Fatal Chocolate Obsession (Death by Chocolate Book 5)

by Sally Berneathy

  I finished my shower, put on my robe and headed back to my room. The door to the guest room was closed. Inside the boys were giggling and talking. Weren’t kids supposed to sleep late on Saturday morning, get up about noon and watch cartoons?

  I dressed and Henry and I went downstairs.

  Trent was asleep on the sofa. He looked adorable lying there in his rumpled clothes, his feet hanging off one end, his mouth slightly open, snoring softly.

  Henry nudged my leg and darted toward the kitchen. His breakfast could not be delayed.

  I tiptoed into the kitchen and saw Fred lying on his air mattress in front of the back door. He appeared to be sleeping. I moved closer to finally answer the question of whether Fred ever slept. His breathing was slow and even and he wasn’t wearing his glasses. I was certain I’d caught him sleeping.

  His eyes opened.

  I gasped and jumped back.

  He sat up and frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Nothing. I’ve got to feed Henry.”

  I poured food into the bowl while Fred let the air out of his mattress.

  He folded it with such precision it fit into the bag it came in. Magical powers.

  I returned to the living room where Trent still slept, leaned over to kiss his forehead then moved my lips to his ear to whisper something I found difficult to say while he was awake. This would be good practice for the awake part.

  “I’m going to walk you to your car and follow you to work.” Fred was right behind me.

  I straightened and looked at him. Whatever he’d been doing on that air mattress all night didn’t involve rumpling his clothes. They were probably made from special fabric from the planet Krypton. He was wearing his glasses again, his disguise as a mild-mannered neighbor back in place.

  “Me too.” Trent’s voice was raspy with sleep.

  I turned to find him sitting up, rubbing his eyes. “You too what? You don’t even know what we’re talking about. Go back to sleep. It’s still dark outside.”

  “Me too, I’m walking you to your car and then I’m going to drive behind you to work and be sure you get inside safely.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “You really think you can keep up with me? I’ll be halfway to the restaurant before you wake up enough to figure out where my front door is.”

  Behind me Fred snorted. “I’ll give you a five minute handicap while I get my car.”

  I sighed, resigning myself to having an escort.

  I would never admit it to them, but I was actually a little relieved they were going with me. Grady could be waiting on my front porch or in the alley behind Death by Chocolate. Ken could have tracked down Tina. Evil could be lurking in the darkness.

  ***

  I made the journey to Death by Chocolate with Trent in the lead and Fred on my bumper. We all parked behind the restaurant and got out.

  “Paula’s here. The lights are on inside and that’s her car,” I said. “You can go home now.”

  Trent took my arm. “As soon as we’re sure Paula’s the only one here.”

  I rolled my eyes, but again I was secretly a little relieved. I didn’t want to walk into the restaurant and find Paula tied to a chair while Grady boiled a chocolate rabbit on the stove.

  Paula looked up in surprise when we entered. She was alone, unfettered, rolling out dough as usual. “Good morning. I haven’t started the coffee yet, but I can put some on. It’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks, but we can’t stay,” Trent said. “We wanted to be sure Lindsay got here safely.”

  Paula shuddered. “I hope you find Grady and arrest him today.”

  “Fred and I are going to be working on that,” he assured her.

  Two of the three important men in my life (Henry’s the third) don’t always get along. Trent doesn’t approve of Fred’s methods and Fred…well, he’s Fred. I was glad they would be working together. I was certain Grady had no chance to escape with the two of them after him.

  “Thanks for the escort,” I said.

  Trent gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and the two of them left. I closed then locked the door, something I don’t usually do. But there isn’t usually a psycho murderer stalking me.

  “It took me half an hour and two glasses of milk to get Zach calmed down last night,” Paula said. “How much longer will your guests be there?”

  “They leave tomorrow.”

  She nodded. “I suppose we can get through one more evening.”

  “Maybe you can. I’m not sure I can.” I told her about the bathroom scene. It was, I thought, rather rude of her to laugh.

  ***

  We open late on Saturday and only serve brunch so it’s a short day. However, the three hours we served customers stretched to eternity. Every time the bell over the front door jingled, my heart stopped until I saw it wasn’t Grady coming in.

  Finally the day was over and we put up the closed sign.

  Then a new terror hit me.

  Only a couple of hours until I had to go home and face the Hyper Horde. Only a couple of hours until my peace and eardrums would be shattered.

  “What are you doing?” Paula asked as I moved the broom across the floor in slow motion.

  “I think I’ll just spend the night here.”

  “You can’t do that. You have to go home and rescue Henry.”

  I groaned and swept a little faster. Henry knew how to hide, but he did need me to get his food out of the pantry.

  Trent called as Paula and I were finishing our cleanup.

  “Did you catch him?” First words out of my mouth. Damn! That wasn’t what I’d intended to say. So much for pretending to be nonchalant and unconcerned.

  A moment of silence followed, a poignant silence if I’ve ever heard one. “Not yet. I’m having trouble getting a search warrant for his house and place of business. My lab won’t even look at the DNA on that wrapping paper. Fred broke the official chain of custody.” He might be working with Fred, but his words were saturated with disapproval of Fred’s methods.

  “It’s not his fault. I was going to throw it away, give it to Henry to destroy, burn it and flush it down the toilet stool.”

  “I know. Fred did the best possible thing under the circumstances. I just wish you’d reported those gifts to us in the first place.”

  “I thought they were from Rickhead!”

  “I’m not getting on your case.” He sighed. I could almost see him running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I’m just worried. Does Grady’s son still come in for lunch?”

  “He was here yesterday, but I haven’t seen him today.”

  “He lives with his dad, right?”

  “Yes.” I’d been so distracted by Tina’s kids and the threat of Grady still out there, I hadn’t thought about Brandon. Suddenly the pieces of the puzzle slammed into place and created a terrifying picture. “Oh, no! Their shop was closed and nobody answered the door at their home? Where’s Brandon? I hope Grady didn’t do something to him! He gave him a black eye a few days ago. I knew I shouldn’t have told Brandon about that scene his dad made in the restaurant. Brandon was really upset. What if he confronted his father and…?” I couldn’t finish the what if.

  “Don’t jump to conclusions. He probably went to stay with friends, maybe a girlfriend.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm my frantic mind. “Maybe. He hasn’t mentioned a girlfriend, but he’s been looking for a place to live so he can get away from his dad. Maybe he does have someone.”

  “Do you know how to contact him? If he lives and works with his father, he can give us permission to search the house and business without a warrant.”

  “He gave me his business card and wrote his cell number on the back. I’ll look for it when I get home.”

  “Call me when you leave the restaurant, and this one time I’ll let you talk on your cell phone and drive at the same time.”

  He really was worried.

  ***

  For
once I drove home slowly, drawing out the conversation with Trent and lingering as long as I could before confronting the very energetic children in my house. I had a large bag of chocolate goodies in the passenger seat that I planned to use to bribe the kids into silence or, failing that, glue their mouths shut with gooey peanut butter bars.

  As I pulled into my drive, I was pleased to see the house was still standing.

  “Signing off,” I said. “Nobody in the yard.”

  “You don’t hang up until you’re inside.”

  I got out of my car and headed across the yard. Nobody jumped out from behind the oak tree. Nobody lurked around the side of the house. Of course, it was three thirty in the afternoon. Most lurking occurs after dark.

  “I need to buy a gun. Then you and Fred wouldn’t have to worry about me.”

  “You and a gun in the same room? I’d really worry about you then.”

  “Stepping onto the porch and all is well.” I heard noises from inside, but I couldn’t see anything. Tina had left the blinds closed, presumably so Ken couldn’t see in if he found her. I knew the odds of him finding her at my house were small, but small isn’t the same thing as zero.

  A white flash shot out of the bushes and onto the porch. Henry looked up at me with a pitiful expression. “And my guard cat’s here. All is well. I’m coming to your house to spend the night, right?”

  “Right. I’ll bring burgers and rings for everybody, and you can come home with me after we eat. We can even take Henry if you want.”

  “He’ll be fine as long as I get home early tomorrow morning to feed him.”

  “I’ve got a couple of things to do, but I’ll see you around seven thirty or eight. Love you, babe.”

  “Me too.” Okay, I didn’t actually say the words, but just the me too was a big step for Rickhead’s ex-wife. After that nightmare of betrayal, it was hard to open up and expose myself again.

  I put my cell phone in my pocket and unlocked the door. “Have you been hiding outside all day?” I asked Henry.

  He meowed and stayed behind me as we went in. I’ve seen him take down a large dog without even breathing hard, but Tina’s kids had him cowering. I felt the same way. Not that I’ve taken down any large dogs.

  “Hi, Mrs. Powell!” Connor shouted from his perch astride the back of my sofa.

  “Connor, get down from there!” Tina rushed in from the kitchen, her blond hair straggling from a ponytail, an exhausted expression on her face. She hit the button on the TV and the noise level fell significantly. “Oh, Drake, I can’t leave you alone for a minute! Don’t worry, Lindsay, I have a great formula for getting magic marker off your walls. Wade? Where are you, Wade?” She looked frantically around the room.

  Wade slid down the banister. “I like this house!”

  “Young man, get over here this minute! You are not to leave this room!” She pushed a few strands of hair off her face and turned to me. “I’m sorry, Lindsay. They’re usually better behaved than this.”

  “I want to play outside!” Connor bounced off the sofa and landed in front of his mother.

  “You can’t play outside. Maybe tomorrow when we get to our new home.”

  I wasn’t sure I could survive until tomorrow. Henry remained behind me, not even demanding his food. His ears lay flat against his head, and his tail stood rigidly in the air.

  “Drake! No!” Tina caught her youngest son’s arm just as he was about to launch the infamous crystal butterfly across the room.

  “I want to see the butterfly fly!” His mouth turned down in a pout.

  “You dummy!” Wade planted himself in front of Drake, hands on his hips. “That’s not a real butterfly. It’ll break if you throw it!”

  “Mama, Wade called me a dummy!”

  “That’s enough, Wade. He didn’t mean it, Drake. But he’s right that you’ll break this butterfly if you throw it. This belongs to Miss Powell. She’ll be very upset if you break it.”

  I wouldn’t, but I didn’t correct her. “I have an idea,” I said. “There’s a small park about half a mile from here. It has a lot of trees, and you can let the boys run and play without fear of being seen.”

  She bit her lip. “I don’t know…”

  “Take my car so even if Ken drives by, he won’t see yours.” I extended the keys toward her. Yes, I was even willing to let her take my beloved car just so I could have a few hours of peace and quiet.

  She set the butterfly carefully on the coffee table, her gaze caressing it. I usually feel the same way about crystal. Looking at the rainbows, touching the smooth edges…very soothing. But not this time. I didn’t want it in my house. I would be thrilled to turn it over to Trent and let his lab do whatever they wanted with it. In the meantime…

  “And take the butterfly with you. Focus on the rainbows in the crystal and try not to think about…other things.”

  Tina left with my keys, the butterfly, and a promise to return in a couple of hours. I wasn’t sure if that was a promise or a threat.

  The ensuing silence throbbed against my eardrums. Or maybe my eardrums still throbbed from all the noise.

  Henry recovered immediately and strolled toward the kitchen, turning his head to be sure I was following.

  “I know you think I’m crazy to let them take my car.” I fell into step behind him. He is, after all, King Henry, and his wishes must be obeyed. Besides, I desperately needed a Coke fix and my Cokes live in the same room where his food lives.

  “It’s not like one more scratch or ding on my car is going to make a difference. Brandon’s going to take care of all that when he gets a new job somewhere away from his creepy father.” We entered the kitchen and Henry went straight to his bowl. I took the bag of cat food out of the pantry. “If Grady Mathis goes to prison, maybe Brandon will inherit the family shop. I don’t know what happens to property when somebody goes to prison.”

  Henry didn’t know either and didn’t care. He looked into his empty bowl then up at me. I filled his bowl in accordance with his wishes.

  Then it was my turn. I opened the refrigerator door and reached inside the red cardboard carton that held my beverage of choice.

  It was empty.

  That was not possible.

  I yanked it out and peered inside.

  Nothing.

  I ripped it apart.

  No Cokes. Not one.

  And I didn’t have a car to go get any.

  Henry crunched his food, completely unconcerned about my disaster.

  At least I had the bag of chocolate I’d brought home with me.

  Except I didn’t. I’d been talking on the phone to Trent and had forgotten to bring my bag in from the car. The bag with whatever might be left in it currently resided in my car at the park. That sort of verified Trent’s nags about my inability to multi-task while I’m on the phone. Not that I would ever admit it to him.

  But all was not lost. I still had the box of Godiva chocolates Trent had given me.

  I opened the pantry door and reached up.

  My hand encountered only empty space. I must have shoved them farther to the back than I realized.

  I pulled over a kitchen chair and stood on it.

  The shelf was empty.

  The Hyper Horde had eaten my Godiva chocolates! When I told Tina they could eat whatever they could find, I hadn’t thought they’d find those chocolates!

  I stepped down from the chair and Henry came over to rub against my leg as if trying to comfort me in my hour of sorrow.

  “Heads are going to roll over this.”

  He purred and rubbed the other leg. Either he was very sympathetic or he was hoping to get catnip.

  I gave him catnip. One of us should have a fix.

  While Henry indulged himself, I searched for Brandon’s business card. I finally found it in the living room, missing a corner and smeared with magic markers. I hoped Drake had no plans to become an artist.

  I called the number on the front and the number on the back. Got the sam
e recording on both with Grady’s voice saying I’d reached Mathis Paint and Body Shop. I hung up without leaving a message. Poor Brandon didn’t even have his own cell phone.

  Henry strolled in from the kitchen, his steps slow and his eyes slightly crossed. He enjoyed his catnip.

  “I’m going upstairs to take a nap,” I said. “I need to be rested so I can stay up late with Trent. He invited you to come along, but I told him you’d be fine here. I know you don’t like riding in cars. No, I didn’t tell him about your phobia. That’s between you and me.”

  Henry went to the front door and I let him out then went upstairs to enjoy a long, solitary shower before collapsing in bed.

  ***

  A loud ringing woke me. I sat up, completely disoriented. My bedroom window showed a dim light. The sun was coming up! I was late for work!

  The noise came again.

  It wasn’t the alarm clock.

  Six thirty.

  The sun was setting, not rising. I’d slept almost three hours.

  The doorbell pealed a third time, and I came completely awake. Probably Tina and the Hyper Horde returning from the park. I’d wasted my quiet time sleeping.

  Damn!

  I went downstairs and peered through the peephole. I wasn’t taking any chances. Tina had no reason to knock since she had my keys, including a key to my house, and besides, Grady was still out there.

  Brandon, alive and unharmed, stood on my front porch wearing his usual jeans and denim work shirt.

  With a huge rush of relief, I opened the door. “Well, hello! It’s so good to see you! I was worried when you didn’t come in for lunch today.”

  “I’m fine. I was just getting my new place cleaned up.”

  A few dark spots on his usually immaculate jeans and shirt verified that he’d been working. “You found a place? That’s wonderful! Come in and tell me all about it!”

  “How about I take you there and show you?”

  I hesitated. Being at home hadn’t been pleasant lately, but I didn’t really feel up to oohing and aahing over an apartment. “I don’t know. I have company. They went to the park, but they’ll be back any time.”

  “It’s not far, only about ten minutes from here.”

  “Oh. I thought you were going to find something as far away from your dad as you could get.”