The Chocolate Magic Cozy Mystery Box Set Books 1 to 7

by Olivia Swift

  “Jason Hoffstander, I believe. Your brother presumably has more sense,” he said. A voice called from the door and Barker told the police chief to come and join them.

  “Wow, he really did have the police chief on speed dial,” Magda whispered to Katie.

  “What happened here, Mr. Hoffstander?” the chief asked, and his officers took control of the intruders. Barker and Magda between them told the man what had happened.

  “You just disarmed them and took them prisoner?” the chief asked.

  “We had a little help, but it is not for public knowledge,” Barker answered.

  “Would you like a seat in the café?” Magda asked as the officers took away the three men. The girls switched on the café lights and the chief took off his cap and had a seat and took the offered coffee. Magda slid the Guinness truffles on a plate for the men.

  “Well, Barker. I want the truth.”

  “Oh dear,” Magda said and bit her lip.

  “Sit down everyone,” Barker said. “Tell the man the whole story.”

  “You probably won’t believe it,” Magda said. The chief shook his head.

  “Try me. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve heard over the years.”

  Barker started off explaining the venture the group was starting in the old bank building. Magda carried on with the story and said they liked to have séances to see if there was any spirit there from bygone days. Declan told him that he could see spirits. The chief never even blinked.

  He listened carefully and stopped them from time to time to make details clearer.

  “So, the lady in Ireland and Rosie who lives here are the two genuine great granddaughters of this button manufacturer?”

  Barker took over to say that he knew who the two investment men were and how their business would be damaged if the story came out.

  “I suggest that it could be arranged that an out of court settlement would suit them well and the two ladies would benefit from the payment.”

  “Is this jacket at the DNA laboratory?” the chief asked Magda and she smiled and went to the cabinet to find the bag containing the remnants.

  The chief took the bag and told her that he would interview on the assumption that they had the DNA result.

  “I’ll do this interview myself.” He looked at Barker. “I don’t suppose you have an idea of what these two are worth?” Barker Hoffstander named a figure that made everyone in the room gasp. He also suggested what would be a reasonable settlement. They all gasped again. The oil man laughed.

  “People talk about these figures as if it were peanuts but it is real and they can afford it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the brothers run separate businesses after this. The other one seems to be more sensible.”

  The chief stood up and shook their hands.

  “Good luck with the new art gallery.” He walked away and the rest of them sat back letting out a collective breath.

  “That was something else,” Mikey said what the rest were feeling.

  “Enjoyed myself. I’m glad the Mr. Hoffstander from the past got his story told,” Barker added.

  “You saved the day with the chief on speed dial,” Sam laughed. “That was a showstopper.”

  “Come on Boss, I’ll take you back home. Geraldine will be waiting,” Morris Mason said. The men along with the two large security men left the café quietly.

  “Wow,” Katie said.

  “I will be restricted with the reporting as far as not being able to say anything about a case being investigated but I can be vague and say that we captured intruders and it is in the hands of the police department,” Bart told them.

  “Rosie and Dana need to know. They might both end up with a hefty bank balance,” Rula remarked.

  “Too late now. We’ll get in touch tomorrow,” Magda said.

  “But not too late for Merle and Branston to hear about it,” Sam added and called the couple at the dude ranch.

  “I think,” Merle said when she heard the story, “that we need to meet up again to make sure everything is settled.”

  “If we do that tomorrow night, Declan and I can organize Katie’s dad and the crew to make a start on the interior redesign,” Sam said and received whoops of delight from everybody. “We have planning and we know what we want to do.”

  They closed up the café and parted for the night.

  Getting home, Magda found Crystal annoyed because they had been out again. She was sitting with the photograph album on the floor again. It wasn’t open at any page and Magda put it back on the shelf.

  “Treats. I guess you were bored, Crystal.”

  Sam brought her a hot chocolate and they sat together and went over what had happened.

  “It was truly amazing,” Magda said. “Who would have thought that the investment man himself would turn up? I expected him to hire people.”

  “Great outcome though. I really didn’t want to start the building work until events had calmed down.”

  “How long?” Magda asked and rested her head on his shoulder. He smiled.

  “No pressure then. Maybe a month.” He looked at her resting on his shoulder with eyes closed. “Come on, Mags. You are still not over the Ireland trip.”

  “I wonder how many truffles we have actually made since we came back,” she murmured as he took care of the cats and let her go to bed. He wondered if there was anything he could do to lighten the load but knew she would wave the worry away if he said anything. He was content by holding her close and thinking about the building work until he fell asleep as well.

  The next day they called Dana and, in private behind the kitchen, Katie and Magda told the Irish girl what had happened.

  “You might well have money coming your way, Dana. Your great grandfather seems to be happier now,” Katie told her.

  “That is truly an unexpected piece of news. The money will be nice, but I am happy that you sorted out his anger.” Then she asked if she and Michael could fly to the States for the opening.

  “That would be fantastic,” Magda said. “You are welcome to stay with us.” Then she added that the oil Mr. Hoffstander would be pleased to meet her, and Rosie would be thrilled.

  “Let me know as soon as you have a date and we will book the flights.” Dana ended the call. Magda called Rosie and asked if she and Katie could pop around to see her.

  “What’s wrong?” Rosie asked but they assured her it was nothing awful. They left Rula in charge and took the car to Rosie’s. It was not far, and the woman was waiting anxiously on the steps. Elsie, of course, had come as well when she heard they were coming. They went through the whole thing again.

  The faces of the two women were a picture.

  “Oh, Rosie. How wonderful for you,” Elsie said. “You will buy truffles every day.” Magda laughed and then heard Rosie say exactly the same thing that Dana had said.

  “The other news is that when we open the gallery, your cousin twice removed is coming across from Ireland.”

  “Oh, that is wonderful news,” Rosie said and clapped her hands. “I have a cousin.”

  “And she said the same thing as you did about Mr. Hoffstander being happy the story was known.”

  They said that they were having a short séance that evening to make sure he was settled and the two women both asked if they could be there.

  “Seven,” Magda said. “Gotta get back to work.”

  20

  They gathered at seven with Barker Hoffstander, Barker’s wife and Corabeth. Introductions were made and everyone sat on chairs in the cellar. Merle started the conversation again and Declan said that the man was standing to one side.

  “He’s hesitating,” Merle said.

  “Come out and talk to us please Mr. Hoffstander. We found out what you wanted us to know,” Magda added.

  “We good Hoffstanders need to stick together,” Barker added his voice and Declan said that he was coming forward and more visible.

  “Do you feel more content now?” Merle asked and there was a thud
beneath their feet.

  “The two men now know that they are not descended from you,” Barker added. “They will settle out of court and your real great granddaughters will get the money that belongs to them.”

  “Are you happy about that?” Sam asked and there was an instant and definite thump.

  “Good,” Merle replied. “We have to thank you for making sure we caught them and that they didn’t shoot anyone.”

  “That whirlpool of stones was very impressive,” Barker added.

  “Thank you,” Magda said and the others echoed the sentiment.

  “Are you happy for the building work to start?” Sam asked and there was another noise.

  “This was a Hoffstander home and this present day Hoffstander will open it in your name. Is that okay with you?” Barker asked and the spirit made another thudding noise beneath their feet.

  Merle took over the séance and said that she would try and help the man find his way to the light.

  “Mr. Hoffstander, your work is done here. Can you see the white light above your head?” She asked the circle to all see the white light inside their mind and told them to concentrate on that and nothing else. “Make your way to that light, Mr. Hoffstander. You will be able to rest at last. Find the light and move toward it. There is no need for you to stay here any longer.”

  “He is looking at the light now,” Declan said, “and moving toward it.”

  “Rest easy,” Corabeth added. “Kiss my mom for me.”

  Declan said that the man had turned and was looking at her. He’s waving his hand and,” Declan paused, and Merle looked at him to see what was wrong. Katie gripped his hand.

  “What is it?”

  Declan took a breath. “Was your mom a small person with very dark hair, Corabeth?”

  The woman said that she was.

  “She was not five feet tall and wore her hair swept up into a topknot. She liked to wear red.”

  Declan smiled. “She’s holding her hand out to help the man to the light and her other hand is blowing a kiss.”

  “Oh Lord. Oh, dear Lord,” Corabeth cried. “I love you, Mom.”

  “How wonderful,” Magda whispered.

  “They’ve gone to the light,” Declan said.

  “Thank you everyone,” Merle told them. “Take a deep breath and hold each other’s hands. I will talk you out.” She asked them to walk across a field and come to some stone steps. They all pictured this and by the time she had taken them up step by step, they were back to reality and the present day.

  Geraldine was hugging her friend and both women were crying. Magda had to find a tissue for her own eyes and saw that others were doing the same.

  “That was some experience,” Barker said.

  “The man seems to be at peace now,” Mikey added and stood up.

  “We need a drink, I think,” Magda told them and opened up the whiskey that she kept in the café.

  Sometime later, they went their separate ways after recovering from what they had just witnessed.

  “I think,” Sam said when there was just Declan, Katie, Magda and himself left to lock the doors, “that we start tomorrow and get this place working as quickly as we can.”

  The next day, he did just that. Katie’s dad arrived with a crew to knock down interior walls and open up the space. Declan had two enormous doors delivered and made the opening ready for them. By the end of the day, the art gallery had a double door at the back that matched the double doors to the café and keys to lock it up securely. The builders were able to use the front doors to carry things in and out.

  Bart took photographs each time he arrived and said his editor would save the copy of the raid until just before the opening and the piece could be finished off with photos of the gallery.

  “It’s so good to watch something take shape before your eyes,” Magda said.

  “Even though we do seem to be feeding the whole building crew,” Katie added.

  “And half of the town because everyone is so curious,” Rula said. “Good business though.”

  After two weeks of building work, the walls were plastered and painted in the colors specified by Katie. She gave everyone drawings of how she thought it should be laid out and Sam made the ramp to extend the outdoor model railway. Magda went for more track and came back to say the model people wanted to book a week to put on an exhibition.

  Rula created a calendar for bookings and events at The Color Gallery. They helped decorate the pretend railway depot that was now the cellar and they all joined in to lay the tracks around the cellar and out again. Declan realized he had to lift the doors to allow for the tracks to be in place. With each piece of track laid, they were all becoming very excited.

  Katie was being very protective about the gallery because she wanted it in pristine condition for the opening. It was the palest green with touches of flowers that she had painted herself onto key points. The coloring of the ceiling had been picked out in a darker green and the place had an air of serenity which was what she had aimed for. The desk was also dark green. There were shelves where prints could be placed for sale and she had suggested a section selling artist’s materials. There was another section with the story of the building on which she and Bart had collaborated. Soft music played in the background. She was pleased with the effect.

  The chef from the dude ranch had supplied the culinary prints. Her work as well as Katie’s would be on view.

  Barker came to check the progress and asked if he could help at all.

  “Would you like a big-time artist to have a display for your opening?” he asked Katie. When he told her the name, she was almost overcome with excitement.

  “You’ll need security, but I’ll see to that,” Barker said and went away again.

  “Oh, my Lord,” Katie said and sat down suddenly on a chair. “Do you realize who he is. We will be inundated with visitors. Can we cope with that?”

  “Of course, we can.” Rula said. “By the way, your own original work is underpriced.”

  “Really?” Katie asked.

  “We are expecting a lot of well-heeled visitors and loads of publicity. You are good. Charge for it.”

  They were a week away from the opening by that time and the artist named by Barker came to see where his paintings would hang. He seemed a bit miserable at first but brightened when he saw the place was not just a dump. He walked right through, met everyone and showed her on his tablet, the paintings he would bring.

  “I am such a fan, I can hardly believe it,” Katie admitted.

  “Katie is good herself,” Rula told him. He looked at what Rula had shown him and smiled properly for the first time.

  “I do like them,” he told her. “If we work from the entrance with my stronger pieces and end with the pastels, we could carry on with yours. It would work quite well.”

  “Oh Lord,” Katie said. “I might burst into tears.”

  “I have that effect on most people,” he said drily and made her laugh instead.

  “Bring them Friday,” he said and left. Katie had to have a strong coffee to recover.

  On Wednesday, Magda picked up Dana and Michael from the airport and drove them to the bungalow first to leave their bags and meet the cats. Then they went to see the café and to meet everyone. Michael was fascinated by the model railway and asked if she had thought about adding some of the old mining history.

  “I was reading up on it for a talk and it’s fascinating.”

  “All ideas gratefully received,” Magda told him. Sam came and took him away to see around the art gallery. Dana asked to have an apron and joined in helping at the café. Her Irish accent caught the attention of the customers and she found herself stopped at every table. Magda called Rosie and after about half an hour she and Elsie arrived.

  “Where is she?” Rosie looked around the kitchen. Magda pointed to the girl chatting to a group of customers.

  “She is happier joining in than being a guest.” Magda went and brought her newest he
lper over to the table that was set aside in the kitchen and introduced the two descendants of Mr. Hoffstander. Rosie and Dana looked at each other and then Rosie held out her arms.

  “Oh, I am so happy to meet you.”

  Dana was folded in the older woman’s embrace and hugged her back. There were tears all around.

  Bart put out the story on both Wednesday and Thursday and the artist arrived on Friday morning with his precious and massively expensive and meticulously packed paintings. He showed them which ones would be first to be seen and Declan fixed up the pegs to hold them in place. They worked their way around and Katie found herself hanging a painting next to one by the man she thought of as just about the best around.

  On Friday afternoon everyone managed to be there to inspect the finished product. Barker arrived in his chauffeur-driven car and was hugged by the artist. They were obviously good friends.

  “He buys my work,” the artist explained.

  “Only buy what I like,” Barker said. “I am no art expert.” He looked around. “I’m a business expert. This looks fantastic! Well done everyone.” He drove away and said he would be back for the opening. The artist said the same and offered to talk to visitors.

  They locked up for the night.

  “I won’t be able to sleep,” Katie said, and Declan said they should go out for a relaxed evening. It would quiet things down.

  When Magda got home, Crystal had the photo album on the floor again.

  “Mmm,” Magda said as she put it back in place.

  21

  They were all up at the crack of dawn and dressed in style for the grand opening. The opening was for ten in the morning. Fifteen minutes before that Barker, Geraldine and Corabeth arrived. The artist walked in and stood talking to them. Bart had a photographer with him from the paper who started taking shots of the place but also of the people as visitors started to come in and move around. Security was there but blended into the crowd well. Two of them stayed near the cars. Each wore an earpiece.