Drop Dead Chocolate: A Donut Shop Mystery

by Jessica Beck

  “Hey, don’t be too hard on us. We came up with a few nuggets today.”

  I nodded and pushed my plate away. “I hope Jake had better luck than we did, though.”

  Grace said, “He can follow his leads, and we can follow ours. George is going to talk to Evelyn and Harvey tomorrow. What’s our game plan?”

  I didn’t even have to think about my answer to that. “Well, I’m making donuts, and after that we’ll just have to see what happens.”

  “Wow, at least we have a plan,” Grace said as she pulled more than enough money to cover both our tabs.

  “Hey, you don’t have to treat me to dinner,” I protested.

  “It’s my pleasure. I just got a big bonus,” she added with a grin. “My district exceeded every sales goal we had since I took over, and management decided to show their appreciation with a nice fat check.”

  I laughed. “I should have gotten dessert, then.”

  “It’s not too late,” Grace answered with a smile.

  “No, I’d better not. I’m stuffed, and if I eat too much more, I’ll never get to sleep tonight. Thanks for dinner, though. Man, it must be nice being you.”

  “It can be,” she said, happily.

  After Grace paid Trish, we walked outside together into the chilly night air. The stars were out in all of their brilliance, and I marveled that they seemed brighter somehow in the winter months, as if trying to make up for the cold we were enduring.

  “Well, if it’s not the two crime busters,” James Settle said as he started toward the Boxcar Grill. “I hear you two are digging into the mayor’s murder.”

  The blacksmith had come to town looking for old railroad tracks for his craft, and had ended up staying, opening up a forge and art studio on the outskirts of town.

  “Where did you get that idea?” I asked, curious to know how folks had found out so quickly.

  “You’re kidding, right? It’s all over town,” James said. He was a brawny man, a look that fit his profession perfectly. “What I want to know is, are you having any luck?”

  “Why are you interested?” Grace asked.

  “It’s no secret that I wasn’t any fonder of our mayor than anyone else. We had a few run-ins, too.” He looked at me and grinned. “Oops, I just put myself on your suspect list, didn’t I? I can’t imagine how long that must be. You could probably use the town records for that. I’m curious. Was there anyone around here who actually liked the man?”

  “I’m sure he had his supporters,” I said. Why was I defending Cam Hamilton all of a sudden? Was it because I meant it, or was it just that James Settle was still an outsider, though he was now an April Springs resident as well? We tended to keep things close to the vest in our part of the country, and it was a lot like family. It was okay to squabble within, but to the outside world we always tried to present a united front.

  James seemed to consider that, and then he said, “I’m not so sure that’s the truth, but if I were you, I’d take a look at his last girlfriend or his best friend.”

  “Why would you do that?” I asked, honestly curious about his reasoning.

  The blacksmith ran a hand through his hair. “Think about it. Someone got Cam into that abandoned shop, and I’m guessing it was someone he trusted pretty well. Why else meet someone there? It had to be someone close to him. Have you thought about it from that angle?”

  “We’ve already spoken with his ex-girlfriend,” I admitted.

  “Then there you go. What about a guy friend? Just about everyone I know has one.”

  “Who’s yours?” Grace asked.

  Settle shrugged. “I haven’t been in town long enough to make one yet here, but give me some time; I will. Now, if you ladies will excuse me, my dinner is calling my name.”

  After he had gone inside the Boxcar, I asked Grace, “Is it just me, or does what he just said make sense?”

  “I have to admit, he’s got a point,” Grace said.

  A thought suddenly occurred to me. “There’s something else we need to consider.”

  “What’s that?”

  I didn’t like where it was heading, but it was a possibility I had to consider. “What if James is just trying to send us up a blind alley? It’s perfect, if he did it on purpose. First, he tells us that he had a reason to want to see the mayor dead, and before we could even process that, he gave us not one but two possible suspects we should be looking at instead of him.”

  Grace shook her head. “Do you really think he’s that clever?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t known him that long, or that well,” I said. “I say we put his name on our list and we also try to find out who Cam’s closest friend was.”

  “It can’t hurt,” Grace said.

  She glanced at her watch, so I asked her, “Am I keeping you from something? I thought Peter was out of town.”

  “He is,” Grace said. “I’m expecting him to call, though.”

  “I can take you home if you’d like,” I volunteered.

  “No, it’s not for another hour.”

  Wow, she really was watching the clock. He wasn’t even in town and he was finding a way to run her life. “What do you want to do in the meantime, then?”

  “Do we really have time to talk to anyone else?” she asked. “We’re getting pretty close to your bedtime, aren’t we?”

  I stifled a yawn as I said, “I’m fine.”

  “Suzanne, if I tried to keep your hours, it would kill me in a month. Are you telling me getting a little extra sleep would be a bad thing?”

  “I could always use sleep, but I want to solve this case,” I protested.

  “So do I, but we’ve got a big day tomorrow. Why don’t you let me ask around a little on my own? I’ll make a few telephone calls and see if I can find anyone who Cam was particularly close to. Tomorrow we can brace them together if I have any luck tonight.”

  “You’re not going to go after someone who might be the killer by yourself, are you?” I’d sent George out once on his own, and he almost hadn’t come back, so there was no way I was going to let Grace risk her life for an investigation.

  “I won’t even whisper the guy’s name. No one will know what I’m up to,” she said.

  I thought about it and realized that she probably was right. I was beat, there was no doubt about it. I’d had a little too much excitement lately, and not enough rest. Besides, with Momma out on a date, I’d have the cottage to myself. Having Jake over was my first choice, but since that wasn’t exactly an option at the moment, I’d take some time sleeping as my second choice. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. Just be careful.”

  “I will.” She paused, and then added, “You know I’m not trying to get rid of you, don’t you?”

  “I know. You’re right. I’d offer to drive you to your car, but it’s right there.” Her company car was still parked in front of the donut shop.

  “I think I can make it on my own,” she said.

  “I’ll make sure you get there,” I said with a grin, and I watched her as she walked to her vehicle, started it, and drove home. I followed, and as we got to her house, I honked once and continued the rest of the short distance back to my place.

  I wasn’t all that excited about being home, though, once I got there.

  My ex-husband, Max, was sitting on the hood of his car, clearly waiting for me.

  CHAPTER 9

  “What do you want, Max?” I asked as I got out of my Jeep. I’d gotten over my anger with him, well, most of it, but that didn’t mean he was my best friend.

  Max tried his most charming smile out on me, but I was immune to it through years of aversion therapy. “Hey, is that any way to treat your husband?”

  I had to laugh at that description. “Max, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to put ‘ex-’ in front of that. What’s going on? Are you having trouble with your latest production?” Max was a sometime actor and an always wannabe director. Since no one in their right mind would give him a job doing that, he often vol
unteered at the senior center to stage their productions. The twist was that the theatrical group always insisted on playing roles that were quite a bit younger than they were in actuality.

  Max grinned. “No, it’s going fine.” In a more somber voice, he said, “I heard you were digging into Cam Hamilton’s murder.”

  First James Settle, and now Max. Did everyone in April Springs know what we were up to? “Are you even surprised? My mother is one of the main suspects. Of course I’m going to do everything in my power to solve it.”

  “I thought your new boyfriend was on the case,” he said cagily.

  “He is, but he doesn’t mind if I dig around the edges. I know it must sound crazy to you, but he actually values my opinion.”

  Max shook his head sadly, a movement that looked rehearsed to me, though someone less cynical than me might have bought. “That’s not fair, Suzanne. I always did, too.”

  What was going on here? Why was Max suddenly so in need of my approval? “Do you really want to discuss how you compare to Jake in my mind?” I didn’t say it with any hurtfulness intended, but from the way he flinched, it was clear that was how he took it. To soften the sharp edges of my comment, I added, “Max, I know it’s not late by most people’s standards, but I am really beat. I’m sorry if I’m being a little crabby. Was there something you wanted?”

  He took it in, seemed to accept my apology for what it was worth, and then nodded. “Actually, I have a crime-buster tip for you.”

  “I’m listening,” I said. There was no doubt in my mind that Max probably had some excellent sources in the community.

  Max got that look on his face that said he knew he had something I wanted, but to be fair, he didn’t try to hold it from me. “I saw our fair mayor in a parked car downtown near the big clock three nights ago around midnight, and he was with someone.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me at all to hear that Cam had a date,” I said.

  “That’s the thing. He wasn’t with a woman; it was a man, and there was no love lost between them, from what I heard.”

  “What were you doing out that late yourself?” I asked.

  “I was jogging,” he explained. “I’ve got to keep myself in shape. You never know when Hollywood’s going to call again for my next gig.”

  I’d had enough of this. “Who was it, Max?” My ex could drag a story out when he wanted to, and clearly that’s what he wanted at the moment, but I wasn’t playing any more games with him tonight.

  “That’s the kicker. It was none other than our very own chief of police,” Max said.

  I knew that the two men had a relationship that was strictly business, but I was still surprised that Max would report something like that to me. “Do you honestly think that our chief of police had something to do with our mayor’s murder? That sounds like something you saw on Court TV.”

  “I’m not trying to spin anything,” he said. “I’m just telling you what I saw and heard. I thought you might appreciate the tip.”

  “I do,” I said, shivering a little as I accidently repeated those fateful two words I’d spoken to him years ago in front of all of our family and friends. “Did either one of them happen to see you?” I asked.

  Max frowned. “Not a chance. The second I knew what was going on, I dodged behind the building, but I know what I saw.” Max got off the hood of his car and then opened the front door.

  As he started to get in, I said, “Thanks for coming by and telling me that.”

  “You’re most welcome,” Max said, and then he got into his car and drove away.

  I wasn’t sure how confidential Max thought our conversation was, but the second his taillights were out of sight, I got out my cell phone and called Jake. This sounded like something he needed to know.

  * * *

  “This is Inspector Bishop. Leave a message, and your number.”

  What a charmer my man was. I told him to call me, either within the hour or at the shop tomorrow morning. I’d just barely hung up when my phone rang.

  It was Jake. “Speak of the devil and he appears,” I said, with a grin.

  “Not sure I like the reference, but at this point I’ll take it. How did my name come up in one of your conversations?” he asked.

  “I just left you a message on your cell phone,” I admitted.

  “Should I hang up and check it?” he asked, and I could almost hear his smile in his voice. Jake sounded tired, but I knew that wasn’t all that odd when he was on a case.

  “Let me tell you myself. Max was just here.”

  The joy in his voice suddenly vanished. “At your house? At this time of night? I need to talk to that man until he understands that it’s over between the two of you.”

  I wanted to laugh at the very thought of that ever happening, but I didn’t want Jake to think that for one second I was laughing at him. “He wasn’t trying to woo me, Jake. He came by to give me some information about Cam’s murder.”

  “Suzanne, if you think that’s the only reason he came by to see you tonight, you’re nuts.”

  “Trust me, he knows that I love you,” I said. “Do you want to hear his tip?”

  Jake paused a moment, and then said, “Sure, go ahead. I’m not above taking charity from even him at this point.”

  I conveyed what Max had told me, and Jake whistled. “That’s not good.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “I interviewed Chief Martin this afternoon, and he never said a word about it. He should have come clean with me from the start if that conversation was innocent.”

  I couldn’t believe I was about to defend our chief of police, a man I continued to butt heads with, but for Momma’s sake I asked, “Why would he voluntarily give you a reason to suspect him, Jake? Maybe it just wasn’t all that important.”

  “Sorry, but that won’t fly. That’s just not how we think,” Jake said.

  “The two of us?”

  “Lawmen,” Jake said simply. “He should have told me, and he knows it. The only question is, why did he feel as though he had to hide it from me?”

  I suddenly felt bad about passing on the information. “What are you going to do?”

  “First thing tomorrow morning, Chief Martin and I going to have a little talk.”

  “Leave Max’s name out of it if you can,” I said.

  “Why should I do that?” Jake asked, clearly unhappy by my request.

  Why had I asked that? I didn’t owe Max a thing after catching him with Darlene, but I still didn’t want to throw him to the wolves. “He told me in confidence, but he had to know I’d tell you. Give him a break, Jake. The war is over. You won.”

  For just a second, the smile was back in his voice. “I got the girl, huh?”

  “Don’t get cocky, mister. You still have to work hard to keep her.” My grin had to be obvious to him as well.

  “You never have to worry about that, Suzanne. I won’t ever take you for granted,” he said, the playfulness now completely gone.

  “Right back at you,” I said as I pulled my jacket closer. It was time to go inside where it was warm. As I walked up the porch stairs, I said, “Anyway, I just thought you should know.”

  “Thanks, Suzanne. Have a good night.”

  “I hope you do, too.” Then I had a sudden thought. “Is there any chance I’ll see you tomorrow morning again when I open?”

  “You never know. We can only hope,” he said, and then hung up.

  I went inside, feeling glad that I’d told him what Max had said, but somehow hoping that it wouldn’t come back to bite me later.

  * * *

  I got ready for bed, climbed in, happy that tonight, I was finally going to get enough sleep so I wouldn’t be groggy throughout the next day.

  And of course, I couldn’t fall asleep to save my life.

  My mind was whirling with too many suspects, too many reasons folks around town wanted Cam Hamilton dead. How in the world did the man keep getting elected mayor with the enemy list he had? It didn�
�t make any sense, until I remembered something Momma had told me long ago when she’d been fussing about our congressman, a man entrenched in his job who was good at only one thing: getting reelected every two years.

  “Suzanne, folks may complain and groan about government, but when it comes to voting out their representatives, it usually takes an act of epic proportions to unseat the scoundrels. Everyone says they want change, and then they turn around and elect the same folks year in and year out.”

  That wouldn’t be happening this year, though.

  Cam Hamilton would not be running for reelection ever again.

  * * *

  I finally managed to fall asleep, though it happened later than if I’d just stuck to my normal routine, so I was a little edgy the next morning on the dark drive to the donut shop. It was Emma’s day off today, so I’d be working alone, which suited me just fine. One day a week I had Donut Hearts to myself from three until six: three hours of silence other than the sound of my mixer and the oldies station blaring out tunes on the radio.

  I started every morning I worked alone smiling, but truth be told, by the time I opened my doors at six to the public, I was ready for some company. I’d have to work an extra hour cleaning the kitchen after I closed at eleven, but for now I could stay up front and sell the fruits of my labor.

  After unlocking the door and serving a few early risers, I kept looking for Jake. He hadn’t exactly promised he’d come by, but I was hoping for it nonetheless. When my cell phone rang, I picked up it quickly.

  It was indeed my boyfriend. I asked in my most cheerful voice, “Hey, mister, care for a donut on the house?”

  “I wish I could,” he said, “but the chief and I are about to have a chat, so I wanted to call you first. My phone’s going to be off all morning, and I didn’t want you to worry about me if you tried to call.”

  “Well, aren’t you sweet,” I said.

  “I do what I can,” he replied.

  I was about to ask him what he was going to say to the police chief when Jake said, “Gotta go. Love ya.”

  It wasn’t exactly flowers and a box of chocolates, but he’d thought of me, and that was what counted. I made sure that he’d get credit for it.