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

“Just tell me.”

  “Ally, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news. How well do you think your grandmother really knows this man?”

  “Well enough to care about him and trust him.” She frowned. “They only met when she moved into Freely Lakes, he is originally from Mainbry.”

  “It seems to me that he has a lot of secrets. The information that comes in gets worse every time I check in with the lead detective, and Ally, you need to realize that I only have this information due to a favor from him.”

  “I do.” She held her breath.

  “I kept asking him how they could make the arrest with no motive for Jeff to kill Dean. He finally told me that they do have motive. There were some problems between them about bills being in dispute.”

  “That’s to be expected when doing business together. I’m sure it wasn’t any kind of huge issue.”

  “If that were the only evidence against him I would agree, but there’s more. Dean’s sister, Bianca had a restraining order against Jeffrey, fifteen years ago.”

  “Fifteen years ago? But what does that matter now?” She frowned.

  “It shows a history of issues and potential violence.”

  “Did he hurt her?” Her eyes widened.

  “I’m not sure yet, I’m still trying to get more information on the restraining order.”

  The bell above the door chimed, and Charlotte stepped inside. As she looked at the two of them, her expression grew more stern. “What is it?”

  “Luke was just telling me that Dean’s sister took out a restraining order against Jeff fifteen years ago. Did you know about this?” Ally met her grandmother’s eyes.

  “No, just like he doesn’t know things about me from fifteen years ago. I’m sure it was some kind of misunderstanding.”

  “Mee-Maw, at some point you’re going to have to realize that you might not know this man as well as you think.”

  “This man’s name is Jeffrey, and I know his heart. That’s all I need to know. He is innocent, and I’m going to work to get him released. He’s told me that Dean’s son-in-law, Brad, had some kind of secret that might have been worth killing over. If you don’t want to help, that’s fine, just tell me now.” She crossed her arms and looked between the two.

  “Of course I’ll help, Mee-Maw.” Ally stepped around the counter.

  “And I will do what I can.” Luke slid his hands into his pockets. “Just please understand that the evidence speaks for itself, and the more that stacks up against Jeff the less likely it is that he is going to be released. It’s just how it works.”

  “I understand that, plain and clear. I’m not asking you to do anything against the rules, Luke. Just having your support is enough.”

  “You have it, always.” He looked into her eyes. “I mean that. I’ll look into the son-in-law and let you know if I find anything.”

  “Thank you, Luke.” Charlotte’s voice softened as she returned his gaze. “I’m sorry if I’ve been harsh.”

  “It’s all right. I just want you to know that it is always my goal to put guilty people behind bars, and to keep innocent people out of prison, that is still my goal right now.”

  “I understand.” Charlotte smiled.

  Luke placed a quick peck on Ally’s cheek then headed out the door. Ally wished she could spend some time with him without so much tension. But her first priority was her grandmother, who had already grabbed a pen and paper.

  “Let’s start by making a list of suspects.”

  “As of now the only lead we really have is Dean’s son-in-law. If he had a secret worth keeping, then we need to find out what it was.”

  “You’re right, but how can we do that?” Ally finished stacking the chocolates in the refrigerator.

  “I say we just pay Erica a visit.” Charlotte frowned.

  “She just lost her father, Mee-Maw, we don’t want to cause her any more pain.” Ally sighed.

  “I don’t want to see her just to find out about her husband, but to make sure that she’s safe. If Dean had reason to suspect his son-in-law was up to something and we think he might be the murderer, then Erica might be in danger.”

  “I hadn’t even considered that.” Ally’s eyes widened. “If Brad did kill him, then Erica could be next. We definitely need to check in on her.”

  Chapter 5

  Ally managed to find Erica’s address easily. She lived in Broughdon. She stared at the address for some time. What if they went there and Erica knew that Jeff was friends with Charlotte? What if she was beside herself with grief?

  “Mee-Maw, I found the address. But you need to be prepared for what we might find when we get there. Brad might be home and neither of them might be very welcoming.”

  “I know.” Charlotte frowned. “I have no intention of upsetting Erica. I just want to pay my respects and to be sure she is all right. If I can get some information from her it’s a bonus. I’ve put together a nice assortment of chocolates for her including some dark chocolate covered peanuts.”

  “All right, if you’re ready I’m ready.” Ally jotted down the address and stepped away from the computer. Charlotte picked up the box of chocolates and they headed out of the shop. Ally locked the door behind her, then hooked her arm through her grandmother’s.

  “We’ll just stop in, Ally, nothing too intrusive. But if it leads to something, then maybe Jeff will be out by the end of the day.”

  “Yes, Mee-Maw, maybe he will be.” Ally smiled at her, but she had her doubts. From what she had heard it was a lot harder to get out of jail than it was to get into it. They drove about thirty minutes to Erica’s home. A car was parked in the driveway. Ally cleared her throat.

  “So, let’s just be polite and hopefully she’ll invite us in.”

  “Can do.” Charlotte stepped out of the car with the box of chocolates gripped tight in her hands. Ally prepared herself for what they might face when Erica opened the door. Losing a parent was never easy. She knocked on the door firmly, then stood back and waited to see if anyone would answer. Right away the door swung open. Erica stood in the doorway. Her eyes were swollen from old tears, and her long dark hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. Although she looked right at Ally, Ally couldn’t find the right words.

  Erica was in her twenties, but it seemed to her that she had aged at least ten years since the last time she saw her in the shop.

  “Hello Erica.” Charlotte started to say more, but Erica sniffed and nodded.

  “Charlotte, Ally. It’s so kind of you to come here. I could really use some comfort food.” She laughed through the tears that formed in her eyes.

  “I’m so sorry about your father, Erica. We want to offer our condolences.” Charlotte held out the box of chocolates. “I know it’s not going to ease your grief.”

  “It’s just what I needed. It’s very sweet of you. Would you like to come in for a minute?” She stepped aside to allow them room to enter.

  “Yes, thank you.” Charlotte carried the chocolates inside, and Ally stepped in after her.

  “Honestly, I think everyone is afraid to talk about it. When I first heard, everyone called, everyone visited, but that was over so quickly and now, it’s just so quiet.” She bit into her bottom lip. “My husband is handling some of my father’s affairs, so here I am in this house alone, and it just seems so surreal.”

  Charlotte and Ally followed her into the living room. Erica gestured to the couch as she sat across from them in a chair.

  “It’s our pleasure to keep you company, Erica. When my daughter passed away, people did the same, the loss was so intense, I think they just didn’t know how to talk about it. But I needed to talk. We’re here to listen.”

  “I’m just so shocked by all of this. It’s comforting for me to talk about him.”

  “We have heard that he was a wonderful man.” Charlotte glanced over at Ally. “To lose a father, a parent, is so overwhelming. It’s more than just a loss of a loved one, it’s a loss of a life-long guardian.”


  “Yes.” Erica grabbed a tissue and pressed it beneath her eyes as she nodded. “I can’t even picture life without him.”

  “I’ve heard he was very protective of you, and your sister,” Ally said casually.

  “Yes, he was.” She laughed. “He would greet our dates with such an interrogation that I had a few decide against taking me out when I was a teenager. It upset me at the time, but now looking back, I understand why he did it. He was a great father.”

  “I imagine your husband must be a wonderful person, too, if he made it past that interrogation.” Ally smiled.

  “Yes, he is. Although, he and my father did not always get along. I guess, my dad just didn’t think any man was good enough for me.” She shrugged, then stared down at her hands in her lap. “I miss him so much already.”

  “I’m sure you do.” Charlotte offered her a box of tissues from the coffee table.

  Erica sniffed as she grabbed a tissue. “Thank you for listening. I’m still numb I think. My dad was so important to me. He always told me the truth. No matter what, he was honest with me. Sometimes I would feel like he was the only one that was.”

  “It’s so important to have people in your life that you can trust. Maybe you can turn to your family?” Ally glanced around the room at the family photographs on the walls.

  “Yes, I am glad to have them, but my aunt she is a little dramatic, and sometimes she tells stories. She is on vacation at the moment, but she is cutting it short to come back for the funeral. My sister is so busy with her children right now, it’s hard to get time to talk with her. And she is going through her own loss, her children have lost their grandfather, it’s all very difficult. Of course, there’s my husband Brad, but he’s more of a doer. He is a problem solver. His way of handling my father’s death is to make sure that all of his affairs are in order. Which is helpful to me, but keeps him pretty busy.”

  “It is nice that he’s taking the lead on that. Sometimes it’s hard to go through all of the routine around someone’s death. It sounds as if whatever issues they had in the past, were reconciled.”

  “I’m not sure. My father always mentioned to me that he thought Brad wasn’t very honest. Which is true, he’s kept things from me before, even lied to me about a few things, but nothing too major. My father just had very high standards when it came to honesty. But things must have been getting better between them, because they were supposed to go golfing this weekend together. It was the first time my father ever invited him to do that.” She grabbed another tissue. “And now they won’t be able to.”

  “At least your father knew you would be taken care of, maybe that can give you a little comfort.” Charlotte’s voice softened with sympathy. As Erica wiped away tears, Ally fought her own as the conversation brought back memories of losing her mother. She knew if she listened to the woman’s grief much longer she might shed a few. As her cheeks burned, she decided to excuse herself to gather her emotions in private.

  “I’m sorry to ask, Erica, but is there a bathroom that I could use?”

  “Oh yes, it’s just down the hall there and on the right.” She pointed to a hallway filled with boxes. “Excuse the mess, we had some things from my father’s office moved out of the store once the police were done looking through them. I honestly don’t know what are and aren’t important documents so we just brought them here for now to keep them safe.”

  “Thank you.” Ally made her way down the hallway.

  The stacks of boxes called to her. Maybe there was something in them that would give them another suspect to look into, or an indication that Brad really was involved.

  Ally held her breath for a moment and listened to be sure that no one had followed her, then as casually as she could she peeked into the boxes. Right on top of one of the boxes was a customer logbook. She could see Dean’s neat handwriting on every line. Quickly, she glanced up towards the living room. She could hear her grandmother offering comforting words. With a little time to spare she decided to photograph each of the recent pages of the logbook. She snapped pictures until she heard the floor creak. Someone in the living room stood up. She darted into the bathroom and tucked her phone into her pocket. As she flushed the toilet and washed her hands, her heart raced. What if she had been caught taking pictures? The thought left her unsettled. When she opened the bathroom door, Erica’s voice drifted from the living room.

  “Brad, I didn’t expect you home so soon.”

  Ally’s heart jumped into her throat as heavy footsteps made their way into the living room. Brad, as in the only murder suspect they had? She stepped back into the living room just in time to see a tall, thick man, tower over her grandmother.

  “What are you doing here?” His voice raised with each word he spoke.

  “Brad stop! Don’t speak to her like that, they’re just here to help.” Erica grabbed on to his thick arm and tugged at him. “Why are you acting like this?”

  “And how is the girlfriend of the man who murdered your father going to help you?” He shot a glare in Erica’s direction. “Why did you let her in here?”

  “What are you talking about?” Erica looked from Charlotte, to Ally. “They’re friends of mine.”

  “Friends?” He growled. “I know exactly who you are.” He jabbed a finger towards Charlotte. “When I was with my father-in-law in the shop Jeff was there. He was bragging about what a beautiful woman he was dating. He showed him your picture. The only reason you’re here is because he’s exactly where he should be, locked up!”

  “Mee-Maw, we should go.” Ally stepped between her grandmother and Brad.

  “That’s right you should go! What kind of nerve do you have coming here after what Jeff did?” He refused to move back as Charlotte got to her feet.

  “Jeff didn’t do this, he wouldn’t do this. You know that, and I’m sure you do, too, Erica.” She looked past Brad, to Erica, who’s face crumpled with confusion.

  “You’re Jeff’s girlfriend? Why did you lie to me? Why didn’t you tell me?” Erica glared at her. “You said I could talk to you.”

  “And you can, sweetheart. I meant what I said. I didn’t want to cause you any pain. Jeff was a good friend of your father’s and I know that he didn’t do this. Don’t you want the right person to be arrested for your father’s murder?”

  “You need to leave. The two of you should be ashamed.” Brad held Erica close in his arms as he glared at them.

  “My grandmother didn’t…” Ally began to defend her grandmother.

  “No Ally, don’t.” Charlotte placed a hand on her shoulder. “Erica, I’m sorry. I truly am sorry about your loss. I can assure you that Jeff had nothing to do with this, and one day soon, you will know the truth.”

  “Don’t you say another lying manipulative word! Just get out before I call the cops!” Brad pointed to the door. Ally steered her grandmother towards it. She glanced back just before they stepped through the door and saw Brad wrap his arms around Erica. Erica rested her head against his chest. Ally felt sorry for Erica, but she was also frightened by the thick muscles that flexed in Brad’s arms. What would he do if Erica began to suspect that he was the killer?

  Once in the car, Charlotte looked at Ally. “I’m sorry, Ally, maybe we shouldn’t have done that.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry for, Mee-Maw. We were only there to pay our respects and try to find out the truth. It’s clear that Brad probably has enough rage in him to commit the crime that we think he might have. I just hope that he loves Erica enough not to cause her any harm.” She started the car and pulled out of the driveway. “I never expected him to know that you and Jeff were dating.”

  “I can’t believe Jeff would show my picture around like that.” Charlotte frowned. “That seems rather childish to me.”

  “I don’t think so, Mee-Maw. It sounds like he’s in love to me.” Ally glanced over at her.

  “Yes, well.” Charlotte blushed as she stared through the window. “That’s not important now.”


  “I know neither of us was expecting things to happen the way they did, but we’d better be more careful from now on.”

  “Yes, you’re right, we should. Are we still going to stop at Silvio’s store?”

  “Yes, we’re already here in Broughdon.”

  “Good. Maybe that will give us some more insight into what happened here.” She bit into her bottom lip. “It was horrible to hear Jeff called a killer.”

  “Do you think Erica knew about whatever secret her husband is keeping?” Ally glanced over at her.

  “I doubt it. That’s why I stopped you. She just lost her father, she doesn’t need to know that her husband is keeping secrets, too.”

  “Unless that secret is that he murdered her father.”

  “Yes, you’re right, but without proof there’s no point to accusing him.”

  “I did find something interesting in the boxes in the hallway. It was a logbook and it includes the most recent customers at the shop. I took pictures of the last few pages so we can have an idea of who has been in contact with Dean recently.”

  “Oh, that’s a great place to start. Maybe he had a dispute with a customer that led to this.”

  “It’s possible.” Ally frowned. “I’m also curious about Dean’s competition. If there were issues between them, maybe they got to the point of violence.”

  “Maybe.” Charlotte nodded. “Let’s go now to Silvio’s supplies and see what we can find out.”

  As they drove towards the shop, Ally noticed how quiet her grandmother was. She reached over and patted her knee.

  “It’s okay, Mee-Maw. We’ll work this out.”

  “I just hope that we can prove that someone else did this.”

  “We’re working on it. We’re going to figure it out.” Ally shot her a look of reassurance, then focused on the road.

  Chapter 6

  The outside of ‘Silvio’s Supplies and More’ was fairly plain. Other than a small sign above the large front window that declared its name, there was no decoration. Ally held the door for her grandmother. As they stepped into the shop they were surrounded by shelves filled with assorted jewelry making supplies. At the back of the shop a long glass counter stretched from nearly one end to the other.