Custom-Made Murder (A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Book 8) Read online

  Custom-Made Murder

  A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery

  Cindy Bell

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Also by Cindy Bell

  About the Author

  Gooey Chocolate Cake Recipe

  Copyright © 2017 Cindy Bell

  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.

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  Chapter 1

  A smooth stream of melted chocolate poured into the heart mold. Ally watched the way it folded and pooled. Something about the way that chocolate poured so gracefully always relaxed her.

  “Ally? Do you have the piping bag so I can write the initials on?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “I’ll start piping the decorations later. Can you make sure you make some white chocolates, too, the bride and groom requested both.”

  “Okay.” Ally grabbed some white chocolate and began to melt it to add to the mold. “I think this is such a clever thing to have as a keepsake from the wedding.”

  “Yes, it won’t last long though.” Charlotte grinned as she slid a mold into the refrigerator. “Not as delicious as these will be.”

  “No, but the memory will. We should add these to our wedding menu, I think it would be a very popular choice.”

  “You’re right we should. I’m sure you would enjoy having it at your wedding.”

  “My wedding?” Ally laughed. “That day is already long gone.” She poured the white chocolate into the remaining molds.

  “Well, the first one.” Charlotte shrugged.

  “The last one.” Ally pursed her lips, then slid the mold into the refrigerator. “At least, for now.”

  “Well, that for now gives me hope.” Charlotte smiled. She leaned back against the counter beside her granddaughter. “Life is too sweet to ever let yourself get bitter, Ally.”

  “I know, I know.” Ally looked over at her with a half-smile. “How can I be bitter with an amazing man like Luke in my life?”

  “Good point.” Charlotte grinned.

  “And I’m not the only one. When am I going to have a chance to meet the man in your life?”

  “I wouldn’t call him the man in my life. He’s a man, that’s a friend.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard this story before. But it doesn’t change the glint in your eye when you talk about him.” Ally shot her grandmother a knowing smile. “I’d love the chance to meet him.”

  “And you’ll have it, soon enough.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure.” Charlotte cleared her throat.

  “You’re avoiding, aren’t you? Are you afraid that I’ll scare him away?” Ally frowned. “I’ll be nice, I promise.”

  “Oh, Ally it’s not that at all.” Charlotte hugged her with a firm squeeze. “It’s just that I like things with him the way they are. Things are relaxed and he is a nice companion, it’s nothing serious.”

  “I can understand that. But honestly, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I plan to greet him at the door with a shotgun and warn him not to hurt you, that’s all.”

  “Ha ha.” Charlotte grinned as she grabbed some more chocolate to melt. “No, I do want you to meet him. I know that he wants to meet you and he keeps asking about spending some time with you, which I think is sweet. You know what, let’s have dinner tomorrow night.”

  “Yes! I’m so excited.”

  “And bring Luke, it’ll be good for everyone to get to know each other better.”

  “That sounds perfect. He makes costume jewelry, right?” Ally walked over to the sink to wash her hands. “The pieces you have are beautiful.”

  “Yes, he’s quite talented, he also makes custom-made pieces. Did you make the white chocolate roses yet?”

  “Yes, I’m getting ready to package them up.” Ally dried her hands, then slipped on some gloves. As she began to pop the roses out of the molds she smiled. “They came out perfect.”

  “Great.” Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief. “I get so nervous about weddings. It’s such a big day.”

  “I don’t know, I don’t think marriage is that big of a deal.”

  “You don’t?”

  Ally jumped at the sound of the familiar voice. “Luke? I didn’t even hear you come in.” She turned around to face him, her cheeks hot.

  “The back door was open.” He peered past her at the chocolate. “Wow, those look delicious. Now what were you saying about…”

  “Here try one.” Ally popped a chocolate rose in his mouth. He gulped with surprise, then closed his eyes as the chocolate melted on his tongue.

  “Mm.” He sighed, then wrapped his arms around her.

  “Nice save.” Charlotte mouthed to Ally over Luke’s shoulder.

  Ally buried her lips in Luke’s shoulder to hide her grin. When she pulled away from the hug he gave her a quick kiss.

  “Sweet, but not as sweet as you.”

  “Aw.” Ally winked at him. “I bet you say that to all the chocolate-makers.”

  “Nope, just you.”

  “It’s almost time to open.” Charlotte glanced at the wooden clock on the wall. “I’ll go out front and make sure that everything is in place. Ally, can you finish up these hearts please? I have almost finished the milk chocolate ones.”

  “Sure.” Ally took over stirring the chocolate as it melted. Once they were alone, Luke stepped closer to her.

  “So, about what you were saying…”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” She stirred faster.

  “Relax, I’m just teasing you.” He laughed and kissed her cheek.

  “You’re so mean.” She sighed. “Oh, before I forget, Mee-Maw invited us to dinner with Jeffrey tomorrow night. Do you think you’ll be able to make it?”

  “Sure, I’m off tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Oh, that’s right. Any plans?”

  “I might take a drive over to Freely to look at wedding venues. Because you know how important that is to me.”

  “Stop it!” She gave him a swat on his stomach. He caught her hand and pulled her close.

  “I might just decide to see if I can steal you away from Charlotte’s Chocolate Heaven and take you for a long drive through the country.”

  “Oh, that sounds wonderful.”

  “Yes, especially if you bring the left-over chocolates.” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I think that can be arranged.” She laughed. �
�It’s a short opening day tomorrow, but I need to be here in the morning. Mee-Maw is going to deliver the chocolates to the wedding. After that, I’m all yours.”

  “I guess I can wait that long, if I must.”

  “Here.” She popped another chocolate into his mouth. “That should hold you over.”

  “Yum!” He stole a quick kiss before she went back to work. Ally couldn’t help but blush. As she watched him walk away, she reminded herself of just how lucky she was. The more time she spent with Luke the more certain she was that he was an amazing person.

  “All clear in here?” Charlotte poked her head into the kitchen.

  “Yes, Mee-Maw, the mushy stuff is over.”

  “Oh, good.” She smiled.

  “I think the bride and groom are going to love these chocolates.”

  “I hope so. It may seem like just another day to some people, but in that moment, on that day, it means so much to the couple getting married.”

  “You’re right. I’m glad we can be part of their wonderful memory. Speaking of memories, did you call Jeff, yet?”

  “I haven’t yet. I’ll ask him when I get back to Freely Lakes tonight or tomorrow morning.”

  “Good.” Ally smiled.

  They spent the rest of the day going between customers and preparing chocolates for the wedding. There was a buzz of excitement in the shop as even though the wedding was of a young couple from the neighboring town of Mainbry, many of the locals that came in were involved in, or knew about the wedding. The small town of Blue River made everyone’s business everyone’s business. Sometimes it was a curse, and sometimes it was a comfort.

  The next morning Charlotte and Ally arrived early at the shop to do the final packaging on the chocolates. Charlotte had purchased special boxes to store them in, and had several three tier trays to set up the rest.

  “Do you think everything is just right?” Charlotte paced back and forth in front of the boxes of chocolates. “I don’t know why but I feel like we might be missing something.”

  “It’s perfect, Mee-Maw. I’ve checked and double-checked the order, there’s nothing off about it.” Ally caught her arm to stop her from pacing. “They are going to be so happy with these.”

  “Oh good, I’m glad you think so.” Charlotte smiled and picked up an extra package. “I also made a big heart with their wedding date on it for them to have as a memento.”

  “What a great idea!”

  “Okay, I guess it’s time to load up the van.” Charlotte took a deep breath.

  “Let’s just hope nothing gets dropped.”

  “Here, I’ll help you. We don’t have any customers right now.”

  “Great, the van is already pulled up to the back door.” Ally picked up one of the large trays. “Oh, by the way did you confirm dinner with Jeff tonight?”

  “Yes, I did. He’s all for it. He made a reservation at Moonfield’s.”

  “Oh, fancy.” Ally grinned as she carried the tray towards the door.

  “I do think he wants to impress you. He is friends with the owner so he was able to get us in.”

  “Well, consider me impressed.” Ally pushed the door open with her elbow and set the tray in the van. Once they had it loaded up, Charlotte headed off for the wedding. Ally was left alone in the shop, a shop that had been like a second home to her since she was a little girl. She loved the delicious smells it contained and the assortment of wooden toys, ornaments, masks, and clocks that decorated the walls. Even though she saw them every day, she always noticed a new detail when she took the time to look.

  “Morning Ally!” Mrs. White pushed through the door and announced herself before the bell above the door could even finish its chime. “No time to waste! I have very important meetings to attend!”

  “Oh really?” Ally grinned and took the lid off the sample tray. “You might want to try the crushed hazelnut mocha, they are new and delicious.”

  “Oh yes, thank you.” She popped the chocolate into her mouth, then moaned her approval.

  “So, what are you so busy with today?” Ally’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Mrs. White. She was a fixture of her childhood, and now of her twenties as well. She only occasionally visited the shop alone, she was usually with two of her closest friends. As one of the shop’s regulars, she was more like family than a customer.

  “There’s this grand play in Mainbry, and I am in charge of decorating the sets. It is far more work than I expected. In fact, I’m not so sure I should have signed up for it. But I have, and now I must be the best coordinator I can be.”

  “I’m sure you will do wonderfully. What kind of play is it?”

  “Oh, I have no idea, some old love tragedy or something,” she mumbled around another piece of chocolate.

  “I thought you said it was grand?” Ally held back a laugh.

  “It is grand, the production, the actors, the rehearsals, did I mention the actors? But the story itself is just another one of those gooey romances. I will never understand the obsession that young people have with love.”

  “I’m sure it’s not just young people. But what do you mean?” She rested her hands on the counter and leaned in to listen.

  “In my day, love was about a little more than hormones and blush. It was about companionship, reliability, trust, and good old fashioned common sense. You made a good marriage, and if love came with it fine, but it wasn’t the point of the marriage it was just a lovely afterthought.”

  “Really?” Ally furrowed a brow. “There was that little emotion involved?”

  “There were emotions. Like, admiration for each other’s abilities, for what the other person brought to the partnership, and a shared interest in your future together.”

  “I think all of that still exists.”

  “Maybe, but people don’t pay enough attention to it. They want the drama, the pounding hearts, the head over heels nonsense that gets people into trouble.”

  “Hm, it sounds to me like you might be speaking from experience, Mrs. White.”

  Her lightly rouged cheeks grew even more pink. “Never mind that, just wrap me up some of these chocolates to go, will you dear?”

  “Absolutely.” She filled a box with chocolates, then wrapped it up, and rung it up on the register. “I threw in some extra, for the actors.” She winked at Mrs. White.

  “Oh well, thank you.” Mrs. White giggled. “I’m sure they will appreciate it.” As she walked out, Luke stepped in.

  “Luke, I can’t go just yet, Mee-Maw just left for the wedding…”

  “Ally.” His brows were knitted tight as he walked up to the counter.

  “What’s wrong?” Her eyes widened. She didn’t often see Luke with such a serious expression, unless he was working a case.

  “It’s Jeffrey.”

  “Oh no, has something happened to him?” She gripped the counter to keep herself steady.

  “He hasn’t been hurt, but something has happened. There was a murder in Broughdon this morning. I checked into it to see if they needed any help with traffic control or knocking on doors, but they already have a suspect.”

  “What does this have to do with Jeff?” Ally shook her head.

  “Jeffrey is the suspect, Ally.”

  “The suspect?” She stared at him.

  “The murder suspect.” Luke set his jaw. “Apparently, there is a good amount of evidence against him. He was seen at the scene of the crime a short time before the body was discovered.”

  “Really? But Mee-Maw thinks he is a nice person. She wouldn’t be friends with someone that was violent.”

  “Some people hide it well.” He shrugged.

  “Something doesn’t make sense here. Can you tell me exactly what happened?”

  “According to what I was told, a jewelry shop owner was murdered this morning. Jeffrey was seen leaving the shop right around the time of the murder. He has already been arrested.”

  “Arrested?” Ally stared at him. “Then they must have some serious evidence.�
��

  “I’m not sure what it is yet, all I know is that it had to be enough to put cuffs on him. I’m going to head over and see if I can find out more details. I wanted to tell you first, because I know that Charlotte will be upset about this.”

  “She will be.” Ally grimaced.

  “Try not to worry too much. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out anything.”

  “Okay.” Ally stared into his eyes. “Do you think it’s true? Do you think he did it?”

  “Who did what?” Charlotte stepped into the shop through the back door and hung the van keys up behind the counter. “Why are you both staring at me so strangely? Did I do something wrong?”

  “I should go.” Luke frowned. “I’ll update you as soon as I can.” He headed for the door.

  Chapter 2

  Ally faced her grandmother with trepidation. She was unsure of how to tell her that Jeff had been arrested.

  “Ally? What’s going on?” Charlotte crossed her arms.

  “Mee-Maw, there’s something I have to tell you. Maybe you should sit down first.” Ally gestured to one of the stools at the sample counter.

  “I don’t need to sit down. Out with it, Ally!” Charlotte locked eyes with her.

  “It’s Jeff, he’s been arrested for murder.” Ally spoke the words all in one breath. She didn’t know how else to reveal to her grandmother that she was dating a murder suspect.

  “What?” Charlotte laughed and waved her hand through the air. “That’s ridiculous. Why would you pull a prank like that on me?”

  “It’s not a prank, Mee-Maw, it’s the truth. He’s been arrested for the murder of a jewelry shop owner in Broughdon,” Ally said. “Luke is on his way there now to find out what he can. I’m sorry, Mee-Maw, but this is really happening.”

  “This is ridiculous,” Charlotte said. “There must be some mistake. Jeff would never hurt anyone. I know he wouldn’t!”

  “Maybe you don’t think so, Mee-Maw, but they wouldn’t have arrested him on a whim. He was spotted at the shop right around the time of the murder. Luke says they have more evidence, he just doesn’t know what it is yet.”