Chocolate Caramels and Conmen

by Cindy Bell

  “I don’t think this is going to be good enough, Mee-Maw.” She showed her the picture.

  “Those fools.” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “They always find a way to make the best out of a bad situation. Well, we know what’s really happening. My best guess is that Barry and Sal are holding them hostage and waiting for Harold to come to them.”

  “But what if he doesn’t?” Ally frowned. “He barely knows Mrs. Cale, do you really think he would turn himself in to protect them?”

  “No.” Charlotte sighed. “No, I don’t. And we know for certain that Sal and Barry didn’t kill Marcus. Well, we can at least presume they didn’t, because they couldn’t have moved the body. Which means that it was likely Harold. If he was willing to kill Marcus to keep him quiet, then he won’t mind if a few women are knocked off.”

  “Mee-Maw. Sh.” Ally moved closer to her as she saw someone approach from the other side of the parking lot.

  “Who is that?” Charlotte squinted at the person. “Oh my, that’s Harold. This is about to get very dangerous.” She grabbed Ally’s hand. “What are we going to do?”

  “We’re going to make sure that our friends are safe!”

  Chapter 18

  Ally stood up from behind the dumpster. Without a second thought, she marched towards Harold. When he saw her, he froze in the middle of the parking lot. She expected him to run. When he began to, she was only surprised by the fact that he ran straight towards her.

  “Ally, you have to help me!” He paused in front of her, his eyes wide. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Help you?” Ally resisted the urge to slap him. “You’re the reason they’re in this mess! Who are you really?”

  “You’re right, I’m not who I said I was. I’m on the run. I used to be involved with some bad people, and I took off. I thought I could start over under a new name in a new town.”

  “What does that have to do with Marcus?”

  “Marcus was doing some gun running for the mob and I got him into some trouble. Before I left I stole a couple of guns as insurance and Marcus got the blame for it. I guess he was lucky that they didn’t kill him. But he said that I had taken them and they sent Sal and Barry to find me. Somehow Marcus also found out I was here. Then he saw me.”

  “So, you killed him?” Charlotte shook her head as she walked up to them both.

  “Yes, fine, yes!” He growled. “I don’t care if I go to jail for murder, it will be far better than whatever those two have planned for me.”

  “So, why are you still here?” Ally stared at him as the realization that he was a murderer sunk in.

  “I was going to run. Sal and Barry were waiting for us when we went to the truck stop. They grabbed the ladies, but I got away. I thought they would let them go, but they didn’t. I went back to the boarding house to get my stuff, but when I got there I realized I couldn’t do it. Mrs. Cale was so kind to me, and so were her friends, I just couldn’t let Barry and Sal kill them. That’s why I’m here. I want to save them.”

  “We’re going to do just that.” Ally looked over at her grandmother, then back at Harold. “But we’re going to need your help.”

  “Anything.” He nodded.

  “Go up to the door of the motel room, knock, and when the door opens, run.” Ally pulled out her cell phone.

  “What?” He stared at her. “They’ll kill me! And once they’re done with me, they’ll go after the others!”

  “This is our only chance. If you really care about Mrs. Cale, you’ll follow my instructions.”

  “You’re just going to let them kill me.” He sighed, then stared at the ground. “It’s what I deserve I guess. I’ll do it.”

  “Don’t worry, I have a plan. Just remember, as soon as they open the door, run. Don’t hesitate for a second. Run around the building and straight for the dumpster and get in. Got it?” She stared hard at him.

  “Get in?”

  “Yes, to hide and protect yourself. Okay?”

  “Yes, I’ll do it.”

  “Go now.” Ally searched quickly through her phone, found what she needed, then placed a call. She gestured for Charlotte to come close as Harold walked around to the front of the motel. “Mee-Maw, you need to bring the car right up under that window. Okay?” She thrust the keys at her. “If things go wrong, drive away.”

  “Ally, I can’t.”

  “Mee-Maw, please, there isn’t time to argue. I have a plan.” She pressed the keys into her grandmother’s hand. “But it won’t work if you’re not there when I need you to be and I need you to get help if something goes wrong.”

  “Are you sure?” She searched her eyes.

  “I promise.” Ally squeezed her hand lightly. “We’re all going to get out of this just fine.”

  As Ally ran around to the front of the motel, she saw Harold hesitate at the end of the walkway. She understood why. For a moment she thought he would run, then she watched him walk up to the door of the motel. She walked up right behind him, but pressed herself against the wall so she wouldn’t be seen. As soon as Harold knocked, the door swung open. As Ally instructed him, he took off running the instant it did. As she hoped, she would, Sal ran after him, with Barry right behind her. After pressing a button, Ally put her phone on the sidewalk close to a parked car. She’d turned it on to speaker, and Detective Jenkins’ voice boomed through the speaker.

  “Detective Jenkins!”

  She pressed the button again before the rest of the voicemail message could play. The voice drew the attention of Sal and Barry who turned towards the phone long enough for Ally to bolt into the motel room. She pushed the door shut, and grabbed a chair.

  “Ally!” Mrs. Bing jumped up. “We’ve been abducted!”

  “We weren’t abducted.” Mrs. White rolled her eyes. “We’re being held hostage.”

  “Yes, I know, but first we were abducted.” Mrs. Bing huffed.

  “Not now, ladies! Get to the back window!”

  Ally shoved the chair under the knob of the door so that it couldn’t be pushed open. Then she dragged another chair to the back window. One by one she helped the three women out of the motel room. They hopped into the waiting car, and Ally followed after them. As they drove past the dumpster, where she knew Harold would be hiding, he jumped up, ready to climb into the car with them.

  Instead, Ally jumped out and closed the lid of the dumpster, which knocked him back down. Then she locked the bar over the lid of the dumpster so that it couldn’t be opened. She jumped back into the car.

  “Go, Mee-Maw, go!” She slapped the dashboard as the three women in the backseat shrieked and hollered.

  Charlotte floored it. As she drove out from behind the motel she caught sight of several police cars surrounding the front. Sal and Barry were down on their knees, and Luke had his weapon pointed at them. So did Detective Jenkins. Ally smiled to herself as Charlotte parked nearby.

  “It looks like the heroes have arrived.”

  “You’re the heroes!” Mrs. Bing cried out.

  “I just can’t believe I was so stupid.” Mrs. Cale sighed.

  “You weren’t stupid, Mrs. Cale.” Ally reached over the seat and took her hand. “Harold did come back for you. He did want to save you. But he’s a criminal.”

  “I know that now.” She sniffled.

  “Don’t you cry over that fool.” Mrs. White shook her head. “Trust me, you can do much better.” She huffed. “The nerve of him, to con you that way, what if you had married him?”

  “It’s not your fault, Mrs. Cale, he was trying to start a new life, and maybe he wanted to share that life with you.” Ally sent a text to Detective Jenkins to let him know where he could find Marcus’ actual killer.

  “Or maybe, he planned to use her as an alibi.” Mrs. White sniffed. “No matter, he’s going to learn his lesson, thanks to all of us. Right, Ally?”

  “Right, Mrs. White.” Ally looked into the backseat at her, and the two women beside her. “I’m sorry that this happened to all of
you. But your investigative work did help. I only wish we had been able to figure it out before you were in danger.” She paused when there was a knock on the car window beside her. She rolled it down when she saw that it was Luke. Ally smiled when she saw the warmth in his eyes as he looked at her, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She felt relief at the reassurance of his grasp.

  “Ladies.” He swept his gaze over each face. “Is everyone okay?”

  “Peachy.” Mrs. White smiled.

  “Just wait until I give you my statement!” Mrs. Bing grinned. “You’re not going to believe it.”

  “I’m sure.” Luke smiled at her in return. “Sorry, I couldn’t come here straight away.”

  “What happened with Paluo?” Ally asked.

  “Carl accused him of murder and Paluo finally admitted that he had an alibi. He had a meeting with an investor. He didn’t want to divulge that he already needed more money. His car got stuck because he ran out of gas so he had to run to the meeting. He almost barreled into you on the way, remember?”

  “Of course.” Ally nodded.

  “He was in a rush and angry because his car was stuck. If he had told Mainbry PD the truth in the beginning he would have been taken off the suspect list.”

  “Ally, I owe you and Luke both an apology.” Mrs. Cale frowned as she turned to look at them. “I didn’t tell you the truth. I was having dinner with Harold at Paluo’s. We left through the side door before Marcus was thrown out. We were half-way through our meals and Harold made me leave. I should have known something was very wrong, he was in such a hurry to leave. I think he must have recognized Marcus.”

  “Then what happened.” Ally pressed.

  “We walked around the corner and as we did Marcus got thrown out. Harold said to say that I ate alone at the restaurant. He said it would look weird if he had left the restaurant mid-meal during the fight. I realize now that he asked me to say that to keep the suspicion off him. If the police knew he left the restaurant in the middle of the argument, they might have been suspicious. I never thought for a second that he would murder him. He tried so hard to erase his past, but all it took was Marcus getting thrown out of a restaurant to change everything.” Mrs. Cale became silent as she watched Detective Jenkins walk Harold towards a police car, then she turned to Luke. “Can I talk to him?”

  “I don’t know if that’s wise.” Charlotte frowned as she looked in the rearview mirror at her.

  “Just for a minute?” Mrs. Cale met Luke’s eyes.

  “I’ll go with her.” Ally pushed open her door and stepped out.

  “Ally, I don’t know.” Luke hesitated as he looked towards Harold.

  “He might tell her something that he wouldn’t tell you or Detective Jenkins. It can’t hurt, right?” She flashed him a brief smile then helped Mrs. Cale out of the back of the car.

  As they walked towards Harold, Detective Jenkins stopped and turned to face them.

  “Harold.” Mrs. Cale paused in front of him.

  “I’m so sorry.” He hung his head. “I never planned for any of this to happen. When Marcus spotted me I just didn’t know what to do. I thought if I just poisoned him, everything would go away.”

  “How did you do it?” Luke asked.

  “Carl brought the food home for Marcus and he was so drunk again he left his door open. I had some poison from my job on a farm a few states away, I was living there before I came here. You can be incognito on a farm. I sprinkled it on his food.”

  “What happened then?” Luke asked.

  “Well, when I saw that he was dead, I realized that the medical examiner would be able to figure out what killed him and possibly link it to me. So, I put him in the road. I thought if he was hit by a car then they wouldn’t question what happened. I know it was wrong to kill him, but he was going to turn me over to Sal and Barry. I have a bounty on my head, and he knew it.” He finally looked up at her. “I’m not a good man, and you deserve a great one. Have a good life, sweetheart.”

  “Oh Harold.” She sighed.

  “Let’s go.” Detective Jenkins tugged him towards the car. He nodded to Ally.

  Ally wrapped her arms around Mrs. Cale.

  “You’re a very brave soul, Mrs. Cale, I’m so lucky to count you as my friend.”

  “Thanks, Ally.” She smiled. “To tell you the truth, I’m looking forward to just being by myself again. It was fun with Harold, but I like being single, being able to do what I want when I want.”

  As they walked back to the car, Mrs. White, Mrs. Bing, and Charlotte, all joined them in a tight circle of friendship that spanned generations. Ally looked across the parking lot and found Luke staring in her direction. Despite all of the trouble she’d caused, he still smiled the moment their eyes met.

  The End

  ***

  Thank you very much for reading ‘Chocolate Caramels and Conmen’. I hope you enjoyed it. You can sign up for my cozy mystery newsletter to be notified of my latest releases so you don’t miss out on the special new release price at

  http://www.cindybellbooks.com

  Also by Cindy Bell

  Dune House Cozy Mysteries

  Seaside Secrets

  Boats and Bad Guys

  Treasured History

  Hidden Hideaways

  Dodgy Dealings

  Suspects and Surprises

  Ruffled Feathers

  A Fishy Discovery

  Danger in the Depths

  Celebrities and Chaos

  Pups, Pilots and Peril

  Tides, Trails and Trouble

  Chocolate Centered Cozy Mysteries

  The Sweet Smell of Murder

  A Deadly Delicious Delivery

  A Bitter Sweet Murder

  A Treacherous Tasty Trail

  Luscious Pastry at a Lethal Party

  Trouble and Treats

  Fudge Films and Felonies

  Custom-Made Murder

  Skydiving, Soufflés and Sabotage

  Christmas Chocolates and Crimes

  Hot Chocolate and Homicide

  Donut Truck Cozy Mysteries

  Deadly Deals and Donuts

  Fatal Festive Donuts

  Bunny Donuts and a Body

  Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mysteries

  Hairspray and Homicide

  A Dyed Blonde and a Dead Body

  Mascara and Murder

  Pageant and Poison

  Conditioner and a Corpse

  Mistletoe, Makeup and Murder

  Hairpin, Hair Dryer and Homicide

  Blush, a Bride and a Body

  Shampoo and a Stiff

  Cosmetics, a Cruise and a Killer

  Lipstick, a Long Iron and Lifeless

  Camping, Concealer and Criminals

  Treated and Dyed

  A Wrinkle-Free Murder

  Sage Gardens Cozy Mysteries

  Birthdays Can Be Deadly

  Money Can Be Deadly

  Trust Can Be Deadly

  Ties Can Be Deadly

  Rocks Can Be Deadly

  Jewelry Can Be Deadly

  Numbers Can Be Deadly

  Memories Can Be Deadly

  Paintings Can Be Deadly

  Snow Can Be Deadly

  Tea Can Be Deadly

  A Macaron Patisserie Cozy Mystery Series

  Sifting for Suspects

  Recipes and Revenge

  Mansions, Macarons and Murder

  Nuts About Nuts Cozy Mysteries

  A Tough Case to Crack

  A Seed of Doubt

  Roasted Penuts and Peril

  Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mysteries

  Murdering the Roses

  Dead in the Daisies

  Killing the Carnations

  Drowning the Daffodils

  Suffocating the Sunflowers

  Books, Bullets and Blooms

  A Deadly Serious Gardening Contest

  A Bridal Bouquet and a Body

  Digging for Dirt

  Wendy the Wedding Planner
Cozy Mysteries

  Matrimony, Money and Murder

  Chefs, Ceremonies and Crimes

  Knives and Nuptials

  Mice, Marriage and Murder

  About the Author

  Cindy Bell is the author of the cozy mystery series Donut Truck, Dune House, Sage Gardens, Chocolate Centered, Macaron Patisserie, Nuts about Nuts, Bekki the Beautician, Heavenly Highland Inn and Wendy the Wedding Planner.

  Cindy has always loved reading, but it is only recently that she has discovered her passion for writing romantic cozy mysteries. She loves walking along the beach thinking of the next adventure her characters can embark on.

  You can sign up for her newsletter so you are notified of her latest releases at http://www.cindybellbooks.com.

  Caramel Chocolate Coconut Squares Recipe

  Ingredients:

  Base

  5 ounces butter

  1 cup all-purpose flour

  3/4 cup desiccated coconut

  1/2 cup brown sugar

  Filling

  2 (14oz) cans sweetened condensed milk

  5 tablespoons golden syrup

  5 ounces butter

  Topping