Pink Hot Chocolate & Murder Read online

  “How many people had access to this room?” asked Ryan.

  “We should doublecheck with the Harts,” Heather said. “It sounded like they came up with new combinations for different events to deter theft. Teresa Hart gave the combination to Amy and me, and I think she gave it to all the other bakers as well.”

  "I saw the big guy with the beard in here before when I went to warm up some donuts at the beginning of the night," Amy agreed. "And those two fudge ladies."

  "Most likely all the other people serving chocolates were in here tonight at some point too," said Ryan. We'll see if there are any other people in the building who could have come in here."

  “The good news is that even though you both had access to this room, it sounds like you have a pretty solid alibi for the time of death,” Detective Peters said. “Dancing with a detective from the Key West Police Force in clear view of everyone.”

  "That's what I was feeling bad about," said Amy. "But I guess it's always good to have an alibi. Jamie and I were dancing too."

  “It means that we can allow you to help on this case,” Ryan agreed. “And I’m glad of that. This seems like an investigation where it will be helpful to have some people who are knowledgeable about chocolate.”

  “You think that could be a motive for the man’s murder?” asked Heather.

  “If that’s what all the suspects who had access to this room have in common, then it’s certainly possible,” said Ryan.

  Heather nodded. She thought back to all the people she saw earlier serving chocolate desserts at their tables. Could one of them be a cold-blooded killer? They had looked so friendly offering up cupcakes and fudge, but Heather had learned through the course of her investigations that looks could be deceiving.

  “How was he killed?” Amy asked.

  “It looked like he was hit over the head,” Heather said.

  “The medical examiner agrees with that,” Ryan said.

  “We found a kitchen appliance with blood on it lying on the floor,” Peters said. “We’re pretty sure it’s the murder weapon. Besides the blood, it’s the right size and shape.”

  “So, the killer left it behind?” Heather asked.

  “It’s possible he panicked,” said Ryan.

  “Or he didn’t think it would be tied back to him,” Heather mused. “What sort of appliance was it?”

  “Well…” Peters began helplessly. “It looked like something you’d use in a kitchen.”

  “I think it was a handheld mixer,” said Ryan.

  “Right,” said Peters. “That’s exactly what I meant!”

  “They can come in different sizes,” said Heather.

  “This had a handle that was about seven inches long," said Ryan. "And it was decently heavy. Swung with force, it could definitely kill a man. The beaters that are usually attached that actually do the mixing weren't on it at the time. It had an electric power cord, but, actually, it was a little loose. I'm not sure if that makes a difference."

  "Well, he wasn't electrocuted," Amy said.

  "Was it red with a heart on it?" asked Heather.

  “That’s right,” said Peters.

  "It was here when we arrived," said Heather. "I think it was one of the tools that the Harts provide in case the bakers forgot anything."

  “So, anyone who came into the room would have had access to it,” Ryan said.

  “I really hate when kitchen tools are used as weapons,” Amy sighed.

  “Did you find out anything else useful?” asked Heather.

  "We've taken a lot of samples of fingerprints and DNA," said Ryan. "But if several people were using this room today, it might account for it all. There's a lot of evidence in this room, but we'll have to weed out what is relevant to the case."

  Heather looked around the room. She had to agree with the predicament. There were lots of items in the room, and they would have to determine what was clue and wasn't. There were materials and personal items from all the bakers that used the room. There were still several boxes of Pink Hot Chocolate Donuts on the table, and Heather's bag was under it. There were several jackets and lots of decorative serving utensils.

  Suddenly, Heather realized that even though there were many things crowded in the room, there might also be something missing from it.

  "Wait a second," Heather said. "Are there any signs of Jacques O'Lot's luxury chocolates?"

  “No,” Ryan confirmed after a quick search.

  "He was keeping his supply in here," said Heather. "I saw it before. He only kept a small amount at his table at a time."

  “Is that important?” asked Peters. “Was it valuable?”

  “It was infused with gold,” said Heather. “And if it was stolen, that might just be a motive for murder.”

  The Sweet Harts

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” Teresa Hart said. “We’ve been doing these Valentine’s chocolate dances for, what, twenty years?”

  “Twenty-two,” Benedict Hart answered.

  “And this has never happened before,” Teresa continued. “The worst thing that ever happened was we had one man, Frederick Jarvis.”

  “Franklin,” Benedict Hart corrected.

  “He got sick from eating a cookie before,” said Teresa. “But he ended up being fine. He didn’t die. We’ve never had a death before.”

  “This is a murder, dear,” Benedict said.

  As glamorous as Teresa Hart was, Benedict Hart was stuffy. His hair was gray, and his skin almost looked gray too. As Teresa paced around the room, answering the investigator's questions, he sat in his chair.

  “We need to know who had access to that prep room,” Ryan said.

  “The room opens when the proper combination is entered,” Benedict said. “We use different ones for different events so that people who worked one event couldn’t come as guests to another party and rob the room. Not that we’ve had a problem with that before. We just like to be careful.”

  "Not that it did us much good," Teresa said. "I can't believe Jacques O'Lot is dead. He could be a handful, but I can't believe someone would murder him."

  “Who knew the code for that room?” asked Ryan.

  “Teresa and I knew it, of course. And we always tell our lead facilities manager, but Magee and the cleaning staff won’t be in until tomorrow. In fact, Magee is away for the weekend. He’s on his own romantic trip.”

  "I told everyone who had a chocolate table the code," Teresa said. "You two from the donut table. Jacques, of course. The mousse fellow. Annie from mini cupcakes. Kayla with the cookies. And the two women from the fudge table."

  “Anyone else?” asked Ryan.

  “No,” Teresa said, shaking her head.

  “Of course, any of them might have told someone the code. Not thinking anything of it. Someone on their staff or a lover,” said Benedict.

  “I think we were the only table with a full staff,” said Heather. “Because I wanted my employees to be able to take turns and enjoy themselves. But I think all the other tables were manned by one person.”

  “Or two in the case of Gerri and Jenny,” said Amy. “Though they do kinda seem like the same person.”

  “I don’t know why anyone would give away the code willy-nilly,” said Teresa. “The code is there to protect their supplies. Oh. How could this have happened?”

  “Do you know if any of the other bakers were facing financial hardship?” asked Heather.

  “I don’t believe so,” said Teresa. “We tried to choose the best chocolate possible for our event. We wouldn’t have chosen someone that was going out of business. That wouldn’t have given us much confidence.”

  “Do you know if any of the bakers had a reason to hurt Jacques?” asked Detective Peters.

  “No,” Teresa said. “I simply can’t understand it.”

  "Let's not be naïve," Benedict said. "Jacques O'Lot was a fine chocolate maker, and we loved having him serve his luxury candies at our event, but he was no saint. He could be difficul
t to get along with. Why only this afternoon, he was causing a scene about the placement of his table. He didn't want to be next to another form of chocolate that he considered inferior."

  “Yeah. That was us,” Amy said.

  “And I’m sure what you made was wonderful. But Jacques O’Lot wanted to be treated like a king,” Benedict continued. “I’m sure that rubbed some people the wrong way.”

  “But enough to kill him?’ asked Teresa. “And one of our chocolate servers? Most of them we’ve known for years. And we haven’t had any troubles with them. Maybe Kayla briefly, but we welcomed her back after all.”

  “What happened with Kayla?” asked Ryan.

  “She was the reason that Frederick got sick,” said Teresa.

  “Franklin,” corrected Benedict.

  "But we realized it was a one-time occurrence. She's been making wonderful cookies since then, and we finally welcomed her back this year."

  “Perhaps that was a mistake,” said Benedict.

  “Do you really think she would escalate from that to murder?” Teresa asked with her hands on her hips.

  “I don’t know,” Benedict said. “I just know that someone at our party decided to kill someone.”

  “Did you provide a red mixer for the bakers to use in the prep room?” asked Ryan.

  "That's right," said Teresa. "I leave several appliances for our chocolate makers' convenience in that room. I selected red ones for this even because of Valentine's day."

  “I have one more question that I’m afraid I have to ask,” Ryan said. “Just as formality.”

  Heather realized what was about to be asked, and it wasn’t just a formality. He was about to ask where they were at the time of the murder, and because they also knew the code to the prep room, they could be considered suspects.

  He asked them, and Teresa responded with a smile. "I was thinking at the time that I found the mayor's wife longwinded and annoying, but now it's wonderful. We were with the mayor and his wife the entire time. I wanted to escape the conversation, but couldn't find a polite way to do so. I suppose that keeps us from being considered killers. Maybe I should call her up and thank her. No, there’s no way to tell how long she’d keep me on the phone then.”

  Ryan thanked them for their time, and the investigators moved away.

  “What’s our next move?” Peters asked his partner.

  “We’re going to have to question all the bakers, obviously,” said Ryan. “But I think that we be what we tackle tomorrow. Tonight, we’ll have to help with the party exits.”

  “Meaning?” asked Amy.

  “We want to let all the guests go home, but we’ll have to get their contact information. And anyone that has a large enough bag that they could hide lots of expensive chocolate in, we’ll have to search,” said Ryan. “The uniformed officers have started this, but we should help.”

  “Sounds like a late night,” said Heather.

  “And not because we’re dancing and eating chocolate,” Amy sighed. “Murder ruins everything.”

  Crime Contemplations

  "Boss, are you sure you should be at work today?" Digby asked.

  “What do you mean?” asked Heather.

  “I mean that you worked all day yesterday with the donuts and then probably all night on the murder case.”

  “That’s all right,” Heather said, honestly. “I’m used to that.”

  “You’re also leaning on the counter like it’s a bed you could fall asleep in any minute,” said Digby.

  Heather stood up straight. She hadn’t realized how droopy she had become. “I guess it was a late night. And I don’t feel like we’re any closer to finding the killer than we were when I stumbled across the body.”

  “I don’t know how you do it,” Luz said. “If I saw somebody who died, I’m sure I would faint on the spot.”

  “It’s better if you can stay awake,’ Heather said. “Especially if the killer might still be in the area.”

  Luz shuddered.

  “But that wasn’t the case yesterday,” Heather said, quickly. “The killer wasn’t in the room when we arrived, so I wasn’t in any danger.”

  Amy entered through the front door sleepily and walked up to Heather and her assistants. “I need a coffee and a hot chocolate stat.”

  “By hot chocolate do you mean a donut?” asked Heather.

  Amy nodded. “Preferably pink.”

  Heather handed her friend a donut while Nina poured her a cup of coffee.

  “Thanks,” Amy said after taking a sip. “I feel a little more human now.”

  “It was a rough night last night,” said Digby. “Maybe we all need a donut to recuperate?”

  "Fine," Heather said. "Everyone, have a donut. And then I need to ask you all some questions."

  “Are we suspects?” Nina asked.

  “No,” Heather said. “Not only because I know you, but because I didn’t give any of you the combination code to the room. But I think it’s possible that you might have witnessed something that could be helpful.”

  “I doubt Nina saw anything helpful,” Digby teased. “She only had eyes for that guy who has been working across the street at Mr. Rankle’s place.”

  “He might be right about that,” Nina said, blushing. “I was a bit distracted.”

  “It’s a definite upgrade from Mr. Rankle,” Digby said. “He’s a neighbor that waves back when you say hello.”

  “Neighborhood politics aside, I’d like to talk about last night,” said Heather. “Did anyone notice the other chocolate makers leaving their tables when the murder could have occurred?”

  “I think we were dancing by that point,” Digby said.

  Nina nodded. “And like I admitted I was a little distracted then. I wasn’t looking at the tables.”

  “What about you, Luz?”

  Luz thought about it and then sighed. “I’m sorry. Perhaps I should have noticed more, but I wasn’t thinking to be on the lookout for anything. I had no idea that something like this could happen at a nice party.”

  “It’s okay,” Heather said. “But anything you remember could be helpful.”

  "The problem is that I'm pretty sure everyone stepped away from their tables for a least a little bit last night, but I can't be sure of the times. I remember that large man from the mousse table was walking by because he cast a shadow on the table. And I think Gerri and Jenny were taking turns at the table. The girl from the cupcake table was so short that she might have disappeared on me without my noticing. And the others might have slipped away too. But I was focused on our donuts."

  "Do you remember when Jacques O'Lot left his table?" asked Heather.

  “No, not exactly,” said Luz. “It did seem to be for a while. He stopped mocking our table, but I thought that was finally good manners instead of a disappearance. It wasn’t until a partygoer came by our table and asked about his chocolates as she sampled a donut that I realized for certain that he wasn’t there.”

  “Believe it or not, this does still help,” Heather said. “This means that any of the chocolate makers had the possibility to leave the tasting area and commit the crime. Things would have been more confusing if you were certain that none of them had left.”

  “You think it was definitely one of the other people from the tables?” asked Luz.

  "Yes," said Heather. "They all had the combination to the room. They also knew in advance that Jacques O'Lot would be serving edible gold. That gave them the opportunity to plan their theft that night. Because the gold is missing, it looks like robbery was the motive for the murder.”

  “I wonder how much that chocolate is worth,” Amy said.

  "Jacques O'Lot made it sound like it was valuable," Heather said. "Both monetarily and as an exotic dish."

  The shop door opened and Heather was pleased to see her favorite customers again. She was less pleased to see that Eva still looked upset.

  “A dozen donuts, quick,” Heather said. Her assistants hurried to work and brought
them over to Eva and Leila’s usual table.

  Heather and Amy sat down with their friends. Eva sighed. She hated when a fuss was made over her.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” she protested. “I’m perfectly all right. I am rather certain that my gentleman caller is cheating on me. But besides that, I am perfectly well. I have my health and my friends. And eleven donuts.”

  “Eleven?” asked Heather. “There were supposed to be a dozen.”

  “I moved too quickly,” Leila explained, revealing the donut she grabbed.

  “Are you sure he’s cheating on you?” Amy asked. “Who could do that to you?”

  “It’s the only thing that makes sense,” said Eva. “He did look very dapper in his Cupid-inspired bowtie, but he was dodging glances all night. It was as if he was afraid someone would see him with me. He didn’t want his other ladies to know about it. I’m sure.”

  “I’m not sure,” Heather said. “But I think you should express your concerns to him. Maybe he can explain his behavior.”

  "I tried," said Eva. "He told me I imagined things."

  “As if,” Leila said with attitude. Then, she sneakily grabbed another donut. Heather watched her.

  “Eva, enjoy these donuts and just let my staff know if you both want some more,” said Heather, rising. “We always support you. And please let us know if there’s anything we can do.”

  “Yeah,” Amy said. “We’re even willing to beat up Vincent’s car.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Eva said. “But where are you going? Did you think of something to help your case?”

  "Maybe," Heather said. "I was thinking about how Leila was sneaky with the donuts. But we checked everyone's bags as they left yesterday and there was no way for anyone to sneak out with the gold after the murder. So how did they do it? Was there enough time for them to get the gold out of the building before we discovered the body? I think I need to check the crime scene again."

  Chocolate Gold

  “I feel like we looked at the crime scene pretty thoroughly last night,” Ryan said. “Is there something in particular that you think we missed?”