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Authors: Ellen Elizabeth Hunter
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collapsed."
"Yes, I was. How is she?"
"Tell us what you saw, how she appeared, what you observed," Detective Sherwood continued.
Nick studied me, and I gave him a hard look, aware that neither he nor Sherwood had answered my question.
I told them about how the five of us had been talking.
"Describe where the other guests were located," Nick instructed.
I did. Melanie seated in a lounge chair next to Jillian. Mindy in another lounge chair. Tiffany and I standing. Larry McDuff moving through the crowd with a tray, offering iced tea. Elaine McDuff in the tent. Jimmy Ryder and the rest of the cast from Dolphin's Cove milling about, eating from hand-held plates, or seated at little tables. The mayor and festival officials lined up at the buffet tables in the tent. The belles, the princesses, the cadets. I even told them about Jon and the city councilman.
"Mindy was being rude to Tiffany, excluding her from the conversation, so I turned to Tiffany to discuss the house with her. My associate Jon Campbell and I are restoring Tiffany's house," I explained to Detective Sherwood.
She nodded. She knew. I suspected she and Nick knew everything I was telling them.
"So I had my back to Mindy when I heard her make a strange noise."
"What sort of noise?" Nick asked intently, leaning forward, elbows on knees, hands clasped.
"A kind of gurgling, and a gasping. Like she was in pain. I turned around, and she was having spasms. Her body was jerking and she was clutching her stomach. The glass and her crown were rolling in the grass."
"Tell me about the glass. Who gave it to her? What was in it? Do you know?"
"Mindy objected to the sugar in her tea. So Tiffany had Elaine prepare a fresh glass of unsweetened tea for Mindy. Then Tiffany brought it to her. Okay, my turn. What's this all about? What's going on?"
Nick and Detective Sherwood exchanged looks. "Mindy Chesterton died last night," Nick said. "We're keeping it off the front page for as long as we can."
"Oh, dear. Poor Nem and Janet. Wow, this is a shock. I was sure she'd been stung by a bee and was going to recover."
"She'd been in a coma since Thursday. She never woke up."
"Wow," I repeated. Then I remembered the festival schedule. "You said no one knows. Do the officials know? Are they going to cancel the rest of the festival?"
"We're trying to keep this out of the media for as long as possible," Nick repeated, "but we had to tell the festival officials. They're agonizing over what to do. You can imagine the position they're in."
"If they cancel, they'll disappoint a lot of people. If they don't cancel, they'll be accused of disrespect for Mindy Chesterton," Diane Sherwood said. "There's going to be fallout, no matter what they decide."
"Well, the parade was this morning, so that's over. There's only tonight's festivities and tomorrow's. I'd say they should see it through. But it might not be wise to keep her death a secret. That would seem disrespectful."
"It'll be front page news soon," Nick said. "She's a star; it can't be avoided. Her husband is raising holy hell, very opposed to the autopsy. There'll be one anyway. It's standard procedure with the sudden death of an otherwise healthy individual."
"Her husband? I didn't know she had a husband."
"Jimmy Ryder. Jimmy Ryder is . . . was her husband. They were married at Christmas but keeping it a secret because of the show. The rest of the cast do not know, only the producer."
"Jimmy Ryder?" I shook my head. "Jimmy Ryder and Mindy Chesterton in a secret marriage?"
It seemed to me our small town was bursting with secrets. "Why is he opposed to an autopsy? Doesn't he want to know what killed her?"
Nick shrugged his shoulders. "He objects to having her body mutilated, was how he put it."
In a way, I could sympathize with him. His new wife, his beautiful bride, being cut up that way. "What about Mindy's parents? What do they say?"
"Nem Chesterton's badgering everyone to get it done. He's demanding answers. Mrs.
"Yes, I was. How is she?"
"Tell us what you saw, how she appeared, what you observed," Detective Sherwood continued.
Nick studied me, and I gave him a hard look, aware that neither he nor Sherwood had answered my question.
I told them about how the five of us had been talking.
"Describe where the other guests were located," Nick instructed.
I did. Melanie seated in a lounge chair next to Jillian. Mindy in another lounge chair. Tiffany and I standing. Larry McDuff moving through the crowd with a tray, offering iced tea. Elaine McDuff in the tent. Jimmy Ryder and the rest of the cast from Dolphin's Cove milling about, eating from hand-held plates, or seated at little tables. The mayor and festival officials lined up at the buffet tables in the tent. The belles, the princesses, the cadets. I even told them about Jon and the city councilman.
"Mindy was being rude to Tiffany, excluding her from the conversation, so I turned to Tiffany to discuss the house with her. My associate Jon Campbell and I are restoring Tiffany's house," I explained to Detective Sherwood.
She nodded. She knew. I suspected she and Nick knew everything I was telling them.
"So I had my back to Mindy when I heard her make a strange noise."
"What sort of noise?" Nick asked intently, leaning forward, elbows on knees, hands clasped.
"A kind of gurgling, and a gasping. Like she was in pain. I turned around, and she was having spasms. Her body was jerking and she was clutching her stomach. The glass and her crown were rolling in the grass."
"Tell me about the glass. Who gave it to her? What was in it? Do you know?"
"Mindy objected to the sugar in her tea. So Tiffany had Elaine prepare a fresh glass of unsweetened tea for Mindy. Then Tiffany brought it to her. Okay, my turn. What's this all about? What's going on?"
Nick and Detective Sherwood exchanged looks. "Mindy Chesterton died last night," Nick said. "We're keeping it off the front page for as long as we can."
"Oh, dear. Poor Nem and Janet. Wow, this is a shock. I was sure she'd been stung by a bee and was going to recover."
"She'd been in a coma since Thursday. She never woke up."
"Wow," I repeated. Then I remembered the festival schedule. "You said no one knows. Do the officials know? Are they going to cancel the rest of the festival?"
"We're trying to keep this out of the media for as long as possible," Nick repeated, "but we had to tell the festival officials. They're agonizing over what to do. You can imagine the position they're in."
"If they cancel, they'll disappoint a lot of people. If they don't cancel, they'll be accused of disrespect for Mindy Chesterton," Diane Sherwood said. "There's going to be fallout, no matter what they decide."
"Well, the parade was this morning, so that's over. There's only tonight's festivities and tomorrow's. I'd say they should see it through. But it might not be wise to keep her death a secret. That would seem disrespectful."
"It'll be front page news soon," Nick said. "She's a star; it can't be avoided. Her husband is raising holy hell, very opposed to the autopsy. There'll be one anyway. It's standard procedure with the sudden death of an otherwise healthy individual."
"Her husband? I didn't know she had a husband."
"Jimmy Ryder. Jimmy Ryder is . . . was her husband. They were married at Christmas but keeping it a secret because of the show. The rest of the cast do not know, only the producer."
"Jimmy Ryder?" I shook my head. "Jimmy Ryder and Mindy Chesterton in a secret marriage?"
It seemed to me our small town was bursting with secrets. "Why is he opposed to an autopsy? Doesn't he want to know what killed her?"
Nick shrugged his shoulders. "He objects to having her body mutilated, was how he put it."
In a way, I could sympathize with him. His new wife, his beautiful bride, being cut up that way. "What about Mindy's parents? What do they say?"
"Nem Chesterton's badgering everyone to get it done. He's demanding answers. Mrs.
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