waved his hands in the air, wiggling his fingers as if answering her. Sarah laughed and cut several wedges of cake.
“Why a pumpkin? It’s not Halloween yet,” she asked as she broke off a small piece from one slice and handed it to Bobby, who stuffed it in his mouth.
“It’s a trial cake for an auction at a PTO carnival,” Phyllis explained. She hadn’t talked to Mike or Sarah for several days, and they didn’t know yet about her involvement with the carnival at Loving Elementary.
Sarah took a bite and frowned.
“It’s doesn’t taste good?” Phyllis asked anxiously. “I haven’t really tried it yet myself.”
“No, it’s not that. The cake tastes just fine. Really good, in fact.” Sarah handed another piece to Bobby, who had finished the first bite she’d given him. “I was just thinking about the fact that you’re entering a baking contest again. This will be the first one since the Peach Festival, won’t it?”
“Yes, but nothing’s going to happen,” Phyllis said, feeling a little uneasy in spite of herself. The memory of everything that had happened that day—the dead man, the paramedics, then the police and the revelation that the death had been a case of cold-blooded murder—was still all too vivid in Phyllis’s mind.
But this was a PTO carnival at an elementary school. Nobody was going to get murdered at something like that. Phyllis forced the very thought out of her head as an utter impossibility. She took a bite of the cake instead.
Sarah and Bobby were right. It was good, even if it was from a mix.
Chapter 7
Phyllis left the rest of the cake there so that Mike could have some when he got home from his shift as a Parker County deputy sheriff.
As she turned into the driveway at her house, Sam pulled his pickup to a stop at the curb in front, where he usually parked it. Phyllis put the Lincoln in the garage, but instead of entering the house through the kitchen she left the garage door open and walked out into the front yard to meet Sam. She knew he had been going over to the elementary school to talk to the custodians about helping with the construction of the carnival booths. That was what Marie had told him to do when he called her about volunteering. The school custodians were traditionally in charge of any construction that needed to be done.
“How did it go?” Phyllis asked.
“Just fine,” Sam replied with a nod. “I even knew one of the fellas. He used to be a custodian up at Poolville when I was still there.”
They climbed the steps to the porch together. As they reached the top step, Eve emerged from the house and said, “Why, hello there, you two. I was just about to sit out here for a while and enjoy the weather. It’s such a beautiful day. Why don’t you join me?”
Eve was right about it being a pretty day. The sky was a deep blue, dotted here and there with white fluffy clouds, and the air had the sort of crispness to it, without actually being chilly, that was only found in autumn. Eve sat down in the big porch swing and patted the empty space beside her as she smiled at Sam.
He sat down on the porch steps instead, and stretched his legs out in front of him as he leaned back and rested his elbows on the porch. He looked supremely comfortable. Phyllis sat down on the swing next to Eve and said, “Sam’s going to help the custodians at the school put together the booths for the carnival.”
“I’ve been wanting to do something to help out with that, too,” Eve said. “As you know, I’m not a cook, but maybe they’d like to have a kissing booth. I’m sure I could run one of those just fine. Don’t you think so, Sam?”
“Yes, ma’am, I expect you could,” he said.
Phyllis wondered what he meant by that . Did he really think Eve was kissable? Of course, it was no business of hers what Sam thought about such matters… .
“I’m not sure that would be a good idea,” Phyllis said. “Remember that other carnival kissing booth you
“Why a pumpkin? It’s not Halloween yet,” she asked as she broke off a small piece from one slice and handed it to Bobby, who stuffed it in his mouth.
“It’s a trial cake for an auction at a PTO carnival,” Phyllis explained. She hadn’t talked to Mike or Sarah for several days, and they didn’t know yet about her involvement with the carnival at Loving Elementary.
Sarah took a bite and frowned.
“It’s doesn’t taste good?” Phyllis asked anxiously. “I haven’t really tried it yet myself.”
“No, it’s not that. The cake tastes just fine. Really good, in fact.” Sarah handed another piece to Bobby, who had finished the first bite she’d given him. “I was just thinking about the fact that you’re entering a baking contest again. This will be the first one since the Peach Festival, won’t it?”
“Yes, but nothing’s going to happen,” Phyllis said, feeling a little uneasy in spite of herself. The memory of everything that had happened that day—the dead man, the paramedics, then the police and the revelation that the death had been a case of cold-blooded murder—was still all too vivid in Phyllis’s mind.
But this was a PTO carnival at an elementary school. Nobody was going to get murdered at something like that. Phyllis forced the very thought out of her head as an utter impossibility. She took a bite of the cake instead.
Sarah and Bobby were right. It was good, even if it was from a mix.
Chapter 7
Phyllis left the rest of the cake there so that Mike could have some when he got home from his shift as a Parker County deputy sheriff.
As she turned into the driveway at her house, Sam pulled his pickup to a stop at the curb in front, where he usually parked it. Phyllis put the Lincoln in the garage, but instead of entering the house through the kitchen she left the garage door open and walked out into the front yard to meet Sam. She knew he had been going over to the elementary school to talk to the custodians about helping with the construction of the carnival booths. That was what Marie had told him to do when he called her about volunteering. The school custodians were traditionally in charge of any construction that needed to be done.
“How did it go?” Phyllis asked.
“Just fine,” Sam replied with a nod. “I even knew one of the fellas. He used to be a custodian up at Poolville when I was still there.”
They climbed the steps to the porch together. As they reached the top step, Eve emerged from the house and said, “Why, hello there, you two. I was just about to sit out here for a while and enjoy the weather. It’s such a beautiful day. Why don’t you join me?”
Eve was right about it being a pretty day. The sky was a deep blue, dotted here and there with white fluffy clouds, and the air had the sort of crispness to it, without actually being chilly, that was only found in autumn. Eve sat down in the big porch swing and patted the empty space beside her as she smiled at Sam.
He sat down on the porch steps instead, and stretched his legs out in front of him as he leaned back and rested his elbows on the porch. He looked supremely comfortable. Phyllis sat down on the swing next to Eve and said, “Sam’s going to help the custodians at the school put together the booths for the carnival.”
“I’ve been wanting to do something to help out with that, too,” Eve said. “As you know, I’m not a cook, but maybe they’d like to have a kissing booth. I’m sure I could run one of those just fine. Don’t you think so, Sam?”
“Yes, ma’am, I expect you could,” he said.
Phyllis wondered what he meant by that . Did he really think Eve was kissable? Of course, it was no business of hers what Sam thought about such matters… .
“I’m not sure that would be a good idea,” Phyllis said. “Remember that other carnival kissing booth you
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