Luscious Pastry at a Lethal Party (A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Book 5)

by Cindy Bell

  “Ally, if you really believe that he is the murderer then you need to do everything in your power to avoid being alone with him.”

  “I know that you’re right about that. All I want to do is take a look around his house and see if anything jumps out at me.”

  “Then I’m going to come with you.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mee-Maw. I need you to be available in case I need back- up. Can you do that?”

  “You know I can. Although, I’d rather be there with you.”

  “Don’t worry I’ll keep you updated I promise.” Ally hugged her and then glanced at her watch. “It’s still early enough for me to get over to his place and wait for him to get home from work.”

  “Please be careful.”

  “I will be.” Ally looked into her eyes. “Hopefully we can put an end to all of this.”

  “I hope so.”

  Charlotte looked as if she might stop her as she walked away, but Ally didn’t wait to find out. She’d have the best chance of getting some information out of him if she surprised him. Maybe he would slip up if he wasn’t forewarned.

  ***

  Ally found a spot a few houses down. Then she got out of the car and scoped out a place to hide out. A tall group of bushes seemed like the perfect place. She crouched down behind the bushes and peered through the branches. If there was anything to see by the front door she had a good view, but other than that she couldn’t see anything.

  As she waited for Scott to return from work she thought through her options. So far speaking to him directly hadn’t worked. Maybe if she could record him talking to someone else he might incriminate himself. However, what if he didn’t talk? If she could get some evidence that he had the glass in his possession at some point that would point to him as the killer. But since she presumed that the rest of the glasses were at his sister’s house, she had no idea how she could make that happen. The only real possibility was to get inside and see if she could find evidence of poison in the house.

  Since the driveway was empty and she assumed there was still at least an hour before he would get home, Ally decided that she should see if she could see into the house through a window or if there were any open doors or windows. She crept along the side of the house. She couldn’t see anything incriminating through the windows and she found that every door and window was locked. When she peered through the kitchen window she was startled to see that a woman sat at the kitchen table. Ally ducked out of the way before she could be spotted. His wife was home? She cringed at what might have happened if she’d succeeded at breaking in. How could she have explained herself to his wife? Once she got over her initial shock she realized that this was a good opportunity. She walked back to the front of the house and rang the bell. As she formed excuses for being at the door she came up with one that she thought would be foolproof. The woman came to the door and raised an eyebrow when she saw Ally. Ally recognized her straight away as the woman that was with Scott at the cocktail party, she just hoped that she didn’t recognize Ally.

  “Can I help you?”

  “I’m so sorry to bother you. My car broke down, and my cell phone is dead. I’m not sure which way to go for a gas station. Is it possible to borrow your phone?” She began to cough.

  “Oh, you poor thing. There isn’t a gas station or shop for miles. Let me get the phone for you.” She started to turn away. Ally coughed even louder. “Are you okay?” She turned back.

  “I’m sorry, I just have this scratch in my throat.” Ally coughed again. “I think I have some cough drops in the car.”

  “Why don’t you just come in? I’ll get you something to drink.”

  “Are you sure it’s not too much bother?”

  “It’s fine.” She smiled as she studied her. “There’s something familiar about you. Are you sure I haven’t met you before?”

  “No, I don’t think so.” Ally braced herself. Would the woman recognize her from the cocktail party? Would the woman remember her voice from their phone conversation?

  “Okay. Here’s the phone, just sit down and I’ll get you a glass of water.”

  “Thanks so much.” Ally took the phone and followed her into the kitchen. Right away she began to look around for any matching glasses. She also skimmed the area for any out of place bottles or vials. From what the officer had told her grandmother she knew that the poison was a clear liquid as it was undetected in an empty glass, but she didn’t know much more about it. As she dialed her grandmother’s number, her cell phone began to ring in her pocket. Her heart lurched as she wondered how she was stupid enough to leave it on.

  “I thought you said your phone was dead?” Maddie turned to face her with a glass in her hand.

  “Oh, I’m sorry I thought it was. It must have had enough juice in it for one last call.”

  “Huh. Yeah, phones can be funny that way.” She turned to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. Ally noticed that the bottle was sealed. She set the glass down on the counter in front of her. Ally couldn’t see it anymore.

  “Hello?”

  “Mee-Maw, it’s me. The car broke down, and my phone isn’t working.”

  “It is working, I just called you. What do you mean your car broke down?”

  “This nice woman let me use her phone to call for help. Is there any way you can come to pick me up?”

  “Ally, what’s going on? Are you in trouble?”

  Ally rattled off the address. “Thanks Mee-Maw. You know how the car is always acting up, you never can tell when it’s going to do something unexpected.”

  “Ally, you went inside? Are you safe? I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

  “Yes, I’m all right, no car accident, it was just a breakdown. As soon as you can get here would be great. Thanks.” Ally hung up the phone. Maddie turned around to face her and carried a glass of water over to the table.

  “Is someone coming?”

  “Yes, I’ll just wait outside for her.” Ally started to stand up.

  “Nonsense. Sit down and rest a little. Drink your water.” She locked eyes with Ally. Something about the way she looked at her made Ally’s heart drop.

  “Thanks.” Ally grasped the glass. She noticed that the outside seemed a little slippery, as if oil had spilled on it. Her heart began to race. What if Maddie was in on it? What if she suspected Ally and poisoned the water? By giving her grandmother the address was she leading her straight towards danger? She had told her where she was for the plan to work because she needed someone to come pick her up, but had she just made a huge mistake and put her grandmother at risk.

  “Aren’t you going to drink it? You were practically choking to death earlier.”

  “Oh, yes of course I will, in just a minute.” Ally cleared her throat.

  “You know, you told me we don’t know each other. But I think we do.”

  “Oh?” Ally studied her. “Maybe you’ve been to the chocolate shop in Blue River? I’m the manager there.”

  “Is that so?” She tilted her head to the side. “Yes, I remember you now. Weren’t you serving tarts at the dinner when Deputy Mayor Julia Turnamas died? My husband said he was speaking to you.”

  “Yes, I was. I’m not sure if I know your husband though.”

  “Oh, I’m sure that you do.” She sat down across from Ally and pushed the glass of water towards her. “Drink up. Unless there’s some reason you don’t want to?” Maddie smirked. The look in her eyes was as cold as steel. Could Maddie be the murderer? All of a sudden Maddie’s face relaxed and her eyes became welcoming. Ally wandered if she was just being paranoid.

  Ally stared at the glass of water. She faced a difficult decision. If she refused to drink the water then Maddie would know that she suspected her. If she did drink the water she risked being poisoned herself. She preferred to think that Maddie wouldn’t do that, but she couldn’t know for sure.

  “I’m sorry, I like my water to be room temperature before I drink. The cold just hits my t
eeth wrong.” She sighed and touched her jaw. “I’ve been meaning to get to the dentist, but you know how that is. Who wants to voluntarily go somewhere that they’re going to put a drill into your mouth?”

  “Good question.” Maddie laughed. “So how do you enjoy running the chocolate shop?”

  “It’s great. I get to be surrounded by good smells, good food and good people.”

  “I guess you get to know a lot of the people around town by working there.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “So, what are you doing all the way out here?” She raised an eyebrow. “It’s a long drive.”

  “I know. Actually I am looking into buying a house out here. I thought I had the address right, but I think I had it wrong, because I got lost.”

  “And you just happened to end up here?” Maddie smiled. “Lucky girl.”

  “Yes, that seems to be the case.” Ally smiled.

  “Odd that you’d want to buy a house all the way out here, when you work in Blue River.” She tapped a finger lightly on the table top.

  “Oh, you know, you have to go where you can afford.”

  “You must be joking.” She laughed. “The house prices around here are through the roof compared to Blue River. You’re single, aren’t you? I don’t see a ring. I’m sure you could pick up a little house in Blue River for a real steal.”

  “Oh, you may be right.” Ally laughed to cover her discomfort. “Maybe I wasn’t thinking clearly. Like I said, I never found the house, I got lost.”

  “Yes, you mentioned getting lost, and ending up here, Ally.”

  She lifted her eyes to meet Maddie’s. Her stomach flipped. There was no question that the woman knew that her story was a lie.

  “I should go outside, my grandmother is probably waiting for me.”

  “No, please, stay. Drink your water.” Maddie pushed it closer to her.

  “I’m not really thirsty anymore.”

  Maddie smirked. “I don’t care.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You have two options. You can drink the water, or I can pour it down your throat. I promise you, you’re not going to enjoy it if I do that.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I know exactly who you are. You’re the one that called my husband’s office to ask about an appointment. You’re the one that alerted the police that he’d made some less than flattering comments about Julia, and caused him so much stress. He’s still upset about that, and worried that people in the community will think that he was somehow involved in her murder. That’s a terrible thing to put such a good man through.”

  “So, he didn’t know?” Ally’s eyes widened. “You killed Julia alone?”

  “Ally, do you know what it’s like to see a man work hours, upon hours? He worked so hard that he had to go on medications for his stress. Then finally, he got a contract with Freely, it was the break we were waiting for. We were able to afford this house, and we settled in to have a chance to finally stop struggling so much and enjoy our lives. Then out of the blue, all of that is threatened. It’s all going to be taken away. It doesn’t matter how hard we worked, all that matters is that his business doesn’t have the right zip code. How is that fair?”

  Ally stared across the table at her. “It’s not.”

  “I know. My poor husband wept over it. You’ve seen him. Does he look like a man who cries easily?”

  “No.” Ally lowered her eyes as her heart pounded harder. “But, you don’t need to take things any further than that. I know you did what you did out of love for your husband. No one is going to hold that against you.”

  “Liar.” She laughed. “How stupid do you think I am? I’ll be going to jail, for life. But not today I won’t. You should have left my husband alone. You should have let the mayor take the rap. It’s not like he’s a great guy to begin with. Instead, you got yourself involved. So, now you have to go. Drink the water.” She gestured to the glass. “Now!” Her shout made Ally jump. She was not about to drink the water. The question was, how could she get away with not drinking it? She reached for the glass. As soon as her hands touched the outside she remembered how slick and oily it had felt. With wide, fear filled eyes she picked up the glass and pretended that she was going to drink it. Instead she let the glass slip out of her hand. It crashed to the floor and shattered.

  “Oh, you think you get out of it that easily?” Maddie jumped up and grabbed Ally by her hair. She slammed her head down into the top of the table before Ally could even think about defending herself. The sharp pain that flooded her made her head spin. She tried to stand up, but that only made her more dizzy. As the room flipped upside down she crashed into the floor.

  “There. You had to choose the hard way.” She heard the clap of the woman’s palms. Her head still screamed in pain. She kept her eyes closed and hoped that Maddie would think she was knocked out. If she did, she might be able to buy herself some time. She remained still on the floor and kept her breath shallow. Now, she wished with all of her heart that she hadn’t come to the house, that she hadn’t called her grandmother. What was it that made her think she was invincible? This was proof enough that she was not. At any moment everything could come to an end, and it was all because she was too stubborn to be cautious. Sometime later a sharp knock jolted her from her thoughts. At first she thought the knocking sound was the pounding of her head. Then she began to piece together that the sound came from a distance. She heard footsteps as Maddie walked away. Then she heard voices.

  “May I help you?”

  “Yes, I’m looking for my granddaughter, Ally? She called me and told me she would be here.”

  Ally’s heart pounded harder than her head. She had lead her grandmother into danger. Would her grandmother be Maddie’s next victim?

  “Oh, I’m sorry, she already left. I believe she had someone else pick her up. All I know is she got a phone call and headed out the door.”

  “A phone call from who?”

  “She didn’t say. Nice girl though.”

  “Maybe I should give her a call.”

  “Sure.”

  Ally knew that she’d turned her phone off. She willed her hand to go to her cell phone and turn it back on. If her grandmother heard the ring she would know that she was still in the house. Even though Ally could think it, she couldn’t get her body to act. The buzzing in her mind grew even louder. She was aware that blood trickled from where her head had hit the table. Darkness closed in from all sides, indicating she might not be conscious long.

  “Her phone is not picking up.”

  “She did say it was dead.”

  “I guess I’ll just have to go look for her car.”

  “Good idea. Like I said, she probably got picked up by someone else.”

  “Right.”

  Ally heard the door close. In the back of her mind she was aware that her grandmother knew better, but that didn’t stop the panic within her. Would anyone figure it out in time to save her? Ally heard footsteps as the woman walked back towards the kitchen. Each step felt like a countdown to her final breath.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Charlotte walked away from the house with an uneasy sensation in the pit of her stomach. Down the block she could see Ally’s car parked along the road. Maybe Luke picked her up. But surely Luke would have texted her and let her know. She sent a quick text to him just to be sure.

  Did you pick up Ally?

  A few seconds later she received a reply.

  No, everything okay?

  Charlotte didn’t bother to respond. She turned back towards the house and wondered what might be happening. Was the wife involved? Ally could be in grave danger and she had no idea how to protect her. Her phone buzzed with a few more texts. She saw that they were from Luke, but she didn’t bother to read them. Instead she made her way around the side of the house. She tried to see in the windows, but she couldn’t see anything of interest. She pressed her ear close to one. She didn’t hear any voices. Her stomach
churned with fear. Without a second thought she dialed the number for Officer Frank. She wasn’t going to risk the possibility that Ally was somewhere inside the house in need of help. As she dialed she walked away from the house. If she was spotted that might force the killer’s hand.

  ***

  As Ally continued to play dead she began to think of life in terms of minutes rather than years. The more she tried to focus on how she could escape, the more her head hurt. She forced her eyes open just as Maddie returned to the kitchen.

  “Let me go, I didn’t do anything to you.”

  “That’s not an option I’m afraid. I don’t think you understand just how important it is to me that my husband is happy. I don’t think he would be too happy about his wife going to prison. Do you?”

  “I doubt he’d be too happy that you’re a murderer.”

  “Which is something that he will never find out.” She pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “Now let’s get this over with as I’m sure I’ll have a lot of cleaning up to do.”

  Ally’s heart lurched. She was about to be murdered by a woman who was only concerned with the cleanliness of her kitchen. There was no way that she could reason with her. But could she stall her?

  “Why did you kill her? How did you know that the mayor would give her his glass of champagne?”

  “I didn’t. The mayor was the target.” She shrugged. “But either way it worked. Both signatures are needed to change the contract. Now, there’s only one.”

  “What about Ted Housers? He could sign with the mayor.”

  “He could, but he won’t. Ted’s not a problem. You see, if Mayor Malcolm was dead, then Julia would take his place, and Ted would take her place. Ted will never sign for local contractors, because he knows that I know about his relationship with Julia. I would out her for the cheater that she is.”

  “But Julia is dead now. What does it matter?”