Fatal Chocolate Obsession (Death by Chocolate Book 5) by Sally Berneathy Read Free Book Online Page A

girlfriend?”
    “Aha! You don’t see everything!” I told him about Ginger’s late-night visit and the bouquet of roses that Henry destroyed.
    He frowned. “I don’t like the sound of either of those events.”
    I shrugged. “It’s irritating but it’s no big deal. Just Rickhead dumping another woman. He probably has number seventy-three waiting in the wings.”
    Both sides of Fred’s mouth slid upward in a grin. “Seventy-three? Have you been keeping track?”
    “You know I’m not good with numbers. It could be seventy-four.”
    “I’ll keep an eye on your house in case you have any more late night visitations.”
    “You have my permission to shoot anybody who comes to my door tonight.”
    He arched a well-groomed eyebrow. “Anybody?”
    “Well, not Trent and not Paula or Zach, but anybody else.”
    “In other words, it’s okay if I shoot Rick.”
    “I’ll help you hide the body.” Like Fred would need any help.
    He walked me outside and I started down the steps toward the sidewalk. It was dark and I’d had two glasses of wine so I thought I should stick to the sidewalk rather than going cross country through my yard with its irregular patches of grass and a few mole holes.
    I turned back on the bottom step of his porch. “I saw Sophie leaving when I came over. More work on her financial affairs?” Yes, it was none of my business, but it never hurts to ask. Worst that can happen is the other person will lie or just won’t answer.
    “Yes.”
    It was possible. Not likely, but possible.
    I went home and Henry met me at the door with a small furry gift. “Thank you.” I forced a smile. It’s the thought that counts.
    He laid the little mouse body at my feet and sauntered inside. I followed him and retrieved a plastic bag from the kitchen then returned to the porch and scooped Henry’s gift into the bag. I’d buried the first ones he brought home but realized early on that I’d run out of yard before Henry ran out of mice. I carried the evening’s gift to the trash can and tossed it in. “Rest in peace,” I said and closed the lid.
    When I went back inside Henry was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He gave me a questioning look.
    “It was delicious. Thank you.”
    Apparently happy with that answer, he went upstairs to the bedroom.
    My sleep that night was uninterrupted. I woke with the alarm and got up without hitting the snooze button even once.
    ***
    When I pulled into the alley behind Death by Chocolate, I noticed that the crime scene tape was gone. I was glad I didn’t have to see it, but I wondered if that meant the cops had stopped working on the case, if it had gone cold already.
    I parked and headed for the door. The windows of the shop were dark. That meant I was there before Paula, something that didn’t happen very often.
    I fumbled with my keys as I approached the door, trying to find the right one, and stumbled over something.
    My heart rate accelerated to roughly the speed of light. I grabbed at the door handle to steady myself.
    What had I tripped over? What lay in front of the door to my shop? I didn’t want to look down. Logic told me it was not another body. It was too small for that. But standing in a dark alley at three forty-five in the morning was not conducive to logical thinking.
    I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes and looked down. Okay, I guess it didn’t count as looking when my eyes were closed. I forced them open, forced myself to look at the object lying at my feet.
    It was a bottle of wine. Red Head Merlot.
    And a note attached with a piece of ribbon.
    I was furious—with myself for being terrified by a bottle of wine and with Rickhead for leaving it there.
    I didn’t hesitate . I marched over to the dumpster and tossed in the bottle and the note. The bottle hit the bottom with a satisfying crash.
    When it came to gifts, I preferred Henry’s dead mice to Rickhead’s offerings.
     

Chapter Five
     
    When Paula arrived ten minutes later, I was making