Triple Chocolate Murder by Sally Berneathy

Author:Sally Berneathy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: murder, mystery, humor, cat, female sleuth, chocolate, humor mystery, sleuth mystery series, chocolate shop, humorous cozy
Publisher: Sally Berneathy

Chapter Eleven

We left Henry snoozing happily in his catnip-induced stupor and hurried to Paula’s house.

“Are you all right?” I demanded as soon as she came to the door.

“I’m fine. Relax. It may be nothing. I may be overreacting.”

“Not likely.” Fred rose from the sofa as Paula closed and locked the door.

“How did you get here before me?” I asked. “I live closer.”

“I know the secret way,” he said smugly, resuming his seat.

Paula smiled. “I called him first. I hated to bother you when Trent was visiting, but Fred insisted I should.”

“Oh, good grief!” I sank onto the sofa beside Fred. “I can’t believe you hesitated to call me. We weren’t doing anything except eating and arguing.”

Trent shrugged. “Yeah, it was one of our more exciting nights, but we don’t mind being interrupted for a good reason.” He walked over to Paula, took her arm and guided her to an armchair. “Tell me what happened.” The quintessential cop.

Paula folded her hands in her lap. She appeared calm and collected, but I knew her well enough to know how good she was at faking it. “I’d just got Zach down for the night when someone knocked on the door.”

Those folded hands in her lap were clenched pretty tight. I could see the white knuckles from across the room. I suppose when you think you’ve killed your abusive husband and hide from the cops for a couple of years, you learn to fear anybody who knocks on your door after dark. Or before dark, for that matter.

“I went to the door,” she continued, “turned on the porch light and looked through the peep hole. It was a woman, but nobody I knew. I asked who she was. She said she was with Universal Insurance and wanted to talk to me about a key-man life insurance policy that Rick bought for you, Lindsay.”

I shot to my feet. “What? Rick took out a policy on me? That proves it! He’s trying to kill me so he can—” I stopped mid-rant. “Key-man insurance? That doesn’t make any sense.” I considered the ramifications of insurance often purchased on the life of an executive critical to the success of a company to insure the company could survive if something happened to that executive. “I don’t understand. He wants to be certain the chocolate shop survives?”

“I don’t think so,” Paula said. “I think that woman was lying.”

“Sit down, Lindsay.” Fred patted the sofa beside him. “Let Paula talk. Remember that word we discussed earlier, patience?”

“And remember what I said about that word?”

“Go ahead, Paula. Tell us what happened.” Trent crossed the room and sat on my other side, giving me a phony smile and lifting a finger to his lips.

Two of my three favorite men—the third was passed out at home—trying to keep me quiet.

Inadequate.

“She asked if she could come in, and I told her no. But I wanted to get a better look at her, see if she had any scratches, so I put the chain on the door and opened it a few inches.

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