by K M Morgan
“Uh-huh.”
“You don’t sound so convinced.”
Chloe treaded lightly, trying to find the gentlest way to put this. “It’s just—I’ve heard that before.”
“Yeah, but those other diets were halfhearted at best. This one is going to be transformative. Trust me, you’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Chloe hoped so, but she still wasn’t convinced. Her mother was a very excitable person, but her enthusiasm had a tendency to fade rather quickly. Chloe had seen a number of her mother’s previous diets flame out after the first week.
Chloe offered her mom words of encouragement. “That’s very admirable. I wish you luck.”
Amanda got resolve in her voice. “Don’t underestimate your mother. This has nothing to do with luck. It’s about sheer will.”
“It sure is. Unfortunately, willpower is a hard thing to come by.”
As Amanda kept talking, she seemed to be trying to convince herself as much as her daughter. “If you’re going to do something, do it well. I’m doing this for real this time. The question is, do you want to join us?”
Chloe shook her head. “I’ll pass. I’m kind of busy right now.”
“Right, with putting yourself in harm’s way and all.”
Chloe steered away from talk of the investigation again. “So, when does this new initiative or yours start?”
“It already has. The fitness train has left the station, and I’m going full speed ahead,” Amanda insisted.
What a curious answer. “Oh, really? Then why was dad out jogging alone this morning?”
“I found it too hard to resist the call of buttery, warm pancakes.”
“It sounds like your new health initiative got off to a rather inauspicious start.”
“There will be plenty of time to banish my belly. This morning was one last hurrah of indulgence, and it was deliciously worth it,” Amanda explained.
“I’ll bet.”
“When you’re done with your snooping around, you really should join us. We all have room for improvement, you know.”
“You don’t have to remind me of that.”
Amanda decided to remind her daughter anyway. Chloe’s mom had a tendency to nag relentlessly. Some people referred to it as badgering into submission. When Amanda got excited about something, she wanted everyone to feel the same way.
“We’re all works in progress, but you can still reach your potential. It’s not too late to be the person you’ve always wanted to be.”
Chloe responded with considerably less enthusiasm. “Yes, Mom.”
Amanda could tell this new diet plan was a hard sell for her daughter to buy into. “You’re still not convinced, are you?”
“Like I said, you and Dad have been talking about losing weight for a while. I really hope you stick with it this time.”
“I will. I’m tired of excuses. I’ve been doing the same old things for years, with the same old lousy outcomes. That’s why I’m taking a new approach this time. After all, you can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”
Sometimes, the most unlikely of phrases had the biggest impact. Amanda was talking about her new fitness plan, but she might just as well have been referring to this murder case.
As Chloe listened to her mother, suddenly a light bulb went off in Chloe’s head. At that moment, everything clicked. The answer Chloe had been looking for all day was now crystal clear.
“That’s it,” Chloe said.
Amanda furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about?”
Chloe smiled. “I know who killed Victoria Ryan.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The next day, Andrew Brown asked Ben Harrington to come to the club for a meeting. Ben didn’t know what this was about, but as he entered Andrew’s office, he looked curious to find out.
“Ben, there you are. It’s good to see you,” Andrew said.
“I have to admit, I was surprised to get a call from you,” Ben replied.
“I’ll bet you’re wondering what this is all about.”
Ben nodded. “I sure am.”
“Noah Bryant has been offered representation and is moving to Hollywood, which means I’m looking for a new headlining act.”
Ben’s jaw dropped. “Wait a minute. Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I’d like to offer you the spot. If you’re not in jail, that is.”
Ben furrowed his brow. “Jail?”
Just then, Chloe entered the office from the hallway. She came up behind Ben with a snow shovel in her hands.
“That’s usually what happens when you kill someone,” Chloe said.
Ben was so startled, he nearly jumped out of his chair. “What are you doing? You scared me half to death.”
“How do you think Victoria Ryan felt when you snuck up on her from behind?” Chloe then turned to Andrew. “Thanks for calling Ben in. I’ll take it from here.”
Andrew nodded then leaned back in his chair and watched.
Ben was in a complete panic. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“What’s the matter? Does seeing this shovel hit too close to home? After all, it’s the same kind you used to kill Victoria.”
“Stop saying that.”
“I have to admit, you almost had me fooled. I wondered why you were so eager to poke a hole in Leah Manning’s alibi by telling me she’d come by your place at twelve-thirty the night Victoria was murdered. Then I realized, by pointing the blame at Leah, it made you look more innocent.”
Ben lashed out. “This is all just wild speculation.”
“True, until I thought about one crucial thing. Do you know what gave you away?”
“I don’t have to listen to this.”
“There’s an old saying about how you can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results. That’s just what you were doing with Victoria. You kept trying to get her back, you begged for your headlining spot back, but being Mr. Nice Guy got you nowhere. So the other night, you took a different tack. You came back to the club that night after Leah Manning left your house, determined to get your way with Victoria, but obviously, she didn’t budge. So you flew off the handle and killed her. As a bonus, you saw Hope Callahan storm out the backstage door, throwing her name tag in the dumpster. The name tag gave you the perfect thing to frame Hope. Isn’t that right?” Chloe asked.
If Chloe thought Ben was on edge before, she hadn’t seen anything yet.
He completely lost it. Ben focused his hate so squarely on Chloe that he forgot Andrew Brown was even still in the office with them.
Ben erupted. “Yeah, I did it. I killed her, and thanks to your nosiness, you’ll be next.”
Ben went to grab the shovel from her, with no luck.
Chloe pulled the shovel back and yelled into the hallway. “Detective, did you get that?”
Just then, Detective Thicke emerged from the hallway. He stood in the doorway with a tape recorder in one hand and his gun in the other. The detective pointed his gun at Ben.
“Freeze,” Detective Thicke said.
Ben saw the gun pointed at him and realized he was done for. At that moment, he blurted out his true feelings.
“I loved Victoria so much, enough to leave my wife for her. When we were together, I was at my happiest. Then she took everything away from me—my heart, my career, my dignity. A man can only be rejected so much before he snaps,” he explained.
“Well, you snapped, all right. Now you’re going to spend the rest of your life in jail paying for what you did,” Chloe insisted.
***
“Take him away, boys,” Detective Thicke said.
The police deputies hauled the killer off to one of their squad cars, leaving the detective and Chloe with a moment to themselves.
Chloe was interested to see what the detective’s reaction would be to her solving the murder. She’d now cracked three cases in a row. In her mind, she was due for some serious kudos. Then
again, she hadn’t gotten any from the previous cases.
The detective had conveniently written off her performance on the last two cases as nothing more than flukes. Who knew congratulations were hard to come by? The major culprit was Detective Thicke’s ego. He’d been quick to point out that she’d done a pretty good job, for a makeup saleswoman. This time, was Thicke willing to shelve his ego and give credit where it was due?
Chloe waited for her answer. The detective sure was quiet. Finally, he turned to her and laughed to himself as he broke the ice.
“I have to say, I did not see that coming,” Detective Thicke remarked.
“Frankly, neither did I at first. This case nearly stumped me,” Chloe admitted.
The detective continued. “The key word there is nearly.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it, but you keep finding ways to pull magic out of your hat. Good job.”
Chloe’s eyes opened wide. “Wait a minute. That almost sounded like a compliment.”
“I know those have been hard to come by from me in the past, but you have a keen investigative mind.”
“For a makeup saleswoman, you mean.”
He corrected her. “For anyone.”
Chloe was impressed. “That’s probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“What can I say? I owe you a debt of gratitude. A murderer is off the streets because of you.”
“It sounds like you’ve turned over a new leaf. I’m glad we’re finally seeing eye to eye.”
Detective Thicke chuckled. “I don’t think we’ll ever see eye to eye. I’m by the book, and you’re setting the old rulebook on fire.”
“That’s not true—I operate by a set of rules.”
The detective raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh yeah? What rules are those?”
“Do whatever is necessary to find the truth.”
“Well, I can’t argue with your results—at least not anymore. How about a celebratory donut?”
Chloe was touched by the gesture. “You’re actually willing to give up a cruller at my expense?”
“Just take one before I change my mind,” he insisted.
“Actually, I’m going to have to decline. You know I’m a pie kind of girl.”
“This is why we’ll never see eye to eye. Donuts are a detective’s best friend.”
“All this talk about sweets is making me hungry. I’m going to have to swing by Pie Paradise for a celebratory slice.”
“While you’re doing that, I’ll be back at the station filling out gobs of paperwork.”
“No wonder you don’t seem to be in any hurry to get back to the station,” Chloe joked.
The detective laughed. “Anyway, let’s hope next time we run into each other it’s under better circumstances.”
“You tell me that after every case, then another murder occurs,” Chloe pointed out.
“Hey, a detective can dream about having clean streets. It doesn’t matter if it’s far from becoming a reality.”
“Let’s hope the Cape goes back to being a sleepy place again sooner rather than later,” Chloe said.
Detective Thicke nodded. “In the meantime, I have plenty of donuts to keep me company.”
Epilogue
When Hope found out the news that the killer had been caught, she breathed a huge sigh of relief.
“It’s finally over,” Hope said.
“I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now,” Chloe replied.
“It’s hard to find the words to express how happy I am right now. I have my life back, and it’s all because of you.”
Hope threw her arms around Chloe and gave her a big hug.
“Thank you so much for saving me,” Hope said.
Chloe remained as humble as ever. “That’s what friends are for.”
Hope pulled back from the hug and shook her head. “No. You’re more than just a friend. You’re the best friend a woman could ever have.”
“Even more than diamonds?” Chloe joked.
Hope nodded. “Even more than chocolate.”
Chloe disagreed. “Let’s not get crazy now.”
“You’re right. Chocolate is pretty amazing.”
Hope and Chloe both looked off longingly.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a yen for sweets,” Chloe said.
Hope’s mouth was watering thinking about chocolate as well. “Let’s go get some then. My treat.”
Chloe’s eyes opened wide.
Hope continued. “It’s the least I can do.”
“You’ll never catch me saying no to free chocolate. I’m no fool.”
“No, as the criminals of Cape Cod are quickly finding out, you’re anything but a fool.”
“The crazy thing is, I still think I’m a better makeup saleswoman than sleuth.”
“Why don’t we debate that over chocolate?”
“You’re right. My sweet tooth hates to be ignored,” Chloe joked.
Hope had another idea. “While we’re on the town, why don’t I treat you to that ladies’ night I had to cancel a few days ago?”
“I like the sound of that.”
Hope smiled. “Good. Let’s get to it. We wouldn’t want to keep all this fun waiting.”
“Truer words have never been spoken.”
***
The following evening, fresh off her girls’ night out, Chloe found herself getting treated again. This time, her boyfriend was the one spoiling her. Instead of taking her out, Dylan Robertson decided to mix things up and invite her over to his place for a home-cooked dinner.
Chloe had a weakness for comfort food. Dylan wasn’t afraid to exploit that weakness, with a nice, cheesy, homemade chicken broccoli casserole. It may have been bad for her figure, but it was great for her taste buds. The treadmill would have to wait until tomorrow. Tonight was about savoring the simple joys of a meal that brought a smile to her mouth.
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” Chloe asked.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Dylan wondered.
“From a murder suspect, that’s a bad thing. From my boyfriend, that’s a very good thing.”
Dylan smiled. “I just thought it was time to mix things up a little. You know, to keep things interesting.”
“Let me tell you, it would be hard to ever get bored being with you.”
Dylan blushed. “Thanks. So, what do you think of the casserole?”
“I’ve been to restaurants that can’t bake a casserole this tasty.”
“I’m glad you like your meal.”
Chloe wasn’t done. “Like it? Talk about an understatement. If you weren’t a doctor, I’d tell you to quit your day job.”
“But since I am a doctor, you think I should keep my day job then?” Dylan joked.
Chloe pretended to give it a lot of thought then gave a deadpan answer. “I guess so. After all, it’s hard to juggle being a doctor and a chef at the same time.”
“I don’t know—you juggle selling makeup and solving murders pretty well.”
“Actually, I haven’t sold any makeup in a few days.”
“Slacker. You act like you were busy solving a murder case or something,” Dylan joked.
Chloe laughed. “Yeah. I have been working my tail off, haven’t I?”
Dylan nodded. “That’s why I thought you could use a nice night in. To eat a nice home-cooked meal then curl up on the couch and watch Zombie Invasion Part Eight.”
Chloe was thrown by that last part. “Did I hear that right?”
“I was just kidding. I have another chick flick queued up and ready to go.”
“Dinner and a chick flick. You know me so well.”
“Shall we head over to the couch then?”
Chloe stopped him. “No, hold on a second.”
Dylan was confused. “Why, what’s going on?”
“It’s not every day I see a man in an apron. I want to appreciate this moment,” Chloe said.
Dylan took
off the apron. “All right, you’ve had your fun.”
“What did you take it off for? If anything, you should have added one of those tall pleated chef hats,” she joked.
“Maybe next time.”
“So, there’s going to be a next time then?”
“Don’t go looking too far ahead. We’re not done with this time yet,” Dylan insisted.
“Wait, do you have more surprises?”
“That depends. Do you like dessert?”
“I’m alive, aren’t I? Of course I like dessert. Why? What did you make?”
Dylan reached into the fridge and pulled out two bowls of chocolate pudding.
“There’s a rumor going around that you like chocolate.”
Chloe couldn’t believe her eyes. “You really pulled out all the stops, didn’t you?”
“I figured it was the least I could do, considering I’m crazy about you.”
Chloe’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t believe how sweet Dylan was being.
“Well, go on. Give it a taste,” he insisted.
Chloe grabbed a spoon and took a bite.
Dylan waited with bated breath. “So, what do you think?”
Chloe gazed into her boyfriend’s eyes then leaned in and gave him a kiss. “It’s delicious.”
Dylan smiled.
Chloe continued. “But not as delicious as you.”
As Dylan gazed into her eyes, he couldn’t help but give Chloe a kiss of his own. It was the perfect end to an eventful week. And while no doubt plenty more surprises awaited them in the future, at that moment, time stood still while they reveled in each other’s company.
The End.
Murder and Salt Water Taffy
Chapter One
“Chloe, you have to help me,” Jennifer Taggart said.
Chloe Cook couldn’t believe that one of her friend’s was behind bars. Then again, there was so much about the last few hours that didn’t make sense to her.