Chocolate-Covered Crime

by Cynthia Hickey

  Hubert and Edna sat cozily in a corner booth. Lewis Anderson leaned against the counter and appeared to be studying a menu mounted on the wall. Except for Mason and Sherry, it seemed my entire suspect list had a craving for pizza at the new pizzeria’s grand opening. The perfect opportunity to observe them and remain undetected.

  A grinning teenage girl with a swinging ponytail directed me to the banquet room. I pushed through the saloon-style doors.

  “Surprise!”

  “Happy birthday!”

  Friends and family shouted and tossed iridescent-colored confetti in my direction. Ethan grabbed me, dipped me over his arm, and kissed me before saying, “Happy thirtieth, Tink.” My head spun when he righted me.

  I couldn’t believe I’d been so wrapped up in the case that I’d forgotten my own birthday. April slapped a party hat on my head and snapped the elastic under my chin. “Ow!”

  “Stop being a baby.” She gave me a big hug. “Bet you thought everyone forgot, didn’t you?”

  “Actually I forgot.” My cheeks hurt from smiling.

  “Right. You never pass up an opportunity to be the center of attention.”

  Aunt Eunice wrapped her arms around me. “I’m sorry I dashed off and left you with all that work.” She grinned. “But I had a good reason.”

  I placed a kiss on her cheek. “You are the best, Aunt Eunice.”

  “I know.” She kissed me back. “Let’s eat, then we’ll have cake and presents.”

  After the stress of circumstances since Mae Belle’s death, the camaraderie with my family and friends gave me a grin that hurt my cheeks. My mood lightened. The pile of gifts brought tears to my eyes.

  Aunt Eunice thrust a package into my hands. “Open mine first. It’s a computer program that will enable you to keep track of all your leads.”

  I smiled at her. “Glad you could keep it a surprise.”

  Ethan’s gift was the niftiest little handheld camera with a powerful zoom lens. They’d all given me something to do with solving mysteries. Joe, bless his cop-thinking heart, said he’d had the phone company put a GPS tracker on my new cell phone. Tears coursed down my cheeks. “I thought ya’ll wanted me to stop?”

  “Sweetheart.” Ethan cupped my face and wiped my tears away with his thumbs. “This is who you are. This nosiness, this craziness, this unshakable need to help others, despite your insisting God didn’t give you compassion.” He grinned. “None of us want you to change. We love you just the way you are. Happy birthday.”

  I wanted to marry the man that instant. Why wait until spring? Never mind that I didn’t have a dress, a cake, or a caterer. Ethan steered me to a seat and plopped a plastic tiara on my head. April placed a plate of pizza and a glass of soda in front of me.

  “Ya’ll are spoiling me.” Tears stung my eyes. “This is the happiest day of my life.”

  “Not for long.” Aunt Eunice nodded toward the glass door.

  Sherry barged through, slamming the swinging door panels against the wall. She glared at the group before zeroing in on me. She reminded me of a picture I’d seen of an enraged bull. And I was the waving red cape. “You had this planned the entire time!”

  “Excuse me?” I had the urge to hide behind Ethan’s broad shoulders.

  “A Dream Wedding.” She stepped into my personal space. I drew back to keep our noses from touching. “I found this.” She waved a sheet of pink stationery in front of my face. “Mae Belle said she’d make me her partner!”

  I took the paper from her. Mae Belle apparently kept a handwritten will at her former place of business in addition to a copy at her lawyer’s office. I handed the sheet back to Sherry. “You can buy the business from me. I don’t want it.”

  Her eyes almost bugged out of her head. “Where am I supposed to get that kind of money?”

  Aunt Eunice grabbed my arm and dragged me to a corner of the room. “Are you as crazy as Sherry? She’s on your suspect list. Has it occurred to you that she might have killed Mae Belle to get the store? Now you own it, and you’re willing to hand it to her? She might try to kill you off as well.”

  The thought had occurred to me. Especially after meeting her in the woods. “With Sherry managing A Dream Wedding, she’ll be where I can keep an eye on her. Plus, if it is the store she wants, she won’t have to kill anymore to get it. I’ll have time to prove her guilty or not. I really don’t want the silly thing.”

  “Fine.” Aunt Eunice released me and folded her arms. “Just don’t come crying to me when you wind up dead.”

  “I won’t.” I turned back to Sherry. “One question, Sherry. How did you get that letter?”

  Her face reddened. “Uh, I uh. . .”

  “You stole it. You’ve been snooping around, and I’m willing to bet you weren’t searching for bats in the woods. I’m guessing that canvas bag you dragged around had things from the store in it. Am I correct?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “Yes.” She narrowed her eyes. “But it’s my stuff. Things owed to me. I knew once you cleaned the place out, it’d be too late.”

  “Why did you park outside my house the other night? After your supposed bat hunt?” Okay, it was two questions, but she seemed willing to communicate. Kind of.

  “You’re crazy, do you know that? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  I gnawed my lower lip and stared at the woman in front of me. Could I trust her to run the place? It’s not like there were any customers. If she wanted Mae Belle dead, she’d have waited until she owned the business. “Fine. I’ll be making an inventory tomorrow, and I’ll know whether you took anything else. You can work there until you either buy it from me, or I decide what to do with it.” I folded my arms and glared until she turned and barged out the door.

  “I sure hope you’re doing the right thing.” Aunt Eunice stood beside me.

  “You and me both.” I watched through the large window of the banquet room as Sherry marched to her dark-colored sedan. She glanced to her left before climbing behind the wheel. I stepped closer to the glass and squinted.

  Mason and Larry Bell were throwing punches at each other under the parking lot lights.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Joe and Ethan dashed past me. Aunt Eunice and I tried crowding through the door at the same time. My hip banged against the door frame. She grunted when we got stuck, and I stepped back to let her pass. By the time we’d reached the parking lot, Joe and Ethan held the fighters apart. Mason and Larry now hurled words instead of fists.

  “How dare you judge me!” Mason spat his words at Larry while trying to pull free of Ethan’s grip on his arm. “Let go.”

  “Every man shall be judged.” Larry stood complacent with Joe’s hands clamped on his shoulders. “You are a whoremonger.”

  “I won’t be criticized by the likes of you. Let go, Banning.” He jerked loose and swung a punch at Ethan’s face, connecting with the sound of someone slapping a side of beef.

  Ethan’s lip split, splattering his shirt with drops of blood. “Hey! Your problem isn’t with me.” He wrapped Mason in a bear hug. Mason drew back his head then thrust it forward into Ethan’s nose. Ethan released his grip and stumbled backward. My poor baby was getting mangled.

  I leaped into the fray, launching onto Mason’s back like an infant orangutan on its mother. Not to be outdone, Aunt Eunice slapped Larry across the cheek.

  “What’s that for? I’m just standing here!”

  “Eunice, that’s assault.” Joe released Larry and grasped Eunice’s hand.

  “Looked to me like he wanted to get in there and hit someone, so I stopped him.” She pulled free of Joe, planted her fists on her hips, and transferred her attention to me. “Need any help, Summer? This one’s subdued.”

  “No, I got it.” I tightened my hold around Mason’s neck. He spun like a top to try and dislodge me. Uncle Roy marched across the parking lot with his trusty rifle and aimed for the sky. I’d told him a million times that only rednecks drove around with a gun rack in
their truck. Would the man ever listen to me?

  “You shoot that gun, Roy, and I’m arresting you.” Joe grabbed for the weapon. “Why you keep it stashed in your truck is beyond me.” Uncle Roy clutched it to his chest and darted back to his Chevy.

  “Grab him, Ethan!” Larry swung wildly at Mason, barely missing my head.

  “Get her off me, Banning!” Mason turned to brush me off by slamming into the nearest car. The breath left me in a whoosh, and pain radiated through my lower back.

  Ethan wrapped his arms around my waist and yanked. “Thanks for the help, sweetheart, but I can handle this.” He set me on my feet and threw a punch that knocked Mason to the asphalt. Mason stared at us from the ground, his right eye reddening.

  “Had enough?” Ethan offered a hand to help the man to his feet.

  Mason nodded and grasped it. “My beef wasn’t with you. It’s with that know-it-all little twerp Bell.”

  “You still can’t brawl in a public place.” Joe scowled, one hand clutching Larry, the other regaining its grip on Aunt Eunice.

  “Then arrest me.” Mason rubbed his knuckles.

  “Why don’t you tell me what started this.” Joe released his captives and withdrew a pad of paper and pencil from his pocket.

  “This man is swine.” Larry tilted his chin toward Mason. “An adulterer.”

  “I’m not married, and neither was Renee. You’re probably the one who killed her. You and your self-righteous ways.”

  “Immorality runs rampant in Mountain Shadows.”

  “And you’ve elected yourself as cleanup crew?”

  My neck swiveled like a lawn sprinkler between the two men. This was the best birthday entertainment ever. Aunt Eunice sported a grin that rivaled the Cheshire cat. April had joined us at some point and sat perched on the hood of my car. She clutched a handful of tissues.

  My elation dropped a notch when I noticed the blood dripping from Ethan’s nose. He’d tried unsuccessfully to stanch the flow with a festively decorated napkin.

  “Oh.” I rushed to his side. “I’m so sorry. Let me help you. Is it broken?”

  He shook his head. “Happy birthday, Summer.”

  “It is. Very entertaining.”

  He frowned.

  “Except for your battered face.”

  “Uh-huh.” Ethan raised his head toward the sky. “Go put your pretty little nose where it wants to be.”

  Mason took a step toward Larry. Joe stiff-armed him to keep him away from the other man. “Look, Mason. Either you stop the aggression, or I’m hauling you to the station.”

  “Haul him in, the little weasel.”

  Larry kept an impassive expression on his bland face. “I must go about the Lord’s work, Mr. White. And fornication is an abomination.” His voice rose until he almost shouted.

  Who would have thought Larry to be a self-proclaimed prophet? I exchanged glances with April. She shrugged. We needed to search deeper into Larry’s involvement with Mae Belle. If the man had been planning a wedding, where was the bride? If he’d wanted a party, where were the friends? And what was up with Mason’s defensive attitude? My head ached from all the questions. My back throbbed.

  I sidled next to April. “So, who do you think we should check out? Mason and his blatant disregard for moral values, or the up-and-coming evangelist?”

  “Who’s on your list?”

  “Sherry, but I’ve got her covered. Anderson, the funeral director, Mason, Hubert Smith, Edna Mobley, and Larry Bell. We can rule out Renee, for obvious reasons.” I sighed. Not liking her didn’t remove my sadness at the way she’d died.

  “Speaking of suspects.” I motioned to the other side of the lot. Hubert ushered Edna from the pizza parlor and gave our group a wide berth. Edna caught me looking and ducked her head.

  Larry stepped in their direction and pointed. “More infidels!”

  Joe snapped his notebook closed. “That’s enough, Larry. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d been drinking.” He leaned closer and sniffed. “You don’t smell like you have. Go home, and leave others alone.”

  “Remember the plank in your own eye before you go pointing out the splinters in other people’s.” Aunt Eunice nodded to emphasize her point. A plank in Larry’s eye? Did she know something about the man?

  I’d neglected my suffering fiancé long enough. I made a mental note to get with my aunt later tonight. I joined Ethan as he leaned against his truck. “Are you ready to go? We should probably put some ice on your nose.”

  “I thought maybe you forgot about me.” He smiled and winked. “Ow.”

  “Let me get Uncle Roy to carry my gifts, and I’ll meet you back here.”

  The bleeding had stopped by the time we reached my house, but I led Ethan inside, situated him on a kitchen chair, then made a pack for his nose out of a washcloth and plastic bag full of ice. Uncle Roy deposited my gifts on the kitchen table, and Aunt Eunice prepared a pot of coffee.

  “Whooee! What a party.” She leaned against the counter.

  Joe strolled in behind April and plopped into a chair next to Ethan. “A parking lot brawl is not a celebration.”

  “What’s the plank in Larry’s eye?” I stared at my aunt and rubbed Ethan’s temples.

  “No gossip.” Joe reached for a mug and held it out for Aunt Eunice to fill.

  “It’s common knowledge that Larry found himself an Internet girlfriend. He spouted the news all over town. Then Mae Belle, bless her heart, decided to try it for herself. Must have been before she got involved with that funeral director. Or maybe he’s what she found on the cyber highway of love.” Aunt Eunice poured a drink for Uncle Roy. “Anyway, turned out it was all a scam. Larry’s been bitter ever since. Said Mae Belle ran his love away. Took it upon himself to be the conscience of Mountain Shadows. He’s been upsetting a lot of people. Mason ain’t the only one who’s mad at the guy.”

  “It’s sad that Larry got scammed, but it doesn’t give him the right to go poking his nose into everyone’s business.” Which reminded me to check on Ethan. The bleeding hadn’t resumed.

  “Look who’s talking.” Joe clunked his mug on the table. “The Queen of Nosiness.”

  “I’m trying to solve a crime.”

  “For the hundredth time, it’s not your job.”

  I took the stained washcloth from Ethan’s swollen nose and rinsed it in the sink. Seemed like I had two mysteries to solve: Mae Belle’s murder and the computer scam involving Larry. Maybe his mystery “love” had something to do with my cousin’s death. If Mae Belle put a stop to a scam earning a lot of money, that would be reason enough to shut her up, wouldn’t it?

  Aunt Eunice set the coffeepot back on the stove. “And if that ain’t bad enough, the man still harbors sore feelings over the fact that my friends Ruby and Mabel both turned him down when he asked them out. I think that was before he turned to the Internet. The poor fool hounded them for weeks.”

  I leaned against the counter. “Who do you think killed Mae Belle and Renee, Joe?”

  Joe choked on his coffee. “Why do you ask me questions you know I can’t answer?”

  “Not even off the record?” Fine. I’d tell him my own opinion. “Here’s what I’m thinking.”

  Ethan crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, April rolled her eyes, and Joe’s shoulders slumped.

  “Lots of people had a reason to do away with Mae Belle. She may be my cousin, but let’s face it, the woman had an abrasive attitude. I still don’t know why she went into a business working with people.” I paced. “Hubert Smith and Edna Mobley are upset because she ruined the plans for their wedding. Mason, who I don’t really think is the murderer, tried using her to plan a party. He ended up planning one himself. But”—I paused and held up a hand—“what if Mae Belle found out about him and Renee?”

  Joe opened his mouth to say something. I held up a hand to stop him.

  “Then there’s Lewis Anderson, who I’ve discovered was having an affair with Mae Belle. He cou
ld have killed her in order to hide his dirty secret from his wife. Then there’s Larry Bell.”

  “Okay, Sherlock, who do you think did it?” Joe tilted his chin. “Who’s at the top of your list?”

  “I prefer Nancy Drew. I’ve told you that. Sherlock is a man. They’re all pretty even on my suspect list. Renee was on there, but, well. . .” I plopped into a chair. “Maybe I do cause death and destruction everywhere I go. When the diamonds showed up under my rosebush, Terri Lee died. Then I found that girl at the carnival, now Mae Belle and Renee.” A sob rose in my throat. “I just want to help people.” My shoulders slumped, and I bowed my head to stare at the floor. A spider scuttled across my line of vision. If I hadn’t been so dejected, I would’ve jumped up and screamed.

  Ethan rose and pulled me into his arms. “We know that, honey. None of this is your fault.”

  I stiffened and buried my face in his shirt. “Joe’s always yelling at me; now April did.”

  “I said I was sorry,” April said.

  “I haven’t yelled at you lately,” Joe added, leaning back in his chair. “And I won’t unless you break the law. You’ve got a good list of suspects compiled. I’ve been checking them, and they all have valid reasons for disliking Mae Belle. But none of them seem like the killing sort. Just because you don’t like someone doesn’t mean you want them dead.” He let the chair legs slam back to the floor.

  “Forget it. I’m just feeling sorry for myself. I honestly thought I’d have this solved by now.” I plopped into the nearest chair.

  “We’re focusing on the computer scam,” Joe said. “There’s your tidbit of free knowledge.”

  “The love interest’s name is Lola.” I turned, and the words burst from my mouth before I could hold them back.

  Joe speared me with his gaze. “How do you know that?”

  “Uh.” I glanced at April. I might as well tell the truth. Joe would be less mad. “We went to visit Larry and got on his computer.” If Joe’s crimson face was any indication, he’d be shouting at me very soon.