Forever Fudge

by Nancy CoCo

  “Like a million bucks,” I said. “I didn’t know you were going anywhere special tonight. I would have gotten back sooner.”

  “It’s not that special,” Jenn said with a halfhearted shrug. “I’m simply going to be telling him my plans for leaving next week. I’m hoping looking sexy will help soften the blow.”

  “I think it might have the opposite effect,” I said. “He might throw you over his shoulder and take you home with him.”

  She stopped short and thought about it a moment. “That might not be a bad thing.” She dug lipstick out of her purse and looked into the reflection off the glass wall as she applied it. “I could use a little caveman in my life right now.”

  I shook my head. “I thought you had an event for the fund-raiser tonight.”

  “That’s tomorrow, silly,” she said. “Tonight is for me and Shane.”

  “He asked me about you today,” I said.

  “Did he?”

  “I think he knows you’re leaving us.”

  “Of course he knows,” she said. “I never made a secret about it. I just need to tell him my moving date. I’m hoping we can still see each other on weekends and holidays.” Her shoulders dropped. “I’m going to miss him.” She looked at me and it looked like she might tear up. “I’m going to miss you, too.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “I know I can’t pay you what Antoinette will pay you. And you’ll get a lot of experience and contacts in Chicago.” I hugged her and she hugged me back.

  “I’m thinking if I leave you might have a better chance at a serious love life,” she teased me with a squeeze. “I won’t be in the way.”

  “You are never in the way,” I said. “There is always room for you at the McMurphy.”

  She straightened and dashed tears from her eyes before her makeup could run. “I’m not leaving yet.”

  “That’s right,” I said. “Tonight is for you to go out on the town with your fella and have a good time. Don’t worry about the McMurphy. I’ll set up a bell for any late stragglers.”

  “There shouldn’t be any,” she said. “I checked in the last registered guest an hour ago.”

  “Even better,” I said. “Oh, guess what?”

  “What?”

  “Paige Jessop asked me to mentor her on being a Mackinac Island small business owner,” I said, and felt my chest rise in pride.

  “Wow,” Jenn said. “Why? I mean, I know why someone would ask you to mentor them. My question is why would Paige be interested in running an island business?”

  “I guess her father is retiring and split the business. Paige will take care of island things and Trent will take care of the rest.”

  “Oh,” Jenn said, and touched my arm. “That means Trent won’t be coming back to the island.”

  “It’s okay,” I said, and lifted the corner of my mouth in a half smile. “We broke up. Remember?”

  “That’s not what those flowers said,” Jenn said, then tsked her tongue.

  “It’s all pretty straightforward now,” I said. “Trent will be spending most of his life off the island. I’m looking for more in a relationship than an occasional how-do-you-do? I’m glad to know things in Trent’s life are working out for him.”

  “Oh.” Jenn looked sad. “I was rooting for you two as a couple.”

  “Yes, well, I was hoping it would last more than a few months, too. But after Victoria”—I shrugged— “I guess I must rely on the old saying, things happen for a reason.”

  “Speaking of things happening, I have to run,” Jenn said, looking at her watch. “We’re meeting for drinks first.”

  “Enjoy,” I said, and picked up Mal and squeezed the puppy to my chest. Soon Jenn would be gone and I would be on my own for the winter. I hated to see her go, but it was a good first season. I think I actually won a few locals over.

  I put Mal down and went up to my apartment. Jenn was right, all our reservations had come in for the night. That meant they shouldn’t need anything from me. The fudge shop was closed down and locked. I had a buzzer that ran from the reception desk to my apartment if anyone needed anything. It was going to be a quiet night.

  * * *

  I made soup and a sandwich for dinner. It was strange to be alone in the apartment. From the beginning I’d had Frances helping me out and then Jenn came and filled the house with motion and laughter. There wasn’t a night when I didn’t have someone over for dinner or drinks. Now that Frances and Mr. Devaney were gone and Jenn was moving out, there were going to be a lot more quiet nights.

  I supposed I could do something about them. I could call Trent. For that matter I could let Rex know I was looking for company. But I decided instead to enjoy the peace and quiet of being alone. Mella curled up next to me on the couch. Mal played with a bone at my feet. I opened my laptop and checked my emails. There were already people booking for next season. I had a single man book for next week. With the Butterfly fund-raiser gone and the season over there really wasn’t much to bring in tourists except for the weekends.

  I pulled up my budget worksheets and checked on the business side of running the McMurphy. I’d made a small profit this season. It was enough to get me my roof update in the spring as long as the permits came through. I wondered if the mayor would act on her threat to hold up my permits because I didn’t join in on the bidding for film rights. The whole thing seemed kind of crazy to me.

  There was a knock on the kitchen door leading out to the alley. Mal jumped up barking. It was the sound she made when she was certain there was an intruder. I went over and peered out the peephole. I’d had one installed after someone had left a threatening note on my back door. I had one camera near the back door of the McMurphy. I meant to have cameras in the alley, but it was an expense I hadn’t budgeted for yet. It was on my list.

  There didn’t appear to be anyone at the door. I pushed the door open slowly and stepped out onto the landing. Whoever had knocked must have run down the stairs and out of the alley fast. It was difficult for anyone to move that fast. I looked around to see why anyone would have knocked. Mal sniffed at my feet. I saw a note attached to the door. Frowning, I went back inside to grab a tissue. Then I took a picture of the note on my phone and carefully removed it from my door. Inside the kitchen, Mella jumped up on the counter and wound her way around my arms.

  I set the note down on the counter and studied it. It was printed out in thirty-six-inch font.

  Make your move or someone else will die.

  “Well, that’s not good,” I said to the dog. I dialed Rex.

  “Manning,” he said gruffly.

  “Hi, Rex,” I said.

  “Allie, what’s the matter?”

  “Why do you think anything is the matter?”

  “Because you don’t call me unless something is wrong,” he said gently.

  “I guess that’s true,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t know how much is actually wrong, but there was a knock at the door.”

  “Did you check the peep before you opened it?”

  “Yes,” I said, and rolled my eyes. “When I looked out there was no one there. Mal and I stepped out. I looked around but there wasn’t anyone even in the alley.”

  “A ditch and run?” he asked.

  “There was a note on the door. I took a picture and then removed the note with a tissue.”

  “What does the note say?”

  I read him the note. “Do you think there will be another murder?”

  “Stay put,” he said. “I’ll come by and check it out.”

  “Okay,” I said, and moved Mella before she could walk on the note. Rex was at the back door within ten minutes. I opened the door before he could knock. “Come on in,” I said. Mal barked and jumped up on Rex, her stub tail wagging hard.

  Rex reached down and gave Mal a rub on her ears. “Hello,” he said as he entered the kitchen.

  “Thanks for coming,” I said. “I left the note here on the counter.”

  He went straight to the note
and studied it.

  “What do you think?” I asked. I picked up Mella and petted her to soothe my nervousness of having Rex in my tiny kitchen. He took up a lot of room.

  “It could be a threat,” he said, and leaned over the note again. “It could also be a prank. It’s hard to tell.”

  “What do you suggest I do?”

  “You already did the best thing you could do,” he said, and pulled an evidence bag out of his uniform pocket. “I’ll collect this and we’ll keep it in case something else happens.”

  “Do you think I’m in danger or worse, one of my friends might be in danger?”

  “We can step up our patrols of the alley and check in with you twice a day,” he said, and leaned his slim hip against my kitchen counter. “I wish there were more we could do to keep you safe, but without proof that this is a credible threat there is little I could legally do.”

  “You mean beside move in,” I said, and then stopped and realized what the implications of what I said were. My eyes grew wide and I looked at him. “You know what I mean.”

  “I do,” he said. “Does this mean you’re over Jessop?”

  “I had coffee with Paige this afternoon,” I said. “She told me that their father is about to retire and has Trent set to take over the majority of the family businesses. I haven’t talked to Trent, but I bet he’s going to be busy.”

  “That doesn’t work for you, does it?”

  “Right now the McMurphy is my number one priority,” I said. “It would be nice to be with someone else who made Mackinac a number one priority.”

  “I would think you would want to be the number one priority.” He crossed his arms over his chest as if to keep his hands off me. I felt the heat from his body and wondered what it would be like to lean into him.

  “I’m not used to being a number one priority,” I said with a half shrug.

  “You would be my number one priority,” he said boldly.

  “I can’t,” I said as fear thundered through me. “I need more time and space. I haven’t talked to Trent and—”

  He gave a short nod. His mouth was a thin line. “I can wait.”

  “I—” I didn’t want to lose them both, but I wasn’t ready to choose. Not yet. “Thank you,” I said. “It’s just I really count on you. I don’t want to lose that.”

  “You won’t,” he said. “I promise you that. No matter what you decide.”

  “You’ll always come when I’ve got a clue or a threat?” I sent him a half smile.

  “I’ll always be there.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  It was his turn to smile. “Good.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll take this note to Shane and log it in. I don’t know if it means anything but I’d prefer you call me should anything else happen.”

  “I will,” I said.

  He patted Mal on the head, then picked up the bagged note. “You take your time,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I held the door as he stepped out. “I have a question.”

  “What?” He was mere inches from me. His eyes were impossibly blue and ringed in black lashes.

  “Is it true that your wives left you because you wanted to live on the island?”

  His mouth made a firm line. “That was my second wife, Mandy. She thought the island was great during the summer months. Winter drove her off.”

  “And your first wife?”

  “I had a lot to learn about being married.”

  “I don’t think winter is going to scare me off,” I said firmly.

  “That’s what she said,” he said softly.

  “I’m not her.”

  “No,” he said with a shake of his head. “You’re not either of them.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek, leaving a warm spot on my skin. Then he turned and hurried down the stairs and out into the alley.

  I picked up Mal and buried my face into her warm fur. Rex was a man of his word. He would wait as long as I needed. Until he found another woman who was dedicated only to him. Why did the idea of someone else dating him bother me so much?

  Dark Chocolate Coconut Fudge

  2 cups dark chocolate chips

  1 (14 oz.) container sweetened condensed milk

  2 tablespoons coconut oil

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  1 ½ cups coconut flakes (reserve ¼ cup and toast for topping)

  In a double boiler, gently melt the dark

  chocolate chips and mix in the sweetened

  condensed milk until well combined.

  Remove from heat. Add coconut oil, vanilla,

  and coconut flakes, stir until combined.

  Butter and line an 8x8-inch pan. Pour

  chocolate in prepared pan. Top with toasted

  coconut. Chill until firm. Store in a covered

  container. Enjoy!

  Chapter 9

  I sat up straight in bed. Someone was screaming. Mal barked and went racing out of the bedroom. “Jenn?” A quick glance at the time told me it was 2 a.m. I jumped out of bed, grabbed my silky bathrobe, and pulled my arms through the sleeves. The door to Jenn’s bedroom was open. She wasn’t in bed. The screaming continued.

  Then someone else was yelling. This time it sounded like a man. The door burst open. It was Jenn. “We have a problem.”

  Fear ran down my spine like lightning. “What’s going on? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” Jenn said. “Mrs. Dennis in room 216 is not fine.”

  “Oh no,” I said, and followed Jenn out of the apartment. Mal ran in front of us barking as we hurried down the stairs. The screaming and yelling were coming from the second floor. “What is going on?”

  “I’m not exactly sure. I heard the screams and went to investigate and got told to get you,” Jenn said, and we both hurried down the stairs to the second floor.

  “I don’t understand—”

  Another blood-curdling scream came from room 216. Guests had all tumbled out of their rooms and into the hall. Room doors were left open. Almost everyone had been sleeping.

  “What’s going on?” Mr. Ramsworth asked as we came around the corner.

  “Please, everyone,” I said. “Let me through. Jenn, make some hot cocoa for our guests.”

  “Got it,” Jenn said, and began to herd the other guests downstairs. “I’ve called the police. They are sending officers over.”

  “Great.” I entered room 216 worried. Mrs. Dennis stood in the center of the room wearing her nightgown. She had curlers in her hair and looked white as a sheet. “Mrs. Dennis,” I addressed her. “Are you all right?”

  “No, no, no,” she shouted. Her eyes were wide as could be.

  “I told her to stop screaming,” Mr. Dennis said. He must have been the one yelling.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  She pointed toward the half-open window. There on the sill was a pool of blood. My throat seized up. Where was it coming from?

  “Okay,” I said. “Please sit down.”

  She opened her mouth to scream again, but I distracted her by pulling her to the chair by her arm. “Sit!” I used my best teacher voice.

  Mr. Dennis sat on the side of the bed. He appeared to be fine, but dazed and upset.

  “Are you okay?” I asked him. “Is that your blood?”

  “No,” he said gruffly.

  “No, you’re not okay or no, it’s not your blood?” I touched his shoulder and tried to get a good look at him.

  “No, it’s not my blood,” he said, and cleared his throat. “I’m okay.”

  “You don’t look okay,” I said. “Put your head between your knees.” I grabbed the comforter from the top of the bed and covered his shoulders. “Try to slow your breathing.”

  “There’s something swinging in the window!” Mrs. Dennis shouted, her voice rising at the end of the sentence.

  “I’ll take care of it,” I said. “The police ar
e on their way.” I grabbed a second blanket and placed it around her shoulders. Then I guided her to the bed to sit next to her husband. “Please help him breathe.”

  Once I got Mrs. Dennis to concentrate on something other than the bloody window, I turned to investigate. We were on the second floor with a view of the alley. The room was situated below my office on the fourth floor. The window was partially open, allowing the blood to seep into the sill. I opened it all the way and stuck my head out to see what I could see. The streetlight in the alley showed me that it was a headless chicken that hung by its legs from a thin piece of baling string.

  “Allie? What’s going on?” I looked down into the alley to see Officer Brent Pulaski.

  “Someone is sending a threatening message,” I said.

  He shone his flashlight at the hanging foul. “Is that a chicken?”

  “Freshly killed,” I said. “I’ve got blood everywhere.”

  At those words, Mrs. Dennis screamed again. I stuck my head back into the room and went to her. “It’s okay,” I said. “It’s okay. It’s a chicken.”

  She opened her mouth as if to scream and I clapped my hands to distract her. “Okay, let’s go downstairs,” I said, and carefully bundled the couple up to get them out of the room. “Jenn,” I called down the stairs as I walked Mr. Dennis down. We stopped on the landing to see the crowd of guests that had formed in the lobby areas. Officer Pulaski and Officer Lasko came in through the front door. Jenn handed someone a mug of tea and looked up at me.

  “Let me help,” she said, and ran up to the landing. She took Mr. Dennis’s arm and urged Mrs. Dennis to follow.

  “They need a new room,” I said to Jenn. “Give them 314. It’s an upgrade,” I reassured the couple. “There’s a nice sitting room.”

  “I don’t care about a sitting room,” Mr. Dennis grumbled.

  “I want a different hotel,” Mrs. Dennis declared loudly.

  “You might as well stay,” Office Pulaski said gently. “We need to get your statement and investigate. That’s going to take a while.”

  “Jenn will make you comfortable,” I reassured the couple. “I’ve got to help the officers investigate what is going on.” It was at that moment that I wish Mr. Devaney and Frances weren’t out of town. I could use a good handyman and customer relationship manager right about now. I had no idea how I was going to clean up that mess.