Drop Dead Chocolate: A Donut Shop Mystery

by Jessica Beck

  I nodded. “As soon as I get my mother’s approval, you’ve got the job.”

  Trish looked pleased by the honor when my best friend, Grace Gauge, walked into the diner. “Hey, why didn’t anyone call me? I didn’t know we were having a party.”

  “It’s better than that,” I said. “Momma’s running for mayor.”

  “It’s about time,” she said. “How can I help?”

  “There’s a petition right over there,” I said, pointing to a crowd midway through the diner. “You’d better hurry, though. Slots are filling up fast.”

  “Not without me,” she said as she pushed her way into the mess.

  A few minutes later Momma rejoined us, with Grace close behind her. My mother looked a little surprised by the outpouring.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “We’ve already got one hundred twenty-seven signatures,” she said, clearly a little dumbfounded. “I kept telling them we had enough, but people kept insisting that the have the right to sign. It’s all a bit overwhelming.”

  “You can be stunned tomorrow,” I said. “Right now, we need to get these signatures to the courthouse so we can get you registered.” I pulled her aside and asked softly, “Are you sure you want to do this? It’s still not too late to back out.”

  She looked at me for a second before she answered. “Is that what you want, Suzanne?”

  I laughed. “Are you kidding me? I’d love to see you wipe the floor up with that windbag.”

  “Even if it makes life a little harder for you?”

  “Momma, you need to be mayor of April Springs, and no one else. I’m voting for you twice if I can figure out how to get away with it.”

  Grace said, “It’s not that tough. The first thing you need to do is—”

  “I don’t want to hear it,” Momma said. “Suzanne, let’s go to the courthouse before I change my mind.”

  * * *

  Grace stayed behind to grab a bite at Trish’s, but she promised to catch up with us later at the house.

  As Momma and I walked back to the city hall building, I said, “I didn’t push you into this, did I? You’re sure you want to do this, right?”

  Momma frowned a moment. “There is one thing I’m concerned about. I have my fingers in a great many pies around town,” she said. “It might not be appropriate for me to run for public office. After all, I just chastised Cam for something some might justifiably accuse me of doing myself.”

  Even I didn’t have any idea what kind of businesses my mother owned a part of in and around April Springs, and I was her only child, not to mention her roommate, since my divorce from Max. She played her cards close to the vest, and I had a hunch she liked it that way. “The difference is, folks already know that about you. No one expects you to stop what you’re doing and sell all of your stakes, but your contacts could make life around here a lot easier for everyone involved. Are you planning on bidding on any jobs that involve city or county government while you’re in office?”

  “Of course not,” she said.

  “Then I don’t see a problem.”

  “There’s something else to consider as well. The job comes with a great many headaches, I’m sure,” Momma said, though I could see that she was beginning to like the idea of being mayor.

  “But just think: you’ll be Grand Marshal of the Pageant Parade, and you get to give away keys to the city whenever you feel like it, too.”

  She laughed shortly. “Leave it to you to name those two functions of the position. If I were to do this, I would be intent on allowing folks a voice in how they are governed, instead of just bullying them the way Cam does.”

  I met her smile with one of my own. “I agree, but just picture his expression when we walk in and he sees how fast you got those signatures,” I said. “It’s nearly worth it just to watch his face.”

  “I shouldn’t admit it, but you’re right,” she said, waving the sheets filled with signatures in the air. As though she couldn’t believe it herself, Momma said, “I’m running for mayor!”

  “I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m backing you a thousand percent. You’ve got a campaign manager, and Trish has already volunteered to run your PR, which is huge,” I said, getting into the spirit of her declaration.

  Momma looked at me warily. “Are you sure you’ll be able to take orders from me?”

  “About the campaign, sure,” I conceded. “Everything else is off-limits, though.”

  Momma nodded, bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and then said, “I suppose that makes it official. I’m running.”

  “Let me get out my jogging shoes, because I’m going to be right beside you.”

  CHAPTER 2

  To my delight, Cam was downstairs in the clerk’s office at the Board of Elections when we walked in. He didn’t look all that pleased to see us. “You’ve made your point, Dorothy. There’s no need to keep hammering it home. I get it.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Momma said. She turned to the clerk, a woman named Hillary Mast, who loved my donuts. “Hillary,” my mother said, “I’d like to file my papers for the mayoral election.”

  If Hillary was surprised by the announcement, she didn’t show it. “Good, you’ve come to the right place. I need just two things from you: the signatures of one hundred registered voters, and a fifty-dollar fee. I can vouch for your proof of residency myself.”

  “Here are the names,” Momma said, “and I have the money in my purse.”

  “Let me see those,” Cam said, not being particularly nice about it at all. He tried to grab them as they changed hands, but Hillary was much too quick for him.

  “If you touch those papers, I will go directly to the police station and swear out a warrant for your arrest for tampering with an election,” Hillary said.

  “You’ve got to be joking,” Cam replied.

  To my delight, Hillary didn’t bat an eye. “If you think I’m bluffing, try it. Truth be told, there would be nothing that would give me greater pleasure.”

  “Are you on her side, too?” he asked her, clearly incredulous. “Do you think that’s wise, given the fact that I’m your boss?”

  “You don’t scare me. I’m an elected official, too,” Hillary said. “I work for the people of the town of April Springs in the state of North Carolina, and there’s nothing in my job description that says you’re my employer. Now, if you don’t have any more official business here, I’ll ask you to leave.”

  Cam stared wickedly at Hillary, at me, and then longer at my mother before he finally left the room and walked up the stairs.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that for three years,” Hillary said with a smile after he was gone.

  “You didn’t get into trouble on my account, did you?” Momma asked.

  “Trust me, I meant what I said. He can’t touch me.”

  Hillary scanned the signatures and then said, “I’ll have to check these against our voter registration logs, but they look good for me. All I need from you now is your fee and I’ll enter your name on the rolls.”

  Momma looked inside her purse, growing more and more frantic, and said, “I can’t believe this. My wallet must be at home.”

  Hillary looked upset as she said, “I’m really sorry, but without a fee, you can’t file. I can’t bend the rules for anyone, Dorothy, not even you.”

  “Hang on a second. I’ve got it,” I said. I suddenly remembered the two twenties and a ten I’d put in my pants pocket that afternoon. I’d been planning to spend it on something completely unnecessary, but I was delighted to use it for this opportunity. As I unfolded the bills and handed them to Hillary, I said to Momma, “This is on me.”

  “Nonsense, I’ll pay you back as soon as we get home.”

  I wasn’t about to argue with her. “It’s your call, but I want you to know that I’m supporting you with everything I’ve got.”

  “I should certainly hope so,” Momma said.

  Hillary looked around to make
sure no one was close enough to hear her, and then said, “You’ve got my vote as well, though I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t tell anyone. I don’t want a whisper of voting irregularities, if you know what I mean.”

  Momma looked touched by the declarations. “Thank you both for your support.”

  Hillary wrote out a receipt and handed it to Momma. “Good luck.”

  “Thank you.”

  As we left the courthouse, Polly was waiting outside for us. “What exactly did you do to that man?”

  “Whatever do you mean?” Momma asked.

  “He came up to his office, stayed less than a minute, and then stormed out of here as though he were on fire.”

  “If I had to guess, I suppose he was displeased when he found out that I was serious about running for mayor,” Momma said, as though she were trying the words out for the first time.

  Polly laughed. “You’ve got my vote, and if you need any campaign workers, let me know.”

  I knew Polly didn’t have Hillary’s protected status. “Hang on a second. Won’t he fire you?”

  “He can’t,” Polly said with a grin. “I just decided to quit. I took the job as a volunteer to fill some empty hours, but I’m good at what I do. Dorothy, I’d like to formally ask you for my old job back the day you take over the mayor’s office.”

  “Of course, but I can’t be certain I’ll win.”

  “Trust me, Cam Hamilton’s support is not what it used to be. He’s double-crossed too many folks in this town to keep getting away with it.”

  “We’ll see,” Momma said. She glanced at her watch and then said, “Suzanne, you must be starving. Let’s go home and I’ll whip something up for us.”

  “Tell you what, Momma. I’ll take you out to eat tonight. This is a cause for celebration, don’t you think? Should we call Chief Martin? He can come, too.” I’d slowly grown to accept the fact that my mother was dating our chief of police.

  “Thank you for the offer, but he’s working the desk tonight,” Momma said. “I probably should have told him before I did this, but it was a time that called for quick action.”

  “You don’t have to ask his permission, do you?” I asked. My mother and the chief of police had been dating for a while, but I hadn’t realized they’d gotten that serious yet. Of course, he’d been pining over her ever since they dated in grade school, but they’d both married other people. Momma hadn’t even been able to think about another man for years after my dad’s death, but then Chief Martin’s marriage had fallen apart and he’d finally summoned the nerve to ask her for a date.

  “Don’t be silly, but he should find out what I’m doing before he hears the rumors around town. If you don’t mind, I believe I’ll go tell him right now.”

  As she trailed off to the police annex, Polly commented, “I didn’t know they were that close. I knew they were dating, but she sounded serious.”

  “I’m sure she’s just touching base as a courtesy,” I said.

  “Tell that to Evelyn,” Polly said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “What are you talking about, Polly?” I didn’t like the way she’d said that last bit, and I wasn’t afraid to let her know it.

  “The chief’s ex-wife has been making some snide comments about your mother breaking up her marriage. I told Evelyn that she’d lost him long ago, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”

  “But they’ve been divorced for over a year,” I said, amazed that I was defending a man I’d butted heads with several times in the past.

  “She thought he’d get tired of being single and come back to her, but when it was clear he wasn’t just getting your mother out of his system, she finally started to realize that it was over.”

  This was all news to me. “I can’t believe this. Does Momma know?”

  “Not as far as I can tell,” Polly said. “Maybe you should tell her to keep her eyes open. Evelyn looks all sweet and timid to the outside world, but I know that woman, and she’s got a mean streak.”

  “I’ll talk to Momma,” I said, wondering how in the world I was going to bring that particular topic up.

  As Momma made her way back across the grass, I asked Polly, “Care to join us for dinner? You’re most welcome, and that way you can tell Momma about Evelyn yourself.”

  “Sorry. I’d love to, but I have plans tonight,” Polly said.

  “Coward,” I said with a grin.

  “You’ve got that right,” she answered, returning my smile.

  “What were you two talking about?” Momma asked me as she neared.

  “Nothing much.”

  “Suzanne, I know better than that. I saw the expression on your face.”

  I took her hands in mine and said, “Momma, we can talk about it tomorrow. Tonight, let’s just celebrate. What did the chief say?”

  “He asked me what took me so long,” Momma said with a grin. “Jake’s more than welcome to come along, you know that, don’t you?”

  Jake was my steady boyfriend, if you can call a man in his forties that. I’d met him on a case, which was natural enough, since he was a state police inspector, going where the crime dictated. He wasn’t often in town for very large chunks at a time, but we managed to make it work for us. “I’m sure he’d love to, but he can’t. He’s in Hickory right now,” I said.

  “Is there a case? I hadn’t heard anything was going on there.”

  “For once it’s not a murder. It seems a wealthy businessman is being blackmailed, and the man asked the governor specifically for Jake’s help.”

  “My, your young man has friends in high places, doesn’t he?”

  I shrugged. “Sometimes I wish he weren’t quite so good at his job.”

  Momma put an arm around me. “That’s what we face when we both see lawmen. So, what do you say to a girls’ night out? We can ask Grace as well.”

  “She’s most likely busy,” I said. “This new boyfriend of hers is tying her up most nights.”

  “Is she happy with him?” Momma asked as we walked toward the Boxcar Grill. It was one of the nicest things about living in a small town. We could usually walk just about anywhere we needed to go.

  “She seems to be,” I admitted, “but I miss her company.”

  “Then tell her that,” Momma said. “I’m sure that she’ll make time for you if let her know that you’re feeling neglected.”

  I had to laugh at the thought of that particular conversation. “Maybe. I’ve got an idea. Instead of the Boxcar, let’s go to Napoli’s.”

  “What a delightful idea,” Momma said. “That sounds like great fun.”

  “Then let’s do it.”

  Momma took in my jeans and T-shirt as we neared the car. “Don’t you want to change first?”

  Normally I might fight her on it, but it was her night, after all. “Okay. Let’s swing by the house so I can grab a quick shower and change, and then I’ll be ready.”

  “Thank you,” Momma said.

  “Hey, it’s not every night your mom decides to run for mayor,” I said with a laugh.

  “Let’s just hope neither one of us has any reason to regret it.”

  * * *

  Angelica DeAngelis met us when we walked into the restaurant. Usually, the mother of three girls and the main chef there was working in the kitchen, but not tonight.

  “Angelica? You aren’t cooking?” I asked after I hugged her briefly.

  “Suzanne,” my mother said sharply.

  “No, it’s a fair question, Dorothy.” She turned to me and said, “There’s been a coup tonight. They threw me out of my kitchen.”

  “What happened?” I knew it had to be dire for Angelica’s daughters to gang up on her like that.

  “They want to prove themselves to me,” Angelica said. “They’ve worked shifts alone before, but never an entire night without me.” In a lower voice, she added, “I’m proud of them. Honestly, I’ve taught Antonia all I can, and Maria is no
t far behind.”

  “But you’ve still got Sophia, right?” I asked. I knew the youngest DeAngelis was still almost completely under her mother’s wing.

  “She’s running the dining room,” Angelica said.

  “It’s amazing how quickly they stop needing us, isn’t it?” Momma asked.

  Angelica nodded. “Sometimes it’s difficult to accept, isn’t it?”

  “It can be,” Momma said as she took my hand. “But they can be rather nice all grown-up, too.”

  I wasn’t about to say anything to that. After all, it was one of the sweetest things my mother had ever said about me in my presence.

  “What’s the real reason they’re doing this?” I asked Angelica.

  “They want me to go on a cruise,” she admitted.

  “What a wonderful idea,” I said. “You work so hard, you deserve a real vacation. Are you going to take them up on it?”

  “We’ll see how tonight goes first,” she said. “At least they’re allowing me to hostess. Come this way.”

  We followed her from the ornately decorated lobby into the restaurant. There was a good crowd there already, but Angelica found us one of their best tables. As we were seated, Angelica handed us our menus. “Enjoy, ladies.”

  “We will,” I said.

  As Momma and I scanned our menus, I said, “Angelica runs this place with an iron hand. They’ve got guts, I’ll give them that.”

  Momma laughed, and I asked, “What’s so funny?”

  “There are folks in April Springs who say the same thing about you. It’s well-known that I don’t suffer insolence lightly, and yet you continue to get away with things others would suffer direly for.”

  “I suppose no child is ever in awe of their parents, no matter how tough they may look to the outside world.” I glanced back at the menu, then set it aside. “What are you going to have?”

  “I was thinking about a small salad.”

  I looked at her in disbelief. “Don’t you trust Angelica’s daughters? They’re great cooks in their own right.”

  “I’m sure they are. I just thought I’d eat light tonight.”

  “Momma, you have to order some kind of pasta, even if it’s just a small side of spaghetti. There’s more than dining at stake here. These girls need us to show that we believe in them.”