A Treacherous Tasty Trail (A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Book 4) Read online

  A Treacherous Tasty Trail

  A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery

  Cindy Bell

  Copyright © 2016 Cindy Bell

  All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and locations portrayed in this book and the names herein are fictitious. Any similarity to or identification with the locations, names, characters or history of any person, product or entity is entirely coincidental and unintentional.

  All trademarks and brands referred to in this book are for illustrative purposes only, are the property of their respective owners and not affiliated with this publication in any way. Any trademarks are being used without permission, and the publication of the trademark is not authorized by, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owner.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  From the Author

  About the Author

  More Books by Cindy Bell

  Chocolate Cookie Recipe

  Chapter One

  The pungent odor that wafted from the nearby farm was a mixture of freshly cut grass, rich wet soil, and of course the cows that populated the dairy farm. To Ally it smelled just like home. She had often gone to the farm on field trips as a child in order to see what farmers did to maintain their crops and products. Although Ally respected the hard work that a farmer put in, she decided the first time she stepped in a cow patty that she was not the farming type.

  Every year Tyler Wolson hosted a farmer’s market for the community of Mainbry, the small town that neighbored Blue River. Everyone in the county was invited. It was his way of giving back, and also generating some extra sales for the eggs and milk that he sold. Many of the local shops hosted a booth, including ‘Charlotte’s Chocolate Heaven’.

  Ally layered another pile of the chocolate cookies she and her grandmother had prepared that morning. These exact cookies weren’t something they normally sold, but they baked them specifically for the farmer’s market as they held up better in the warm air than many of their other products, and the packaging allowed them to advertise the shop. Ally designed a special small menu that she had printed on the back of the bags that they packaged the cookies in, so that anyone who bought the cookies would know what else they sold. In the bustle of the morning preparation Ally’s cat, Peaches, and her grandmother’s pot-bellied pig, Arnold, were overlooked. As a result they were both rather uncontrollable in the booth. When Ally almost tripped over Arnold for the fourth time she sighed and growled at the same time.

  “Mee-Maw, we have to get this pig out of here. He’s going to knock me right off my feet.”

  “Oh now now, be careful how you talk to Arnold. You know how delicate his feelings are.”

  “I’m aware.” Ally frowned and reached down to pat the top of the pig’s head. “No offense, Arnold, but I really don’t want to trip and fall on this giant pile of cookies.”

  “Oh, that would be bad.” Charlotte laughed. “Once we get everything settled I’ll take him for a walk, don’t worry.”

  “Thanks.” Ally went behind the booth and took a moment to scratch the back of Peaches’ ears. The cat was content to be in her carrier in a corner of the booth. She had a reputation for escaping and exploring and Ally was concerned she might get stepped on by a cow if she wandered too far. As she placed the last package of cookies on the pile she took a deep breath and started to relax. It was hard for her not to get anxious over everything being in just the right place. Since she had taken over as manager of her grandmother’s chocolate shop, she pressured herself to do a great job. Her grandmother, as always, was there trying to keep her calm.

  “Ally, you’ve done a beautiful job. I’m really impressed with the packaging.”

  “Thanks Mee-Maw.” Ally smiled at her. “I wasn’t sure if it would work out, but it looks like the menus are pretty easy to read.”

  “And thorough. I’m sure we’re going to get many new orders from these.” She patted Ally’s shoulder.

  “I hope so. I was thinking of maybe opening a little ice cream section in the shop. Everyone seems to want ice cream in the summer. Plus we could crush up some chocolates to use as toppings. What do you think?”

  Charlotte tilted her head back and forth as she considered the idea. “Well, to be honest, dear, I always thought chocolate and baked goods were enough. Ice cream is a difficult game to get into. First the freezers, then maintaining supply and lastly what to do with oversupply. It gets to be a pain.”

  “You may be right about that.” Ally tapped her chin. “I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.”

  “You have some great ideas as always, Ally, but I think right now we need to keep it simple. It’s a bit of an adjustment for both of us.”

  “Yes, it is. I’m all alone in that cottage with a pig and a cat.” Ally grinned.

  “Oh, poor you.” Charlotte lofted her eyebrows. “I’m sure that Luke wouldn’t mind keeping you company.”

  “Mee-Maw! I’m not talking about Luke!”

  “Why not?” Luke leaned against the side of the booth and looked right into Ally’s eyes with a slow, sly smile. “Am I interrupting?”

  Ally turned away to hide the deep flush in her cheeks. She pretended to sort through the cookies. “No, of course not, just getting ready for the market to open.”

  “Do you need any help with anything?” He caught a bag of cookies that almost slid off the edge of the front of the booth. “Here you go.” Ally smiled as she took the bag from him. The subtle brush of her fingertips against his skin made her cheeks even hotter.

  “I think we have it under control. What are you doing here?”

  “I thought I’d come out and show my support. Plus, I want to get some fresh eggs. I can’t stay long, though, I’m on duty as of eleven.”

  “Well please, have some cookies.” Ally held out a bag to him.

  “How much?” He pulled out his wallet.

  “Oh, no charge for you, Luke.” Charlotte patted his hand.

  “I insist.” He opened his wallet. “I know half of the funds today are going to charity, so please allow me to make my donation.” He smiled at Charlotte. His polite nature always impressed her.

  “All right, I’ll allow it, just this once.” Charlotte took the payment and retrieved a few bills from the portable cash register for his change.

  “Thanks. I hear Freely Lakes is hosting a party next week.” He looked over at Ally, then back to Charlotte.

  “Yes, it’s a dance. It’s going to be fantastic. I’m on the decorating committee!” Charlotte leaned against the front of the booth. “There is so much to do. We’re going to make sure it is quite an event.”

  “Then I’m sure it will be fantastic. Dare I ask, is there any special gentleman that will be joining you?” He leaned a bit closer to her and curved his lips into a half-smile. Ally watched the way he charmed her
grandmother. She loved the way he interacted with her. When they had first met he was very closed off, but now he was starting to come out of his shell. The more she saw him, the more she got to know him, the harder it became to ignore the flutter of her heart whenever he was near.

  “Oh, there might be.” Charlotte fluttered her lashes in return. “You’ll have to attend to find out.”

  “I’d be more than happy to. Maybe you could convince your granddaughter to invite me?” He glanced over at Ally. Ally froze at the question. She didn’t expect it, and her panicked mind tried to come up with a casual response.

  “I think I’ll be too busy to go.” Ally shook her head. “Inventory, and preparing for the big sale next week, and…”

  “Nonsense.” Charlotte locked eyes with Ally. “Life isn’t worth living if you don’t take the time to enjoy it, Ally. Besides, how could you turn down this handsome face?” Ally looked back at Luke. Luke widened his eyes and stuck out his bottom lip.

  A giggle bubbled up out of Ally as she took in his pout. “How could anyone resist that face?” She shook her head.

  “So, it’s a date?” Luke asked.

  “I’ll think about it.” Ally grinned and leaned forward to straighten a few more cookies. Luke leaned forward at the same moment in an attempt to catch them before they fell. His lips awkwardly brushed across the rise of her cheek just as she turned towards him to thank him. The near-kiss caused her to stumble back. Luke opened his mouth to speak, but his cell phone rang before he could.

  “Oops, I have to check this.” He looked at the phone and frowned. “Sorry, I have to go. There’s trouble with the traffic from everyone trying to get here to buy up all of these amazing cookies.”

  “I’m sure that’s it.” Ally laughed and rolled her eyes.

  “He could be telling the truth, Ally, look.” Charlotte looked towards the long line that began to form.

  “Bye Luke.” Ally waved to him.

  “You said you’d think about it, remember!” He waved back as he jogged off towards the parking lot. Ally was flustered, but a rush of customers drew her attention. With each package of cookies that she sold she tried to look into the eyes of the customer and express her gratitude. It was a recommended practice in a business management book she’d started to read. According to the book it helped the customer to remember the shop by engaging the pleasure center of their brain. Whether it was true or not Ally didn’t know, but she was happy to try it out. It was also a great way to get to know the new people she saw. Since the farm was in the next town over there were several people that she’d never seen before.

  “Can I get three bags?” A man held out a twenty dollar bill.

  “Sure. Would you like to try a sample?” Ally offered him a plate of small cookies.

  “No thanks. I already know that if they come from Charlotte’s shop they’re fantastic.”

  “Well, thank you for that vote of confidence!” Ally smiled and Charlotte waved to him.

  “Hi Doc, enjoy the cookies.”

  “Doc?” Ally glanced over at Charlotte as the man walked away.

  “He’s a pediatrician.”

  “Oh, I see.” Ally turned back to the next customer in line. When she met his eyes she thought he looked a little familiar, but couldn’t place where she knew him from.

  “One bag of cookies, please.” He glanced down the corridor of booths as if he was looking for someone.

  “Sure, here you go.” Ally handed him the package. “Don’t forget to look over the menu on the back.”

  “Hey, do you know where I can buy some eggs around here?”

  “Sure. Tyler has his own booth near the end, he’s selling eggs straight from his barn.”

  “Great.” He nodded and started to walk away.

  “Wait, just a moment. I’m sorry, you seem so familiar to me. Do I know you from somewhere?” Ally asked.

  He turned back and smiled at her. “I’m surprised that you remembered.”

  Ally winced. The truth was she didn’t actually remember. “It was so long ago.”

  “Yes. I think you almost broke my leg.”

  “That’s right!” Ally smiled widely. “When the towns did a joint musical production we worked behind the scenes, now I remember. You tripped over a speaker I had left out by mistake. Colin, right?”

  “Yes. It’s good to see you again, Ally.” He nodded to her before walking off. Another customer walked up a few moments after him.

  “Can I get a bag of cookies?”

  “Sure, coming right up.” Ally handed it over to him. She noticed that he snatched the cookies rather roughly from her hand. “That’s three dollars, please.”

  “Three?” He raised an eyebrow. “That’s a little high don’t you think?”

  “Not for these cookies, they are amazing. Would you like to try a sample?”

  “No, no thank you.” He shook his head and handed over three dollars. Then he briskly walked away and Ally served the next customer.

  After the rush Charlotte brushed her hands off on her apron and smiled at Ally.

  “I’m going to take Arnold for that walk now. I want to see what other things are for sale. I’ll pick up those eggs for Luke, too.”

  “Thanks Mee-Maw, I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.” Ally straightened the packages of cookies that remained. “I’ll get Arnold’s food ready, he must be starving.”

  “Good idea. Let’s go, Arnold. We’ll get you a little work out before we fatten you up.” Charlotte snapped a leash onto Arnold’s collar and began to lead him away from the booth. The aisles between the booths were populated by people from both towns. Many Charlotte recognized, but some she didn’t. There was a time when she knew every face she saw in town. She knew them not just from running the shop, but from her morning and evening walks, her participation in local events, and her desire to be part of a close-knit community.

  Overtime things had changed in ways that she didn’t really expect. While the small shops still existed there were many larger stores to compete with. The farms in both counties had also begun to disappear. She knew of one at least that had been turned into a golf course to cater to a growing bedroom community that commuted for work and wanted to play at home. As she neared the egg booth she heard a few people chatting about the cookies they had purchased from her booth.

  “These are so good. I don’t know how she makes them taste so amazing.”

  “Well, you know they’re Charlotte’s secret recipes. I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t even share them with her own granddaughter.” Charlotte ducked her head to hide who she was and tried not to laugh. Little did they know that as a child Ally had helped her to create many of those recipes, and they had worked together to come up with the newest chocolate cookie recipe. Charlotte liked tradition, but she also welcomed innovation. She knew if her shop didn’t keep up with the times, it would become as extinct as the dinosaurs. Arnold nosed around in the dirt. Each snort billowed dusty sand into the air.

  “Oh boy, you really are getting hungry, aren’t you, Arnold? Don’t worry, I’ll be quick.” She paused at the back of the line that led to the booth that sold eggs. To her surprise it was quite long. After a few minutes of no one moving Charlotte tapped the shoulder of one of the people that waited in front of her. “Do you know what’s taking so long?”

  “The guy that runs the booth isn’t there.” The man in front of her shrugged. “I’m just going to come back later.” He turned and walked away from the remainder of the crowd. Charlotte was surprised that the booth would be left unmanned. She noticed a man in the next booth who she recognized. With a hard tug she guided Arnold over to that booth, which sold freshly picked apples. “Excuse me, Harry, do you know where the owner of this egg booth is?”

  “Oh sure, the guy running it ran up to the barn to get more eggs. I’m sure that he’ll be back soon.”

  “Okay.” Charlotte held tight onto Arnold’s leash as a few children ran up to pet him. “He’s very friendly, but h
e’s also very hungry, so watch your fingers.”

  The kids laughed when Arnold snorted at them. Charlotte enjoyed the revelry of seeing the children play with Arnold. She took a deep breath of the fresh air. The kids ran off when their mothers called.

  Arnold found something new to be curious about. He snorted then shoved his nose down into the dirt again. He caught a whiff of something that intrigued him and started to tug hard on his leash. It seemed as if he was trying to break free so that he could hunt down his mystery smell.

  “Arnold behave.” Charlotte glanced over her shoulder in the direction of her booth. She wondered how Ally was handling the crowd that she saw gathered around the booth. She was tempted to go back and help, but she hoped to grab some eggs first. A few more people that waited in line walked away.

  “I’m not waiting this long for anyone’s eggs.” A burly man in a cowboy hat shook his head as he stalked away from the booth.

  “I think I agree.” Charlotte started to pull Arnold away from the booth, but Arnold resisted. Arnold was very strong when he wanted to be. Charlotte huffed and gave in. Usually, if Arnold was interested in something, he sniffed it and then left it behind for the next interesting thing. This time however he wasn’t giving in and Charlotte’s shoulder was a bit sore from all of the tugging. She let him wander forward on the leash towards the front of the booth.

  When someone called out and waved to her she was distracted for a moment as she waved back. Arnold whipped the leash right out of her hand and rounded the corner of the booth before Charlotte could stop him. “Oh Arnold, get back here!” She edged forward to grab the leash. When she did Arnold looked up at her with a small piece of egg shell stuck to his snout. He snorted at her. She reached down to pull the piece of shell off his snout. When she did she caught sight of a pair of dirt-caked boots. Her breath caught in her throat as she followed the boots up a long pair of legs, slowly past a chest wound and eventually to the familiar face of a young man. It only took one look at the man’s pale face for Charlotte to be certain that he was dead. Still, she rushed forward with the hope that maybe she was wrong. When she pressed her fingertips along the curve of his neck, she felt nothing but cool skin.