by Lucy Quinn
She closed her eyes and nodded. “I know, but you just don’t understand.”
Dylan and Cookie exchanged a glance. Then Dylan leaned forward with his hands clasped together and said, “We’re listening.”
She flopped down onto her couch and dramatically placed the back of her hand against her forehead. When she sat back up, her expression was clear and focused. “It’s my granddaughter, Aimee. Her mother all but forced her to marry into this mob family. I wasn’t in a place where I could help her, and with nowhere else to turn, she married that low-life husband of hers. He’s been in and out of jail and caught up in the mob life. I just wanted to send her enough so that she can get out of there and come stay with me.”
“Okay, that explains your motives. What about Simon?” Cookie asked.
“I told you, I didn’t even know him,” she said, shaking her head. “I’d heard of him of course, but I never wanted that life. I tried to get my daughter to leave, but she was a daddy’s a girl. They both turned on me after I helped the feds put my brother-in-law away. I don’t do murder.”
“Just embezzling,” Dylan supplied.
She shrugged. “I was trying to help my granddaughter,” she said again.
Cookie wasn’t convinced. She seemed so matter-of-fact about stealing the money and admitting to using some of it for her Porsche, as if it was no big deal. Even though she’d claimed she’d turned in her brother-in-law, did she really have any respect for the law? If she’d just been trying to save her own butt, that might explain things. Cookie fixed her gaze on Alex and asked, “Why should we believe you? It’s an awfully big coincidence that Simon had ties to your mob family and the minute he shows up here, someone kills him.”
Alex’s face turned ashen. “You think I killed him.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Cookie said, her voice void of any emotion. When had she slipped into FBI agent mode? Probably the minute they’d stepped inside Alex’s house. Dealing with mob connections had put her on edge, and the only way she could deal with it was by compartmentalizing.
“You have to take my word on this,” Alex said, her voice taking on a desperate tone. “It’s why I confessed to the embezzling. I can’t take the fall for Simon’s murder. I swear on Aimee’s life I had nothing to do with that.” She turned to Dylan. “Please. I know how this looks with my family connections, but I’m innocent.”
Dylan nodded and patted Alex’s hand, clearly trying to calm her near hysterics.
Cookie knew then that the woman was likely telling the truth. And the fact was, they didn’t have a shred of evidence tying her to the murder anyway. No prosecutor in their right mind would charge her just because Simon had ties to her family. “Okay,” she said, nodding. “I believe you. But we’re still going to need to take you in for stealing from Bernie.”
Alex hung her head, but held out her wrists, waiting to be cuffed.
Cookie secured the woman with a pair of zip ties, and without another word, she and Dylan marched her down to the sheriff’s office.
22
It was late when Dylan and Cookie finally walked out of the police station. Alex was contained in June’s office with Ned keeping an eye on her, Keith was in the cell, and June Loon was nowhere to be found.
Dylan glanced back at the sheriff’s office. “What’s going to happen to Keith and Alex? Are you leaving them there for June to deal with or…”
Cookie shook her head. “No, I texted Hunter already to let him know we have them both in custody. Hunter said he’s coming to pick them up in the morning. Keith was already on their radar, and because Alex is witness protection, they are taking both cases from here.”
“So where does that leave us with Simon’s murder investigation?” he asked.
“That’s a very good question,” Cookie said, unable to hide her yawn. “So far none of our leads have panned out.”
They both turned and glanced at the Death by Chocolate shop. The lights were still on, and Officer Zeke was standing outside the front door.
“We need to check on Rain,” Cookie said, already moving toward Henri’s establishment.
Dylan caught up with her just as Zeke was opening the door.
“Has Deputy Loon been back to question them?” Cookie asked Zeke.
He shook his head. “Our esteemed leader appears to still be hobnobbing with the press. In her latest interview, she said something about pitching her autobiography to a New York publisher.”
“What’s she going to talk about? How to keep a job while doing absolutely nothing?” Cookie said before she could stop herself. She quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
Zeke just laughed. “No worries. You’re just speaking the truth. That woman wouldn’t know how to run an investigation if it bit her in the butt.”
Dylan snorted. “You’re a good man, Zeke.”
The officer inclined his head and waved them in.
“Cookie!” Rain cried, holding her still-cuffed, chocolate-coated hands up. “Look! I’m learning how Henri makes his chocolate-dipped cream puffs.” She stood behind a stainless steel counter with a bowl of melted chocolate, another full of whipped cream, and a tray of pastries. The "finished” cream puffs were globs of chocolate and melted whipped cream, and they looked like a complete Pinterest fail. “They aren’t terribly pretty due to my current limitations, but they taste good.”
Cookie followed her mother’s gaze over to where Winter and Cari were stuffing their faces with the practice puffs. Cari had chocolate smeared on her blouse, and Winter was going through a stack of Wet Wipes, trying and failing to clean her sticky hands.
“Wow,” Cookie said, glancing over at Henri. He was sitting on a chair, a huge grin on his face.
“Ze Rain, she au natural,” he said in his odd accent while kissing the ends of his fingertips.
“At what?” Dylan whispered. “Turning the place into a disaster zone?”
Cookie lightly elbowed him in the ribs and heard his faint chuckle. She ignored the scene and asked, “Has anyone heard from June Loon?”
“Not one word,” Rain said with a scowl. “That woman just left us here and poor Henri… He’s been great, but he needs his beauty sleep.”
Everyone turned to glance at Henri, who had dark bags under his bloodshot eyes. He was stifling a yawn even as he waved off Rain’s comment. “Do not vorry about dis, my bellas. I enjoys dis.”
“But my wrists are starting to ache,” Cari whined and leaned her head against the wall.
“Yeah, my butt went to sleep hours ago,” Winter chimed in. “And if I don’t get my nightly… um, herbal tea, I’ll be a complete mess tomorrow.”
“As fun as this is, Henri,” Rain said, batting her eyes at him, “my feet are starting to ache.” She turned her attention to Cookie. “Can’t you get us out of here? Force Loony Bin to let us go? Call in the National Guard? Promise Hunter some sexual favor if he can pull some strings?”
Dylan made a noise in the back of his throat and shook his head at Rain.
“Sorry, Dylan,” she smiled sweetly at him. “I know you’re Cookie’s main squeeze now, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Do you know how hard it is to use the restroom when your hands are cuffed? Last time I was in there I—”
“I think we understand, Mom,” Cookie said, cutting her off before her mother went into detail about her bathroom habits. “I’ll take care of this.” She pulled out her phone and hit June Loon’s number.
The deputy answered on the fourth ring. “This had better be important, Cookie James. I’m only one more glass of wine away from closing this deal.”
Cookie imagined the deputy pouring wine down an editor’s throat and forcing them to hand over some sort of contract. Then she shook her head. “You have to release my mother and her friends. You don’t have anything to hold them on.”
“Of course I do. They were caught red-handed with the body,” she said, her voice slurring.
“The
y didn’t find the dead body. Dylan and I did,” Cookie said through clenched teeth. Across the room, she noticed Henri wince when she said ‘dead body.’ She mouthed, Sorry. Poor guy didn’t deserve to be caught up in their mess. “If you don’t release them, I’m going to file a report for false arrest.”
“You’ll never make that stick,” June hissed.
Cookie knew she had a better than decent chance, especially since June had left them cuffed at Death by Chocolate while she was out sniffing around a book deal. Nothing about this situation was following protocol. Still, she didn’t need to convince June of that. She had a better way. “Maybe not,” Cookie said. “But it will make the papers. How do you think your reputation is going to hold up when they find out you left three harmless women cuffed in a local shop without suitable facilities all night?”
“Not suitable?” Henri echoed while glancing around his shop.
“Don’t worry,” Rain said, patting his hand and smearing chocolate on him. “My Cookie is just working her magic. We all know this place is a chocolate palace.”
“Speaking of that,” Rain batted her eyelashes at Henri. “What’s a girl got to do to get the recipe for those chocolate caramels everyone is raving about?”
Henri flirted right back. “You like, eh?”
“I amoré, Henri.”
“Vell in dat case,” he said in an accent that Cookie thought seemed to have a German slant to it now, “perhaps I give it to you.”
Rain bounced up and down on her tiptoes, squealing like a little girl.
June Loon captured Cookie’s attention again when she huffed into the phone. “What do you expect me to do? Just let them go? Those women are a menace to the island.”
“I don’t think you have a choice,” Cookie said. “Not unless you want me to file that report.”
June was silent for a few moments. Then she let out a small growl before demanding Cookie put Zeke on the line.
Cookie smiled to herself and walked out front to give him the phone. A few moments later, Zeke followed her back into the shop and released Rain and her friends from their cuffs.
“You’re free to go, ladies,” Zeke said. “Just try to stay out of trouble, okay?”
“We were made for trouble!” Rain said, pumping her fist in the air.
“I can see that.” Zeke chuckled. “Just do it somewhere out of the eye of the deputy, okay?”
“She’s not very nice,” Cari said, rubbing her wrists. “She should be careful. I wouldn’t want to be walking around with that kind of karma.” A small shudder rolled through her. “Did you know that people with bad karma are sixty times more likely to be diagnosed with a life-threatening condition?”
Zeke shook his head, and Cari hooked her arm though his, explaining the latest article from the actress Patrice Patterson’s website that pushed questionable alternative health practices.
Winter was already on Henri’s phone, asking Blake to pick her up.
Rain slid up to Henri and started to reach for his hand but then pulled back as she realized she was still covered in chocolate. She reached for a white towel and cleaned up while she badgered him for the caramel recipe he’d promised her.
“Oh, right,” he said, wiping the back of his hand across his forehead. “Just a minute.” He got up and started rummaging through a nearby drawer. When he didn’t find what he’d been looking for, Henri pushed his way through a door in the back of the shop. He emerged a few minutes later with a piece of paper and handed it to Rain, who clutched it to her heart dramatically as she thanked him.
It wasn’t long before Blake and Hale burst in.
“They’re letting you out?” Hale asked as he rushed to Rain’s side.
She nodded and lit up with a smile for him. “The best part is I got the chocolate-covered caramel recipe from Henri here. I can’t wait to serve these babies up to the guests. If we can woo them with chocolate, they won’t want to stay at the condos on the other side of the island.”
“Mom, the condos were a scam,” Cookie said. “They aren’t being built. You don’t need to worry about that.”
She waved an unconcerned hand. “Of course we do, dear. This island has prime, ocean-front property. Sooner or later someone is going to swoop in, and when they do we’re going to be prepared.” She waved at Henri and blew him a kiss. “I can’t wait to send all of our guests here. You’ll see, Henri. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”
Henri gave her a tired smile. “I’z sure it vill, Mademoiselle Rain.”
Everyone filed out of the chocolate shop, leaving Henri with a mess Cookie didn’t envy. She and Dylan waited on the sidewalk while they watched Rain and her friends pile into Blake’s SUV.
“Need a ride?” Rain called out the window. “We can send Blake back for you.”
Cookie shook her head “We’ll walk.”
“Okay. See you soon. And, Cookie?” her mother said.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for breaking us out of the clink. There’s no telling what being locked in there all night would’ve done to my figure.”
Cookie shook her head as the SUV sped down the road. Then she turned to Dylan and let out a long sigh. “I don’t know where this leaves the investigation, but I’m exhausted.”
Dylan wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Then it sounds like a good night’s sleep is in order. Tomorrow we’ll regroup.”
Cookie glanced up at him, ignoring the ache in her heart. If no one on the island murdered Simon, that meant all signs led back to the mob. But that wasn’t something she wanted to think about in that moment. All she wanted was to feel Dylan’s arms around her. She leaned into him, comforted by his warm body brushing against hers. “Are you up for a sleepover?”
His eyes glittered in the moonlight. “Always.”
She let out a contented sigh. “Good. Your place or mine?”
“Mine’s closer,” he said.
“Perfect.”
23
Dylan and Cookie woke early and made their way back to the inn. The sun was shining, but the air was cool, blowing off the ocean. By the time they climbed the steps to the cheery inn, Cookie was chilled and more than ready for a giant cup of coffee and whatever Rain was making for breakfast that day.
Cookie wasn’t disappointed. The moment they walked in, the scent of bacon and pancakes filled the air. She grinned at Dylan. “Told you it’s the best breakfast in town.”
“There you are,” Scarlett said from her spot at the end of the dining room table. “I was wondering when you two would show up.”
Cookie sat in the chair next to her and reached for the coffee carafe. “We worked late last night.”
“Work. Sure,” she said, winking at Dylan.
“Get your dirty mind out of the gutter,” Cookie said, but she couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips. Then, as she brought her coffee mug to her mouth, she noticed Scarlett was all dressed up. Her makeup was flawless, with smoky eyes and bright red lips, and her hair was curled and cascading over her shoulders. Cookie lowered her mug as she eyed her friend. “What do you have planned today?”
Scarlett gave her a little shrug and patted a manila folder. “Just going through some pictures from around the island. Rain wanted some new images for the website.”
“Really? Just looking at photos?” Cookie filled her plate with pancakes and drizzled real maple syrup over them. “Looks more like you’re posing for them.”
Scarlett didn’t answer as she poured another cup of coffee.
Cookie was about to needle her friend some more when a loud curse came from the kitchen. She glanced at Scarlett, who said, “Rain already bit my head off once when I asked what was wrong. I wouldn’t go in there if I were you.”
Cookie was okay with that. While the sugar from breakfast was somewhat helping with her mood, she was struggling with unpleasant emotions that morning too. Not only were Dylan and she at a dead end with the most promising leads on the Simon Gallo murder cas
e, but the threat to her safety as well as Rain’s was weighing heavy on her shoulders. And she wasn’t sure how wise it was to continue to be a visible target on Secret Seal isle.
Because the likely suspects hadn’t panned out, it was time for Dylan and Cookie to pound the pavement and track down every single person who was at the dump for the sweep to question them. It would be a daunting task that could take months, and Cookie knew each day they didn’t have answers meant the case was getting colder and more difficult to solve.
Suddenly Cookie had no appetite for her meal. The plate scraped against the table when she pushed it away, and she let out a heavy sigh.
Dylan reached over to hold her hand. “The case?”
She nodded.
“We’ll figure it out,” he said. “Should we go take a look at the Chrysler again? Maybe we missed something.”
Cookie knew that was exactly what they should do, as well as canvas the dump and try to come up with theories about who would shove Simon Gallo’s body into the trunk of an old car. Especially since…
Cookie perked up like she’d just downed a shot of espresso. “Everyone in town knew about the dump sweep to get supplies for the Miss Dumpy parade, right?”
Scarlett nodded. “That was all anyone talked about for days before it happened.”
“So why would you put a body in a car that would likely be inspected by dozens if not more people?”
“Two options,” Dylan answered. “One, they weren’t aware of the parade.”
“Or they wanted the body to be found,” Scarlett said and then scowled. “Do you think DeMasi was sending you a warning?”
A shiver raced down Cookie’s spine, and she pulled her hand away from Dylan’s. What if DeMasi had been watching her the whole time? “It’s possible, but that would mean he’s playing a game of cat and mouse.” She frowned as anger began to build. “And I’m the mouse.”
Dylan shook his head. “It doesn’t feel right. Guys like that enjoy watching the pain they inflict, and you’ve been going about the investigation as if you’ve got nothing to worry about. If his intention was to scare you, then he’d be doing more to make sure you were starting to shake in your boots.”
