Fatal Chocolate Obsession (Death by Chocolate Book 5) (13 page)

“We don’t have time to argue. We have customers out there who are on the verge of withdrawal from lack of chocolate. Tina’s staying with me, and that’s that.”

I turned on my heel before she could protest and went back to the main room of the restaurant to save all those chocoholics.

The restaurant was packed when Grady Mathis burst in.

The crimson color of his broad face, his narrowed eyes and his grim expression told me Trent had talked to him, but not sternly enough.

He came straight to the cash register where I stood checking out a customer. I refused to let him rattle me though my hand shook slightly as I ran the credit card through the machine.

“Your boyfriend paid me a visit,” he bellowed.

The lady whose credit card I held jumped and turned to look at him. A loud silence spread over the room. All conversation and all eating halted in mid-word and mid-bite.

I handed the slip and a pen to the customer and didn’t acknowledge Grady’s presence. She signed hurriedly and left rapidly.

“I think you should leave,” I said quietly.

“Oh, is that right? First some cop tries to tell me what to do and now it’s you?” He moved closer to the register and slammed his hand on the counter. “You are one crazy bitch!”

I slid my cell phone from my pocket and hit Trent’s speed dial.

Grady grabbed the phone out of my hands, slammed it to the floor and stomped on it then pointed a thick finger at me. “I never done nothing to you! You used me to make that wimpy boyfriend of yours jealous!”

I really hate somebody pointing at me. I grabbed his finger and pushed it up and back.

He screamed, yelled a few words I won’t repeat, and withdrew his finger. Mission accomplished.

“Get out of my place.” I was surprised my voice came out so calm. I didn’t feel calm. I felt angry and scared and…did I mention…angry?

“You think you’re so high and mighty, well, let me tell you something, bitch, you’re in for a takedown. I tried to be nice to you and then you went and lied on me! You tell that boyfriend of yours he better back off or he’ll be sorry! You don’t know who you’re dealing with, lady.”

I grabbed a fork off the counter and thrust it at him. “Get out! Now!”

He laughed, an ugly sound that seemed to come from the oily depths of a sewage dump.

“Lindsay asked you to leave.” Paula was suddenly beside me, an industrial size rolling pin clutched in both hands.

Her appearance at my side didn’t surprise me, but I was shocked when Tina came up beside Grady. Her bruises stood out from her pale face like dark beacons, and her hand trembled when she held up a cell phone. “I called 911.” I could hear the terror in her voice. She was probably having flashbacks of Ken, but she stood her ground. “The police are on their way.” Her last words came out in a whisper.

Grady snarled and shoved Tina aside. “I’m going because I can’t stand to be in the same room as you, but this isn’t over.”

He strode toward the door.

“It certainly isn’t!” I shouted after him. “You’re going to pay for my cell phone!”

By the time the cops arrived, most of our customers were long gone. As soon as Grady stomped out the door, people began pushing and shoving to pay. Several left without ordering dessert. Those poor folks would spend the rest of the day longing for chocolate. Some might even see imaginary chocolate chips when the CDTs (Chocolate Delirium Tremens) kicked in. I wasn’t the only one that jerk harmed.

I didn’t recognize either of the officers who responded to Tina’s 911 call, but I felt certain they knew Trent. It was a small department. He’d soon hear all about this latest catastrophe. I made it a point to remain calm and dignified in front of them and not mention traffic tickets.

They took statements from me, Paula, Tina and the three customers who remained. I comped the meals for those customers and sent them on their way with extra cookies and brownies. Since Grady had run off so many people before they got a chance to have dessert, I had plenty extra.

The officers left with our statements, my smashed cell phone, and a few cookies. Paula returned to the kitchen, Tina returned to her corner table, and Brandon rushed in the door, eyes wide, face pale. His black eye was fading but still vivid.

He ran to where I stood behind the counter and leaned toward me. “Are you all right? The cops wouldn’t let me come in. They said it was a crime scene!”

How could Trent have even considered the possibility that this man was involved in some sort of conspiracy with his father? He was as much an innocent victim as I was.

“Your father came in here and made a scene.”

He sank onto a stool, held his head in his hands and groaned. “I’m so sorry. It’s my fault.”

I did not want to hear that. Had Trent been right after all? “Why would you say it’s your fault? Your father’s nuts.” I bit my tongue. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone that far. After all, this was his son. “I mean, he’s…um…he has a really bad temper.”

Brandon lifted his head and smiled. Actually, it was more of a grimace. “Right on both counts. It’s my fault because I took you to the shop and introduced you to him.”

A chill shot down my spine. “Did he ask you to bring me to the shop?”

Brandon looked genuinely confused. “What? No. I hit your car and offered to fix it for you. Remember?”

“Of course I remember. I just…” I shrugged. “I guess I was looking for an explanation for what your dad did, an explanation for something that doesn’t make sense.”

Brandon compressed his lips and shook his head. “My dad does a lot of things that don’t make sense. He thinks every woman he meets wants to be with him. He cheated on my mother when she was alive, and now that she’s dead…” He shrugged and dropped his gaze to the countertop. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “But I have to tell you, I’m going to press charges. He destroyed my phone, scared my customers and upset my friends.”

“Good. You should press charges. He needs to pay for what he’s done.” He rose from the stool. “I think I’ll skip lunch today. I have some things I have to do.”

I laid a restraining hand on his arm. “Please don’t confront him. I know you’re bigger than he is, but he’s mean. He could hurt you.”

He gave a snort of laughter. “Believe me, I know that. And I know what I have to do.”

I held his arm more tightly. “What is it you have to do?”

He looked down at my hand then back up at me. His smile became almost real. “I’m going to get a place to live. Just like you said I should.”

“Good for you! I’m so proud of you!” I released his arm and gave his hand a squeeze. “Let me make you a sandwich to go.”

His smile widened. “Thanks.”

I went to the kitchen and fixed him a BLT with extra bacon then returned to the counter and threw in a couple of cookies.

“Here you go. Your favorite.” I handed the bag to him.

“Thank you.” He laid money on the counter. “What happened to your butterfly?”

Did he know his father had left the butterfly? If he didn’t, there was no point in fueling his anger. “I put it in the kitchen. I didn’t want it to get broken.” Two true statements. They had nothing to do with each other, and I shouldn’t be faulted if the sequencing made it seem they did. To quote Fred,
I can’t help what inference people take from that.

“Good idea. See you tomorrow.” He smiled again and left.

Such a nice guy. Interesting that I had two victims of abuse in my restaurant at the same time. I looked at Tina. She was watching Brandon walk away. Maybe when they were both free of their abusers…

He was a little younger than her, but not enough to matter. I’d have to find out if he liked kids.

A few more customers trickled in, but Grady and the cops had disrupted the busy part of the lunch crowd. Well, I’d have plenty of chocolate to share with Tina’s boys. Feed them a pizza, give them some Coke and chocolate, and send them to bed.

If Trent and I ever had kids, I’d have to take a course on how to handle them.

As if conjured from my thoughts, Trent strode in. I delivered a customer’s order and rushed to throw myself into his arms. Trent’s, not the customer’s. Once again I had everybody’s attention, but they were all smiling this time.

“I heard what happened,” Trent said. “I tried to be tactful when I talked to him, but as soon as I mentioned your name, he went ballistic. This removes any doubt in my mind that he’s your stalker. I’m sorry my talk with him made things worse.”

I laughed and stepped back. “The tantrum he just threw in here was no worse on my nerves than the disgusting way he usually acts except he threatened you and me both. Said we didn’t know who we were dealing with and we’d be sorry. But I think that was just his anger talking.” I hoped it was.

“Actually, there’s a possibility he could change from adoring stalker to vengeful stalker. But don’t worry. We’re getting an arrest warrant prepared for creating a public disturbance and destruction of personal property. He should soon be behind bars and then he won’t be able to bother you for a while.”

“Thank you. Have a seat at the counter and I’ll get you something good.”

He grinned, a slightly wicked, totally sexy grin.

I punched his arm. “That’s for later!” I whispered. “Right now I’m talking about lunch.”

“I don’t have time. I just came by to give you this.” He withdrew a cell phone from his pocket and handed it to me. “I don’t want you to be without a phone for even a few hours with that crazy man still on the loose. I picked this up at Wal-Mart. It’ll tide you over until you can get a new one.” He gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “Gotta get back to work.”

“I know. Lock up bad guys. Give speeding tickets to innocent women.”

“Don’t forget to get those papers from Fred tonight. I’ll come over and pick them up and we can talk about that
something good
you promised.” His dark eyes twinkled with green.

“About tonight—let me walk you outside.” I took his arm and led him out the front door.

“What’s up?” He turned to look through the plate glass windows into the restaurant. “Who are we avoiding?”

I put a big, phony smile on my face. “Stop frowning! She’ll see you!”

“Who?”

“Tina. The lady in the corner booth.”

“The one staring down at her empty plate? I don’t think she’s going to see anything except a crumb or two.”

I told him about Tina’s situation. “Fred found her a place at one of the shelters starting Sunday, but she’s spending Friday and Saturday night at my place.”

“Oh.” The green sparks disappeared from his eyes. He was so uptight, he wouldn’t spend the night with me if someone else was there. “Lindsay, you’ve got a good heart, but sometimes I wonder about your head.”

“Yeah, right. What else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t let her go back to Ken, and I don’t think she has the money for a motel room. It’s only for two nights. Maybe Saturday I can come to your place.”

“We can definitely do that, but I was thinking about the danger you’re putting yourself in. Abusive husbands don’t like it when their wives escape. If Tina’s husband comes after her, you could be collateral damage. So now I’ve got to worry about Grady Mathis and Ken Wilson. I’ll be over tonight anyway and sleep on the sofa.”

“Well, no, that’s not going to work. Tina has three sons. That takes care of my guest bed, the sofa and Fred’s inflatable mattress.”

He scowled and ran a hand through his already messy hair. “I’ve got to go, but this discussion is not over. I’ll be there tonight.”

We exchanged a brief kiss and he left.

I hadn’t thought about Ken coming after Tina. I didn’t see any way he could find her at my place. Fred had not given him our last names or told him where we lived. But he had mentioned that Bob was murdered in the alley behind a restaurant where a friend of his worked. It wouldn’t take a lot of brain power to figure out from the news reports that the restaurant in question was Death by Chocolate.

I had told Tina in private that I was the owner. Surely she hadn’t mentioned anything to Ken, and he hadn’t seemed smart enough or sober enough to make a connection. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t give Henry much catnip while Tina was staying with me. He needed to be alert.

When I got back inside, Paula was checking out the last customer. As soon as he left, I started to lock the door but Tina stopped me. “I need to leave. I have to pick up my kids at school. Will you still be here when I get back?”

“Of course,” I assured her. “We have to clean up. We’ll be here another couple of hours. If you don’t see us, just bang on the door.”

Tina reached for the door handle.

“What if Ken’s at the school?” Paula asked.

Tina turned back and licked her lips. Her pupils shrank to pinpoints. “I—I don’t think he knows we’re gone yet. He hasn’t called. He won’t get home from work for another couple of hours.”

Paula moved closer. “He’ll recognize your car before you have a chance to get them. You can take mine. It’s parked out back.”

Tina blinked a couple of times in rapid succession. So did I. Paula seemed determined to help this woman who was in a situation she knew too well.

“No, I couldn’t,” Tina said.

“Yes, you can,” Paula insisted. “Even if you think he won’t be at the school, you can’t be sure. Abusive men are sneaky and clever. Take the car. Keep yourself and your boys safe.”

Paula led her to the kitchen. I followed with the last of the dirty dishes.

Paula’s short so when she reached for her keys on the top of the refrigerator, she didn’t see the butterfly. As she retrieved her keys, the crystal slid from the top of the refrigerator. We all three grabbed for it. Tina had the quickest reaction. Probably came from years of dodging her husband’s fists.

She held the object reverently in both hands. “It’s so beautiful. I’m glad it didn’t break.”

She offered it to me. I flinched away from it. She turned to Paula who shook her head. “It’s Lindsay’s.”

Lindsay’s bane. “Maybe you could do me a favor. I need to take it home tonight to give to Trent, but I’ve got so many other things to carry, I’m afraid I’ll forget it. Could you take it with you?”

She smiled. “I’d love to. It will be nice to have something pleasant to focus on instead of…well, you know. I promise I’ll keep it safe.”

The two of them went out the back door and I returned to dirty dishes and my thoughts. Both Paula and Trent seemed to think Kenneth Wilson had super powers. I figured he had a room temperature IQ, and we’re talking about an air conditioned room in the middle of winter. But maybe they knew something I didn’t about the abilities of abusive men.

Even though I couldn’t imagine that Ken Wilson could find Tina at my house, I would let her park her car in my garage just to be on the safe side.

***

Tina made the kid pickup without incident. She and Paula exchanged cars again, then Tina followed me home while Paula went to get Zach from the babysitter.

My first encounter with the boys was at my house. Tina and I both parked at the curb. I got out and started toward her to tell her to put her car in my garage but halted in mid-stride when three car doors on Tina’s battered sedan flew open. Three boys in blue jeans and T-shirts burst forth, shouting, chattering, pushing and shoving.

Tina slid out of the driver’s seat. “Boys, be quiet.” She was only a couple of inches taller than the oldest one, but they obeyed her. “Lindsay Powell, this is Wade, Connor and Drake.” She pointed to the boys in order of size.

They all mumbled some version of
Nice to meet you, Ms. Powell
.

“Hi, Wade, Connor and Drake. Tina, why don’t you pull up in the driveway and we’ll put your car in the garage.”

She considered that suggestion only a moment before nodding and getting back in her car.

“Wow, Mom gets to use the garage!” Wade exclaimed. “Dad never lets her use the garage.”

“That’s because Mom’s car’s old and ugly,” Drake said.

It was.

I pulled into the driveway behind Tina then got out and opened the door to the garage. She drove inside.

The boys were right there.