Forever Fudge

by Nancy CoCo

  “I’ll go talk to the men at the marina,” Brent said.

  I looked over to see that the men from the fire pit had all stood up and watched the action of the ambulance from a distance.

  “They were all sitting there when I walked by.”

  “What brings you down this way?” Dirk asked, still channeling Rex.

  Rex frowned at him. “Stop it, that’s annoying.”

  “Just perfecting my part,” he said with a shrug.

  I looked at Rex. “Is there a note on the body?”

  His eyes narrowed. “You think this is the same killer?”

  “I did find a body near the water once,” I said.

  “I know,” he said.

  “There’s a note in the vest pocket,” George said. He pulled it out. George had on blue gloves so he could handle evidence. He held it out.

  “I need gloves,” Rex said. “Can you open it?”

  The female EMT handed Rex a pair of gloves while George stood and shined a flashlight on the note. He looked from the note to me. “It’s addressed to you.”

  I hugged Mal tight. “What does it say?”

  “Knc3, bg7.”

  “More of the chess game,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t know chess.”

  “I thought you went to the senior center to practice with the chess club,” Dirk said.

  “I did,” I said. “But a few random games does not a chess pro make.”

  “This guy has you really confused, doesn’t he?” Dirk said.

  “Does it say anything else?” I asked.

  “Time is running out,” George read.

  I ran my hand through my hair. “What does that mean?”

  “It sounds like a threat,” Rex said. “He might be escalating things.”

  “That would not be good,” I said.

  “Are you going to try to figure him out?” Dirk asked.

  “She needs to stay out of this and stay safe,” Rex said as he bagged the letter.

  “But this killer seems to think she should be able to figure out who he is,” Dirk said. “Like one of those mystery shows. It might be someone she is close to. There has to be other clues.”

  “It’s rare there are clues,” Rex said. “This isn’t a nice tidy thirty-minute television show. These are real human beings with blood and guts and gore.”

  “Clearly, it’s someone who has followed all your cases,” Dirk said.

  “But why would anyone assume I know anything about chess?”

  George stood. “There’s not much we can do except store the body to go to the morgue in St. Ignace. Do you want to have Shane come out and document everything?”

  “Yes,” Rex said with a slight frown.

  “I think Shane is on the island,” I said. “Jenn wasn’t at the McMurphy. I assumed she went to dinner with Shane. I can text her for you.”

  “I’ll have dispatch call him,” Rex said.

  I pulled out my phone and texted Jenn. She confirmed she was with Shane and they would be here as soon as they could. I glanced at the body. The man had a full head of black hair, but his mouth hung open and he had a couple of missing teeth. I frowned. “There’s not a lot of blood.”

  “That’s a good observation,” George said. “There isn’t any brain matter either.”

  “He was shot somewhere else and dumped here.” Rex hunkered back down to study the body. “He has something on his fingertips.”

  “Is it a clue?” Dirk asked.

  “Perhaps,” Rex said. “We’ll have to wait for lab results.”

  “You will get them tomorrow, right?” Dirk asked.

  Rex made a dismissive noise. “Only in Hollywood. Our state-run lab is overworked and underappreciated. We’ll be lucky to know next week. Definitely the end of the month.”

  “That’s crazy, dude,” Dirk said, falling back to his California accent.

  My phone lit up with a text. “Shane’s on his way.”

  “We’ll stay until they release the body,” George said to the female tech.

  “Yes, sir,” she answered, and stepped away from the body.

  “Is this your first dead body?” I asked. I held out my right hand while I held Mal with my left. “Allie McMurphy.”

  “Joy Emmerson,” she said, and shook my hand.

  “I haven’t seen you before.”

  “I usually work in Mackinaw City. I’m here to help out during vacations.”

  “Well, welcome to Mackinac Island.” Mal reached out to kiss her cheek.

  Joy laughed and rubbed my pup’s ears. “It is definitely different here.” She leaned toward me. “Is that really Dirk Benjamin?”

  “It is,” I said with a nod.

  “He’s even handsomer in person.”

  “Shush,” I said. “Don’t let him hear. It will go to his head.”

  Lavender Chocolate Fudge

  2 ½ cups dark chocolate chips

  1 (14 oz.) container sweetened condensed milk

  2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  2 teaspoons culinary lavender (divided)

  In a double boiler, gently melt the chocolate

  chips and mix in the sweetened condensed

  milk until well combined. Remove from

  heat. Stir in butter and 1 teaspoon of

  lavender.

  Butter and line an 8x8-inch pan. Pour

  chocolate in prepared pan. Top with

  1 teaspoon lavender. Chill until firm.

  Store in a covered container. Enjoy!

  Chapter 16

  “What’s going on?” Shane asked as he arrived on the scene.

  “Allie, are you okay?” Jenn came straight to where I stood holding Mal.

  “Yes, I’m fine. This gentleman, unfortunately, is not.” I pointed toward the dead man. Shane borrowed gloves from the EMTs and hunkered down to study the man.

  “Is that a gunshot wound?” Jenn’s eyes were wide and round.

  “Yes,” I said, and turned my back on the poor man. “I was afraid it was Mr. Beecher.”

  “Why?”

  “He was wearing clothes similar to Mr. Beecher’s. I couldn’t see his face. It was hidden by his hat.”

  Jenn put her arm around my shoulder and squeezed. “How terrible for you. I know how much you like Mr. Beecher.” She patted me. “Do they know who he is?”

  “Not yet,” I said. “I hope he doesn’t have family somewhere.”

  A crowd started to gather as the flashing lights of the ambulance drew their attention. We turned to see Shane start his crime scene evidence collection.

  “This could take a while,” Office Pulaski said as he joined us on the outside of the crowd.

  “Did anyone see anything?” I asked.

  “The men near the bonfire say they saw you and Mal walk by. They said you were talking to a guy and then you ran off. The next thing they know the sirens were headed this way.”

  “Mal dragged me off,” I said. “Did they see where Jeffery Jenas went?”

  “Who?” Brent asked.

  “Jeffery Jenas, the writer you were telling me about?” Jenn asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “He surprised me near the water. But after Mal found the body he was gone.”

  “Sounds suspicious,” Jenn mused.

  “I agree,” I said.

  “We’ll send someone out to Mrs. O’Connor’s to question him,” Brent said. “I’ll go talk to Rex.”

  “Do you want me to take Mal back to the McMurphy?” Jenn asked.

  “Would you?” I said, and passed the dog to her. “Please check on the guests. I would hate for something else to happen tonight.”

  “I’ll see that everything is locked down. Did you have a chance to look into a security company?”

  “It’s going to cost me the roof budget,” I said. “But we have to do it.”

  “Well, darn,” Jenn said. “I was thinking up some great events for next season on your roof.”

  “Does that mean you plan to come back next summer?” />
  “Of course,” Jenn said.

  “Yay!” I hugged Jenn. “I feel so much better. We make a great team. Don’t you think?”

  “We do,” she said. “Besides, I have a good beginning to my event planning business. I wouldn’t want to abandon that.”

  “It’s great to have some good news on such a horrid day.”

  “Allie.” I looked over Jenn’s shoulder to see Trent walking up. “What’s going on?”

  “She found another body,” Jenn said. “Can you take care of my friend? I’m going back to the McMurphy to hold down the fort.”

  “Yes,” Trent said. “I wanted to talk to you anyway, Allie.”

  “Dude,” Dirk said as he walked up to us. I wanted desperately to tell Dirk to go away. I really did need to talk to Trent without any distractions. “Are you bothering Allie?”

  “I asked him to stay,” I said. “It’s okay. Why don’t you go see what Rex is doing?”

  “Oh, man, he’s just asking the same questions over and over. Dude’s like a robot with that stuff.”

  “Is he getting any answers that are interesting?” Trent asked.

  Dirk shrugged. “No clues to the killer anyway.”

  “I told you it doesn’t work like on television,” I said. “Murder is messy. Just like relationships.” I eyed Trent. He wore a dress shirt with the cuffs rolled up on his forearms and dress slacks. The man looked like a walking cologne commercial.

  “If you’ll excuse us, I want to talk with Allie,” Trent said, and put his hand on the small of my back to guide me a few feet away from Dirk. “Are you serious about that guy?”

  “Dirk? No, I told you, we’re friends. He’s only interested in how I can make his series better and advance his career.”

  Trent seemed to relax. “Good, for a while there I’d thought you’d lost your mind.”

  “Because I might be into a handsome famous man who likes me for me?” I sent him a side-eye look.

  Trent crossed his arms over his chest. “Because he’s going back to Hollywood in a few weeks. I happen to know that you aren’t dating guys who don’t live on the island year-round.”

  I raised my chin. “Are we going to go over that old fight again?”

  “No,” he said with a shake of his head. “No, I can accept what you want and respect it. What would you say if I told you that I got my father to switch my duties and Paige’s.”

  “You will be in charge of the island businesses?”

  “I could be,” he said. “But I don’t want to make a pitch and upset my family if you aren’t interested in seeing me anymore.”

  I put my hands up. “I don’t want to be responsible for your decisions. That is not the point. If you switch with Paige, you need to do it because you love Mackinac Island and want to be here year-round.” I swallowed. “I’m serious. If you do this you have to do it for you, not me. Rex can tell you what it’s like to lose a spouse because island living isn’t in their blood.”

  “I’m not one of Rex’s wives.”

  “No,” I said. “You aren’t. But wait, isn’t Paige happy with living on the island? The last time I saw her she was excited about her new assignment. That reminds me, I promised to meet with her regularly to mentor her on navigating the island.”

  Trent looked confused. “How can you help Paige? We grew up here.”

  I let that sink in for a moment. Counted to ten. “I summered here almost every year in elementary and junior high school. I’m not exactly a fudgie. That said, I did have a successful season. Paige wanted to have lunch and talk over any pointers.”

  He ran his right hand through his hair. “I’m making a hash out of this.”

  I crossed my arms. “Yes, you are.”

  “Look, I just wanted you to promise me that you won’t make any decisions about dating until I talk to my father.”

  “Decisions?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Do I?”

  “Start dating Rex. I saw you kiss him at the reception.”

  And there it was. “That’s why the sudden push to see me? I mean, the last month you’ve been pretty absent. Then you kissed Tori.”

  “Did you kiss Rex to get back at me for Tori?”

  “No,” I said. “I kissed Rex because you and I broke up and I felt like kissing Rex.”

  “Why? The man has failed at two marriages and who knows how many other relationships?”

  “I don’t have to explain myself to you, Trent.”

  “Right,” he said. “Look. All I ask is that you give me a week or two before you move on. I want to show you that I can change. I will change.”

  “Only if you want to change,” I said. “I don’t want to change you. You know that, right? I simply want what you aren’t right now.”

  “But I can be,” he said, and ran the back of his hand along my cheek. “Please, give me more time and in the meantime stay safe. I hate the idea of another killer messing with you. Did you get a security company?”

  “I have one scheduled,” I said. “Does Paige have security at her businesses? Because I know a guy.”

  Trent studied me for a long, silent moment. “I want to grab you and kiss you and keep you safe.”

  I blew out a shaky breath. “This island nearly killed my father. He couldn’t breathe. When we moved to Detroit he blossomed. I don’t want to see you in that situation. I know how much you love Chicago.” I held up my hand in a stop motion. “I know I lived in Chicago, but it wasn’t my love. My love and my dream is the McMurphy. I want to raise my children here. Can you see raising your children here?”

  “I see my children attending the best private school in Chicago. I know that you would want the best for your children. Until you have them you won’t know what you want for your children. What if you have a son or daughter who takes after your father? Would you restrict them to island living if they hate it?”

  “Okay, this is ridiculous. We’re debating where we would send our children and we aren’t even dating anymore.”

  “I want to kiss you,” he said with a grin.

  “Allie,” Rex called from near the body.

  I turned toward Rex.

  “I need you here a moment.”

  “I have to go,” I said.

  “I was very serious about everything I said. Allie,” Trent said. “I’ll be on Mackinac for the week.”

  “Tell Paige I’m free for lunch tomorrow if she wants to get together.”

  “I will.”

  I hurried to Rex. “What can I do for you?”

  “Are you okay?” he asked. His gaze went from me to Trent and back to my face.

  “I’m fine. Did Brent get ahold of Jeffery Jenas?”

  “He took a statement,” Rex said. “Jenas claims he was heading home from a walk around the island when he ran into you. That time line would exclude him from having anything to do with the body.”

  “I heard you say it was a body dump,” I said. “Any idea where the poor man was killed?”

  “No definite clues,” Shane said as he came up. “I’ve got all the evidence I could collect at the scene. There isn’t much. The body was moved. It’s sitting on concrete. Not a lot of evidence. I’ve got George and Joy bagging up the body now. I’ll take it back to St. Ignace with me. I can do more evidence-gathering right before the ME does the autopsy. We’ll get back to you with anything significant.”

  “There was something on the man’s fingertips,” I remembered. “Any idea what it was?”

  “Not sure,” he said. “It was blue. Could be ink or paint. It’s hard to tell. I’ve bagged his hands. We’ll know more once I finish my exam in the lab.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “This is the third note with your name on it,” Shane said, and took off his glasses, wiping them with the bottom of his shirt. “I think you need to be vigilant. This killer wants to mess with your mind.”

  “Are you sure you don’t recognize the handwriting?” Rex asked.

  �
�No,” I said. “I’m no expert but it sort of looks like a man’s writing.”

  “I agree,” Rex said. “The first sample was printed. So there’s not much we can learn from it. The next one was carved. That’s closer to handwriting. I’ll send a copy of this note and a photo of the carving to a handwriting expert. Maybe we can figure out what the odds are that they all belong to the same person. The last thing I need is a copycat murderer.”

  Brent dispersed the crowd as George and Joy placed the body in the ambulance and drove off.

  “Dude, I’m off to my room at the Grand,” Dirk said, and clasped Rex on the back. “The production crew will be here first thing in the morning. They are doing setup for the first day of shooting.” He looked at me. “I can walk you home.”

  “I’ll see she gets back,” Rex said dismissively.

  “Dude,” he said, and raised both hands in surrender. “Offering as a friend.”

  “Thanks, Dirk,” I said. “I need to talk to Rex.”

  “Cool.” He stuffed his hands in his back pockets and walked off. The darkness of the evening enveloped us. Stars twinkled in the cool air. I hugged myself.

  “I saw you talking to Trent,” Rex said as he wrote notes in his notepad. He glanced at me. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I said. “It’s an old argument.”

  “Still broken up?”

  “Being single might be best,” I said, and shrugged. “This killer seems to be messing with me.”

  “Any idea of who it might be?”

  “No clue,” I said. “The seniors don’t seem to be in the know, either.” I shrugged. “It could be anyone—anyone who has been here since May. They seem to be re-creating all the crime scenes.”

  “I noticed,” he said. “Come on, let’s get you home. You’re shivering.”

  I noticed he was right. Shivers had begun to run down my spine and rattle my jaw. He put his hand on my back and guided me up to Main Street from the marina area. “I don’t know either of the victims,” I said. “I was so scared it was Mr. Beecher.”

  “I’ve sent an officer over to Beecher’s house to check on him.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “How are you getting along with Dirk?” he asked in a soft, fierce tone.