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

by Cindy Bell

  “And then Dean’s shop threatened to put Silvio’s out of business.” Charlotte supplied, as her heart pounded. “But you have to understand that was just business. It wasn’t personal.”

  “Oh, it was certainly personal. Dean set his sights on Silvio and was determined to destroy him. Silvio spoke to him about it, they argued and had a falling out, but Silvio didn’t do enough. I had to take care of the problem. I mean I tried to be reasonable. I tried to talk to him about it. Every time he stole one of our customers, I would call him and try to reason with him. Dean would play me, as if he understood, and then just steal another customer.”

  “You called Dean shortly before he was killed? What did he say to you that made you decide to do this?” Ally locked eyes with him.

  “He laughed at me. He told me to stop calling him and start paying more attention to my customers, then maybe I would still have some. But what he didn’t know was that Silvio was counting on Chris’ account to keep the store afloat. When we lost him, I knew Silvio was going to close the shop. I couldn’t let that happen. I knew if Dean wasn’t around then it would go back to the way it was before Dean opened his shop and all of the customers would go back to Silvio. I decided I would go talk to him, one more time.”

  “But it didn’t go well.” Ally looked at the knife again. “Troy, you were under emotional and psychological stress. A jury will understand that. But they won’t understand you harming two innocent women. Just let us go, and you’ll have a chance of getting out of all of this.”

  “Oh, will I?” He laughed. “Do you think Silvio will forgive me for this? He hated Dean, but he didn’t have the strength or the courage to do anything about it. I went to talk to Dean again. I knew that if I went in the front door he would throw me out. So I went in through the back. I heard him on the phone with someone, mocking me, mocking Silvio. He said he was going to take out a restraining order against me to keep me away from the shop. I knew then, that if I didn’t do something, he was going to ruin my life. So I did the one thing I could do for Silvio. I was brave enough, and strong enough to do it. All I had with me was my ring mandrel. But it worked.” He stared down at it in the palm of his hand. “I thought it was fitting that his gift to me, helped to provide my gift to him.”

  “You killed a man over a little competition.” Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “There was no reason to murder him.”

  “I had to. Silvio was going to lose everything. He wouldn’t listen to reason. Even when I…”

  “You mean, you were going to lose everything.” Ally gritted her teeth. “This was never really about Silvio.”

  “I guess you could say that.” He shrugged. “Either way, Dean was the problem. When I confronted him, I gave him one last chance. I told him to give us back Chris’ account. But he didn’t. Instead he was rude, called me names, told me that Silvio was going to fire me anyway. I got so angry, I just couldn’t stop myself. I pulled out my ring mandrel, and that was it.” He closed his eyes. “I thought, it couldn’t possibly kill him. But it did. I had to get out of there fast, and I didn’t want to take the mandrel with me in case the police stopped me. So I cleaned mine and the one near the body hoping the police might presume that that one was the murder weapon. Which they did.” He smiled. “I almost threw my mandrel into the dumpster, but I realized that the police would search there for evidence. So I buried it instead. I meant to come back here and get it, but every time I had the chance the police were here, or Brad, or you. And now, this.” He shook his head. “So you see, I have no choice but to protect myself. Just like Dean, you put yourselves in this position. It’s not my fault, it’s yours.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Troy.” Ally tried to catch his eyes. “You can let us go. You made a mistake, in the heat of the moment. The police will understand and you can get a good lawyer.”

  “No!” He screamed the word. “I am not going to spend the rest of my life in jail. I will not let that happen.”

  “Then you are going to murder us, Troy? Two innocent women? I don’t believe you have it in you. You killed Dean because you were angry at him, because he insulted you and his actions threatened to take everything from you. We’re not doing that,” Charlotte said.

  “You might not be doing it, but if I let you live, my life will be over. So really, it is self-defense.”

  “There’s no way you can get away with this.” Ally shook her head. “You’re out in the open here, one scream will get the attention of everyone in the neighborhood.”

  “Go ahead.” He chuckled. “No one’s listening. Their doors are closed, their windows are locked, and their air conditioning is on. But you’re right. It would be better if we had some privacy. Both of you need to get into the delivery truck, we’ll handle this somewhere else.”

  “There’s no way we’re getting in that van.” Charlotte glared at him.

  “No?” He slid the ring mandrel into his pocket, then grabbed Ally around the chest and pinned her arms down beneath his arm. “I’ve killed once already, you don’t think I can again?” He rested the knife against the side of Ally’s neck. Ally started to squirm, then froze when she felt the cool metal on her skin. She let Arnold’s leash slip from her hand. She had no idea what Troy might do to the pig, and hoped that he would be safer on his own. The moment he sensed freedom, he took off with a snort.

  “Okay, all right, Troy. Just calm down. We’ll get into the van.” Charlotte held up her hands in front of her. “Just lower that knife and we’ll do whatever you want.”

  “I thought you might change your mind.” He lowered the knife back to his side, then tilted his head towards the delivery van parked at the end of the sidewalk. “Let’s go.” Charlotte walked ahead of them to the van, while Troy kept his grip tight around Ally.

  “Troy, just let us go. You’re not a murderer. You got upset in the moment, you were trying to protect yourself and Silvio. Do you really want the deaths of two women on your shoulders?” Ally pleaded with him.

  “I didn’t want any of this, Ally, but the easiest way to take care of this problem is to get rid of both of you. Open the door.” He locked eyes with Charlotte. “And get inside.”

  Ally watched her grandmother slide open the door and put one foot up into the van. Charlotte glanced back at Ally with a grimace.

  “Get in, I said,” Troy growled his words.

  “All right, I’m getting in.” Charlotte pulled her other foot up into the van. Behind her, she heard Ally grunt as Troy pushed her towards the van.

  “There’s still time to let us go, Troy. Just think about what you’re doing here.” Ally’s voice wavered with desperation.

  “I’m thinking just fine, and this is the best solution.” He pushed Ally into the van behind her grandmother, then slammed the door shut behind her. Ally crawled across the van to her grandmother and wrapped her arms around her.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Are you?” Her eyes locked to Ally’s. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No, but we have to get out of here, Mee-Maw. He’s crazy.”

  “I know.” Charlotte looked towards the front of the van as Troy climbed inside and started the engine. She had no idea where he might be taking them. “I hope that Arnold is okay.”

  “I’m sure he will be.”

  “The sooner we can get to him the better.”

  “We can try to jump out.”

  “No, he’s going too fast. Let’s just think this through. Will Luke be looking for you?”

  “No, not until later. He thinks I’m at the vet appointment with Arnold.”

  “Okay, then we’re in this alone. Maybe we can find a way to distract him.”

  “How?” Ally looked towards the front of the van. “Should I try to attack him?”

  “He might flip the van as fast as he’s going. I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”

  “He could be taking us back to his farm. Once he gets us out there, no one will ever find us, Mee-Maw. We can’t let him get
that far.”

  “I agree. If we have to, we’ll attack, but let’s try to think of something else first.”

  “Mee-Maw, he’s already killed, he’ll have no problem killing us, too.”

  Abruptly the van slowed down

  “We’re slowing down.” Charlotte gripped the side of the van. “There must be traffic.”

  “We should try to get out now.” Ally reached for the rear door.

  “No Ally, not yet. If we roll out even at this speed the car behind us won’t have time to stop. But maybe we can signal to someone behind us to call for help.”

  “Yes, that’s a good idea.” Ally leaned up close to the back window and peered over the edge. She knew that if she lifted her head too high, Troy might notice her by the back door. “Look, Mee-Maw,” Ally whispered to her grandmother as she pointed through the window.

  Charlotte eased up on to her knees to peek outside. There, in the middle of traffic, was Arnold. His little legs struggled to keep up with the van as his leash flew through the air. Behind him a few cars beeped their horns.

  “My little hero, he’s trying to save us!” Charlotte exclaimed. “I hope he doesn’t get hurt.”

  “I hope so.” Ally grimaced as her heart started pounding at the thought of Arnold being in danger.

  “Someone might spot us because of him. When the van comes to a stop the next time, at a light, whatever, we have to get out,” Charlotte whispered, and shot a glance in the direction of the front of the van.

  “Mee-Maw, what if we can’t get out and he catches us? He might just decide to kill us on the spot.”

  “He’s not going to let us go, Ally. And no one knows that we were stopping by the shop. It will be hours before anyone even realizes that we’re missing. Jumping out is going to be our only chance. I know it’s scary, but I can’t think of another way.”

  “You’re right.” Ally nodded. “We just have to be brave.”

  “Quiet back there!” Troy shouted from the driver’s seat.

  Ally put her finger to her lips.

  Charlotte nodded and grasped her granddaughter’s hand. Now it was only a matter of time before they would have to decide to jump, or risk disappearing on Troy’s farm.

  Chapter 15

  Luke stepped out of the police station and headed for his car. He had a tip he wanted to follow up on that might put a hole in Troy’s alibi. As he reached for the door handle, his cell phone rang. He grabbed the phone from his pocket and answered.

  “Hello.”

  “Luke, this is Dawn from dispatch, there has been a report of a pig loose on the highway. Can you check it out? All cars are occupied.”

  “I’m sorry, can you say that again?” He pressed his phone against his ear to be sure that he didn’t miss a single word. “There is a pig in the middle of the road?”

  “Yes, on the highway between Blue River and Broughdon. He might have gotten loose from one of the local farms.”

  “I’ll check it out right now.”

  “Thanks.”

  He hung up his phone, then glanced at his watch. He knew that Arnold had an appointment at the vet. Sure there could be many other pigs in the area, but something told him that Arnold might have escaped. As he headed for his car, he dialed Ally’s number. It rang several times, then went to voicemail. He left her a message, then tried Charlotte’s number. It also rang, then went to voicemail. His instincts began to get riled up. Had they turned their phones off while at the vet? As he got into his car he placed a call to the vet he knew Charlotte used for Arnold. After a few rings, a bubbly receptionist answered.

  “Best Vets for Pets, how may I help you?”

  “Could you tell me if a pot-bellied pig named Arnold has arrived for his appointment?”

  “Are you a family member?”

  “No, a friend of the family’s.” He rolled his eyes at the thought of being a pig’s family member. “Could you just tell me if he and Ally made it there for his appointment, please?”

  “I’m sorry, sir, I can’t give out any patient information, we have a very strict confidentiality policy.”

  “Would it make any difference if I told you that I’m a police detective?”

  “Do you have a warrant?”

  “Really? We’re talking about animals here.”

  “Animals have rights, too, sir. Is there anything else that I can help you with, sir?”

  “No, thanks.” He hung up and gunned his engine. If it was Arnold in the middle of the road and neither Ally or Charlotte were answering their phones, then there was a very good chance that something was wrong. It didn’t take him long to spot the pig, as several cars were beeping and flashing their lights. The traffic flow was too heavy for people to stop. Luke noticed that Arnold seemed to be following a particular vehicle. One glimpse at the name on the side of the van made a cold chill race down along his spine.

  “What are you doing following Silvio’s delivery van, Arnold?” He recognized the pig right away, both for his size, and his determination. Arnold managed to nearly keep up with the van. It helped that traffic was too heavy for any car to go too fast. Luke pulled up beside the van, and as he suspected Troy was driving. He tried to get Troy’s attention. However, Troy just kept his eyes on the road and continued to drive. Luke fell back some, so he could protect Arnold from the other cars. He slid in behind the pig and kept his eye on Arnold. He was clearly getting tired. As he veered off into another lane, Luke followed after him. He managed to follow the pig right to the shoulder of the highway. Arnold went and lay on the ground on the side of the road. His round belly heaved with exhaustion. Luke looked up in time to see the van make a hard turn to catch an exit off the highway. He was torn, as he knew that Charlotte would never forgive him if he left Arnold on the side of the road, but he couldn’t let Troy get away. He waved down another car and used his badge to coax the driver out of the car.

  “I have backup on the way. I need you to stay with this pig. Make sure he is safe until another officer gets here. Can you do that?”

  The young man nodded, though he appeared to be quite confused. Luke rushed back to his car and took off after the van. As he drove he summoned the help of Dawn from dispatch. He requested Troy’s home address, as well as backup. Either Troy was headed for a delivery in Blue River, or his farm. Luke couldn’t think of a single good reason that Arnold would be chasing the van unless Ally and Charlotte were inside. He knew if Troy detected he was being followed he might do something drastic. To avoid this he kept several cars away from the van, but never lost sight of it.

  In the distance Ally heard a siren.

  “Mee-Maw, the police!” She hissed her words.

  “That could be a good thing, or a bad thing.” Charlotte grimaced. “It might cause Troy to panic.”

  “They’re getting closer.” Ally leaned up far enough to peek out through the back window of the van. What she saw took her breath away. Arnold was gone. She searched either side of the road for him, but didn’t see him. “Mee-Maw, Arnold has disappeared.”

  “Do you think he’s okay?” Charlotte craned her neck to see out through the window.

  “I don’t know, I can’t see him.”

  “I hope he’s okay.” Charlotte’s voice quivered.

  Just then the van drifted to a complete stop. Ally could see the glow of a red light.

  “Now, Mee-Maw, we have to get out now.” Ally grabbed her by the elbow and slammed her shoulder against the back door as she pulled the handle. In the same moment that her shoulder connected with the steel of the door the van lurched forward. Charlotte tumbled out of her grasp, and the doors didn’t budge.

  “Oh no, it’s locked.” Ally shoved again at the door, but it still wouldn’t budge. “Are you okay, Mee-Maw?”

  “Yes.” Charlotte pushed herself back up on her knees.

  “I’m starting to believe there’s no way out of here.”

  “Don’t say that. We’ll be fine.”

  “I hope so.” Ally gulped as the
van went over several bumps. She didn’t have to look out the window to know that they had crossed over to the dirt roads on Troy’s property. Would the police see that? Would they even care? Or were they just after the pig that was holding up traffic? She peered through the back window and didn’t see any flashing lights following after them. Her heart sank. Now the only way out was to somehow escape Troy. She wasn’t sure if they would be able to do that on his home territory. He would have the advantage. Her stomach twisted with anxiety. No matter what happened, she knew she had to find them both a way out.

  A few minutes later the van stopped again. This time the engine turned off, and Troy stepped outside. Only a few seconds passed before he yanked the side door open.

  “Out.” He stood beside the door and waited for them to comply.

  “If you want us out, you’re going to have to come and get us.” Ally stood in front of Charlotte. “I know that you’re not going to do anything to hurt us while we’re inside the van. You wouldn’t risk damaging it.”

  “You don’t know anything about me.” He chuckled. “I’ll do whatever I have to do. That’s what sets me apart from the rest of the world. If something is standing in my way, I have no problem obliterating it. Right now, that happens to be you. So do you want to do this the hard way or the easy way?”

  “It’s okay, Ally.” Charlotte placed her hand on her granddaughter’s shoulder. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

  Ally frowned as she stepped down out of the van. She turned back to help her grandmother down.

  Troy gestured for them to walk ahead of him. He watched them very closely as they began to move.