Custom-Made Murder (A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Book 8)

by Cindy Bell

  “Hey, I take offense to that.” Charlotte quirked a brow. “Those of us of advanced age are just as savvy online.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you, but Silvio looks like he’s in his eighties.”

  “Yes, he is quite a bit older than me.” Charlotte cleared her throat. “Maybe we should go talk to them.”

  “We should probably wait until tomorrow. I’m sure the police are questioning everyone today. They won’t be too interested in answering another round of questions so soon.”

  “You’re right.” Charlotte glanced at her watch. “It’s late and most places are probably already closing. I just wish I could talk to Jeff and find out what happened.”

  “I’m sure you do.” Ally grabbed her phone. “I’ll see if Luke can help pull some strings so you can get in to talk with him first thing tomorrow. Do you know if he has anything to use for bail?”

  “He just has his small business, an old car, and the apartment in Freely Lakes. I doubt that would be enough.”

  “Oh dear.” Ally shook her head.

  “Maybe I can put up the shop.” Charlotte stood up and started to pace. “I can call my lawyer and find out…”

  “Mee-Maw, no!” Ally looked at her with wide eyes. “You can’t even think about doing that.”

  “Why not? I would do it in a second if it were you behind bars.”

  “But it’s not me.”

  “I can trust Jeff.” She sighed. “I knew you didn’t believe me.”

  “I do believe you, Mee-Maw it’s just that…”

  “Just that I’m getting old?” She looked at Ally. “I’m as sharp as they come, you know that. So, do you really think I could be fooled? Lied to? Conned? I know that Jeff is a good man. I’m not some fool. I’m honestly surprised that you doubt my instincts.”

  “I’m sorry, Mee-Maw.” She stared down at her feet. “I know that you are a good judge of character it’s just that people can fool anyone. I was fooled, and lied to, and I really thought the man I planned to spend the rest of my life with was a good guy. Yes, I got conned, and sure I know that you are much smarter than me when it comes to people, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen to you, too.”

  “I know, Ally. I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t want you to believe that I doubt your instincts. It’s just, I don’t want to see you get hurt, the way I was or even worse.”

  “I understand.” Charlotte met her eyes. “But that’s not going to happen here. I am not any smarter than you, but I know, deep down in my heart, that Jeff didn’t do this. He may tell a white lie now and then, and his ego might get the best of him at times, but murder? No, he’s not capable of that. I know it’s a lot to ask of you, but please, just try to trust me.”

  “I do trust you. More than anyone in the world, Mee-Maw. I’ll make that call.” She excused herself to her room to call Luke. Her heart raced as she listened to each ring. Would he be willing to help her or would he do his best to stay out of things? She wasn’t sure what to expect.

  “Ally, I hope you’re not upset with me.”

  “I’m not, Luke. Honestly. Neither is Mee-Maw, she is just upset about Jeff. I need to know if we can set up a meeting for her with him.”

  “Yes, I’ll try to arrange it for tomorrow morning, I’ll let you know how I go. But I’m afraid I have some more bad news.”

  “What is it?” Ally held her breath.

  “Apparently, they moved his arraignment up and he’s been denied bail.”

  “Why?”

  “They consider him a flight risk since he has dual-citizenship.”

  “Dual-citizenship?”

  “Yes, here, and in England.”

  “Wow, I didn’t know that. So, there’s no chance of him getting out?”

  “It’s not likely until the trial.”

  “Trial.” She sighed. “Is there any new evidence?”

  “I’m looking into a few things. I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks Luke. I know this was supposed to be your afternoon off.”

  “I’m not worried about that, but I am worried about Charlotte. Is she okay?”

  “She will be. She is strong minded, she cares about Jeff and believes he is innocent.”

  “I’m sure that things will turn out for the best.”

  “I hope so.” Ally hung up the phone and stepped back into the living room.

  Charlotte looked up from the couch, where Arnold had settled with his head on her lap once again. “What did he say?”

  “Luke is going to try and set up a meeting with Jeff in the morning, but Jeff won’t be able to post bail. It was denied. Did you know that he has dual-citizenship?”

  “No, I had no idea.” She stared off into the distance, then looked back at Ally. “Why does that matter?”

  “I guess that makes him a flight risk, so he won’t be able to get out of jail before the trial.”

  “How terrible.” Charlotte hugged Arnold. Ally’s phone beeped with a text. She looked at it and turned to her grandmother.

  “Luke has arranged a meeting with Jeff tomorrow morning.” She sent a text back thanking Luke.

  “Oh, good.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to stay here tonight? I’ll drive you to Broughdon tomorrow.”

  “No thanks, I need my own bed.”

  “You can take my car I don’t need it, I can walk to the shop in the morning.”

  “Thanks, I’ll need you to open the shop tomorrow. I’ll come in after I talk with Jeff.”

  “Okay. Mee-Maw, we’re going to figure this out together.” Ally walked her to the door. Arnold trailed after them. He nuzzled Charlotte’s hand. Charlotte bent down to kiss him goodbye.

  “You’re a good boy, Arnold, never forget that. You have done a good job of cheering me up.” She smiled at him, then straightened up. “I hope that by tomorrow this will be settled.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I’ll call you in the morning, after I speak to Jeff.” She kissed Ally’s cheek.

  “Please be careful.”

  “Are you worried about me getting attacked, or arrested?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

  “A little of both, but a little more of the arrested part.”

  “Don’t worry, we can’t both end up in jail. I have to find a way to get him out.”

  “And I will help you, every step of the way.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled at her, then left the cottage.

  The moment Ally sat down on the couch, Peaches climbed into her lap and Arnold snuggled next to her. Ally was comforted by their presence, once they stopped kneading and snorting. She stroked Peaches’ fur.

  “I just don’t know what to think, guys. But one thing is for sure, we have to support Mee-Maw.”

  Arnold rested his head on her arm and gazed up into her eyes, then he snorted, and kicked Peaches out of her lap. The cat landed with a snarl, before the two began to chase each other around the house. Ally rolled her eyes.

  “Some help you two are!”

  Chapter 4

  Charlotte sat up in her bed. She wasn’t sure that she had ever actually fallen asleep, but she guessed she might have between bouts of wild thoughts. At some point in the middle of the night she’d considered baking a file into a cake. Instead she got dressed and headed for Ally’s car.

  As she walked down the long hallway to the entrance of Freely Lakes, she felt the looks of others who were already awake. She did her best to pretend she didn’t notice, but it was clear that word had traveled fast. Many of the other residents at the retirement community were aware of her relationship with Jeff. Besides being seen around Freely Lakes together he was a very popular man and had insisted on taking her to dinner, and other places that they would be seen together. She didn’t fight him too much either, because a part of her wanted the women that hung all over him to know that he was unavailable. But then, he wasn’t really. They’d never discussed what they were to one another, they just enjoyed each other’
s company.

  As Charlotte reached the car she tried to prepare herself for seeing him inside the police station. She hoped she wouldn’t have to visit him in a cell. It made her uneasy to even think of going into a place like that. For a moment she considered calling Ally to join her, but she decided against it. She didn’t want anyone there that might have the slightest doubt about Jeff’s innocence. As she made the drive to the Broughdon Police Department she tried to think of the most important questions to ask him.

  When she got to the station she sat in the car for a minute and tried to calm her nerves. Once she was a bit more relaxed she got out of the car and headed straight for the doors of the police station. After introducing herself she was immediately led to a small interrogation room, and instructed to wait.

  As she waited she nervously tapped her fingers on the table. When Jeff was led into the room to meet her he barely looked at her as he sat down across from her. The police officer stood in the corner of the room.

  “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

  “Imprisoned for something you didn’t do? I didn’t want to see you like this either.” She looked into his eyes. “Jeff, are you okay?”

  “Is that really what you want to know?” He gazed at her.

  “Yes, of course it is.”

  “Not whether I did it or not?”

  “Jeff, don’t be silly. I know you didn’t do this.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “I was hoping you would say that. I just couldn’t stand the thought of you believing that I could do this.”

  “I would never, you should know me better than that.”

  “I do, but I know with Ally’s boyfriend being a cop.” He shrugged.

  “A detective. And, I’m not here to talk about him. I’m here to talk about you. Please, if there’s anything you can tell me that will help, I’m trying to figure out what really happened to Dean. If I can do that then we will be able to get you out of here.”

  “I have no idea what happened to him.”

  “But you were there at the shop?”

  “I was. I had an appointment with a client yesterday, but I realized I’d misplaced my ring sizer and mandrel. The last time I used them was at the showing that Dean hosted at his shop. I made some custom jewelry there on the spot and took orders for some items. I decided to drop by on my way to the meeting to pick up my ring sizer and mandrel. When I got there he said he didn’t have them. I was going to ask to look for them, but he was busy on the phone. He got very upset, and when he hung up the phone he said he was closing and he wouldn’t let me look for them. I left in a hurry because I wanted to get to the other supply store to buy new ones.”

  “Great! Do you have a receipt from the store? Or confirmation from your client that you were there?”

  “No, because I didn’t go to either. I was about to drive to the store when my client called to cancel the appointment.”

  “But wait, that’s still a good thing. If you spoke with your client at a certain time then that might help rule you out being at the crime scene.”

  “The problem is, I didn’t answer. I let it go to voicemail because I was so stressed about the ring sizer. Then when I checked the message I realized I didn’t even need it. I hadn’t even made it three blocks away from the shop.”

  “So, there’s no way to prove that you weren’t there at the time of the murder?”

  “Not one that I can think of, and to be honest, I don’t think the police are interested in looking.” His eyes filled with tears. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “They’ve decided it was me, and they’re not going to let this go.”

  “But there’s so little evidence…”

  “There’s enough for them.” He opened his eyes again. “I think it’s best that you wash your hands of all of this. I don’t want you to be burdened by me.”

  “You’re not a burden, Jeff. We are friends and I care about you. I’m not going to let you waste away in here.”

  “Okay.” He managed a small smile. “But keep in mind, not every story has a beautiful ending.”

  “Don’t talk like that, Jeff.” She looked into his eyes. “You are innocent. I’m going to find a way to get you out. What can you tell me about Silvio?”

  “Silvio?” He blinked, then nodded. “Oh Silvio. He certainly was upset with Dean for all of the customers he was taking.”

  “Upset enough to kill him?”

  “I couldn’t say. I don’t know Silvio that well. But I know there was a big rivalry between them.”

  “Anyone else? You knew Dean for a long time, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.” He looked down at his hands with a hint of tears in his eyes again. “His poor family.”

  “I’m sorry that you lost your friend, Jeff.”

  “So am I. I hate to think of his family thinking that I did this to him. I hate it.”

  “Is there anyone in his family that might hold something against him?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Dean protected his family. He took care of them. They all love him. Loved.” He closed his eyes again. “I’m not much help.” Suddenly he opened his eyes. “Well, there was one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Charlotte leaned forward.

  “Dean and his son-in-law Brad, there was tension there. Dean told me he found out about something from Brad’s past, and he was trying to decide whether to tell his daughter. He was very protective of both girls.”

  “Did he say what the secret was?”

  “No, it was a few weeks back, our conversation was interrupted, and he never mentioned it again.”

  “I’ll see what I can find out about it.”

  “Thank you, Charlotte.”

  “If you think of anything, just find a way to contact me. You’re not alone in this, Jeff. We are going to get you out of here.” She looked into his eyes.

  “You really do believe me, don’t you?” He held her gaze.

  “Yes, I do. All of this will be over soon.” She smiled at him, despite the fact that she wasn’t in the least bit convinced that it would be.

  Ally did her best to offer sunny smiles to the customers who stepped into the shop, but she wasn’t feeling cheerful. She found it hard to maintain a good attitude when she was worried about her grandmother. Every time she checked her phone there were no new messages or missed calls. It made her uneasy to think of her grandmother facing everything alone and seeing Jeff in a cell. When the bell above the door chimed she looked up to see Mrs. Bing. She braced herself for the barrage of questions that would follow. Surely the rumor mill was already churning.

  “Ally! I just heard the most horrifying news!”

  “You did?” She gritted her teeth.

  “I don’t even know what to say! I am shocked!”

  “It’s not what you think, Mrs. Bing…”

  “It isn’t?” She crossed her arms. “Then you didn’t give Mrs. White the first taste of a brand-new candy?”

  “Oh, is that all?” Ally laughed and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I don’t find it funny, not one bit. I know I’ve told you plenty of times to text me, call me, or flag me down when you have a new candy so I just don’t understand why you didn’t even bother to call!”

  “They’re right there in that sample tray.” She pointed to the end of the counter. “I’m very sorry for the mix-up.”

  “That’s not the point, the point is Mrs. White got to try it first.” She popped a candy into her mouth. “And furthermore, mmhm.” She closed her eyes. “Oh my, this is good.” She pressed her hands to her chest. “What flavor!”

  “I’m glad you like it. Should I put together a box for you?” Ally grinned.

  “Oh, yes please.” She snatched another sample from the tray.

  “I’m very sorry that you didn’t get the first taste. We will be trying out a new chocolate next week. White chocolate with raspberry and coconut. I’ll be sure to save the first taste for you.”

  “I sup
pose I can forgive you.” She sighed, and watched as Ally tossed a few extra chocolates into the box.

  “Thank you.” Ally smiled and handed over the box. As she rung up the chocolates, her phone buzzed. She glanced over and saw it was a text from her grandmother. “Excuse me just one moment, Mrs. Bing.” She read the text and was relieved to see that she was on the way to the shop.

  “Is that Luke?” Mrs. Bing fluttered her eyelashes. “Did he send you one of those kissy-mojis?”

  “Kissy-mojis?” Ally laughed. “No, it was Mee-Maw saying she’s on her way.”

  “Oh, I didn’t think she was going to come in today, what with the scandal.”

  “Scandal?” Ally froze.

  “Oh, honey everyone knows that her boyfriend got locked up. Isn’t it always the case that the sweet ones fall for the bad boys?”

  “He’s not her boyfriend, he’s just a friend, that’s a man. And, we don’t know that he’s guilty yet.”

  “Right.” Mrs. Bing chuckled. “Anyway, we all pick a rotten apple now and then, don’t we? Do tell her that she has my support. I’d be a bit put out that Luke didn’t run a background check on him though. What good is it to date a cop if he can’t keep murderers away from you?”

  “I’ll let her know that you offered your support.” Ally forced a smile on to her lips. “Thank you, Mrs. Bing, take those on the house.”

  “Oh? Are you sure?” She opened the box and plucked another candy out.

  “Yes. It’s the least I can do, after offending you.”

  “True.” She sniffed, then turned and walked out of the shop. Ally breathed a sigh of relief the moment she was gone. The last thing she wanted was for her grandmother to hear that kind of talk. A few minutes later a rush of customers came in. While she was waiting on them, she heard the chime of the bell again. Feeling a little overwhelmed, she looked up to see Luke. He stood off to the side, but she could tell from the heaviness of his hazel eyes that things had only gotten worse. Once all of the customers were cleared out, he walked up to the counter.

  “How are you doing?” He met her eyes.