Pancakes & Pandemonium - Culinary Competition Mystery #6

Chapter 4

(Amy)

"Okay, folks. I'll stay here until a detective arrives. You can go back into the hall, but please don't leave until you've checked back in with me to see if any other information is needed from you." The police officer looked around the parking lot before returning his gaze to Amy and Alex. "All of our resources are stretched to the max, so it may take a while before I can get any backup."

"We won't leave," Amy replied as she glanced at the hall, where a stream of vendors was exiting with their wares in boxes and on rolling carts. The people picked their way around the minefield of debris. While some people seemed frantic, running and darting to their vehicles, others looked more like zombies—slowly trudging through the mess. She pointed toward the entrance and said, "We're going to help my friends pack up so that they can get home as soon as possible."

Steam was rising from the drifts of hail that had begun to melt in the bright sunshine that had replaced the ominous clouds. The adage that if you didn't like the weather, wait five minutes was in full effect. At least the sun had warmed the temperature a bit. The after-storm cold front that had invaded Kellerton was like dipping a freshly cut finger into lemon juice. Brutal.

The sounds of police and ambulance sirens seemed to be coming from every direction as Amy turned on the flashlight that she'd unearthed from her car and entered the cave-like hall. While the outside of the building looked as if it had lost a fight with Godzilla, the inside resembled a monster's lair full of darkness and shadows. Alex slipped a headlamp on as he walked beside her.

The weather forecast that morning had been for light rain showers, an unusual occurrence for usually snowy Michigan in February, mixed with snow flurries. Not hurricane-force winds combined with torrential rain and hail. Some of the merchants had been so worried about their homes and family that they'd left without retrieving anything from their booths. Amy certainly didn't blame them. She wondered what their own home looked like. And how was Pogo, her little dog who'd had to face the terrifying storm all alone? The thought of him made her heart ache, but there was nothing that she could do to get home earlier. Once again, she had stumbled upon a murder scene. It was a streak of unluckiness that she would really like to break.

Everyone had their own source of anxiety. All of the angst was so thick that it felt as though another dark cloud had descended on the area. Amy thought she caught a glimpse of her mother near the Always Sharp Knives booth as she and Alex made their way to Geri and Mick's tables. They already had most of their wares packed into plastic storage bins. "We'll help you carry everything outside," Alex said as he helped Mick lift one of the bins onto their cart.

"Thanks. We appreciate the help." Mick shook his head. "I was just talking to Geri. We think we should form a caravan to get all of us back home. Just in case anybody gets into trouble with a flat tire or some other kind of issue. Who knows what the roads look like with downed trees and power lines."

"That's a good idea," Alex said. "But I'm not sure when we'll be able to leave. We have to wait for another police officer to arrive."

"Why?" Geri asked as she wrapped a large ceramic salad bowl in newspapers. "Did your vehicles get damaged or something?"

Amy shook her head. "No. Unfortunately, I found Catherine Engelbert in the car next to mine." She took a step closer to Geri then whispered, "She's dead, and it wasn't from natural causes."

"Oh, no! That's terrible!"

A few people nearby turned to look at Geri. She shook her head slightly and focused her attention on wrapping the bowl. After a few seconds, she looked around. "What happened?" she asked quietly.