All You Need Is Fudge

by Nancy CoCo

  “But I’ve been—”

  “At the yacht club.” Jenn turned me by the shoulders and pointed me at the staircase. “Then you’ve been upstairs doing inventory.”

  “Right,” I said.

  Mal rested her head against my shoulder as if to sympathize with my lost day.

  “Come on, Rex. Let’s go up to the office.”

  He followed me and Jenn up.

  “What’s going on, Rex?” I asked as we stepped into the office.

  He closed the door behind us and leaned against it. “I thought I’d update you on the investigation and ask you a few more questions.”

  “Sure.” I sat on the edge of my desk. “I understand she was positively identified.”

  “Yes,” he said with a nod of his head. “The woman you pulled out of the marina was Carin Moore. Once her parents identified her, we had her body taken to St. Ignace for an autopsy.”

  “Is that standard?” I asked.

  He nodded. “In suspicious cases, it is.”

  “What was suspicious? I mean she drowned, right? Was she drinking?”

  Jenn coughed. I studiously ignored her. I wasn’t going to let Rex know that Jenn had already told me the gossip.

  “On further investigation, we found damage to the back of her skull so we’ve flown her over to the ME’s office to see if the damage was sustained before or after she was in the water.”

  “Poor thing,” I said. “Was there a party or something last night?”

  “There were in fact several parties last night,” Rex said. “We’re trying to narrow down where she was and when.”

  “Okay, so what can I do for you?”

  “I understand that you and Jenn might have overheard Carin fighting with someone yesterday.”

  I glanced at Jenn who looked just as surprised by this news as I was. “What do you mean?”

  “Were you two at the yacht club yesterday around four PM?”

  “Yes.” I looked at Jenn and then back at Rex. “We had a consultation on the setup for this evening’s affair. Jenn helped plan the event. Sandy and I created chocolate centerpieces. We had a meeting with the manager and a few of the committee members to go over last minute details.”

  “And do you remember if you overheard an argument at that time?”

  I pulled my thoughts to that afternoon. Jenn and I were in the dining room going over where tables were to be set up. Paige Jessop, my boyfriend Trent’s sister, was on the committee and had the idea that we should make small ships as party favors to match the centerpieces.

  “That’s a vague question,” I pointed out. “What are you fishing for?”

  “Just asking a simple question,” Rex said. “When you were at the club did you see Carin Moore there?”

  “I don’t remember her,” I said. My thoughts went to the dead woman in the silk dress. Had she been at the club? “I was busy putting together what we would need to create individual chocolate ships. I thought it was a great idea, but it’s more complicated than you think.”

  “Wait,” Jenn said, her eyes lighting up. “I do remember seeing her. She had golden brown hair and hazel eyes, right?”

  “Yes,” Rex said with no inflection.

  “There are lots of women who fit that description,” I said with a frown. “How do you know it was Carin?”

  “Because Paige got really tense when she walked into the club,” Jenn said. “There was definitely something going on between them. I was going to ask you to ask Paige the next time you saw her.”

  “I haven’t seen Paige since that afternoon,” I said. “Trent’s been busy prepping his businesses for the busy weekend. I’m supposed to see him tonight. He’s taking me to the yacht club fund-raiser.”

  “So Paige Jessop reacted when Carin Moore entered the yacht club that afternoon?” Rex took a notepad out of his breast pocket and made a note.

  “Yes,” Jenn said. “Paige excused herself and I asked Rachel Buckhouse who the woman was. She told me it was Carin Moore and that there was some sort of bad feelings between Paige and Carin.”

  I stared at Jenn. “Paige would never hurt anyone.”

  “Oh, I’m not saying she did anything.” Jenn held up her hand as if to stop my thoughts. “Rex, don’t you dare make any notes about that.”

  “All I’m doing is writing down that you asked Rachel Buckhouse and she said there was something between the two women.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “It’s common knowledge that Carin and Paige were not friends. Let’s get back to the day at hand. You said that Carin walked into the club and Paige tensed and then left the dining room.”

  “Yes.”

  “Where did she go?”

  “I’m not sure,” Jenn said with a frown. “I got involved with the planning.”

  “That’s right.” I snapped my fingers. “I started listing the things we would need to make the ships, estimating the time out loud and you offered to help.”

  “Yes, I said if I helped with the molds we could assembly line the production and be done in time. We asked Sandy if that were possible. Sandy said that there wasn’t enough time to make all ten molds. So we discussed with Rachel and decided on two molds. Rachel said she would go get Paige and ensure that would work for her.”

  “Did Rachel leave the room?”

  “Yes,” Jenn and I said at the same time.

  “She came back a few minutes later and said she couldn’t talk to Paige but would get back to us within the hour,” I said. “So Sandy and Jenn and I left to get started on the mold making. We were actually able to make three molds and stayed up quite late last night putting together the tiny ships. I had some gold and silver edible leaf and we spent the morning wrapping the ships in foil. They turned out quite stunning. I think Paige will be pleased.”

  “Did you see Paige or Carin again after that?” Rex asked.

  “No,” I said with a shake of my head. “Sandy and I were deep into the details of making the ships and enough fudge for today’s crowd.”

  “So Paige didn’t get back to you about the ships?”

  “Rachel called us thirty minutes later and said that Amy Hammerstein, the head of the committee, agreed to three molds and our pricing,” Jenn said.

  “I see,” Rex said. “Did you ask her why she talked to Amy and not Paige?”

  Jenn tapped her chin. “I think she said that Paige had left and it was clear she wouldn’t be back so she cleared it with Amy instead.”

  “Did that seem odd to you?”

  “No, Amy is the head of the committee. What are you getting at?” I asked him. “Is Paige a suspect?”

  “I’m simply trying to piece together what happened to Carin before you found her in the marina.”

  “Well, that’s all we know, right Jenn? We were very busy with the new ships. Sandy had to craft the molds and test them. I created the chocolate. Jenn ran the fudge shop until closing at nine and then she and Sandy and I were in the apartment making ten chocolate ships until midnight when Sandy went home and I went to bed.”

  “Jenn, did you see Paige or Carin after that afternoon?” Rex asked.

  “No. I was invited to a party, but I had to beg off when Allie asked me to help with the ships. Do you think Carin went to that party? It was supposed to be a very big deal.”

  I frowned, drawing my brows together. “What party are you talking about and why wasn’t I invited?”

  “The Allisons are on the board at the yacht club. Their son, Brandon, and his friends were hosting the party as a fund-raiser for their mayoral candidate. I was going to go to network and see if they might hire me to help with some of their events. It was going to be very boring,” she reassured me. “I’m sure you weren’t invited because the Jessops are supporting the current mayor and everyone knows you are dating Trent.”

  I shook my head. “Trent doesn’t tell me who I should or shouldn’t vote for.”

  “It was a fund-raiser, Allie,” Jenn said and crossed her arms. “The only reason I was go
ing was because I was drumming up event work for the McMurphy. I figured I could do it and you would remain in the Jessops’ good graces.”

  “I see.” I wasn’t very politically astute. Frankly, all I cared about was my family, friends, and the success of the McMurphy. I had to trust that Jenn was right on the fact that I shouldn’t be involved. Plus it was nice of her to think about drumming up more business for me—even if it was for a candidate that my boyfriend’s family didn’t support.

  “Politics aside,” Rex said to Jenn, “you had an invitation to the Allisons’ party but didn’t go.”

  “No, I didn’t go.”

  “Do you have anyone who can collaborate that?”

  “Well, that’s silly.” I cocked my head. “I just told you she was here with me until midnight when we went to bed.”

  He turned his gorgeous blue eyes on me. “Did you see Jenn again after you went to bed? Or are you assuming she went to bed?”

  “Well, I—”

  “It’s okay,” Jenn said. “I went to bed at midnight and I didn’t get up until Allie woke me at five.”

  Rex turned to me. “Five? So an hour before you walked Mal and found the body?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I was up at three and made the morning fudge batches. I woke Jenn because the chocolate ships were ready to be unmolded and then foiled.”

  Rex slipped and showed a moment of emotion on his face. I swear concern clouded his eyes. “So you are working on three hours of sleep?”

  I shrugged. “I planned on napping but finding Carin in the water made that impossible.”

  “Adrenaline,” Rex muttered. “Fine. Thank you for answering my questions. Please let me know if you think of anything else.”

  “We will,” I said and Jenn and I stood.

  “No need to walk me out,” he said and put the notepad and tiny pencil in his breast pocket. “I know the way.” He studied me. “You need to make sure you get more sleep. Lack of sleep sets you up for a lot of health problems.” For a moment I thought he was going to touch my cheek, but then he glanced at Jenn and nodded. “Ms. Christensen.” He walked out of the office and down the stairs.

  “Wow,” Jenn said with a sigh. “He is so into you.”

  “I’m dating Trent,” I said. For some reason, I stayed rooted to the spot. “I’m dating Trent.”

  “For now,” Jenn said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

  “Stop it.” I smacked her arm. “I think I’m falling in love with Trent.”

  “Yeah and I’m half in love with Shane. Too bad because Rex is one hot cop.”

  “There’s no denying that,” I said with a sigh. “So, now that I lied to Rex about not knowing Carin was murdered, who is the person of interest you were going to tell me about?”

  Jen swallowed. “I heard it was Paige Jessop.”

  “What? Is that why Rex was asking us about Paige and Carin?”

  “Yes,” Jen said, her mouth in a firm line. “That’s what I wanted to tell you, but I’m kind of glad I didn’t tell you before Rex questioned us. There’s no way you could have kept your emotions out of that interview if you had known.”

  “Rex thinks that Paige and Carin had a fight at the yacht club that afternoon? That’s what he thought we might have seen? A motive for Paige to kill Carin?”

  “Yeah,” Jen said. Her gaze was filled with concern. “I’m sorry that I added the part about Paige tensing up at the sight of Carin, but it was true.”

  I rubbed my hands over my face. “It’s fine. Tension between two people does not equal motive for murder,” I said flatly. “Come on. We’ve got work to do before I need to dress for tonight’s opening event.” I turned back to my desk. My thoughts turned to Paige and Carin. What was between them and why would anyone—especially Rex—think Paige was a suspect?

  I guess those were good questions for Trent when I saw him later. I loved Paige. If anyone were to accuse her, I’d defend her in a heartbeat. No matter what it took. Hopefully this was all just a misunderstanding.

  Fudgie Pudding Cake

  This one is warm and yummy.

  Ingredients

  1¼ cups sugar, divided into ¾ cup and ½ cup

  1 cup flour

  3 squares chocolate, melted

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ½ cup milk

  ¼ cup melted butter

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  ½ cup packed brown sugar

  ¼ cup cocoa

  1¼ cups hot water

  Directions

  Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

  In a medium bowl mix together ¾ cup sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add melted chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Stir to make a thick batter.

  Pour into an unbuttered 8-inch pan.

  In a smaller bowl, stir together ½ cup sugar, the brown sugar, and the cocoa. Sprinkle on top of the batter. Pour the hot water over the top of that.

  Bake in the oven 35 minutes until the middle is almost set.

  Remove from oven. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

  Chapter 5

  “You look fantastic,” Trent said when I opened the door to my apartment later that night.

  I wore a long-sleeved, black, jersey wrap dress, hose, and black designer shoes. My brown hair was twisted into a French twist and sprayed to within an inch of its life to stay in place. I hated hairspray but this was an important society function and I wasn’t about to embarrass Trent or the Jessop family. I wanted to show him that I knew how to dress when I needed to. Thankfully, Jenn had helped me with makeup. I wore black-cat eyeliner and just a few false lashes at the corners of my eyes to make it dramatic. The red lipstick on my lips made me feel very much like a Barbie doll. The entire effect had Trent’s pupils dilating.

  He scooped me up in his arms and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to his tuxedo clad body. The man was tall, dark, and handsome. His hair was kept short, but styled with elegance and sophistication. His dark eyes sparkled when I took a step back and wiped the lipstick off the edge of his mouth with my thumb.

  “I wanted to make you proud,” I said.

  “Oh, I’m very proud,” he said low, giving the skin on my arms goose bumps. He ran his hands along my back. “Maybe we should stay here.”

  I pushed on his chest. “Can’t. I’m responsible for the centerpieces and chocolate favors. I’ve got to be there to see how well they are received.”

  “I’m sure everyone will love them.” He leaned down and kissed me again. It would be so easy to fall into his arms and forget the rest of the world, but it was a luxury I didn’t have time for and our relationship was relatively new. I tried not to push it.

  “Hey, you look nice,” Jenn said as she came around the corner. She wore a red cap-sleeved body conscious dress that showed off her long legs and a V-neck that showed off her cleavage. She was putting a gold dangle earring in her ear.

  I stepped out of Trent’s arms. “Is Shane picking you up here?”

  “Shane isn’t going,” she said casually and picked up her clutch.

  “What? Wait. Why not?” I asked.

  “He has to work on the Moore case tonight.” She gave us a bright, yet false smile. “I’m hoping you two will let me be a third leg.”

  “Oh. Of course,” I said.

  “It’s my honor and pleasure to take two such beautiful women to the club,” Trent said, sending us both a charming smile. He held out both arms crooked. “Shall we?”

  “Wonderful,” I said. We took his arms and left the apartment. I turned and locked the door.

  The cat was safely on the stoop outdoors and Mal was with Frances for the night because I didn’t know how long I’d be out. Sandy had promised to come in and make the morning fudge. For the first time in a long time I could spend a night out on the town. After the morning’s incident I was ready for some fun.

  We took the steps down to the third floor center for the elevators. When the elevator opened to
take us down to the lobby, Trent ushered us in, closed the door, then punched the button.

  “So, Trent, what do you think about Allie being a hero this morning? Jumping into the lake to pull Carin Moore to shore,” Jenn asked.

  Trent looked at me with love in his gaze. “I wouldn’t have expected anything else from Allie.”

  I flushed that he had pride in his voice. “Mal discovered her. I just pulled her out of the water.”

  “Terrible thing to find her dead,” Jenn said. “Don’t you think, Trent?”

  “Yes,” he agreed as the elevator stopped. He opened the door and held it for us to go out.

  The once busy lobby was quiet. Most of the tourists left on the last boats of the evening. Those who stayed on the island overnight were at bars or clubs while the old and the very young were tucked in their rooms with televisions to keep them company.

  Unlike most of the hotels on the island, the McMurphy lacked a front or back yard where we could put out chairs and a fire pit for stargazing and marshmallow roasting. What the McMurphy lacked in outdoor space it made up for in its location—smack in the middle of Main Street where most of the shops, restaurants, and fudge shops were located.

  “Rex came around asking questions about yesterday at the yacht club,” Jenn went on as we walked across the empty lobby.

  “Have fun tonight,” Megan, my part-time reception desk intern called from Frances’s perch behind the registration desk.

  “You have my number in case anything goes wrong?” I asked.

  “It’s all taken care of,” she said. “Frances said to call her first. But don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen. Go have fun.”

  Megan was a responsible seventeen-year-old with a neat brown ponytail, a white blouse with frills on the front, and a pink name tag pinned to her left lapel.

  It had taken nearly half the summer for me to hire her, but Frances had finally agreed that we needed help at the desk. When Megan’s mom came in with her and asked about the posting, Frances interviewed the teen on the spot. She worked four hours a night five nights a week, just enough to give Frances a break.