Hot Chocolate and Homicide

by Cindy Bell

  “The door wasn’t locked.” Her eyes widened innocently.

  “That doesn’t always make a difference. You were on his property and entered a private building. That’s a crime.” He ran his hand back through his hair. “Normally. I wouldn’t be concerned about it, but Parker seems to be chomping at the bit to cause us trouble.” He cupped her cheek with his hand and stared hard into her eyes. “I know that you want to help, and I know that you have very good instincts, but this case is very difficult. I need you to understand that this is my job, this is what I love. I hope that you will respect that and not put it at risk.”

  “I would never put it at risk, Luke, I promise. But I think I know who the killer is.”

  “What?” His eyes widened. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

  “I’ve been trying to!” She frowned as she grabbed his hand and held it tightly in her own. “Isaac was having an affair with Gladys, at least we think he was. He bought two boxes of chocolates from our shop, one for his wife, and we think we found the other in Gladys’ office.”

  “And Harriet was furious.” His eyes narrowed as he put two and two together. “That does give her motive. What kind of proof do you have?”

  “Well, uh, none yet.” She lowered her eyes. “But it must have been her, don’t you think?” When she looked back up at him she saw the strain in his expression.

  “So, what you have is a hunch?” He raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips in the same moment. She knew that look. It meant he was trying to be patient with her. She hated to see that look.

  “Okay, yes, but it’s a good one. Right?”

  “Yes, a good one.” He pulled away from her and headed for the door. “I have to go. But I’ll look into it.” He paused in the hallway, and turned back to look at her. “Stay off the Bloomdale property, understand?”

  Ally noticed a few of the other officer’s glance in her direction. With her teeth clenched she nodded. An instant later he was gone through the door. She knew that when Luke was on a case he was hyper-focused and didn’t like to be distracted. She headed through the door. As she stepped outside the cold air hit her like a slap in the face. In that moment she realized that she might just be doing the same thing. She’d decided that the killer was Harriet, but there were still plenty of other suspects that had motive, not the least of which was Parker, with his smug attitude about selling the farm. She thought of Bernice, home alone with her kids, and how determined she was not to sell the farm. What had Parker done to her to convince her that she should sell?

  As she marched to the van her thoughts became a parade of conversations. Marlo, Parker, Harriet, Bernice, and even Isaac. He had seemed like such a nice guy to her, and yet it appeared as if he was living a double life. There were so many people that could have been involved in Gladys’ death, and not many friends to defend her honor.

  Once in the van she texted her grandmother.

  Can we meet and talk?

  As she started the van she received a text in return.

  I’ll meet you at the cottage.

  Ally was relieved to see that as she knew she owed Arnold and Peaches some attention and they would both be thrilled to see Charlotte. She wanted to play with them more. Arnold needed his exercise and they both needed to have fun.

  When Ally pulled up to the cottage she noticed a car in the driveway. Her heart skipped a beat as she didn’t recognize it. Why would someone she didn’t know be parked in her driveway? She parked in front of the cottage, and stepped out of the van. She noticed that the front door of the cottage was slightly open. Alarms rang out in her mind as she realized that someone could have broken in. Her first instinct was to call Luke, but he was so busy, she didn’t want to bother him if it turned out to be nothing. Instead, she soundlessly approached the house. As she listened outside the door she heard Arnold snorting and squealing. Was someone hurting him? She summoned all her strength as she slammed the front door open and shouted in the same moment.

  “Get away from him!”

  A figure in the living room, jumped, and spun around to face her. Her heart dropped as she recognized the man who stood, uninvited, in her home.

  Chapter 14

  “Marlo! What are you doing here?” Ally lingered near the front door, ready to run if she needed to.

  “We were just playing, I didn’t hurt him.” He smiled and patted the top of the pig’s head. Arnold snorted, and brushed his head against the man’s palm. He was clearly not frightened, or harmed. His snorts and squeals were of excitement that someone was paying attention to him, not fear.

  “Why are you in my house?” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I’ve already called the police.”

  “Oh, you did?” His friendly expression faded into panic. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. It’s just that the pig was in the front yard, and I was afraid he might get hurt or run away, and the door was open, and I—”

  “Marlo, wait a minute.” She took a step closer to him. “What do you mean he was in the front yard?”

  “I came by to speak to you, but I saw the pig out there and I thought he might get hurt. I just didn’t want him to get hurt.” He blinked as tears filled his eyes. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt”

  “Okay Marlo, just take a deep breath.” She rested her hand on his shoulder and tried not to be swayed by the tears in his eyes. Was it all an act? One moment he seemed a bit manipulative and the next he appeared so innocent that she wondered if he might still be a child in his mind. “Arnold, that’s his name, he’s safe. But the door shouldn’t have been open.”

  “It was when I got here. The cat was out, too.” He looked down at Peaches as she wound her way through his legs. Ally was a bit shocked by how friendly the cat was to him. Then she realized what must have happened. Peaches was a genius at opening doors. She would swing on it until it opened. She almost always locked the deadbolt to make sure that the cat couldn’t escape. But in her rush to get out the door she might have forgotten to lock it that morning. The two pets, who enjoyed having lots of time outside, probably decided they had enough of her inattention. Peaches set them both free so that they could have some fun.

  “Ally, what’s going on here?” Charlotte paused in the doorway. “Marlo?” She gasped.

  “It’s okay, Mee-Maw, it’s okay.” Ally lowered her hand from Marlo’s shoulder. “He was only trying to help. Right Marlo?”

  “Right.” He sighed and wiped at his eyes. “I’m sorry. I keep making mistakes.”

  “It’s all right, Marlo.” She smiled at him as gently as she could. “Why don’t you tell me what you came here to talk to me about?”

  “It wasn’t my fault.” He looked into her eyes. “It wasn’t.”

  “Okay, it wasn’t. What wasn’t?” Ally continued to study him with as much empathy as she could muster. Charlotte’s hand slipped around her elbow. Ally could tell from the quiver in her touch that she was still concerned that Marlo could be dangerous.

  “Gladys wasn’t supposed to die. She shouldn’t have. I don’t know why all of this happened. But secrets. Secrets kill everyone.”

  “Secrets? Like what kind of secrets, Marlo?” Her tone became more insistent. “Did Gladys have secrets?”

  “Yes. She did. She was supposed to be at a meeting, with Parker and Rick. But then Harriet showed up.”

  “Harriet?” Charlotte’s voice grew sharp. “What was she doing there?”

  “She was screaming at Gladys. She told her she knew everything, that she was going to pay.” He shivered. “I didn’t think she meant it.”

  “Harriet was there right before Gladys got on the quad bike?” Ally’s eyes widened.

  “Yes. I didn’t tell anyone, because Harriet is so crazy. I thought she was going to hurt me. But everyone will think it’s my fault. Everyone will think it was my fault. But it wasn’t my fault.”

  “We know that, now.” Charlotte nodded slowly. “Did Harriet say anything else while she was there?”

 
; “No, just screaming. I don’t like all of the screaming, so I don’t listen to it.” He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Can I play with the pig?”

  “Sure. He needs some exercise anyway.” Ally grabbed his harness and fastened it on, then led Marlo and Arnold outside. Not to be left behind, Peaches darted out after her. Charlotte lingered by the front door as Ally watched Marlo chase Arnold around.

  “Ally, what happened here?” Charlotte pointed to some crumbled wood on the door frame.

  “What do you mean?” Ally walked over to take a look. As her grandmother noted, the wood where the door latched was splintered and scraped. She stared at it for a long moment as she realized the assumption she made about her cat was wrong. Peaches hadn’t swung on the handle until she managed to get the door open. She hadn’t coerced Arnold into joining her for a romp around the neighborhood. She had likely been terrified as she heard someone outside the door prying it open. The thought made ice run through her veins. She’d been so quick to assume that Marlo was telling the truth, that he’d seen Arnold roaming and wanted to help him. Barely able to draw a breath, she spun on her heel.

  “Marlo!” Her sharp tone made her grandmother’s eyes widen. As Ally scanned the front yard she saw Arnold, and she saw Peaches chasing after him and batting at his loose harness leash. But Marlo was gone. His car was still in the driveway, but he was gone. “Marlo!” She ran to the edge of the yard and looked over the short fence into the street. There was no sign of him in either direction. Somehow, he had managed to slip away, right out from under her nose.

  “Ally.” Charlotte wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Do you think he broke in?” She gazed at her with deep concern in her eyes.

  “I don’t know what else to think, Mee-Maw. He was certainly here for a reason.” Her heartbeat quickened.

  “Call Luke, he’s going to want to know about this.” Charlotte pursed her lips.

  “No.” Ally’s voice was firm.

  “No?” Charlotte stared at her. “Why not? Your home was broken into, Ally. Anything could have happened.”

  “No, I want to find out what happened here first. Luke is very busy, and I don’t want to give him more reason to be frustrated with me.” She shook her head. “I can handle this myself.”

  “I can tell you that if you don’t tell him, he’s going to be pretty frustrated with you. I would be.” Charlotte squinted at her. “What is the real reason you don’t want to tell him?”

  “I don’t want him to arrest Marlo.” She looked over at her grandmother. “I think Marlo might lead us to the truth, and if he locks Marlo up, he won’t have the chance. The funeral is tomorrow morning. I want to see who Marlo interacts with.”

  “Do you think we should go?” Charlotte continued to survey the street and nearby houses. She was on high alert for anything that looked suspicious.

  “I think we have to. It’s not at the farm, so we have every right to attend. But I will follow your lead on this, Mee-Maw, what do you think?” She pushed the front door closed, and watched as more of the wood splintered.

  “We’ll be there.” Charlotte scowled at the door frame. “I’m betting that whoever did this will be there, too, and I won’t let them think that we’ve been intimidated by their behavior.”

  “Good.” Ally nodded then looked over at her. “I think we’ve had enough adventure for today.” She gathered the animals and herded them inside.

  “Are you planning on staying here?” Charlotte frowned. “I don’t think that’s safe.”

  “I don’t want to be intimidated. Don’t worry, the deadbolt still works.” Ally showed her that the lock would still engage. “Unfortunately, I think I forgot to lock it.” Her cheeks flushed as she knew that was a mistake that she shouldn’t have made.

  “It’s okay, Ally.” Charlotte kissed her cheek. “Be safe. I’ll pick you up first thing in the morning. I think you should leave the van out front, so it looks like someone’s home.”

  “Good idea.”

  Ally gave her a hug, then stepped inside the cottage. Her two hungry friends were not so pleased with her as she put their dinner down far too late in the evening.

  “Sorry guys, I’ve been a little distracted.” Ally crouched down to pet both of them. “I’m sorry for all of the craziness. But hopefully it will be over soon.”

  As Ally settled into bed that night, her thoughts were on Luke. He was always so kind to her, but sometimes she wondered what he really felt. She knew that he loved her, he wasn’t shy about saying or showing that, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t get frustrated with her. Her grandmother was probably right, that he would be annoyed she hadn’t told him about the break-in. However, she needed to figure things out before he reacted. If he thought she was in any danger he would do everything in his power to protect her. She felt as if Marlo was her only link to the truth, and with him behind bars, she would not be able to get any more information out of him. Peaches snuggled up close to her. She ran her fingers through the cat’s soft fur and closed her eyes.

  “What happened today, baby? I know that someone scared you. I only wish that you could tell me who.” She recalled the way that Peaches had wound around Marlo’s legs. Peaches had great instincts when it came to people. More than once Peaches had hissed or swatted at someone that Ally thought was a friend and had turned out to be someone that she shouldn’t trust. However, she hadn’t acted that way with Marlo at all. Instead she acted as if she was friendly with him, even fond of him, when she’d never seen him before. Her eyes opened and she gazed at her cat.

  “Did someone else break in, Peaches?” She narrowed her eyes. “It wasn’t Marlo, was it?” Her thoughts spun as she considered that Marlo had been telling the truth. Maybe Arnold had been roaming the front yard, because whoever broke in, didn’t close the door properly. Maybe Marlo did have good intentions when he stopped at the house to make sure the pig got back inside. But if that was the case, then who had broken in? The question pressed on her mind so heavily that she couldn’t relax enough to fall asleep.

  Parker? She doubted that he would be bold enough to do that. But she did know one person that might be. He would have enough experience sneaking around and breaking in not to think twice about breaking into the cottage. Oscar. The private detective and possibly a hired assassin. She closed her eyes and pictured the man at her front door. She thought about him glancing over his shoulder, checking to be sure that no one else was around, then prying his way into her home. The image made her skin crawl. But maybe it was just a fantasy. She had no proof that it had been Oscar that broke in. In fact, she couldn’t be sure that whoever did break in was connected to the case at all. It could have been someone entirely different, who just wanted to break in to look for valuables. Of course she knew that there were no valuables for anyone to find in the cottage. What items of worth she did have were stored in a safe deposit box at the bank. She didn’t keep cash around, and had barely any jewelry to speak of, and what pieces she had were mostly costume.

  As she began reviewing the contents of the cottage in her mind, she fell asleep.

  Chapter 15

  When Ally woke the next morning, the weight of the day before was still on her shoulders. She did her best to wash it off in the shower, but it still clung as she got dressed. It was hard to choose what to wear, as a funeral was never straightforward for her. Was it a celebration of life, a grief-stricken moment? Should she wear something bright, or something dark and dreary? She chose something in the middle, then walked into the kitchen to feed the pets.

  As soon as Ally set foot in the kitchen, both came scampering towards her. Well, more accurately one scampered, and one lumbered with accompanying snorts. It was rather amusing to see Arnold in the morning. He still had droopy eyes as if he might just curl up and fall back to sleep, but his snorts indicated he was more than ready for breakfast. Peaches on the other hand, would jump up onto the counter and prowl back and forth, eagerly meowing just in case Ally forgot that she was there. I
t was somewhat entertaining, but could also be annoying at times. Luckily, that morning, Ally was in the mood for a little meowing. She even meowed back. It felt good to be surrounded by friends when she was faced with such a sobering experience.

  After Ally gave the pets their food she put together a small breakfast for herself and made coffee to share with her grandmother. As if she could smell it from Freely Lakes, Charlotte texted to let her know that she was on the way. Ally smiled to herself as she thought of her grandmother. She was one of the strongest women she knew, and each day she discovered something more fascinating about her. As much as she wanted to emulate her, she felt as if she could never quite measure up. Although Charlotte would never make her feel that way. In fact, she’d adored Ally since the day she was born, and never once questioned her choices.

  Now and then she would give her a gentle reminder of what turns life could take, but other than that she’d stood back and let Ally steer her life the way she chose. That didn’t always work out for the best, but in the end, her grandmother was always there to support her when she needed it. She only hoped that she could do the same for her. When she heard a light beep in front of the house she gathered two travel mugs of coffee and headed out the door. Once she settled in the passenger side she handed over a mug to her grandmother.

  “Enjoy, it’s still hot.”

  “Thanks so much for this.” She smiled as she looked over at her. “You look nice.”

  “Thank you, so do you. I like the color.” Ally smiled as she swept her gaze over her grandmother’s dark rose ensemble. It wasn’t exactly dark, and yet it wasn’t exactly cheerful either, it was a nice combination. On the way to the funeral home, Ally’s stomach twisted with anxiety. Would it be disruptive for them to be there? Would Parker try to kick them out? She sent a quick text to Luke to see if he would be there. By the time they reached the funeral home she still hadn’t received an answer. The parking lot was packed, and although the funeral home was quite large, there were many people standing around outside the building. Charlotte and Ally walked through the crowd, greeting each person as they went. Many faces were familiar with only a few strangers that might have been distant relations or friends from out of town.