Christmas Chocolates and Crimes Read online

  “Are you kidding me? Do you know how much I’ve invested in all of this? No, I can’t just wait until Christmas Eve. The point is to spread joy, and let me tell you, Victoria, you are the only one that is complaining. Everyone else always tells me how happy it makes them. So no, I’m not going to shut down everything just because you’re a Grinch!”

  “A Grinch?” Victoria shouted. “I’m a normal person who doesn’t live in the darned North Pole. You’re nuts if you think this doesn’t bother anyone else, Martin. They’re just all too polite to tell you. Turn it off!”

  The pitch of her voice sent a shiver up along Charlotte’s spine. She had the sense that things were about to turn physical. Without a second thought she hurried forward. She didn’t want things to get out of control, and if there was anything she could do to stop it, she would. When the pair came into view, Victoria was nearly nose to nose with Martin, who was about three inches shorter.

  “I’m not turning anything off,” he growled as he glared right back at her. “If you don’t like it, go live somewhere else!”

  “It’s not as if there is any other affordable housing around here.” She threw her hands up in the air. “Otherwise I would already be gone.”

  “Martin?” Trudy poked her head out through the door. In comparison to her blustering husband, she was a waif of a woman, with a voice to match. “Martin, please come inside.”

  “Can’t you talk any sense into this buffoon?” Victoria locked her attention on Trudy.

  “Don’t you dare speak like that to my wife.” Martin puffed out his chest and balled his hands into fists.

  “Enough.” Charlotte walked up to them, though her heart pounded. She didn’t want Trudy to get tangled up in their argument. She always struck her as a sweet, but frail woman. “The two of you are acting like children, really.”

  “Who asked you?” Victoria cut her gaze sharply towards her.

  “She started it.” Martin shoved a meaty finger in Victoria’s direction. “I was just enjoying myself, relaxing with my wife, when she came pounding on the door. Don’t I have a right to my peace? Don’t I?”

  “Your peace?” Victoria nearly shrieked. “This is ridiculous, I’m calling the police right now.” She pulled out her phone.

  “And just what do you think the police are going to do about it?” Charlotte shook her head. She put her hands on her hips and tried to make herself as tall as she could. “Both of you drop it. You’ll have this whole place in chaos if everyone sees flashing lights and hears sirens. Victoria, he has to turn the music off at ten, which he does every night. If you have a problem with it, I’m sure that you can find a nice brand of ear plugs to solve it. I know you are upset about it, but the police are not going to do anything about this, so you might as well just give up on that idea.”

  “Fine.” She shoved her phone back into her purse. “If they won’t do anything about it, maybe I will!” She swung her foot back and kicked a dancing snowman halfway across the hallway.

  “Hey!” Martin shrieked. “That cost me money. You can’t do that. Now, I’m calling the police! Get me the phone, Trudy.”

  “Now, Martin, please, do we really need to do that?” Trudy’s voice shook as she questioned him.

  “Oh yeah? You go ahead and call them!” Victoria spun on her heel and marched back to her apartment. She slammed the door so hard that the wall trembled.

  “Get my phone, Trudy!” Martin shouted. Trudy jumped at the harsh tone and trembled just like the wall.

  “Settle down, Martin.” Charlotte picked up the wiggling snowman. “She didn’t do any damage. See?” She set it back into its place, and it began to dance as usual. “The police won’t even bother to write up a report. It’s best to just let all of this go. All right?” She met his eyes. “Just let it go.”

  “That’s easy for you to say, you’re not the one being harassed and threatened by that beast of a woman.” He scowled as he looked over the snowman. “What kind of person beats up an innocent snowman?”

  “The kind of person that’s had enough of the Christmas music. I think you’ve done a great job here, Martin, but you could tone it down a bit, you know. The music doesn’t have to be on all day, does it? Maybe if you agreed to certain hours with Victoria, all of this nonsense could be solved,” Charlotte suggested.

  “Never!” He narrowed his eyes. “I’ll turn it up even louder. She’s the one who started this war. We’ve been here for a long time, and there’s no reason that we shouldn’t be able to decorate the way we want to. And if you or Victoria have a problem with it, I don’t really care.”

  “Martin. I never said I had a problem with it.” Charlotte frowned, then looked past him at Trudy. “Are you all right, dear?”

  “I’m fine.” She nodded, then ducked back into the apartment.

  “You should go inside too, Martin. There’s no need to make more of this than you already have.” Charlotte eyed him sternly. “It’s the holidays, remember?”

  “Right, whatever.” He waved his hand, then stomped into the apartment after his wife.

  By the time Charlotte reached her apartment, it was two minutes before ten. One minute later, the music turned off. Martin knew the rules, and he followed them precisely. She sighed as she settled into her favorite chair. If she wasn’t exhausted from her day, she was definitely exhausted from the argument. She couldn’t shake the memory of the way Victoria looked at Martin, as if she’d like to knock him out. She could only hope that it wouldn’t escalate to that point.

  Chapter 2

  When Ally’s alarm clock buzzed, she cringed and buried her head under her pillow. She didn’t want to get up. Then she recalled setting up a meeting with Nina at the shop that day. That drew her out from under the blankets. Peaches opened one eye and gazed at her with annoyance.

  “I know, I know, it’s early.” Ally stifled a yawn. “But, it’s that time of year.” She plodded her way into the bathroom, woke herself up with a shower, then tossed on some clothes. She was still bleary eyed when she turned on the coffee maker. She had just a few minutes to sit and wait for it to brew. As she nibbled on a muffin, her cell phone rang.

  “Morning, Luke.” She smiled as she answered.

  “Good morning. Did you get any sleep last night?”

  “Yes, I did. But not as much as I wanted.” She laughed. “I think after New Year’s, I’m going to sleep for a week. I’ve asked my friend Nina if she might want to help me in the shop part-time.”

  “Oh, that’s great. Nina seems like a nice person. I’ve only met her a few times, but she’s always so cheerful.”

  “She is. I think we’ll do well working together. But you never know until you’re in the situation, right?” She chewed on her bottom lip. “How is everything going there?”

  “Cold. But otherwise good. I’m heading off for the first training session this morning. It should be interesting. It’s all about the psychological perspective of a murderer. I tend to think people are a little too focused on that, but maybe the class will change my mind.”

  “Oh, that sounds like a great way to spend your morning. Very mind-stretching.” She grinned. “Just think, you could be elbow deep in chocolate with me.”

  “Hmm.” His voice trailed off as he stretched out the sound.

  “What?”

  “Oh sorry, I just got lost thinking about you covered in chocolate…”

  “Luke!” Her cheeks grew hot even though he was several states away.

  “What?” He laughed as he attempted to sound innocent. “You’re the one that brought it up.”

  “Good point.” She rolled her eyes and grinned. “Make sure you have a great day.”

  “I’m going to do my best, I hope you do the same.”

  “I will.”

  She hung up the phone and already felt pepped up even before she had her coffee. Luke always managed to fill her with enthusiasm and determination. After pouring herself a cup she took a few deep breaths of the steam. Her cell phone rang
again. This time it was her grandmother.

  “Good morning, Mee-Maw, how are you?”

  “I’m okay.” Her voice wavered some.

  “Mee-Maw? What’s up?” Ally narrowed her eyes.

  “Oh nothing, just Martin and Victoria having their music wars again.”

  “Still?” Ally shook her head. “Victoria should give it up. Martin is never going to turn off that music.”

  “No, he’s not.” Charlotte laughed. “I’ll see you at the shop in a bit?”

  “Yes, thank you so much. I can’t wait to see those molds you got. Oh also, I have Nina coming in to see how she likes things.” Her heart fluttered nervously.

  “Great, I can’t wait to spend some time with her. Between the two of us we’ll have her trained in no time.”

  “I hope so. See you soon, Mee-Maw.” Ally hung up the phone and began to feel as if a burden had been lifted off her shoulders. She finished her coffee and was about to stand up, when Peaches jumped onto the middle of the table and gave a loud meow.

  “All right, all right, breakfast is on its way!” Ally laughed as she hurried to get the cat’s food ready. Arnold flicked his ears back and forth a few times, then opened his eyes. He was lying in the kitchen near the back door, ensuring that he never missed a meal. As soon as he heard the cat food can pop open he jumped to his feet and charged over to Ally. She reached down and rubbed the top of his head.

  “Don’t worry, Arnold, you’re next.”

  Once she had them fed, she glanced at her watch. She was running a few minutes behind as usual. After a quick walk for Arnold, she kissed them both goodbye. Although they were pets, to her they were family. Her cat, Peaches was like a close friend. Arnold was her grandmother’s pet, but she’d come to love him just as much as Peaches. With them in her home, she never felt lonely.

  On the way to the shop, Blue River sprawled out around her. She loved her hometown, despite its limitations. It might take forever to get to a decent store, but the best part about the little country town was how close-knit the people were. She knew just about everyone, and just about everyone knew her. That could be a little daunting at times, but it could also be a great comfort. She parked at the shop while most of the others on the street were still closed. She headed to the front door and unlocked it. Right away she relaxed. Even though she had a ton of work to do, she still felt relieved to be in the familiar surroundings. It was her home away from home, and she was very grateful to be able to run it.

  A few minutes after she arrived, Nina knocked on the front door. Ally opened it up for her and welcomed her inside.

  “Hi there.” She smiled. “I didn’t expect you so early.”

  “Well, I figured if you were going to be here early we might as well be here together.” She grinned, a charming grin, that made Ally certain that she knew some secret to happiness. Just behind her, Charlotte stepped inside.

  “Good morning, ladies.” She smiled at them both. “I brought the molds.” She held up a bag. “Want to play with them, Ally?”

  “I can’t wait!” The three headed into the back. There was a window from the front of the shop into the kitchen. This allowed anyone who wanted to view the chocolates being made a peek into the process. Ally often forgot it was even there, but it did help add some natural light to the kitchen area.

  As they worked together to create some chocolates with the new molds, Nina caught on quickly. Ally was impressed with how attentive she was. “Sometimes it can get a little boring because of how repetitive it can be,” Ally offered in an apologetic tone.

  “Oh, I don’t think I could ever get bored with chocolate.” Nina laughed.

  “Help yourself to some samples before Mrs. Bing, Mrs. White, and Mrs. Cale get here.” Charlotte offered her a tray filled with chocolates. “Those three are our best customers.”

  “When they pay.” Ally laughed. “No, seriously, they are in here every day at least once, and always keep us up to date with the local happenings.”

  “Yum.” Nina plucked a dark cherry chocolate from the tray and popped it into her mouth. “Delicious. Are you sure you don’t want me to pay you to work here?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “Hmm, interesting idea.” Ally eyed her with a light smile. “Or maybe we can just pay you in chocolate?”

  “I’m not sure you’d have any left for the customers.” Nina snatched another piece. “Is there anything that needs to be done before we open?”

  “Just a few calls to make, and then a quick once over of the shop.” Ally glanced up at the clock. “Oops, we’ve been chatting so much that we’re running a little behind.”

  “You make the calls, I’ll check over the shop.” Nina picked up a broom. “Just in case.” She winked.

  “Thanks, Nina!”

  Charlotte followed Ally into the back. “You were right, she’s a keeper, Ally.”

  “I think so, too. We’re going to have a great time working together.” She picked up the phone from the desk. “I need to organize some pick-ups for today.”

  “I’ll get started on the next batch of chocolates. Can you do me a favor and add Diana to your list of calls? Her chocolates should be ready in an hour.”

  “Sure, no problem.” Ally began to call the number.

  Charlotte made a few batches of chocolates, then stepped out into the front of the shop. Business was in full swing. Both Ally and Nina were behind the counter helping customers. Charlotte paused for just a moment to look at them. They were both so poised and friendly. Sometimes she wondered how so much time had passed. It seemed like yesterday that Ally held on to her knee for a ride around the shop. She pushed the thought away and stepped behind the counter to help them. After serving a few customers, Ally sent Nina for a break.

  After another line of customers, Charlotte caught sight of a familiar face through the front window. She waved as the woman stepped inside.

  “Hi, Charlotte.” Diana smiled as she closed the door behind her. “I can’t believe you have my order ready so fast! I’m so thankful.”

  “I knew you’d need to package them up so I wanted to make sure that you had them right away. Let me just get them from the back for you.” She stepped through the door into the kitchen and grabbed a stack of three full boxes. When she returned, Ally was looking at pictures of Diana’s painted boxes on her phone.

  “Wow, these are beautiful, Diana.” Ally handed her back the phone.

  “Thank you. They are great for keeping bits and pieces in. I’m obviously not going to give you and your grandmother your own chocolates, but I can give you a giftbox if you want.” She looked at the wooden items on display.

  “Yes please! We can put it on display in the shop.” Ally smiled. “You have real talent.”

  “Thank you, Ally, but you and your grandmother are the talented ones. I can’t wait to see how these turned out.” She met Charlotte at the end of the counter.

  “Here, take a look.” She opened one of the boxes to show off the chocolates.

  “Oh, Charlotte, they’re perfect.” She clasped her hands against her chest. “So darling, almost too darling to eat.”

  “Oh, but you have to try them.” She gave her a piece of milk chocolate from the sample tray. “Never give away anything that you haven’t tasted first.” She winked at her.

  “Thank you!” Diana squeaked happily and popped the chocolate into her mouth. “Mm, mm, it melts in your mouth! So good.” She sighed with pleasure. “What a perfect gift for Christmas. Everyone will be so happy to receive it.”

  “Yes, they will be, especially in that beautiful box. Are you going to need any help packaging them up?” Charlotte picked up one of the sample chocolates as well. It really was delicious.

  “Oh no, I can do it. I hope to start delivering by this evening. Once I get them all handed out, then I can finally relax and enjoy my holiday.” She sighed with a laugh. “It’s a lot of work, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is.” Charlotte grinned. “But well worth it.” She rang the
sale up on the cash register.

  “Bye Ally!” Diana waved to her as she picked up her boxes of chocolates. “It was good to see you again.”

  “You too.” Ally smiled as she waved back. “Enjoy your chocolates!”

  The shop had no customers for the first time that day. As Ally turned to Charlotte to offer to make her a coffee, Beth came in the front door as Nina came in the back.

  “Hi Beth.” Charlotte smiled.

  “Charlotte, when I walked past before it was so busy I thought I would come back. Lucky I did, this is much better.”

  “Yes, we were very busy, but it’s emptied out now.” Charlotte smiled. “What can I get for you?”

  “I wanted to pick up the chocolates and the chocolate covered Christmas tree cookies for my grandkids. Are they ready?”

  “Yes, I’ll just grab them for you.” Ally smiled as she went into the kitchen. She returned shortly after with the boxes of chocolates and chocolate cookies and placed them on the counter. Ally opened the boxes for Beth to see.

  “Oh perfect!” Beth smiled as she looked over the boxes. “I love the white chocolate on the cookies, it looks like snow.”

  “Try one.” Ally handed her a spare cookie to try.

  “Thank you.” Beth bit into the cookie. “Mm, delicious.”

  “Mee-Maw, I’m going into the back to make another batch of chocolates. Nina is pretty good to go on the register if you want a break.” She patted her grandmother’s shoulder before she walked into the kitchen.

  “Oh thanks, sweetie. Yes, we can use some more samples out here.” Charlotte accepted Beth’s payment. “Enjoy your chocolates!”

  “I will, thank you!” Beth moved to pick up the boxes of chocolates.

  “Here, let me get that for you.” Nina reached for the boxes. “I can carry them out to your car for you.” She offered a sunny smile.

  “Why? Because I’m too old?” Beth eyed her with a frown. “I can carry candy, thank you very much.” She picked up the four boxes, turned on her heel, and marched out of the shop. At the door she struggled for a moment to get it open, but managed to push through before either Charlotte or Nina could offer to help.