A Deadly Delicious Delivery (A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Cindy Bell Read Free Book Online Page B

go with you, to be your getaway driver.”
    “Hmm, and you wonder where I got that boldness from?”
    “Oh, it wasn’t my fault! You got that from your mother!”
    “And who did she get it from?”
    Charlotte sighed. “I suppose I might have my moments.”
    Ally grinned. “All right, we’ll wait until about midnight, then everyone should be asleep. No one will notice if I slip in for a quick peek.”
    “And what if someone does? What if Luke shows up?”
    Ally raised an eyebrow. “Well, he did tell me that he wouldn’t arrest me.”
    “I guess that’s reassuring, but I don’t think he expects you to break into Myrtle’s room.”
    “We can’t think about what might go wrong we just have to be as prepared as we can and go for it. In the meantime we need to get a list of suspects going. I remember that altercation between Ruth and Myrtle. The ladies at the table where I sat were quite eager to talk about their ongoing feud. They said that Ruth was even taking bets about when Myrtle would die.”
    “Atrocious. But that doesn’t mean it’s true or that she did it.”
    “No, it doesn’t, but it does give us a place to start,” Ally said. “Was she married?”
    “Divorced.”
    “What about kids, did Myrtle have any?”
    “Two I think. A boy and a girl. But they moved away a long time ago.”
    “I’ll have to check into that, too.” Ally nodded.
    “Let’s just hope that we can figure out something fast enough to be able to get the shop back open before people forget we’re even there.”
    “Oh, I don’t think they will forget, but it would be nice if they forgot about this little mess we’ve gotten ourselves into,” Ally said.
    “Who knew that making delicious chocolates could lead to homicide?”
    “I don’t know, Mee-Maw, but until we figure all of this out you should be cautious of everyone at Freely Lakes. Anyone there could have been involved in this. As far as I am concerned everyone at Freely Lakes is a suspect.”
    “And as far as the police force and the community are concerned, so are we.” Charlotte met her eyes. “We can’t give them any more reason to suspect us.”
    “I’ll be careful.”
     
    ***
     
    Peaches waited for Ally outside the bathroom door. Ally could hear her plaintive meowing. But for once she did not respond to it. She soaked in a warm bath and closed her eyes. Her nerves were on edge with the thought of breaking into Myrtle’s room that night. She didn’t exactly have the expertise to pull it off well. She would probably stuff it up and not even be able to get in. When she thought about it, her next thought was always Luke putting her in handcuffs. What was it about him that made her think he would stand by his word? After all she didn’t know much about him, and in turn he didn’t know that much about her. So what drove that connection that she felt for him every time she thought of him? It was hard to stay focused on the task at hand if her mind wandered incessantly to his hazel eyes and the subtle curve of his smile.
    “Okay, out of the tub with you.” Ally flicked the switch to drain the water and stepped out of the tub. She wrapped herself in a towel and walked out of the bathroom to look in her closet. Peaches swished her way around her ankles.
    How did one dress for breaking and entering? She settled on a pair of black jeans and a black turtleneck. She wasn’t sure why, but it seemed appropriate for the activity. She sat down on the edge of her bed to pull on her sneakers. The moment she did, Peaches jumped up into her lap. Ally smiled and pet her.
    “Don’t worry, darling, I’ll be very careful.” When she stood up Peaches jumped down. But she left behind a large amount of orange fur.
    “Great. I look like a tiger.” Ally laughed at how ridiculous the moment was. She brushed off the orange fur as best she could and then pulled her long, brown hair into a tight ponytail. Her stomach flipped. What if she got caught?
    There was a soft knock on