Chocolate-Covered Crime

by Cynthia Hickey

  I grinned. I knew he’d see it my way. Besides, snooping was more fun when he joined in. “There’s Joe and April.” I waved my hand to get their attention.

  “Did you hear a word I said?” Ethan frowned.

  “Every bit.”

  “Hey, Summer. Seen the body yet?” April gave her brother a hug. “The girl isn’t that good. She was sitting up when we went in.”

  “Did ya’ll get scripts?”

  “Yeah. Joe’s a detective, and I’m his flapper girlfriend. Like the dress?”

  Great. She got to come as a cute young thing in a black sequined dress while I was an old lady. “We didn’t get anything.” At least I’m here. Forgive me, Lord, for being envious. “Well, time to go nose around. See ya later.”

  Joe leaned closer to Ethan. “I hope she’s talking about the game.”

  “Of sorts.” Ethan handed his plate to a passing waiter. “I’ll keep her out of trouble.” He winked and steered me toward the hall. “Who do you want to question first?”

  I spotted Renee slipping past Mason, one manicured claw brushing across his back as she passed. “Her.” We followed her outside to the patio.

  Renee leaned against the banister, letting her head fall back. Her long hair blew in the slight breeze. She bent one knee, balancing her foot against the rails.

  “Hello, Renee. Thanks for the kitten.” I tried positioning my body into the same glamorous pose. Somehow, I figured the costume detracted from the appearance I wanted to give, and I straightened.

  “Summer. Ethan.” Her voice fairly purred when she said his name. “Ya’ll having fun? And you’re welcome about the kitten. I don’t care how you found out I left it. Mason and I are just playing with you. You take this detective stuff so seriously.”

  Very funny. “What about the rat?”

  She laughed. “Mason’s idea. Clever, wasn’t it?”

  “It was all just a game?” Great. I felt like a dodo head for thinking the rat and the kitten were somehow connected with my cousin’s murder.

  Renee nodded. “We wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it out. Especially with the silly clue left in the cat’s collar. You solved it quickly. I’m impressed.”

  “Where were you the night Mae Belle died?”

  “Summer, sweetie, you’ve got the wrong body.” She turned to look at me. “If I remember my notes, I was upstairs taking a nap, alone, when Mimi the maid was killed. I don’t have an alibi, but my hobby is botany. Have you found out what the poor girl was poisoned with?”

  I mentally slapped myself in the head. I’d stopped at the murder weapon. Maybe if I actually asked questions pertaining to the game, I could slip real investigative questions in by surprise. Trip up my suspect. I grabbed Ethan’s hand. “Let’s investigate the body and the room further.”

  The victim plopped back to her prone position when we entered. Mason should’ve done a better job of choosing his victim. If she’d move around with people searching the room, the girl didn’t lend much to the illusion. Another couple prowled the room peeking beneath cushions and behind curtains. If they hadn’t found anything, I wouldn’t waste my time retracing their steps. I frowned at the “actress” and headed for the desk while directing Ethan toward the rows of bookshelves.

  The top middle drawer revealed an ornate letter opener with, were those real gemstones? Stamps, paper clips, a gold pen, a pair of pointy scissors, and a rope. I giggled. All I needed was a wrench and lead pipe.

  Ethan held up a candlestick. “I feel like we’re playing the board game Clue.”

  I slammed the drawer closed. “Nothing in here. Let’s try the bathroom.”

  We passed a giggling April and Joe snuggling on a vacant bench in the hall. I guessed my cousin enjoyed his rare time out of uniform. “Ya’ll found any clues yet?”

  April stared at me. “Any what?”

  “Exactly.” I grinned at Ethan and pulled him along behind me. “Let’s solve this pretend mystery and move on to the real one.”

  A group of guests crowded around Mason who stood near the bathroom with his arm slung around Renee’s shoulders. “Has everyone here met the beautiful lady, Bella Donna?”

  Renee definitely got a better name and outfit than I’d received. I scowled in her direction and pushed past everyone until I practically fell through the throng and into the restroom. Ethan’s arm around my waist prevented me from hitting the tile floor on my knees. Steadied, I opened the medicine cabinet.

  “Cute.” I withdrew a prescription bottle covered with a slip of paper on which someone had drawn a skull and written the word belladonna. Belladonna? “Ethan, I’ve solved it. Simple, really. I would’ve loved more of a challenge, but now we can get on with the real thing.” Which I could guarantee wouldn’t be as easy to solve.

  Mason and Renee had disappeared by the time we forced our way through the people still standing outside the restroom. I informed April and Joe I’d solved the case as we marched past them. At least they’d risen from the bench in the time we’d been gone. Why come to the party if they were going to stay to themselves the whole time?

  “Which case?” Joe lowered his brows.

  “The game, silly.” Really, the man could be so dense.

  “Tell us how it was done!” April skipped beside me, leaving Joe to walk with Ethan.

  “No. Joe’s a cop. If ya’ll had been the slightest bit interested, you’d have solved it an hour ago.”

  “Come on. He doesn’t get a lot of time off. We wanted to make the most of it.” She glanced over her shoulder.

  “You can come with me when I talk to Renee.”

  A scream ripped down the hall.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Ethan and Joe sprinted past April and me. We followed at a fast walk. April clutched my arm like the scaredy-cat she’d proven to be, and slowed me down. I tried shrugging her off to move faster, but she dug her claws in deeper. For your typical bouncy blond, she showed signs of being a party pooper.

  “Do you think it’s part of the game?” Her voice squeaked despite the whisper.

  “Maybe. If you’d loosen your grip, we could go see.”

  “What if it isn’t?” She squealed.

  I shook my arm. “Mason said others would disappear or be murdered. The party’s been pretty lame so far. Maybe he’s shaking things up.”

  She released her viselike hold. “I’d forgotten. How silly of me. This might be fun.”

  Lord, if I get as dizzy headed as my friend, go ahead and fry me with a bolt of lightning. Ethan and Joe skidded to a stop outside the open door of Mason’s study. The “victim” wrapped her arms around my intended’s neck, holding on as if hell’s dominions were after her.

  Mimi raised a tear-streaked face from Ethan’s shoulder. “I took a break. When I came back, I found her. It had to have just happened. I thought it was part of the game at first. Someone to play the part of another victim, but it’s not. It’s not. She’s really dead!” The pretty girl wailed and hid her face in Ethan’s shoulder. He appeared to struggle with an octopus as he tried to disentangle himself from her.

  I peeked past Joe. Renee “Bella Donna” Richards lay sideways on the chaise. Scissors, buried to the handle, poked from the center of her chest. Dark eyes stared heavenward as we remained wedged in the doorway. Curtains billowed from open french-style doors. My gaze fell to the floor. Muddy footprints cut a path across the mahogany floor.

  Renee had to be the third or fourth dead body I’d seen in the last few months. Mae Belle’s death had been difficult enough, and although cousins, we’d been virtually strangers. Renee was my nemesis from as far back as high school. That made us almost sisters, didn’t it? At the sight of her usually vibrant and vicious self lying lifeless, my heart grew heavy.

  Joe bolted forward. Despite the telltale spread of blood across the upholstery, he felt for a pulse. “This isn’t part of the game. You’re right. She’s dead. She hasn’t been here but a few minutes. She’s still warm.” He whipped his ce
ll phone from his pocket, punched in a number, and barked orders. Snapping his phone closed, he turned to us. “Ethan, get these people back. Keep them out of here. April, take care of Mimi. Summer, come here.”

  Wow, I felt privileged. I squared my shoulders, tilted my chin upward, and stepped forward. I stumbled slightly on the edge of the Oriental rug but quickly regained my composure and joined Joe.

  “I know you were referring to the game when you said you’d solved the case, but can you elaborate?” Joe had moved to “Big Police Man” mode, furrowed brow, deepened lines around his mouth. He pulled a pen and small spiral notebook out of the back pocket of his pants.

  My voice shook. “Renee, uh, Bella Donna, did it in the study with the poison. Belladonna to be exact. The suspect slipped it into the victim’s drink.” He had to be impressed.

  “When was the last time you spoke with her?”

  I stood on my tiptoes to try and see what he wrote. He shifted the pad. “On the patio. With Ethan. I tried questioning her about Mae Belle’s murder.” I glanced again at the body. “Then I saw her outside the bathroom with Mason. He had his arm around her. That was maybe ten or fifteen minutes ago. Do you think he did it?”

  Joe’s scowl deepened. Sirens wailed in the distance. “I can’t discuss that with you. During your snooping, did you see anyone come in here with, or after, Renee?”

  Could it be possible that Joe valued my insight—finally? “No, I was in the restroom with Ethan.” At Joe’s raised-eyebrow look, I added, “Searching for the poison. Here.” I handed him the pill bottle. “It’s fake.”

  I glanced at Renee. “But I did see those scissors in the drawer.” I shoved past him to double-check the desk. No scissors. “And those doors have been closed all night. Plus, I’m sure you’ve noticed the footprints.”

  “Yes, Sherlock, I have. And, as usual, you’re contaminating a crime scene. Stop touching things.”

  “What’s going on here?” Mason shoved through his guests. His gaze fell on Renee. He moaned and dropped to his knees beside her.

  “Don’t touch the body,” Joe said as the other man reached out a hand.

  “Oh Renee.” Tears welled in Mason’s eyes. Either he felt remorseful, was a good actor, or was innocent. “Who would do this?” He pushed to his feet. Sobs shook his shoulders, and he sagged against the nearest chair.

  “Mr. White, I need to ask you to remain calm. Have a seat on the sofa. The other officers will be here any moment to ask you and your guests some questions. We need to make sure no one leaves. I’d also like a guest list.”

  Ethan seemed more than happy to relinquish crowd control to the arriving police. He stepped into the room and put an arm around my shoulders. “Are you all right?”

  I nodded and nestled into him. A sudden chill ran up my spine.

  Mason wouldn’t have had time to commit the murder, run out the door, scale the patio wall, and arrive back in here. Even if he was a sprinter, he’d at least be breathing hard. I pulled Ethan with me to the french doors.

  “Contrary to my first beliefs, I don’t think Mason killed Mae Belle or Renee. He seems genuinely upset. Plus, he wouldn’t do it during his own party, would he? That would be stupid. He’s the first person the cops will suspect. Well, at least I would.” I stepped outside. The yard glowed beneath strung party lights. Except for this side.

  I leaned over the railing. A string of unlit bulbs hung in a trail to the ground. Footprints sank in the mud of the flower beds and trailed off into a row of trees opposite the lawn. “Come on.” I scaled the short patio wall and landed with a dull thud.

  Ethan made the drop with one bound. Hand in hand we raced for the trees, stopping just inside the tree line. “I cannot believe you’ve roped me into this again,” he whispered. “My guess is Mason did it. He ran track in high school, I found out he was having an affair with Renee, and...”

  “How did you find out? I suspected days ago. Do you think Mason might have an accomplice?”

  He shrugged. “I took a cue from you and listened. Guys do listen sometimes.”

  “Maybe we’ll get lucky and find someone else to add to the suspect list.” I refused to believe I could be that far off on my suspicions. No one from my list besides Mason and Renee had attended the party. That meant any one of them could have come here and killed her. And why had Ethan not filled me in on his new information? We’d be having a serious talk when we got home.

  “Joe’s going to have a fit that we left. Having you as my fiancée puts a damper on mine and Joe’s friendship.” Ethan winked.

  “We’ll be back before he knows. He won’t disown you. April’s your sister.” I stopped and pulled my flashlight from a pocket of my dress. Ethan raised his eyebrows. I shrugged. “Just in case I needed it.”

  “Uh-huh.” He took it from me and scanned the trail in front of us. “Whoever we’re following has shoe prints larger than yours and smaller than mine. Could be man or woman.”

  “See, Mason could never have made it out this far, and he’s almost as tall as you.”

  “This doesn’t mean anything. These footprints could be a day old. They could belong to the gardener.”

  Maybe, but I refused to admit it. Besides, I enjoyed running through the dark with Ethan by my side. We spent so little time alone, thanks to my two guard dogs, Aunt Eunice and Uncle Roy. I tugged on his hand. “Let’s go just a little farther.”

  “You should go back.”

  I shook my head. “You can’t leave me. I’m safer with you.”

  Something crashed through the brush. Ethan yanked me down. We hunkered behind a leafy bush. Ethan clicked off the flashlight, and I strained to see. Amazing how many sounds the woods had at night. Eerie. Mason didn’t do a very good job of keeping the underbrush of his property cleared. I swatted a low-hanging branch away from my face and scooted closer to my protector. “Is it an animal?”

  Ethan shrugged. “Maybe.” He rose, pulling me with him. “Let’s head back. If we’re close to the person who killed Renee, we’re putting ourselves in harm’s way. We’ll tell Joe about the cut string of lights and the footprints. Let him make his own conclusion.”

  I glanced over my shoulder. The moon cast enough light through the trees that I could make out the shape of a person hiding behind a juniper bush. “Ethan, there’s someone there.”

  He whirled. “Hey, you!”

  The figure darted away from us. We flicked the flashlight back on and pursued. A baseball cap and trench coat made it impossible to determine the gender. Our flight through the trees startled some bats, which flew over our heads. It would have been a contest to see who screeched louder. Them or me.

  Where did Ethan get his stamina? My breath came in gasps. A pain stabbed my side. “Slow down, Ethan.”

  “We’ve almost caught him. I think there’s a fence up ahead.” He leaped over a log, dragging me with him. My hip smacked against the bark. Ethan slowed long enough to ask if I was all right then lurched ahead.

  The person in front of us stopped, turned, and raised one arm. Ethan shoved me to the ground as a shot rang over our heads.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Ethan’s breath stirred the air by my ear. “You aren’t hit, are you?”

  “No. I’m fine.” If you didn’t count the threat of my heart thumping out of my chest and the risk of being crushed by my fiancé. Renee was killed by scissors; now we were being shot at. Could it be the same person or someone completely new?

  He pulled me to a crouch. Keeping me behind him, Ethan stared in the direction of the mystery guest. He, or she, had vanished. Ethan took my hand and led me at a brisk walk back to Mason’s house.

  Joe met us halfway across the lawn, gun in hand. “I heard a shot.”

  Ethan placed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to stop my trembling. “We followed the footprints into the woods. We saw someone dressed in a baseball cap and trench coat, and we followed. The person shot at us.”

  “No one hurt?” Joe’s gaze
skimmed over us. “We’re fine, but I’d like to get Summer inside.”

  Joe barked orders and motioned for a couple of officers to head in the direction we’d come. “You never should have pursued a suspect. You could have been killed. Besides possibly contaminating evidence by scaling the patio wall.” He shook his head. “I expect this type of behavior from Summer, but I credited you with more sense, Ethan.”

  “Got caught up in the moment. When we did see someone, it seemed natural to follow.” He steered me past my cousin, into the living room, and deposited me on a sofa next to April.

  A pretty girl in a maid uniform offered me a glass of wine. I shook my head. “Water would be wonderful, though.” She scurried off to fetch my drink.

  April pulled a cashmere throw from behind me and placed it around my shoulders. Tremors subsiding, I grinned. Despite another near brush with death, the thrill of pursuit coursed through me. Call me mental, but I’d developed a fondness for the rush of the chase. The closeness of solving a mystery. The danger. The drawback being that I often involved someone I cared about.

  “I can’t believe you’re smiling.” April folded her arms. “I thank God you didn’t drag me into those dark woods. That farmer’s house was terrifying enough. Now you’ve got my brother hooked. Yes”—she nodded at my stunned look— “that’s exactly what it is. You’re addicted.”

  “Ethan is a grown man. I’m not forcing him to help me.”

  “Yes, you are. He loves you. He’s going to do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Even if it means going with you on your wild-goose chases. Had it even entered your silly head that he could have been shot out there? He’s my brother!” She stood and glowered at me.

  “No! None of the victims have been shot. How was I supposed to know? But I made a promise. . .”

  “Oh please. Don’t try to justify yourself. Last time, you wanted to save a woman who reminded you of the night your parents died. Now, it’s a promise to someone you didn’t care much for in the first place.”