Trouble and Treats (A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Book 6) (4 page)

“I can get away with some things as long as I’m careful. There’s nothing wrong with a friendly conversation.”

“Fair enough.” Charlotte nodded. “I just hope that it will lead to something more.”

“I can assure you if he confesses to anything he’ll be taken care of right away. I still need to consider this an accident, but it’s worthwhile to see if he says anything to make me think otherwise.”

“All right, I should probably head home. The shop is going to be hopping in the morning. Ally, you don’t have to come in if you don’t want to.”

“No, I want to. I’ll be there.” She hugged her grandmother. “I’ll see you then.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” Charlotte kissed Ally’s cheek. On her way out she patted Arnold’s head and made kissing noises and then stroked Peaches’ back as she wound through her legs.

“I should go, too. I’ll walk you out, Charlotte.” Luke met Ally’s eyes. “Are you going to be okay by yourself?”

“That’s a silly question, Luke. I’m always okay by myself.”

“But it never hurts to have company!” Charlotte called out before she stepped out the door. Luke met Ally’s eyes one last time, then followed after Charlotte.

Ally smiled to herself as she closed the door behind them. She could pretend to be insulted, but Luke’s concern meant a lot to her. As soon as she was alone the exhaustion hit her like a brick. She barely made it to her bedroom before she had to collapse. She curled up in her bed and stared at the patterns of moonlight on the wall. Her entire body felt heavy, too heavy. She thought about getting up and taking a shower, but she couldn’t bring herself to crawl out from under the covers. As if she sensed her restlessness, Peaches jumped up into the bed with her. She rubbed her furry cheek along Ally’s and purred.

“Thank you, Peaches. It’s been a rough day.” She pulled the cat close and stroked her back. As she fell asleep she thought about the events of the day.

When Ally opened her eyes she felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. Yet the sun was up and the clock showed that she was actually running late. She had a quick shower, dressed and took care of the pets, then headed out to the shop. When she arrived she was relieved to smell freshly baked muffins waiting for her.

“I’m here, Mee-Maw, sorry I’m running a little late.”

“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart. You had a big day yesterday. Just come try one of these chocolate muffins.”

“If I must.” Ally sighed and grinned at the same time. “They smell so good. Did you add something new?”

“Just a hint of cinnamon. I know it sounds strange with chocolate, but it just gives it a little zing. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.” Charlotte handed her a muffin.

Ally took a small piece off the top. “Yum! It’s delicious.”

The bell over the door chimed and Mrs. Cale, Mrs. White, and Mrs. Bing filed inside. Each had a solemn look on their face.

“Good morning, ladies.” Ally turned to face them and offered a small smile.

“Good morning.” Mrs. Bing sighed and slouched down in a chair at the counter.

“Coffee?” Charlotte patted Mrs. Bing’s hand.

“Yes, please.”

Ally slid the sampler tray towards the three women. “Help yourselves, ladies, we all need some comfort food today.”

“Yes.” Mrs. White looked at the tray deciding which one to choose. “Though I’m sure going to need a lot of those to comfort me.” She popped a chocolate in her mouth.

“Does everyone around town know?”

“Yes, and they know that you were the one to find her.” Mrs. White looked into her eyes.

“How did everyone find out so quickly?” Ally frowned.

“Well, it started with all of the sirens and police. Then, Mavis was standing outside the post office this morning, absolutely ranting about how Emma was murdered.”

“Murdered?” Ally froze where she stood. “But the police think it was an accident.”

“Yes, as do most people in the neighborhood.” Mrs. Cale picked up a piece of chocolate and studied it. “But apparently Mavis believes there is more to the story.”

“Who is Mavis?” Ally looked between the three women.

“She’s a bit of a recluse.” Mrs. White frowned. “And eccentric.”

“More like crazy.” Mrs. Cale laughed.

“Crazy?” Ally pursed her lips. Before Ally could ask more her grandmother walked over.

“Let’s try to have a good day today. In honor of Emma, hm?” Charlotte set down a tray with cups of coffee on it, along with some of the muffins she had baked. “The muffins are on the house.”

“Oh, thank you!” Mrs. White breathed in the scent of the muffins. “They smell heavenly.”

“I hear that there aren’t many people coming into town for the funeral.” Mrs. Bing shook her head. “It’s a shame that she didn’t have more family.”

“Well, the town will be out to support her, and Jack. That poor man.” Mrs. White sighed. “So young and already a widower, it’s so tragic. I’m sure he will kick himself for not being there when she died.”

“Well, he wasn’t gone yesterday. I saw him in the city.” Mrs. Bing shrugged.

“Wait, what? Are you sure?” Ally met the woman’s eyes.

“Sure as I can be. I know a handsome man when I see one. Anyway, what does it matter?” Mrs. Bing asked.

“I thought he was out of town on a run yesterday,” Ally explained.

“I suppose I could be mistaken.” Mrs. Bing shoved a large piece of the muffin into her mouth. Ally wanted to ask her more, but she decided against it. It would be easy enough to check and see if Jack was on his run or not the day before. She didn’t want to spark even more gossip.

“I heard that Jack’s back home now,” Mrs. Cale said.

While the three ladies busied themselves with their coffee and muffins Ally made her way to the back room. Charlotte soon joined her.

“Did you hear what they said about that woman?” Ally began to set up more chocolates on trays.

“I did. You know Mavis. She’s the one that lives in that overgrown house that you visited yesterday with Arnold. The one that doesn’t like Arnold.”

“Oh, that’s Mavis!”

“Maybe she is just ranting and raving. She could just be a little off her rocker. I wouldn’t read too much into it.”

“But how would Mavis know? Maybe she’s a witness. Maybe she knows something about the murder.”

“Maybe, but I doubt she’ll tell us anything. She certainly isn’t easy to talk to and is probably just a little confused.” Charlotte glanced at her watch. “After lunch let’s take something over to Jack. I want to see how he’s doing.”

“Okay.” Ally returned to the dishes. Her thoughts swirled right along with the dishwater. When her cell phone rang she jumped. She’d been so deep in thought that she forgot where she was for a moment. A quick glance at the screen told her that it was Luke.

“Good morning, Luke.”

“Good morning, Ally. I wanted to reassure you that I am looking into Emma’s death. I spoke with Gary this morning.”

“I’m all ears.” She turned off the water and leaned against the sink.

“He had no idea that Emma was dead.”

“He could have been pretending.”

“Maybe, but he seemed very shocked. After that I couldn’t get much out of him. He insisted that they just argued at the yard sale and he dropped it after that.”

“Nothing sent up a red flag for you?”

“The guy was a mess. To be honest I’m not sure what to believe about him at this point. I guess it’s possible that he was faking it, but I’ve been doing this for some time, and he seemed genuine.”

“All right, thanks for updating me, Luke.”

“How are you this morning?”

“I’m doing okay. Did you hear about the woman outside the post office this morning?”

“Yes, a patrol officer took care of that. He suspected the woman heard about Emma’s death and became paranoid about it.”

“She didn’t have any real evidence that it was a murder?”

“No, he said as soon as he arrived she stopped shouting and started mumbling about cover-ups, and the town being a hot bed of ignorant criminals.”

“Wow, quite opinionated.”

“Yes. Anyway, we think she might have needed some mental help which we are going to organize, but nothing to be too concerned about.”

“Okay, thanks Luke. You should come by when you can, Mee-Maw made some fantastic muffins.”

“First chance I get, I’ll be there.”

“We’re closing after lunch.”

“My morning is pretty packed. I’ll text you if I can get over there.”

“Bye Luke.”

When he hung up the phone Ally sighed. One more dead end, and nothing to convince Luke that the death might be a murder. Although many customers came into the shop throughout the morning the normal jovial atmosphere wasn’t there. Most people uttered a few words, or discussed in whispers what had happened to Emma. After lunch, Ally was more than eager to close up.

“I don’t think I could take one more sad look in my direction.” She frowned as she locked the door. “I wish so many people didn’t know that it was me that found Emma.”

“It’s a small town, unfortunately everybody knows everything,” Charlotte said.

“Yes, but I wonder about Mavis ranting near the post office this morning. Does she know more than all of us? Maybe I should try to talk to her.”

“First, let’s head over to Jack’s. I’m sure he’s had his share of casseroles brought to his door, let’s bring something sweet to him,” Charlotte suggested.

“Yes, I want to see how he’s doing. I’ll take care of closing up.” Ally grabbed a rag and some cleaning solution to wipe down the counters.

Charlotte tapped her chin as she looked through the selection of chocolates. “What kind do you think Jack will like? Emma used to buy a variety. Jack only moved to Blue River when he married Emma a few months ago and was often away for work so I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in the shop.”

Ally frowned as she looked in the display case. “I’m not sure. Maybe we should just take him some of each. If he just lost his wife he may not even want to eat, so at least he’ll have something to offer any guests or family members that might be there for the funeral.”

“Good point. I’ll put together a big box.” As Charlotte set about packaging the chocolates, Ally noticed the sign for Emma’s yard sale still hung in the window. With a heavy heart she walked over and took the sign down. She couldn’t bring herself to crumple it up and throw it away so she folded it neatly and tucked it into the drawer under the cash register. She reached into her purse for her phone to check for texts. When she opened her purse, she noticed the wooden box that they had purchased from the yard sale.

“I guess this is even more of a treasure now, isn’t it?” She held it up for her grandmother to see. Charlotte wrapped the chocolates in a deep purple bow and then looked up.

“Yes, it is. Maybe you should have it at the cottage for a while. It might not be a good idea to put it on display in the shop just yet.”

“You’re right. Someone could recognize it from the sale. We’ll wait a few months then add it to the collection.” Ally tucked the box into her purse and then took the chocolates from her grandmother. “Should we head over now?”

“Better now I think, before too many people have a chance to bother him.”

“Good idea.” Ally headed out the door and waited for her grandmother to walk out before she paused to lock it. As she looked through the thick glass at the shop inside, she was filled with gratitude for the wonderful memories it had given her.

After the quick drive to Emma’s house, Ally waited for her grandmother to join her on the sidewalk before she started up the stairs. She noticed that the table that had been left up outside, was gone. Jack likely put it away. She cringed at how difficult every little thing was going to be for him. With the house for sale, would he have to pack up their lives together? It made her sad to think that he might have to do it alone. She hoped he had family or friends that would help him. She knocked on the door and waited. Charlotte clung tightly to the box of chocolates.

“I hope he doesn’t think we’re too intrusive.”

“I’m sure he will appreciate the gesture.” Ally glanced up as the door swung open. A man she’d only seen around town a handful of times opened the door. He was exactly what many women dreamed of. He was tall, dark, handsome and looked very fit. He must have followed the same athletic lifestyle that Emma did.

“Hello, can I help you?” He looked between the two of them.

“Jack, I’m Charlotte, and this is my granddaughter, Ally. We just wanted to offer our condolences for your loss.” She held out the box of chocolates. “It’s not much I know, but Emma did love the chocolates from the shop.”

“Thank you. Yes, she loved the chocolate shop in town. Ally, are you the one who found her?” His eyes widened. Ally nodded as tears misted her eyes.  She placed her keys in her purse and fished for a tissue. She fumbled the wooden box out of the way to get to the package. When she pulled one out she dabbed at her eyes.

“Lucky you were there.” He looked up from her purse and sighed. “I wasn’t due to be home for three more days. I can’t even imagine if no one had found her before then. I’m sorry, it must have been traumatic for you, but it means a lot that you visited her. Please, come inside.” Jack gestured for the two of them to walk past him. Charlotte took Ally’s hand and gave it a squeeze as they were led inside. Even though Emma’s body had been removed and the broken glass from the brownie container was cleaned up, the entire scene flashed before Ally’s eyes when she stepped inside. Jack led them into a small sitting room not far from the steps. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, Ally, but why did you come visit her?” He gestured for them to take a seat on the couch as he sat down on a chair.

Ally sat down across from him and looked into his eyes. She held tightly to her purse on her lap as a form of comfort. “Well, after her fight with Gary I just wanted to make sure that she was okay.”

“Gary was here?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Didn’t the police tell you?” Charlotte shook her head. “We told them about the argument at the yard sale.”

“No, they didn’t tell me. All they told me was that it looks like it was a terrible accident. I guess they didn’t think it was necessary to mention the fight. It’s strange that Emma didn’t tell me he was at the sale. She knows she’s supposed to let me know any time she sees him.”

“Oh?” Ally frowned. “Why is that?”

“I know you’re probably thinking I’m some kind of jealous fool that didn’t want his wife around her ex, but that wasn’t the case. Gary has a temper. I didn’t like her to be alone with him, because I’ve never trusted him. In fact, I’ve come close to knocking him out myself for the way he spoke to her.”

“Yes, he was quite angry at the yard sale,” Ally said. “I wish I had stayed with her.”

“I’m sure that even if you did you couldn’t have stopped her from slipping,” Jack said.

“He’s right, Ally.” Charlotte nodded. “There was nothing that could have been done.”

Ally lowered her eyes and cleared her throat. She tried to hold back the questions that bubbled up in her mind, but she just couldn’t resist.

“Is that what you think happened, Jack? I mean, can you really picture Emma slipping and falling down the stairs?”

He stared at her for a long moment. “Well, I try not to. But I suppose that’s what happened. That’s what the police said they think happened.”

“But the medical examiner is investigating, right?”

“Ally.” Charlotte placed a hand on her arm. “Take it easy, I’m sure that Jack doesn’t want to think about that.”

“Wait, what are you saying?” He looked between the two women with wide eyes. “Are you asking me if I think it wasn’t an accident?”

“I just mean, with the argument only a few hours before, and Emma’s not the type to be clumsy, is she?”

The skin on his face drained of color and he looked down at his clutched hands. “I hadn’t even considered the idea that maybe it wasn’t. What kind of husband am I?” His eyes filled with tears just before he squeezed them shut.

“Jack, don’t you know that she was having the yard sale so that she could sell the house? She adored you. She couldn’t wait to spend more time with you. She was happy to spend the time she did with you. Please don’t think that you’ve done anything wrong,” Ally said.

“But I just agreed with the police that it was an accident.”

“It may very well have been an accident.” Ally bit into her bottom lip.

“It’s just hard for us to believe that she died from an accident, Jack, that’s all.” Charlotte sighed. “We should go, Ally.”

“No, wait. Please.” He stood up from the couch and looked at both of them. “I think you might be right. Emma was never one to be clumsy. She’s never once even missed a step on those stairs. Maybe Gary was involved somehow.”

“We don’t know that he was. We don’t know anything at this point.” Charlotte shook her head.

“All we know is that he was angry,” Ally said.

“The police will look into it.” Charlotte narrowed her eyes.

“What if they don’t?” Jack’s lips parted in shock. “What if they just assume it’s an accident and never look into Gary at all?”

“If there is something to find, I’m sure the police will find it. Now, we really should be going, Jack. If you need any help with the funeral, or any guests that are coming in for the funeral, please let us know,” Charlotte said.

“The funeral,” he murmured and collapsed back down on the couch. “I hadn’t thought too much about that.”

“Do you have family that can come help you during this time?” Ally offered a sympathetic frown.

“No. I don’t have any family.”

“None?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “No close friends?”

“No. No one.” He covered his face with his hands. “I don’t need anyone. I can handle it. Thank you again for the candy.”

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call,” Ally said.

He mumbled something and nodded. As she followed her grandmother out the door Ally found it hard not to go back to Jack and offer to stay. He seemed so alone, and there was no one to comfort him.

“That was hard.” Ally frowned as she opened the car door for her grandmother.

“Yes, very. He’s going to be grieving for a very long time.”

The drive home towards Charlotte’s apartment was a quiet one. Ally tried to let go of the idea that Emma was murdered. When she stopped at the retirement community Freely Lakes, Charlotte looked over at her.

“I have some chocolate cookies I made last night. Would you like to take some home? It looks like you need some cheering up.”

“I’d love some.” Ally smiled as she opened the car door. “How did you have the time to make those?”

“There’s always time to bake.”

“Thanks Mee-Maw.”

“I hope you understand why I stopped you in there.” Charlotte looked over at Ally.

“I am always certain that you have your reasons. I know that before we went you were just as suspicious of Gary as I was.”

“And I still am. But I don’t want to upset Jack any more than he already is. We need to be careful how much we say. What if we’re wrong? What if it was an accident? Or maybe it wasn’t, but Gary had nothing to do with it?”

“I never really thought that far ahead. I was hoping that Jack would give us some information that would help us figure things out,” Ally said as they reached the door to Charlotte’s apartment.

“So was I, but we may have to wait until he has a chance to adjust to the news.” Charlotte reached into her purse to get her keys.

“Good idea. I’ll get the door.” Ally used the spare keys she had on her keyring to open the door to the apartment.

“Here are the cookies.” Charlotte took a small container of cookies off the counter and handed them to Ally.

“Yum,” Ally smiled as she took them from her.  She gave her grandmother a warm hug. “I’ll see you in the morning at the shop. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” Charlotte closed the apartment door.

When Ally got into the car she took out a cookie and took a bite. She immediately relaxed as she tasted the cookie. The rich chocolate was enough to sooth her nerves.

Ally started the car, then began to head back to the cottage. During the drive she noticed that everyone in town seemed to be somber. The news spread fast, and there wasn’t the usual weekend cheer of children playing, yard work, or dog walking.

Ally parked at the cottage and was greeted by a cacophony of animal sounds. After she settled Arnold and Peaches down she collapsed onto the couch. As exhausted as she was there was no way she could close her eyes. She kept thinking of Emma. As much as she believed that it wasn’t an accident, she still had no way to prove that. Her cell phone rang, disrupting her thoughts.

“Hello?”

“Ally, it’s Mrs. White.”

“Hi Mrs. White, how are you?”

“Oh, just devastated. I don’t know what to think about poor Emma. So young, and now she’s gone.”

“Yes, it is terrible.”

“Are you all right, sweetie? We didn’t get much of a chance to talk at the shop today with those two bitties gossiping.” Ally smiled to herself as it was more like three bitties gossiping.

“Thank you for asking. I’m okay.”

“All I can think about is her poor husband. He was gone so much, and now she’s gone. He barely had the chance to know her.”

“It is very sad, Mrs. White. I’m sure he’ll appreciate your support at the funeral.”

“I will be there. Good night, Ally.”

“Good night, Mrs. White.” Ally hung up the phone and closed her eyes.

As soon as they opened the shop the next morning she knew that Mrs. White, Mrs. Bing, and Mrs. Cale would be there to greet them. She knew that they would have many more questions about Emma that she had no answers to.

“Come here, Peaches, it’s been a long day.” Ally patted her knee. The cat jumped right up into her lap. Peaches yawned and then rested her head on Ally’s knee. “So, what do you think? Can a woman with the grace of a cat end up at the bottom of a flight of stairs?” She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “I know it’s possible, I just don’t think that’s what happened. Emma would have fought. She would have reached for the banister, or grabbed at the steps. She would have done something to try to save her own life. I really think that the only way she fell down those stairs was if someone surprised her and pushed her or as the paramedic seemed to believe someone hit her over the head.”

Peaches flicked her tail up high enough to swat Ally on the nose. She purred when Ally ran her hand along the fur on her back.

“You’re right, I’m not thinking clearly. I’m too emotional because I knew Emma.” Peaches purred and stretched out in her lap. “I know, I know, I can’t settle down either.” She glanced at her watch. It was still early enough to take Arnold for a walk. “Arnold, are you up for a stroll?” Peaches jumped to the other side of the couch. Arnold came bounding into the living room when he heard his name. He nuzzled Ally’s shin as she rummaged around for the collar and leash. Once she had Arnold ready he lunged towards the front door. Ally couldn’t help but smile at the strength of the small pig.

As soon as the fresh air hit her lungs some of the tension in her body eased. Maybe that was what she needed all along, a fresh perspective. Arnold seemed very interested in the grass and sidewalk. He sniffed everywhere as they walked. When they turned on to the next block Arnold’s demeanor changed. He pulled her along with more force than usual. She noticed that he had a certain direction he wanted to take. As she let him take the lead he trotted right past an overstuffed mailbox.

“I told you, keep that pig away from here!”

The voice from just beside her made Ally jump. She turned to see the cranky woman step out from behind a tree.

“We’re on the sidewalk. We have a right to be here.”

“I don’t think this neighborhood is zoned for farm animals. What’s next? A rooster?” She scowled. “As if there isn’t enough noise and chaos around here.”

“I find it to be a fairly quiet area.” Ally studied her for a moment. It was easy to write her off as an unpleasant person, but she wondered what might have made her that way. Ally wanted to ask her about what she had been heard saying by the post office, but she didn’t think she would talk to her about it without gaining her trust first.  Ally was also worried about her, she wanted to know that the woman was all right. “Ma’am, are you okay? Do you need help with anything?”

“Am I okay? Like I’m some feeble-minded beggar?” She glared at Ally with such an intensity that Ally took a step back.

“I didn’t mean anything by it, I just wanted to make sure that you were cared for.”