Forever Fudge

by Nancy CoCo

  “She just went up,” I said.

  “I recommend that you get your security company in here to rework your locks.”

  “I’m on it,” I said. “I’m adding cameras outside as well. If I didn’t know better, I would say this prankster is trying to make me spend all my budgeted money on things I don’t want to spend them on.”

  “That’s what emergency funds are for, right?” he asked.

  “I suppose.”

  He looked at his watch, then stuck his head under the attic opening. “Lasko, is it clear?”

  There wasn’t an answer. We looked at each other. It wasn’t like her to not answer. He grabbed his gun and motioned for me to stay back. I took a step back and watched him disappear up the ladder steps. I held my breath and listened. There sounded like a scuffle, then silence.

  “Rex?” I called.

  “We’re okay,” he said back, his voice muffled.

  I climbed the ladder and peered into the attic. Officer Lasko sat on the wooden floor holding her head. Blood trickled down her temple. Rex squatted beside her.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “Your prankster was hiding in the attic,” Rex said, his mouth a grim line. He stood and revealed a teenage boy handcuffed and sitting on the floor.

  I studied the boy. “Ryan?” I asked. He turned and looked at me, his expression belligerent. Ryan was Mrs. Tunison’s grandson. He sometimes portered for me, bringing suitcases up from the docks. “What are you doing?”

  He turned his head away from me.

  “Is she okay?” I asked Rex, and nodded toward Megan.

  “I’m fine,” she said, and touched the bloody spot on her forehead. “Just surprised me.”

  “Bitch got what she deserved,” Ryan said.

  “Ryan!” I exclaimed. “Your grandmother is going to be livid with you.”

  “I’m going to bring him down,” Rex said. “Allie, call George and get him here to look after Lasko.”

  “On it,” I said, stepped off the ladder and pulled out my phone.

  “I don’t need George,” Megan said.

  Rex pulled the teen down the ladder and into the bedroom. Officer Williams came into the bedroom. Rex handed the boy over. “Take him down to the station.”

  “Yes, sir,” Williams said. He took the grumpy teen away.

  Rex went back up the ladder and helped Officer Lasko down. I raced to the fridge, pulled out ice, and put it in a towel. “Here,” I said. “Put this on the wound to help with the swelling.”

  “What happened?” Jenn and Sandy stood and flocked around the policewoman.

  “He jumped me,” she said. “I went up not expecting anything.”

  “How did he get up there?” Jenn asked. She turned to me. “I thought you had the entrances to the attic fixed.”

  “I did,” I said. “He must have tucked up there when we entered the apartment.”

  “You mean he was up there when Sandy and I were in the living room?”

  “I think so,” I said.

  Jenn frowned. “Creepy. What if he were a killer?”

  I punched the number into my phone. “I’m calling the security company. I don’t care what it costs. I’m going to get the McMurphy buttoned up and safe for everyone.”

  “I have a cousin who runs a security company,” Sandy said.

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll stick to the guys I have.”

  “Suit yourself,” Sandy said with a shrug.

  I stopped Rex on his way out the door. “Do you think Ryan was responsible for the bear?”

  “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “But you’re pretty sure the killer didn’t have anything to do with the bear or Mal,” I said.

  “The probability that the pranks were pulled by Ryan is pretty high. I don’t think he’s a killer. Get your security in here and it will be fine.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “Thank you, Officer Lasko, I appreciate your help in this matter.”

  “Just doing my job,” she muttered as she headed out with Rex while holding my icepack gingerly against her head.

  “You really should get that checked out,” I said.

  “I’m sure, I’ll be fine.” They walked out of the apartment.

  I closed the door and turned to Sandy and Jenn. “Are you two comfortable with working here?”

  “Sure,” Jenn said. She held Mal in her arms. “But you’ll get that security company out here, right?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I’ve got the number keyed up on my phone. What about you, Sandy?”

  “I’m fine.” She shoved her hands in her pockets.

  “Thanks for recommending Sharon,” I said. “I really needed the extra help.”

  She nodded at me. “Of course.”

  I hit the button to call the phone number. It was going to cost me a fortune, but it was worth it if I never had to go through another morning like this.

  Gingerbread Fudge

  ½ cup packed brown sugar

  ½ cup molasses

  ⅓ cup evaporated milk

  3 ¼ cups white chocolate chips

  1 teaspoon cinnamon

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  ¾ teaspoon ground ginger

  ½ teaspoon of allspice

  ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

  ½ teaspoon ground cloves

  Line an 8x8-inch pan with foil. Butter the foil.

  Place the brown sugar, molasses, and

  evaporated milk in a medium saucepan. Stir

  to combine, then place over medium-low

  heat. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture

  barely begins to simmer.

  Remove from heat and add in the chocolate

  chips, vanilla, and spices.

  Pour into prepared pan. Place in the fridge to

  chill until the fudge has set, at least 1 hour.

  Cut into small squares and serve. Store in a

  covered container. Enjoy!

  Chapter 19

  The next evening Sid, the supervisor of the security crew, walked me through everything they did. The security installation had taken up most of my Monday, but I think it was worth it. “Each of your guests’ rooms has the new electronic key cards. I’ve trained you and your assistant manager and your desk crew on how that works.”

  “Yes,” I said with a nod. “It seems pretty simple.”

  “We’ve got cameras on each corner of your building. They digitally record everything that happens outside your building. I’ve given you the password to the secure website that stores all the data. Here is a manual for best practices to keep it up-to-date. The apartment has fresh metal keys, along with the office. The place is locked down pretty tight. We put up the window clings explaining that they are under surveillance. We could still put cameras in the inside of the building. I’d recommend two in the lobby and one on each end for the hallways upstairs.”

  “I’m going to wait and see on that,” I said. “I think my guests would prefer not to be on camera.”

  “I understand,” he said. “You have thirty days to change your mind and get the cameras installed under the installation fee you paid today.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Thank you.”

  He tugged on his white cap. “Our pleasure. Remember, you have three free months of surveillance. Should you have any problems just call the number we’ve posted on the alarm systems at the front door and in the apartment. Here’s a certificate you can give your insurance. It should lower your rates some.”

  “Good,” I said. I handed him a check and he handed me all the paperwork that went with our new system.

  In a flash he and his crew were gone. I’d left notes on all the guest rooms letting them know that we had new locks installed and the key cards were available at the front desk.

  “This is kind of cool,” Jenn said as she practiced using the software to code a room key.

  “It should be, for the price,” I said with a sigh. “So much for getting started on
the roof project next year.”

  “Whatever happened to Dirk?” Jenn asked. “Wasn’t he here yesterday talking to the romance writer?”

  “He left with Rex yesterday afternoon,” I said. “It seems the film crew got everything up and running this morning. He should be shooting for a few days now.”

  “Rex will be happy not to have his shadow.”

  I chuckled. “I’m sure he will be.”

  “What happened with Ryan?” Jenn asked.

  “Rex is still questioning him,” I said. “The kid hasn’t admitted to much more than lifting a master key and bumming around the hotel.”

  “He’s not admitting to taking Mal out of our apartment?”

  “No,” I said and my mouth went into a smooth, flat line. “I want to give the kid a piece of my mind. He scared me and my poor puppy near to death.”

  “Do we know any more about the body you found the other night?” Jenn asked as she tried coding another key card.

  “We were so busy securing the McMurphy that I didn’t have time to ask Rex. I would love to know if they identified the man.” I drew my eyebrows together. “Have you heard from Liz? Rex noticed that she hasn’t been at any of the crime scenes lately. It’s not like her.”

  “I think I heard that her grandfather was sick. I think he’s in a hospital in Saginaw.”

  “Oh boy,” I said. “I need to text her and see if she’s okay. How long has he been sick?”

  “I think it started with a cold or something,” Jenn said. “I’m not sure.”

  “Who’s writing for the paper?”

  “They are rerunning old columns,” Sharon said. She sat next to Jenn and thumbed through a magazine.

  “Do you know Mr. McElroy?” I asked the older woman.

  “Most of my life.”

  “Has he been sick before?”

  “First time that I know of,” Sharon said. She glanced up at the time. “Time to go. I’ve got a few errands to run.”

  “Do you want someone to walk you home?” I asked. I know it sounded silly but with the last couple of days I’d had, I wasn’t sure anyone should be out on the streets alone.

  “I’m good,” she said, and tugged on a jacket. “Good night.”

  “Good night,” I said. I picked up Mal and petted her ears. “Jenn, have you heard from Paige? She said something about having lunch a few days ago but I haven’t heard anything.”

  “I saw her and Trent in the stables this morning,” Jenn said. “They didn’t look happy with each other.”

  “No?”

  “They seemed to be fighting,” Jenn said. “Any idea what that might be about?”

  “Maybe,” I said.

  “Hold on,” Jenn said to me, and then addressed the guests who were coming back to their room for the night. “Hello, we upgraded our room keys today.”

  “You did?” Mr. Angelus seemed surprised. “What prompted this?”

  “It was planned,” I said. “We had hoped to get it done before your arrival, but the workers couldn’t come in until today.”

  “Here,” Jenn said, and took their old key from them. “Here are the new key cards. This will be safer and more secure.”

  “Too bad,” Mrs. Angelus said with a sniff. “There was charm in the actual key for the room.”

  “All of the island hotels will eventually go to key card,” I explained. “It’s for your safety.”

  “Come on, Irma,” Mr. Angelus said. “You wouldn’t have even thought twice about the key if we weren’t upgrading. I’m tired. Let’s go to bed.”

  We waited while Mr. and Mrs. Angelus walked up the stairs to go up to their rooms. Jenn came around the receptionist desk. “You know something about why Paige and Trent were fighting?”

  “Their father is handing the business over to them.”

  “Cool, what’s to fight over?”

  “Paige got the island businesses and Trent got the Chicago businesses.”

  “Okay—”

  “I told Trent I didn’t want a long-distance relationship. So he’s trying to get Paige to give over control of the island businesses.”

  “Hmm,” Jenn said as she stroked Mella. The cat had jumped up on the receptionist desk to be part of the conversation. “Paige doesn’t want to switch for Chicago?”

  “I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “But when I talked to her she seemed pretty happy with living on the island year-round.”

  “The real question,” Jenn said with a wiggle of her eyebrows, “is will you take Trent back if he lives on the island full-time?”

  “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” I said, and turned off the computer and headed upstairs.

  “Says the woman who has a date with Rex Manning tomorrow.”

  “He wants to cook me dinner,” I said. “We’ll talk about the murder case. Speaking of which, I haven’t had any time to investigate. Did Shane tell you if they identified the man from last night?”

  “Shane said that they are cross-referencing with any missing person’s report. It could take a while. If the man lived alone, like the last victim, then it could be a while before anyone reports him missing.”

  “That’s the saddest thing I’ve heard today,” I said. “Come on, let’s go upstairs. I have a nice bottle of wine to share.”

  We headed up the stairs with my fur babies in tow. “Do you think that Ryan was responsible for the chicken prank and everything that happened?”

  “I don’t know,” I said with a shake of my head. “I don’t understand why he would pull any kind of prank. I’ve been nothing but nice to him. I hired him to porter for me last month.”

  “It’s probably how he got keys to get into the building and your apartment.”

  “It would also explain why Mal didn’t bark or growl. She knew him.”

  “She just wants to cuddle with anyone,” Jenn said. “She probably went right to him.”

  “Yes, it’s why I need to keep an eye on her. She’s a dear and very smart, but not the best guard dog.”

  “Good thing you got new cameras,” Jenn said. We made it upstairs and I used the new key to open the double locks on the door.

  “Feels a bit like a prison,” I said with a sigh.

  “Better to help keep people out of your attic. That’s just creepy.”

  “I should check on Officer Lasko.”

  “Why? She clearly doesn’t like you much,” Jenn said.

  “I know,” I said, and locked the door behind me. “Any idea why?”

  “I think she’s sweet on a certain police officer who only has eyes for you.”

  “Seriously?”

  “That’s my best guess,” Jenn said. “After all, you’ve had Rex’s attention since you first came on the island. She’s been working with him for what? Two years? Three? She might feel a bit possessive. You know how work romances can get.”

  “No,” I said, and poured us both a glass of red wine. “I don’t know anything about workplace romances.”

  “Well, let me tell you, they can be exciting,” Jenn said, and curled up on the couch with her glass of wine. “And frustrating.”

  “Especially if the one you’re crushing on isn’t interested in you back.”

  “Exactly,” Jenn said.

  I sipped my wine. “No wonder she doesn’t like me much.”

  “You know what the answer is?”

  “No,” I said, and shook my head.

  “Find her a handsome single man of her own.”

  I laughed. “I’m no good at romance. What makes you think I could help anyone else out?”

  “Indeed,” Jenn said.

  “Did anyone hear from Mr. Beecher?” I asked, thinking of the older neighbor for the first time in hours. “The killer dressed the last body to look like Mr. Beecher. I haven’t heard from him in days now.”

  “Maybe his granddaughter is visiting with her new baby,” Jenn said.

  “Oh, a baby?” I sighed. “I wouldn’t have thought he was old enough to be a
great-grandfather.” I felt a moment of sadness. “Papa Liam would have loved to be a great-grandpa.”

  “I know,” Jenn said, and patted my knee. “How are you doing with his loss?”

  I ran my hand through my hair. “I’ve kept myself busy this season. Too busy to really grieve.”

  “You need to deal with it,” Jenn said. “You lost an important member of your family.”

  “Yes,” I said. “Funny how I’m fine and then I’ll see something that was his and I get so sad.”

  “What would your grandfather think of your investigations?”

  I leaned back into the couch and let Mal jump up in my lap. “I think he would have gotten a kick out of trying to solve them.”

  “Speaking of solving, have there been any more chess moves?”

  “No,” I said with a shake of my head. “I think the killer has given up on my understanding his chess game.”

  “Aren’t you going back to the senior center for this week’s chess club?” Jenn asked.

  “That’s Thursday,” I said. “Sandy already set it up. I think I’ll go back up there tomorrow, though. I need to find out if anyone knows who the second dead man is. The rumor mill must be full. It’s time I started looking into who this killer is before things get closer to home.”

  Chapter 20

  The next morning, after I filled the fudge shop shelves with fudge, I made sure Sharon was good with the new key system. Then I left Sandy making chocolate in the kitchen and I put Mal’s halter on her and went outside. I needed to check on Liz and Angus McElroy. The first thing I did was head to the little white house two houses down from the newspaper office. I knocked on the door while Mal sniffed around the tiny porch.

  “Hello?” I called when I peered into the window. No one answered. Inside looked quiet and still.

  “They are in Saginaw,” Mrs. O’Malley said from the sidewalk. “Angus had a stroke last week.”

  “That’s terrible. I hope he’s all right,” I said, and stepped off the porch to meet her on the sidewalk. “Jenn told me that something had happened. I thought I’d come by and see if they needed anything. But I see they aren’t home yet.”

  “The ladies’ auxiliary is taking up a collection to help Liz pay for the hotel she’s been staying in since Angus went to Saginaw.”