Cream of Sweet (Chocolate Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 3

  Jake made more ‘uh’ noises.

  “That this affair is long over. At least, the one with Lizzy. She sent me a threatening email—this one and many others, actually—demanding that I pay her exorbitant amounts of money, or she’d out me to my wife.”

  “Out you?”

  “Yes, she knew I was having affairs,” Ernest said matter-of-factly.

  “That’s what the newspaper article was about,” Jake said, at last finding his tongue and his backbone. Maybe that was a bit harsh, but Olivia had kind of thrown him into the deep end.

  “Yeah, she threatened to publish an article in the paper. I refused to pay, she published the article, and now my wife is divorcing me and taking half my empire. That about sums it up,” Ernest replied.

  Olivia blinked. “I see.”

  “Will there be anything else?” Ernest asked. “Or shall I call security to escort you out?”

  Olivia pursed her lips, then opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind.

  Jake jumped up and grabbed Olivia’s arm. “No, that will be all. Thank you for your time, Mr. Dennison.”

  Chapter Six

  “Not quite what I expected to find out,” Olivia said, walking with Dodger on the leash again.

  “Tell me about it,” Jake said. “I’d say we should add him to the suspect list, but he seemed calm about it. I mean, he could’ve kicked us out right away without cooperating. We didn’t have real authority to be there.”

  Olivia stopped dead in her tracks, and Dodger barked a complaint. He turned his head and bit at the leash. He’d been promised a second walk, and that meant he’d get one.

  “Relax,” Olivia told him and turned back to Jake. “He’s at the top of our suspect list. He had a clear motive to kill Lizzy. He was furious with her.”

  “So was most of the town,” Jake replied and folded his arms across his chest.

  Olivia prepared for the showdown. Ever since her son had left for college, she had become accustomed to doing things on her own. She didn’t need help to manage the finances of her business, and she certainly didn’t need Jake’s negativity about the case.

  He seemed timid about doing things that might be a little out of bounds but might yield great results.

  “You’re suggesting we interview the entire town, Mr. Morgan?”

  “We can’t accuse Dennison without real facts, Miss Cloud.” The corners of Jake’s mouth twitched. “You’re so defensive. I don’t get it—don’t you trust my judgment on this? I’ve been investigating for quite a while.”

  Olivia relaxed her shoulders. “It’s not that. I’m just used to doing things on my own, especially since my divorce.”

  Dodger barked and whined. He scratched at his collar this time, and the jangling of the leash interrupted Olivia’s thoughts.

  “I understand. I lost my wife a while ago. It’s easy to fall into a rhythm of doing everything yourself after something like that happens.” Jake’s smile was easy, and he gestured to the sidewalk. “Shall we?”

  Olivia’s insides did a flip. He was a polite man. Perhaps she’d been a bit too harsh because, gosh, she really wanted to solve this mystery before it was too late and her business suffered. Never mind knowing that the killer was on the loose.

  “All right, let’s look at all the clues we have so far.” Olivia set off again, much to Dodger’s relief, and they strode down the sidewalk, turning their faces to the sun.

  They’d had to pop into the chocolate shop to fetch Dodger after the interview with Dennison. The late afternoon was warm with a tiny nip to the breeze. Pleasant Chester scents drifted on the air: baking cakes from a cupcake store at the end of the road, lavender from the florist, and the fine wood shavings from Kinks McGee’s carpentry shop.

  “Obviously, Lizzy was good at fighting with people. I know firsthand,” Olivia said. She sighed and turned the corner into the road that led back to the Block-a-Choc Shoppe.

  “Right, but this article she wrote about Dennison can’t have been the only scathing piece in the paper.”

  Olivia clicked her fingers. “That’s it! We’ve got to get to the library and check out the Chester Gazette. I bet we’ll find a few articles of interest in it.”

  “Good idea,” Jake replied. “So we’ll meet back at your shop tomorrow at—”

  “There you are!” a woman cried. The slam of a door followed, and hasty footsteps scratching along the concrete. “I thought you two had gotten lost.”

  Alberta hurried up to them, her violet hairdo wiggling in the breeze.

  “Hiya, Albie,” Jake said. “We were just heading back to the store.”

  “So soon? I thought you two were on a da—uh, investigating.” Alberta tried and failed to cover her Freudian slip with a wave. It didn’t work.

  Olivia’s cheeks flushed bright red, and she turned her head to avoid meeting Jake’s gaze. He’d probably think she’d lost it.

  “Uh, no, we’re going to meet up tomorrow morning to check out a few leads,” Jake replied.

  Wonderful, that would give Olivia’s elderly assistant more ‘dating’ ammunition to fire at will.

  “Well, well, well, isn’t that wonderful? You two working together like this, it warms my heart. I’m overjoyed. I see an amazing future laid out before you.” Alberta raised both palms and twiddled all her fingers.

  “Future?” Jake and Olivia said, in unison, then exchanged sheepish glances. Dodger ran in circles around Olivia, twisting the leash round and round her ankles.

  “Dodger,” Olivia hissed, then bent to untangle herself. For once, she wasn’t upset he’d interrupted the conversation. When Alberta went on a roll, she didn’t let up until every person in the conversation was thoroughly embarrassed.

  Olivia took her time sorting out the leash, then straightened up after a couple minutes. “I think it’s time to call it a day. I’ll see you tomorrow, Jake.” She grasped Alberta by the upper arm, spun her on the spot and marched her towards the front of the store.

  “Oh, you’re not angry, are you?” Alberta asked and giggled. She truly had a child’s spirit.

  “No, Alberta, I’m not angry,” Olivia replied, a long-suffering sigh flapping her lips up and down. But she couldn’t resist glancing back at Jake.

  He stood in the exact same spot, his hand raised in farewell.

  Olivia nodded and turned back to the store, her stomach bubbling. She hadn’t experienced nerves like that since she’d been a teenager. She shook her head to clear it. She couldn’t afford a crush on the handsome investigator.

  She had a shop to run and a mystery to solve, and… well, that was about it now that Sebastian had gone off to start his studies.

  “Are you all right, dear?” Alberta asked.

  They entered the chocolate store and marched to the counter, where Alphonsine dished a handful of truffles onto a plate.

  “Oui, you seem a little nostalgique?” The Frenchwoman asked and handed Olivia the plate.

  Dodger turned in circles and barked.

  “I’m fine. Alphonsine, would you mind taking my mutt upstairs?”

  “But of course,” Alphonsine replied, and dipped her head. Her hair was pulled up an ornate French braid, which was fancier than her usual style. She took Dodger’s leash and led him upstairs.

  Olivia picked up a chocolate truffle and popped it into her mouth. The sweetness spread on her tongue, the bitterness of the cocoa dusting meshing with the creamy milk chocolate filling.

  “You need a man,” Alberta said, circling to stand behind the cash register. She readjusted her apron. “Oh, I know, I know. You can be angry if you like, Livvy, but I do believe that Empty Nest Syndrome has set in. You’re lonely.”

  Olivia chuckled. Alberta didn’t know when to give up. “And you, my dear, are a meddler.”

  The older woman feigned horror, placing her palm on her chest. “Who, me?”

  “Besides,” Olivia said, walking over to her assistant, “how could I be lonely with my three A’s to keep me company?
”

  Chapter Seven

  Olivia slapped her thick, woolen gloves together, shook them out, then slipped them on. The early fall morning was far too cold for bare knuckles. She admired the swirling flower decorations in the knit.

  Her mother had given her these gloves years before, and Olivia had worn them every fall without fail. She turned and glanced up at the second-story window at the end of her hall. Dodger stood on the sill, licking the glass pane frantically. He whined loudly enough for her to hear. The poor boy was devastated he couldn’t accompany Olivia on another sleuthing expedition.

  Alphonsine appeared and dragged Dodger out of sight, probably back into the living room for a few naughty dog snacks. She did spoil Dodger whenever she got the chance.

  “There you are,” Jake said, appearing at Olivia’s side. He wore a pair of woolen gloves himself, though his were brown and lacking any decoration. He clapped his hands together and blew into them. “Cold, isn’t it?”

  “All the more reason to walk ourselves warm,” Olivia replied. “We can come back here after we’re done. There’s a cup of coffee with my name on it in the shop.”

  “There’d better be one for me, too.”

  They hurried down the road, huddled in their jackets and laughing about how cold it was, even though it would get much colder in the winter. Each year, Olivia believed it was colder than the last, even though the temperatures were always in the same range.

  In no time, they were seated at a polished walnut table, surrounded by towering bookshelves, green fuzzy carpeting beneath their boots. They huddled behind a computer and went through the library’s online archive for the Chester Gazette.

  “Look at this one,” Olivia said, pointing at the screen. “Dated about a month back.”

  Jake clicked on it and opened the article. “Oh wow. This is horrible. Really scathing stuff.”

  Cuddle Institute? Try Brothel. New Hippie in Town, Jana Jujube, Starts Potential Prostitution Ring in Chester.

  “Ain’t that a headline,” Jake murmured. “So she targeted Jana, too…”

  “And Jana definitely didn’t open any brothel. I spoke to her just before Lizzy’s murder. She’s lovely, and she’s only interested in spreading love, not, uh… you know what I mean.” Olivia leaned in to read more.

  Jake joined her in that, and their shoulders rubbed together.

  Chester’s newest resident, Jana Jujube, says she’s determined to make a difference in our small town. And she’s absolutely right, but her version of ‘different’ is also spectacularly illegal.

  Jana’s new ‘Cuddle Clinic’ is a thinly veiled attempt at breaking the law by introducing prostitution to Chester. This sick practice has been illegal since 1915, but Jana thinks changing the name of her business will disguise its illegality.

  “I just want to make people happy. The Cuddle Clinic will do just that,” Jana said in an exclusive interview with yours truly. Happy, indeed.

  Olivia sat back, blinking. “That’s the worst reporting I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading.”

  “You won’t have to read any more of it now that Lizzy’s gone,” Jake replied. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “We’ve got to interview Jana. I hate to say it, but she definitely had a motive to get rid of Lizzy. She mentioned to me, too, that she didn’t particularly like her.” Olivia rose slowly and eased her feet back into her boots. “I don’t think Jana has a bad bone in her body.”

  “We have to talk to her, regardless. And remain impartial.” Jake nudged her.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Olivia replied and gave him her best theatrical eye-roll. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “Right, but can we catch a cab this time? I think I’ll be frostbitten if we walk again.”

  “Drama queen,” Olivia said.

  “Excuse me, I am a drama king. Drama investigator?”

  They chuckled all the way to the sidewalk. Ten minutes later, they pulled up in front of Jana’s Cuddle Clinic. A line of customers stretched from the door, chatting amicably, all residents of the town.

  Olivia and Jake exchanged a glance.

  Honestly, no one had believed the Cuddle Clinic would ever be popular. Chester was a pretty traditional town, and cuddling wasn’t exactly high on the list of consumable products or services.

  They paid the driver, then hurried to the front of the line, ignoring the complaints. They reached the reception desk and met Jana’s broad grin.

  “Fancy seeing you here, Olivia,” Jana said. “I totally didn’t think you’d, like, be into a cuddle. But I’m glad to see you.”

  “I’m glad to see you too, Jana, but this isn’t a visit. We’re here on business.” Olivia raised a finger and swished it between her and Jake, creating an invisible line.

  Jana’s dopey gaze followed that line, and her eyes brightened. “Oh yeah? How can I help?”

  “We’d like to ask you a couple of questions.” Jake brought out a notepad and pen. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

  “Sure, sure,” Jana said. She stood and stretched her neck both ways then turned and yelled in the direction of an open door. “Pinkie! Get out here and handle reception. I gotta go do something.”

  Pinkie, named for his ruddy cheeks, darted out of the back room, his white-blond hair flopping around on his forehead. “I’m on it!” he screamed.

  The customers at the front of the line jumped.

  “Right this way,” Jana said, having regained her composure. She gestured to the back room.

  They followed her, though they paused to exchange another glance first. Jana Jujube bounced ahead of them, humming a tune under her breath; she was in an awfully good mood. She gestured for them to take seats on two puffy beanbag chairs.

  Jake and Olivia hesitated, then sank into the seats. Olivia’s was metallic blue, and Jake’s was silver.

  “So, uh, Jana…” Olivia said, craning her neck to see over the edge of the desk.

  “It’s good to see you again, Olivia,” the young woman said, straightening in her own beanbag chair and propping her chin on the table.

  This was an absurd seating arrangement.

  “And it’s good to see you. This is my friend, Jake Morgan. He’s a private investigator.”

  “Oh wow, that’s totally awesome,” Jana replied. “Like, welcome to the Cuddle Clinic.”

  “Thank you!” Jake cleared his throat. “You seem awfully busy.”

  “Yeah, it’s crazy, man. Ever since Lizzy Couture kicked the bucket, people have been streaming through the doors. Everybody wants a hug now... I think most of them are just afraid they’re next,” Jana said, in a mock spooky voice at the end. She giggled.

  “Yeah, about Lizzy. Look, we’re investigating the murder in a personal capacity, and we wondered, well—” Jake trailed off again.

  “We found out that Lizzy wrote an article about the Cuddle Clinic and about you, Jana,” Olivia finished for him.

  “Yeah, you know, she totally did, but it’s all good, man. It didn’t really hurt the clinic.”

  “You weren’t angry that she wrote that article?” Olivia asked, flourishing an invisible pen and pad in her mind.

  “No, not really. Lizzy was mean to everyone. Okay, I was a little upset, but there’s no way I would ever, like, do anything to hurt her. I spread the peace. Love.” Jana opened her arms wide. “I don’t have beef with anybody.”

  “Beef?” Jake asked.

  “It means she doesn’t have an issue with Lizzy,” Olivia said. Where had he been living, in a hole? Beef was hardly an old term.

  Jana bobbed her chin up and down, up and down. “Anything else I can help you with? It’s just, I gotta get back to the front. Pinkie’s not the brightest penny in the jar.”

  “One more thing,” Olivia said. “Did you notice anyone hanging around Lizzy after I left? Anyone hand her a chocolate or anything?”

  “Nah, I left right after you did. Her vibe was totally putting me off my work. You know how it
is.” Jana rose, smiling. “You guys wanna stick around for a couple cuddles? On the house.”

  “No!” Olivia and Jake said in unison.

  Chapter Eight

  “Slow down, Dodger!” Olivia said, but her dog was determined to lead her at a furious pace.

  Leaving him behind this morning had left him either insecure or with a taste for revenge. Much like no one put Baby in a corner, no one left Dodger behind during an adventure.

  The afternoon breeze had a slight bite to it, but nothing too icy, thank goodness. Olivia clutched her coat closed, regardless, and tugged on the leash.

  “Dodger,” she scolded, and the boisterous dog finally eased up on the pace. The entire reason she’d decided to leave the shop instead of staying to prepare chocolate drops for the Chester Fall Festival was to mull over the case.

  “What do we know?” she murmured, turning the corner.

  Lizzy had made a lot of enemies, they knew that. Lizzy had isolated Kinks McGee thanks to her temper, she’d outed Ernest Dennison as a philanderer, and she’d tried to label the Cuddle Clinic a brothel.

  Three solid suspects. Olivia raised her chin and sniffed. She refused to believe that her Alphonsine had anything to do with it. Her A’s were saintly and wouldn’t hurt a fly, least of all Alphonsine. The Frenchwoman looked after Dodger whenever Olivia asked, and she had a gentle demeanor.

  Olivia sighed. They desperately needed more evidence to figure this out, a point Jake had driven home at length.

  Jake Morgan. Olivia’s cheeks colored. He was cute in a bumbling kind of way.

  “Stop it,” Olivia said, scolding herself this time. Dodger still flinched but wagged his tail shortly after.

  They paused at the end of the sidewalk, glanced up and down the street, then crossed together. Olivia studied Kinks McGee’s workshop, which appeared to be closed, though the whine of a saw came from inside.

  “What is he up to?” Olivia wondered. She sneaked up to the front of the shop.