Double Chocolate and Death Read online

  “You figured out who killed Randall Holmes,” Daniel pointed out.

  “But I was forced into investigating in that case. I was just trying to clear my name because someone was trying to frame me. I wouldn’t say I’m a sleuth. I’m a taffy maker!”

  “Everyone is telling me that I did everything I could for the man,” Daniel said, frowning. “But that’s not true. I think something is wrong and I want to find out for sure. But Detective Doherty won’t talk to me.”

  “I just got back on speaking terms with my brother too,” said Lydia. “Or speaking when he’s not accusing me of murder or suggesting that I’m trying to horde our inheritance.”

  “Please, Lydia.”

  She looked into his grey eyes that were appealing to her. She really didn’t want to look into another murder case, but she couldn’t say no to the man who saved her life. She nodded.

  “I’ll talk to Leo today,” she promised.

  “Thank you.” He reached for her hand and shook it. She couldn’t say that she didn’t enjoy the touch.

  She felt her cheeks reddening, and as soon as her hand was released, she showed him back into the taffy shop and toward the door.

  “I really appreciate this,” Daniel said before leaving. “The man’s name was Chase Harris.”

  “I’ll ask my brother about Chase soon. And remember, you’re always welcome to free taffy here.”

  She watched as he left and tried to get her thoughts in order. It was a strange request that he was making, but it was something that she could do. It was also most likely that the surfer’s death was an accident. She could think of many ways that something could have gone wrong that resulted in drowning – especially if the young man was swimming alone at night. Leo would persuade her that the death was an accident, and she would reassure Daniel about what happened. He was most likely overthinking it because he felt responsible for the man after bringing him to shore. However, in all likelihood, there was nothing untoward with what happened.

  “Were you talking about Chase Harris?” Jeff asked, walking closer to her.

  “That’s right,” she replied. “Daniel Brine was the one who found him. He drowned the other night.”

  “I know,” said Jeff. “That’s why I’ve been so upset.”

  “You knew him?”

  Jeff shook his head. “Not really. I didn’t hang with the same crowd. He was more into competitive surfing than just for fun. But his death has been bothering me. He was so good on the water. He even had the nickname Chase ‘The Waves’ Harris. He knew exactly what to do out there. I mean - how could this have happened?”

  Lydia bit her lip. It seemed that Daniel’s gut feeling was gaining more merit.

  “I guess that’s what I’ve got to find out,” she said. “How did this happen?”

  3

  Detective Brother

  Lydia had hurried out of the taffy shop with great determination after making sure that Jeff and Kelsey were all right on their own. She wanted to find out what she could about Chase Harris’s drowning and determine if there were any signs of foul play that were overlooked. It was also possible that the police didn’t know what a strong swimmer the man was when they first arrived on the scene. Maybe they didn’t know this extenuating circumstance that merited looking deeper into the cause of death.

  She had brought a box of her double chocolate taffy with her to the police station, but she hesitated before she went inside.

  She wasn’t exaggerating when she told Daniel Brine that she and her brother Leo had just gotten back on speaking terms again. At first, Leo had been happy when Lydia moved back to Ocean Point after spending a few years away with her fiancé. The reason for the move had been sad because their Uncle Edgar who had raised them had grown ill. Lydia had moved in with Aunt Edie and Uncle Edgar to help care for him as his health continued to fade. She had also added a rather lazy French bulldog mix into the fold. The family had rallied and had enjoyed as much time as they could with Uncle Edgar before he finally passed.

  However, after his death, Leo and Lydia had not been on good terms. Uncle Edgar had left Lydia enough money to buy her own taffy shop on the boardwalk, which was her dream job. He had also given money to his wife so that she could live out her dream of traveling the world. Leo had not been bequeathed anything extraordinary and was resentful.

  Lydia knew that this wasn’t about the money, but because Leo felt like Uncle Edgar didn’t love him the way he thought he did. However, she knew that Uncle Edgar really did love Leo like a son. She thought that the reason for the strange will was because Lydia and Edie needed the means and the motivation from a loved one to follow their dreams. Leo had already accomplished his dream by becoming a detective.

  While the murder itself that Lydia investigated had been awful, there had been one good thing to come out of it. She and Leo were finally getting along again. There was still a bit of tension between them, but it was clear that they loved one another.

  In fact, while Daniel was saving her from drowning, her brother was shackling the killer who had tried to hurt her. She was grateful that he had shown his brotherly love by coming to her aid and was happy to have him as a friend again. Would she be undoing all the recent progress they made in their relationship if she suggested that he did something wrong when looking at the surfer’s death?

  She braced herself for the conversation she needed to have. Hopefully, her brother would give her the benefit of the doubt about the reasons for her questions. The truth was that Daniel and Jeff were both upset about Chase Harris’s death. She needed to make sure that they had the proper information about what happened.

  “I saw you standing out there,” Leo teased when Lydia finally entered. He had the same green eyes and unruly dark hair that she did. However, he looked more professional in his detective suit while she was in a t-shirt advertising her shop.

  “You can imagine why I might be hesitant to come in,” Lydia responded. “Seeing as the last time I was here I was being grilled as a murder suspect.”

  Leo looked sheepishly down at the floor. Despite how he claimed he was just doing his job, he knew that he had been letting his emotions about their uncle’s death get the better of him when he accused Lydia of murder.

  “I brought salt water taffy,” she said before Leo started apologizing again. She knew that he felt guilty about his actions and that he didn’t particularly like saying he was sorry.

  “Big surprise,” he joked. “Lydia has taffy.”

  “Do you want a piece or not?” she asked, threatening to take the box away.

  He grinned as he took the box out of her hands and selected a piece to eat. He made a noise of delight as he chewed.

  “You know? This has the consistency of taffy, but it really does taste like chocolate. Like good chocolate too.”

  “Thanks. Make sure you leave some for Detective Grey,” Lydia said, referring to his partner. “Don’t eat them all.”

  “No promises,” he said. He smirked as he reached for a second piece. “So, tell me what brings you here? Are you just delivering taffy or it is something else? Is it about the house?”

  “No. Though I am really happy that we decided to sell Aunt Edie’s house together. That will make the job easier.”

  “Of course, it would also be easier if you didn’t accuse the best realtor in town of being a murderer,” Leo pointed out. “But it will be better this way. I won’t think you’re dragging your feet so you can stay at the house, and you won’t feel like I’m ignoring Uncle Edgar’s request that I should be the one to handle the sale.”

  Lydia nodded. That had been another sore spot between them that was now getting straightened out. Leo had stopped being so irritable and had brought out the long list of instructions that Uncle Edgar had for making the sale.

  “Did you get the latest postcard from Aunt Edie?” Leo asked.

  “I did,” Lydia said. She smiled as she dug the card out of her purse. It showed camels in front of the Great Pyram
ids in Egypt. This was the latest location that Aunt Edie had gone to visit.

  She had written a joke on the back, telling Lydia that she had made a “point” of having a great “hump” day by traveling to the pyramids by camel on a Wednesday. However, she also told Lydia that she should be more straightforward with her. Lydia hadn’t wanted to worry her aunt about how she was a suspect in a murder case. Aunt Edie said that no matter where she was, she wanted to know what was going on with her loved ones and that they should always be honest with her. When Lydia finally told her aunt about what had happened, she mailed a box of salt water taffy from the shop to try and sugarcoat the news.

  “She made the same joke on my card,” Leo said. “But she was a bit sterner with me for considering arresting you.”

  “She suggests we be straightforward with her and I guess I should be with you too,” said Lydia. “I’m actually here because of one of your cases.”

  “You’re not getting a taste for getting in the way of my investigations, are you?” asked Leo, raising an eyebrow.

  “No,” she assured him. “But Daniel Brine came to visit me at the shop, and he said that you wouldn’t speak to him.”

  Leo groaned. “I was trying to encourage him to let go. And now he’s bothering my baby sister.”

  “I don’t mind the bother.” Before she began blushing, she quickly continued. “I mean, I understand why he came to see me. He was upset about a man’s death.”

  “Yes. And it’s natural to be upset when you aren’t able to save someone. In our line of work, it happens, and it’s always distressing. But you can’t go looking for ulterior motives that aren’t there. He wants to believe that the man was murdered, but there’s no evidence of that.”

  “But Chase Harris was a very good swimmer, wasn’t he?” Lydia pointed out. “He was known as a surfer around these parts.”

  “And good swimmers still drown when they don’t take the proper precautions,” said Leo. “It was late at night and dark. I suspect alcohol was involved too. There were no marks on the body to indicate murder. I’ll know officially when the autopsy is finished, but there’s nothing here to make me think that a crime was committed.”

  “Wasn’t the last autopsy completed faster?” asked Lydia.

  “Based on the circumstance and the clear evidence of murder there, we had that autopsy rushed.”

  “So, you really think this was an accident?” asked Lydia.

  “I’m almost positive,” said Leo.

  “Will you let me know what the autopsy says when it’s finished?”

  “I can’t show civilians autopsy reports.” Leo rolled his eyes. “But I’ll let you know what the cause of death is deemed to be. I’ll bet you it’s an accidental drowning. Your friend is looking for a reason to blame someone, so he doesn’t feel guilty about not being there to save him.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Daniel,” Lydia said. “He seems very level-headed.”

  “You know him that well?”

  Lydia frowned. “No. I guess I don’t really know him that well.”

  4

  Friendly Conversation

  “I don’t know what to think,” said Lydia.

  “I think we need more wine,” said Trina.

  The two best friends were sitting on a couch in Lydia’s living room. Her beloved dog Sunny was at their feet. Sunny had been chewing on a bone, but it seemed to have tired her out. She was now snoring and cuddling with her treat as if it were a teddy bear.

  Lydia leaned forward and picked the open bottle up from the coffee table. She poured some more into Trina’s glass. When she was finished, Trina raised it as if she were toasting her friend and then took a sip. Lydia took another sip from her own glass, but she wasn’t feeling as relaxed.

  “I wish I felt better about Leo telling me that there hasn’t been a murder in town,” Lydia said with a sigh.

  “But you’re not sure that you believe him?” asked Trina. “That’s all right. I’m not sure I trust his instincts on all cases either. Last time, he almost arrested you!”

  “I know, and that time he was letting his personal feelings get in the way of his work. But, in general, I think he’s a good detective.”

  “So, maybe that’s not what’s bothering you?” Trina suggested. “Maybe you want there to be a murder, so you have an excuse to keep talking to the very handsome Daniel Brine.”

  Lydia chose to half-answer that accusation. “I don’t want there to have been a murder. But I’ve always gotten the sense that Daniel knew what he was talking about and that he didn’t jump to conclusions. Well, except when he bad mouths New Jersey.”

  “And now you feel torn between them?”

  “Not exactly. I’m not choosing between their opinions because of how I feel about them. Chase Harris was either murdered or he wasn’t. There should be evidence to indicate whether that happened or not. Leo says there isn’t any evidence.”

  “Then, I guess there isn’t any evidence.”

  “But Jeff and Daniel were both so convinced that something felt wrong about this drowning. Maybe Chase Harris was murdered.”

  “I think we’re talking in circles,” Trina joked. “My head is starting to spin, and I know it’s from the conversation and not the wine.”

  “Sorry,” said Lydia.

  “It’s okay. You’ve had a strange day. Best friends exist to hear about each other’s strange days. Just for the sake of conversation - I wish you knew whether you actually had a murder case on your hands or not.”

  “Me, too.”

  Sunny woke up at Lydia’s outburst. The pup looked surprised for a moment but then decided to move to the more comfortable couch where there were more chances for belly rubs. Lydia and Trina both indulged the dog, and she was soon slumbering comfortably again.

  “How about we stop talking about the drowning for a moment and move onto an easier topic?” Trina suggested. “How did your interview go today? Do you have a new employee now?”

  Lydia groaned. “That’s not a better topic.”

  “Don’t tell me you asked them if they had access to cyanide during the interview again.”

  “No. But I still might have asked a few too many questions about whether they were a potential killer.”

  “Liddy, I thought we talked about this.”

  “I know. I didn’t mean to ask the questions the way they came out. I wanted to subtly find out whether she had sociopathic tendencies. But I got anxious, and the words just started slipping out of my mouth.”

  “You can be really good at questioning people,” Trina said. “You questioned people when you investigated the murder of the realtor, and before that, you negotiated the deal on your building.”

  “I’m just really afraid of hiring someone who is secretly plotting to kill me.”

  “It’s sad that after everything that happened, I can’t just say that you’re being paranoid,” Trina mused. She took a big swig of her drink.

  “I wonder if Daniel is overreacting to this death the same way that I am overreacting to potential employees. I mean, they can’t all be evil.”

  “I don’t know what to say about Daniel. But would it make you feel better if I was there for your interviews? I could offer moral support and let you know if you start saying anything crazy. Of course, normally I’m the one who just says whatever pops into my head regardless of how it sounds. It will be odd to be the restrained one.”

  “I would really appreciate it,” Lydia said, smiling at her friend. “I feel like lately, I haven’t been eating all that much taffy. I’ve had my foot in my mouth too much for it. I think it would help if you were there.”

  “Great. I’ll come to your next interview. I’m off from work tomorrow. I was just going to meet Carl for dinner.”

  “Things are going well with Carl?” asked Lydia. She knew that Lydia and Carl’s relationship was often off-and-on again.

  Trina nodded. “I think so. He’s been a little distant lately. I wonder if it’s because
I complained that he always smells like fish when he leaves work. But hopefully, we’ll work things out tomorrow night. And hopefully, he’ll shower after leaving the fish market.”

  “I think I can set up an interview for tomorrow,” Lydia said, thinking about it. “I reached out to someone today, and she said she was flexible the next few days.”

  “Great,” Trina said, finishing her drink and setting it down. “One problem is solved.”

  “Now, if only I knew what happened to Chase The Waves Harris.”

  “That was his nickname?” Trina asked as a thought occurred to her. “I think I did hear something about him at the hair salon before. About Chase The Waves.”