Fudge-Laced Felonies (3 page)

“I’ll be there.” Joe elbowed Ethan. “Summer can stand a little sweetening now, can’t she?”

“More than a little,” Ethan replied then laughed, sounding more like a great baboon with each chuckle.

My euphoria diminished with the speed of a bullet. With what I hoped was a classy tilt of my chin, I turned. “Very funny.” And with those cutting words, I marched back into the house.

I parted the white, lacy café-style curtains and glared out the window at the two men. Their faded murmurs reached my ears through the glass. Ethan caught me watching and winked. I clamped my lips together and dropped the curtains back into place.

“Don’t let it bother you, honey.” Aunt Eunice joined me in the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator door. She removed a glass pitcher of what I knew would be the sweetest tea in the South. “This will sweeten you up.” She giggled, clearly proud of herself. “Sorry, Summer. I couldn’t resist. Ethan don’t mean nothing by it.”

I accepted the glass of tea. “Can I ask you something, Aunt Eunice?”

The older woman plopped with a sigh into the nearest kitchen chair. “You sure can.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“Wrong?” My aunt lifted her glass to her lips.

“Why can’t I get a man to settle into a relationship with me?” I sighed, feeling as if a great burden rested on my shoulders.

“You scare them. Men, I mean.” With precision, Aunt Eunice set her glass on the tabletop. “You’re beautiful, you’re smart, and, forgive me for saying so, you’re rather spoiled.” She exhaled and relaxed. “There. I’ve finally said it.”

“Spoiled?” Finally said it? What? She’s been bottling that thought inside? I scratched my head, seriously unsure of how to respond. I’d held down jobs of different sorts since the age of sixteen, and tomorrow I’d unlock the door to my own candy store. I couldn’t be spoiled.

Aunt Eunice held up a hand. “Don’t take this wrong, Summer, but your Uncle Roy and I haven’t used the word no much in the years we’ve raised you. That silly old man out there always would give you anything you wanted if it was within his power to do so. That left you a little spoiled. Your expectations are set too high. That scares off most men.”

She turned toward the window. The men’s silhouettes danced on the opposite side of the pane. “And if you don’t get those stars out of your eyes every time you look at Ethan, he’s going to figure out your true feelings.”

“It’s that noticeable?” My hand flew to cover my heart. “I’ve been so careful to hide how I feel.”

“Not careful enough, Summer.” The screen door squeaked as April waltzed inside and planted a kiss on my aunt’s cheek. “I hope y’all don’t mind that I barged on in. The door was open.”

Aunt Eunice’s chair screeched as she pushed it back. “Not at all, sweetie. Our door is always open to you and your brother. He’s outside with Joe right now, playing with diamonds.”

April’s eyes, so like her brother’s, gleamed. “Diamonds?”

“Somebody dumped a bunch of diamonds beneath my Midnight Blue. Oh, and some cash and a bloody glove, too.” I waved a hand, trying to make light of April’s question about the diamonds.

Not careful? Could it be that obvious? The dreaded heat of embarrassment crept up my neck. How would I ever face him again? Quick. Something to take my mind off things. I scanned the kitchen, and because I possessed the type of luck that gave me the exact opposite of what I hoped for, Ethan and Joe pushed through the door.

“Ethan Banning!” April put her hands on her straight hips. “You didn’t tell me anything about diamonds.” She turned a thousand-watt smile in Joe’s direction. “Joe?”

The big man turned several shades of red. “Uh. Hi, April.” He scratched his head and sent a pleading look toward Ethan. And him, a police officer—thrown speechless at a pretty girl’s question.

I decided to help my aunt serve dinner as April scolded the men about keeping secrets from her. With much protesting, they situated themselves around the table. Once everyone was seated, I jumped to my feet to grab the pan of corn bread. My sandal caught on the chair rung, and I fell into Ethan.

His big hands encircled my waist. Positive I’d now break out in hives, I froze. “Summer? You okay?”

Just fine. My heart beat so fast my chest hurt, and I couldn’t breathe from the humiliation. But other than that, things were just peachy. “I’m fine. Sorry.”

April snorted behind her hand, and I shot her the frostiest look I could muster. Ethan glanced between the two of us. I held my breath, fearful of April spilling my secret.

Joe rose from his chair. “Can’t stay for more than a drink of your fine tea, Eunice.” He lifted a glass to her. “I need to get this evidence back to the office.”

“Even policemen have to eat, Joe.”

He shook his head and slapped his hat on his head. “The scene’s been contaminated enough already. Best I get people working on where these diamonds came from.”

“Don’t forget the bloody glove.” Aunt Eunice placed a bowl of spaghetti on the table.

I stared at the red sauce poured over noodles. My stomach churned, and my breathing resembled that of a woman in Lamaze class. If I were going to solve this case, I’d need to be made of stronger stuff. I doubted Miss Marple got queasy at the thought of blood.

I placed a bowl of warm bread on the table, spreading a tantalizing aroma through the kitchen. I counted off what I knew about the crime, which wasn’t much.

One, there are diamonds. Lots of the little beauties. Two, cash. I didn’t know how much because I hadn’t counted it, but I planned on finding out. Third, the bloody glove. Saturated glove, really. Way too much for a simple gardening injury. My traitorous stomach soured. Did someone lie dead, brutally murdered, waiting to be discovered? The thought made my skin crawl.

I left the dining area and followed Joe out the front door, skipping to keep up with his long stride. “Joe. How much cash was in the can?”

He stopped, turned, and studied me with his brown eyes. “Why do you want to know, Summer?”

“Just curious.” I flashed him what I hoped was a beguiling dimple. “I could ask my uncle. I know he counted, but he tends to exaggerate.”

“Around one thousand dollars, according to Roy.” He spun on his heel and marched toward his squad car. “Save the coyness for Ethan. And don’t get in my way.”

One thousand dollars! Plus the diamonds. As best I could figure at this point, someone wore the gardening gloves while they fought over the diamonds and money. And, very possibly, someone had died. Goose bumps rose on my arms.

My gaze fell on the Sunday morning newspaper still lying in the driveway. Having missed the gift of patience, I needed to start somewhere. If there wasn’t a story on the front page about a murder, reading the obituaries seemed a logical choice. There was bound to be somebody listed who’d died of unnatural causes. Maybe even on the front page!

By the time I reentered the room, Uncle Roy had joined the group. The talking and laughter grew loud. I paused in the doorway, soaking in the scene. Gathered around the table, enjoying each other’s company, sat the people I loved most in the world. The verse in the Bible about breaking bread and sharing fellowship took on a whole new meaning for me. A lump rose in my throat, and I blinked away tears.

“Ain’t ya going to eat, Summer?” Aunt Eunice asked, her fork suspended halfway between her mouth and the plate. “Is something ailing you?”

“I brought in the paper.” I tossed it on the counter and sat down. April raised her eyebrows and shoveled a forkful of spaghetti into her mouth. Fine. I usually didn’t bring in the paper, and I never read it, but there’s always a first time. I shrugged at my friend.

“Aunt Eunice, I was thinking about that gardening glove.”

“Uh-oh, here we go.” Ethan’s fork clattered against his plate.

I glared at him before continuing. “I’m going to check the obituaries after lunch and follow up on any non-natural deaths.”

“Non-natural?”

“Yeah. You know, like unnatural causes. Could be one of those people is our victim.”

“I think you need to stay out of it. There may not even be a victim.” Ethan leaned back in his chair. “This is Joe’s business. His line of work. He’ll know if something shady is going on. You should stick to making candy.”

My eyes narrowed. Stick to making candy, indeed! I’d solve this case just to prove something to Mr. Banning, and I’d have Aunt Eunice help me. April, too. I’d show him what a few women could do.

“Now, don’t go getting your dander up.” Uncle Roy wiped his mouth on the napkin he’d tucked into the neckline of his overalls and tossed the wadded paper onto his empty plate. “I agree with Ethan. This might be dangerous. Besides, if you’re running around the county investigating dead people, you won’t be able to make money at the candy store.”

“And,” Aunt Eunice added. “If we don’t make money at the store, I’ll have to go back to breeding Chihuahuas or something.”

“I thought you were on my side, Aunt Eunice.”

“It ain’t about taking sides, sweetie.”

“Fine.” I scooted my chair back and stood. “I’ll do it myself.” Snatching the newspaper from the counter, I stalked out the kitchen door, letting it slam behind me.

Skimming the obituaries turned out to be a rather grisly way to spend a few minutes on a Sunday, and I didn’t find a single person who’d died a violent death. I let the paper fall to the wood floor of the porch and lazily swung my foot, sending the swing into a restful back- and-forth motion.

Laughter floated on the breeze, coming through the screen. The warm spring sun caressed the bare skin of my legs. My eyelids grew heavy. Grabbing an old pillow, I slid sideways and cradled my head.

The rustle of the newspaper woke me. I opened my eyes and lifted a hand to shade them. Ethan shook the paper, his eyes reading over the page I’d left out.

“Obituaries, Summer? I thought you were kidding.” Blue eyes bored into mine.

I sat up, shrugged, then set the swing back into motion. “It’s a good place to start.”

“Why are you set on solving this? Isn’t the candy store going to give you enough to do?” Ethan stopped the swing long enough to join me.

“Why did someone choose my rosebush? Whoever did got me involved.”

Ethan laid his arm across the back of the swing. My breath hitched at his closeness. “This isn’t the same as trying to locate a missing bike.” He shifted to stare at me. “A bloody gardening glove isn’t child’s play. Let Joe handle it.”

“Worried about me?”

He ruffled my hair, and I scowled. “Of course. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to my Tinkerbell.” He rose and handed me the paper. “Good luck on your opening tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” He left, and the day grew suddenly cooler without his presence. I shivered.

I woke suddenly. My eyes snapped open, my heart in my throat, as I peered through the darkness of my room. What had I heard? A board creaking? The house shifting? Truly growled from the foot of my bed. I grasped the sheet in both hands and yanked it to my chin.

There! A scrape on the stairs. I rose to a sitting position. My brave canine launched herself at me, still barking, and scurried to hide behind me.

“Shh.” I held my breath and laid a hand on the dog’s neck. “Stay.” I slid my legs over the side of the bed then stood, trembling, ears strained.

With slow, cautious steps, I made my way to the door and peered around the corner. The empty hallway stretched before me. The oak wood floor, darkened by the shadows, looked a country mile long and as sinister as an inner-city block.

I craned my neck until I could spot the closed door of my aunt and uncle’s room. Another groan from a loose board, and I whipped around.

A silhouette stretched across the wall, moving down the corridor. Truly’s barking grew into a frenzy as a dark- clothed figure stepped into my line of sight. The figure spun, bolting in the opposite direction.

“Hey! Stop!”

Heart pounding, I grabbed a wooden baseball bat that leaned against the wall and the cell phone from its charger on my nightstand. I punched in 911 and took off after the prowler. My bare feet slapped against the floor. I held my nightgown wadded in one hand to prevent it tangling around my knees as I raced down the stairs.

“Uncle Roy! Intruder!”

Truly shot between my legs, causing me to trip as she launched her little body toward the fleeing suspect. My knees hit with a bone-jarring thud. I braced myself with my hands and raised my head.

My growling canine slid into a corner after receiving a well-aimed kick from the fleeing figure. I pushed to my feet and scooped Truly into my arms.

Within moments, the dark figure disappeared. Standing in the empty living room, holding a shuddering dog, I stared into the night. My hand rubbed Truly’s coarse fur. The action served to calm me, slowing my racing heart.

“What is it?” Uncle Roy lurched into the room, a shotgun held in front of him.

“There was someone here. Upstairs.” I stepped over to the door and studied it.

My stomach quivered as I ran my fingers over the splintered wood around the ancient lock. “Probably should’ve changed these locks last month when I suggested it, Uncle Roy.”

He squinted, his face turned toward the yard. “I said I’d get to it one of these days. I guess tomorrow’s that day.”

Keeping his gun ready, he stepped forward. “Did you call 911? Who was it? How many were there?” He turned to glare at me with narrowed eyes. “What are you doing chasing an intruder anyway? That’s a man’s work. You should’ve waited for me.” Uncle Roy made a motion with his gun.

I looked at the phone in my hand. In my haste, I hadn’t turned it on. “I didn’t call yet, and I didn’t see a weapon.” When did he think I would’ve had the time? “I don’t know, and I saw one person. It isn’t like I left the house after them.” I stepped off the porch, joining him. The cool blades of grass tickled my feet. “The person dressed in bulky clothes. It could have been a woman. Maybe even a man.”

“A woman?” Uncle Roy transferred his attention back to me. “Whatever for?”

“The diamonds?” I bent and released the dog. Truly scampered away with her nose to the ground. “The person wasn’t very big. If I hadn’t tripped over the dog, I’d have caught him or her.”