by Cindy Bell
“I bet this will cheer you up.” Jeff smiled as she sat back down. “I got a special delivery yesterday.”
“You did?” She focused in on him. She hadn’t forgotten that he was acting strangely.
“Your friend Diana dropped off a box of candies from Charlotte’s Chocolate Heaven.” He smacked his lips. “I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I get as many treats as I want for free.” He winked.
“What, you haven’t been paying?” She grinned. “Did you see how lovely her painted boxes are?”
“Yes, I did. I thought about keeping it, but I owed a birthday gift to a friend, Michael, so I passed it along.” He shrugged.
“You re-gifted?” Charlotte gasped along with a laugh. “How could you?”
“Look, it’s not something I do all of the time, but I forgot about it and it did save me from having to do a last-minute shop. Your candies are better than anything I could have picked up at the store. Hopefully she won’t find out.” He grimaced.
“Oh, she probably won’t. She had quite a long list of people she was handing out the gifts to. I’m sure that she won’t realize you gave Michael the gift.” She frowned. “I just realized something.”
“What’s that?” He held her gaze.
“There have been two break-ins, one at Mary’s, and one at Benjamin’s. They’re both in the gift making class with me at Freely Lakes. It’s open to all residents. Do you think that could be coincidence?” She considered it for a moment.
“Is it a full class?” He finished the last bite of his food.
“Yes, it is.”
“Then it could be a coincidence.” He set his fork down. “Are you sure you’re not going to eat?”
“Maybe I will.” Charlotte picked up her spoon and sunk it into her soup.
By the time her grandmother returned from lunch, Ally was desperate for her help. She was buried in orders, and had to set up appointments for a few customers to pick up their chocolates later as she ran out of their favorite kind. She’d never felt so overwhelmed at the shop before. She realized that she shouldn’t have asked Nina to leave.
“Ally? What’s happened here?” Charlotte picked up some napkins that were scattered across the floor, then gazed at the empty display shelves.
“There was quite a crowd.” Ally brushed her hair back from her eyes. It had come free from her ponytail at some point and she hadn’t had time to fix it. “It was crazy.”
“Where’s Nina?” Charlotte glanced around the shop.
“I sent her home.” Ally’s jaw rippled as she tried not to think about the conversation they’d had.
“What? Why?” Charlotte cleaned up some more napkins, then started towards the kitchen. “Do you have any batches going?”
“Two, I just got behind is all, Mee-Maw, it happens.” She didn’t realize how sharp she was being until her grandmother walked over to her with a stern look.
“Ally, tell me what is really going on. Why did you send Nina home?”
“Mee-Maw, I’d rather not say.” She frowned.
Charlotte recalled Jeff saying the exact same thing not long before. Why was everyone keeping secrets from her?
“Ally, tell me!”
“We need to talk, Mee-Maw, Luke called and…”
“One thing at a time.” Charlotte walked over to the door of the shop and turned the lock, then she flipped the sign to closed. Ally knew she was determined as she never closed the shop during regular hours unless it was serious. “I can live with the stares, and the comments, from other people. But I will not tolerate you hiding things from me, Ally. We’re in this together, remember?”
“Yes, I remember.” Ally sighed. “I sent her home because she thought it was wrong for you to be here. That it was bad for business.”
“Well, she was right about that. If people suspect I was involved in Martin’s death then they might not come in.” Charlotte touched her granddaughter’s cheek. “But I can see that it upset you.”
“I thought she was my friend, Mee-Maw. I thought we had a connection.” She shook her head. “I guess I was wrong. But that’s not important now. Luke told me that someone is giving the police false information about you that is making you their main suspect. I’m so worried that they’re going to think they have enough to make an arrest.”
“Okay, okay, deep breaths.” Charlotte wasn’t sure if she was instructing Ally or herself to calm down. “The chief may be a tough cookie, but he’s not stupid. I’m sure he’ll see through any lies that are being spread about me.”
“But who would spread them? Whoever it is must be the killer. I think you’re being framed.” Ally took her grandmother’s hands and looked into her eyes. “Luke said he’s trying to get back here, but that we need to watch our step until then. He’s stuck, because there’s a snow storm coming in, and no flights out.”
“We’ll be careful, we’re always careful. It doesn’t matter what lies are told, if we find out the truth. I think I may have something to go on.”
“You do?”
“Both Mary and Benjamin’s apartments were broken into.”
“Really!” Ally’s eyes widened. “That can’t be a coincidence.”
“No, I don’t think so either, but I think that’s where we need to start, with the break-ins. I think maybe whoever is doing the break-ins started with Martin, and for some reason they killed him. If we can figure out who is behind them then I’m betting we’ll have our killer.”
“How are we going to do that?” Ally leaned back against the counter. “If Luke was here maybe we could get some inside information.”
“I say we go speak to Mary and to Benjamin. That’s a start.” She walked back towards the door to unlock it. “But first, you need to call Nina and get her back in here. She’s entitled to her opinion. It does bother me a bit, but we need her help.” She looked back at Ally. “Sometimes you have to set aside your personal feelings and do what’s best for the shop.”
Ally nodded, though she didn’t entirely agree. She knew her grandmother was trying to impart some great wisdom upon her, but at the same time she no longer trusted Nina. Still, she dialed her number and when she picked up, she asked her to come back to the shop. She even apologized for asking her to leave. She knew it would be tense between them, but Charlotte was right, without the extra help the business might suffer, and they would have no free time to investigate Martin’s murder. With Charlotte’s freedom on the line, she wasn’t willing to take any chances. It made her nervous to think that Nina would be back in the shop with them, as she wasn’t sure that she could be trusted. But customers flooded the shop within minutes, and as she and Charlotte tried to keep up, she was glad that Nina was on her way in.
During a quiet moment, Charlotte met her eyes.
“When Nina gets here, I’m going to run out and see if I can catch Benjamin at his house. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is, Mee-Maw. Thank you so much for all of your help. I think it’s pretty clear that I couldn’t run this place without you.” She frowned as she realized what a disaster she’d created by sending Nina home.
“Ally. Sweetheart.” She cupped her cheek and met her eyes. “The only thing you’re doing wrong is being so very hard on yourself. The shop has a life of its own, it will change its mood at a moment’s notice. It’s not your role to try to control it, but flow with it. You’re doing an excellent job, and I couldn’t be prouder, or happier that I had you to turn over the reins to. No one else could ever fill that role.”
“Thanks, Mee-Maw.” Ally breathed a sigh of relief, then shifted her attention to the next customer that walked through the door. Only it wasn’t a customer, it was Nina.
“Hi Nina, bye Nina.” Charlotte waved to her as she hurried past in the process of tossing her purse over her shoulder.
“Bye Charlotte.” Nina watched her go, then turned to face Ally. “I know this is going to be awkward.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” Ally used the most professional ton
e she could muster. “I hired you because I believed you would do a good job, and I still believe that. Trust me, there isn’t going to be time for things to be awkward.” She pointed to a large group of people who were just about to walk into the shop. “Let’s get to our battle stations!”
Nina nodded, and stepped behind the counter. It was still a little awkward, but Ally had to admit that she was grateful to have Nina there.
Chapter 9
Charlotte decided not to call Benjamin before visiting him. She knew she could easily get his number from Beth, since she had the entire class roster. However, she thought it might be better not to let him know she was coming. As it was, she knew that rumors about her involvement in the murder were spreading through town, and though she wasn’t sure if they had reached him yet, she didn’t want to take any chances. Instead, she decided to pop up at his door. When she parked in front of his house, a flutter of uncertainty carried through her. Would he even open the door for her? His car was in the driveway, which indicated that he was home. As she approached the door, she tried to feel confident. It was hard to with suspicion hanging over her head. When she knocked on the door, she braced herself for his reaction.
“Hello?” He peered out through the screen door. “Charlotte? Right?”
“Right.” She was relieved that he at least remembered her. “Sorry to bother you. I just wanted to check and see if you were all right.”
“Isn’t there a class tonight?” He studied her for a moment then invited her inside.
“Oh, I’m on my way. I just thought I’d stop by and see how you’re doing. I heard your house was broken into this morning. Is that true?” She held his gaze.
“Yes, it was. It’s the strangest thing. I almost felt silly about reporting it to the police since nothing valuable was taken. But someone did break in.” He pointed to the damage on the door frame. “Forced their way in, whoever it was.”
“Wow, that must have been so frightening.” Charlotte wrung her hands. “I’m so sorry you experienced that.”
“Not as frightening as what happened to you.” He looked back at her. “You did find Martin, didn’t you?” His tone changed as he brought up the topic. She guessed he had heard the rumors, and now he was fishing to find out a bit more.
“Yes, I did.” She shook her head. “It was horrible. Do you have any idea who might have broken in?” She hoped the change in subject would send a clear message that she didn’t want to discuss Martin’s death any further. She didn’t want to talk about it anymore and worried that her explanation of how she found his body, would only make the rumors worse.
“No, not a clue. But to be honest it seemed to me like whoever it was, was looking for something in particular.” He shrugged. “I have no idea what.”
“Did you get anything new recently? Anything special?” Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “Maybe the person just couldn’t find it?”
“Nothing new at all. You know, a few fruitcakes for Christmas, just the normal Christmas things. Nothing valuable.”
“Doesn’t sound like anything to break in over. Hmm. What about any servicemen? Did you have anyone in to fix anything recently?” She shifted from one foot to the other and attempted to casually glance over his shoulder into the house.
“No, no one. Oh wait, the cable guy last week. But I don’t think he would break in.” He shrugged. “Honestly, Charlotte there’s no reason for anyone to break into my house.”
“What about any recent house guests?” She sensed that he was about to end their conversation.
“Charlotte, you seem very interested in this.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Why is that?”
“I think you know why.” She cleared her throat. “Blue River means a lot to me. It’s my home. I want to make sure that it’s safe. The police are very good at their jobs, but sometimes it takes the locals banding together to help solve a crime.”
“Sometimes it does.” He nodded, then slipped his hands into his pockets. “The only company I’ve had is a friend of mine, Victoria. She and I have been having dinner now and then. We had dinner earlier this week. I cooked.” His lips spread into a proud smile. “I used to be a chef.”
“Oh, lucky Victoria.” Charlotte tried to hide her reaction with a smile in return. Victoria, who might have killed Martin, had spent time at Benjamin’s house? “When exactly did you two have dinner?”
“Uh, it was last night. We had a late dinner, around nine.” He cleared his throat. “But she wouldn’t have done this. She could come see me at any time, why would she break in?”
“You’re right, she wouldn’t.” Charlotte waved her hand. “I’m sure you two enjoyed your dinner.”
“We did.” He smiled again, so wide that he revealed some dimples in his cheeks. “We always do.”
“Ah, I see this is a love connection, hmm?” She winked at him.
“Maybe. I never thought it would be possible at my age. But, here I am again.” He shrugged.
“I’m happy for you, Benjamin.” She offered her hand to him. “I mean that.”
“Thanks, Charlotte.” He shook her hand, then glanced over his shoulder. “If I figure anything out, I’ll let you know. But like I said, I can’t think of any reason why anyone would want to break in. I sure hope the police figure it out soon so that we can get back to our peaceful lifestyle.”
“Me too.” Charlotte nodded to him as he stepped back inside. When she returned to her car, her mind buzzed with the new information. Victoria was having dinner with Benjamin, obviously they had a thing going. But how could that lead to her breaking into his house? Was it possible that she left some evidence of the murder behind? Maybe she thought breaking in was the best way to get it back? If that were the case, why would she break into Mary’s house? She decided that she would be sure to ask Mary whether she knew Victoria. She presumed she did, but she wanted to know more details about it. Going to the class would give her some insight into whether there had been other break-ins or if there might be a deeper connection between them.
Ally wiped down the counters after another rush had finally died down. As happy as she was that there was so much business, she was also exhausted.
“You weren’t kidding about needing help, Ally. I don’t know how you keep up with this.” Nina leaned against the counter, her cheeks pink from exertion, and her forehead glistening with sweat. “If one more person walks in here and asks for three boxes of candies to go, I think I’m going to lose my mind.”
“It’s not usually like this.” Ally sighed as she stretched her arms above her head in an attempt to loosen up her muscles. “Things are crazy during the holidays, but it seems even busier this year.”
“Maybe it’s those beautiful boxes of candies that Diana has been handing out. They are so delicious. I bet some people went through the whole box and decided they need more.” She began to tidy up the area near the front door.
“I didn’t know you knew Diana.” Ally studied her. She still wasn’t ready to forgive, but it was hard to stay angry at her friend. She was generally a kind person, and even though Ally would have preferred her loyalty, she also knew that deep down her grandmother was right. Nina had a right to her own opinion.
“Yes, she’s in my seniors’ class. She’s quite flexible and dedicated to the class. I really enjoy talking with her about her experiences in life. I guess I was on her Christmas list.” She shrugged. “Trust me, I was happy to get the candies.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed them.” Ally bit down into her bottom lip. She was tempted to apologize again, but she just couldn’t. The thought that Nina suspected her grandmother even the slightest bothered her. “Listen, I’m going to close up. I can handle things from here. You go on and have a good night, all right?”
“Sure.” She paused as she picked up a cloth. “Ally, I know I overstepped. I hope our friendship won’t suffer because of it. I just hate to see anyone harmed in any way. It makes me crazy. I don’t always think things through, I just react in a
protective way.”
“It’s all right.” Ally walked over to the register to start to close it down. “You’re entitled to your opinion. I can tell you that Mee-Maw had nothing to do with this, but that won’t matter unless you believe it. It’s not easy for me to think of you suspecting her, but I suppose I can’t blame you since the police are also looking at her as a suspect, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“I understand.” She walked towards the door. “I really appreciate you giving me this opportunity. Thanks, Ally.”
Ally glanced up from the register as the door swung shut behind Nina. She was tempted to say more to defend her grandmother, but she knew it would fall on deaf ears. As long as the rumors kept circulating, Charlotte would encounter people who wanted nothing to do with her.
Ally was in the process of shutting down the register when the door swung open. She’d forgotten to lock it after Nina left.
“I’m sorry, but we’re closed.” She looked up to see Victoria just inside the door. Something about the way the woman gazed at her made her blood run cold.
“I’m not here to buy anything.” She stalked towards the counter. “Where’s Charlotte?”
“She’s not here.” Ally stopped short of telling her about the gift making class. With the way Victoria looked, she didn’t want her anywhere near her grandmother.
“Then you can give her a message from me.” She locked her eyes to Ally’s. “She needs to stay away from Benjamin. I know she’s trying to pin this murder on me. I had nothing to do with it. If she keeps tarnishing my reputation, I will make sure that hers doesn’t survive. She had plenty of motive, since I happen to know that Jeff was having an affair with Trudy. I’ve kept it to myself, because I’m not one to spread ugly rumors. But if she shows up at Benjamin’s door again, asking him questions about me, I will make sure that everyone in this town knows exactly what kind of jealous woman she is. Maybe she wanted to teach Trudy a lesson. Since she messed with Jeff, Charlotte killed Martin. It seems like a stupid way to get revenge to me, but then again, I’m not a murderer.” She swung her hand through the air so sharply that Ally ducked back.