The Chocolate Magic Cozy Mystery Box Set Books 1 to 7

by Olivia Swift

  “He’s been in then?” one of them asked and she told them how he helped her set it up.

  “Must admit a second train would be interesting,” she said excitedly. “We are going to start reading Christmas stories next week. It will be very enticing with the train circling and the fireplace.” She laughed at her own romancing about the scene.

  “Great idea!” they agreed, and she gift-wrapped the rose truffles for his mom.

  “A second train going the other way would be good,” she said to Rula. “I’ll climb up and measure the space.”

  “Here’s Mikey. Let him climb up there,” Rula laughed. “He’s good with heights.” The man obligingly did as he was asked and stepped down as Bart came in and dropped onto his usual stool.

  “Found the story in the archives,” he said and turned on his tablet. Magda leaned over.

  “It would be easier if you told us.”

  “Just before Christmas, the family was meeting visitors from the train and the little girl chased after her dog as it ran away. The dog escaped but Beth was hit by a truck going to load goods. She was not struck by the engine or the train.”

  “Oh No!” Katie said. “The family must have been traumatized.”

  “We need to find out what happened to them,” Magda observed. “We need to find the mother.”

  “I’ll work on it,” Bart told them. “Gina went home last night but will come back Saturday and stay with Alison if we do the Saturday night watch.”

  “If Rula and Mikey do tonight and Sam and I do Friday night, you can cover Saturday and we can meet up to see what we find out. I don’t want to be up late on Sunday night because we are picking up Jonno and Branna from the airport early on Monday,” Magda told them and looked around.

  “Sounds okay to me,” Rula said and looked at Mikey who nodded. She handed him his coffee and he went back to his own store.

  “I’ll let Jemima know that you two will be outside tonight,” Magda said and sent a text to the lady in question.

  Sam and Declan arrived for their usual lunch order and they brought them up to date.

  “Can you and Katie do Sunday night, Declan?” Magda asked and they agreed to that.

  “You know,” Declan said, “now that Bart has told us about the dog and the accident, it makes me think the cats were ahead of me.”

  “Oh, I never thought of that,” Magda said.

  “Did your cats react last night?” Declan queried and she nodded. “About dogs?”

  “They stole my fluffy dogs off the bed and tore them.”

  “Mine knocked a picture over of my mom with her dog.”

  “Those cats are beyond belief,” Sam said. “How do they do that. I think they have cell phones and call each other.”

  “We already know the dog is important because Bart found that in the report,” Rula observed. “But it doesn’t get us much further.”

  Sam and Declan took their sandwiches and went back to work. Magda found time to fire up the laptop and look for a second set of rails and engines.

  “Just the person you need has stepped in the door,” Rula called out and Jeff Bloomburg grinned as he looked at the overhead rail system and offered Magda a box.

  “Intriguing,” Magda said and lifted the lid. She gazed at him while her jaw dropped. “How did you know that I was searching for a second set of rails?”

  “Magic,” he said as she lifted up a steam engine. “This is one that I updated myself to charge on a modern charger, but it was an experiment. I wondered if you could use it.”

  “It is absolutely beautiful,” Magda said and turned it over in her hands. “And really heavy. I love the dark green color as well.”

  “It’s addictive and you are getting hooked, Magda,” he warned her. He glanced at her screen. “I can supply you with the extra rails and it will be cheaper than the online stuff.”

  “That sounds good. Do you keep a store of them?”

  “We have a society for enthusiasts, and we have a collection of things that the members might need. Means they get things at a wholesale price and we don’t have to wait for deliveries.”

  “What a great idea!” Katie chimed in.

  “How many do you need to make a second track?” Jeff asked and climbed on a chair to make a quick measurement. “You need a charger as well,” he jotted down the number of pieces of track and told her a price which included the charger.

  “That is half the price of these on the Internet!” Magda exclaimed. “Thanks Jeff.” Then she picked up the dark green engine. “And can I pay you for this. I love it.”

  “Gift from the society. Maybe you and Sam would like to join.” He smiled and added that they did have a rather spectacular setup of trains and everything that went with them. “I’ll run over and get you these pieces.”

  “Where is this spectacular setup?” Rula asked and he turned to explain that it was right beside the real railroad in a big storage unit.

  “We have a museum and archives as well.”

  “Written archives?” Magda asked and he came back toward her.

  “Why?”

  She hesitated and looked at the others. “We’re investigating the death of a little girl in the sixties. She died at the depot. It will be there if it was recorded anywhere. The members are real sticklers for detail and history.”

  “Can one of us come with you and have a look?” Rula asked.

  “Sure thing,” Jeff answered, and Magda grabbed her jacket.

  7

  Magda called Sam while she was being driven to the depot.

  “Just to say that I am being driven away by Jeff Bloomburg to look at trains and stuff.”

  “You are just getting too enthusiastic about those model railways, Magda,” Sam said with a chuckle.

  “Just what I told her. It is addictive,” Jeff called out.

  “He has archives and a museum, so I am going to see if there is anything to help us find out about Beth’s mom.”

  “Okay. Let me know what you find,” Sam told her.

  “Beth’s mom?” Jeff asked. “Is this some sort of secret or can I help?” Jeff asked. Magda sighed. She always worried when admitting to someone that they were interested in spirits. There were a lot who thought it was rubbish. He glanced across. “What am I missing?”

  “The café has a ghost cat,” she started and waited for a reaction. He turned his head.

  “A real ghost cat? Have you seen it?”

  She smiled and relaxed. The man was not dismissing it out of hand. “My aunt left me the old stable and we were looking at the place when we all saw Pushkin walk through a wall and disappear.”

  “Wow!” Jeff said.

  “We see him quite often. It led us into being interested in those sorts of things. Anyway, last week, Bart was making up a ghost story under the model railway when a customer said that it really happened at her house. She was frightened and we went to try and help. Cutting a long story short, there seemed to be a little girl there. Bart checked newspaper records and found that the girl died at the railroad depot in the sixties trying to catch her little dog. We are now trying to trace what happened to her parents.”

  Jeff pulled up outside of a regular, commercial storage building and killed the engine.

  “That is amazing!”

  “You don’t think we are crazy?” she asked.

  “Got into history through the railroad stuff. It is totally interesting what turns up. Maybe we can find what you are looking for. Come and see my pride and joy.” Inside the building, Jeff flooded the place with light and then waited. Her reaction was exactly what he wanted. The setup was not shown to everyone but when it was, they were blown away. The whole huge interior was filled with a landscape, townscapes and buildings that made a model world where trains wound their way in, out, over, below and every other conceivable situation you could imagine. Jeff switched it on, and several trains all moved at once.

  Magda was entranced and speechless. She stepped forward and tried to take i
n every scene. It was impossible.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “I’m absolutely speechless. I have never seen anything quite like it. This must have taken years of work.”

  He nodded.

  “We are a small group - ten of us- but we all put in a lot of hours. Just now it is quiet because we have no new parts being built. It’s repairs and small experiments that we are doing.”

  “Like my green engine?” she asked.

  “We have to try and keep up to date with all of the tech around these days.”

  “I can see why you keep it quiet. If vandals got in here, they could cause disaster.”

  “Come through to the back room and see the archives. Let’s try and find Beth.”

  The part they entered was a sort of office with computers and some glass cases with finds from days gone by across one wall. Jeff booted up the main computer and pulled up the records. She gave him the name - Beth Deronda.

  “Have a seat,” he said, and she pulled across a chair. The screen was large and easy to read as the newspaper articles that Bart had already found came into view. Jeff switched it to a large screen on the wall and searched for Beth Deronda’s parents. Nothing appeared. He tried Deronda and got a reference to the accident with the girl but no parents.

  “That is odd,” he said and went back to the articles about the accident. They read through the detail that talked about the distress of the family and how she had run after her little dog. There didn’t seem to be any other clue.

  “Right at the bottom there,” Magda pointed, “is that a name?” He scrolled down and enlarged the text.

  “Geoffrey J. Deronda left the area after his wife died.”

  “Geoffrey J. Deronda,” Magda said and pulled out her tablet to put that in the search engine, but Jeff beat her to it as the screen was already up there.

  “Look,” he pointed. “Geoffrey and Eliza Deronda lost their only daughter in a tragic accident at the railroad.” The article in a different newspaper told the tale again of little Beth and her dog.

  “Well we already knew the names. We need more, Jeff.”

  “Thanks very much. I’ll set Bart onto tracing them.”

  “Tell him that we don’t want any publicity about this place please.”

  “I will,” she said.

  “Let’s find those tracks and a charger,” he said and closed down the computer system. Magda wandered around the big model railway display and was intrigued by the amount of detail and accuracy.

  “How is the woman who heard the noises in her house?” Jeff asked.

  “Better now that we are doing something to find out. It is not the little girl causing trouble. Sam thinks it is somebody human trying to frighten her.”

  “If I can help, let me know,” Jeff offered.

  He locked the place up and turned on the security system.

  Back at the café, they staggered into the kitchen with two big cardboard boxes of parts. The place was busy and there was no way that they could disturb the customers to put up the new tracks. Jeff accepted a large mug filled with a double hot chocolate sprinkled with just a dash of cinnamon and sat in the kitchen. Mikey was helping out and between getting back into work mode, Magda told the others in short bursts that they really had not found out much new information about Beth’s parents.

  Gradually the lunchtime rush faded away and they could all breathe again. Mikey moved some tables to let Jeff put up the new tracks. Magda found the stapler. The second track was operational and using Jeff’s cell phone, the green engine went in the opposite direction to the first train. They were all delighted, downloaded the new app onto phones and managed to serve some customers as well.

  As the afternoon drew to a close, Magda found the money to pay Jeff for the new tracks, closed the door behind the last customer and poured a coffee herself.

  “So, Jeff, you are waiting to hear more about this little girl and what we are going to do, aren’t you?” He had the grace to grin and admit that he was intrigued.

  “Anything that touches on the railroad, I am fascinated by. I’ve known Sam for years. He will tell you that I can be trusted.”

  Magda smiled and said that she already trusted him.

  “Mmm. Not sure if driving my wife away to lonely workshops is trustworthy,” Sam punched Jeff on the shoulder as he came in and joined the conversation. Declan came in behind him.

  “Look,” Magda pointed, and they watched the second engine crisscross the rails. “He did give me the tracks cheap.” She handed him a coffee and then Rula made one for Mikey.

  “Almost the whole gang,” Mikey said.

  “You know Magda’s cousin, Branston. His boss at The Panhandle is good at setting up a séance and we all love doing it now,” Sam told him. He told the others that they might as well tell the whole story.

  Between them they told him about the séances and the little girl and her dog. They added the bits about trying to watch out for any human cause of the noises.

  “We think the little girl is trying to help Jemima, but we don’t know why, and we also want to find out what happened to her mother to see if they can find some sort of peace,” Rula finished.

  “You like dogs,” Declan suddenly interjected, and Jeff nodded. “Black Labrador right by your legs.”

  “What?” Jeff asked incredulously.

  “Declan sees spirits,” Magda said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. The newcomer to their midst was shaken by what Declan had said.

  “Has she got a collar on?” he asked. Declan smiled and nodded.

  “Tartan one.”

  “Good Lord above,” Jeff answered. “I miss her every day that God sends.”

  “Looks like she still stays with you,” Magda said. “I’m sure those bloomin’ cats will still cause mischief after they’ve gone.” She stood up. “Anyway, tonight Rula and Mikey are taking the first shift at watching the house. We have friends from Ireland coming on Monday and they will want to be in on things. I think we will have another séance Tuesday evening.” She grinned at him, “You are welcome to come along.”

  “If you want to sit in the dark, you can join us tonight,” Mikey offered, and Jeff accepted both offers.

  They closed up and made plans to keep in touch. Magda said that she would let the others know they had an extra helper.

  Back at the house, she asked Sam how he knew Jeff Bloomburg.

  “College,” he told her. “He is a genius with anything technical. I must see this railway setup. I guess it all works on a computer.” She nodded and tried to describe what she had seen.

  “It actually seems like a real place. You know the signs on the buildings lit up like real neon ones. The traffic lights worked and there were model people everywhere.”

  Sam nodded.

  “Sounds like Jeff. Good to see him again. I wonder if they’ll see anything tonight.”

  They made a detour to Magda’s old house to catch up with Sam’s Aunt Alison. Magda waved when Alison looked through the spyhole in the door.

  “It’s us.” The woman was delighted and was putting up Christmas decorations.

  “Sam, if you reach these high ones for me, I can make something to eat.” He grinned and Magda followed Alison into the kitchen to see if she could help.

  “I love the way the house still says something about Ireland,” Magda told her. “Are you happy with it?”

  “Yes. I love it. Jezebelle loves it as well. Looking forward to Branna and Jonno next week.” Jezebelle, the little black cat, was pushing around Magda’s legs and she picked her up for a cuddle.

  “And Gina for the weekend. You are turning into a guest house.”

  “I like having people to stay. What have I missed about this house with the noises?” They carried plates of food into the living room and told her about Beth Deronda, railways, dogs and watching for anyone sneaking around.

  Jezebelle casually walked over to the table at the side of the room, jumped up onto it
and knocked over a photo.

  “Naughty girl,” Alison said and went to stand the frame up again.

  “Is that a dog?” Magda queried.

  “It’s my dad with his favorite terrier,” Alison said and then looked at Magda. “Dogs again?”

  “Looks like we should be taking notice of something to do with dogs but what that is heaven only knows,” Magda shared.

  Jezebelle looked at Magda’s pocket and she felt the vibration before the phone actually made a sound.

  8

  It was Jemima and Magda put it on loudspeaker.

  “Magda can you call the people in the car. I don’t have a number for Rula. They are sitting outside, and the noises are going on in the house. I’ve got the key and they would have seen someone getting in.”

  “I’ll do it now,” Magda said and hung up. She called Rula and told them to go and check the house. She added that she and Sam would drive over as well.

  “What on earth could it be?” Alison asked. “Could it just be noisy plumbing?”

  “I suppose it could be something like that. We need to look around thoroughly. Thanks for the meal. I’ll let you know what happens.”

  “Take care, both of you,” Alison said and locked the door behind them.

  They made the ride to Jemima’s in a matter of minutes and ran to the door. Inside Jemima, Zak, Jeff, Mikey and Rula were all listening. There was nothing to hear.

  “When did it start and when did it stop?” Sam asked.

  “I saw the car arrive and park,” Zak said. “It must have been about fifteen minutes later. It stopped just before you came.”

  “This is not the little girl and her dog. This is somebody trying to scare you. Somebody thinks they can get a really cheap house if you are desperate to sell,” Magda surmised. Jeff agreed with her and suggested that somebody who had decent technology skills could be making the noises from somewhere else.

  “Also, if they know when people come and go, maybe they have a camera watching as well.”

  Jemima shivered. “Oh, that is horrible if somebody is secretly watching what I do.”

  “There is somebody nasty out there,” Sam said. “Can we search the basement rooms again? They obviously know we are here anyway.”