Hot Chocolate and Homicide

by Cindy Bell

  “You’re much more than a speck to me.” She gave his arm a subtle squeeze. “But you’re right, it does put things into perspective very well.”

  “Is it about Gladys?” He glanced at her. “Is that why you can’t sleep?”

  “It’s about a lot of things. Blue River, specifically. It’s hard to believe when something tragic happens here. It’s always been my safe place. I hate to think that someone plotted against her, and then acted out that plot. Maybe even one of our neighbors, or a customer at the shop.”

  “It’s hard to believe, but these things happen in all towns, no matter how safe they are. People act out of rage, jealousy, greed. It’s not something that stops at any town lines.”

  “Yes, you’re right.” She sighed. “But I do wish it would.”

  “Is Luke working the case?”

  “Yes, and poor Ally is so worried about him. I am, too, to be honest. He looks more tired than I’ve ever seen him. But he loves his job.”

  “That he does.” Jeff smiled some. “But, that’s his job. It’s not an easy one.”

  “Much harder than anything I’ve ever done.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” He grinned. “I can only imagine the madhouse your shop is going to be as Valentine’s Day gets closer.”

  “That’s for sure.” She smiled. “And I’m sure you’re very busy, too, with jewelry orders.”

  “I’ve had quite a few.” He nodded. “Some pieces are a bit more challenging than others, but everything should be ready by Valentine’s Day. Speaking of Valentine’s Day—”

  “I’d rather not.” She glanced up at him. “Not right now.”

  “All right, but I have plans for you. No deciding to cover for Ally, got it?”

  She eyed him for a moment. She wondered if she should inform him that she would always put her granddaughter first, but she knew he was just trying to be sweet and insistent, not controlling.

  “I’ll do my best.” She pressed her icy lips to his. As they kissed, the temperature around them didn’t seem to matter. She was warmed by his closeness, and could have stayed in his embrace for the rest of the night. But suddenly she was tired. She knew she could finally sleep. After she said goodnight to Jeff, she crawled into bed, and closed her eyes. As relieved as she was to be able to rest, she knew that the day ahead would be filled with difficult moments.

  Chapter 5

  The next morning when Ally got to the shop, her grandmother hadn’t arrived yet. She prepared the shop for opening, and began making some fresh chocolates for the day. As she worked she thought about the information she’d found out about the corporation that was putting pressure on Gladys. After reading the posts about their strong-arm tactics, she was certain that they couldn’t be ruled out as causing Gladys’ death. She grabbed her phone and dialed Luke’s number. He answered on the third ring, his voice a bit more peppy than it had been the day before.

  “Morning Ally. How are you?”

  “I’m all right. Did you get some sleep?”

  “Yes, Chief’s orders, he made me camp out in his office. I’m feeling a little more refreshed. What about you, did you sleep okay?”

  “Decent.” She shrugged. It wasn’t exactly true, but it was true enough. “Listen, I did some research on Grainder, the company that’s trying to buy Bloomdale farm. It has a very dark reputation. Have you looked into it?”

  “Yes. I’ve even spoken to a few people who had the most serious complaints. However, I haven’t been able to find any actual proof of the claims the victims presented.”

  “So you can’t do anything about it?”

  “I’m not sure at this point if anything should be done about it. Sometimes people get angry and make stuff up. You can’t just take one person’s word.”

  “No maybe not, but what if it’s more than one person?”

  “Business can be tough. Some people take it very personally. But without proof of actual harassment or intimidation, there’s nothing I can do about it. However, I am meeting with Rick, the representative from Grainder who was due to meet with Gladys. In fact, she was on the way to a meeting with him when the crash happened. So, I’m very curious to hear what he has to say.”

  “I know you’re busy. Be careful, Luke.”

  “I will, you too. Don’t get too involved in this, Ally.”

  After he hung up the phone she shifted her attention back to the chocolates she was making. Gladys was on her way to a meeting with Rick when she crashed. Was she rushing to get there on time? Was she upset about what the outcome of the meeting might be? She wished there was some way she could get a clear picture of what the woman was feeling and thinking that day.

  “Ally?” Charlotte called out as she stepped into the shop. “Are you back there?”

  “Yes, Mee-Maw, I’ll be right out. You can leave the door unlocked, it’s just about time to open.”

  “Will do.”

  As she piled some chocolate covered nuts onto the trays to put in the display cabinet, her grandmother stepped into the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry I’m late. I had a hard time getting to sleep last night.”

  “Mee-Maw, you’re not late. You can come in whenever you want, you know that. I’m sorry you didn’t sleep well.” She gave her a warm hug. “I thought last night might be kind of rough for you.”

  “It was, a bit. I just kept running everything through my mind.” She sighed. “But today is a new day, and there’s only one way to move forward from all of this.”

  “What way is that?” She met her eyes as she picked up two of the trays.

  “We need to find out the truth. If we can do that, then we’ll be able to put all of this behind us.”

  “And maybe prevent a criminal company from profiting from her death.” Ally pursed her lips. “I hate to think that they will get away with murder and then gain from it.”

  “You really think it was the company?” Charlotte picked up two other trays and carried them through the door into the front.

  “I think it’s a definite possibility. Some of the things they’ve done in the past make me wonder how it can be legal for them to be in business.” She slid her trays into the display. “I just can’t believe what some people are capable of doing.”

  “I know it’s hard to believe, but you don’t know the lives that they lived that led to their actions.” Charlotte tilted her head back and forth. “It’s easy to judge, not so easy to actually face the truth about a person, no matter how unpleasant it may be.”

  “I guess you’re right about that.” She took the trays from her grandmother and slid them into place.

  Not long after they opened the shop, Mrs. Bing, Mrs. Cale, and Mrs. White arrived. This time they had so much to talk about they barely touched the samples. At first.

  “The whole town is buzzing,” Mrs. Bing gasped. “To think, murder?”

  Ally grimaced. She knew that the news would spread quickly, and it sounded like all of the details of the case were being discussed throughout the town. She hoped it wouldn’t cause any harm to Luke’s case. Too curious not to ask, she leaned a little closer to the women.

  “So, what are people talking about?”

  “Mostly the family.” Mrs. Cale pursed her lips, then rolled her eyes. “What good is family if all they do is turn their backs on you?”

  “What do you mean?” Charlotte added a few more candies to the sample tray, which caught Mrs. Bing’s attention.

  “Oh, I’ve heard quite a bit about the family life. As it turns out, the farm was experiencing some financial stress.” Mrs. Cale shook her head. “I never knew a thing about it. Apparently, Gladys was just barely keeping her head above water. But her son-in-law, Parker, was pushing her to sell the farm.”

  “That’s because his shop is about to go under.” Mrs. Bing popped a chocolate in her mouth and nodded. “I heard all about that today.”

  “Did you?” Mrs. White raised an eyebrow. “From who?”

  “Carla, she does Bernice’s hair.
She said Bernice had to cancel her appointment because she didn’t have the money. She even tried to get Carla to cut it for her and promised to pay her after the sale of the farm went through.”

  “Interesting.” Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “Bernice had to know that her mother had no interest in selling that farm. Why would she be so confident in the sale?”

  “Good question.” Mrs. Cale drew a sharp line across the slope of her neck. “Unless they’re the ones who took care of the problem.”

  “Bite your tongue!” Mrs. White gasped. “That’s Gladys’ daughter you’re talking about. No one could do that to their mother.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, it’s happened before, plenty of times. Maybe she was just tired of waiting for her inheritance.” Mrs. Bing shrugged. “No matter what, the truth about Gladys is starting to come out, and I think it’s a shame. She would hate all of these people digging into her life.”

  “Well, she’s not here to complain.” Mrs. White frowned. “And I’m sure the police will figure out who did this to her very swiftly.”

  “Me too.” Ally nodded. “The son-in-law is a mechanic, right?”

  “Yes, he owns that shop out on highway fifty. Parker’s Place or something cutesy like that.” Mrs. White narrowed her eyes. “I only take my car to one shop, have for the past forty years, no cutesy name is going to change that.”

  The three women began to squabble between themselves about which automobile repair shop was the best.

  “Look, it’s Isaac with the milk.” Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief. “We were almost out, and I was a little worried that I’d have to go to the store to buy some. I wonder if the farm is even running today.”

  “That’s a good question. I wanted to stop by there today. Remember, I told you about the guy I ran into at the dumpster last night? Marlo?”

  “Yes, I remember.” Charlotte frowned. “That was a scary moment. I don’t like you going out there at night. From now on we put the trash out in the morning.”

  “Mee-Maw, it’s fine. Anyway, I wanted to see if I could find out a bit more about him, or even talk with him again. So, I thought we could go by the farm after we visit Bernice.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Charlotte nodded. She walked over to the door and held it open for Isaac. He rolled his cart through without the sunny smile he usually wore.

  “Morning.” He cleared his throat.

  Ally noticed that his skin looked pale, and his eyes were a bit swollen. He wheeled the cart behind the counter and towards the kitchen.

  “I’ll just put these in here for you.”

  Charlotte followed after him while Ally focused on a few customers who had walked in behind Isaac.

  “Isaac, are you all right?” Charlotte let the kitchen door swing closed behind them.

  “Not exactly.” He sniffled as he set the cart upright and began to unload the crates. “Forgive me, Charlotte, I’m just not in a very good mood today.”

  “I imagine not. I’m very sorry for your loss. What a tragedy.”

  “Yes, quite a tragedy.” He sniffled again. “I’m trying not to think about it. I can barely focus when I do. She was such a good woman. Such a nice person. How does this happen to someone like that?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve tried to understand the whys of life and loss for a long time, and the only thing I’ve come to realize, is that it never makes sense. At least, not to me.”

  “You’re right about that.” He sighed as he unloaded the last crate. “I’d better get going, I’m running behind schedule.”

  “I wasn’t sure if you would be delivering today. Is the farm operating?”

  “Yes. The farm workers are all there. I’m not sure for how long. Everything is up in the air right now.” He looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry that I was late. I’ll be on time tomorrow. And if I hear anything about the farm shutting down, I will let you know.”

  “Thank you.” Charlotte walked him back through the door and into the shop. Many more customers had come in. He made his way through them, without sparing a smile to anyone.

  “Poor soul.” Charlotte touched her hand to her chest. “He’s so broken up about Gladys.”

  “They must have been good friends.” Ally hurried over to the counter to help a waiting customer.

  Charlotte watched as Isaac disappeared into the milk truck. She couldn’t help but wonder if there might be more to his emotions. Did he know something about Gladys’ death? Was someone keeping him silent? She vowed that she would ask him more questions when she had the chance.

  Chapter 6

  After a very busy day, Charlotte was relieved when it was time to close up. Her head spun, not from exhaustion, but from the uncertainty of all of the rumors she’d heard that day. Everyone that came in seemed to have an opinion about what happened to Gladys. None of them were kind, and she guessed that most weren’t factual. But that didn’t mean they didn’t grab her attention. Just like the rest of the town, she wanted to know what happened, and she was certain that she wouldn’t be able to rest until she did.

  “Ready, Mee-Maw?” Ally walked out from the kitchen with the large box of chocolates in her hands.

  “Yes, just about.” Charlotte checked on a few more things in the shop, then followed Ally outside. As Ally locked the door, she watched the people on the sidewalks. Despite the fact that Valentine’s Day was soon there was a lack of excitement in the air. Gladys’ death weighed heavily on everyone. Once at the car she settled in the passenger side and listened as Ally flipped through the radio stations until she found something mild but peppy.

  “It’s a bit of a drive to get out there.” She glanced at her grandmother. “Are you doing okay?”

  “Yes, I’m all right, Ally, don’t worry.” With the box of chocolates in her lap, Charlotte gazed out through the windshield. Despite how beautiful the town was, it felt a bit eerie at twilight. There were patches of woods interspersed with homes, and the further out they drove, the more distant the houses became from one another. The streetlights also became more spread apart. She wondered what it would be like to walk along the barren road, with almost nowhere to turn to for help. Her thoughts turned to Ally in the driver’s seat.

  “I never really thought about how desolate it is out here.”

  “I think it’s pretty.” Ally smiled as she steered through a curve. “It’s nice to get away from town, even though it’s not exactly busy there. It’s good to be away from the buildings and what traffic there is.”

  “I suppose. We haven’t even passed another car since we’ve been driving on this road.” Charlotte looked back through the windshield in time to see a pair of oncoming headlights. “I stand corrected.” She laughed.

  “No, I know what you mean. It seems pretty isolated. Bernice’s house is up here on the right.” She tilted her head towards the next curve in the road.

  “I wonder how she’s dealing with all of this.” Charlotte patted the top of the box of chocolates. “This will never be enough to even begin to comfort that kind of wound.”

  “No, it won’t, but I’m sure she will be grateful for it.” Ally’s jaw tensed as she thought of what it was like to lose her own mother. Nothing could fix it. Not chocolates, or all of the riches in the world. She parked in front of the house on the street, as she didn’t want to block the driveway. There was one car in it, with a picture of a stick figure family holding hands. As they approached the front door, Ally noticed how the porch was freshly swept, and the chairs were arranged at a perfect angle.

  Charlotte knocked on the door, and a second later was greeted by loud barking from inside. A woman swiftly opened the door.

  “Quiet, Bones!” She shouted at the dog. “Quiet!” Then she turned to look at the two women at her door. “Yes?”

  “Hi, Bernice, I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m Charlotte Sweet. I run the chocolate shop in town.” She offered her hand to shake.

  “I remember you.” She smiled and shook her hand.
“What brings you all the way out here?”

  “My granddaughter, Ally, and I just wanted to offer you our sympathies.” She gazed into the woman’s eyes with a soft frown.

  “It’s not much.” Ally held up the box of chocolates. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

  “Oh, thank you so much.” She grabbed the box and took a deep breath of the chocolate scent. “This is just what I needed. Do you want to come in for a moment?”

  “That would be lovely, thank you.” Charlotte smiled as the woman stepped out of the doorway to allow them inside. Despite the neat and tidy porch, the inside of the house was in total chaos. There were toys strewn in all directions, leftover lunch plates on the floor and the coffee table, and even a pile of dirty laundry in the middle of the living room floor. Ally gazed with a bit of shock, but Charlotte didn’t seem to notice. Instead she smiled at the three children that ran up to her to greet her.

  “Hi, little ones.” She ruffled each of their heads. “How are you doing?”

  “Play?” A little girl, not more than three, thrust her doll up towards her.

  “Oh sweetie, I would love to play with you, but I’m afraid I can’t stay long. What a pretty doll you have there.”

  “Thanks!” She giggled and then threw her doll at her older brother’s head.

  “Mom!” The boy, about five, shrieked. “She hit me!”

  The youngest, walked towards Ally, sat down in front of her and poked at her shoe. Ally smiled down at him.

  “Hi there.” She waved to him.

  “Sorry, they’re a little wound up. Things have been a little chaotic around here today.” She sighed. “And the place isn’t company ready.”

  “Bernice.” Charlotte placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. “You have suffered a great loss. Don’t stress yourself over little things. Is there any way I can help?”

  “No, it’s okay. I just need to stir the pot on the stove and I’ll be right back in.” She headed into the kitchen which was positioned just off the living room. The smallest child followed right after her. “Please, sit down, wherever you can find a spot!” She called back from the kitchen.