The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss (22 page)

Dear Sophie,

My stoopid sister thinks she can use hot chocolate mix instead of cocoa powder in recipes. I think that’s why her desserts taste so lousy. Please tell her she has to use real cocoa powder! She won’t listen to me.

—The Smart Sister in Mix, Louisiana

Dear The Smart Sister,

I don’t think your sister will like hearing this from me, either. Chocolate milk drink mixes usually contain other ingredients, and very often sugar, which will throw the recipe off. For baking, one really ought to stick to unsweetened cocoa powder or baking chocolate.

—Sophie

My knees went weak. I leaned against the arm of the sofa to steady myself. “What? Who? How do you know that?”

“One of my most loyal employees told me that he had been solicited to do the deed.”

“He? Then it wasn’t Marla.”

“Randy.”

“Who wanted to kill you?” I smacked my forehead. “Of course. Mitch. That’s what you were doing there tonight. The police hoped he would try to hire Vince now that Randy’s gone?”

“That’s about the size of it.”

“So Mitch tried to hire Randy to kill you and Randy warned you.”

“He told me on the night of the welcome dinner. I had planned to go underground, so to speak, so everything was set up. But when I learned about this, the cops thought I should stay missing for a while for my own safety.”

“That makes sense.” I winced as I grasped the problem. “But now you have no evidence because Randy is dead.”

“Yes.” It was a simple, small word. He barely muttered it.

Maybe Mitch didn’t know how close Randy was to the other members of the Merano clan. “No one else knew about it? Mitch didn’t approach anyone else?”

“He may have. I don’t know. Randy was in on my little undercover act in the company. He was helping me.”

“The police have known about this all along?”

“Apparently we should have let
you
in on it.”

I got his message. I was interfering. Oh boy, had I stepped into a pile of poop this time. “So, after Randy’s death, you thought Mitch would hire you, as Vince, to do his dirty work?”

“Right. Randy played coy and didn’t tell Mitch when he asked about the location of my dead body. Mitch thinks that Randy already killed me and hid my body.”

“But wouldn’t Mitch have required some proof that you were dead?”

Joe snorted. “Randy brought him my wedding band.”

I was flabbergasted. “Wait a minute. You were very good to Randy. Why would Mitch think Randy would turn on you and do something so heinous?”

Joe inhaled deeply. “The oldest reason on earth. Money. I’m sick about the whole thing. If I had known what would happen, I would rather have been murdered by Mitch than see Randy die.”

I hated to spill Coco’s secret but maybe she would approve. After all, this was her father. She wouldn’t want him living with guilt. “If Mitch killed Randy, it might have been out of jealousy.”

“Why would a guy like Mitch be jealous of Randy?”

“Because Coco was in love with him.”

“What?” Joe shook his head at first, but I could almost see him coming to terms with it. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize it. It makes so much sense in retrospect.” He shook his head. “No. If Mitch murdered Randy, it was probably because of me. They tell me you were the last one to see Marla before she took off. Was she okay?”

“I think so. She was scared, though.”

“She probably thinks she’s next.”

“If the police know that Mitch killed Randy, then why don’t they arrest him?”

“Because we don’t know that. Mitch has alibis for every second of every day, and he’s at home with Coco at night. His fingerprints aren’t in Randy’s house. They’re not on the box of chocolates. There isn’t one shred of evidence connecting him to Randy’s murder.”

“So it could have been someone else after all. Do you know who killed Arnaud?”

“Not the first clue.” He looked away from me.

“You’re afraid it was one of your children.” It was a statement, not a question.

“We lost so much because of that man.”

“There’s one other thing I don’t understand. Why didn’t
you tell your family about this undercover business? They’re worried sick about you.”

“For starters, Coco can’t keep a secret for anything.”

Maybe Joe didn’t know his daughter as well as he thought he did. He hadn’t known about her affair with Randy. She had kept that quiet.

“She would have blabbed to Mitch and everyone else.” He exhaled. “And I had an ulterior reason. I hoped that my mysterious absence would bring my children together again. People unite in times of disaster. I desperately wanted my daughter Kara to come home.”

“She’s here.”

“She’s back?”

“I don’t know how long she’ll stay, but she’s seen Coco and Nonni.”

Joe hugged me close, like I imagined he wanted to hug Kara. “Then we have to resolve this mess, so I can see my Kara Mel again.”

“Caramel? You named her Caramel?”

“Two names. It’s cute. Kara with a
K
and Mel as a middle name.”

I was willing to bet a small fortune that Kara Mel didn’t think it was so cute.

“Would you mind leaving by the back gate?” he asked. “Wolf’s going to chew us both out tomorrow as it is.”

“They’re watching the house? Who does it belong to?”

“It’s a rental. Anyone can rent it by the day or the week for the Old Town experience. I booked it in advance, before I knew Mitch wanted to do me in. The police thought it safest for me to continue staying here until everything was resolved.”

My head spinning as I tried to make sense of everything, I stepped out into the night with Daisy. We crossed the small fenced garden in back. I opened the latch to the wooden gate, and we entered the alley.

Daisy’s tail wagged so hard that it hit my legs while I closed the gate behind us, making sure it was latched securely and wouldn’t swing open.

Behind me, a man’s voice said, “Thank you for—”

I stifled a scream.

Dear Natasha,

Is it true that chocolate will keep you up at night? My father-in-law refuses to eat chocolate desserts at dinner because he thinks he won’t sleep.

—Daughter-in-Law in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota

Dear Daughter-in-Law,

Tell him the dessert is made with carob. What he doesn’t know won’t keep him awake.

—Natasha

My heart pounding, I realized it was Wolf.

“Thanks for getting me out of bed in the middle of the night.”

“I’m sorry they called you.”

“You’re
lucky
they called me. Sophie, honestly, I don’t know what to do with you. How did you figure it out?”

“Joe’s cat followed him and kept sitting out on the stoop, waiting for him.”

I could hear Wolf trying to keep from laughing. “Foiled by a feline.”

We started walking toward the street. At the end of the alley, just as we stepped onto the sidewalk, Daisy barked at a dark, shadowy figure approaching us.

“Uh-oh. We’re going to give away Joe’s location,” Wolf muttered.

“Should we run the other way?”

“No time. Play along.” Wolf pulled me into his arms, swung us around so his back was to the street.

“What—” I began.

He silenced me with a kiss on the lips.

My heart beat even faster. But I knew it was all an act.

He released me abruptly, and we watched the dark form of the person scuttle away into the night. “That was close.”

“Are we going to do that every time we see someone on the street?” I teased.

Wolf swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. I apologize. I never should have done that. We were still too near to Joe. If the wrong person saw us, it might have given away his location.”

“Of course,” I said, as if I kissed men every day to prevent giving away someone’s hideout.

Wolf breathed raggedly, as did I.

“I’m so sorry, Sophie. It was instinct. At least if anyone saw us it will have looked as though we were having a fling instead of providing a clue to Joe’s whereabouts.”

We resumed walking.

I kept an eye out for anyone who might be prowling the streets in search of Joe. Being hyperalert was
almost
enough to distract me from that kiss. I knew it didn’t mean anything. I understood what had happened. Still, I had dated Wolf for a long time, and that one moment brought back a rush of feelings that I had tucked away. I had to act nonchalant. Let
him know that I got it. There wasn’t anything romantic about it. We had kissed to protect Joe—nothing else.

“Look,” said Wolf, “I don’t know who that was or what he saw. It’s possible that a rumor will get around. If you have a difficult time with Alex or Mars about it, let me know, and I’ll explain to them. Okay?”

“Same here—if your wife hears something.”

Wolf snorted. “Yeah. A phone call gets me out of bed in the middle of the night, I went to be with you, and someone saw us kissing? There’s something she would never understand. But better that than being the cause of Joe’s death.”

He was right, of course. But now I felt worse. Why would any wife understand? I stopped walking and grabbed Wolf’s arm. “You can tell her that if there’s one thing I know about myself, it’s that I don’t ever want to be the other woman. Aside from the impropriety, it’s entirely too nerve-racking. I would never do that.
Never!
But I understand the need to conceal Joe’s hiding place at almost any expense. If that’s what we had to do, then at least we kept him safe.”

“Promise me you’ll stay out of this matter now and let us handle it.”

“Of course I will. I had no idea that I was interfering with anything. I would never have intentionally put Joe in danger or impeded your investigation. I’m sorry if I’ve put you in a bad spot with your wife.”

We walked silently after that until we reached my gate.

“I’ll wait here to be sure you make it inside safely.”

“Thanks, Wolf.”

He held up one finger as a warning. “Remember, you promised.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He would never let me live this down. I unlocked the kitchen door and unlatched Daisy’s leash.

I didn’t hear any sounds coming from the family room. I hoped we hadn’t awakened Mars. I headed straight upstairs, eager to shed my tight pants. The ancient steps creaked
under my weight just as the stairs in Joe’s rental had squeaked under him. I changed into an oversized nightshirt and stared at my bed. There was no way I could sleep. I was far too agitated. I wasn’t a big drinker, but if ever anyone deserved a drink, it was on a night like this.

Daisy and Mochie followed me down the stairs. A Chocolate Kiss would do the trick. Warm milk helped everyone fall asleep. I spooned unsweetened powdered chocolate and sugar into a couple of tablespoons of water to make a little slurry before I added milk to my mug. I popped it into the microwave to warm it.

The
thunk
,
thunk
of Mars’s crutches caught my attention.

He flicked on a light. “Can’t sleep?”

“I thought I’d have a Chocolate Kiss. Want one?”

“Sure. It’s chilly tonight.”

“Is it? I hadn’t noticed.” I fixed another mug for Mars. To both mugs, I added coffee liqueur, peppermint schnapps, and leftover whipped cream that I had in the fridge.

We settled in the dark sunroom, with only the twinkle of fairy lights glowing in the glass ceiling. Daisy nestled at my feet, and Mochie curled up next to me.

I wished Mars were Nina, so I could talk to him about what had just happened with Wolf. But if I mentioned it to Mars, it would surely bring up the subject of the night something very similar had happened between Mars and me. It seemed these unexpected kisses always happened in the middle of the night out on the streets of Old Town. I had to remember not to venture out in the night like that!

Mars and I had never discussed that night. For a while, I had avoided him, but we fell back into our normal pattern of friendship, and it had never happened again.

Wolf’s kiss had revived the guilt I felt, though. I just wasn’t that woman. I wasn’t the kind of person who chased after men who were in relationships. Even if I was once married to Mars or had dated Wolf. But this had been different, anyway. It had
been an act intended to deceive. I felt just a little like an undercover agent engaged in espionage.

“What’s wrong, Soph?” asked Mars.

I sipped my warm drink, feeling the heat as it went down. What could I say? I couldn’t breathe a word about Joe. Instead I told him about Stella. About Arnie being her father and, for all practical purposes, killing her mother.

Even in the darkened room, I could sense Mars’s shock.

“It’s amazing she turned out as well as she did. Wow. Some people go through unimaginable misery. You know, a father who rejects you like that can do a lot of damage to the psyche. I’m convinced that Natasha’s dad running out on her and her mother has a lot to do with the problems she has as an adult. She’s always trying to impress the father who abandoned her. You and I were so lucky to have great parents. You have to feel for a kid like that. Do you think Stella murdered her father?”

“I honestly don’t know. She had as much, if not more, reason to hate Arnie.”

“It’s probably deeper than hate. After all those years of pain, it has to be resentment and loathing and rage. I wonder if a sharp attorney like Alex could make a case for some kind of insanity?”

“I don’t know. I’ll officially release him as my attorney tomorrow. She’ll need his help. They have the invitation and the glass with the medicine that she ditched. It might be hard for a jury to believe that she didn’t take the final step and choke him.”

“It doesn’t look good for her, even if she did change her mind. The only sure way to prove she didn’t kill him would be to find the real murderer.”

I glanced over at Mars. “Any idea who that might be?”
There. That wasn’t so hard. I hadn’t given away anything.

Mars sipped his drink. “Everyone had a motive. Everyone had opportunity.” He finished his drink. “My heart breaks
for Stella. I never thought I’d say that about a murderer. I hope Alex has some good tricks up his sleeve for her.”

We slept late in the morning. While I didn’t like being fired, I was glad I didn’t have to rise early after my night out. I lingered in the hot shower, resolving not to cause any more problems in the police investigation. The kiss that had induced such guilt in me was business, plain and simple. In fact, it had kept me out of trouble. If that guy in the shadows had been Mitch or someone he hired, Joe would be dead, and it would all be my fault for giving away his location. That should teach me a lesson.

I blew my hair dry, slipped a red cotton dress over my head, zipped it, and headed downstairs barefoot. I could hear Mars up and about in the family room. I put on coffee, let Daisy out, and fed Mochie.

“Eggs Florentine?” I called to Mars.

He hobbled into the kitchen. “Do you have sausage? Nat never makes sausage.”

“Sure.” I pulled a package from the fridge along with raspberries, blueberries, eggs, butter, spinach, and milk. In minutes the sausage sizzled on the stove, and the scent of sage perfumed the kitchen. I mixed the berries with a little sugar and a squeeze of lemon and set the bowl on the table. It didn’t take long to poach the eggs and assemble our breakfast with lovely, decadent hollandaise sauce on top.

We were eating our eggs when Coco showed up at my kitchen door.

“Oh no,” I whispered to Mars. This wasn’t how I wanted to start the day. I took a deep breath and braced myself.

I opened the door, and Daisy shot inside, wagging her tail.

“Good morning.” I said it as cheerfully and graciously as I could.

“Perfect!” said Coco. “I see I’m in time for breakfast.” She handed me a white bakery box. “A peace offering.”

I opened the box. Beautiful fresh chocolate croissants were nestled inside. I arranged them on a platter. “Would you care to join us for eggs or coffee?”

“Only coffee, please. I want to apologize. I was simply horrible to you. I hope you can understand that I wasn’t prepared to see Kara here. After so many years of anger and tears, it would have been a tough reunion under any circumstances, but it wasn’t right or fair of me to lash out at you, Sophie. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

I handed her a mug of coffee. “Of course. I understand.” I was dying to ask how things stood between them. Had they put aside the old issues?

“Thank goodness,” said Coco, scooting into the banquette and helping herself to a croissant. “Because Cheryl Maiorca and Lori Speer are driving me nuts.”

“Oh? What’s their problem?”

“They think they’re detectives or something. They turn up everywhere. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were spying on me.”

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. They probably
were
spying on her.

“What’s that?” asked Mars, pointing to a bag she had set beside her. “More peace offerings?”

“It’s Randy’s goody bag from the chocolate tasting. Do you want it? Randy’s son hired someone to clean out his house so he can put it on the market. I stopped by to pick up a few of my things. They were going to throw out the chocolate.”

“Sure!” Mars reached for it. “I don’t have problems eating chocolate. We had a ball taste-testing them yesterday.” He paused for a moment. “You don’t suppose these are the chocolates that poisoned him?”

Coco didn’t even blink. “They took those away to the lab. Besides, these are all still wrapped in their original
wrappers.” She gulped coffee. “Mitch and I can’t believe we never noticed the change in the quality of the chocolates. Of all people, we should have known. Open one of those boxes, will you, Mars? Let’s try them.”

“Don’t you eat your own chocolate?” asked Mars.

“Of course I do! But I usually pick up the hand-dipped artisanal ones. I’m ashamed to admit that I never take home a whole box unless it’s a gift for someone. I’ve certainly learned my lesson. It’s incumbent on all of us at Amore to keep tasting them. They say chocolate is good for you!”

Mars unsealed the box and handed it to Coco.

She selected a rectangular piece of milk chocolate and bit into it.

I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t collapse again.

She ate half of it, savoring it slowly. “We would have noticed the change right away. My goodness. It’s still edible but it’s not Amore quality. No wonder sales have fallen off. With all the fantastic new small-batch companies out there hand-dipping and using new flavors, we can’t afford to slack off.”

“Do you know who’s responsible yet?” I waited with bated breath. It had to be Mitch, didn’t it? Wasn’t he next in charge behind Joe?

“Mitch is looking into it.”

Oh great.
I finished my eggs, wondering if Coco and Joe had put too much faith in Mitch. It wasn’t really any of my business, and after last night’s fiasco, I thought I’d better keep my opinions to myself, but wasn’t that kind of like the fox checking the security of the henhouse?

Daisy perked up her ears and a moment later, Alex knocked on the door and opened it.

“Good morning, all.” He leaned down to kiss my cheek. “Mmm, looks good. What was for breakfast?”