by Cindy Bell
“It’s pretty clear that someone at the dinner poisoned Julia. Since the tarts were the last thing that she ate and seem to have possibly caused her coughing fit, we of course tested them.”
“And they came out clear, I’m sure.”
“The problem is, we don’t know if she consumed more than one. The remainder of the tart on her plate was clear, as were the rest of the tarts that we collected. However, that doesn’t mean that one she ate earlier wasn’t poisoned.”
“All right Officer, if you’re going to insist on considering me a suspect, please enlighten me as to my motive. I’ve lived and worked in this town all my life. What could I possibly gain from Julia’s death?”
“I was hoping you would tell me that. From what I can tell you didn’t have any issues with Julia.”
“Of course I didn’t. What I knew of the woman was that she was a good person, who worked hard to gain her position and took her job very seriously. Why would I have anything against someone like that?”
“Maybe, because you never had the chance to continue your political career.”
“My what?” Charlotte laughed. “What are you talking about?”
“There was a time when you tried to create a new position, a neighborhood liaison to represent the small businesses in Blue River. My research showed that you were involved in several protests in an attempt to get the position created.”
“Are you kidding?” She laughed again. “That was decades ago. It had nothing to do with Freely anyway. The truth is you have nothing to hold against me. There is no trace of poison in any of the tarts, and I have no motive.”
“Maybe you don’t, but what about your granddaughter, I haven’t finished investigating her connection with Julia.”
“There’s nothing to investigate. I don’t think she had ever even met Julia. Ally had nothing to do with any of this.”
“So you say, but maybe there are things about her that even you don’t know. People can surprise us, you know.”
“Sure, she surprises me all of the time, but not when it comes to something like this. Maybe instead of grasping at straws you should focus your investigation on people who were actual enemies of the deputy mayor. I’m sure she had a few.”
“I can assure you everyone is being investigated.”
“Good, now if you don’t mind I have work to finish up.”
“Just once more, can you tell me where you were when Julia died?”
“I told you already. I went to the restroom to freshen up before the speeches began. There was a line so it took me a little longer than expected.”
“Huh. And your granddaughter, Ally, where was she?”
“I was at the table with the tarts. The entire night.” Ally shut the door behind her and set her jaw as the officer turned to face her.
“Ah, there you are. I have a few questions for you.”
“No, you don’t.” Charlotte waved her hand through the air. “You’ve taken up enough of our time. Neither of us had anything to do with Julia’s death. But I can promise you that her murderer is out there thinking he or she got away with it, while you stand here with absolutely no reason to question us.”
“Fine.” Officer Frank sighed and adjusted his hat. “I can see that you’re not willing to cooperate. I’ll make a note of that.”
Ally raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think that intimidates me?”
“It should.” He held her gaze. “I know about you and your connection with one of the detectives in Blue River. But he is not here, and he is not working the case, I am.”
“I know that.”
“Then why won’t you answer my questions.”
“I’m willing to answer any question you have, but my grandmother has already told you everything we know.”
“Everything?” He put his hands on his hips. Ally took a breath.
“Okay, I did notice a man at the dinner who seemed to have something against Julia, and her husband. His name is Scott Brally. That’s all I know.”
“How do you know he had a problem with them?” Officer Frank made a note on his notepad.
“Because he told me. He also said he’d probably had too much to drink.”
“Thank you. I will look into him. Did you notice anything else unusual that night?”
“No. Not at all.” Ally frowned. “I wish I knew something more, I really do.”
“Just do me a favor and keep the shop closed until we get this straightened out.”
“Is that a request or a requirement?” Ally met his eyes.
“A requirement. It’s for your own protection.”
“We can’t keep it closed indefinitely. Please hurry up and get this crime solved, Officer.”
“I will.” He tipped his hat and walked out of the shop. Ally rested her elbows on the counter beside her grandmother.
“Where’s Luke when we need him?”
“Don’t worry about it. He has no proof.”
“But will he need any, if we have to keep the shop closed the rumor mills will be running out of control.”
“Let them run. You and I both know that we’ve done nothing wrong.” Charlotte wiped down the counter and did her best to look relaxed. “So, tell me what you found out about this man you told me about.”
“I tried to get to speak to him, but I didn’t manage to. I bungled it when I called to speak to him at his work, I got his wife instead and didn’t realize it. Now she’s not going to be getting me any meeting with her husband, I can assure you. But I did find out that he owns a waste services company and that Mayor Malcolm is the one that gave him the contract for Freely. It is also the same company that services Blue River.”
“Hm, that’s interesting.”
“I just hope that Officer Frank really does follow up on it,” Ally said.
“He seems like an intelligent man. No Luke, of course, but he’ll have to do. Would you mind giving me a lift home? I’d like to do a little networking and see if anyone has any insights as to who might be responsible for this.”
“Sure.” Ally held open the door for her. As she turned to leave she realized she hadn’t locked the door. She turned back fast and locked it. Had she forgotten to lock it on the day that Julia was murdered?
Chapter Six
After dropping off her grandmother Ally headed back home. She was exhausted from the tension of the day and looked forward to a quiet evening and dinner. Before she cooked she settled on the couch to relax for a while. Peaches stretched across her stomach. Ally stroked her hand through Peaches’ fur. As usual she began to relax the moment she felt the subtle vibration of Peaches’ purr. More like her best friend than her pet, Peaches helped her get through the most difficult times in her life. As she waited for the rest of her body to relax she spoke softly to the cat.
“The police think that the tarts might have been poisoned, Peaches. I know it wasn’t the tarts that did it, but still, I can’t help feeling as if I could have done something to help.” She sighed and scratched lightly behind Peaches’ ear.
Ally stared through the window that overlooked the backyard. As she looked at the rustle of the leaves in the trees Julia crept into her thoughts. One moment she was smiling, the next she was gone. She couldn’t do anything to change that, but there was one thing that she could do. She could find out the truth about what had happened to her. But how?
As determined as she was, she wasn’t sure that she would be able to get any information. Peaches crawled in a slow circle around her lap. She settled once more and started to curl her tail around her body. Before she did she struck Ally on the nose with the fluffy tip of her tail. In that moment Ally remembered the napkin that struck her in the face. She remembered looking up to see the photographer with his camera pointed in her direction. She ducked him before he could take her picture. But he took pictures the entire night, especially of the mayor and the deputy mayor. Maybe he caught something on camera, such as a hand slipping poison into Julia’s food, or someone glaring from
a distance. He might not even know that he did. If she had a chance to look at those pictures she might be lucky enough to solve the murder right away.
“Thank you, as always, Peaches.” She leaned down and kissed the top of the cat’s head. One glance at the clock told her that she might still be able to catch the photographer at the newspaper office. She grabbed her purse and a box of chocolates, and headed out the door. When she arrived at the newspaper office the sign on the door was turned to ‘closed’, but she noticed lights on inside. She took a moment to run her fingers through her long hair, then knocked hard on the door. A moment later she saw a shadow in the window beside the door. As the person approached she could tell that it was the photographer from his tall and lanky frame, as well as the long goatee that grew from his chin. She knocked again, a bit harder. He stood beside the door as if trying to decide whether to open it. Ally put on her sweetest smile and tipped her head towards the door.
“Hello? Is someone there?” The doorknob twisted, then the door swung open. “We’re closed.” He gazed at her with dark, impenetrable eyes. She had hoped a bit of chocolate would do the trick. But when she looked into his eyes she remembered that he hadn’t eaten the tart at the party because it was chocolate, so she doubted that the chocolate would persuade him to do anything, but it was still worth a try.
“I’m here to see you.” She held his gaze. “I just need a few minutes of your time, please.”
“My time? Why?” He narrowed his eyes.
“I brought you some chocolate.” She held out the box to him and lifted the lid so that the smell of the chocolate would waft towards him.
“I’m allergic to chocolate.” He pursed his lips.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She closed the box and tucked it under her arm. “That must be terrible.”
“It’s not exactly tragic.” He sighed and glanced at his watch. “What is this about? I’m working on a project and would rather not be distracted.”
“Listen, I know you took the pictures at the cocktail party the night the deputy mayor died.”
“So?” He leaned against the doorway. “What does that matter?”
“I hoped that you might let me take a look at them? I’d just like to see if maybe there’s something there that no one noticed.”
“Oh, you mean the pictures that I’ve been told not to publish?” He chuckled. “Who are you again?”
“My name is Ally. I run Charlotte’s Chocolate Heaven in Blue River. I guess you haven’t been there before.”
“No, I haven’t. But I remember you from the party.” His gaze lingered on her for a moment. “Still, I can’t show you or anyone else the pictures.”
“But I’m not going to publish them, I’m just going to look at them. That’s not a crime is it?” She smiled again.
“Oh sure, don’t worry about me losing my job or anything like that, as long as you get your murder fix.”
“My what?” Her eyes widened.
“Look, I’ve seen your kind before. You’re a murder junkie. You want to know everything there is to know about a crime that has nothing to do with you. I don’t think that’s any reason to risk my job.”
“I’m not a murder junkie.” She crossed her arms and studied him with annoyance. “I mean, I do want to solve the crime, but not for any other reason than making sure that Julia gets justice.”
“Right, and none of the fame that will come from solving the murder?”
“Right, none of that.” She frowned. “You don’t have to believe me, but I can assure you that my only interest is in making sure that whoever did this to Julia pays for it.”
“Why? Were you friends?” He stepped back from the door some. Ally took it as an invitation to step inside. As she did she shook her head.
“No, we weren’t friends. I didn’t know her very well. This will probably sound foolish to you, but I just keep seeing her smile. It was just so radiant.” She sighed and shook her head. “One moment she was there, the next she was gone. I have to make sure that justice is served.” She braced herself. Would he tell her to leave? Would he laugh in her face?
“She did have a beautiful smile.” He lowered his eyes. “And a beautiful laugh.”
“You noticed?”
“It’s hard not to when you’re the one taking the pictures.” He shrugged. “I get to see all of the little details that most people miss out on.”
“That’s all I’m asking to see, some little details. I’m not going to put your job at risk. But if you let me just take a quick look, then I might be able to figure some things out.”
“Honestly, I have no idea why I’m doing this. But, fine…” He stepped aside and gestured to an office not far from the door. “I hate to think of never seeing that beautiful smile again. So, if you think you can do something to bring her murderer to justice, then go ahead and try. But you can’t let any of this come back on me.”
“I won’t. I promise.” Ally’s body relaxed with relief. She settled into an office chair in front of the desk and peered at the photographs spread out before her. There were many more than she had anticipated. To look at the fine details that she wanted to could take hours.
“Are you sure I can’t take copies of these home to look at?”
“Absolutely not.” He shook his head. “Isn’t it enough that I let you in here to look at them?”
“Yes, it is. It’s just that there are so many, I’m not sure where to start.”
“If it were me, I would start from the end of the story and work my way back. It’s how I select the photographs that I publish. That way I don’t miss any important moments in the story.”
“Oh, good idea.” She glanced up at him then looked back down at the pictures. “Then, I guess I should start at the time of death and work back from there.”
“I stopped taking pictures when she collapsed.” He pointed to a picture in the pile. “That’s the last one I took of her before she died.” He showed her the picture as his cell phone began to ring. “Ralph speaking,” he said as he picked it up. He lowered his voice and walked with his phone to another room.
She studied the picture for any sign of what might have poisoned Julia.
All she saw was Julia eagerly speaking into the microphone. When she shifted her attention to the next picture she noticed that in her hand was a champagne flute and she was drinking from it when Ralph snapped the picture. Ally’s heart dropped. Was that it? The glass of champagne? She didn’t think it could be that simple, but there it was. The last thing that the deputy mayor drank. Maybe her coughing fit had nothing to do with the poison. The coughing could have been random, and the champagne could have easily contained the poison. Ally looked to see if Ralph was back. When she couldn’t see him she quickly took out her cell phone and snapped photos of the last few photographs. She stopped when she heard Ralph’s footsteps approaching. She quickly put away her phone just before Ralph entered through the doorway. He was still on his phone.
Ally narrowed her eyes as she looked at the photograph of Julia holding the glass of champagne. She then looked at the photo of the glass on the podium. She studied the glass of champagne. Something stood out about it, but she couldn’t quite place what. She moved on to the picture prior to that one. The photograph captured the moment that Mayor Malcolm handed the deputy mayor the glass of champagne. With both the mayor’s and Julia’s hand on the glass, the picture itself was powerful. She looked at the picture taken before it and she could see the mayor picking up both his and Julia’s champagne glass. She looked back to the picture of him handing her the glass. He handed the one to her from his right hand.
Ally then looked back to the picture of him picking up the champagne glasses. The one he had picked up in his right hand was his glass. He had handed her his glass of champagne. Was that deliberate or accidental? If the champagne was poisoned then was the poison meant for the mayor? Or was he the one that had poisoned it and then given it to Julia? If the champagne was poisoned then Mayor Malcolm was her m
ain suspect. He could have easily dropped poison in his own glass before handing it to Julia. But why would he want the deputy mayor dead?
Chapter Seven
Early the next morning Ally called her grandmother. She answered in her cheerful tone as if she’d been awake for hours.
“How are you this morning, Ally?”
“I thought I might wake you.”
“Oh no, you know I’m always up early. Want to come over for breakfast? I made muffins.”
“Yes, that sounds great. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll put on some coffee.”
Ally hung up the phone and hurried to feed the animals. Arnold looked up at her with eager eyes.
“Don’t worry, the food is coming.” She reached for the bag under the counter, and filled Arnold’s dish to the brim. “I know I haven’t spent much time with you, buddy. I promise tonight, I will take you for a nice, long walk. Okay?” She massaged his ears. Peaches yowled as she walked into the kitchen.
“Yes, yes, you’re next.” Once the animals were settled she drove over to Freely Lakes. Her grandmother waited with a large blueberry muffin and fresh coffee.
“This is just what I want to see, thank you so much.”
“Anything for you, darling. I have some news for you.”
“Me too.”
“Okay, you first. What is it?”
“The last person to give Julia anything to eat or drink was the mayor.”
“Really?” Charlotte’s eyes widened. “How do you know?”
“I remembered the photographer taking pictures of the event. So I went to see him and I managed to get him to let me look at the pictures. One of the last photographs of Julia alive includes Mayor Malcolm handing her the glass of champagne for the toast. It looks like it was his glass.”
