Hot Chocolate and Homicide

by Cindy Bell

  “I didn’t exactly say that,” Mrs. Bing mumbled.

  “She is an amazing woman.” Mrs. Cale smiled and patted both of their shoulders. “Let’s settle down now, all right? It’s not helping anything to squabble.”

  “You’re right, you’re right.” Mrs. White frowned. “I just hate to see someone trying to take advantage of her. And you know, Bernice does nothing about it. She just lets her husband do whatever he pleases. I mean really, what does a mechanic know about running a dairy farm? Nothing! Which is why he wants to sell it. Could you imagine a big corporate type of farm taking over that area?” She clucked her tongue.

  “That would be difficult to look at.” Charlotte shook her head. “I love our little town.”

  “But I suppose it’s inevitable.” Ally rested her hands on the counter as she gazed at the women. “If her daughter and son-in-law don’t want to run it, it will be sold eventually.”

  “Maybe.” Mrs. White nodded. “But I’m sure she’s not ready to give it up. It’s as if some people just stamp an expiry date on us. We get to live the lives we choose, for this long and that’s it.” She sighed. “One day you’ll understand, Ally.”

  Ally offered her a sympathetic smile, but her stomach churned. She hoped that wasn’t the case. But she did see Mrs. White’s point. It was commonplace for older people to be spoken down to, or treated as if they weren’t modern enough to have an opinion. Luckily for her, she considered her grandmother her best friend, and had always valued her opinion above anyone else’s.

  “Well, it’s nothing to worry about now. If she refuses to sell, then there’s nothing that her son-in-law can do about it, right?” Ally shrugged.

  “Maybe.” Mrs. White’s brows knitted so tight that a deep wrinkle appeared across her forehead. Ally could tell that she was very concerned. As the three ladies left the shop Ally took a moment to give her grandmother a tight hug.

  “What was that for?” Charlotte laughed.

  “I just want you to know how grateful I am for you.”

  “Oh, Ally don’t listen to them. You only get old if you let yourself, and there’s one thing I can assure you of, Gladys Bloomdale will never get old.”

  Chapter 2

  After another steady rush, Ally was exhausted. She looked over at her grandmother as the last customer stepped out the door.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be able to handle this on your own while I’m at lunch with Luke?”

  “Of course, I’m sure.” She winked at her. “Remember, I have a lot more experience at this than you.”

  “Yes, I know. I really appreciate you covering for me so I can spend some time with him. He’s so busy it’s hard to get any quality time in with him. I want to make sure we get some face to face. Otherwise he might forget about me.” She frowned as she pulled off her apron. “He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago.”

  “Ally, you’re not serious about that, are you?” Charlotte wiped down the counter, then started to refill the sample trays. “You know he is mad about you, right?”

  “I’m not sure about that.” She smiled, despite her concern. “And no I guess I’m not entirely serious about it. I keep telling myself how important his job is, and how he’s helping people, and protecting our community. But it’s hard not to wonder if he’s just tired of spending time with me when he can’t even manage to show up for lunch on time.” She glanced at the clock again. “Or maybe he’s not going to show up at all.”

  “Maybe you should text him and remind him?” Charlotte frowned. “Men aren’t always good at keeping up with commitments. He could have gotten busy with a case and forgot that he had plans. That doesn’t mean that he’s forgetting you.” She reached out and rubbed her shoulder. “You’re a beautiful woman, Ally, and Luke knows how wonderful you are. I really don’t think that he means any harm by being so busy.”

  “I know you’re right.” She pulled out her phone. “Honestly, I think I wanted him to remember on his own, but I guess that’s not fair of me. He is very busy.” She typed out a text and sent it through. A second later she heard a buzz that didn’t come from her phone. She looked up to see Luke walk through the door. His face was red and he looked a bit stressed out.

  “Ally, I’m so sorry.” He pulled out his phone as he walked towards her, then looked down at the text. “Oh sweetheart, I could never forget about you.” He pulled her close and they shared a lingering kiss. When they broke apart, he stared into her eyes. “Do you forgive me?”

  “Nothing to forgive.” She looked into his tired eyes. She could tell that he had been working hard. “Do you still have time for lunch?”

  “Yes.” He glanced over at Charlotte. “How are you today?”

  “Very well, thank you.” She winked at him. “You two get out of here while you can. I can hold down the fort.”

  “Thank you, Mee-Maw.” She blew her grandmother a kiss as Luke led her out of the shop. Normally, they would walk down to the diner at the end of the street, but with so little time left for lunch, Luke offered to drive. As they drove down the street, Ally savored their closeness in the car. She loved spending time with him.

  Luckily, the diner was not very crowded. They were able to get their usual table. As they settled in, she looked across the table at him with a smile.

  “The new candy and hot chocolate combination is doing very well.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. It’s such a good idea. I’m going to get some for you, you know.”

  “You are?” She laughed. “What flavor?”

  “I haven’t decided yet. All I know is that I want to feed you candy by the fire.” He slipped his hand around hers. “How does that sound to you?”

  “It sounds wonderful.” She sighed as the warmth of his touch made all of the tension leave her body. “Maybe on Monday night?”

  “Right.” His lips tensed. “I know, I have to work late on Valentine’s Day. Monday would be good. But, I’m going to try to work it so that I can at least try to take you out to dinner. It just might be a last-minute kind of thing. You’re not going to have any other dates, are you?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Not a chance.” She grinned. “But I might commit a crime just so I can see you.” She glanced around the diner. “Would you show up if I robbed the diner?”

  “Funny.” He leveled his gaze on hers. “No getting arrested. Got it?”

  “Got it.” She laughed. “If you can get some free time that’s great, but you don’t have to stress about it, Luke.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled at her and trailed his hand across hers. “I know you understand, but I still hate not being able to be there with you on a special day.”

  “Any day we spend together is a special day. It’s no big deal.” She sat back as the waitress arrived to take their orders. Once they’d been placed, Luke edged his chair closer to hers. She could tell that he was really trying to be there with her, but the look in his eyes informed her that he had something on his mind.

  “Are you working a difficult case?”

  “Just finished one.” He lowered his eyes. “I didn’t think it would ever end, and now that it has, honestly I wish it had turned out differently. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that there are many good people in the world. But then I see you.” He smiled as he looked back up into her eyes. “And you remind me that there is so much beauty, so much goodness.”

  She blushed as she glanced away from him. He could be very romantic when he wanted to be, despite his usual focus on logic.

  “I’m glad I can do that for you.” She squeezed his hand. Just as they were about to lean close and kiss, his cell phone buzzed. He ignored it at first and leaned closer to her lips, then it buzzed again. She sat back and smiled. “You should probably check that.”

  As he reached for his phone, it began to ring. His expression grew more serious as he recognized the name on the screen.

  “Yes, Chief?” He placed the phone against his ear. His expression grew more grim as he nodded. “All
right, I’ll be right there. Yes, maybe ten minutes. Okay then. Right.” He hung up the phone and stared across the table at Ally. “I am so, so sorry.”

  “It’s all right.” She smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I know it must be important.”

  “It is.” He frowned. “I have to run. Let me take you back to the shop.” He stood up from the table.

  “No, don’t worry about that. I can walk. You just go.” Her heart began to pound. She knew that if he had to leave lunch, then it must be serious. “Check in with me when you can.”

  “I will.” He stole one more kiss from her, his lips barely grazing hers, then bolted out the diner. As she waited for their lunch to be delivered, she wondered what the case might be about. The waitress had already boxed up their food for them. It wasn’t the first time that Luke had to run out on a meal.

  “Everything okay, Ally?” She handed her the meals as Ally handed her money to cover it as well as a tip.

  “Something big must have happened for him to take off like that.” Ally shook her head. “I don’t know what, though. I’m sure we’ll all know soon enough.”

  On her walk back to the shop, Ally began to notice people clustering together. It was chilly enough that there weren’t many people outside, but those that were, had gathered close to one another. She wondered why, but kept her focus on getting to the shop. She shivered as a cool breeze carried across her cheeks. The colder it got, the more she wondered whether winter would ever end. She looked forward to the spring weather that would bring about picnics in the park and hopefully many sunny days. She was soon at the front of the shop. When she glanced back over her shoulder she noticed that even more people had gathered together. Clearly, they had something to discuss. She pulled open the door of the shop and stepped inside. It was empty of customers, but the moment that her grandmother spotted her, she rounded the counter and walked over to her.

  “Ally, have you heard?” She fixed her granddaughter with a worried gaze.

  “Heard what?” She frowned. “Luke had to take off from our lunch because something happened, but I don’t know what. Is it already news around town?”

  “Yes, the last person who was in here told me about it. You’re not going to believe this. Gladys Bloomdale is dead.” She took her granddaughter’s hands and looked into her eyes. “They found her not long after you left here.”

  “Dead?” Her eyes widened. “How strange, when we were just talking about her. Was it some kind of accident?” She frowned.

  “Yes, a terrible accident. She crashed a quad bike on the way back to the house on the farm. She must have been going terribly fast.” She sighed. “I’ve never known Gladys to be so reckless. But I guess, sometimes it happens. We all get a little distracted, or stressed, and make poor choices.”

  “Didn’t she have a helmet?” Ally swallowed hard as she thought of the woman. She didn’t know her well, but she hated to think of her dying.

  “I don’t know any details about it, but maybe not. I think sometimes people get used to driving around on their own property and probably don’t take proper precautions. I’m not sure.” She sighed. “And really, it doesn’t matter now. All that matters is that she is gone.”

  “Oh, Mee-Maw I’m sorry.” She hugged her grandmother tight. “I know she was a friend of yours.”

  “Not quite a friend, not exactly, but it’s always hard to lose someone who has been part of the community for so very long.” She shook her head. “All I can think of is Bernice. She’s still so young, with children of her own.”

  “Yes, that is very hard.” Ally lowered her eyes as her own grief for the loss of her mother when she was so young, rose up through her. She brushed it away and looked into her grandmother’s eyes again. “Why don’t you go on home for the day? I can close up here.”

  “No, it’s okay.” She smiled and patted her granddaughter’s cheek. “We’re about to get a rush.” She tipped her head towards a group of people that were just arriving outside of the shop.

  As the customers entered the shop Ally did her best to greet them with a friendly smile. However, she didn’t feel cheerful. She thought about the tragedy. At least it was just an accident, which would make Luke’s involvement in it short. After the rush had died down and everyone had left, two locals stepped in. Ally knew their faces, but not their names. They grazed the sample chocolates, and immediately brought up the subject of Gladys’ death.

  “She never should have been on that quad bike.” The middle-aged woman shook her head. “She was too old to be on something like that.”

  “Nonsense.” The younger woman beside her eyed her with annoyance. “Gladys was always on the quad bike. She’s been riding that thing around the farm for decades. There was no reason for her not to be on it.”

  “Clearly there was, otherwise she wouldn’t be dead.” The older woman snorted.

  “Ladies.” Charlotte interrupted the conversation. “Would you like to try some hot chocolate?”

  “No thanks.” The younger woman smiled. “But I do want a box of mocha truffles.”

  “Coming right up.” Charlotte smiled in return.

  “And I’ll take some raspberry creams, please.” The older woman nodded to Ally.

  “Absolutely.” Ally packed them up. She hoped the conversation about Gladys would come to an end. However, the older woman seemed determined to continue it.

  “You know she wasn’t what she used to be. She’d gotten a little confused in her old age. Once she was wandering the farm and the police had to be called to find her.”

  “That’s not what happened.” The younger woman narrowed her eyes. “She didn’t want to be found. It was her meddling son-in-law that was determined she be brought back to the house. She could have lived off the land on that farm for as long as she pleased. But he told the police she was lost, when she was really just mad.”

  “So says you.” She rolled her eyes.

  “So said Gladys. She let those police have it.” She laughed at the memory. “Heaven forbid one of them ever tread on her property again without permission.” Her smile faded, then she grimaced. “I guess that’s not the case anymore.”

  “Well, whatever happened, I’m sure we will find out more as the days go on.” Ally walked both women to the door. “Thank you for coming in.” Once she’d closed the door behind them, she looked back at her grandmother. “It’s interesting how everyone seems to know everything at this point. What it comes down to, is that there was a terrible accident that led to a tragedy, and that’s bad enough without arguing about it.”

  “That’s true.” Charlotte glanced up towards the door as Luke swung it open. “It looks like we might find out a little more.”

  Chapter 3

  Ally and Charlotte looked at Luke as he stepped into the shop. Ally noticed right away that his hazel eyes were exhausted. His hair was ruffled, and his shirt was wrinkled. It looked like he had aged years in the time since she’d seen him at lunch.

  “Luke.” Ally smiled as he walked towards her.

  “Ally, I’m sorry I had to walk out on lunch today.” He paused in front of her. “It was an emergency.”

  “I know it was. Don’t worry about that. Are you okay?” She wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “I know it must have been tough for you, it was such a tragic accident.”

  “It was difficult.” He grimaced and turned in closer to her. He glanced towards the door. “Are you closing up?”

  “Yes, I was just about to lock up.” She pulled away from him and walked towards the door.

  “Good idea.” He ran his hand back through his hair. “I want to tell you something, but it can’t go further than this shop.” He looked over at Charlotte, then back at Ally. “News about it will get around soon enough, but I would prefer if you keep it quiet for now.”

  “What is it?” Ally walked back over to him, her eyes wide as her heart skipped a beat. If Luke was being this careful about it she guessed that it was something very serious. As much as she wa
nted to know, she was also a little afraid to find out.

  “It wasn’t an accident.” He frowned as he looked into her eyes. “It looked like an accident, but it wasn’t.”

  “Are you certain?” Charlotte walked over to join them, the color faded from her skin. “Then what was it?”

  “It looked like she’d run the quad into a shed at a very high speed. Of course questions were raised. Why would she drive straight into the shed like that? Why didn’t she apply the brakes? After some investigation we discovered that the brake lines for the quad were cut. She probably lost control on the hill that led to the shed and was unable to slow herself down.” He rubbed the heel of his palm along the ridge of one eye. “Now the question of course, is who would kill her?” When he opened his eyes again, they were bleary and tinged red.

  “That’s terrible.” Ally looked over at her grandmother, who grasped on to her shoulder to steady herself. “Are you okay, Mee-Maw?”

  “I don’t think so.” She shivered. Ally could feel it in the fingers that held on to her. “How could this happen to Gladys?”

  “That’s what I intend to find out.” He blinked a few times, then turned his attention back to Ally. “I just wanted to stop in and apologize about lunch again. I hate having to walk out on you like that.”

  “Sweetie, you don’t need to apologize, but you do need some sleep.” She caressed his cheek. “When was the last time you were home for a full night’s sleep?”

  “Uh, I’m not really sure. I’ve grabbed a few naps here and there. I’ll be fine, I promise.” He touched his lips to hers in a light kiss. “I’ve got to get back to the station to go over some witness statements. Now that it’s been declared a homicide we’ll have to go back over everything.”

  “Luke really, they can spare you for a few hours. Get some rest.” She took his hands in hers, tempted to ask him to stay. “I worry about you working this hard.”