by Cindy Bell
“I hope you do.” He scowled at her. “Maybe Emma was a fool, but I still loved her. She was a good woman. She didn’t deserve to die. If she was murdered she certainly didn’t deserve it. Her death had nothing to do with me. You can believe what you want about me, but I didn’t do anything to her.”
He turned and walked away from her before Ally could say another word. Ally recalled the knife he had. It was small so maybe he did have it for self-defense, but the fact that he was so quick to wield it reminded her of just how out of control his temper was.
Ally didn’t realize how shaken up she was until she got behind the wheel of her car. Her hands trembled as she tried to grip the steering wheel. As frightening as Gary was, a part of her, deep down, didn’t believe that he had killed Emma. However, she wasn’t entirely sure that she could trust her instincts.
Chapter Thirteen
On the drive back to the cottage Ally decided to see if she could look at Emma’s house again. If Gary was right and Jack was not who he seemed she might be able to find evidence there.
Ally slowed down as she drove past Emma’s driveway. When she saw Jack’s car in the driveway she thought about waiting and seeing if he would leave, but she decided against it. Instead, she carried on driving towards the cottage. She didn’t want her grandmother to worry about her and she needed to calm down a bit from her encounter with Gary.
When Ally arrived back at the cottage her attention was caught by someone running down the street away from her. She couldn’t work out who the person was from the distance, but they were in a hurry. What were they running away from? She told herself that she was being paranoid. It was just someone out for a run. She shook her head and stepped out of the car.
When she opened the door to the cottage she was greeted by Arnold who nuzzled her hand.
“Mee-Maw?”
“I’m here.” Charlotte walked out of the back hallway. “Ally, are you okay?” She rushed over to her. “You look frazzled.”
“I’m okay.” Ally forced a smile. “I just had a tense encounter with Gary.”
“Gary? How?” Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “Did you go back there without me?”
“Yes. I did, I was worried that he would take off again. I was just going to have a peek inside the apartment, but I saw him and I decided to talk to him.”
“What happened, sweetheart?” Charlotte steered her over to the couch to sit down. “Did he hurt you?”
“No. I just got a fright. He had a knife, I think he just took it out because I startled him.”
“That’s no excuse! Call Luke right this second and have this man arrested.”
“No, Mee-Maw, I don’t want to do that. It was a very small knife and he told me that he only pulled out the knife because he didn’t know who I was. I think he might have thought I was Jack.”
“Jack? Why would he be afraid of Jack? Do you think he knows that Jack knows he’s the one who killed Emma?”
Ally took a deep breath and ran her hands back through her hair. “I know that we thought that Gary killed Emma, but now I’m not so sure. He told me that he only stalked Jack and Emma because he suspected Jack was cheating on her. He was trying to prove it. He was clearly still in love with her and I think he was trying to protect her.”
“Which would make him come up with a crazy story like that. He killed Emma in a jealous rage. This only makes that more clear.”
“I’m not sure about that to be honest. I think maybe we’re overlooking something. Gary is the easy suspect, but there might be more to it than that. I think we should at least look into his story and see if it might be true.”
“You mean that Jack was cheating on Emma?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to believe that. But it’s not that uncommon in long distance relationships, and that’s what they had right? Sure they were married, but he was away the majority of the time.”
“That’s a good point. I don’t think it could hurt to look into it that’s for sure.”
Ally jumped when someone pounded on the door. It was heavier than a normal knock.
“Ally! Open the door, please.”
Ally’s eyes widened at the sound of Luke’s voice. Charlotte grimaced. “What’s got him riled up?”
“I don’t know.” Ally opened the door to find Luke on the other side. His cheeks were flushed as he stepped into the cottage.
“I need to speak to you.”
“Luke? What’s wrong?”
“I’ll just go check on something in the bedroom.” Charlotte hurried down the hall. Ally took a step back from Luke and frowned.
“You seem upset.”
“Yes, yes I am upset.” He frowned and closed the door behind him. “The whole way here I tried to think of a way to explain myself, so that you would actually hear me.”
“Luke, just tell me what happened.”
“You didn’t trust me to go talk to Gary?”
“I did. I mean, I just thought, you’re busy and you might not consider it a priority.”
“So, you had to go to him yourself?”
“How did you know that?”
“Because I was doing my job, I went to check in on Gary and found you in the parking lot. You drove off before I could get your attention. So, why would you go to Gary?”
Ally shrugged. “I wanted to find out the truth.”
“Did you talk to him?”
“Yes, I did.” She frowned. “I didn’t intend to, it just kind of happened.”
“Okay.” He sighed. “I just don’t want you putting yourself into dangerous situations. Just try to think things through.”
“I didn’t realize I was putting myself in a dangerous position until it was too late. Actually, I think you were right about him. I’m not convinced he killed Emma. He seemed to love her and wanted to protect her.”
“Whatever you may want to believe, Ally, you can’t just go talk to a potential murderer. It might end badly.”
“Yes, I understand that.” She smiled a little. “Lesson learned.”
“I’m sorry I was so upset when I got here.”
“It’s all right, I’m sorry for upsetting you. I’m glad you are looking out for me.”
“Good. I should probably get back to the station.”
“I believe there’s a kitchen that needs to be cleaned.” She looked towards it.
“Wait, Ally.” He caught her arm and looked into her eyes. “Can we have dinner tomorrow night?”
She stared at him with a small smile. “You want to?”
“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t.” He smiled.
“Okay, sure. Want to come here?”
“If you wouldn’t mind. That would be nice.”
“Seven?”
“Sure.” He ran his hand down her arm to her palm and took it in his. “I look forward to it.”
“Me too.” She rested her free hand on his chest. “I promise it won’t be peanut butter and jelly.”
“I wouldn’t care if it was.” He studied her a moment longer, then walked away. As his fingertips trailed along her palm she was tempted to pull him back.
“How did that go?” Charlotte poked her head out of the bedroom. “I didn’t hear any screaming or slamming.”
“Luke isn’t like that.” Ally laughed. “I think I could stomp on his foot and he’d just raise an eyebrow at me.”
“Oh, I know, I wasn’t worried about Luke. I was concerned about you.”
“Mee-Maw!”
“Well, you do have a bit of a temper.”
“I do not!” Ally crossed her arms. Then she bit into her bottom lip. “Okay, maybe a little one.”
“Don’t worry about that, honey, you get it from me, and there’s nothing wrong with having some fire in your blood.”
“Thanks Mee-Maw.”
“So, he wasn’t too upset?”
“Not really. He asked to have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
“Here? I can go back to my apartment.”
&nbs
p; “No, you absolutely can’t. Not until we have the murderer behind bars. There was something I hoped you might do for me though.”
“Ally, why do you have your puppy dog eyes on?”
“I have no idea what you mean.” Ally smiled.
“Ever since you were a little girl you had that face you would make and it would get you just about anything.”
“I just thought you might like to have some fun. Maybe, at a senior square dance.”
“Oh no, Ally! Anything but that! Square dancing is one thing I do not like. I am hopeless at it.”
“Please, it might get us some information about the suspects. Especially Mavis. I really think there’s something off about her. What if she is the one that pushed Emma down the stairs?”
Charlotte sighed and closed her eyes. “My darling, I have done many things for you, but this can’t be one of them.”
“Mee-Maw, you don’t have to dance. Just go and chat to the ladies. See if anyone knows anything about her history or whether she might have a connection with Emma. You love talking to people.”
“Ally, you’re going to owe me.”
“I know.” Ally grinned. “Big time.”
“Fine, I’ll go. But on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You make that poor man something better than peanut butter and jelly. Do you want me to cook for you before I go?”
“Stop it! I can handle it.”
“There’s that temper again.” Charlotte clucked her tongue. Ally laughed long and hard for the first time in quite some time. It was good to have that break from thinking about Emma.
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning Ally and Charlotte drove to the shop early. With the door locked they began to clean up the mess left behind from the day before.
They started with the back of the shop. They got rid of the chocolates and baked goods and raw ingredients. Then they cleaned everything in the back.
When they were finished in the back they moved to the front of the shop where the real damage was.
All of the beautiful treasures they had on the shelves were scattered across the floor. Ally picked up each piece carefully and set it back in its place.
“At least not much is broken.”
“The new display case should be in by tomorrow.” Charlotte swept some glass into a dust pan. “Pretty soon everything will be back to normal.”
“Hopefully we’ll work out what happened to Emma soon as well so we can put all of this behind us.”
“I hope so.” Charlotte’s attention was drawn to the parking lot. “That sounds like a delivery van.”
“Perfect timing,” Ally said as she opened the back door. It was their chocolate, dried fruit and nut delivery so they could at least start on making fresh chocolates. After Ally signed for the delivery, Charlotte went about preparing some chocolates and Ally continued cleaning the front of the shop.
After a couple of hours Ally was finally finished cleaning and was ready to help her grandmother when she heard a knock on the large front window. She turned to see Mrs. Bing, Mrs. Cale, and Mrs. White at the window. All three women waved at her.
“We’re closed, I’m sorry!” Ally walked over to the window and spoke through it.
“Who is it, Ally?”
“The ladies.”
“Let’s meet them on the sidewalk, it’ll be a nice surprise for them. Some of the chocolates should be set.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you around front.” Ally went through the front door. Charlotte went through the back door and met them around the front.
“We’re closed, but we can’t leave our favorite customers without some samples,” Charlotte said as she displayed a tray of chocolates. “We had to make them fresh so there are only a couple of varieties.”
“Oh, thank you,” Mrs. Bing said as they all smiled.
“So, any updates on Emma?” Mrs. White selected a chocolate.
“No nothing. Luke is investigating it,” Ally said.
“He’s so handsome.” Mrs. Bing smiled as she chewed a toffee. “You’re so lucky, Ally.”
“Sh, don’t jinx it.” Mrs. Cale snatched two pieces of chocolate.
“Yes, I agree, I’m very lucky. So, are you ladies going to the square dance tonight?”
“Absolutely, I can’t wait.” Mrs. Bing grinned.
“Wonderful. You’re going, too, aren’t you, Mee-Maw?”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I suppose.”
“Really? It’ll be so nice to have you there with us, Charlotte.” Mrs. White patted her hand. “You never come to the square dances.”
“It’s not my favorite.”
“Well, at least you’ll enjoy our company.” Mrs. Cale took another piece of chocolate. “I’m sure you could use a little fun after what happened at the shop.”
“And at your apartment!” Mrs. White clutched her throat. “So awful.”
“It’s not as terrible as it seems. Just a little clean-up required,” Charlotte said.
“You’re such a strong woman, Charlotte.” Mrs. White nodded.
“Have any of you seen Mavis around lately?” Ally asked.
“Oh Mavis?” Mrs. Cale shook her head. “Not recently but she is quite reclusive. Why?”
“I’m a little worried about the way she’s acting. It’s almost as if she’s not all there.”
“From what I heard she hasn’t been all there for quite some time.” Mrs. Bing clucked her tongue. “She really let herself go after Marley died.”
“Marley?” Ally asked.
“Her husband,” Mrs. Cale said. “She adored him.”
“How did he die?” Ally asked.
“Old age, but rumor has it that Mavis blamed the hospital he died at. The one in Mainbry. Said it was negligence. Mavis wasn’t the same after that,” Mrs. White said.
“But was there anything more to it? Was anything ever proven?” Ally’s eyes widened as she remembered that Emma had worked there as a nurse.
“No, nothing, just rumors,” Mrs. Bing said as she grabbed another chocolate.
“We’d better get back to work, ladies. Enjoy the rest of these. We’ll be back open soon, and I suppose I will be seeing you tonight,” Charlotte said.
“We’ll have a great time!” Mrs. Cale giggled.
“I’ll teach you some new moves.” Mrs. Bing clapped her hands.
Charlotte smiled and waved until the women rounded the corner, then turned to look at Ally. “You’re going to owe me, so very much.”
“I know, Mee-Maw, I know.” Ally hid a grin.
***
After the shop was cleaned up they headed over to Charlotte’s apartment to straighten her things.
“I am going to see if I can find the keys,” Charlotte said as they arrived at her apartment.
“If the police didn’t find them, then they’re probably not here.”
“I just feel so awful that it’s my fault all of this happened.” She sighed and put a couch cushion back on the couch.
“It’s not your fault, Mee-Maw. Someone stole your keys.”
“I know, but maybe if I’d been more careful.”
“If you had they just would have broken in. The same thing would have happened, but there might have been damage done to the locks and doors.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Mee-Maw, what did you think about Mavis blaming the hospital for her husband’s death? Emma was a nurse there. Do you think Mavis blamed her? Do you think that could be enough motivation to make her kill Emma?”
“If she thought Emma had something to do with her husband dying, I think it’s possible. With her state of mind it might even be likely,” Charlotte said.
“Be careful when you ask around about her. Also, maybe you could find out if anyone else spotted Jack anywhere around town.”
“Sure. Let me grab some things for tonight and we can head back to the cottage.” She disappeared into the bedroom.
Ally set a vas
e upright then wiped a rag across the kitchen counter. Would Mavis be capable of all of this? She doubted it. But then she’d seen that the woman could get very angry.
“That’s good enough for tonight, Ally. Let’s go. You need to get started on preparing your meal.”
“It’s not as if I’m making a five course meal.” Ally trailed after her and made sure that the new lock was secured on the door.
“Maybe you should. They say the way into a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
“Mee-Maw, I don’t think that path is going to work for me. Unless he is happy with only chocolate.”
“You don’t need to worry about that anyway, you’re already in his heart.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Ally got into the car.
“You’ll figure it out one day.”
“I don’t know if it’s worth the heartbreak.”
“What heartbreak?”
“When he changes his mind.”
“Sweetheart, not every man is that way.”
“I hope not.” Ally turned into the driveway of the cottage. “I guess I’m going to find out.”
Chapter Fifteen
While Charlotte dressed for the dance, Ally placed a call to Luke.
“I hope this isn’t to cancel.”
“No way. I can’t wait to see you.”
“Great. Then what can I help you with?”
“Could you see what you can find out about Jack?”
“Jack?”
“Yes. Have you looked into him?”
“A bit, I have someone looking into him further as we speak. Is there a reason you want me to look deeper?”
“I think you should look into his past a little, see if there are any red flags.”
“Okay, I’ll see what I can find.”
“Thanks Luke, I know you’re busy with other things, I appreciate it.” After she hung up she skimmed through recipes to figure out what she would make. Even as she made her selection, thoughts of Emma played on her mind. She printed the recipe she chose and headed into the kitchen to take care of it. A few minutes later her grandmother emerged from the bedroom.
“I’m ready to go, I suppose.”
Ally turned around to find her in a plaid shirt, and a matching cowboy hat. She swallowed back her desire to question just why she had that outfit stored in her closet.
