nut walked up, and they started arguing.

The call to the bakery. "What was the argument about?" I eyed Plumby's large ears. He must have heard the conversation.

"She wanted money, her money. Knave said he didn't have it but would get it for her. That's when she noticed the bike."

"What about the bike?" Licorice asked.

"That it was brand new. Gramma Nut started screaming that Knave had spent her money on the bike. Then Knave jumped on it and sped away.

"Which way did he go?"

"Towards the Ice Cream Sea," Plumby answered.

Jolly chimed in. "Tell them the scary part."

We all looked from Jolly to Plumby, who kicked at a ball of congealed molasses with his toe. "It was her hair."

"What about her hair?" Licorice and I leaned forward.

"It was white, just like Gramma Gooey's used to be." Plumby raised his gaze from the ground and looked me in the eye. "But Gramma Gooey's dead."

"Ghost," whispered Jolly, beginning to shake.