Chocolate Caramels and Conmen (A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Series Book 12)

by Cindy Bell

  “How terrible.” Her curiosity peeked, and she continued to ask questions. “So, how did he actually die?”

  “The theory is suffocation. But the medical examiner will have to confirm that. Like I said, I might not be privy to much information.”

  “And they’ve arrested his partner?” She turned her attention back to straightening up the chocolates on display.

  “Not as far as I know. I don’t think they have a main suspect just yet.”

  “No primary suspect? I would assume it would be his partner, I mean as far as we know they didn’t know anyone else in town, right? Why would anyone around here kill him?” She shook her head, then glanced out the large window towards the street beyond the shop. “Everyone is so peaceful here, I can’t imagine a murderer living among us.”

  “Well, murderers can be hard to spot.” He leaned close to her. “It’s not likely that this was a random killing. Considering the circumstances, the assumption is that he was targeted. However, you should still be extra careful. Make sure you lock up tight, and no walking home through the backstreets alone.” He paused, then sought her eyes. “Ally? Did you hear me?”

  Her gaze was locked on a couple who stood on the sidewalk a few feet from the entrance of the shop. As she stared at them, she recalled them from the day before. They were out-of-towners, too, and they still gave her a very uneasy feeling. She was even tempted to turn the sign on the door to closed to prevent them from stepping in. However, it seemed to her that something must have caught their interest, as they continued right past the shop instead of opening the door.

  “Sweetheart?” Luke placed his hand over hers. “Are you okay?”

  “Hmm?” She blinked and looked in his direction. “Sure, I’m fine. What were you saying?”

  “I want you to promise me that you’re going to be careful.” He kept his gaze on her. “I know just how brave you are, but there is a thin line between brave and reckless.”

  “I hear you.” She smiled as she brushed a few coffee grounds off the counter.

  “Good. If you need me, I’m just a call away.” He leaned across the counter for a kiss, then headed out the door.

  She stared after him for a few moments, then turned her music back up. The news he shared with her hadn’t done anything to quiet that uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had a feeling that it would linger until the murder was solved.

  Chapter 5

  After a restless night’s sleep, Ally woke before the alarm. As she pushed it away and swung her feet over the side of the bed, they struck something warm and smooth. Her breath caught in her throat until she heard a familiar snore. It was Arnold. He’d wandered to the side of the bed to be closer to her. He usually slept in his bed at the foot of her bed, but he seemed to be just as uneasy as she was. Careful not to step on him she eased her way out of bed.

  It was still an hour before daylight. She could have gotten a little more sleep, but she doubted that if she closed her eyes her mind would settle. It was already racing, even before she finished brushing her teeth. On her way into the kitchen Peaches meowed and trailed after her. She yawned as she looked up at Ally. Even she knew it was too early for breakfast, but Ally popped open a can of food for her, anyway. Peaches did not complain. As Ally crouched down to put it into her dish she felt a wave of comfort from being close to her pet, who was more like a best friend.

  “Peaches, what are we going to do about this murder, hmm? It’s going to play on my mind until it’s solved.”

  After filling up Arnold’s food dish, whose snores still drifted from the bedroom, she decided to head into the shop. It was closed for the day, but she needed to catch up on making some chocolates, and she could at least use some of her restless energy for cleaning and organizing.

  When she arrived, she parked behind the shop like she always did. As she headed towards the door, she heard a subtle sound from inside the shop. Her muscles tensed. Was that a light on inside? Why would there be a light on? As her heart began to pound she tried to remember if she might have left one on the night before. She’d been so distracted with Luke’s visit, and the information he had to share. Maybe she had forgotten to switch the light off. It was of course, possible. But not likely. She went through a checklist in her mind every day before she turned the lock a final time. As she slid the key into the lock, she wondered what she might be walking into. Was the killer hiding out in the shop for some reason? She pushed the door open as quietly as she could. She had completely forgotten about the bell, until it rang loudly throughout the shop. Her chest tightened in the same moment that she heard a clatter from the kitchen, where the light was on.

  “Who’s there?” She crept further into the shop. “Get out now! I have the police with me!”

  “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot!” Charlotte rushed out of the kitchen with her hands in the air and a grin on her face. “Wow, Ally you really gave me quite a scare!”

  “I gave you a scare?” Ally laughed as she pressed her hand against her chest in an attempt to slow down her racing heart. “What are you doing here so early?”

  “I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep.” She sighed and smoothed back her gray hair. “I thought if I’m just going to stare at the ceiling I might as well go into the shop. I tried out those stencils we ordered, and they are just as gorgeous as they looked in the catalog. Do you want to see?”

  “Of course.” Ally searched her grandmother’s eyes for a moment. She could see some tiredness there. “How long have you been here, Mee-Maw?”

  “Just about an hour.” She walked into the kitchen with Ally a few steps behind her. “Honestly, after you told me what Luke said last night, I just couldn’t let it go. I know that’s awful, that I shouldn’t let it get to me so much, but the strangeness behind the murder is what really got to me.”

  “I understand that.” Ally frowned. “Maybe I should have waited to tell you, but I thought you would want to know right away.”

  “No, you did the right thing. I would have been upset if you didn’t. I just feel like this is not going to be an easy murder to solve, and the longer it hangs in the air of this town, the worse it will be.” She pulled out a tray of chocolate candies with thin white chocolate drizzles all over them in various designs. “What do you think?”

  “Amazing.” Ally smiled at the sight. “Just think what we can do around Christmas. These are perfect.”

  “I thought so, too.” She took one off the tray and slipped it between her lips. “I might have already sampled quite a few.”

  “I’d better start catching up then.” Ally laughed as she grabbed a chocolate off the tray. “I know what you mean about the town. People are already scared, and if the murder doesn’t get solved they’re going to stay that way. But with Luke not involved in the case I’m not sure how much we’ll be able to find out about the progress of it.” She let the chocolate melt in her mouth as she thought about the Mainbry police department. She was sure that they could handle it, but there was no harm in lending a helping hand.

  “So, he was placed on the other side of the road, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t killed here in Blue River. It would make more sense to me if they would work together on this.” Charlotte sighed as she settled into a chair. “I mean, who better to figure out what happened than the people who live here?”

  “What are you getting at, Mee-Maw?” Ally raised an eyebrow as she saw the shift in her grandmother’s expression.

  “All I’m saying is we can’t just stand by and let this case go cold. Can we?” She met Ally’s eyes.

  “You think we should look into this ourselves?” Ally nodded slowly as her thoughts filled with the avenues of investigation she would pursue. “It couldn’t hurt, could it?”

  “No, it couldn’t.” Charlotte smiled with relief. “I’m glad you feel the same way.”

  “I do. It really is so strange, Mee-Maw. Someone put him there. Which means that someone killed him somewhere else and went to the trouble of putting him in th
e road. Who would do something like that?”

  “Someone trying to cover their tracks, that’s for sure.” She narrowed her eyes as she considered the possibilities. “We’re not just dealing with a murderer here, we’re dealing with someone who was calculating enough to move the body.”

  “That’s what makes me so concerned. I know we should leave it alone and let Mainbry handle it, but I don’t think I can do that. Like I said, I do agree with you, some extra eyes on the case couldn’t hurt anything.”

  “But first, we need coffee.” Charlotte headed out to the front of the shop to start the coffee pots.

  “Yes, coffee would be great.” Ally held back a yawn as she glanced around the kitchen for something to occupy herself with. Her gaze landed on a small black case tucked into the corner near the storage closet. Her mind flashed back to Marcus’ boisterous sales pitch. She’d only used the vacuum once and it seemed to her that it did what he claimed. But she shuddered at the memory of Marcus’ larger than life attitude. It was snuffed out now, and she had no idea why.

  When Ally picked up the case she noticed that it was heavier than it should have been. The vacuum itself was light and the case didn’t look like it should be too heavy. She lifted the vacuum out of the case and felt the lining. It seemed to her that there were a few inches of padding, not really necessary for a vacuum case? When she dug her fingers into the padding she felt a rigid layer beyond it. Was something hidden inside?

  Charlotte poured two cups of coffee and added some creamer to each, then she headed back into the kitchen with them. She came to a stunned stop when she saw Ally jab a knife down into the interior of the black case.

  “Ally, what are you doing?” She set the coffee down on the counter and rushed over to her.

  “I’m trying to get this open. I think there’s something hidden inside.”

  “Ally, we might have to pay for the vacuum if you destroy the case.” Charlotte frowned as she watched her granddaughter cut through the lining. “What could be inside?”

  “I don’t know. But I think something is hidden here. It’s a risk, but once I felt it, I couldn’t ignore it.” She tore back the padding, then took a step back as she stared at what was hidden behind it. “What in the world is that doing in there?”

  Chapter 6

  “Don’t touch it, Ally!” Charlotte shivered as she gazed at the small, silver gun taped to the inside of the case.

  “I won’t, but what are we going to do about it?” She frowned as she studied the weapon. “Why would it be hidden inside of there?”

  “I don’t know, but we’re going to have to tell someone. Luke?” She met Ally’s eyes.

  “Yes, I think we’d better let him know.” She pulled out her phone and called him. When his voicemail picked up she sent him a text with the information instead. “I never would have known it was there. Never.” She rubbed her hands along her arms as she looked at her grandmother. “Marcus and Carl must have known it was there, or at least one of them must have.”

  “Yes, I think they must have. But why is the gun in there? Why would they leave it with us?” She narrowed her eyes. “It looks like those two were up to a lot more than just selling vacuums. We need to find out exactly what. But first, I think we need to leave the rest of the chocolate making for tomorrow. It’s up to you, but after finding this, and not knowing exactly what it means, I think our time would be better used on investigating the matter.”

  “I think you’re absolutely right, Mee-Maw. We can catch up tomorrow. I’ll just make sure the front door is locked, we can go out the back.” As Ally walked towards the front of the shop, which was still dark, she noticed a face in the window. Her heart skipped a beat as the person ran off. She couldn’t quite make out who it was, but her heart raced with sudden fear. Had someone been thinking about breaking in? Or was it just an early riser window shopping? With her heart still pounding, she checked the lock. As she turned back around her cell phone rang. A glance at the ID revealed that it was Luke.

  “Hi, Luke.”

  “Ally.” His voice sounded strained. “What are you doing with a gun?”

  “It’s not mine.” She sighed. “I wasn’t sure whether to give it to you, or to Mainbry PD so I thought I’d call you first.”

  “I’m glad you did. This could be very serious. I’ve contacted the detective that is investigating the case and he is on his way over to pick up the gun and the case from you.”

  “Am I just supposed to hand it over?” She frowned. “I don’t know how much the vacuum costs, but I really don’t want to have to pay for it.”

  “You can’t worry about that right now. The important thing is that they figure out why the gun is there in the first place.”

  “Well, we were just leaving, we aren’t open today.” She glanced through the window as the sun began to light up the street outside. “Should I wait?”

  “Yes please, sweetheart. I have a case of my own to work on, otherwise I’d be right over. For now, just don’t touch it, leave it where it is, and turn it over to Detective Jenkins when he gets there.”

  “Okay, I will. Thanks for your help, Luke. Love you.”

  “Love you, too. Ally, don’t give him any reason to suspect you. He’s a new detective and trying to make a name for himself with this case. Just be cautious.”

  “I will be.” She frowned as she hung up the phone. What could she possibly do that would make the detective suspect her of anything? She continued to the kitchen to give her grandmother the news. She found her sorting through some of the boxes on the shelves.

  “We’re going to need to order more.”

  “Yes, I already put in an order yesterday.” Ally glanced over her shoulder. “A Mainbry detective is going to stop by to pick up the case.”

  “Oh dear. Do you think it’s some kind of clue?” She gazed at the still open case on the floor.

  “I think they were doing something dodgy, maybe illegal. Or at least one of them was. Maybe Marcus found out about it, and Carl killed him.” Ally narrowed her eyes.

  A sharp knock on the front door made them both jump.

  “That must be the detective.” Ally swallowed hard as she recalled the face in the front window. She’d chosen not to tell her grandmother about it as it was most likely nothing, and she didn’t want to worry her. But it left her on edge. As she approached the door she noticed the detective was quite young, as Luke had described. He had his badge out to show her who he was. She smiled, nodded, then unlocked the door. The moment he was inside, she locked the door behind him.

  “I’m Detective Jenkins.” He offered his hand.

  “Ally Sweet, and this is my grandmother, Charlotte.” Ally gave his hand a quick shake as Charlotte stepped into the front with them.

  “Good of you to come out so early, Detective. Would you like some coffee?” Charlotte gestured to the fresh pot.

  “Yes, thank you. I’d like to see the case, please.” He looked between the two women, then settled his gaze on Ally. “Are you the one that found the gun?”

  “Yes, I am. The case seemed heavier than it needed to be. The padding was too thick. I felt something hard behind it, and decided to cut through it.” She explained as he followed her into the kitchen. “Honestly, I had no idea it was in there.”

  “And how did the case end up in your hands?” He stared at her in a way that made her shift from one foot to the other. Was that suspicion in his eyes?

  “The salesmen offered to let me use the vacuum on a trial basis. I agreed. I have the paperwork I filled out. Of course, I had no idea there was a gun tucked away inside. I don’t know why they would have done that. It makes no sense to me.” She frowned as she reached into a drawer and pulled out the paperwork she’d signed. “See?”

  “I’m not sure, but if it’s hidden like that I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s something illegal. Maybe gun running.” He skimmed over the paperwork. “Did you even read this?” He glanced up at her with raised eyebrows.

  �
��Well, I looked it over.” She cleared her throat.

  “I see. I’m going to take the paperwork as well. I’ll make sure you get a copy.” He pulled out a large, plastic bag and placed the entire case inside. “Once we figure out what’s happened here I’ll update you on whether you can retrieve the vacuum.”

  “Thank you. I just hope you find out who killed Marcus.” She met his eyes as he straightened up. “Do you have any leads, yet?”

  “I’m working a few angles.” He peered back at her. “Why are you so invested? Did you know Marcus well?”

  “No, I’d just met him, and only for a few minutes.” She shrugged.

  “You two didn’t maybe get together for dinner or something? Maybe go out for a drink?” His eyes narrowed with interest.

  “No, not at all.” She backed away from the intensity of his stare. “Like I said, all I did was accept a free trial of the vacuum.”

  “You’re the only one in the whole town who did. Everyone else I’ve spoken to declined. I’m just curious about why you made a different choice.” He didn’t move an inch, but his gaze remained on her.

  “I don’t know, it seemed like a good tool to have.” Her cheeks burned as she realized that she might just have been the only one who appeared to be duped by the pair of conmen. How had she not even sensed that they might be criminals? Her stomach churned at the thought and tears bit at the back of her eyes. She willed herself not to let them show in front of the detective. He might interpret them as a guilty conscience.

  “I see.” He was silent for a long moment, then nodded. “I’ll be in touch.” As he turned and walked away she felt as if she was on his radar. Had she become a suspect?

  “Ma’am.” The detective tipped his head towards Charlotte as he headed for the front door. She followed after him and unlocked the door.

  “Thanks for your time, Detective, we’re all concerned about what happened to Marcus.” She frowned as she held the door open for him.