Drop Dead Chocolate (14 page)

“I thought your new boyfriend was on the case,” he said cagily.

“He is, but he doesn’t mind if I dig around the edges. I know it must sound crazy to you, but he actually values my opinion.”

Max shook his head sadly, a movement that looked rehearsed to me, though someone less cynical than me might have bought. “That’s not fair, Suzanne. I always did, too.”

What was going on here? Why was Max suddenly so in need of my approval? “Do you really want to discuss how you compare to Jake in my mind?” I didn’t say it with any hurtfulness intended, but from the way he flinched, it was clear that was how he took it. To soften the sharp edges of my comment, I added, “Max, I know it’s not late by most people’s standards, but I am really beat. I’m sorry if I’m being a little crabby. Was there something you wanted?”

He took it in, seemed to accept my apology for what it was worth, and then nodded. “Actually, I have a crime-buster tip for you.”

“I’m listening,” I said. There was no doubt in my mind that Max probably had some excellent sources in the community.

Max got that look on his face that said he knew he had something I wanted, but to be fair, he didn’t try to hold it from me. “I saw our fair mayor in a parked car downtown near the big clock three nights ago around midnight, and he was with someone.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me at all to hear that Cam had a date,” I said.

“That’s the thing. He wasn’t with a woman; it was a man, and there was no love lost between them, from what I heard.”

“What were you doing out that late yourself?” I asked.

“I was jogging,” he explained. “I’ve got to keep myself in shape. You never know when Hollywood’s going to call again for my next gig.”

I’d had enough of this. “Who was it, Max?” My ex could drag a story out when he wanted to, and clearly that’s what he wanted at the moment, but I wasn’t playing any more games with him tonight.

“That’s the kicker. It was none other than our very own chief of police,” Max said.

I knew that the two men had a relationship that was strictly business, but I was still surprised that Max would report something like that to me. “Do you honestly think that our chief of police had something to do with our mayor’s murder? That sounds like something you saw on Court TV.”

“I’m not trying to spin anything,” he said. “I’m just telling you what I saw and heard. I thought you might appreciate the tip.”

“I do,” I said, shivering a little as I accidently repeated those fateful two words I’d spoken to him years ago in front of all of our family and friends. “Did either one of them happen to see you?” I asked.

Max frowned. “Not a chance. The second I knew what was going on, I dodged behind the building, but I know what I saw.” Max got off the hood of his car and then opened the front door.

As he started to get in, I said, “Thanks for coming by and telling me that.”

“You’re most welcome,” Max said, and then he got into his car and drove away.

I wasn’t sure how confidential Max thought our conversation was, but the second his taillights were out of sight, I got out my cell phone and called Jake. This sounded like something he needed to know.

*   *   *

“This is Inspector Bishop. Leave a message, and your number.”

What a charmer my man was. I told him to call me, either within the hour or at the shop tomorrow morning. I’d just barely hung up when my phone rang.

It was Jake. “Speak of the devil and he appears,” I said, with a grin.

“Not sure I like the reference, but at this point I’ll take it. How did my name come up in one of your conversations?” he asked.

“I just left you a message on your cell phone,” I admitted.

“Should I hang up and check it?” he asked, and I could almost hear his smile in his voice. Jake sounded tired, but I knew that wasn’t all that odd when he was on a case.

“Let me tell you myself. Max was just here.”

The joy in his voice suddenly vanished. “At your house? At this time of night? I need to talk to that man until he understands that it’s over between the two of you.”

I wanted to laugh at the very thought of that ever happening, but I didn’t want Jake to think that for one second I was laughing at him. “He wasn’t trying to woo me, Jake. He came by to give me some information about Cam’s murder.”

“Suzanne, if you think that’s the only reason he came by to see you tonight, you’re nuts.”

“Trust me, he knows that I love you,” I said. “Do you want to hear his tip?”

Jake paused a moment, and then said, “Sure, go ahead. I’m not above taking charity from even him at this point.”

I conveyed what Max had told me, and Jake whistled. “That’s not good.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I interviewed Chief Martin this afternoon, and he never said a word about it. He should have come clean with me from the start if that conversation was innocent.”

I couldn’t believe I was about to defend our chief of police, a man I continued to butt heads with, but for Momma’s sake I asked, “Why would he voluntarily give you a reason to suspect him, Jake? Maybe it just wasn’t all that important.”

“Sorry, but that won’t fly. That’s just not how we think,” Jake said.

“The two of us?”

“Lawmen,” Jake said simply. “He should have told me, and he knows it. The only question is, why did he feel as though he had to hide it from me?”

I suddenly felt bad about passing on the information. “What are you going to do?”

“First thing tomorrow morning, Chief Martin and I going to have a little talk.”

“Leave Max’s name out of it if you can,” I said.

“Why should I do that?” Jake asked, clearly unhappy by my request.

Why
had
I asked that? I didn’t owe Max a thing after catching him with Darlene, but I still didn’t want to throw him to the wolves. “He told me in confidence, but he had to know I’d tell you. Give him a break, Jake. The war is over. You won.”

For just a second, the smile was back in his voice. “I got the girl, huh?”

“Don’t get cocky, mister. You still have to work hard to keep her.” My grin had to be obvious to him as well.

“You never have to worry about that, Suzanne. I won’t ever take you for granted,” he said, the playfulness now completely gone.

“Right back at you,” I said as I pulled my jacket closer. It was time to go inside where it was warm. As I walked up the porch stairs, I said, “Anyway, I just thought you should know.”

“Thanks, Suzanne. Have a good night.”

“I hope you do, too.” Then I had a sudden thought. “Is there any chance I’ll see you tomorrow morning again when I open?”

“You never know. We can only hope,” he said, and then hung up.

I went inside, feeling glad that I’d told him what Max had said, but somehow hoping that it wouldn’t come back to bite me later.

*   *   *

I got ready for bed, climbed in, happy that tonight, I was finally going to get enough sleep so I wouldn’t be groggy throughout the next day.

And of course, I couldn’t fall asleep to save my life.

My mind was whirling with too many suspects, too many reasons folks around town wanted Cam Hamilton dead. How in the world did the man keep getting elected mayor with the enemy list he had? It didn’t make any sense, until I remembered something Momma had told me long ago when she’d been fussing about our congressman, a man entrenched in his job who was good at only one thing: getting reelected every two years.

“Suzanne, folks may complain and groan about government, but when it comes to voting out their representatives, it usually takes an act of epic proportions to unseat the scoundrels. Everyone says they want change, and then they turn around and elect the same folks year in and year out.”

That wouldn’t be happening this year, though.

Cam Hamilton would not be running for reelection ever again.

*   *   *

I finally managed to fall asleep, though it happened later than if I’d just stuck to my normal routine, so I was a little edgy the next morning on the dark drive to the donut shop. It was Emma’s day off today, so I’d be working alone, which suited me just fine. One day a week I had Donut Hearts to myself from three until six: three hours of silence other than the sound of my mixer and the oldies station blaring out tunes on the radio.

I started every morning I worked alone smiling, but truth be told, by the time I opened my doors at six to the public, I was ready for some company. I’d have to work an extra hour cleaning the kitchen after I closed at eleven, but for now I could stay up front and sell the fruits of my labor.

After unlocking the door and serving a few early risers, I kept looking for Jake. He hadn’t exactly promised he’d come by, but I was hoping for it nonetheless. When my cell phone rang, I picked up it quickly.

It was indeed my boyfriend. I asked in my most cheerful voice, “Hey, mister, care for a donut on the house?”

“I wish I could,” he said, “but the chief and I are about to have a chat, so I wanted to call you first. My phone’s going to be off all morning, and I didn’t want you to worry about me if you tried to call.”

“Well, aren’t you sweet,” I said.

“I do what I can,” he replied.

I was about to ask him what he was going to say to the police chief when Jake said, “Gotta go. Love ya.”

It wasn’t exactly flowers and a box of chocolates, but he’d thought of me, and that was what counted. I made sure that he’d get credit for it.

But I hoped one of us solved this case soon. I missed my boyfriend, and while it might not have been as valid a reason as some, it was good enough for me, even if my mother hadn’t been involved up to her eyebrows.

*   *   *

“Good morning, Suzanne,” Momma said as she came into Donut Hearts a little later in the morning. She wasn’t exactly a regular at my shop, but it was nice to see her from time to time. Though her makeup was expertly applied as always, I could tell that she’d been crying, and recently.

“Hi, Momma. How are you?”

“I’m fine. Why shouldn’t I be?” she asked.

If she was going to play it that way, I had no choice but to follow her lead. “May I get you something this morning?”

She studied the display cases, and then said, “Just coffee, please.” As she looked around the shop, she added, “Where is Emma this morning?”

“It’s her day off,” I explained as I fetched her a large coffee.

Momma didn’t approve of our arrangement, and she wasn’t all that shy about sharing her opinion with me. “Suzanne, this is too much work for one person. Why don’t you consider shutting down instead of working by yourself? Surely one day a week won’t kill you.”

She hadn’t lowered her voice, and there were a few customers in the shop at the moment, but if they were listening to us, they weren’t doing it openly. Still, I had a feeling the conversation we were having would be repeated more than a few times over the next few hours, so I had to make it good. “Business is booming,” I said loudly. “That’s one of the reasons I stay open seven days a week. I’d hate the thought of disappointing my loyal clientele by not being here for them.”

Momma shrugged. “It’s your decision, of course. You’re just not getting any younger, and the hours you work can’t be helping with the aging process.”

I put a hand to my face inadvertently. I wasn’t in the mood to have any of these conversations at the moment, so I switched her coffee from the mug to a cup to go without even asking. “Here you go,” I said as I slid it to her.

As she reached for her purse, I added, “Don’t worry about it. It’s on the house.”

“That hardly seems fair,” Momma said as she pulled out a dollar bill. “I’ll pay my own way, Suzanne. I always have and I always will.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that a buck wouldn’t cover the blend I’d just poured her. Better to take a slight loss than listen to a lecture on how high my prices were at the donut shop.

As Momma started to leave, she hesitated at the counter and said in a soft voice, “I hope that exchange will appease anyone listening that things are fine in our world. Suzanne, we need to talk somewhere in private.”

“Do you mean you didn’t just drop by for my coffee?” I asked, matching the low volume of her words.

“Of course not,” she replied.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t leave the front, since I’m all alone. If we talk low enough, no one will hear us.”

Momma considered it, and then nodded. “Are you making any progress in the case?”

“We’ve added some suspects,” I replied.

“Is that good news?” Momma asked impatiently.

“We’re all working as hard as we can,” I said, “but these things take time. Jake’s doing some digging of his own, too. Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this. If my gang can’t solve the murder, I’m certain that Jake will be able to do it.”

“Yes, Phillip called me just a few minutes ago. I’m well aware of your young man’s current line of inquiry, Suzanne.”

It was clear from her tone of voice that Momma wasn’t pleased with Jake’s investigation when it turned to her boyfriend, but it had to be done, no matter how unpleasant any of us found it, and I was sure she knew it, at least on some level. “He’s got to do this by the book, now more than ever. Every suspect has to be considered, no matter who they might be.”

“I fully realize that,” she said. After a momentary pause, she asked, “Is there anything I can do to assist you and your team in your investigation?”

I had to look twice to be certain that she was serious. “Thanks, but I think we’re good.”

She wouldn’t accept that, though. “You’d tell me if I could help, wouldn’t you?”

I knew Momma had resources I couldn’t match, so perhaps I was being a little hasty when I rejected her offer out of hand. Then again, I wasn’t at all sure how it would look if she started digging into Cam’s murder herself. Folks expected that kind of behavior from me, but for my mother, it might make them leap to conclusions that weren’t in any of our best interests.

“If I can think of something that doesn’t directly involve you, I’ll ask, trust me,” I said, expecting her to protest.

Instead, she nodded her head wearily, and I found myself worrying about her. “What are you going to do with yourself today, Momma?” I asked.