Death by Chocolate: a Candy Land cozy mystery

Chapter 7

While the afternoon had grown warm in the rest of Candy Land, the Ice Cream Sea was a different story. The saucers of sweat under my arms chilled against my skin as the frigid breeze hit the damp fabric of my blouse. I pulled my gaberdine closed and cinched the belt.

Licorice and I crunched across a beach of crumbled chocolate cookie sand. My dry cleaning bill was going to sting this month. Near the water's edge stood a card table and a small megaphone. A note taped to the table declared, "TO SPEAK TO FROSTINE, USE THE MEGAPHONE."

Pink carbonated ice cream foam floated on an icy root beer ocean. Frostine bobbed amongst the surf on a raft made of a chocolate ice cream sandwich. Her oversized pink cat-eye sunglasses matched her French bikini. Next to me, Licorice preened.

I signed and picked up the megaphone and pulled the trigger. Feedback screeched as I found the sweet spot near my mouth. "Frostine, we need to ask you about the Knave of Hearts."

It took Frostine a whole half a minute to respond. Without lifting her head from her marshmallow pillow, she put her own megaphone to her lips. "What about him?" she asked before lowering the megaphone to her side. Her vocal fry made my ears itch.

I suppressed the urge to cringe. "Did Knave stop by today to pick up Pat-a-Cake's order?" My electrified voice boomed over the frothy waves lapping at the shore.

Frostine took her time raising the megaphone to her lips to speak. "Yes." Frostine stretched out the vowel, making a one-word syllable into two.

"What time was that?" I pressed.

Another long pause before she answered. "A little after seven."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeees." She stretched the word for emphasis.

I glanced at Licorice, my annoyance growing. The tall sheriff continued to preen, and I rolled my eyes.

"Did he take the order for Pat-a-Cake with him?"

"Nooo." Her movements were maddeningly slow: pause, lift megaphone, pause, speak, pause, lower megaphone.

"Why not," I seethed into the megaphone, unable to squash my irritation.

Frostine lifted the megaphone and sighed into it. The effect was like a giant blowing in my ears. "He was like, totally freaked out."

"Did he mention why?"

"Nooo."

I closed my eyes, counted to ten, and took a deep breath before pressing the talk button again.

"Gloppy," she Valley-girled into the megaphone before I could get my question out.

"Pardon?" I asked, confused.

"The squishy guy in the swamp."

"Gloopy?"

"Yeees."

I lowered the megaphone and turned to Licorice. "Gloopy didn't; mention that Knave came to see him this morning."

Licorice frowned with disinterest. "Maybe Knave never made it to him? Maybe he died before they could speak?"

I turned back to the floating Frostine and raised the megaphone. "Why would Knave need to see Gloopy?"

Frostine sighed dramatically into her megaphone again. "They spent time in the clink together. I think they were roommates or something."

I thanked Frostine for her time and placed the megaphone on the table. Frostine replied by flipping us the bird. If this case went to court, I would make sure the attorneys knew to treat Frostine as a hostile witness.

Licorice and I crunched to the squad car and headed back to the swamp to pump Gloopy for more information.