The Chocolate Magic Cozy Mystery Box Set Books 1 to 7
Page 75
“It might be a crime scene,” he said. “Let’s call the cops.”
She stopped dead, because although there seemingly was no damage, someone had definitely been inside.
They went back outside and opened up the café.
They stopped dead at the door. Magda, Rula, Katie and Mikey walked inside and carefully avoided the glass on the floor. It was pretty obvious that someone had climbed in through the window. They pointed to where chairs had been moved and cabinets were left open. The door to the restroom was ajar.
They went back outside and opened up the café.
Magda called the police department. Sam, Declan and Bart all arrived and inspected the damage.
The police department arrived in the form of two uniformed officers in a squad car. They inspected the damage in the café and checked out the bank building. Sam went around with them and explained there was nothing to steal because the building was in the process of being renovated.
The café had not been robbed as far as the girls could tell.
“Could they have been looking for something?” the officer wondered. Magda shook her head.
The senior of the two officers sent for a forensic person to come and check for prints.
“We might get lucky but if you say nothing has been stolen, it might just be vandalism. It’s unlikely we would catch them.”
“I did print the story of the place in yesterday’s paper,” Bart told them. “Somebody might have seen it and thought it would be a good idea to make a mess.”
The officer scanned the story and handed it back.
“Sorry not to be of more use but we will send someone to check the place for prints.”
The officers left and eventually the forensic team showed up to take photos and prints. Once they were gone, they swept the glass to one side and Sam said he would come back and board up the window temporarily.
By this time, customers had arrived and were expressing sympathy. Sam said that he would bring more boards later for the bank and then had a coffee before heading back to the building work.
The girls talked it over as they stirred chocolate and made cheesecake.
“Nothing is damaged, I guess,” Rula said.
“But why?” Magda asked. “Why, when the story was just published?”
“Just troublemaking,” Katie suggested. Magda shook her head.
“I can feel it is something to do with the bank, the vault, oh I don’t know. Something.” Katie gave her a hug. Then Magda grinned.
“You believe in fate?” she asked and nodded towards the café entrance. Geraldine Hoffstander and her friend Corabeth were taking a seat.
“Over to you, boss,” Katie said, and Magda went to say hello and ask what they would like.
Of course, the great, gaping hole in the wall outside prompted questions from everyone and Geraldine was no exception. Magda explained about the idea for the art gallery and then asked if she could just sit and ask something personal.
“Sure you can, my dear,” the woman answered, and Magda sat at the table.
“Tell me to mind my own business and I will just do that …but,” she paused, “I saw your picture in the paper and your name is Hoffstander.” Geraldine nodded. “We found a jacket buried under the vault and the house belonged to Mr. Hoffstander before it was a bank.” Geraldine nodded again and said that she knew that. “We would like to know more about the history of the place. I don’t suppose your husband would talk to us about his family?” Geraldine looked at Corabeth and smiled. Corabeth said that Barker would love to talk to them.
“Talking is what he enjoys,” Geraldine said. “Bring that handsome husband of yours over tonight about seven-thirty and have a drink with us.”
“Really?” Magda answered. “That is just so generous of you. Thank you so much.”
“Can I come as well?” Corabeth asked.
“I knew you would ask that,” Geraldine told her. “I’ve got your favorite cherry brandy.”
Magda took them a little plate with four pecan and marzipan truffles.
“Your favorite?” she asked. Geraldine smiled and opened one up immediately. “Sam’s as well,” Magda said.
Sam and Declan brought boards when they came for their lunch and boarded up the openings. Magda told them about Geraldine Hoffstander.
“Interesting. I wonder what her husband will tell you,” Declan pondered.
The copies of the newspaper were snapped up by customers and everyone asked questions about the proposed new business in the bank building. Magda did notice that they had gained a few more customers than usual.
“All publicity is good publicity,” she said to Katie as they worked.
In the evening, she dressed carefully. These people might be pleasant and helpful, but they were very rich. The two of them drove to the beautiful mansion behind the gates, which automatically opened when they arrived. Geraldine Hoffstander met them at the door and ushered them into a beautiful living room with a fire burning in the grate and Corabeth already seated with her cherry brandy.
An elderly man stood up and held out a hand.
“I am Barker Hoffstander,” he said. “You must be the maker of the pecan and marzipan truffles.”
Magda shook his hand and Sam told him the pecan and marzipan were his favorite as well.
Geraldine rang a bell. A man came into the room and asked what they would like to drink and then left.
“Have a seat,” Barker said. “Tell me what you want to know?”
“Barker misses working even though he is over eighty now,” Geraldine interjected.
“Sure do,” the man added.
“I would not have believed you were over eighty,” Magda said, genuinely surprised.
“I am lucky that I still feel able to do things and I do go back to the company occasionally for consultations.”
Sam told him what they were planning with the bank building. He mentioned what the vault removal had produced and wondered if they knew the history of the Hoffstander name. Barker of the same name settled back with his glass of beer and took a breath.
“I know where my family came from and I can tell you that my grandfather came here from Germany. We have the papers that tell us when they came here and that there was only my father and myself after that.” Magda must have looked disappointed. The man smiled at her.
“We are not related to the other Hoffstander family in the area. I tell you that because I do not want to be related to them.” Magda felt a surge of hope that there might be something to find out. Geraldine told her husband to stop making the most of having an audience.
“As I say, we are descended from the Germans who came here and I was lucky in that I worked in the oil industry when it was growing. I made some lucky moves and as you see, we live quite well on it.” He paused. “The other Hoffstander brothers, I read about and hear about but have never met. I have seen them at a distance at business conventions and the like. They are investment people and so was their father.”
“Do they live in the area?” Magda asked.
“They have houses near here,” Corabeth interjected. “However, they seem to stay in New York.” She smiled. “I have lived here all of my life. I know the area inside out.”
“Corabeth probably knows more about the bank building than I do,” Barker said. He looked at his wife’s friend. “Tell them what the folklore says.” Sam and Magda both looked at Corabeth who held out the glass for a second cherry brandy.
“They do not live here but their father did. He had inherited money from his father. I don’t think they ever tried to deny that, but,” she paused for effect, “nobody knows where he got the money from, the grandfather, he was only a policeman.”
Magda gasped.
“A policeman?” Sam asked. “Are you sure and do you know when that would be approximately?”
“What are you not telling us?” Barker queried. “I might be old, but I don’t miss much.”
Magda looked at Sam who nodd
ed. They both liked these elderly folks who were being so helpful.
“Would you be astounded if I asked if you believe in the spirit world?” Magda asked.
“There are more things in this world and the next than we understand,” Barker Hoffstander answered seriously. “Remind me to tell you about the savior of the oil rig sometime.” His eyes twinkled.
Between Sam and Magda they recounted seeing Mr. Hoffstander who had been the owner of the bank building and a button business. They ended up with the account of removing the vault, finding the old uniform and also being broken into.
“An old police uniform?” Barker asked. They both nodded.
17
“He couldn’t have been murdered because he went on to start the business they run today,” Barker said. “Gerry please get James to bring me the case of family things. Maybe we can narrow the date.” The man who had brought the drinks came back with a small briefcase. Barker clicked it open and they all watched as he found what he was looking for. “We are talking about the time after my grandfather arrived here, which was on this date.” He handed the paper with the ship’s arrival to Sam who passed it to Magda.
She found her cell phone and looked at the news items that Bart had found. She handed it over to the oil man who scanned down and nodded. He passed it to Corabeth.
“The timing would be right. My grandfather and the investment men’s great grandfather would have been here at the same time.”
Corabeth added that the rumors about the other Hoffstander family had started then.
“Apparently he left the police department and invested money,” Corabeth said.
“So, we need to set Bart, the reporter, on finding out about the investments,” Sam remarked.
“It was at that time that the button maker Hoffstander went to Ireland,” Magda added.
“And took all of his money with him,” Sam put in.
“Or maybe didn’t take it with him,” Barker Hoffstander said quietly. “When there is suspicion about money, there is always something wrong.”
“Oh, Lord.” Magda looked at him. “You think that the policeman took the money? How could he do that?”
“I know it’s only gossip,” Corabeth added, “but could there be something that he wanted to get away from?” She hesitated, “He was talked about as a bit of a lady’s man.”
Geraldine laughed out loud.
“Don’t be so embarrassed, Cora. If it was just you and I, you would put it more bluntly.”
“Could it be blackmail?” Barker wondered.
“And he paid to get away,” Magda said.
“Wait a minute,” Sam said. “They have his name - Hoffstander. He was known to be a man who liked women.”
“And his wife never said anything about him leaving,” Magda cried.
“DNA,” Geraldine announced. “It would link the jacket to the descendants.”
“Wow,” Magda looked at the older lady. They looked at each other and came back to waiting for Barker Hoffstander to say what he thought. The man might be retired but he still commanded a room as the one who was in charge.
“We can try another séance and see if it brings the right response,” Magda suggested. Barker asked if he could be there. She smiled at him. “Be an honor,” she said.
“What about me?” Corabeth asked. Sam looked at Geraldine.
“We could have pecan and marzipan truffles.”
The three older people looked like three schoolchildren who were planning something they weren’t supposed to do.
“I am interested anyway in what you are planning to do there,” Barker Hoffstander told them. He handed Sam a card. “Let us know when the séance will be, and we will be there. Geraldine is always going on about this cafe. I guess I should visit sometime.”
Magda looked at his beer glass.
“We have Guinness flavored truffles,” she said and stood up to go. They were waved off and Magda let out a breath that she hadn’t known she was holding.
“Well that was some visit.”
“He’s a real gentleman,” Sam said. “Worked hard, made some good choices and still stayed human. I like him.”
“Got to agree there. He misses working though. You can tell.” She smiled. “Corabeth and Geraldine are lovely as well. Let’s get home and video call the others.”
They settled at home and made the calls to link everyone up and then told them all about the Hoffstanders of the oil business.
“Wowee,” Rula exclaimed. “You don’t suppose that the investment ones tried to find the jacket after it was in the paper?”
“Never thought of that,” Sam replied, “but possible.”
“When do you want to set it up, Merle?” Magda asked and they agreed on the evening after next as it was a Saturday and the cafe was closed on Sundays.
“Where is this jacket?” Declan queried.
Magda held up the tattered remains.
“Right here in the kitchen.”
“Put it somewhere safe,” Branston advised. Sam said he would put it in the safe at the yard for his building materials. Bart told them that he would go into the archives again and just see if there was anything about the investment people at around the time Rosie’s great grandfather had left for Ireland.
There was a crash and everybody asked what had happened.
“Crystal again,” Magda said and went to find what she had done. “A photo album from the bookcase but it brought down a vase at the same time.”
“She is always into something,” Rula said. “See you tomorrow.”
They ended the call and Magda looked at the photo album.
“See that picture of me with my mom. It is very like the picture Katie painted at the circle. Maybe Declan is making her psychic.” She smiled and ran a finger over the picture of her mom. “You always miss your mom. Doesn’t matter how old you are.” She put the album back and went for a dustpan for the pieces of the vase.
“Leave it,” Sam said. “I’ll do it. I reckon you are still jetlagged.”
“That Geraldine thinks you are a handsome man. Aren’t I the lucky one?”
18
She was glad to let Sam sweep the floor and to gather the cats. Then, although her eyes were trying to close, she had a quick look online. The Hoffstander brothers who ran what looked like a worldwide investment empire were also very hard to find as far as personal data went. She hoped Bart would be better at the search and went to bed.
Sam slid in beside her and ran a hand over the bright plum colored hair.
“Love you, Missus Barnes,” he whispered, and she slept on.
The next day was pretty normal and gave them all the chance to look after the business. Magda made truffles and posted some online orders. Katie tidied up the shop and artistically rearranged the shelves. Sam and Declan came, ate and went away again. The jacket had been stored in the yard safe.
Bart had to be out of town on an assignment, but later in the day, he sent some links to all of them to see what these two Hoffstander brothers looked like. He had found some articles that suggested they were not above bending the financial rules if it was profitable and there was absolutely no trace of their family anywhere.
On a hunch Magda opened her tablet and found the DNA ancestry site that she had used before. She put in Dana’s name because she knew that the Irish girl would not mind and although there were matches that she would have expected to find, there were no Hoffstanders listed in the present-day America related to her.
Magda sent an email to the company and asked if it was possible to get DNA from the remains of a very old jacket. She sent the link for the family tree to Bart and told him about the DNA message.
By the following evening, they had digested all of the information and arrived at the bank building to see if they could find any answers.
Barker Hoffstander and the two ladies were introduced to everyone and shown around the bank building. Barker said that he would not go upstairs. Instead he managed to make his way
down to the cellar to view where the vault had been and where the jacket had been found. Sam had the jacket in a bag and showed it to the visitors.
“Does look like it was a police officer uniform from the old days,” Geraldine observed.
Mikey had brought some additional chairs from the café and everyone sat in a circle. Merle explained what she was about to do, and they waited for her to start.
“Can I just add that Declan can usually see if there is a spirit and I can sense the feelings. Feel free to speak up if anything occurs to you.”
“No worries with Corabeth,” Geraldine joked. “Nothing keeps her quiet.” Merle smiled and said that was good and would they all join hands.
She went through her usual routine and called out to see if anyone was there.
“Mr. Hoffstander, will you come forward again please?” She asked twice more and then Declan said that a figure was appearing beside the boarded-up hole in the wall.
“Thank you,” Merle said. “Can you make a noise to let us know you are here?” After a pause there was a thump under their feet. She thanked him again.
“Mr. Hoffstander,” Magda joined in, “we have Mr. and Mrs. Hoffstander with us and their friend. They are not related to you.”
“They are helping us find out what is making you angry. Is that alright?” Merle asked. There was a decidedly loud thump.
“He’s moving forward,” Declan said. “And he’s not angry at the moment.”
“Can we ask you about the jacket we found under what was the kitchen floor?” Merle asked and had a single noise in return.
“I am Corabeth Walters and my mother was Cora Dillon. She always thought there was something suspicious about where the Hoffstander brothers found their money. Was she right?” There was such a loud bang that Geraldine shouted out loud.
“Do you remember the Dillon family?” Merle asked and there was a slight noise below their feet.
“And was she right about the money?” Barker Hoffstander asked quietly. Declan told him that the spirit man was looking directly at him.
“Carry on asking him,” Merle said quietly. Barker Hoffstander did what he had been used to doing and took charge of the situation.