The Chocolate Magic Cozy Mystery Box Set Books 1 to 7 Read online

  A group of three forensic investigators arrived before Sam did and started to dust for prints. Magda told Josh and Rita to take the day off because there was no point in them all standing around doing nothing, and Rula called Mikey to see what was happening in his shop.

  Sam was allowed in by the police and came to give her a quick hug.

  “You okay? What happened?” he asked as he glanced around the café.

  “Yes, thanks. Mikey’s place is in a much worse state and we have to wait to clean up until they have dusted for prints.”

  Rula finished a call on her cell phone and then told them that two other shops on Main Street had been robbed as well.

  “Looks like they just worked their way down the street looking at places without alarms.”

  “But there are CCTV cameras,” Magda pointed out. One of the forensic team heard her and said that they were already being looked at.

  “Mikey is saying that his first job will be installing alarms when the police have finished,” Rula added. She handed them cups of coffee and asked if the forensic people would like one. The woman in charge straightened up and said they had picked up some prints and would have a quick drink before moving on to the next shop. The three officers accepted the cups gratefully.

  Mikey appeared, and Rula gave him his favorite brew as well.

  “What’s happening?” Sam asked as it seemed that the police were finishing looking for clues and moving on to the next place.

  “Robbers made quite a night of it apparently and they have spotted them on CCTV, but they are covered in masks and dark clothes.”

  “They picked up some prints here,” Rula added.

  “It’s a good thing I’m well insured,” Mikey said. “The stock is worth a lot of money and the stuff is easy to sell online with no questions asked.”

  The detective came to say that they could all start to clean up because the team was moving on.

  “I’ll be in touch if we have any news.”

  The people in the café looked at each other.

  “We’ll soon clear this mess up,” Magda said. “Do you need help, Mikey?”

  “That would be great,” Mikey answered.

  “We’ll put this place straight and come to help in your shop,” Magda said, and the camping shop owner walked off in a more cheerful mood. It took little time to put the chairs and tables back in place and clean the glass cabinets and chillers.

  “At least I’ve forgotten about the nuisance of the Viking,” Magda said as she wiped over the chocolate vat. “Good thing they didn’t know how much this cost.”

  “No signs of any breezes or gusts of wind,” Rula added. “Let’s go and help next door.”

  “I’ll lock this place up and put a notice on the gate,” Magda said as they set off to see how Mikey was doing.

  His two staff were already hard at work and they were trying to determine what stock was actually left. Mikey asked them to pick up whatever they found and take it to the two people who were sorting it out. Then they found buckets and rags to start cleaning the surfaces. The floor was gradually swept clean and an hour later, with seven people working, the shop looked almost normal again.

  Mikey sent the staff home for the rest of the day and said he would call his suppliers the next day and ask for new stock.

  “At least some of it is easily replaced.”

  “Let’s go and get something to eat,” Katie suggested. “It will give you time to think.” It was a good idea so they locked up and went down to the nearest diner.

  Mikey’s phone rang constantly for which he apologized over and over again. He told Magda that he had a group of four women climbers who had booked to use the wall all afternoon.

  “I’ll just have to give them an alternative date.”

  “The wall is okay,” Magda said. “If I open up and start to make truffles, they could have the place to themselves.”

  “You sure?” Mikey asked. “It’s been one awful day so far.”

  “Why spoil their day as well?” Rula asked. “The three of us can all work in the café and you can set up your suppliers.” Mikey smiled for the first time since he opened the door to the store and found the devastation.

  “Thanks, guys. Let’s try for normality.” He called the number for the person who had booked the wall.

  “I can stay as well,” Sam offered. “I can do packaging and stuff.”

  “Well, I feel better for food and making decisions,” Magda said.

  “Me too,” Mikey added. By now, they had finished eating and were eager to head back to work.

  Magda and Sam checked out that the wall and the area behind the café were undisturbed, and then Magda went inside to start making centers for the most popular truffles. Katie set up the chocolate vat, and Rula re-checked the drink supplies.

  “They actually didn’t spoil the truffles that were in the chiller,” she said, “and the bottles and tubs of ingredients are okay.”

  “It’s the boxes that were packaged and on display, the whisky, and Katie’s pictures that are gone. I guess they knew what they could sell,” Magda added and looked up as Mrs. Jarvis came to the counter. “We are a bit unprepared today, Mrs. Jarvis,” Magda said and went over to the counter. The woman was agitated and looked over her shoulder.

  “I know,” she whispered. “I think I’ve seen some of the stolen truffles.”

  12

  The customer produced a box of violet creams which were in a plastic bag.

  “I feel like I am in a detective movie, but I thought I had better bag it.”

  “You are quite right,” Sam said, coming to stand beside Magda. “How did you get it?”

  Mrs. Jarvis said that she was having a coffee at her friend’s house when the delivery man brought a grocery order for her friend.

  “He put the boxes in the kitchen as normal and asked if she was interested in high-end chocolates that he had a sale on. She started to say no thanks, but I saw the truffle boxes and stepped in and said I was looking for a gift for a friend. The robberies were on the local news.”

  “Quick thinking,” Rula said as she and Katie joined the others at the serving hatch.

  “He said they were at half price because they were bought as a large order,” Mrs. Jarvis went on.

  “Stay here and I’ll go and find Detective Rodriguez,” Sam said and went off down the alleyway to the main street. The police activity was still going on at the clothes shop and he headed in that direction.

  Magda made Mrs. Jarvis a drink and sat at a table with her until Sam arrived back with the detective and an officer alongside. The detective introduced himself and sat down at the table. He reassured Mrs. Jarvis, telling her that anything she told him would be in strictest confidence.

  “You may be giving us vital information here. Thanks very much for coming forward.” Mrs. Jarvis nodded and repeated the story of seeing the chocolates. She smiled at Magda.

  “I am very fond of them and recognized them straightaway.” He asked what seemed like a lot of questions but the firm that sent the delivery van was important as well as the description of the driver and the time and place.

  “I told my friend what I was doing,” she told him, “and she would tell you the time and what the man was like as well. He had delivered orders to her door before.”

  “Will you be all right or can we give you a ride home?” Rodriguez asked her at the end of the interview, but Sam stepped in and said that he would make sure she got home safely.

  “I have my own car but knowing you are driving behind me will be reassuring. My husband will be waiting for me,” she told Sam.

  Rodriguez was already speaking into his phone.

  “Thank you for being brave,” Magda told her and gave the woman a hug.

  “I loved the fact that you were looking at the Scottish legends,” she said by way of conversation. “My grandfather came from the north and it has reminded me of him.” Mrs. Jarvis lifted her hand to her cheek. “What a lovely warm bree
ze.” She paused, and said that if it was of any interest, there was a book of legends that she had.

  “Would you like to borrow it?”

  “I really would,” Magda told her. “Thanks again.”

  She watched Sam usher the woman out and turned to Rula and Katie.

  “How kind of her,” she said.

  “And Utric approved,” Rula added dryly. “I had forgotten about him in the upset of the day.”

  “If he behaves himself, I don’t mind,” Magda answered and felt a slight wind lift the top of her hair. “Behave, I said,” she added firmly and smiled at herself talking to thin air.

  Rula went to see how Mikey was progressing and he came back with her and said that he had locked up.

  “Stock arriving first thing tomorrow and I am sick of answering questions.”

  “I agree,” Magda said. “If Rula and Katie want to go, I’ll just wait here for Sam.”

  Mikey said that the climbers were arriving about ten in the morning and asked Rula if she would like a drink and something to eat. Rula avoided looking at Magda but collected her purse and jacket and the two of them left together.

  “Hmm,” Katie said. “Definitely something starting up there.”

  “Rula has always been choosy about who she goes out with. She must really like him,” said Magda.

  “Oh, I do like a good romance,” Katie added and was putting on her own coat when Sam arrived, carrying quite a large book. “Like yours,” Katie added and waved goodbye.

  “Like your what?” Sam queried, and Magda smiled and held out her arms for him.

  “Our romance,” she said. “Thank the Lord we have each other.”

  “And tools in the truck,” he added. “That door will have to be fixed before we can leave.”

  “Heavens. I forgot about that,” she said and moved her hand over the door as he ran back to the truck and came back with a toolbox. Magda sat at a table and idly looked at the book that Mrs. Jarvis had sent. It was a set of stories and legends handed down from generation to generation, but it was accompanied by photographs of the castles, cliffs, lochs, and hills of northern Scotland.

  “I’ll read this properly later,” Magda said. “It is a really interesting book, even though I have decided to leave the whisky truffles for the time being.”

  “And the whisky has been stolen,” Sam added.

  “There is that as well,” she sighed and closed the book. A slight wind ruffled the pages and opened it up again. Magda glanced down and saw that the picture was an artist’s impression of a Viking longboat tied up at a harbor wall.

  “Behave, I said, Utric,” she said into the air, and Sam looked up.

  “Is he around?” Magda nodded and said that he had better not frighten the cats anymore.

  “Door fixed,” Sam said and tried it to make sure it worked.

  “Pity you didn’t frighten off the robbers, Utric,” he said. “Keep an eye on things.”

  They locked up and Magda drove her car with the huge truck following behind.

  They found the cats sleepy and contented and no sign of any Viking activity. There was a parcel in the mailbox by the door and it contained the wedding invitations.

  “I think that I’ll start the list after we have something to eat and we can start addressing envelopes,” Magda said. “It will be a pleasant change from robberies and ghosts.”

  “Good idea,” Sam agreed, and they ate a simple meal and settled down. Sam took his tablet and said that he would write if she called out names. “Most of them will be in my address book and the printer can write the envelopes.”

  Magda’s own close family had passed away but Branston’s dad was still alive and living in the area. Rula’s mom was definitely included and Sam’s own dad was a distance away, but he was pretty sure he would make it on the day. They added all the family they could think of and then the close friends and some whom they hadn’t seen for some time but had to be on the list.

  “Wow! How many is that?” Magda asked, and he added them up and told her eighty-four.

  “I think we can afford that at Michele’s and maybe a few more if we have forgotten anyone,” she answered. Sam tucked the tablet away and put his arm around her shoulders.

  “Good job done. We can get them printed and sent out in the next few days.” He added that the extension job was finished and he would have a couple of days before seeing the next client. “When are you choosing a dress?”

  “Hmm. It would be lovely to just have some time to relax instead, but I think I’ll have to look around next week,” Magda mused. He kissed the top of her head and told her to enjoy the peace and quiet. She reached over and turned the pages of the book from Mrs. Jarvis.

  “This is a lovely book. The photos are wonderful,” she said. “There are some funny stories to do with ghouls and ghosts.”

  “I guess that there is so much history along with murders, wars, and surviving in a time gone by, that there are bound to be some mysteries,” he answered, then closed the book and put it on the table. Crystal stalked over, knocked the book on the floor and put her paw directly onto a page.

  “Oh, no. This is not my book. It has to go back to Mrs. Jarvis,” Magda cried and leaned down to reach for the book. When she stayed in that position and was obviously reading something, Sam asked what was so interesting.

  She picked up the book and read out loud a legend about a famous Viking leader.

  “It could be Utric,” she said, “but there would be lots over two hundred years of Vikings.”

  “Crystal has lost interest,” Sam remarked and said that he would make the most of his two days off but would like to come and help in the café.

  “I like having you around all the time,” Magda confessed. “Who would have thought that I would ever say that?”

  “I might have dreamed about it,” he answered and pulled her close. Crystal came and pushed her way onto his knee. “Okay, Crystal. I love you as well.” They all spent some sleepy, comfortable time on the couch, and then Magda made herself get up to make some hot chocolate. She saw that the book was back on the floor and bent to pick it up. It was open to the same page about the Viking legend.

  “I’ll need to read that properly,” she thought, and put the book where the cat could not reach it.

  In the morning, she took the book along to the café. Sam had said that he would go to his office and take care of some paperwork and then he would come to the café. Magda smiled.

  “Men, they do still like to look strong. But,” she added to the cats, “the room is empty as soon as he goes away—just don’t you tell him that.” The next day, she left them treats and collected what she needed for the day.

  Once in the café, she was deciding to make the pecan and marzipan truffles when she saw the police car parked at the end of the alleyway.

  “Oh, no,” she thought. “What now.”

  The detective followed her into the café as Rula and Katie arrived.

  “Just an update,” the detective told them, “Your Mrs. Jarvis should be on the force. Her eagle eyes did the trick and we easily traced the driver. We followed up his known associates and, lo and behold, found a great many of the stolen items. We arrested four people and it looks like the case is solved.”

  “Well, that is amazing. Good old Mrs. Jarvis,” Magda answered. “She will have to have free drinks for some time to come.”

  “What about the things from the camping shop?” Rula asked, and he told her that quite a lot of it was recovered.

  “We have the whisky bottles as well, but the pictures had mostly broken glass in the frames. I think they were too rough with them, but you will get them back in due course.” He said he would let them get on with their work and they thanked him for the update.

  “Does Mrs. Jarvis know?” Katie asked as he left.

  “Yes, my officer went to see her when I came here,” he said. “Wish all the cases were as easy as that one.”

  Mikey came in to see if they had seen R
odriguez and to say that his booking was arriving in half an hour.

  The book lying on the counter fluttered open.

  “Oh, no. Utric, just stay away,” Magda said. “We have had enough excitement.”

  “This is open at a page about a Viking,” Katie said, and Magda saw, with a little flutter in her chest, that it was the same legend.

  13

  “I hate to tell you. But Crystal opened it to the same page twice.”

  “We should read it properly then,” Rula said without a flicker of surprise at hearing the cat had opened the book. “She always seems to be able to sense something unusual.” Mikey wanted to know what else the cat had told them about, and the girls all laughed and told him little stories about Crystal and her so-called psychic abilities.

  “I still think most of it is coincidence,” Magda told him, “but I have to admit it is a bit unnerving.”

  Sam arrived and joined the conversation. They told Mikey about Crystal knowing when the phone was about to ring, and how she swiped her paw across the tablet or cell and found pictures that seemed uncannily accurate at the time.

  “Cats do have a certain air about them that makes you think they know things that you don’t,” Mikey admitted and told them that he had two very vocal Siamese who told him exactly who was in charge in the house. “I wish I could climb like they can,” he added.

  “You are an excellent climber,” Magda told him.

  “I can always see the risks,” he answered. “I think that is useful in dangerous situations.”

  Rita was serving the two or three customers who had come into the café, and Katie was apologizing for their lack of selection due to the robberies. The customers were keen to hear all the details. Mikey’s four clients came to check in and use the wall.

  They were all women in their twenties who had experience with climbing. He knew them and introduced them to the rest.

  “We might as well get you moving,” he told them and took the four climbers out to the rear wall. Sam said he would come in case Mikey felt outnumbered and grinned at Magda as he went. She shook her head and went on making truffles.