by Cindy Bell
“Morning!” Mrs. Bing sung out.
“Good morning, Mrs. Bing.” Ally gazed at her with some concern. “How are you today?”
“Oh, I’m just fine, looking forward to some samples of delicious candy.” She headed straight for the front counter and mounted one of the barstools.
“Let me get you all some fresh coffee.” Charlotte flashed them all a smile.
Ally walked over to the trio, still a bit surprised by Mrs. Bing’s attitude.
“Have you heard?” Mrs. Bing lowered her voice as her cheeks reddened. “There’s going to be a new librarian.”
“A new librarian?” Mrs. White eyed her. “What does that matter?”
“Oh, rumor has it that he’s quite the hunk. Thanks Charlotte.” Mrs. Bing smiled as she took the cup of coffee that Charlotte offered.
“How can you even talk about that at a time like this?” Mrs. Cale sighed as she looked at her friend.
“What else is there to talk about?” Mrs. Bing shrugged, then selected one of the chocolates from the sample tray.
“Perhaps the murder?” Mrs. Cale scowled.
“It’s all right if she doesn’t want to talk about it.” Ally rested a hand on Mrs. Bing’s shoulder. “It’s been quite a shock to all of us.”
“Oh, not to me it wasn’t.” Mrs. White huffed. “That man got what he deserved.”
“Mrs. White!” Ally gasped. “How can you say such a thing? Maybe he wasn’t a great man, but that doesn’t mean he deserved to be killed.”
“Ally, you don’t know that.” Mrs. White accepted her coffee just as Charlotte spoke up.
“We’re not here to pass judgment on anyone. We don’t get to decide who has the right to live or die.” Charlotte shook her head. “What has you so upset, Mrs. White?”
“Didn’t you hear?” Mrs. White’s eyes widened. “Hasn’t anyone told you?”
“Told me what?” Charlotte blinked, looked over at Ally, then turned her attention back to Mrs. White.
“The casino is still going through. That man stipulated in his will that Jasmine must ensure that the casino be built, if anything were to happen to him. What kind of dangerous life do you have to be living to keep your will so up to date?” Mrs. White rolled her eyes. “Not only that but all of the renters are still being kicked out of his properties. So, our town will still have to endure his presence, even long after he’s gone. I’m sorry.” She held up her hands. “I honestly am. I know that it’s not right of me to talk like that. I’m just upset. I suppose a part of me was relieved that the casino would no longer be an issue, and now here it is, still rearing its ugly head.”
“We’re all upset, dear.” Mrs. Cale gave her hand a light pat. “But do keep your manners. I wouldn’t want anyone to think that people in Blue River are so heartless.”
“I’m not.” Mrs. White sighed.
“We know that.” Charlotte met her eyes. “We’re all very frustrated that this happened, and that our town is changing. But Mrs. Cale is right, we shouldn’t forget who we are or what we stand for. The man may not have been perfect, but he was still a part of this community, and we owe it to him, and the wife he’s left behind, to try to find out what happened to him.”
“I for one, am not interested.” Mrs. White stood up from her barstool. “What I am interested in, is stopping this casino from being built.” She glanced at Mrs. Bing. “Not everyone has to agree with me. But I will be at the town hall tomorrow to support those that are fighting to bar the casino from being built.”
“I’ll be there as well.” Mrs. Cale stood up. She gazed at Mrs. Bing. “I think it might be time to rethink your position on this.”
“Oh, I’ll be there, too.” Mrs. Bing plucked another candy from the sample tray. “Whatever it takes to get the slot machines.”
“Ugh.” Mrs. White threw her hands up into the air, then headed for the door. Mrs. Cale followed after her.
Charlotte frowned as she watched them go.
“It’s okay to have a different opinion, Mrs. Bing, but do you really want to let this come between the three of you?” Ally freshened up her coffee.
“Nothing can come between us, Ally.” Mrs. Bing winked at her. “Now and then, a little stirring of the pot is needed. You’ll see.” She took a bite of the chocolate in her hand.
“I’m not sure I understand.” Charlotte shook her head.
“Getting those two into a tizzy is good for them.” Mrs. Bing grabbed one more chocolate. “I haven’t seen them so worked up in a long time.”
“So, you don’t really support the casino?” Ally’s eyes widened.
“I wouldn’t mind it.” Mrs. Bing shrugged. “But I don’t want anyone to suffer for it. Either way, it’s not up to me whether it gets built or not.” She gave them both a quick wave, then headed out the door.
The remainder of the afternoon flowed without too much interruption. A few customers came in, but Ally considered it a fairly slow day. She guessed that most people were at home digesting the news about Gary. She ran through the argument she’d witnessed, over and over again. Was it possible that she interpreted something wrong? The intimidation she’d seen Rick wield towards Jasmine made her stomach churn. She doubted that she had misread the situation. The only one that could tell her if she was right, was Jasmine. But she didn’t want to disturb the woman again. She’d been through enough. Instead she decided that she would talk it over with Luke.
As Charlotte began to stack the leftover chocolates into boxes, Ally joined her behind the counter.
“I’m going to see if I can get in contact with Luke. I can tell him about the argument. Maybe he will be able to tell me more about Rick and exactly why he might be here.”
“Okay.” Charlotte glanced at her watch and winced. “Oh dear, I almost forgot my dinner plans with Jeff. I should get going.”
“Go on.” Ally smiled at her. “I can get everything closed up. Tell Jeff I say hello.”
“Do you want to join us?” Charlotte met her eyes.
“No way, I’m not spoiling a romantic dinner for the two of you.” Ally grinned.
“Who said anything about romantic?” Charlotte rolled her eyes.
“Uh huh, sure.” Ally wiggled her eyebrows, then headed back behind the counter. As she began to sort through the sales for the day, she recalled the way that Rick had looked at her. He had a coldness in his eyes that left her unsettled. He wasn’t just in Blue River to talk to Gary, she believed he’d come there to settle some kind of score with Gary. If that was the case, he must be the murderer.
After Ally locked the front door, she placed a call to Luke. Maybe he’d be free enough for a quick bite to eat. She hadn’t heard from him since telling him about Eric. After several rings, she hung up the phone. She didn’t see much point to leaving a message when she was sure that he would call back fairly quickly. She tucked her phone into her pocket and headed home for the night.
Greeted at the door by two eager pets, Ally took a moment to remind herself just how lucky she was. She escorted them into the kitchen to prepare their food. It wasn’t until she was ready to crawl into bed that she realized she hadn’t heard anything from Luke, not even a text. A little concerned, she checked her phone. It appeared to be working properly. She recalled the last conversation they’d had. Was it possible that he was more bothered by her not telling him about Eric the day she found the body, than she realized?
Chapter 10
Ally woke up the next morning and immediately checked her phone. After finding no communication from Luke, her heart began to pound. What if something had happened to him? It wasn’t like him to be out of touch for this long. Yes, he was working a case, but normally he would at least shoot her a text to touch base. She decided to call him again as she gave Arnold and Peaches their breakfast. When her call went to voicemail, she left a short message.
“Luke, I’m just checking on you, send me a text and let me know everything is okay.” Ally hung up the phone and dropped a piece of brea
d into the toaster. As she took a deep breath and tried to focus on the day ahead, her thoughts returned to Eric. Had he already left town? Would he be at the town hall meeting? She jumped when her phone buzzed in her pocket. A quick check revealed a thumbs up from Luke. Nothing else. She stared at the symbol and tried not to read too much into it.
“Now is not the time to be paranoid, Ally, you know he gets caught up in his cases.”
Ally snapped on Arnold’s leash, then led him to the door for a quick walk. Arnold loved to roam the neighborhood greeting the other shop owners. However, that morning, Ally noticed that there weren’t too many people outside. She walked past Eric’s bakery, and couldn’t help but stop in front of the empty window. She peeked through it and saw that most of the building was empty. There were a few boxes piled up not far from the door. It made her mind spin to think that an entire business could be erased that easily. She leaned against the front door in an attempt to get a closer look, then stumbled as the door swung open. Her stomach lurched as she caught herself on the door jam. She called into the shop, but no one responded. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed that no one had seen her. Would it be so bad to go in and take a look around?
Ally tied Arnold’s leash to a post outside the bakery. After one more glance over her shoulder, she stepped inside before she could change her mind. As she pushed the door closed behind her, she took a breath. The aroma of fresh baked bread and pastries still hung in the air. It was a smell she loved almost as much as the melting chocolate in her shop. As she walked towards the back of the shop, she heard voices from the kitchen area. Her heart skipped a beat. Of course, someone was there. Why else would the door have been open? They just hadn’t heard her call out. She backed up towards the door and was going to announce her presence when the voices became louder. She recognized one as Eric’s. The other, she couldn’t place right away.
“All you had to do was give me a chance. I could have made you money. Instead, you’re taking everything from me!”
“It’s not personal, it’s business. I don’t know why you can’t see that.” The woman’s voice sounded calmer but was just as loud as she spoke. “Do you think that inviting me here to plead your case is really going to make any difference?”
“Gary came after me for a reason, I know that. When we were younger, we weren’t friends. He hated me, and I felt the same way about him. But you? You don’t have anything against me. You have the power to save my business, my life, really. Why wouldn’t you do that? Don’t you have a heart?” Eric’s voice wavered as he spoke his last words.
“A heart?” The woman laughed.
Ally’s eyes widened as she realized that it was Jasmine. She crept a little closer to the kitchen door.
“Yes, a heart.” Eric’s voice continued to tremble. “I’m not asking for much, not even ownership of the building, all I’m asking for is a chance to prove to you that renting this space to me could be a benefit to you. I’ll give you a portion of my sales, I’ll pay more rent, I’ll do whatever you ask.”
“Please, stop begging.” Jasmine offered a heavy sigh. “It’s not even up to me, you know? Gary messed with both of us by adding that clause to his will. I have to push for the casino to be built in order for me to get my inheritance, and this shop is part of the land that he planned to use for it. So, there is nothing I can do, even if I wanted to.”
“A good lawyer could get you out of that clause.” Eric’s voice sounded closer.
Ally realized he was approaching the door. She glanced around the shop for a place to hide. The counter was too exposed, they would see her as soon as they walked out. Her only option was the pile of boxes near the front door. As she bolted towards them, she heard Jasmine’s voice getting closer as well.
“I’ll lose too much if I back out of the deal. I can’t help you, Eric. It’s better that you accept that now. Unless of course you plan to get rid of me the same way you got rid of my husband.” Jasmine cleared her throat. “Is that why you brought me here? Is this where you killed him?”
Ally held back a gasp as she hid behind the boxes. Was it possible that Jasmine was right? If that was the case, then Ally would have to do something to stop it. But what? She peeked into one of the boxes and saw that it was filled with packing supplies, nothing that could cause any harm. The only thing close to a weapon she had on her were her keys. As she reached into her pocket, her fingertips brushed over her cell phone. Yes, she could call for help.
“I’d never hurt anyone.” Eric growled his words. “Not that it matters now, everyone thinks I had something to do with Gary’s death. Why wouldn’t they? We had bad blood in the past, and now I’m losing my shop because of him. But what did I gain from his death? Nothing!” His heavy footsteps moved in the direction of the pile of boxes.
Ally froze as she wondered if he would pick one up and find her hiding there. What possible explanation could she give?
“I lost my husband, you know?” Jasmine shot back, her high-heeled shoes clacked loudly against the tiled floor as she followed after him. “All you can talk about is your shop, but I lost my husband!”
“Your husband?” He laughed.
The sound was so close to Ally that she crouched down farther, certain that he would be able to detect her presence.
“What could be funny about that? You are a terribly cruel person.” Jasmine sniffled.
“Give it up, will you?” Eric’s voice grew darker. “You’re not going to convince me or anyone else that you were in love with that old fool. Look at you.” He coughed, then shuffled his feet against the floor. “You’re gorgeous.”
“Thank you for noticing.” Jasmine sniffled again, but her voice brightened a little. “But you’re wrong. I am heartbroken over Gary’s death. Age isn’t everything.”
“No, but money sure is, isn’t it?” One of Eric’s shoes bumped into the boxes behind him.
The box slid into Ally’s knee. She held her breath as she waited to see if he noticed her presence.
“Disgusting. You are a terrible person. Just like the rest of the people here in Blue River, and you wonder why I offer none of you any kindness? What kindness have you offered me? How dare you question my marriage?” The sharp sound of Jasmine’s shoes against the floor became even more pronounced as she lunged forward.
Ally winced as Eric came tumbling back through the boxes and landed on his back a few feet away from her. She scrambled for another pile of boxes, uncertain whether she had been spotted.
“You’re going to regret that!” Eric launched to his feet.
Outside the door of the shop Arnold gave a loud squeal. Ally could hear it clearly, and so could Eric and Jasmine. Eric spun on his heel and looked towards the front door.
“Ally must be out there.”
“Good, then I’m sure that she just heard you threaten me, I’m calling the police right now.” Jasmine huffed as she turned and walked in the other direction.
“Don’t!” Eric followed after her. “Don’t do that, please.”
“Why?” Jasmine called back to him. “Are you scared it’s going to make their case for them?”
Ally cringed as she realized that one of two things was about to happen. Either, Eric and Jasmine would catch her hiding among the boxes, or the police, maybe even Luke, would arrive and catch her. She knew that she had to find a way out before any of them caught her. But how? Arnold squealed again, louder. As she adjusted her position on the floor her hand brushed across a penny that had been left behind. She held it tightly between her fingertips, then flung it in the direction of the kitchen. It struck something in the kitchen and made a loud clang.
“What was that?” Eric jumped at the sound.
“Who’s back there?” Jasmine gasped. “Did you bring in help to get rid of me?”
“I’m not trying to get rid of anyone! No one should be back there!” Eric’s footsteps headed in the direction of the kitchen.
Ally held her breath until she heard the sound of Jasmine�
��s heels striking the tiles as she followed after him. Then she lunged for the front door. In the process she knocked over some of the boxes. She managed to slide outside the door and push it closed behind her just before she heard both Jasmine and Eric rush back into the front of the shop. She grabbed Arnold’s leash as the front door of the shop swung open.
“Ally, did you see anyone run past here?” Eric looked up and down the street.
“Oh, hi Eric.” Ally smiled as she untied Arnold’s leash from the post. “I didn’t see anyone. Sorry for all of the noise. I didn’t think anyone was inside.”
“It’s fine.” Eric gazed at her, his expression dark. “Did you hear anything?”
“Hear anything?” She smiled at him. “What do you mean?”
“He means, did you hear him threaten me?” Jasmine narrowed her eyes as she stepped out behind him. “He was going to attack me!”
“What?” Ally gasped, looked from Eric, to Jasmine, then shook her head. “No, I’m sorry I didn’t hear any of that. I’ve never known Eric to hurt anyone.”
“Perhaps you don’t know him that well then. Ah, finally.” Jasmine gestured to the patrol car that pulled up to the sidewalk.
Ally winced as she realized she hadn’t made a clean escape.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’ve got to find Peaches. She took off on me.” Ally waved to the officer in the car, then hurried off in the opposite direction.
“Ally, wait!” Jasmine called after her.
Luckily, Arnold squealed in the same moment. Ally continued on and pretended that she hadn’t heard Jasmine. What was she doing talking to Eric like that? Were Jasmine’s accusations true? Was Eric really responsible for Gary’s death? Would Eric really do something so terrible?
Ally sighed as she glanced back in the direction she needed to go to return to the cottage. Another patrol car had arrived, along with Luke’s car. If she went back now, what would she say? Eric had threatened Jasmine in a way, but Ally knew that Jasmine had pushed him down first. Would that matter, or would Eric end up in handcuffs, anyway? She decided against going back, and instead went to the chocolate shop.
