Chocolate Cadavers Read online

  On my way to the shop the next day, I considered staying out of the investigation completely for once. Besides, I figured that the police would catch the real killer sooner or later. Right?

  My mind finally focused on the fall festival and all of the baked goods that needed to be perfected. Laurel was scheduled to come into the shop to discuss pastries, and it made me a little uncomfortable given her history with my ex-husband. They had been dating, but I wasn't going to hold that against her. I knew Daniel could be charming when he wanted to be. However, I’d found her a little odd, too. She collected vintage weapons and seemed to always wear something with a bow on it, somewhere. But I shook my head to focus on the task at hand. She had placed a big order with me for the Harvest Festival.

  When I walked into the shop, she was already there. Her lanky figure and luscious short blonde hair stood out sharply. She was waiting by the counter with a book of pastry ideas in her hand, and I took a breath before hurrying over to meet her.

  “Hi, Coco you’re just in time. I was looking over these fall themed pastries, and I think we should combine this look with the taste of those vegan cupcakes you’re so good at whipping up.” She smiled at me warmly, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

  Despite all of the awkward feelings I held in the back of my mind about her and Daniel, Laurel was so genuine and kind that I couldn’t hold anything against her. I almost felt sorry that she had to deal with Daniel’s irritability for as long as she had. “Sure, let’s take a look at what you have in the book.”

  Laurel laughed when I joked about some of the decorations in the book. “You know, I’m glad I came to your shop. Whoever made this book must have gone out of business.”

  “They’re not all bad, we have some pretty good ideas. Like these pumpkin bread squares and those leaf shaped cookies. I’m thinking vegan cookies frosted to look like fall leaves.”

  She gasped, nodding her head quickly in agreement. “You’re so creative, I’m not sure why your creativity didn’t rub off on Daniel.” She caught herself, frowning after the name left her lips. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring him up.”

  I waved her off and offered a small grin. “No worries. How are you holding up?”

  “It’s a lot to digest, especially the way he died.” Her eyes looked distant.

  My mind shifted towards the investigation, and even though I had told myself I would back off, the opportunity to ask questions couldn’t be passed up. “Speaking of Daniel, do you think he had any enemies that might have wanted to harm him?”

  Laurel was quick to answer. “Well to be honest he had such a bad temper that quite a few people could fall into that category. I’m sure you know that, though.”

  I pursed my lips, agreeing before urging her to continue.

  “Still, I can’t imagine why anyone would actually kill him because of a bad temper.” She narrowed her eyes, her lips pulling up slightly at the corners. “Maybe he did something else behind the scenes that made someone lose their own temper.”

  My blood ran cold at her suspicious choice of words. Laurel seemed to know more than she let on about the crime, and I wanted to dig further before she decided to stop talking. “Anyone that you would put at the top of your suspect list?”

  After putting a finger to her chin, she revealed something that made chills run down my spine. “You know Clive, that reporter, he’s been trying to seduce me away from Daniel for months now. Maybe he just got tired of waiting for us to break up.”

  Although she was so nice to me while discussing plans for the baked goods, there was something dark bubbling within her now as we spoke about the murder. Could Laurel have asked a love-stricken Clive to do her dirty work? “Do you remember where you were when it happened?”

  My question thankfully didn’t scare her off, and she spoke right away. “Yes, I was alone at home watching some silly reality show on television. Pretty boring stuff, so you can imagine how shocked I was when I heard the news.”

  It struck me as odd that she was suddenly so dismissive while discussing her boyfriend’s murder. Even though Daniel and I were long separated at the time, I could never bring myself to be so passive while discussing his death. “Well, if you think of any information that might be useful, let me know.”

  “About the murder or about the pastries? I didn’t know you were a detective as well as a baker.” She joked about my questioning, but I felt like Laurel was serious. In a way, she might have been telling me to stop pushing for answers.

  “Either one. I think we have a good start on the ideas for the festival though. I’ll get started right away.”

  Laurel closed her book. “I think so too. I can’t wait to see how those leaf cookies turn out. Thanks for your help, I’ll see you soon.”

  We waved goodbye, and as soon as Laurel was out of sight, I rushed into the kitchen to speak to Scooter and Masie.

  “What was all that about?” Masie asked. “I hope you’ll forgive us for eavesdropping but it seemed important.”

  “You are forgiven, I actually need your opinion on Laurel.” I lowered my voice, although I knew the three of us were all alone. “Did she seem suspicious to you?”

  Scooter had a dazed look on his face. “Suspicious? If you mean suspiciously beautiful, then I would agree.”

  Masie lobbed a drop of frosting in his direction. “Can’t you pull your mind out of the gutter to focus on something important for once?”

  “Oh, you mean like how you focused on planning your next vacation instead of taking the cake out of the oven on time?” Scooter retorted.

  I rubbed my temples, hoping to cut in before the squabble between the two turned into a full blown fight. “I’m serious. This could be a real lead.”

  Masie turned away from Scooter to look me in the eye. “I admit, this whole thing was pretty suspicious. The way she talked about Daniel’s murder so easily gave me the shivers.”

  We all agreed, and I finally felt that the investigation was heading in the right direction. Perhaps the police did need an extra bit of help from me after all.

  Chapter 7

  Once the bakery was finally closed, my brain was still firing at full speed although all the appliances were shut off for the night. Masie and Scooter had already gone home, but I sat in the parking lot as I tried to calm my racing thoughts. I needed to do something productive, and decided that cleaning the house may be the best bet.

  I drove through the dark to the corner store for some cleaning supplies, trying my best not to keep thinking about the drama of the case. Instead, I focused on imagining how nice my inherited home would look after a good scrubbing.

  As soon as I was able to clear my head and pick out a couple of good bottles of cleaning liquid, Ernestine De Quincy stomped towards me to damper my good mood. “How dare you show your face in public, you should be ashamed of the company you keep.”

  My face dropped as I felt my tranquility fading away. “Can I help you?”

  Laurel’s mother put her hands on her hips and blocked the path of my shopping cart. “It would help if you stopped associating with that aggressive boyfriend you have. He killed my daughter’s fiance and you know it.”

  I was taken aback at her accusation. But as I opened my mouth to protest, a group of gossiping housewives gathered around Ernestine to support her. They each attacked me separately as they showed their support for Laurel and her mom.

  “Honey, you know you might be the problem. First Daniel now Logan, don’t you think you’re doing something wrong that spoils these men?” One jabbed a finger in my face as another nodded behind her.

  “I feel bad for Logan. He’s such a step up for you from Daniel, Coco, but you shouldn’t have gotten him tangled up in this latest web of crime.” A third chimed in.

  “Stop it, Harriet. Logan is a crooked cop and we all know it.” A fourth shrieked.

  “I will have to agree with you there, Martha.” Ernestine chuckled. “Now if only we could get Coco here to realize what a horrid ma
n she’s dating.”

  My blood began to boil. “Alright that’s enough. Logan is innocent, there’s no way he could hurt anyone. Honestly, Daniel was the aggressive one, the one with a temper, and anybody in this town could have easily gotten angry with him, even one of you.”

  The ladies shrink back at my words, and I immediately regret saying them. However, I couldn’t stand hearing them speak badly about Logan. I tried to leave, not wanting to be part of this juvenile squabble, but Ernestine cornered me again.

  “How dare you. You had your chance with Daniel, you’re just jealous that he chose my sweet Laurel over you.” Ernestine turned her nose up, and the ladies began shouting in agreement with her.

  The only thing I could think to do was counter back in Logan’s defense. “Logan is a good man, he doesn’t deserve to have his name slandered like this.”

  My words were ignored as the ladies continued to gossip. “Could Logan really be a crooked cop? I’ve never heard anything to suggest such a thing,” Harriet gasped.

  “That kind of thing doesn’t just come out of nowhere, I’m sure he’s had some shady dealings in his past.” Another woman nodded.

  The banter continued wildly, each woman yelling across the aisles to spew false information. I was surprised that the store employees weren’t kicking us out, but I’m sure that in this town of gossipy people, they had seen much worse.

  “But what if Coco is right about Daniel? I did hear that the man had a short temper.”

  “And the alcohol problem too. He was always threatening someone.”

  The gossip finally began to irk Ernestine as much as it had irked me. “Okay, calm down ladies, let’s settle this once and for all. Coco, if you hadn’t been such a terrible wife, maybe Daniel wouldn’t have left you before going on to break Laurel’s heart.”

  “I thought you were defending Daniel?” I shot back.

  She shook her head. “Laurel was meant for better things. I was simply making the point that you caused him to hurt my daughter’s feelings, and that you shouldn’t be associating with bad-cop Logan.”

  I took a deep breath and calmly excused myself from the disaster of a situation. I knew that staying any longer to argue with these ladies would reflect poorly on Logan, which is the last thing I wanted. “I don’t have time for this, please excuse me.”

  I stared Ernestine down, politely gesturing to my shopping cart in hopes that she would move out of the way. Eventually, after pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes, she stood aside and let me take my leave.

  I felt the weight of their stares on my back as I walked to the checkout counter to finally pay for my supplies. The only thing that would solve any of this and prevent further supermarket confrontations, would be to solve the murder and clear Logan’s name.

  As I loaded up my car and drove away, I resolved to put all my effort into solving the case. Though I had previously felt like it would be smarter to distance myself, I now knew it was the only way to help Logan. That, and perhaps some fresh gingerbread.

  On the way to the house, I tried once again to clear my mind. I was a little disappointed with myself for engaging in the verbal altercation, but I had to at least try and stand up for Logan. Over the years, I had encountered more than a few gossipy townsfolk, but this time I didn’t want to be a part of their madness.

  Finally, as I pulled into the driveway and grabbed my bags of supplies, I managed to calm down. No matter what, I would help Logan. I cared so much for him, and knew that no matter what he was, he could never be a murderer.

  Chapter 8

  I felt my phone vibrate. I saw Vivian’s name and picture pop up on the screen.

  “Hello?” I said into the phone.

  “Hello, Coco, darling,” she said. “You know that knitting circle Stella and I have gotten involved in?”

  “Yeah. I remember you guys talking about it. What’s going on? Did they cancel their meeting or something?”

  “Oh, no. Nothing like that. It’s just that, well, it’s gotten a little boring you see...”

  “Okay. Are you calling to ask for recommendations on other hobbies?”

  “Oh, you know Stella and I. We always find a way to entertain ourselves. And with the murder and all, well, we’ve found quite the exciting hobby.”

  My eyes got wide. “What are you two doing?” I asked.

  “Nothing too much, dearie. Just breaking into Daniel’s house. That’s all, really.”

  “You’re breaking into Daniel’s house?” That got my attention. I stood up, ready to take action.

  “You should probably be on your way here. It’ll be fun.”

  “Vivian, I can’t break into my ex-husband’s house.”

  “You’re not breaking in, Coco. We already broke in. You’re just along for the ride.”

  “Vivian...”

  “Oh, Coco, we found a safe!” Vivian exclaimed. “Let me put you on speaker phone.”

  She shuffled around with her phone for a moment before I heard her voice again.

  “Hello? Coco? Are you still there?”

  “I’m here,” I said.

  “Hi, Coco,” Stella called. “Now tell us what the combination is. It looks like there’s eight numbers.”

  “I don’t know... 12345678?”

  There was a pause. “No. No luck.”

  “What’s his birthday?” Stella asked.

  “That would be 11291985.” I couldn’t believe I still knew that by heart.

  “It’s not that,” Vivian said. “What’s your wedding anniversary?”

  I thought for a moment. “04142012.”

  “Not that either. Is there another special date for him?”

  I thought about and sighed. “02142016.”

  “That did it! Valentine’s Day! How romantic.”

  “That’s the date of our divorce,” I said. “That’s just like him to make it that.”

  I heard the front door open. My heart skipped a beat as I went to investigate.

  “Hold on. Someone’s here,” I whispered into the phone.

  “Someone? Who?” Vivian yelled into the phone.

  I covered the receiver to muffle her shouting. When I made my way into the front room, I saw Logan standing there.

  “Hi, Coco. Surprise.”

  “Oh, it’s only you,” I said in relief.

  “I missed you too,” he said with a laugh.

  “Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you. What are you doing here?”

  He gave me a hug. “You aren’t the only one who knows how to do some B&E.”

  “Oh, well, speaking of that...” I held up my phone. “Stella and Vivian may be breaking into Daniel’s house right now.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Who is that? Is that Logan? Hello, Logan,” Vivian called from the other line.

  I put them on speaker phone for him.

  He rubbed his jaw. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised.”

  “I thought you’d be more upset about this,” I said.

  “Well, I’m not involved with this investigation,” he said. “I’m just trying to help two confused old women find their way home. You two should head out of there soon, in my professional opinion.”

  “Oh just a few more minutes,” Vivian begged. “We really won’t be long. We just wanted to check on a few things.”

  “What if he had some goldfish that needed to be fed?” Stella speculated. “It would be cruel for us to just leave them.”

  “We should look for them,” Vivian said. “They could be anywhere.”

  I shook my head. “You two are too much. You should go home. I’m not going to join you, you know.”

  “Of course not,” Stella said. “Why would you want to hang out at your old ex-husband’s house when you can have your cute new boyfriend?”

  “Stella,” I exclaimed.

  “What? It’s true.”

  I heard drawers opening and closing.

  “Oh, I found something,” Vivian said excitedly.

>   “What is it?” I asked, eagerly. Even though I wasn’t going to get involved in their schemes, I had to admit I was excited.

  “It’s a bag. It has an address on it,” Vivian said.

  “Oh, I know that address,” Stella said. “That’s the real estate office.”

  “A real estate office?” I asked.

  “Oh look, Stella. We’re loaded,” Vivian yelled.

  “What does she mean? What’s going on?” Logan asked.

  “The bag is full of cash,” Vivian said.

  “It’s not that much,” Stella said. “It looks like it’s just the petty cash for the office.”

  “Why would Daniel have the petty cash of a real estate office,” I wondered aloud.

  “Oh I bet there’s so much more good stuff. We’re only on the first floor. Let’s go upstairs, Stella,” Vivian said.

  “Let’s go to his bedroom first,” Stella said.

  I could hear the two old women climb the stairs and open doors until they found the bedroom.

  “Oh this is not fit for a lady, Coco. He was definitely a bachelor,” Vivian said.

  “Don’t touch the sheets,” I warned. “They probably haven’t been washed since we were married.”

  “Oh, Coco, this place is so dusty. Didn’t he know how to clean?” Vivian asked.

  “I’m afraid not,Vivian. Sorry,” I said.

  “Well, I’m glad you aren’t with him anymore. It would be like living with a baby, but the baby is bigger than you.”

  “I bet he has something good in his closet,” Stella said. I heard her rummage around.

  “Jackpot,” she said. “I found an envelope labeled insurance.”

  “Is it more money?” Logan asked.

  “No, it looks like film rolls. We’d have to get them developed to see what they are,” she said.

  “He’s really stepped up his game,” I said. “I don’t recall him ever actually thinking enough to get insurance for his shady dealings. It certainly didn’t happen during our marriage.”