Fatally Frosted by Jessica Beck

to the medical examiner, but until I hear otherwise, that’s the assumption I’m going to go on.”
    “I guess that makes me a suspect,” I said.
    “I’m not about to say that just yet,” he said. “I just wanted to see if it was one of your donuts, or if it was something she bought at the grocery store.”
    “Now you know,” I said. “Here’s the thing, though, Chief. What possible reason would I have to kill her?”
    “I’m not saying you did it,” Chief Martin said, the ragged edge of his voice showing his exasperation with me.
    “You’re not saying I didn’t do it, either.”
    He just shrugged, which wasn’t a response that would have satisfied anyone, least of all me.
    As I moved away, I stepped on something that made a crinkling sound. I looked at the bottom of myshoe and saw a cellophane candy wrapper on the ground. I started to pick it up when the chief grabbed my hand.
    “What do you think you’re doing?” I asked.
    “Trying to stop you from contaminating the crime scene,” he said. “Is that wrapper yours?”
    “No, I don’t litter,” I said.
    He got out an evidence bag and picked up the wrapper with a pair of tweezers.
    “Is that important?” I asked him.
    “I don’t know yet. Right now, I’m still looking for any evidence I can find.”
    He had work to do, I knew that, but that didn’t mean I had stick around any longer than I needed to. Being so close to Peg’s dead body was really starting to get to me. “If that’s all, can I go?”
    “I’d like you to hang around a little, if you don’t mind,” the chief said.
    “Fine, but can I at least go back inside the house?”
    He thought about that for a few seconds, then said, “Okay, I don’t see what that could hurt. Just don’t wander off until I’ve had a chance to talk to you again.”
    “I’ll be inside,” I said as I rushed for the door.
    Marge was waiting for me near the door. “What happened? Does he know what killed Peg yet?”
    “He can’t be sure, but it looks like one of my donuts did it.” I couldn’t believe how bizarre that sounded coming out of my mouth.
    “She was poisoned?” Marge asked in a hushed tone of voice.
    “The chief says it’s too soon to tell,” I said, fighting to hold onto the last shred of credibility that I could. “He won’t know that for a while.”
    “So, what happens in the meantime?”
    I said, “I’m supposed to wait here for him. You don’t have to keep me company, though. I don’t mind being by myself.”
    “Nonsense, there’s nowhere else I need to be,” she said, “Especially with the exhibition canceled.”
    “I’m so sorry about that.”
    “It’s not your fault,” Marge said softly.
    “I didn’t kill her,” I said with a little more force than I probably should have used with her.
    “I’m sorry, Suzanne. I didn’t mean to imply that I thought you did.”
    I looked at her and saw that she was nearing tears. It was the worst thing that could happen to her much-anticipated coming-out party. “Marge, it’s going to be all right.”
    “I wish I could believe you,” she said.
    I was thankful to have her there with me. If I was being honest with myself, I’d take any company at the moment over being alone.
    After twenty minutes, there was no one left in the kitchen but me, Marge, and an April Springs police officer. He was a relatively new hire, and we hadn’t gotten the chance to get to know each other yet. It wasn’t the best circumstances for developing a bond today, either.
    The chief finally came back in, and honestly looked surprised to find Marge sitting with me on the sofa.
    “You can go somewhere else in the house, if you’d like,” he said.
    “If you don’t mind, I’ll stay here with Suzanne.”
    The chief shook his head. “There’s no need. She’s getting ready to leave.”
    That surprised me. “Where am I going?” I had visions of being led from the house in handcuffs, something that made me want to throw up.
    He frowned