Beatrice’s pie was instantly disqualified for being an accidental biohazard, and the judges, still wiping tears from their eyes, awarded Mary her eighth consecutive Blue Ribbon by default. But Mary wasn’t done. She turned toward the AV booth and gave a sharp nod to Sarah, who had slipped into the pavilion unnoticed. Suddenly, the giant projector screen behind the main stage cut to life. The entire town went dead silent as the crystal-clear GoPro footage played for the crowd.
There was Arthur, caught red-handed under the moonlight, frantically plundering Mary’s garden, his face perfectly visible the moment Buster had scared him. The crowd erupted into furious boos. The Mayor, his voice still slightly raspy from the ghost pepper, stripped Arthur of his chairmanship on the spot and banned him from the fair grounds for life. The local police officer, who had previously dismissed Mary, was now forced by public pressure to step forward and write a real citation for grand theft and property damage.