Pink Hot Chocolate & Murder
Page 7
“Yeah. On a really useless appliance,” Amy added.
“You swung the mixer by the cord and hit Jacques on the head. It allowed for a very powerful blow,” said Heather.
“No. It was Moose who killed him,” said Annie. “Jacques was dead when I went into the prep room. Moose did it. He must have been the one who put the candy here. He stole it.”
“Moose was a big guy,” said Heather. “Someone would have noticed if he tried to sneak in here and hide the candy. But you chose to hide the chocolate here because you noticed how low the heating vent was. It was low enough that even you could remove the cover and hide the gold infused chocolate in here.”
"The end of that is what happened," Annie said. "I saw that Jacques was dead and I decided to steal the candy. He was dead, and I decided to hide it all here and come back for the money."
“Her story keeps changing, doesn’t it?” said Amy.
“You didn’t care about the chocolate or the gold,” Heather said. “You were just hoping that if we thought a robbery occurred, it might distract us from the real reason for the murder.”
Annie stopped trying to come up with any more cover stories. Ryan and Detective Peters read her her rights. Before they left, Annie just said one more thing.
“I hated everything about him. Even his stupid name.”
Movie Night
“It’s not exactly a girls’ night if Ryan and Jamie are here too, is it?” Eva joked.
“And don’t forget about Dave!” Lilly chimed in.
“I’m just happy to be here with everyone I care about,” Ryan said. “I’m happy with watching a romance movie.”
“Based on the way I’m feeling, I’d rather watch something in the action/adventure genre,” Eva said.
"But make sure the lead actor has big muscles," Leila joked.
"I found a gadget that helps you pick movies to watch when you're with big groups," Jamie said. "But I sat on it, and I broke it."
“I’m not sure this high-tech version of yourself is working,” Amy teased.
“Yeah,” Jamie sighed. “I think I’ll just stick to getting devices that I know will help my business or is needed around the house. I don’t need to get everything I see. I’ll stay regular-tech Jamie.”
“That’s all right,” Amy said. “I love that guy.”
Jamie smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek.
“Since we don’t have a gadget, Lilly, why don’t you pick the movie?” Eva suggested.
“And I’ve got Pink Hot Chocolate Donuts!” Heather said.
“Then, this will be the perfect night,” Eva said. “Good food and good friends.”
The doorbell rang.
“Is that more good food?” Leila asked. “Did someone order a pizza?”
Dave ran to the door, and Heather opened it. Vincent was there in a bowtie with bluebirds on it and a bouquet of flowers in his hand.
“Growl at him, Dave,” Amy instructed.
Dave declined and instead allowed Vincent to pet him.
“Traitor,” Amy muttered.
“What are you doing here?” Eva asked.
“You’ve been ignoring my calls,” Vincent said.
“And I think you know why,” said Eva.
"Yes," Vincent said. "Because I've been acting so nervous and shady lately. I haven't been treating you the way a lady like you deserves to be treated."
“That’s an understatement,” Leila piped up.
“I brought these for you,” Vincent said. “And an explanation.”
“I’m not sure I should even listen,” Eva said, crossing her arms.
“We might as well listen before we shut the door in his face,” Heather said.
“Fine,” Eva said. “Say whatever it is you want to say.”
Vincent sighed. "I know I've been acting strangely. And I realize now that it must seem to you like I didn't want to be seen with you. But that wasn't the case. It was that I didn't want to be seen by someone else."
“I can only imagine who,” Eva said.
“My brother,” Vincent said.
“What?” Eva asked. “I don’t remember you mentioning a brother.”
“I don’t like to talk about him unless I have to. He usually lives on the mainland, but he visits a few times a year. And he always seems to cause trouble for me. Our relationship is still new. I didn't want to scare you off by introducing you to my crazy family."
Eva laughed and gestured around the room. “Have you seen mine?”
Vincent chuckled and pet Dave again. “But these guys are charming. My brother can be a little wild.”
“Let me get this straight,” Leila said. “You have a brother? Just how much does he look like you?”
“Well, he is my twin brother,” Vincent said.
“Twins?” asked Amy. “This seems like a farce.”
"Look," Vincent said. "He's not all crazy. And it's because of him I have this new phone."
He took out his cell phone and found a picture that he showed to the group. Vincent and a man who looked just like him except that he was wearing a gold chain instead of a bowtie were sitting together on the beach.
"He arrived in town the other day, and I've been avoiding him while I was with you," Vincent said. "He can make a bad first impression."
“It’s all right,” Eva said, laughing. “I think I can understand.”
“Do you forgive me?” Vincent asked.
“Of course,” Eva said. “I wish you had told me earlier, but I can understand why you were hesitant. I’m so happy that you’re the man I thought you were. I was afraid you were cheating on me.”
"How could you ever think that?" Vincent asked, aghast.
"Well, you having a twin helped," Leila joked.
“This is better than any movie we could have watched,” Amy whispered to her bestie.
“I do like that it has a happy ending all around,” Heather said, smiling. “Come on. Let’s give them a moment alone and serve the donuts.”
The End.
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About the Author
Susan Gillard is a lover of all things mysterious. She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri where her love of murder mystery novels grew.
Now she travels the country in search of the best baked goods and engaging with the locals who often become the inspiration for her wacky characters.
Get in Touch with Susan
SusanGillard.com
susan@susangillard.com
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