The Chocolate Magic Cozy Mystery Box Set Books 1 to 7

by Olivia Swift

  The house was calm. Magda tidied up, fed the cats and ate her own food. She turned on the TV and sat watching the news when Detective Southern came on to give an update on the situation. He gave the usual responses about ongoing inquiries, then he asked the public for help to trace the journey of the stolen security van.

  “If you saw a bank security van after the banks were closed yesterday, please call in and tell us where it was. We can build up a picture of the journey it took.” He gave out the number to call and finished the briefing.

  Jonno, Branna and Alison arrived a little later and said they would only stay a short while.

  “I needed to know that you were feeling better,” Alison said to Magda.

  “Well I was until those two security men came in.”

  She and Sam told them what had happened.

  “Forget it though. Look at these wall hangings Declan has made.”

  “Just more and more ideas for us to copy when we eventually open a gift shop. They are lovely. I wonder if he could make shamrocks?”

  Crystal was a little bit restless. She prowled around and went toward the front door. There was an interior door as well. Even if the front door was open, the second one prevented the cats making an escape.

  “Somebody is out there,” Magda said and at that moment there was a knock on the door. Sam went to answer it and as he loosened the latch, he was hurled back inside the room having been pushed through the inside door. Three men came in, slammed the front door behind them and waved the guns they were carrying at everyone inside.

  Two of them had sawed-off shotguns and one had a wicked-looking machete type knife. Sam picked himself up and went to stand in front of Magda. The three men all had masks pulled over their heads and dark clothes.

  “No elf masks this time then,” Magda said sharply. “Got your alibis all worked out, hidden the loot and,” she was cut off short by a barked order to do be quiet.

  “See, same voice,” she went on, sounding a lot braver than she felt. She knew that Alison was behind her and using the messaging on the phone. She kept on talking. Sam and Jonno saw what she was doing and closed up the gap on either side.

  “You don’t need those masks. I heard your voice and knew it was the same one who shouted from horseback at Jemima’s barn. And you,” she looked at the second one, “your left shoulder drops when you walk - easy to identify even in an elf outfit and a crash helmet.”

  “Tell us about the gold and the jewels. It wasn’t just the money, was it?” Sam joined in, keeping them talking.

  “How did you know that?” the man was stopped short.

  “It’s true, isn’t it? You will all be rich for the rest of your lives.”

  “And it’s safe. Nobody will find it. There is no hurry to cash it in.”

  “It’s back in the bank,” machete man smirked and the man with the dropped shoulder told him to shut up.

  “It must have taken a lot of planning,” Jonno observed. “Who was in charge?”

  “These three are not smart enough,” Magda joined in.

  “Can’t you shut the woman up?” the voice man asked in a bad-tempered way.

  “No, they can’t shut me up and just in case you think I missed you,” she pointed at the third man with the machete, “you are Jemima’s nephew. She is well rid of you.” This man pushed the other two to one side and rushed forward with the knife raised.

  “Let’s get this done and get out of here,” he shouted and made for Magda. Sam was going to defend her, but before he could do that, a screaming bundle of cream fur flew from the counter surface in the kitchen and fastened herself around the man’s face. She dug in the claws and held on. He screamed and threw himself about trying to release whatever had landed on him. Crystal was immovable. The voice man pushed him to one side and pointed the gun at Magda. Sam dived for his legs and made a flying tackle at the same time as Jonno exploded into action.

  The man that Sam had taken down lost the grip on his gun and it slid across the floor. Branna calmly picked it up and put the safety catch back on but held the gun loosely at her side.. The man stopped struggling and Sam hauled him up and slammed him against the wall as he had seen it done in movies so many times.

  They all watched in awe as Jonno simply brushed the gun aside, took the man by the sleeve and the front of his clothes, dropped low, turned his back and threw the crook easily over his shoulder. He held onto the arm as the man landed and then he twisted the arm up behind the body and they all heard the crack. The man screamed and Jonno let go and dusted himself off.

  The man with Crystal attached to his face had stopped throwing himself about and simply lay crying on the ground. Crystal still held on and Pushkin walked across to inspect the figure on the ground.

  “We don’t need a police force. We just need the good folk from the Chocolate Café!” Detective Southern observed from the doorway. His officers took the man that Sam still held against the wall.

  “You don’t mess with the Irish,” Jonno added.

  “Your judo was impressive, I have got to say,” Southern said. “Do you think you could give that gun to the officers?” he asked Branna and she held it out.

  “My dad always said that we should know how to use them if we had to,” she said. Alison had not moved from the sofa. She stood up and calmly asked if anyone would like a cup of coffee.

  “You lot are something else,” Southern said. “Call for emergency medical services for this one,” he said to the first uniform, “and slam this other one in the van. Let’s remove the cat from the criminal. Then a coffee would be most welcome.”

  Magda went and took hold of Crystal.

  “It’s over, sweetheart. You were quite something. You can let go now. Come on.”

  The cat let herself be picked up and held in Magda’s arms.

  “She is very beautiful,” the woman officer who was there remarked. Crystal blinked those amazing blue eyes and purred.

  Alison brought in coffee as if it was a pleasant afternoon in the garden.

  “What did I miss?” Southern asked calmly.

  19

  “Back in the bank,” Magda told him. “The one with the knife said that the gold was back in the bank. Nobody would find it.”

  “And the man Jonno threw over his shoulder told him to shut up,” Branna added. Southern spoke into his cell phone and ordered a team to surround the bank and seal the area until he got there.

  “Find the manager and make sure he is taken to the bank and under guard at all times.”

  The medics arrived and took the man with the dislocated shoulder to the hospital. He was still moaning in pain. The one that Crystal had immobilized was the sorriest sight of all. Blood streamed down all parts of his face and he was crying silently which put tears amongst the blood and made it look worse.

  “Arrested by a cat. That has to be a first,” Southern said as the medics took him away as well.

  Alison produced coffee and the detective downed it quickly.

  “I’ll be back in touch, but thanks for spotting what you did. I’ll go and take the bank apart.” Crystal stalked across and put her paws on his knee.

  “That is a great honor,” Magda smiled and picked up the cat. “She’s saying thank you.”

  “That cat is something else,” he said. “What sort of cat is it?” Magda told him that she was a lilac tortie Birman and he said he might even think about getting one for himself. Sam laughed and told him the cat would take over the household.

  The officers left and Sam went to get tools to make sure the door was repaired temporarily until a new one could be installed.

  “Wow!” Magda said and let out a breath. “I think I have been holding my breath since they broke in. Your gun handling was very convincing. I am sure the one Sam had tackled thought you would shoot him.”

  Branna laughed and said maybe she would.

  “She would have shot him in the legs,” Jonno smiled. “Branna is a crack shot at the local club.”

&
nbsp; “Food and drink always seem to settle things down,” Alison said and brought out the food that had come from the diner. The five of them sat around and talked over what had happened. Then Magda said that she had better call Rula, Merle, Declan and Bart. They divided the calls between them and before the call was finished, Bart arrived at the door with the cell phone at his ear.

  “Give me the scoop on this break-in. Then I will rush back to the bank. It’s sealed off as a crime scene and the television people are on to it. This story will be amazing for the local press.”

  Alison handed him a coffee and something to eat. He used one hand and held out the phone as the others all went over the story.

  “Wow!” he said at the end. “Judo and gunslinging Irish. I love it. Thanks folks. I’m off to see if I can catch anything else. My editor is loving this.” He rushed off and passed Merle and Branston hurrying in to make sure everything was alright. Rula, Mikey, Declan and Katie all followed and suddenly the house was full of friends.

  “Oh, I feel so much better when you are all here,” Magda said. Alison went back into food-providing mode. The whole story was repeated again. Jonno and Branna’s fighting skills were enthused about.

  “The manager must be in on it if the gold is hidden at the bank,” Mikey said.

  “Fancy hiding what you stole from the bank in the bank itself,” Branna said.

  “That nephew of Jemima’s will go to jail. I am pleased about that,” Magda said.

  Eventually the group broke up and Magda, Sam and the cats were left to settle for the night.

  “I think, little ones,” Magda said, “that you deserve a piece of salmon before you go to bed.” The four cats moved as one around her feet as she took a can from the pantry and gave each of them a portion. Sam made sure the place was locked up and Magda held out her arms for him to come into bed.

  “Thank you for tackling the man with the gun. You were my hero.”

  Sam held her close.

  “Southern was right. That cat is something else.”

  They drove to the café in the morning to find the place still sealed off and police everywhere. However, they were allowed to open the wrought iron gates and gain access to the café and Mikey’s camping shop was able to open as well.

  Magda had thought that maybe the police would send away the public, but it was the press who followed them in asking for drinks and information. They fired up the coffee machine and set to serving the reporters and cameramen who were freezing from being out there most of the night. Magda and Rula were particularly pleasant because they knew that the shots of the café would be great publicity. The model railway was highly admired and photographed. Sam put on an apron and collected used mugs.

  Elsie and her friend pushed their way through the crowd to make sure their favorite coffee makers were alright. Suddenly the place emptied.

  They did have a small television in the corner of the kitchen and Sam pointed to it. The entrance to their own café was on the screen and Southern had come out to give a statement to the press.

  He outlined that they had charged five men with bank robbery.

  “With assistance from the public, the suspects were apprehended. We have spent most of the night searching the bank premises and found the gold and jewels. We are now able to search for the money that was stolen.”

  “What about the murder of the guard?” a reporter called out.

  “I cannot say anything at this point but obviously it is part of the investigation.”

  There were more questions shouted from the press, and after a brief set of answers, the detective closed the briefing and went back inside the bank. As they still watched the screen, the manager was brought out in handcuffs and put into a squad car. With the report finished, the reporters and cameramen had gone back to their offices to wrap up the news of this incident.

  Regular customers started to filter into the café.

  Elsie and her friend had both come to stand and look at the TV with the others.

  “I wonder who helped them,” her friend remarked. Magda smiled.

  “Come and have a hot chocolate, swear to secrecy and I will tell you.” She sat with the couple who were good, regular customers and had a hot chocolate herself. Very quietly she told them about the break-in the night before.

  “You know Bart, who comes and sits at the counter?” she said. “He has the story for a scoop so keep it to yourselves until it is out there.”

  “That must have been so frightening. Are the cats alright?” Elsie asked. She was a cat owner herself.

  “Little villains are fine,” Magda answered. “I gave them some salmon as a treat.” She looked up and smiled as Jonno and Branna came into the café. She waved them over. “These are our friends from Ireland. I have sworn Elsie and her friend to secrecy, but they know about last night.”

  “Let me treat you to whatever you would like to drink,” Elsie said. “I can’t have anything happening to my favorite chocolate maker.”

  “Did you see the news?” her friend asked and pointed to the screen where the news coverage was being rerun.

  “So, they arrested the manager. I bet he was the brains behind the whole thing,” Branna observed. Bart arrived and told them that the bank was closed and likely to remain closed. “People will have to go to the nearest branch. There is talk about it being closed indefinitely.” He whacked a newspaper onto the counter and showed them the headline.

  “Bank Robbers Foiled by a Cat.” There was a gorgeous shot of Crystal gazing unblinking at the camera.

  “Oh. I am off to find a copy,” Elsie said and she and the friend paid for Branna and Jonno’s drinks and sped off to the newspaper stand.

  Magda and Sam ran their eyes over the paper and passed it around. Declan ran in brandishing a copy and suddenly the place was full of demanding customers who had seen the story and knew who Magda was. Everyone wanted to know details. Their local café was famous and had solved the robbery at the railroad.

  Gradually during the course of the day, things became quiet and the café came back to something like normality. Late in the afternoon, Jeff and Miles arrived as well as Alison.

  Bart arrived and collapsed onto a chair.

  “Feed me, please,” he said. Rula made him a wrap and added a piece of Magda’s fantastic cheesecake as a dessert. Magda slid a coffee into his hand.

  “Bring us up to date,” she asked. Bart told them that they already knew everything but that the four men from the security trucks were under arrest as well as the manager.

  “Sending the truck into the building was a diversion but could be seen as attempted murder. It pretty much ties them to the murder of the other guard.”

  “I suppose that was to get him out of the way so that they could plan the robbery,” Sam said.

  “If Branna and Jonno could give me a short interview, the editor would like a personal view?” He looked at the Irish couple and wondered if they would do it. Branna looked at her husband and he smiled.

  “Branna is very modest about her abilities with a rifle. She’s the best woman shooter in the club.”

  “We never knew that,” Magda said. “I think you should do the interview. Talk about your visit and your plans for the future.”

  “What do you think?” Bart asked and Branna nodded okay.

  “Thanks, Branna,” Bart said. “Maybe tomorrow?”

  “What about a couple of poetry readings?” Magda said. “It would cheer up the place and bring Christmas back.” There were quite a few filled tables. Rula and Magda had been serving as the conversation ensued. Bart switched on the microphone.

  “Let’s get back to a good feeling, everyone,” he said. “Here’s Magda with the poem by Dr. Seuss that everyone loves.” He caught Magda unawares, but she took the card with the poem and sat on one of the soft seats.

  “There have been some nasty things happening, but I do like a happy ending. Here is ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ by Dr. Seuss.” She took a breath and began. />
  “Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot... But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did NOT! The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.”

  The chatter in the café stopped and there was no sound apart from the trains running around the overhead tracks. The firelight flickered as Magda enjoyed reading the poem.

  “And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store." "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" And what happened then? Well...in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day! And now that his heart didn't feel quite so tight, he whizzed with his load through the bright morning light, and he brought back their toys! And the food for the feast! And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch carved the roast beast!”

  “The Grinch tried to stop Christmas but, in the end, it came anyway, and people enjoyed Christmas for all the right reasons,” she finished.

  You could hear a pin drop and then everyone in the café burst into applause and several customers were reaching for a tissue.

  Magda’s eyes were brimming herself. Sam offered a hand and she received a chorus of thank yous as she stood up. Branna took the mic from Bart and stood looking at the café visitors.

  20

  “We are enjoying our visit here so much. I feel that you are all my friends. The robbers are in jail and the holiday season is well underway. Can I offer you all a traditional Irish blessing?” She took a breath and in her soft Irish accent kept them spellbound.

  “May the road rise up to meet you.

  May the wind always be at your back.

  May the sun shine warm upon your face,

  And rains fall soft upon your fields.

  And until we meet again,

  May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”

  There was a short pause and then everyone clapped and called out to her. One woman came and wrapped her arms around the Irish girl and said it was wonderful. Several others followed suit and Magda watched from the kitchen as her wish had come to life. It was time to see if the special effect worked and she clicked the button on her phone.