A Deadly Delicious Delivery (A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Book 2)

by Cindy Bell

  “You don’t have to kill me,” Ally said as she hoped that Peaches was okay. She couldn’t believe how callous Stephanie was being, but she didn’t want to antagonize her more.

  “Oh, yes I do,” Stephanie said. “Enough talking, time to get rid of you.” Ally knew that this was it as Stephanie drew closer to her. Ally’s eyes flooded with tears as she gave in to the fact that there was no escape. She could feel the needle prick against her skin.

  “No!” Ally started to scream. She knew once the needle went in it wouldn’t matter if someone found her. Her scream was drowned out by a high pitched screech. Ally looked up in time to see Peaches flying through the air. The cat landed with her claws out, on the hand that held the needle. Stephanie cursed and dropped the needle as she tried to shake the cat off. Ally was able to get free, but when she reached for the needle on the ground, Stephanie pounced on her from behind. Ally was slammed down hard against the pavement.

  As pain flooded her vision she thought she heard a snort. In the next moment she felt Stephanie struggle above her. She was shoved backwards off Ally. Ally tried to jump up but was too dizzy to get her footing. She leaned heavily against the side of the dumpster. Only then did she see Stephanie. She was rolling on the ground with Charlotte. They rolled towards the needle that was still on the ground.

  Ally lurched forward and tried to get the needle, but Stephanie reached for it at the same time. The needle rolled across the ground. Ally reached for it again, and Stephanie released Charlotte. Stephanie lunged for Ally. Ally was already unsteady on her feet. When Stephanie collided with her she collapsed to the ground. Stephanie’s weight pinned her down. Ally was sure that if Stephanie had the chance she would kill her. With all of her strength she pushed upward and managed to get Stephanie flipped under her.

  “Hey! Break it up!” Luke got into the fray and tried to peel Ally off Stephanie.

  “She’s trying to kill me!”

  “I’m here, Ally, I’m here. Let go, I’ll take care of her.”

  Ally looked into his eyes briefly, then released her grip on Stephanie. She collapsed on the ground, exhausted from the fight. As she lay there Peaches walked up to her and nuzzled her cheek. Arnold snorted and pushed his nose against her forehead. Ally heard the click of handcuffs, a scuffle, and then Luke’s grunt as he lifted Stephanie up from the ground.

  “Let me go! Let me go!” Stephanie thrashed against his grasp.

  “The only place you’re going is lock-up.” Luke turned towards Ally. “Ally, Mrs. Sweet. Are you okay?” he called.

  Ally forced herself to sit up. She spotted Charlotte sitting on the curb beside the empty building trying to catch her breath.

  “Mee-Maw, are you okay?”

  “I’m okay if you’re okay.”

  “I’m okay.” Ally blinked her eyes slowly with disbelief. “I’m okay.” She cradled Peaches in her arms and stroked Arnold’s ears. She felt so lucky to have so many heroes. As she watched Luke lead Stephanie to the police car she tried to stand up. Her body ached from striking the pavement. She limped her way over to the curb and plopped herself down beside her grandmother.

  “Wow, that was a close call.” Charlotte wiped her brow which was covered in sweat.

  “Yes, it was.” Ally glanced down at the tiny, red pinprick on her arm. The needle hadn’t gone in far enough to deliver any of the deadly concoction, but it certainly had come close. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes, just a little winded. I’m just so glad that Arnold heard you screaming. I thought I heard something, but I wasn’t sure. Then Arnold started tugging and pulling so hard he nearly pulled me over.”

  “Peaches saved my life.” Ally kissed the top of her cat’s head. “And so did you, and Arnold.”

  “And your detective saved us all.” Charlotte tipped her head in his direction as he walked back towards them. “He’s a keeper,” Charlotte added. Ally smiled.

  “Ally, are you sure that you’re okay?” Luke crouched down in front of her. “You have a bump on your head.” He reached out to touch the reddened skin. Ally winced and caught his hand.

  “I’m okay, I promise.” She held onto his hand as he lowered it. “Thank you, Luke.”

  “When I saw you on the ground, I was so worried.” He met her eyes. “Try not to scare me like that again, all right?”

  Ally broke into a grin. “Sure, I’ll remember that next time someone tries to inject me with antifreeze.”

  “Don’t even joke about that.” He frowned.

  “Mrs. Sweet, are you okay? Luke asked.

  “You can call me Charlotte.” She smiled. “I’m fine, thank you.”

  “Nate said that he was covering for Stephanie. He said he had worked out what she had done. He was still at the conference on the day of the murder, but he came back early once he heard about Myrtle’s murder,” Luke said.

  “Stephanie said that he wasn’t involved. She tried to kill me because she thought I would discover the truth and she wanted me to take the fall. I really don’t think that he was involved.”

  “How about you just take a five minute break from crime solving?” He leaned close to her. “At least long enough to get some rest.”

  “I guess that I could do that.” She smiled.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ally did exactly as Luke asked and got some rest. With Peaches nestled beside her in bed and Arnold curled up on the rug beside her bed, she slept for hours. It turned out that even the pets were too exhausted to fight with each other. When she finally woke up it was to the delicious aroma of chocolate cake. She washed her face and brushed her teeth and hair. She did it quickly because the smell was making her hungry.

  Ally wandered into the kitchen.

  “Mee-Maw?”

  “I’m sorry if I woke you.” Charlotte set the cake on the table.

  “Oh wow, that looks amazing. How did you have the energy to make it?”

  “When I get upset, I bake. It helps me sort things out, plus there is always a yummy treat waiting for me at the end.”

  “It does look yummy.” Ally smiled.

  “It smells yummy, too.” Luke grinned as he stepped in from the hall. Ally gasped and took a step back. As usual she was in her pajamas.

  “Oh, did I forget to tell you that Luke was here?” Charlotte winked at her as she poured three glasses of milk. “I thought he might like to join us for a slice of cake.”

  “Yes, you could have told me that.” Ally frowned.

  “I can go, if you like.” Luke met her eyes.

  “No, of course not. Please stay. Let me just go change.” She started to turn away.

  “You look perfect to me.” Ally blushed slightly as Luke pulled out a chair for her. “I have some things to tell you about the case.”

  Ally was tempted, just as Luke knew she would be. She settled down in the chair just as her grandmother plopped a piece of cake on her plate. Luke sat down beside her, then Charlotte joined them as well. They were all too consumed by the delicious taste of the cake to speak to one another at first.

  “Oh Mee-Maw, I think this is the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted.”

  “You always say that, until I make another one.” Charlotte grinned.

  “I mean it!” Ally laughed.

  “I have to agree with Ally on this one. Thank you so much, Charlotte.”

  “Thank you, Luke. I know how hard you worked on this case to try and get our shop back open, and how you looked out for Ally. That means a lot to both of us.”

  Luke looked over at Ally and smiled. “I’m just glad that she’s safe, and that you are, too, Charlotte.”

  “So, what happened?” Ally shook her head. “Why would Nate confess if he had nothing to do with the murder?”

  “Well, as we suspected he and Stephanie had been having an affair. He was heartbroken when Myrtle left him. He worked out what Stephanie had done and when he was arrested he confessed to protect her. Stephanie on the other hand poisoned Myrtle because her sister
had told her that she was changing her will to leave all of her wealth to charity. She wanted to kill her before the will was finalized.”

  “She wanted everything, the family and the money. Maybe she thought that if she wasn’t rich like Myrtle, Nate wouldn’t want to be with her,” Ally suggested.

  “That’s possible. Or maybe she just wanted the money. I guess she knew that Nate’s confession would turn out to be useless. There were several witnesses that placed him at his business conference at the time of the murder. She knew that you suspected her and she thought killing you would prevent her from becoming the next suspect. She wanted you to take the fall. She thought that way she and Nate could finally live their lives together.”

  “Could you imagine if those two had been able to inherit all of Myrtle’s money?” Charlotte clucked her tongue. “How horrible that would have been.”

  “They wouldn’t have either way. Myrtle’s will was final. She left everything to charity,” Luke said.

  “Oh wow, I hope the kids weren’t upset,” Ally said.

  “Not at all. She made sure they each had enough to comfortably sustain themselves for the rest of their lives before she ever changed her will. I think she suspected the relationship between Nate and Stephanie and wanted to make sure they didn’t get their hands on the money.”

  “How sad.” Ally sighed. “To think that a family could treat each other that way. I’m so lucky to have you, Mee-Maw.”

  “I’m lucky to have you too, Ally.” Charlotte patted the back of her hand with a loving touch.

  “It is sad.” Luke nodded. “From what I understand Myrtle wasn’t too kind to her sister, but that’s no excuse for murder. At least now Myrtle has her justice.”

  “To Myrtle.” Ally lifted a forkful of chocolate cake into the air as a toast.

  “To Myrtle.” Charlotte lifted a forkful as well. Luke joined in with his fork high in the air. As they finished their cake, Ally was glad that the truth had finally come out.

  “How are you feeling?” Luke asked as she walked him to the door.

  “Better than I expected. I thought I’d have some injuries. That Stephanie is pretty vicious.”

  “You’re pretty tough.” He grinned at her. Then his smile faded some. “Tough enough to take some real risks in life.”

  “Is this another lecture?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “No.” He paused and met her eyes. “It’s just an observation. I just wonder, what other kinds of risks you might be willing to take.”

  “What do you mean?” She returned his steady gaze.

  “Do I really have to spell it out for you, Ally?” He offered her a half-smile. “Just think about it.” Ally nodded a little as he stepped out through the door. Charlotte must have noticed her confused expression as she turned back to face her.

  “Ally, for such an intelligent woman you really are dumb about some things.” Charlotte shook her head.

  “Mee-Maw!”

  “Okay, you’re not dumb, but it’s clear that man wants you to take a risk on him.”

  “Oh!” Ally smacked her own forehead.

  “See?”

  “Okay, okay.” Ally shrugged. “But I don’t know if I’m ready, Mee-Maw.”

  “Only you can decide that, sweetie.” She patted her cheek. “But the opportunity may not last forever.”

  Ally returned to her room after helping her grandmother put the chocolate cake away. She sat down on the edge of her bed. Peaches jumped right up beside her. Ally pet the cat from the top of her head to the tip of her tail.

  “What do you think, Peaches? Is it time to take a chance on love?”

  Peaches purred and nuzzled Ally’s palm.

  “Hm. You might be right.” Ally bit into her bottom lip and continued to pet the cat. Her grandmother was right, it was a decision only she could make. Her heart had been broken once, and with all that had changed in the past few months she really wasn’t sure if she was ready to risk it again.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The next day when the shop reopened, Ally wasn’t expecting much. However, as soon as she slipped the sign to open, Mrs. Cale stepped right in.

  “I’ve been waiting out here for twenty minutes!”

  “Oh dear.” Charlotte laughed. “Well, I think that earns you some free chocolate.” There was a steady stream of customers who happily returned to the shop. Ally was relieved, but she was also proud that their community was ready to rally around them. Maybe it wasn’t the city that she was used to, but there was something to be said for the family feeling of a small town. By the end of the day Charlotte and Ally were exhausted, and content.

  “See Ally. Nothing to worry about.” Charlotte grinned.

  “I hear you, I hear you.” Ally laughed. “I will try to have a more positive attitude about things.”

  “Maybe about your detective as well?”

  “He’s not my detective, Mee-Maw.”

  “He could be.” Charlotte wiggled her eyebrows.

  “Mee-Maw!” Ally laughed.

  ***

  Two days later Charlotte was in her new apartment at Freely Lakes.

  Ally set the last box down in the living room and sighed. “Are you sure that you want to stay?”

  “Yes Ally, of course I’m sure.” Charlotte set a framed picture of Arnold on her mantle right beside a framed picture of Ally and Peaches.

  “But you don’t even have a room with a view.”

  “Trust me, I didn’t want to get on Ruth’s bad side. So, I let her have it. She’s been waiting for it longer and wants it more than me anyway. It’s not that big of a deal to me, and I’m next on the list when a room becomes available.”

  “Well, you can always come home. Anytime, Mee-Maw.”

  “I know that, sweetie.” She turned around and opened her arms to Ally. Ally nestled close and wrapped her arms around her grandmother’s waist. “You have to stop thinking of this as goodbye, and start thinking of it as hello to a new experience.”

  “I know, Mee-Maw.”

  “Maybe you should think about saying hello to another new experience.” Charlotte smiled at her. “A romantic one.”

  “Mee-Maw, it’s not like that. Luke just wants to get to know me better.”

  “Oh honey, I’m not blind and you’re not stupid. I’m just asking you to think about it.”

  “I did romance once, remember?”

  Charlotte patted her cheek with the smooth skin of one of her palms. “Don’t do that to yourself, sweetheart. Right now you might think you’ve lived it all, but there’s so much more ahead of you, don’t hide from it.”

  “Thank you, Mee-Maw, you know I love you.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to listen to me?”

  Ally smiled. “I’ll try.”

  “Good. Now let me get settled into my new place. I’m sure there’s inventory and baking that needs to be done at the shop.”

  “All right, all right.” Ally laughed. She hugged her grandmother tight. “I’m just a phone call away. Don’t let anyone boss you around. If anyone gives you a hard time…”

  “Thanks Mom, I think I can handle it.”

  Ally shook her head. “I’m sorry, you’re right.”

  “Dinner tonight?”

  “Yes!”

  “Love you, Ally.”

  “Love you, too, Mee-Maw.”

  When Ally walked out of the building she still felt a bit sad that her grandmother had moved out, but she also felt happy for her. When she neared her car she noticed that Luke was leaning against the driver’s side door.

  “Luke? What are you doing here?”

  “I knew today was moving day. I have the day off, so I thought maybe you could use some company.”

  Ally met his gaze with a light smile. Her heart warmed in reaction to his thoughtful gesture.

  “I have some work to do,” Ally said.

  “I’m happy to help.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.” He stood up fro
m the side of the car. “I mean, unless you want to be alone.”

  “Oh trust me, I’d rather be with you.”

  “Good.” He grinned. “Me too.”

  As he opened the car door for her Ally couldn’t help but wonder if this might just be the beginning of a wonderful new experience.

  The End

  ***

  If you are ready for the next book in the Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Series, A Bitter Sweet Murder, it is available now:

  Click here to view a sample or order A Bitter Sweet Murder

  From the Author

  Thank you very much for reading A Deadly Delicious Delivery, the second book in the Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Series. If you enjoyed the book and would like to be updated when I release a new book you can sign up for email updates at http://www.cindybellbooks.com/newsletter. I will never share your email and you will only receive emails from me when I have released a new book, am offering a discount or when I have giveaways.

  About the Author

  Cindy Bell is the author of the cozy mystery series Chocolate Centered, Sage Gardens, Bekki the Beautician, Dune House, 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/newsletter.

  More Books by Cindy Bell

  Chocolate Centered Cozy Mysteries

  The Sweet Smell of Murder

  Sage Gardens Cozy Mysteries

  Birthdays Can Be Deadly

  Money Can Be Deadly