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

  “Enjoy,” Magda said and kissed her on the cheek.

  The café swung into life and Katie joined Magda in building up more stocks of truffles. It was a lovely day; customers were cheerful and the gold nuggets were put out to sample. Halfway through the morning, Merle and Branston, in his outsize Stetson and over the top outfit, arrived along with another man who could have been Branston’s look-a-like.

  The man was over the top in the same way as Magda’s cousin but not as a cowboy. He was wrapped in colorful clothes that included skin-tight trousers and an oversized baggy shirt that covered a lime tee shirt. The tee shirt told them who he was before the introductions were made. It said, ‘Real Ghost’. The man had several bracelets, leather wrist bands and decorations on his arms as well as a huge scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. His hair was a stylish color that almost matched Magda’s plum colored locks. In fact, although the items were all unrelated, the whole picture he created was a stylish, carefree appearance. He also had a broad grin to go with the whole thing and he and Branston had obviously hit it off because they were talking to each other nineteen to the dozen.

  He stopped talking to Branston and looked around.

  “This place is just fabulous,” he said and turned full circle to see it all. Merle made the introductions and the man from the ghost town archive was called Jeremy Swanson.

  “My darling, your cafe is a little gem and what was this building before it was a café?” he asked Magda. She briefly told him the story of the stable and he spotted the original stone floor and the striking double doors. “I adore it,” he added.

  The customers were all gazing open-mouthed at this new appearance and one young woman stood up and came over.

  “Excuse me. Are you the real Jeremy Swanson?” She smiled at him and waited. His smile broadened in return.

  “At your service.” He grinned and touched the scarf she had slung around her neck in a copy of his own. “My favorite people in the whole world are my customers.” He kissed her on both cheeks and she whipped off the scarf and asked him for an autograph.

  The girl looked around as she was the center of attraction.

  “Have you not heard of Jeremy Swanson accessories? He is just the best.” He handed her the scarf and she clutched it to her chest. “Thank you so much. Selfie?” she asked and the man obligingly looked into her smartphone.

  “I never put two and two together,” Magda said. “I am sorry. Of course, I have bought your things myself.”

  “I bet you bought the pink flamingo to go with your gorgeous hair,” he answered and she smiled and told him that was correct.

  “I never thought that the designer would be my accessory-alike, she grinned.

  “Wow!” Merle joined in. “I am not up on these things. You would not expect the man from the ghost town archive to have plum colored hair and be a designer.”

  “Come in and find a seat. Have you had time to look at the site?” Rula invited and the ghost town man joined Merle and Branston in the kitchen. Jeremy Swanson nodded and said it was definitely a real ghost town. He would go and have a proper look and measure up the probable size of the place.

  Merle cleared her throat and said that she had not told him about the night before. Jeremy’s head turned in a flash.

  “What have I missed? Tell me. Tell me.” The man had such an engaging way with him that everyone responded with smiles. Magda took a seat beside him.

  “We are careful about telling folks things that might make them think we are crazy.”

  “Crazy. My darling, I was born crazy and I hate to miss out on anything.” Magda looked at Merle who explained in a brief way about the séance. Jeremy looked from one to the other and shook his head in disbelief. They all paused and wondered if he would call them fools.

  “My darlings,” he said, “I have died and gone to heaven. An undiscovered site, people who speak to the ghosts of the place, chocolate and my twin with plum colored hair.” His eyes lit up at the sight of the gold truffles.

  “Please try the experimental gold nuggets,” Magda said and handed over the plate. The rest accepted one as well and they all waited for his reaction. Jeremy closed his eyes and then murmured that he had definitely found heaven.

  “But a touch more whiskey, my darling. More kick.” Magda laughed and said that her husband had said exactly the same thing.

  “I wonder if he and Declan have time to come over?” She took out the cell phone as Merle and Branston explained about Declan and what he saw.

  “We were dragged into this spirit stuff because the stable has a ghost cat,” Magda told him. “Sam and Declan are on their way.” As they waited for the men to arrive, Merle found the old maps on her tablet and Jeremy poured over the one that named the spot as Whitemist.

  “It would be a trading post. A diner or a saloon that did food, a store and maybe a place to leave your horse. It would be a rough place where everyone wore guns and knew how to use them.”

  “We need to know what the rules are about ghost towns,” Branston said. “Sam is designing a diner for the place but he mentioned that the part where the ghost town is could be a sort of museum and picnic area.”

  “Declan sees a log cabin with the woman in the vegetable garden. Maybe the diner could be something along the same lines,” Merle added.

  Katie joined in to say that Declan had made a rough sketch and told her what the man looked like.

  “I did some last night while they were still fresh in my head.” She brought out some pencil sketches and handed them around. “Just rough ideas,” she added.

  Jeremy looked up at her and back at the pictures.

  “These are just exactly what we need. He was definitely a gold miner. No cowboy would be seen dead in that hat.” He handed it to Branston who laughed and agreed.

  “Darling, you have talent. Why do you not draw for a living?” She laughed and told him that she did, but it didn’t pay well.

  Magda broke in to say that her paintings were marvelous and waved her hand towards the wall where the pictures were displayed. Jeremy stood up to go and look.

  “Love them. The ivy and grass one would make a lovely print for material.” He looked at her. “Would you allow me to use the design to see how it comes out?” Katie took the picture down and handed it to him.

  “My pleasure. It is all yours,” she said.

  “Fabbie!” He said. “I will send you some samples.” He looked around. “Sorry, I get side-tracked very easily. “You can’t dig anything up and take it away because that spoils the integrity of the site,” Jeremy told them and looked up as Sam and Declan came in from their current job complete with work belts.

  “My Lord. Magda has a brother,” Sam grinned as she made introductions. Rula produced the newcomer’s favorite drinks and then offered Jeremy a drink.

  “Magda’s hot chocolate is legendary,” Branston said and asked for one himself.

  “Sounds good,” the designer answered.

  Sam and Declan found seats. Rula and Katie along with Rita, the other café assistant, managed to keep the café operating around the group sitting in the kitchen but kept their ears open for what was being said.

  The girl with the signed scarf came and waved goodbye. Jeremey stood up and went to say goodbye with a hug

  “Always pays to be good to your customers,” he told the rest when he sat back down.

  Everyone had finished their drinks and were planning to go and visit the site later in the day. Sam and Declan said they would finish early and come over. Jeremy was also keen to walk about the site.

  A young man came to the counter and asked to see Jeremy Swanson, the designer. Magda asked what his business was and the young man said he was a reporter. Jeremy came straight over and told him that he was rather busy and had to leave.

  “But you are looking for a new ghost town,” the pressman pushed. Jeremy shook his head.

  He told the man that it was early stages, very private. He said that the site was top secret
and reporting restrictions were in place. The reporter tried to gain more information but was turned away.

  “Let’s go,” Jeremy said when the young man had gone, “and make sure we are not followed.” It suddenly seemed a lot more serious.

  6

  Once Merle and Branston had taken Jeremy away, they all talked at once. The customers were curious as well but taking a cue from the expert, the girls tried to give nothing away. They did close the café right on time and got together in Magda’s car to drive to the ranch. Magda called Alison to say they would be late and told her what had happened. Sam and Declan had already arrived, and the girls found everyone listening to Jeremy as he stood on the site of the ghost town.

  He was waving an arm and explaining how he had a fair idea of where the buildings were. There were some bumps in the ground that gave a clue once you knew what you were looking for. They followed his reasoning and could see what he meant. It did seem that there were about seven places where the lay of the land suggested a building.

  “If we measure it out and make a plan, it will go down as a registered site.”

  “It would also let me work out some sort of design for customers to understand what was here when they are having their picnic,” Sam added. “If there are some rough shelters made of logs and rough planking, we can put up boards that put the history into context.”

  “With maybe photographs of ghost towns,” Branston joined in.

  “You have a great artist here,” Jeremy told them. “She could do some wonderful artist’s impressions of what the site was actually like.” He looked at Katie who nodded and said it was a good idea.

  “Especially if we do another séance and Declan can tell me what he sees.” She asked Declan if he thought he would see any other scenes.

  “If I walk over the other areas where the buildings were, I might pick up more things,” he said and Jeremy jumped in to ask if they could try that. Declan smiled and walked to where the larger of the grassy bumps in the ground could be seen. He stopped and Katie was right beside him.

  “What do you see?” she asked quietly and he reached out for her hand.

  “Stay still everyone,” he said. “I can see what I think is a hotel or saloon or maybe both. The hotel is sort of top heavy. It looks as if the upper floor might tumble into the ground. It seems as if it has been added to in bits and pieces. There are a lot of steps to the entrance and it is quite a high building for something made of wood. Couple of barrels on the porch and,” he looked with concentration but told them the scene was fading, “there is a horse tied to the hitching rail.”

  “Color?” Branston asked.

  “Gray,” Declan answered and then said the scene was going away.

  “Any people?” Sam asked and there was a pause before Declan nodded and told them there was a woman just inside the entrance. He smiled.

  “I think maybe she was offering more than meals and a bed.”

  “That figures,” Jeremy added. “Makes sense. Declan you are absolutely fantastic. I could use that skill at every ghost town on the list. I love it.”

  “Let’s retire back to the ranch and have a drink,” Merle suggested.

  The lounge was a cheerful and comfortable place and they made use of her many soft and squashy oversized armchairs. They found drinks in the kitchen and talked about what to do next.

  “I’ve given myself a couple of days,” Jeremy told them. “Can we do another séance?”

  “Not tonight. Would tomorrow night be okay?” Merle asked and there was general agreement.

  “I can pace out the site and do a rough sketch tomorrow through the day,” Jeremy offered.

  “If you give me a time, I can come and help to get a floor plan that would work for the layout,” Sam added.

  “So, is this big enough to be listed in the archives of a ghost town?” Merle asked, “and will I have to allow people to visit?”

  “It is definitely one to be listed and you will get a flood of interest to start with but unless you promote it, things will settle down. Some of the bigger ones have been turned into holiday destinations.”

  “Like a dude ranch,” Branston grinned.

  “Your dude ranch is just great,” Jeremy told them. “Being a fun cowboy with a hot tub on the veranda and top-class dining is my sort of place.”

  “Enjoy it,” Magda said, standing up. “I think Alison will wonder where we’ve got to by now. I’ll drop you girls back at the café.”

  “I’ll go with Declan and he can tell me more about what he saw,” Katie answered. “We sort of have a system now for him to half sketch what he saw and tell me the detail. I write it down to go over better when I start to draw.”

  “The sooner we do it, the better,” Declan agreed. Sam made arrangements with Jeremy for the next day and they went their separate ways.

  Magda and Rula settled in the car.

  “Well?” Rula asked.

  “I have always liked Swanson accessories,” Magda said. “I like the man as well.”

  Rula nudged her friend’s arm.

  “You know full well that I meant Declan and Katie,” Magda laughed and agreed.

  “They would be good for each other.”

  “Two artistic souls together,” Rula said. “Those beautiful wooden sculptures he makes sell really well.”

  “Alison has the picture of her garden in Ireland beside the bed. She loves it.”

  Arriving back at the café, Rula opened her car door and said that she would go and bring Mikey up to date. Magda smiled as she drove home where she found Alison ladling out a chicken casserole to Sam.

  “Tell me everything,” Alison said, as they started to eat.

  “Another séance tomorrow night,” Sam told her. “Should be good.”

  They retired to comfortable seats with mugs of hot chocolate to finish the meal.

  “The cats are quite restless,” Magda pointed out. “I hope that does not mean they know something that we don’t.” Crystal stared at the cell phone and Magda reached out a hand before the ringtone actually started. “Hello, Branna. How are you?” she said into the microphone.

  “Just fine, thanks. Just wondered how Alison was doing.”

  “She can tell you herself,” Magda said and handed the cell to Alison who excitedly told the Irish girl what had been happening.

  “Oh, I wish I was there,” Branna sighed. The speakerphone was on and Magda was going to call out when she saw Jezebelle jump onto the small side table. It was not high and there was no danger to the cat, but Sam had bought a plant holder shaped like a skull. It was quite a funny looking thing and quirky. It had a trailing ivy hanging over the side.

  “Jezebelle,” Magda called, and Alison whipped her head around to see what the cat was doing when there was a crash and the skull shattered on the floor. Soil and plant spread around and Alison shouted out that Jezebelle was very naughty.

  “What happened?” Branna asked from the other end of the line and Alison handed Magda the phone. She explained as Jezebelle was put into her traveling crate.

  “Nothing valuable. Just a china skull with an ivy plant in it,” Magda said. “We’ll let you know what happens with the next séance.”

  “I’ll let you clear up the mess,” Branna laughed and ended the call. Sam had found the dustpan and brush and was sweeping up the mess.

  “I am so sorry,” Alison said. Magda put her arms around the older woman and told her that she never liked the pot anyway.

  “Forget it.”

  “Have a pecan and marzipan truffle,” Sam said and found his secret supply of his favorite flavor. They let Jezebelle out of her carrier and she promptly went and sat huffily on the stairs. Crystal came over to the books on the table, knocked one onto the floor and then went to sit beside her new friend on the stairs. The other cats all joined them and sat together staring at the three humans in the room.

  “How very odd,” Magda said and picked up the book. She glanced at it before putting it back on the table a
nd then gasped.

  “What?” Sam enquired. She turned the open book for Sam and Alison to see. The picture was a skull and part of a whole skeleton.

  “Maybe breaking the pot was no accident,” Magda remarked. “Look at the five of them. They all know something that we don’t.”

  Alison shivered.

  “Put something cheerful on the television,” she requested. After an hour or so of silly comedy the smashed vase was forgotten about and Alison was starting to think about house hunting. Sam’s cell phone rang and Branston’s name appeared on the screen.

  “We had another upset here,” he started. “One of the visitors to the ranch drove in and saw a light in the trees at the entrance. We drove down to investigate and whoever was there ran off. We heard a car engine and he got away.”

  “So, did you find out who it was? Does Jeremy think it was somebody who already found out about the ghost town?”

  “At first we did because apparently local radio stations had reported that a new ghost town was discovered in the area.”

  “At first?” Sam asked with the feeling that all was not well.

  “I think you should come over, Sam. We shone the light from the cell phones into the hole he was digging. It was quite deep.”

  “Don’t tell me that you found a skull,” Magda called out. There was a pause from the other end and Branston said they had found what looked like a skull, but they left it there. Then he asked why she would say that.

  “Cats,” Sam told him. “Let you know when we get there. On our way.”

  Alison said she was not staying behind and the three of them grabbed jackets and flashlights.

  They found Merle, Branston and Jeremy in the trees at the entrance and followed them to where the intruder had started to dig a hole.

  “My darlings, this is a first. Not only a real ghost but with what looks like a resident.”

  “When you start building work anywhere,” Sam told them, “if you find bones of any sort, they have to be reported to the police.”

  “Even when they are ancient?” Merle queried and he said yes to that as well. They shone the lights into the hole and saw what looked suspiciously like the top and brow of a skull.