Chocolate Caramels and Conmen (A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Series Book 12) Read online

  “Those three are smart enough not to meddle in a murder investigation, don’t you think?” Charlotte laughed at her own words. “Listen to me. We’re not smart enough to stay out of it, are we?”

  “No, but we know to be more careful than they do.” Ally started the drive back towards the cottage. “Maybe we should have a talk with them.”

  “Oh trust me, having a talk with them won’t do anything about it.” She gazed out the window, then looked back at Ally. “I think Mrs. White and Mrs. Bing are upset about Harold?”

  “More than likely. If Mrs. Cale is willing to follow him if he decides to leave town, Mrs. White and Mrs. Bing will be heartbroken.”

  “Yes, that’s true. But if they get in too deep, they could be in real danger. You were right, we need to find out exactly what happened here. No matter what, we have to keep that meeting with Carl. At this point he’s our best suspect, with Paluo as a possibility. Though, I still don’t see why he would be angry enough to kill over a little confrontation in a restaurant.” She tapped her fingertips on her knee. “I suppose people have been killed for less.”

  “Yes, they have.” Ally pulled into the cottage, then put the car in park. “If we can’t stop them, then we need to solve this case ourselves, before they have a chance to get themselves into too much trouble.”

  “Paluo would be a good place to start. We need to find out more about him, where he came from, and what his past is like. There aren’t many strangers in Blue River.”

  “That reminds me. Two interesting characters came into the shop. They didn’t seem to be from around here. They gave me a weird vibe, too.” Ally stepped out of the car and walked up the driveway. Before she unlocked the door, she glanced back at Charlotte. “I have no idea who they were, but something didn’t feel right.”

  “It’s something to keep in mind. Trust your instincts, Ally.”

  “My instincts are telling me that Arnold and Peaches had a fight while we were gone.” Ally sighed as she pushed open the door to reveal the couch cushions all over the floor, and a torn-up roll of paper towel. “Peaches was probably jealous that Arnold got to go on a walk and she didn’t. Peaches!” She huffed as she began to clean up the mess. Arnold appeared from the hallway, his head low and his normally wagging perky tail, still.

  “Aw look, he knows he is in trouble.” Charlotte cooed at the pig. “Was that kitty cat mean to you?”

  “Mee-Maw, Peaches isn’t mean, she’s just temperamental.” Ally grinned at her.

  Once the mess was picked up, Ally returned to the table with her computer.

  “Let’s see what we can find out about Paluo.”

  “What about the meeting with Carl? We don’t have a plan yet. What are we going to say when he expects the case, but we don’t have it?”

  “I’m not sure, yet.” Ally chewed on her lip. “There has to be some way to convince him to talk with us. He’s our best source of information.”

  “We have to keep in mind that he could be the one behind all of this, too. He could be far more dangerous than he seems. A murderer and a gun runner? That’s not someone we should push too hard.” Charlotte began to put together sandwiches as she talked.

  Peaches jumped up on to the counter to inspect what she might get a crumb or two of later.

  “No, Peaches down.” Ally frowned as she scooped the cat off the counter, then set her down on the floor. “I’m looking up Paluo right now. At least we know that he was somewhere near the scene of the crime, and that he has a bone to pick with Marcus.”

  “If that was him that you saw.” Charlotte placed the sandwiches on two plates and carried them to the table. “We can’t be sure of that.”

  “I’m sure of it.” Ally pursed her lips as she recalled the glancing blow to her shoulder. “I remember his jacket and his hat. Unless someone else was wearing them, it was him.”

  “It is possible that someone else was wearing them.” She poured two glasses of iced tea, then sat down at the table. “Come eat, Ally. It’s important to keep up your strength.”

  “Oh, look at this!” Ally’s eyes widened as she stared at a review.

  “What is it?” Charlotte tried to peer at the screen.

  “It seems Marcus went on a rampage. He put bad reviews all over the place about Paluo, and even managed to make posts on Paluo’s social media profiles. He accused Paluo of having a dirty, disgusting restaurant and that he was going to call for an inspection.” She handed her computer over to her grandmother so that she could read the review. “I think this might have just increased the possibility that Paluo had something to do with this.”

  “Oh yes, that explains why he was so adamant about cleaning earlier. Maybe he’s expecting an inspection. As a new restaurant these terrible reviews can do a lot of damage to a place.” She sighed as she looked over the screen. “In my day all of this didn’t exist. Sometimes I wonder if technology is helping or hurting us.”

  “Well, I was able to find out quite a bit of information just by using technology, so on one hand, yes, I can see how it might be damaging, but on the other hand it is also very helpful.” She took a bite of her sandwich and smiled. “Thanks so much for this, Mee-Maw. It’s delicious.”

  “You’re welcome, just promise me you won’t post any reviews about it.” She laughed.

  “I promise.”

  While Ally ate, she thought about what might happen when Carl showed up at the shop. Would he demand the case? Would he be angry they didn’t have it? Or would he just be grieving the loss of a good friend?

  “Ally, you should tell Luke about our meeting with Carl, so he knows what’s happening.”

  “No way, if I mention it to Luke he’s going to insist that we not have the meeting.” Ally nodded. “But I have an idea and we might be able to use the police to our advantage.”

  “What do you mean?” Charlotte cleared the lunch plates and put them in the sink.

  “When Carl shows up we can tell him that the police came in and took the case, that we don’t know why, and they refused to tell us why. We can see how he reacts, whether he’s concerned about the gun inside, or not. I still don’t know why the gun was in there. What do you think?”

  “I think it’s worth a try. It’s all we have.” Charlotte sat back down at the table. “We can ask him about Paluo, too.” She glanced at the clock. “We only have about an hour, we’d better head over to the shop.”

  “Mee-Maw, maybe I should do this on my own.” Ally placed her hand over her grandmother’s. “Both of us don’t need to be there.”

  “If you think I’ll agree to that, you’re nuts.” She drew her hand back. “Now get moving, I want to leave in five minutes.”

  “Mee-Maw.” Ally frowned as she stood up. “I mean it, you should stay here. I’ll call you if I have any trouble.”

  “Really, have you forgotten who I am?” Charlotte stood up and met her granddaughter’s eyes. “I may have given you the shop, and I may be taking it a little easier these days, but I would never allow you to be in a dangerous situation on your own. The fact that you would even consider that shows that you don’t think very highly of me.”

  “Mee-Maw, that’s not true.” Ally’s eyes widened as she stared at her. “I know how strong you are, but I don’t want you to take a risk you don’t have to. I’m the one who made the deal with Marcus and Carl, not you. This is on me.”

  “No, it’s not. Listen.” Charlotte took a deep breath. “We’ll both go. But first, I need you to get that long-handled broom, the one in the back of the hall closet. I want to take it back to Freely Lakes with me. I can’t get all the way back there easily with my hips the size they are now. Grab that, and we’ll get out of here.”

  “All right, but Mee-Maw, you don’t really think I feel that way about you, do you?” Ally reached for her hand.

  “Don’t worry about it, Ally, we have to hurry, just grab the broom.” She pointed to the hall closet.

  “Okay, I’ll grab it.” Ally popped open the close
t door and turned on the light. It was a deep closet piled up with boxes and various cleaning tools. In order to get to the broom she had to step all the way in and squeeze past a stack of boxes. When the door closed behind her she was startled by the sound.

  “Mee-Maw?” Despite the tight squeeze she managed to turn around. She made her way back through the boxes and reached for the doorknob. It turned, but when she pushed the door, it didn’t budge. “Mee-Maw!” She shouted through the door and banged on it. When she heard the front door open and close she was too shocked to shout. Had her grandmother really just locked her in the closet and left her there?

  Chapter 10

  Charlotte drove away from the cottage quickly. Not only had she locked Ally in, but she took off with her car, too. She wanted to make sure that Ally couldn’t follow easily if she managed to get free. She knew her granddaughter would be furious with her later, but the important thing was that she would be safe. Charlotte wanted to face Carl on her own, to make sure that he wasn’t the killer, and to insist that Ally not get charged for the vacuum, which she’d recently discovered was very expensive. A few hundred dollars. She felt a little guilty about trapping Ally, but in the long run she was sure that she would understand. Before she closed the door on her, she’d left a bottle of water for her just inside the closet. She hoped that would remind Ally how much she cared, even though she had locked her in a closet.

  When Charlotte pulled up outside the shop her nerves were on edge. There were no other cars in the parking lot, which she expected since the shop was closed. But the light was fading, and the empty parking lot made her a little uneasy. After a brief pep talk in the rearview mirror she stepped out of the car. A wave of guilt washed over her as she thought of Ally trapped in the closet. At least she knew that the room was big enough that she wouldn’t feel claustrophobic, but that didn’t mean Ally would forgive her any time soon. She unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Then she locked it behind her, again. As she paced back and forth in the front of the shop she went over in her mind what she might say or do once Carl arrived. She made sure she had her cell phone in her pocket in case she wanted to record something, or make a quick call in an emergency. As each minute ticked by she mentally prepared herself for facing a man who might be a murderer. When there was a knock on the door she nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “Get it together, Charlotte.” She gritted her teeth. “Don’t show any weakness.”

  As she walked towards the door she wondered if she’d made the wrong choice by meeting with Carl alone. She wanted to keep Ally safe, but it was risky to face him by herself. The shadow of a man swayed back and forth outside the glass door. Her hand trembled as she unlocked the door. When she opened it, he met her eyes.

  “Charlotte.” He nodded to her. “May I come in?”

  “Yes.” She stepped back from the door to allow him inside. With her phone in her pocket she felt a little safer, but his demeanor made her uncertain of what might happen. He was neither friendly nor aggressive, he just moved past her with slow even steps. “I’m very sorry about your loss.” She turned to face him, but left the door unlocked. She wanted to be able to escape quickly if there was a need.

  Carl turned on his heel. When his dark eyes met hers, she saw a coldness there that left her unsettled.

  “It’s been very difficult for me to accept. I honestly thought this was a safe town.”

  “It is, generally.” She cleared her throat. “Do you have any idea who might have done something like this?”

  “Why would I?” He narrowed his eyes. “Why would I know who might murder my friend?”

  “I’m sorry, that came out wrong.” She slipped her hand into her pocket and placed her finger over the pre-programmed emergency button. “I just meant, it’s so shocking, I thought perhaps he had some difficulties.”

  “You mean you thought he had a reason to be murdered?” He stared hard at her, then cracked a slow smile. “Sorry, it’s been a strange day. I don’t know any reason why this happened. All I know is we came to this town, and now I’m going back home alone. So, do you have the vacuum?”

  She glanced nervously towards the kitchen, then back at him. One moment he seemed intense, and the next his tone became kind. She wasn’t sure what to think of him.

  “You know, Marcus seemed so passionate about his work. Did you know him well?” She stepped behind the counter. “Would you like some coffee? Some chocolates?”

  “Yes, I knew him well. No, thank you. I just want the vacuum.” He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss. Did he have family? A wife or girlfriend?” She put some chocolates on a plate and pushed it towards him.

  “No family, no.” He eyed the chocolates as if he might decline them again, then picked up a chocolate caramel instead. “He was a good guy. He had his flaws, we all do, but he certainly didn’t deserve this. I still don’t understand how it happened.”

  “Was he out late? Maybe for drinks or something?” She braced herself as she knew she was stepping into more dangerous territory.

  “Are you asking me if he wandered around drunk?” He pushed the plate with the remaining chocolates back. “I’m not interested in giving you gossip to spread around this useless town. I just want the vacuum. Where is it?”

  The anger in his words sparked through her nerves. She slipped her hand into her pocket and pressed the button to start a recording.

  “I have every intention of returning it to you, Carl, but unfortunately I don’t have it right this second.”

  “What do you mean you don’t have it?” His eyes flashed as his tone grew sharper. “Why would you have me come over here if you didn’t have it?”

  “The police came and took it as evidence in the investigation.” She did her best to keep her voice steady and calm. “I have no idea why. I thought maybe you would know.”

  He took a step back, his cheeks flushed.

  “Carl?” She remained behind the counter. The physical barrier helped her to feel a little more protected. “Why would the police want the vacuum?”

  “I don’t know!” He shouted as he turned back to face her. “How should I know? I don’t know who killed Marcus, and I don’t know why the police would want the vacuum, but I do know that you have wasted my time.” He snarled at her as he took a step towards the end of the counter. “I think you’re playing some kind of game with me. Don’t think I didn’t notice how cold you were to Marcus. He was just trying to be friendly, and you shot him down, just like every other person in this friendly, little town. You people don’t like outsiders much do you?” He reached the end of the counter and paused as he stared at her.

  “We try to be welcoming, but you’re right, I didn’t like the way that Marcus spoke to me or my granddaughter.” She realized that now she was trapped. He blocked the only way out from behind the counter. She could try to climb over it, but it was high, and by the time her not so limber body made it across the top he would be waiting for her on the other side. From his tone, she knew he was bordering on rage.

  “Yes, he could be crass. He thought that people liked him that way. I tried to explain that he should be more polite, but he didn’t listen. Marcus was his own man. He always lived his life that way. No one told him what to do. And yes, that made some people angry, but he didn’t care.” He shook his head. “All I know is he survived just fine until he got to this town, and now he’s dead.” He stared hard at her and met her eyes. “Until he met you.”

  “What are you trying to say?” Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.

  “I think you’re smart enough to understand me.” He shifted so that his body blocked the exit from behind the counter entirely, and he faced her directly. “Maybe you really didn’t like the way he talked to your granddaughter. Maybe you decided to take some small-town revenge on him?”

  “You’re crazy.” She frowned as she took a step back. That was it, that revealed fear, now he knew. He knew he had her cornered. H
er heart raced at the thought. She brushed her fingertip over the emergency button and in the same moment that he took a step towards her, she pressed it. Before she could even release the button, the front door of the shop burst open.

  Ally tried not to think about how small the closet felt with all of the boxes piled around her. She tried to only focus on getting out as quickly as she could. She smiled slightly when she saw the water bottle by the door. Her grandmother always took care of her. Then reality set in.

  “I can’t believe this!” Ally growled as she slammed her shoulder against the door. “When I get out of here, Mee-Maw!” She sighed as she slumped against the door. She knew exactly why her grandmother had locked her inside. She planned to go to the shop on her own no matter what it took, and her grandmother beat her to it. She was worried about her grandmother being alone at the shop and possibly confronting Carl. Charlotte was intelligent and capable of handling herself, but she could also have a bit of a temper.

  Brute force wasn’t going to get the door open. She had to face the fact that she might be stuck in the closet until her grandmother decided to come back. But what if something happened to her? Ally winced at the thought. She banged on the door again, and shouted. Maybe a neighbor would hear her, though she doubted it. The cottage was set back from the road and the neighboring houses were far apart. When she finally gave up and quietened down, she heard a familiar sound. Peaches meowed just outside the door.

  “Peaches.” She sighed and slumped down to her knees. “Hey sweetie, it’s okay.” She slid her fingertips under the door and felt a soft paw pat at them. She could only guess that her grandmother had pinned a chair underneath the knob of the door, which forced the door shut. She heard Peaches jump up on the seat of it. If she was a little heavier she might be able to knock it free. Her heart began to race as she came up with a plan. She looked around the closet and found what she hoped to, a bag of Arnold’s food. She squirmed as close to the door as she could, then shook the bag of food as hard as she could. As expected loud squeals and snorts sounded throughout the cottage. She heard Arnold scamper across the kitchen floor, and as she hoped he slammed right into something outside the door. She tried to open the door and found that it moved a little more, but still wouldn’t open.