LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter 5

      Day 4 ― Saturday, November 5th

      I grabbed the newspaper from outside the front door and shuffled through the pages quickly trying to find Ask Elodie. I was hoping to get the gist of it before the Morning Pie Crew came in. Before I could find it, something caught my eye and I turned back a page.

      The headline read, ‘Beloved Pie Shop Left in the Hands of a Beginner.’ My mouth fell open as I read the article underneath.

       Residents of Hocus Hills were surprised when Erma Crosby, a leader in the community, disappeared on a business trip earlier this week leaving her pie shop in the hands of her niece, Susanna Daniels, 31 years old, who doesn’t seem to know a rolling pin from a bowling pin.

       Erma’s pies have been a daily staple for many in town. It’s often claimed that they have an almost medicinal quality to them. Several residents are concerned that Susanna won’t be able to achieve that same high quality that we all know and love. Stay tuned readers – we’ll be updating the story as we learn more throughout the week.

      I crumpled the paper up and threw it down on the table. I longed for the quiet anonymity that I had in the city. Back home, the list of people who knew my name or cared about what I did was short. My mother, my friends Josh and Michelle, and a couple baristas at the local coffee shop. I was good at my job, and no one printed updates about it in the local paper.

      I flattened out the paper a little to check the byline. It simply read, ‘Elodie.’ Who was this Elodie anyway? What gave her the right to write about me?

      I finished setting everything up, slamming any cupboard door that got in my way. This wasn’t exactly the pep talk I needed.

      ‘How’s your day going?’ Mr Barnes was the first of the Morning Pie Crew to walk through the door.

      ‘Great,’ I said, a slight edge to my voice. His eyebrows rose a little.

      ‘I take it you read the newspaper today.’

      Just then, Lena and Flora walked in. ‘I brought matches so we can burn all the newspapers.’ Lena held up her purse.

      ‘No fires,’ I practically shouted.

      ‘Oh, right.’ She set her bag down on a chair. ‘We could all just rip our copies into shreds. That could be satisfying too.’

      I considered the possibility as I served us all some pie.

      ‘Whoa,’ I said, looking out the window, almost dropping the last piece of pie. ‘What is that?’ Henry was walking down the street next to a giant gray and brown furry creature.

      Mr Barnes glanced out the window. ‘That’s Henry’s dog, Willy.’

      ‘What’s Willy? Part dog, part horse?’ I had never in my life seen a dog that big. His face was covered with shaggy fur, and his back was taller than Henry’s waist.

      ‘He’s an Irish wolfhound,’ Flora explained. ‘Don’t worry, he’s very gentle.’

      ‘What does Henry do if Willy sees a squirrel?’ I asked.

      ‘Willy doesn’t really care for chasing squirrels,’ Flora said.

      ‘But he does love ice cream,’ Lena chimed in. ‘Remember that time Willy took off chasing the Miller kid who was eating an ice cream cone? That boy took off as fast as his little legs would carry him. Willy was close at his heels licking the air in anticipation, and Henry was being dragged behind grasping the leash with both hands.’

      Lena and Mr Barnes hooted. Flora gave them a disapproving glare, but I noticed the corners of her mouth twitched.

      I was relieved that Mitzy wasn’t the size of Bigfoot, but I felt a twinge of disappointment that Henry wasn’t coming into the pie shop as I watched them disappear around the corner. I glanced back at the Morning Pie Crew and Lena gave me a knowing look. I hurried back to the table and changed the conversation to Elodie.

      ‘Someone has to know who she is,’ I said. ‘She’s publishing articles about me. I want to talk to her and get a chance to set the record straight.’

      ‘Willard Jefferson runs the paper, but he’s always been very tight-lipped about Elodie,’ Mr Barnes said.

      ‘Where’s the newspaper office?’ I asked, still determined to get to the bottom of it.

      ‘In the basement of the bowling alley,’ Flora said.

      I let the conversation drift into more important topics like whether or not the gazebo should be repainted the same shade of blue or if it should be painted two shades lighter.

      ‘It should match the sky,’ Lena said.

      ‘It’s been the same shade of blue for a hundred years,’ Flora said. ‘Tradition is important.’

      Mr Barnes seemed decidedly undecided about the issue.

      I realized I’d left my phone upstairs in the apartment. I excused myself to go fetch it in case Aunt Erma called. While I was upstairs, Mitzy gave me her big puppy dog eyes and I was guilted into taking her outside again. I was almost back to the front of the pie shop, when I heard the Morning Pie Crew speaking in hushed tones. I paused out of view in the kitchen doorway when I heard my name.

      ‘If she suspects something, she’s a great actress,’ Lena whispered.

      ‘Erma made it very clear that we’re not to talk about it,’ Mr Barnes said.

      ‘Poor thing, she doesn’t even know…’ Flora began.

      ‘Shh, I think I hear her coming,’ Lena said.

      I made a big show of entering the front of the pie shop. I hoped I wasn’t smiling too brightly.

      They all spoke at once about how busy their days were and then they paid for their pie and left. I assumed their conversation had something to do with the article in the paper, or maybe they were talking about my pie baking abilities. Either way, I felt knots forming in my stomach as a feeling of loneliness settled over me.

      I scooped a small slice of cherry pie onto a plate for a snack. My phone rang, and I saw Josh’s name on the caller ID. My finger left a sticky smear on the screen as I answered it.

      ‘Where have you been?’ he greeted me. Josh was one of my coworkers and a good friend. He had heard my Aunt Erma sob story more than once. Usually it was after a bad day at work or a fight with my mother and a few beers.

      ‘Are you OK?’ he asked when I finished telling him that Aunt Erma was gone. I felt a lump form at the back of my throat. I nodded because I couldn’t speak even though I knew he couldn’t see me.

      I took a deep breath. ‘Actually, I’m kind of making a mess of everything.’ I told him about my baking disasters and the judgement from the townspeople.

      ‘You went to a strange town to do a new job, and even when your aunt wasn’t there, you stayed. She’s lucky to have you. You’re the most fearless person I know,’ he said.

      I smiled into my phone. ‘Thanks.’

      ‘Now go be the best pie baker you can be, and we’ll grab a beer when you get back,’ Josh said. We said our goodbyes, and I tried to hold on to the confidence he had given me.

      The rest of the day was fairly quiet. A few people wandered by and peered in the windows, amplifying my feeling of being a fish in a bowl. With all the time alone with my thoughts, my loneliness was soon replaced by frustration towards

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