Read Online Punked by the Pumpkin: A Cozy Mystery (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book 4) by Constance Barker - Free Book Online
Authors: Constance Barker
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helped get me through the academy.”
I was afraid I’d choke up if I tried to speak, so I just put my head on my guy’s shoulder and thought about how we should have had three kids by now if we had just let our hearts lead the way.
We had a wonderful, relaxing afternoon looking at the arts and crafts and the prize-winning harvests. Huge pumpkins and other gourds were on display, some with blue or red ribbons, and fresh-squeezed orange juice was available for free at many of the booths, compliments of the Florida Orange Association and area groves.
We tasted tons of homemade treats, watched a few dance troupes, and even saw some comedic sword fighters spouting Shakespearian insults at each other, who had probably come from a nearby Renaissance Fair. And nobody had been torn to pieces by a chupacabra, eaten by a green monster, or run through by the sword of a headless horseman.
Eli looked at his watch. “4 o’clock. We should probably be getting back pretty soon. Who did Jules decide to take to the Harvest Dinner?”
“Not sure. I know she was going to see if Carmen wanted to come with us, but Albert had already bought tickets for their whole family. Let’s go and check in now. I need to make sure the shop is covered, and I still need to run home and change too.”
The street was still blocked off with the stage and a few concession stands, but Officer Crenshaw waved Eli through so we could park in front, behind a dozen or more golf carts. Toe and Elmer were sitting in the middle of the street on a couple of chairs from the Coffee Cabana with a pretty good-sized crowd gathered around them. The splotch of chicken blood was right in front of them, and I wondered who was standing in Toe’s chewing tobacco.
The place was pretty busy when we went inside, but Hildie and Essie had things under control and were chatting with friends from the retirement village. Jules had just gotten her final edition out with all the pictures of the golf cart parade and stories of the week, and she was at the counter sipping on a bottle of herbal tea and lemonade.
“Hi, Lily. Hi, Eli. How was the Festival?”
“Pretty good. We had fun.”
Eli pretended to be angry and tried to burn a hole through Jules with his laser vision. “I hope you made a lot of money on your special edition. The city and county, on the other hand, spent a few thousand dollars on overtime for officers and deputies.”
The good-natured staring contest went on in silence for a few moments with Jules‘ arched eyebrow and Eli‘s death stare. Then Jules rubbed Eli’s arm and smiled.
“It was the monster on the loose that required extra attention to public safety, Officer Davis, not the newspaper. Wouldn’t you have felt horrible if it hadn’t been reported and then some school children were eaten on the Merry-Go-Round?”
I was trying not to crack up, and Eli finally smiled. Jules’ superpower of charm and female logic easily defeated Eli’s laser vision.
“Do you want Lily and me to pick you up for dinner, Jules? Who are you taking?”
Trevor walked in the door just then with his dad, Mike Barton.
“Uhhh…Trevor, do you want to go to the Harvest Dinner with Eli and Lily and me?’
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I threw a verbal penalty flag. “Trevor is working here for me during the dinner. He can’t go with us.”
“Oh, no he’s not,” Eli said, as if he had the final say. “I need him to stand watch outside the church during the dinner, since that seems to be ground zero for a lot of the crazy occurrences.”
“Looks like you’re in high demand, Trevor.” Mike Barton put his hand on his son’s shoulder and smiled at him. Mike was almost as tall as Eli, but his landscape work had given him a bronze skin tone and buff, well-defined muscles in his arms and chest. “Remember, when your stock is soaring, you can demand a high price.”
“Well, Officer Davis doesn’t pay me.” Trevor took a step forward. “But the hours and experience
I was afraid I’d choke up if I tried to speak, so I just put my head on my guy’s shoulder and thought about how we should have had three kids by now if we had just let our hearts lead the way.
We had a wonderful, relaxing afternoon looking at the arts and crafts and the prize-winning harvests. Huge pumpkins and other gourds were on display, some with blue or red ribbons, and fresh-squeezed orange juice was available for free at many of the booths, compliments of the Florida Orange Association and area groves.
We tasted tons of homemade treats, watched a few dance troupes, and even saw some comedic sword fighters spouting Shakespearian insults at each other, who had probably come from a nearby Renaissance Fair. And nobody had been torn to pieces by a chupacabra, eaten by a green monster, or run through by the sword of a headless horseman.
Eli looked at his watch. “4 o’clock. We should probably be getting back pretty soon. Who did Jules decide to take to the Harvest Dinner?”
“Not sure. I know she was going to see if Carmen wanted to come with us, but Albert had already bought tickets for their whole family. Let’s go and check in now. I need to make sure the shop is covered, and I still need to run home and change too.”
The street was still blocked off with the stage and a few concession stands, but Officer Crenshaw waved Eli through so we could park in front, behind a dozen or more golf carts. Toe and Elmer were sitting in the middle of the street on a couple of chairs from the Coffee Cabana with a pretty good-sized crowd gathered around them. The splotch of chicken blood was right in front of them, and I wondered who was standing in Toe’s chewing tobacco.
The place was pretty busy when we went inside, but Hildie and Essie had things under control and were chatting with friends from the retirement village. Jules had just gotten her final edition out with all the pictures of the golf cart parade and stories of the week, and she was at the counter sipping on a bottle of herbal tea and lemonade.
“Hi, Lily. Hi, Eli. How was the Festival?”
“Pretty good. We had fun.”
Eli pretended to be angry and tried to burn a hole through Jules with his laser vision. “I hope you made a lot of money on your special edition. The city and county, on the other hand, spent a few thousand dollars on overtime for officers and deputies.”
The good-natured staring contest went on in silence for a few moments with Jules‘ arched eyebrow and Eli‘s death stare. Then Jules rubbed Eli’s arm and smiled.
“It was the monster on the loose that required extra attention to public safety, Officer Davis, not the newspaper. Wouldn’t you have felt horrible if it hadn’t been reported and then some school children were eaten on the Merry-Go-Round?”
I was trying not to crack up, and Eli finally smiled. Jules’ superpower of charm and female logic easily defeated Eli’s laser vision.
“Do you want Lily and me to pick you up for dinner, Jules? Who are you taking?”
Trevor walked in the door just then with his dad, Mike Barton.
“Uhhh…Trevor, do you want to go to the Harvest Dinner with Eli and Lily and me?’
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I threw a verbal penalty flag. “Trevor is working here for me during the dinner. He can’t go with us.”
“Oh, no he’s not,” Eli said, as if he had the final say. “I need him to stand watch outside the church during the dinner, since that seems to be ground zero for a lot of the crazy occurrences.”
“Looks like you’re in high demand, Trevor.” Mike Barton put his hand on his son’s shoulder and smiled at him. Mike was almost as tall as Eli, but his landscape work had given him a bronze skin tone and buff, well-defined muscles in his arms and chest. “Remember, when your stock is soaring, you can demand a high price.”
“Well, Officer Davis doesn’t pay me.” Trevor took a step forward. “But the hours and experience
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