Strawberries & Chocolate & Murder Read online

  They saw someone approaching Stephanie Jordan's house. They waited until the killer had entered the house and then made their presence known. Amy and Detective Peters soon followed them into the room.

  Sara Chancely dropped the flashlight that she had been holding as she realized she had been caught.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “We could ask you the same question,” said Heather.

  “But we won’t because we know the answer,” said Amy. “You’re here, trying to gather some evidence before the forensic team arrives in the morning.”

  “What?” Sara said. “That’s ridiculous. I didn’t kill her. One of those guys she had drooling over her did.”

  “That’s what you wanted us to think,” said Heather. “But you were the one who delivered the CDB candy.”

  “There’s no way you can prove that,” said Sara.

  “You coming here tonight doesn’t look too good for you,” said Detective Peters.

  “And you just proved that you had a key to the house,” said Ryan.

  “We should have realized that the neighbor and friend would have had a key,” said Amy.

  “And it gave you the opportunity to clean up your crime before it came to fruition,” said Ryan.

  “What do you mean?” asked Sara.

  "The packaging," Heather explained. "We know that many of the candy boxes arrived in the mail. The men who sent it to her admitted that they did. So why couldn't we find any of the packagings in the house with their addresses on it?"

  “She must have thrown them away,” said Sara.

  “No,” Heather said. “That was your mistake. When we visited you, you told us that the trash wouldn’t be collected until the following day. She’s your next-door neighbor. Stephanie Jordan’s trash wouldn’t be collected until then either. And she had been getting the candy boxes in the mail all week. She should have had at least some of the packaging in her garbage.”

  “Why would I take that? It seems pointless,” Sara said.

  "To keep us uncertain about things," said Heather. "Without addresses, we only had partial names to go on for finding the suitors. Stephanie didn't have many close friends. You were the only one who might have known what the men's full names were and you didn’t tell us. That was for the same reason. You hoped we would either pin the blame on the most jealous of the suitors.”

  “Like Perry Rogers,” said Amy.

  "Or never come to a conclusion," Heather continued. "You thought that the police would always consider that it was one of the men in her life who killed her. But they might never be able to build up a strong enough case against any of them. We might have searched forever for any of the one named suitors, but especially for CDB. They were fake initials, weren't they? That was what you wrote on the box that you used to poison her."

  “Did I really get caught because of when the garbage comes?” asked Sara.

  “And again, coming here tonight didn’t help,” said Amy.

  “CDB were fake initials,” Sara said. “You were right. They were from a fake person and she ate them anyway. She had so many men fawning over her that she didn’t question who it was from.”

  “But you were her friend,” Heather said. “That’s the only part I don’t understand.”

  "Some friend," said Sara. "She had dozens of men and I couldn't get a boyfriend. She used to give me advice, but she was teasing me. Even the outfit she lent me for Valentine's Day looked terrible on me. It only looked good on her. She enjoyed comparing herself to me and winning. But then I realized what I could do. I'd kill her and then when one of the men were especially heartbroken, I could comfort him. He'd turn to me for support. I'd be there. I'd finally find true love."

  “I don’t think I can listen to any more of this,” said Amy.

  "Miss Chancely, you're under arrest," Ryan said. He read Sara her rights, but then Heather asked.

  "Did CDB stand for anything at all?"

  "Sure," Sara said, laughing. "Cyanide - death brings!"

  He and Peters led her away as she continued cackling.

  Amy turned to her bestie. “I want you to know that even if I’m jealous of you sometimes, I love you. And I would never, ever poison you too.”

  "Same here," said Heather. "But what do you have to be jealous of?"

  "Oh, I don't know," Amy said. "Overall, I do love how things are with Jamie. But lately, I've been thinking I wouldn't mind a ring and a wedding."

  "And a dog?" Heather suggested before Amy could roll her eyes.

  Happy Valentine’s Day

  “Can it be Valentine’s Day every day?” asked Lilly. “I love these donuts.”

  "After how crazy this week has been, I prefer it not be every day," said Amy.

  “But I can make you these donuts anytime you want,” Heather assured her daughter.

  The whole gang was gathered together at Donut Delights for a sweet Valentine’s Day brunch. Amy and Jamie were sharing a plate. Heather sat in between Ryan and Lilly. Eva and Leila were also there, licking their lips as they saw the pile of Strawberries and Chocolate Donuts.

  "Did you and Vincent figure out your plans for today?" asked Heather.

  "Yes," Eva said, after wiping her mouth with a napkin. "We did find a compromise. We're going to a romantic dinner but it's on the top floor of a fancy building. Not exactly a hot air balloon, but it will have a great view."

  “Have fun looking down on us all,” Leila teased. “I’m going to have to bring some of these donuts when I go and see Betty. They really are too delicious.”

  “Before you go, I have to show you something,” Lilly said.

  “Is this what you’ve been working mysteriously on all week?” asked Eva.

  Lilly nodded. “You know how I usually write dinosaur stories on my pink typewriter?”

  Heather smiled and nodded.

  “Well, I decided to try my hand at some illustrations too,” said Lilly. “And I drew all of you as characters. And then cut them into hearts.”

  She handed out some pictures to everyone at the table.

  “This is great,” Amy said. “You’re a real artist. You could come to some classes with me if you want.”

  Lilly beamed.

  “Lilly must have known you were going up in the air,” said Leila. “She made us as pterodactyls.”

  "You're flying overhead to keep an eye on us," said Lilly. "And I made you blue to match your hair."

  “I’m the Tyrannosaurus Rex,” Ryan said. “King of the dinosaurs.”

  “Mom, I made you an ankylosaurus so you could have a donut shape at the end of your tail.”

  “It’s wonderful, honey,” Heather said. “Thank you.”

  The door to Donut Delights opened and Ethel hurried in. Heather excused herself to check on the woman.

  “I’m perfectly fine, sweetie. Thank you for directing me to see Mr. Rankle that day. He was very pleased to learn that I was his Valentine after all. I’m headed back there now with some donuts. He says they’re for the nurses.” Ethel leaned closer to her conspiratorially. “But I’ve seen sugar on his lips before.”

  Heather helped her with her order and waved goodbye to her. However, before she could return to her table, the door opened again. Fire Frank and Detective Peters hurried through the door and ran over to the counter where Janae was working.

  Then, they both began babbling about how many donuts they wanted and how hard their jobs were. Janae frowned, and then Digby waltzed over to the counter too.

  “Hi, Janae. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

  “To you too, Digby.”

  "Would you like to celebrate it together tonight? As friends? I figure we can watch a scary movie like Bernadette has been doing, and enjoy a bunch of these great donuts."

  "Thank you for being so clear," Janae said. "I'd love to."

  The two assistants high-fived and then went back to work.

  Heather couldn’t help chuckling at the suitors’ shocked expressions. Then, she
returned to her table to feel the love with her friends and family.

  The End.

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  About the Author

  Susan Gillard is a lover of all things mysterious. She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri where her love of murder mystery novels grew.

  Now she travels the country in search of the best baked goods and engaging with the locals who often become the inspiration for her wacky characters.

  Get in Touch with Susan

  SusanGillard.com

  [email protected]

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