Chapter 11

At 11 o'clock am, Jessica had arrived at Sheriff Metzger's office, all informed and excited. She was with Seth, who was kind enough to take her to the library beforehand.

"You certainly look like you've just solved all the world's problems, Mrs. F," Mort told her as he stood in her presence and then sat down again at his desk as they sat down across from him.

"You're not too far off, Metzger," Seth interjected, "because I do believe Jess here, is about to turn YOUR world upside down!"

"You don't say?" Mort sat up, pleased to hear good news, "in that case, let me have it!"

"Before I say another word, I just need to see the evidence box if you don't mind, Sheriff," Jessica politely told him.

"Not a problem," he stated as he got up and retrieve the box from the storage room. He returned and placed it on his desk.

Jessica stood and scrounged around and with a triumphant 'Ahh, YES!', brought up the two unopened candy bars wrapped in the sandwich baggie.

She explained, "It didn't hit me until this morning the significance of the baggie with the two candy bars inside. I didn't think about it much at the time when I spotted it in the refrigerator of Mr. Henshaw's room; Then I later thought: why had Mr. Henshaw taken the time to put these two bars in a plastic baggie, especially since both bars were unopened?"

Mort shrugged, "Maybe he thought it would stay fresher that way."

"Back when we were at Hill House, I thought something along that line, too, so I forgot about those wrapped candy bars," Jessica agreed, "but earlier this morning, Seth had brought up a refrigerator comment and it reminded me again of Mr. Henshaw's refrigerator with two candy bars in a baggie and I began wondering, where is the original box of plastic baggies? If Mr. Henshaw had only been in the motel room for two weeks I doubt he would have used up the entire box, since it was obvious that he didn't keep much food around the place. And we all know a grocery store doesn't sell these baggies individually, so that made me think that the chocolate bars in the baggies were specifically wrapped like this before Mr. Henshaw brought them into the motel room!"

Mort still didn't get it, "So you're saying, Mrs. F., that the candy bars were already in the baggie when he brought it from somewhere outside? Please tell me it has something to do with the murder?"

"I have a feeling, Mort, that if you have those bars analyzed, you'll find one or both of the Bennington's fingerprints on them!"

Mort looked stunned, "So you're saying THIS is what Henshaw was blackmailing the couple with?"

"I believe so,"Jessica confirmed.

"But why kill over chocolate?" Mort asked.

"Oh, it's more than just chocolate, Sheriff," Jessica confidently told him.

"Wait...a...minute..." Seth recalled, "when I took you to the library, you were researchin' about the Tylenol murders. This has somethin' to do with that, doesn't it?""

"The Tylenol murders? I remembered that!" Mort recalled, "It happened a few years back when seven innocent people had died after consuming Tylenol-branded aspirin capsules which had been purposely laced with potassium cyanide."

"1982, to be exact," she confirmed.

"Whatever made you even think about that crime?" Mort asked.

"It was simple, really," she said, "I hadn't slept well last night and was about to take two aspirins when Seth entered and made the comment about my empty refrigerator. And with the two items utmost on my mind, something in me just clicked."

"And somehow this will lead into two candy bars in a baggie," Mort egged her on.

"Don't you remember?" Jessica asked, "A year later, a copycat killer had used that same modus operandi to inject cyanide into candy bars and then place them back on the shelves, resulting in five deaths."

"A shame," Seth said, "because that company never recovered and went out of business. And I liked that particular brand of candy bar, too!"

"So what you're saying, Mrs. F," Mort surmised, "is that The Benningtons are the Candy Bar Killers? And this same plastic baggie with the two candy bars that you're holding here was originally in the Bennington's kitchen but Henshaw had taken them because he guessed these bars were poisonous?"

"Yes," Jessica acknowledged, "My guess is that back in 1983, John Bennington, or maybe wife Lisa, or both, tampered with the candy bars and didn't dispose of all the evidence. Then when Mr. Henshaw did his electrical work in the kitchen, he discovered the two bagged candy bars in a far away drawer or shelf, probably along with a syringe, a newspaper clipping or maybe even the actual bottle of poison and put all the evidence together."

"It's a good enough explanation for me!" Mort looked convinced, "I'll have this baggie sent to the lab immediately. Hopefully we'll find out if there's poison in these two candy bars, and if the Bennington's fingerprints are on it, we've got them nailed!''

#

Soon after, Seth and Jessica left the sheriff's office. As they walked in tandem down the street, Seth couldn't help noticing how Jessica didn't hold onto his arm like she normally did.

He purposely stared down at his emptied arm.

"You know, Jess," he stated nonchalantly, "your hand, there...it looks mighty heavy...you sure you don't need to take a load off and put it on my arm?"

Jessica smiled, "That obvious, huh?" she asked, looking pleased.

"Ayuh," Seth told her, as they passed the general store. Jessica seemed hesitant as to how to answer. She somehow felt awkward being so familiar with Seth after that talk.

"Wellllll, Seth," she stated, "I guess...I just have a lot on my mind, is all"

Seth stopped walking which, of course, caused Jessica to stop walking and to face him.

"And a pig just flew out in front of me!" Seth claimed, "Just admit it Jess; you've been feelin' funny around me ever since we had that talk about our feelin's! And don't tell me that you haven't been thinkin' about me, Jess, because I've seen the way you've been sneakin' glances at me!"

"Really?" Jessica looked sideways at him, "And how have I been looking at you, Seth?"

Seth hadn't been expected that question from her, "If you must know, Jess, you look at me as if... I'm someone who could knock your socks off!"

In spite of herself, she grinned, "Oh, you think so?" she challenged.

"Ayuh, I do, Missy," he said it with certainty.

Jessica let out a joyous laugh.

And as they continued walking, she warmly put her hand on his arm, "Happy now?"

"Hmmph!" Seth grunted and looked down at Jessica's hand on his arm.

He smiled, "That's better!"

"And just so your ego won't get TOO big, Seth," she leaned in and whispered, "so far, you've only knocked one of my socks off!"

"Yeah, but it's the better lookin' one of the two!"

Jessica lightly hit him, "Settthhh!"

Seth chuckled, quite satisfied with how the afternoon turned out.

However, parked in the shadows of a huge tree, a couple sat together in a nondescript black sedan, watching Seth and Jessica's every move.

TBC

(A/N: FYI: The Candy Bar Murders was something I made up)

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