A Ghostly Affair: A cozy mystery series (Death by Chocolate Book 3) (2 page)

Maxine’s shop was filled with people drinking coffee, eating chocolates and gossiping.

“I guess all those ghost stories are true,” Francine Walker from the bank said.

“I still say it was a prank pulled by some kids,” another man said.

“The police searched the Castle. They’d have found something.”

“Not if they were like me. Bet you they were scared shitless when they realized what they’d done. They probably got all the evidence out of there as soon as possible and destroyed it.”

Maxine couldn’t help thinking there might be something to the theory. But the only young person she’d seen there had been George Dent's son. She was pretty sure he had the intelligence to do something of this type, but not the malice. And she couldn’t see him hiding it if he was the guilty party. From what she’d seen of him he was a nice kid. It couldn’t hurt to ask a few questions though, could it?

“And how, exactly, are you planning on doing that?” Heath said, when she mentioned something about it later,while they were putting together a cake for Sheila Hamers’ anniversary party.

“I need a reason to talk to him,” she said. Or George’s wife. Once she was in their house she’d come up with a reason to talk to their son.

Karin Dent was a busy lady with a decorating business of her own and she participated in multiple social events. An elegant woman, Maxine thought. In her mid-thirties she’d been at the party dressed in a long flowing gown of green and gold. Mother Earth she’d called herself if Maxine’s memory served her correctly. Karin Dent was clearly the type of person who could use a caterer on a regular basis.

Could she appeal to her vanity? She thought about it as she helped put the cake together with layers of buttercream icing. Leaving Heath to put a layer of rich chocolate ganache over the cake she made a phone call.

“Karin,” I was hoping I could get some help from you,” she said.

“Sure,” Karin said warmly. “Are you thinking of doing some decorating?”

“Not just yet,” she said brightly. “But who knows, if you help me with this I may have so much business I’ll have to get a bigger place in need of decorating.”

Karin laughed politely.

“I was hoping I could get your advice. I thought if I put together a selection of chocolate treats I could offer them at a set price.”

“Sure, sounds like a great idea. But you do that all the time don’t you?”

“For special occasions and events. I’m thinking of orders for open houses and other types of commercial showings. And you have such good taste…”

“Oh, well, flattery will get you everywhere. Did you want me to drop by the shop sometime?

“Of course not. You’re helping me out! I thought I’d drop by your place with some of my ideas. Of course I’ll bring you a box of truffles too, for helping.”

“I’ve got some time this afternoon if that works for you,” Karin said graciously.

“Is two o’clock good for you?”

“Make it one thirty and we’ve got a date,” Karin said warmly. “I’ve got a client meeting later in the afternoon.”

Heath looked up as she put her phone away. “Let me guess, I’m doing this cake on my own.”

“Pretty much,” Maxine admitted feeling a touch of guilt. But not too much. She knew Heath could handle the cake in his sleep – with one hand tied behind his back. “I’ll do some of the finishing touches,” when I get back.

She raided the cooler, pulling out an array of chocolate brownies, truffles, a chocolate silk pie and chocolate caramel filled cookies along with black and whites. In addition she made sure she took a box of Karin’s favorite truffles.

As she drove up the driveway to Karin’s house she admired the beauty of their house with its’ Craftsman style overlooking the Pacific Ocean. On the beach across the road she could see a couple walking their dog, while further along several people were flying kites. There was enough wind to send them soaring into the air. She watched as a dragon kite spiraled happily into the sky while another kite master sent his into the air doing a choreographed dance. But the kite flyer having the most fun was a boy of about eight who threw his dollar store special into the air with abandon catching the wind and then running in circles to the disgust of  more serious kite masters.

The Dents were doing well if they could afford a house here. She rang the door and Karin answered. “It’s so good to see you,” she said graciously taking the tray of treats Maxine had brought with her and leading her into the kitchen.

And what a kitchen it was. Granite counter-tops gave way to an Aga range with double ovens. If that wasn’t enough to make a cooks’ heart beat with joy there were double fridges in brushed steel and a kitchen island with seats on one side for family and friends to have a light meal or cup of coffee. And all of it was done in white giving a sense of airiness and space. It was easily the size of Maxine’s living room but she suspected Karin did very little cooking in it.

She did, however, make a first-rate cup of coffee Maxine noted, as she took a sip. “Thank you so much for agreeing to see me on such short notice. She took the cover off the tray of treats she’d brought.

“I want to offer trays of treats for home showings and other events which don’t require the same level of detail as a fully catered affair.”

“It’s a good idea,” Karin said warmly. “I could use something like this when I’m meeting with potential clients. And I know when realtors show houses they like to make prospective buyers feel as if the kitchen is warm and homey. Some of them even spritz vanilla spray in the air to give a smell of cooking. A tray of these would be perfect. But I’d probably just put out a tray of brownie or cookies. I’d forget about the Chocolate Silk Pie. It’s delicious but too messy when they’re going through a house and I’d want the attention on the house, not the pie.”

“Not the truffles?”

Karin shook her head definitively. “The cookies give a homier, home-baked feel to it.”

“You see. This is why I needed your opinion. I’m still getting over what happened at the Castle.” She shivered slightly. “I’ve never really believed in ghosts but I don’t know how else to explain what happened.”

Karin shook her head. “Such a tragedy. Travis has taken it hard.”

“Why?” Maxine inquired innocently. “I mean, did he even know Zak?”

“No. But no one he’s known or been close to has ever died.” She frowned slightly, clearly upset. “He’s so sensitive.”

“He’ll get over it. Maybe some counselling.”

“Maybe.”

“He’ll get back to normal once he’s in school.”

“I suppose. Normally I’m happy if he wants to concentrate on his homework and go light on the partying.”

“Joys of being a parent,” Maxine said lightly. “No matter what your kids do you worry they should be doing something else.”

Karin gave a rueful grin. “You could be right. He’s a good kid. I should be happy he’s hanging out at home this weekend instead of hitting all the Halloween parties.”

“Has he got a big project coming up?”

“Science, but he’s already finished. He’s working on some type of robot thingy.” Karin shook her head. “You can tell I’m no techy.”

“You and me both,” Maxine said lightly.

But could a robot thingy be behind the ghost? She brought it up when Detective Patrick Shannon dropped by for coffee and a truffle.

“What happened to Zak Forrestor was a tragic accident. Nothing more,” he said decisively. “How’s Tanya holding up?”

“About as well as can be expected,” she said shortly. She knew she should be glad to have Zak’s death considered a tragic accident or the result of a ghostly prank. But she just couldn’t convince herself.

It didn’t help that she had to convince Tanya as well.

Eyes red-rimmed with grief Tanya railed against fate. “How could this happen? Everything was perfect. We were happy. He was going to introduce me to his parents. We were going away for a weekend…”

Maxine hugged her friend tight, wishing she could turn back time, turn back fate. “It was an accident. There was nothing anyone could have done.”

“I wish we’d never gone. If we’d stayed home that night….” There was a fresh onslaught of tears.

“Oh honey, if we’d had any idea anything like this would happen I’d have never catered the event. Who would? They’ve been holding the same event at the Castle for over twenty years now.”

“And nothing like that – that thing has ever appeared before. It doesn’t sound anything like Joan or any of the other sightings people have reported. I’m telling you, it wasn’t a ghost. It was man-made and it wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t.” Her voice rose in anger mixed with a touch of hysteria.

“The police searched the castle. There was nothing. Besides who would have reason to do such a thing? Did Zak have enemies?”

Tanya shook her head, a shudder going through her. “He got along with everyone. Oh some people better than others. I mean he was a developer. Sometimes people got the wrong idea…”

“Such as,” Maxine said, genuinely curious now.

“Oh there were some environmentalists saying his latest project compromised the breeding grounds of some birds,” she said dismissively.

“And did they?”

“Zak had environmental impact studies done as part of the development process. There wasn’t anything saying it was a problem. Otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to build there. You’ve seen his latest development – Eagle Ridge – it’s beautiful.”

But had the environmentalists thought so? And how did Travis tie in? If he did. She was left with a lot to think about as she comforted Tanya.

One lone man remained, having a quiet cup of coffee, along with a truffle. With ten minutes to go before closing, Maxine started boxing up all the remaining chocolates and assorted treats, with the exception of a small plate ready for any unexpected customers.

The sound of the door opening made her look up, only to find herself staring at Wendy. Her black stiletto’s clicked across the floor and she was dressed in her usual designer dress.  They didn’t hide the evidence of freshly shed tears that stained her cheeks as she approached Maxine with determination.

"You have to help me," she said dramatically.

"You know I'll do anything I can," Maxine said diplomatically. "Shall we start with coffee?"

Wendy waved the coffee away with her hand, "I'm too upset. Someone's taken Toto."

"Toto!" Maxine scooped up the plate of chocolates and guided Wendy to a table at the back. There had been a time when Maxine was sure the only person or thing Wendy truly loved was her little dog, Toto. "What makes you think  he’s been stolen?"

"I don't think it," she said irritably. "I know it. I got up this morning and he was gone. You know that's not like him. Usually he sleeps in his own special bed next to Mummy's.”

Maxine suppressed a shudder. She knew Wendy regarded her pet as human and referring to herself as Mummy made sense if you thought about it that way. Still…

"So maybe he saw something outside and went to check it out."

Wendy shook her head. "He wouldn't do that. He goes everywhere with me. If he saw something outside he was interested in he'd have barked at me to wake up."

"Maybe you didn't hear him," Maxine said, handing her a chocolate raspberry truffle.

She took it while continuing her story, "besides I looked everywhere for her. I even walked around our neighborhood and asked our neighbor's. Nothing, It's like he's vanished into thin air."

"I'm so sorry," Maxine said, "have you contacted the police?"

Wendy gave a small sob, "they took down all the details but they pretty well told me they wouldn't do anything.  If we see him we'll give you a call but we don't have the manpower to do a full scale investigation," she said rolling her eyes. "And after all I've donated to the Police Officers Charity Fund."
    "I'm sure they'll do the best they can."

"It's not enough," Wendy said. "That's why I'm here. I need you to find him for me."

"I'm flattered," Maxine said as she felt her heart drop. "But I'm not sure what I could do for you."

“Keep your eyes and ears open. Do some investigating. Look at the success you’ve had in the past.”

“But a lot of my success was knowing the people involved and being at the right place at the right time.” Or wrong place depending on how you looked at it.

“Maybe but there were a lot of other people, including police, who were around at the same time and you were the person who solved them. All I’m asking you to do is try.” She put her hand over Maxine’s arm. “Please. I have to do everything I can to find Toto. I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t.”

“I can ask Patrick. Maybe he’ll have some suggestions. I’ll do what I can Wendy, but you might be better off with a professional.”

Wendy shook her head. “I have faith in you.”

“I’d be perfectly OK with it.”

Wendy looked down at the table avoiding Maxine’s eyes. “I trust you.”

And whatever other detectives she’d contacted had turned her down. Maxine would bet her last dollar on it and felt her heart go out to Wendy. “I’ll do everything I can,” she said gently.

Wendy looked up, hope in her eyes along with a tear which spilled over and down her cheek. “I can pay.”

“This isn’t about money.”

“I don’t mind. You’ll have more time to investigate.”

Maxine shook her head. “I’ll do the best I can but I still have a business to run. Besides I’ve always done my best work while running my business.”

“Whatever you think is best,” but Wendy’s voice had developed a customary brittleness.

Maxine eased her out of the store as easily as she could. She had a date with Patrick tonight to learn karate. Not a real date she thought hastily. After all Patrick was a friend. They’d already done the ‘other’ and it hadn’t worked.

He was picking her up from her small apartment. The one she rented from her Grandma Ellie who lived upstairs. Not that Grandma Ellie was what you thought of as your typical Grannie.

She was sharper than many of Maxine’s contemporaries and far from discouraging Detective Patrick Shannon, was more likely to egg him on. If she didn’t offer to trade karate kicks with him, Maxine thought ruefully. Having taken a class at the seniors’ center and then dated the instructor for a couple of months, Grandma Ellie considered herself an expert in karate.

Maxine lived in fear she would tackle a thief or criminal of some type and find herself overpowered despite her perfect form. Patrick, or Ric as he liked to be called, had been amused.

“Welcome to my nightmare,” he’d said cheerfully as she told him of her worries. “Sounds like she takes after her granddaughter.”

“OK, I had that coming. But she’s older than me. I don’t want her getting herself hurt.”

“Exactly how I feel,” he said seriously. “And it’s why I’m going to teach you self-defense.” He arched his eyebrows suggestively, “Maybe we can help Grandma Ellie learn some moves once you’ve learned self-defense.”

“I thought you were teaching me karate,” she said with a frown. “Besides she already considers herself an expert. She’ll be hurt if we suggest otherwise.”

“Karate’s good,” he agreed. “But if you’ve got someone coming at you knowing a karate kata isn’t going to help you.”

“So what type of moves are you going to teach me,” she said teasingly as she locked up, only too aware of how his eyes travelled over her. Approvingly.

“Basic self-defense,” he said following her as he opened the door to his jeep for her.  

“It’s not as if I plan these crimes.”

“I know. You’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is one time I think your grandmother’s ahead of you.”

Friends. That was all they were. Even if he had the looks of a young Pierce Brosnan with blue-black hair and blue-blue eyes that sometimes saw way too much. His body showed the effects of working out on a regular basis, with no sign of her truffles, which he also enjoyed on a regular basis.

She looked him in the eyes. “Are you sure I can do this? I mean I’ve never really gone in for athletics.” Five feet five, with brown hair done in a bob and green eyes flecked with copper she knew she wasn’t model thin but she wasn’t fat either.

She had a hard time convincing herself she needed to go to the gym on a regular basis. It remained on her to-do list while she continued to make truffles and all sorts of other chocolate goodness. All while solving the odd crime. But it wasn’t as if she went looking for them.

“I’m sure,” he said cupping her face in his hands. “By the time you’re done crooks will be running to get away from you.”

For just a minute a shiver of attraction ran through her. She shoved it away. This was one complication she didn’t need. “Are yoga pants and a t-shirt alright?”

“It’s perfect.”

“Wendy came in this afternoon. Her dog has been taken. She wants me to help her get him back.”

“Have you become a pet detective now?” A small frown crossed his face.

“It won’t hurt to look into it for her. Apparently the police told her they couldn’t do anything. At least, not unless they trip over her dog.” She couldn’t help it. The hurt she felt for her friend showed in her eyes even as she looked away.

He sighed. “I know how much she loves her dog. But we barely have the manpower to stop human crime.”

“Not even for me,” she said turning to face him.

He put his jeep into drive and pulled out into city streets considerably less congested than during the height of tourist season. But as they drove past the inner harbor and the Parliament buildings, the streets were still busy enough to need his attention.

“Tell me what you’ve got.”

“Not much. She got up and found him missing. She searched her place, her neighborhood and anywhere else she could think of. Nothing. Nada. So she called the police and they came out but that’s about all they did. Besides telling her they didn’t have the manpower to do anything else.”

He sighed. “I wish I could give you something concrete. But all I can suggest is she keep looking for him. He may have gotten out on his own and wandered off. Someone else may have picked him up and been taking care of him. She should contact the local SPCA. And does she have a tracking tag for him?”

“A – what?”

“A micro-chip the veterinarian inserts under the skin.”

“And?”

“There’s a national database which keeps track of all the registered animals so if a dog is lost – or stolen – and anyone finds him they’ll connect him with the owner.”

“I’ll ask,” she said. It sounded like just the thing Wendy would do. Please, please let it be that simple, she thought silently.

And then she put it out of her mind as they reached their destination. It was a small gym, proudly proclaiming itself to be a leader in self-defense, whose owner was a friend of Patricks’ and was happy to let him use the gym when classes weren’t running. Particularly since he was hoping Patrick would be able to help him out by teaching some.

As they pulled out mats covering the area they’d be working in and she looked at the wall of mirrors she had a moment of doubt. “So, I’m like your guinea pig?”

He looked up at her with a smile. “In a way. But I have taught classes before if you’re worried.”

Her heart skipped momentarily. She gave him a serious look. “As long as you’re not expecting miracles.”

“A miracle,” he said drily, “would be knowing you were never going to be involved in any type of crime again.”

“Ooh,” she said with a small smile. “You make me seem dangerous.”

“More like vulnerable,” he said. Then he gave her a grin. “But by the time we’re finished you may be.”
   “What? Dangerous, or vulnerable?” Her heart was racing a mile a minute as she looked at him.

“Dangerous,” he said giving her a wicked grin. “Now,” he said getting serious, “we’ll talk about prevention. You know enough to keep your eyes and ears open wherever you are. And call the police if you’re going somewhere dangerous.”

He looked her straight in the eyes, his eyes dark with emotion. She knew there’d been more than one time she’d put herself in harms’ way. But at the time she’d truly felt it would be like someone calling “wolf,” when there was no real reason. She wanted to make sure when she did need help someone would answer her call.

“Let’s go over basic safety. Try not to walk alone down dark alleys or other places. Make sure you’re not listening to music or something and ignoring what’s around you.”

“I don’t do that,” she said hotly.

“I seem to remember you going down one to get to your car after a threatening note-“

“OK, I’ll admit it may have been an error in judgment.”

“Which is why we’re here,” he said. “I’m going to give you some techniques to render an attacker helpless and leave him in serious pain.” The look in his eyes took the sting out of his words. “OK, I want you to look in the mirror and stand like me.” He stood straight, his body relaxed but ready.

Was there some trick? He was just standing normally. She did the same, giving him a puzzled look.

“Stay aware when you’re walking down the street. You’re more likely to be attacked if you’re distracted or not paying attention, if you’ve got your head down. The first thing you use is your voice. Someone’s following you, turn around and confront them. Ask them why they’re following you. We’ll practice that a few times. Start walking.”

Seriously?  She started walking and he followed. How far did he want her to walk? He moved closer. She sped up. He moved in again. What was she supposed to say? She sped up again. He reached out his hand, touching her shoulder.

She turned, frustrated and angry. “What are you doing?”

He grinned. “Seeing how far I had to go before you’d do something.”

“This is stupid.”

“So is being attacked and not being able to defend yourself. You shouldn’t have waited until I made physical contact. You should have confronted me as soon as you noticed I was following you.”

“But I know you. I know you’re not going to hurt me.”

“So practice on me. Then you won’t freeze when you’re in the actual situation.”

Which, she had to admit made sense. Even if spending ten minutes doing this now seemed silly.

“It’s not silly if it saves someone’s life.” His voice was dead serious now.

So after she’d spent ten minutes confronting him with everything from “are you following me?” to “can I help you?” or “Stop following me or I’ll call 911,” she had to admit it felt more normal.

“Good. Sometimes that won’t work though. You’ll need to do a little more. If you’re in an area where there are other people switch to the other side of the street, run forward to where there are more people or hit him with something.” He paused for a moment considering. “A heavy bag if you’re carrying one or cooking supplies – then move away from him as fast as possible.”