Chocolate-Covered Crime Read online

  For the first time since she stepped off the plane, my aunt showed signs of grief in the lines of her face and the slump of her shoulders. She brushed off the skirt of her muumuu and struggled to her feet.

  “Oh. Well, that’s it then. Guess Fred and I will be heading home tomorrow. Y’all can send what comes of all this to us in the mail.” She waddled down the hall and into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  Aunt Eunice poked her head around the corner. “Well, I never. I’m embarrassed to say Claudia’s my sister. And now she expects us to finish this mess.” She withdrew.

  I shrugged and shook my head. If I’d learned anything in the past few months, it was that people continue to astound you. They often did the weirdest things at the oddest times. I’d never get use to the selfishness of humankind. That would always stump me.

  The photos crackled in my pocket. I joined my aunt in the kitchen. “What do you know about Lewis Anderson?”

  “Huh?” She paused while removing dishes from the cupboard.

  “I’m curious. I’d never met him before the funeral arrangements. Is he new to town?”

  “Fairly new.” She wrapped a plate in a sheet of newspaper and placed it in a box. “Married with a couple of kids. Moved here from farther south. Close to the Texas border, I think. Why?”

  Married? That would explain the secrecy. “Is he newly married? Are the children his?”

  “Been with the same woman for about ten years is what I heard.” Aunt Eunice slammed the cupboard door and opened another one. “Why all the questions?”

  “You know me, as nosy as they come.”

  “Yes, I do. That’s what worries me. What are you up to now?” She pierced me with her slate blue gaze.

  “Just a hunch I need to follow up on. I’ll fill you in later. Mind if I take off for a bit?”

  Aunt Eunice planted her pudgy fists on plump hips. “Don’t go getting into any trouble. Uncle Roy and Ethan are working. They can’t save you right now, and Joe has a crime to solve.”

  So did I. “Nothing serious, Aunt Eunice. I promise. I just need to check on someone.” I snatched my purse from where I’d dropped it on the kitchen table, slung my tote bag over my shoulder, and sprinted out the door before she could stop me.

  Mae Belle had only lived in Mountain Shadows less than a year. If Lewis had been married for ten years, then why was he hanging all over my cousin in pictures that clearly were recent?

  I slid behind the wheel of my Sonata. The web surrounding Mae Belle’s murder seemed to become more tangled with each discovery. When Ethan and I had stumbled on the diamonds buried beneath my rosebush, and when I’d discovered the body of that carnival worker hanging in her shower, I’d solved those cases by luck, searching out clues, and lots of prayer. I’d stumbled into danger and been rescued by Ethan and Joe. The next mystery, I’d managed to outwit the man trying to kill me. But it had been a group of high school football players who had saved Ethan. This time would be different. I’d use my brain and skill the entire time and wouldn’t fall into the traps of the past.

  Sure, I’d been smart, witty, and quick thinking when danger reared its ugly head, but this time, I’d solve this murder by pure intelligence. Before circumstances got dire. I turned the ignition and burned rubber from the driveway of Mae Belle’s apartment.

  The thought that I’d promised to share any information I dug up with Joe threatened to dispel some of my enthusiasm. Regardless, I’d made a promise to Mae Belle. One I intended to keep. I’d give Joe the photos later.

  I glanced down at my dust-covered clothes. Not appropriate attire for interviewing someone who appeared as distinguished as Lewis, but adulterers didn’t deserve any better. Not in my book. Well, I knew what the Bible said about judging your fellow man. I said a prayer of repentance and squared my shoulders.

  At the funeral home, I sat in the parking lot and stared at the heavy oak doors. I needed to remain impartial. Lewis was a suspect. Nothing more. I should view him as such and not let my mouth get the best of me. Help me, Lord. Don’t let my tongue be a torrent of destruction. With a deep breath, I cut the engine and shoved open my door.

  Inside, the same made-up, heavily perfumed woman greeted me as at Mae Belle’s funeral. After I’d asked to speak with Lewis, she informed me that “Mr. Anderson” was in the back garden. I held back a shiver.

  The crypts I passed on my way outside gave me the heebie-jeebies. The eyes of a stone angel seemed to follow my every move, and I gave a marble gargoyle a wide berth. Lewis sat on a wrought iron bench, hands folded, head down. Praying for forgiveness, perhaps?

  “Mr. Anderson, may I speak with you?”

  “Miss Meadows.” He sighed and raised his head. “I’d be honored.”

  I withdrew the photos and handed them to him. “I found these in Mae Belle’s apartment.”

  His breath released in a groan. “Ah, yes.”

  “Would you care to explain?” I perched on the corner of the bench. “You denied knowing her earlier.”

  “It went beyond knowing. I loved her.”

  “You’re married to someone else.”

  “In name only, Miss Meadows.” He handed back all the photos but one. The picture in his hand showed the two of them laughing, cocktail glasses in hand. Mason said Mae Belle took offense to alcohol. I really should’ve gotten to know my cousin better growing up. Oklahoma wasn’t that far away. “We took this one on our six-month anniversary. Such a fun-loving woman.”

  Mae Belle? Were we talking about the same woman?

  “Do you mind me asking how the two of you met?”

  Lewis closed his eyes. “She browsed the aisles at Grandma’s Story Corner. Our eyes met over a table of reference books. It was love at first sight.”

  “You are still married, Mr. Anderson. And I’d like that photo back, please. The authorities will be very interested in these.”

  “Surely you don’t think I killed her, do you?” He clenched his fists, the knuckles white against the dark of his pants.

  I shrugged. “Maybe to hide your affair? Wouldn’t be the first time someone reacted that way.”

  He bolted to his feet, startling me. I tumbled backward off the bench, landing in a patch of ivy. Thank the Lord it wasn’t poison ivy. To the man’s credit, he held out a hand to help me. Or capture me. I wasn’t taking the chance. I declined his offer and rose to resume my seat.

  “I would never hurt that sweet woman.” He sat. His shoulders drooped. “We had future plans. Plans to marry, once my children were grown, but Mae Belle grew impatient. We argued the day before she. . .passed. That’s the last time I saw her.”

  “Did she threaten to tell your wife about the two of you? Is that why you argued?”

  “May I please have the photos?” He held out his hand.

  I shook my head and leaned forward to shove them into the back pocket of my jeans. “I’m afraid I can’t give them to you.”

  He lunged at me, forcing me to slide off the bench again. “Those pictures cannot get around. It’ll ruin me. And think of the pain to my family.”

  My legs wouldn’t cooperate. My feet slipped on the cobblestone walkway. I crawled away from him, putting a fountain between the two of us. So much for staying out of danger. Using a statue for balance, I got to my feet. “You should have thought of that earlier. One more step, Mr. Anderson, and I will scream.” He took the step, my scream came out as more of a croak, and I jumped back.

  His countenance fell. Tears ran down his cheeks, and he buried his face in his hands. For a moment I felt compassion, then shook it off. I’d reserve judgment until he was either proved innocent or guilty. I darted from the garden and back to my car.

  I broke a speed record racing to the police station and screeched to a halt in front of the building. An officer frowned as I exited the car. I gave a sheepish grin and marched inside.

  “Hello, Ruby.” I greeted one of Aunt Eunice’s oldest and dearest friends, Ruby Colville.

  “Good aft
ernoon, Summer. Accused any innocent people lately?” That woman never had forgiven me for thinking she was behind the diamond heist. A perfectly normal assumption given the fact she’d come into some expensive things at the time. Perfectly honest mistake. Diamonds showed up beneath my rosebush and around her neck. What else would I think? Then I’d gone against her wishes when she wanted to kick the carnival out of town in September because they’d been short of cash. Not their fault. They’d been robbed and lost a couple of employees to a madman on a killing spree.

  “Is Joe in?”

  Ruby motioned her head toward his office.

  “Thanks.” I shoved aside the waist-high swinging door and made my way past the curious glances of the few officers Mountain Shadows employed. Joe sat behind his desk, working through a pile of paperwork. After noticing me standing in the doorway, he turned the papers facedown.

  Without waiting for an invitation, I sat in the chair opposite his green metal desk. I fished the photos from my pocket and tossed them in front of him.

  “What are these?” Joe flipped through them. “Why are they wrinkled?”

  “They’re leads. I had them in my pocket. While making the funeral arrangements, I asked Lewis Anderson if he knew Mae Belle. He said no. The pictures say otherwise.”

  “Why would you ask him that?”

  “Because he had tears in his eyes.”

  “Tears in his eyes.”

  “Stop repeating everything I say.” I folded my arms.

  “I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do. All the time.” I moved to take back the snapshots. Joe held them out of my reach. “I questioned Lewis a few minutes ago. He and Mae Belle were having an affair. He all but attacked me to keep me from bringing the pictures to you.”

  “An affair? Mae Belle didn’t seem the type. You just can’t tell with people, can you?”

  “Guess not.” I crossed my legs, feeling pleased with myself. “What do you think about my investigative skills now?”

  Joe leaned his arms on the desk. “Not bad. For an amateur. That puts Lewis as our number-one unsub, if your information is correct.”

  “The pictures don’t lie.”

  “Pictures lie all the time, but these do look suspicious. Doesn’t mean he killed her though.”

  “I also suspect Mason White. He threatened me.”

  “How so?”

  “By telling me to be careful because Mae Belle got it in the back.” I was doing great. Keeping my cool. Firing clues like that soldier person who manned a machine gun.

  “Doesn’t mean a thing.” Joe slid the photos beneath the stack on his desk. “You’re overstepping your boundaries again, Summer. Meddling won’t keep you safe.”

  I frowned. “Yes, it does. It makes him another suspect. Didn’t you see his name in the appointment book?”

  “Along with a few others.” Joe’s eyes flashed. “I’m doing my job, Summer. But I do appreciate the photos. They put another spin on things. Remember. . .You’re the candy-maker. I’m the cop. Don’t overstep your boundaries.”

  “Or what? You’ll arrest me again?”

  “If I have to.”

  “You are so unappreciative. After all I’ve—”

  “Am I interrupting something?”

  I turned and saw the person who belonged to another name in Mae Belle’s book. Renee Richards, Mountain Shadows’s homecoming queen.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  What could Miss Glamour Queen want with Joe? I eyed her gemstone-decorated jeans and low-cut silk blouse, instantly regretting that I hadn’t taken the time to clean up before making the trip downtown. Even in a place as small as Mountain Shadows, our paths didn’t often cross. When they did, I wondered why Renee stuck around. A larger city would offer more in the way of entertainment. I tried melting into the seat.

  “Summer.” Jade eyes pierced me with the strength of a warrior’s sword. Every bit as cold and biting.

  “Renee.”

  “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” The smirk on her face said otherwise. “Ruby said, since it was Summer, I could come on in.”

  Joe leaned back in his chair. “No problem. We were just finished.”

  The bum. I’d tattle to April if he didn’t put his eyes back in his head. “Actually, we weren’t finished.” I tried making Renee squirm with my own gaze, but all I got in return was the arching of her finely tweezed eyebrows. “I recently saw your name in Mae Belle’s appointment book. Crossed out.

  You were obviously a client of hers. Why weren’t you at the funeral?”

  “Summer.” Joe leaned forward. “We are finished. Sorry about that, Miss Richards.”

  She waved a manicured hand. “No problem, officer. I’d hired Mae Belle to plan my, uh, birthday party and. . .”

  “Your thirtieth birthday.” I smiled in satisfaction as her face flushed.

  Her lips tightened. “Mae Belle made a total sham of the whole thing. So, understandably, I canceled the next appointment with her. I had planned on hiring her for my fiancé’s homecoming until the complete mess she made of my birthday.”

  “A sham? How? Did she put up a banner stating your age?” I giggled at my wittiness then clamped my mouth shut at the look on Renee’s face. I might’ve crossed the line.

  Renee’s eyes narrowed like a feline’s, flashing green. A shiver ran up my spine as she stepped closer and towered over me. I slumped in the chair.

  “Mae Belle made a mess of everything she attempted. Someone apparently got tired of her ineptitude.”

  What happened to Southern charm? We ladies from the South were supposed to be oozing with it. Or at least cover our animosity with sugary words and a “Bless your heart.” I bolted to my feet, sending the chair crashing backward into the wall. “Did you hear that, Joe? A motive for murder. Add Renee to the list of suspects.”

  “Oh please. You’re still as dramatic as you were in high school.” Renee folded her arms. Joe’s gaze flickered across her emphasized chest then back to me. Good for him.

  “Summer, please leave. Miss Richards has business with me, and she can’t accomplish it with you here.”

  “Fine.” I tried to grab the pictures from his desk. I’d get to the bottom of her visit later.

  “Oh no you don’t. These are now evidence.” He slammed his hand down, pinning the photos to his desk.

  Perfect. I should have made copies before bringing them over. I whirled, caught my foot on the rung of the chair, and went to my knees. The impact sent a tremor of pain through my body.

  Renee snickered. “Still graceful, I see.” Joe jumped to his feet and darted around his desk.

  Face red, I got to my feet, shrugging off Joe’s chivalrous offer of help. I waited to rub the aching joint until I hobbled outside where I leaned against the warm brick of the building. Just once, I’d like to make an exit with a statement other than “big klutz exiting.”

  I needed chocolate to make me feel better, or Ethan’s arms around me. Maybe his lips on mine. Or a big fat clue that moved me closer to my goal of finding Mae Belle’s killer. I opted to wait for Renee. To kill time, I pulled my notebook from the tote bag and slid down the wall to rest on the sidewalk. I fished for a pen, opened the notebook, and, with a flourish, wrote Renee’s name on my suspect list. Right under Lewis Anderson.

  Sherry Grover because of her lack of remorse when Mae Belle died, Lewis Anderson for lying to me, Renee Richards for her subtle threats, and Mason White because. . .I wasn’t sure about him, but there had to be a reason. My list grew, and I’d definitely be keeping an eye on all of them. I’d have to get April to help me, or Aunt Eunice. Between the three of us, we’d have this case solved in no time.

  A shadow fell across me. I glanced up to see Renee smirking down at me.

  “What are you doing on the ground?”

  I pushed to my feet. “Waiting for you. You finished quick.”

  “What are you writing?”

  “Personal stuff.” I shoved the notebook and pen back in my b
ag. “Where were you on the day Mae Belle died?”

  “Stop digging, Summer.” Renee turned and sashayed away, the heels of her boots beating against the sidewalk. In comparison, my gym shoes were as silent as a wraith.

  “What did you need to see Joe about?”

  She spun. I stopped so fast that I found myself closer to her than I’d ever been before.

  “You are as tenacious as a bulldog.” I didn’t think Renee meant the statement as a compliment. “That is none of your business, Summer. As for where I was when Mae Belle was killed—also none of your business, but you won’t stop until I answer, will you? I was on a satellite call with Bill.”

  “Any alibis?” Who told her when, exactly, Mae Belle had been attacked? Excitement raced through me. Another fact for my notes.

  She sneered. “Still fancy yourself a detective? Why couldn’t you have permanently gotten lost in the fair’s fun house? Would have saved everyone a lot of grief.”

  Why did she have to bring that up? Getting lost in the fun house at the annual county fair had not been my idea of fun. I hated clowns, not to mention getting chased by a madman with a gun through the maze of mirrors. Renee was plain mean to mention the incident. “So you think I deserve a letter opener in the back?”

  “Look, Summer. I’m not saying any such thing, but I’m not going to stand aside and let you dirty my name around town just because I didn’t like the poor service Mae Belle gave me. Take your snoopy little nose somewhere else.”

  Okay. Those words stopped me. Sounded like another threat. First Mason, now Renee. Not being a stranger to danger, I didn’t fall into a terrified faint, but the words did give me pause. I’d have to be sneakier about obtaining my information.

  I turned and headed back to the candy store.

  I’d been so surprised to see Renee that I’d forgotten to ask Joe whether he had any leads on my threatening letter. I entertained the thought of stopping by the station again, then shrugged it off. I’d ask him later. He’d be over for dinner, along with April. And Ethan. That bright thought put a skip in my step. A skip with a limp. My knee throbbed all the way to my car.