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

  “That is at least news that said she didn’t suffer,” he said.

  They went their separate way in different cars. Sam dropped Bart off at his apartment

  Sam, Magda and Aunt Alison arrived home and were glad to sink into armchairs and find the cats snuggled safely together.

  Then Magda saw Sam’s Stetson lying in the middle of the floor. It had obviously been used as a plaything and was looking the worse for wear.

  “It’s just a hat I wear for work,” he said and went to pick it up. “How did they get it down from the peg?” he wondered and went to put it back again. Then he called to Magda and Alison. “Look at this.”

  “What?” Magda asked.

  “Those cupboards have been opened. You know how tidy I am. Somebody has been in here.”

  “Oh, no,” Magda said and started to look around. They checked the bedrooms and everywhere else.

  “Somebody thought they had put everything back,” Sam said. “I guess I’ll have to call the detective.”

  “Why would someone look around in here?” Magda shivered a little bit. “How did they get in?” Sam looked around. He checked doors and windows and then he took the spiral staircase two steps at a time. The door to the roof terrace opened easily. He locked it and came back down.

  “That answers that,” he said. “Climbed onto the garage roof and up to the terrace. I will have to remember to keep that locked.”

  “Call the others first before you tell the police,” Magda said. “I’ll call Rula and Katie. You do Merle, Bart and Declan.”

  It was a wise move because it looked as though Rula’s place had been carefully looked at as well. Katie lived with her folks and their place was fine, but Bart said that he was just about to call.

  “Somebody has been at my computer. That infuriates me but it is so well protected, they would have to be a professional hacker to gain access. The ranch had not been touched. Declan had his doors and windows locked and had a security camera hidden in the porches back and front.

  “I’ll check them and let you know if anyone was around. Leave calling the cops until tomorrow and I’ll come over in the morning to the café.”

  They texted each other and tried to settle for the night. Sam wrapped Magda in his arms and they let the cats settle on the bed as well. Magda noticed that Abigail had taken to Alison and knew that the dark blue Birman had gone to sleep in the other bedroom.

  Sleep took over because they were exhausted but, in the morning, Crystal and Pushkin were tugging at the Stetson again.

  “How do they get that from the hook?” she asked as she shook the hat and put it back.

  12

  Sam and Declan met at the café before going to start work. Katie and Rula were waiting at the gate. Bart arrived as well as Merle and Branston with Jeremy.

  “I was going back to check on my work situation but thought I had better hang around.” The designer told them. Rula had started the café operation but it was too early for the first customers. The group could talk about what happened. Mikey joined them and was horrified when he found out that Rula had spent most of the night sitting and listening for sounds of anyone trying to break in.

  “Why didn’t you call me?” he asked her. She told him that she would if she was frightened again. He went and gave her a quick hug.

  “What on earth could anyone be looking for?” Magda wondered.

  “Nothing was taken as far as we can see,” Sam added.

  “There would always be too many people around at the ranch because the staff has to be on duty twenty-four hours a day. I don’t think anyone searched my place,” Merle added. Rula said that she had still felt very uneasy knowing that someone had been in her house.

  “Didn’t sleep very much,” she told them.

  Bart was furious and that was unusual for the cheerful reporter.

  “My computers are my work. I protect them with enough backups to stop a really good hacker but,” he paused and took a breath to calm himself, “the thought that someone could have been there poking around makes me want to shake them until their teeth rattle.”

  Rula handed him a coffee and he smiled his thanks.

  “What worries me,” Sam said, “is that somebody knows who we are and where we live.” There was a stunned silence as they looked at one another and took in what he had said.

  “I have some security footage,” Declan announced and pulled out his phone. “I can send it to all of you and everybody can see it.” He pressed a few buttons and they all took out cell phones and opened what he had sent. The video showed two men in dark clothing with their heads completely covered trying to gain entrance to Declan’s house. Declan could not resist a little smile as he saw that his locks and reinforcements stopped any entrance to his house. In the end the two men gave up, spoke to each other and disappeared from the screen.

  “I presume they had a car somewhere,” Sam said.

  “We have to tell the police,” Merle said after a pause. The rest nodded and she made the call.

  “I suppose that they will want to inspect all of the houses,” Sam added. “I can go back and show them ours. That means you can stay at the café.” Magda nodded and said that she would call Alison.

  “If I stay here, you can show them your place,” she said to Rula.

  “They were wearing gloves,” Declan remarked as he ran the video again. “I don’t suppose there will be fingerprints.”

  Merle told them that the detectives were on their way.

  “We had numerous new bookings.” She pondered, “People are always curious. I guess some of them could be trying to find out what is happening.”

  “They all seemed very much like the usual types,” Branston observed. “Guys wanting to be cowboys. People who think they are the best on horseback. Folks enjoying a ride out into the wilderness but staying safe.”

  Magda grinned at her cousin.

  “They will meet their match at horsemanship with you, Cuz.” Branston told her that she was no mean rider herself. “I might sign up for one of these treks one day,” Magda replied.

  As they all waited for the police to arrive one or two customers came in for early morning coffees.

  Southern and his partner arrived and were offered seats in the kitchen. They all repeated what they had found and the detective made notes about the four places that had been disturbed.

  “I’ll have to get teams to all of the places,” he said when he heard the reports from each house. He viewed the footage of the attempted break in and asked for it to be sent to him as well.

  “Everybody should have that security,” he observed to Declan. “Well done. That might well be a great help.” He looked at Bart and told him that they might get fingerprints or DNA from the laptop. Bart looked horrified and clutched the computer to his chest. “Sorry,” Southern added. “You can stay with it, if you like while they dust it. In fact, they can do that when you show them your apartment.”

  Jeremy had not been involved in any of this but offered to come with Bart and keep him company. The reporter nodded his thanks and the detective called the precinct and organized the team to go to that apartment first.

  “Then that team can move on to the house that foiled the break in.” He looked around. “The second team can look at your house.” He looked at Sam and then told Rula they would move on to hers. “They can call and let you know when they are ready to move.”

  Declan decided that he would abandon any work elsewhere and start the basic work for the shop extension.

  “That means, I am here when the police want to see the house and can lend a hand in the café if you are shorthanded.” Sam agreed to do the same but Southern asked him to take them to his house and he would do a preliminary look as they waited for the forensic team. Bart and Jeremy set off to wait for the second lot of crime officers to arrive at the reporter’s apartment. Merle and Branston departed back to the ranch and said they would keep in touch.

  “Before you go,” Southern stopped t
hem at the door. “I don’t suppose you have any idea what they might have been looking for?”

  They all thought back and nobody came up with anything.

  “It must be connected to the discoveries at the ghost town,” the detective added. Merle told him that she had cleared away some rubbish.

  “I picked up the pieces of wood because we use them in barbecues, bonfires and woodstoves. I just dumped them onto the pile in the barn. That was before we even found the first body. I was just looking for where we might put the new diner.” The detective thanked her and left to follow Sam to the house.

  “Never a dull moment,” Magda said as she tried to put the café back to normal and serve some customers.

  “Dull is good,” Rula answered. “I don’t want another night like the one that I just spent.”

  “Surely the police will find a fingerprint or some DNA or something to let them find who it is,” Katie joined in. Declan brought tools from the van and started to put together the first boards for the extension. As the place started to fill up, Magda made sandwiches. It felt like a normal day again until Sam rang to ask Rula to open up her house for the police.

  “Oh, goodness,” she said.

  “Ask Mikey to go with you,” Magda told her and took over the counter service. After a while Sam arrived back with Alison who had volunteered to help out. The police had dusted for prints, especially up the spiral staircase and the roof terrace door.

  “On another note,” Alison told her, “I saw Crystal get the Stetson off the hook.”

  “How did the little minx manage that?” Magda asked.

  “She jumped off the work surface and knocked it off on the way down,” Alison explained.

  “Well I never,” Magda replied. “She has turned into an acrobat.” Then she added that she had found molds to make Stetson shaped truffles.

  “Should the apple pie ones have crimped edges to make them look like pies?” Katie asked. They talked about the stock for the extension. When Rula returned, she found them settled into a more relaxed day and joined in with relief.

  Jeremy and Bart came back and told them about the forensic team at the apartment and at the end of the afternoon, Merle called to ask everyone to the ranch for a bite of supper and relaxation.

  “What a great idea. Thanks,” Magda told her and passed the message on to the others.

  At home, Sam, Magda and Alison were greeted by the cats who looked suspiciously innocent. Magda searched around to see if they had been busy elsewhere in the house. There was nothing to be seen.

  “I am just expecting them to be naughty all of the time,” she smiled and sat down to enjoy a quick coffee. Sam came in and asked if anyone had seen his watch. Both women shook their heads.

  “I wear this one for work but the decent one has disappeared.”

  “It was on the chest of drawers this morning,” Magda answered, and he went back to the bedroom to search again.

  “Under the bed,” he said with a smile. “Those cats have been naughty. Makes a change from the Stetson. At least I found it.”

  Alison said that she would start looking for a house the next day.

  “I can still help in the café or here if you need me. It might take a while to find the right place.” She added that she would quite like to be fairly close to them and be able to help if she was needed.

  “We’ll mention it to the others. Maybe they know of something that might suit you,” Sam said.

  “Talking of houses, if we stop at my old house on the way, I will give it a quick check over,” Magda added and Alison asked if it was on the market. Magda shook her head and smiled at herself.

  “I am just so attached to it. I know I will eventually have to make a decision.”

  They showered, changed and stopped at Magda’s old home. Walking inside, Magda gasped and grabbed for Sam’s hand.

  13

  There was no mess inside the house because the place was empty and not in use, but every cupboard door was open, drawers pulled out and left and surprisingly, even the bathroom had been pulled apart.

  “What on earth would people look for in an empty house?” Magda wondered out loud.

  “Even in the toilet cistern,” Alison said, “and it is such a lovely house.”

  “I loved my little kitchen where I started making the truffles,” Magda told her.

  “There was nothing to find anyway, so I guess they won’t come back,” Sam said. “We can tell the police at the ranch.”

  Magda left the doors and drawers as they were for the fingerprint people and they left to meet up with the others. They didn’t stop at the gateway although there were tapes across most of the ghost town site and white suited people busy about the place.

  “But why search there?” was the question everyone asked. “It’s an empty house.”

  “Nothing to find. Come and eat,” Merle said. There was a buffet of mouth-watering food in her dining room. It stopped any conversation about intruders. The dining room had folding glass doors leading out to a large deck. There were plenty of seats. Everyone carried loaded plates and sat looking at the view of the cabins and holidaymakers.

  “This is a great way to keep an eye on business and still be private,” Magda said.

  “Means you sometimes have half-eaten food,” Branston said as the two men who rode in and hitched the reins to a rail waved across. He put down his plate and went off to see what was wrong. They saw him speak to the riders and then run a hand down one of the horse’s front legs.

  “An injury,” Merle said. “Branston can deal with that. He stays away from the hotel management side and I leave the livestock to him.”

  “I’ll walk over. Ages since I was around horses.” She walked across to her cousin who was still chatting with the two visitors.

  “Hi Magda,” one of them said. “Howya doin’?”

  “Hello Bertram,” Magda answered. “Thought I recognized you from over there. We are doing okay thanks. Is the horse lame?”

  “Yeah. Put his foot down a hole,” the other man said.

  “We’ll put him in a stall and keep an eye on it,” Branston told them. “Thanks for letting me know. We can find you another mount tomorrow.”

  The men offered to take the horses to the stable, but Magda told them to go and have a beer and she would help Branston. She took the other horse and her cousin gently led away the lame one to the stalls.

  “I miss riding. I must book a time so that I can get back into the saddle.”

  “Just give me a call any time, Maggie,” her cousin said and ducked the blow she aimed at him for calling her Maggie. “We always have a few spare mounts and I can sneak off work and come with you.”

  “Not with that enormous Stetson, I hope. I live here. I don’t need the rhinestone cowboy look.” He laughed and put the lame horse into a stall.

  “I’ll check him again in the morning,” Branston said and took the other horse from her to put into another stall. They gave the two horses some hay and made sure there was water and Magda strolled down the row of heads that poked over stable doors to say hello.

  “I like having some locals in,” Branston said as he caught up with her. “Those two men come twice a year to just ride out and enjoy the land. This must be their third time. Just a couple of days to get away from everything, I guess.”

  “Didn’t recognize the other man,” Magda remarked as they walked back towards the house.

  “Must have been around here a longish time. They’ve been friends all the time I’ve been here,” Branston replied and then told Merle about the lame horse. He picked up his plate and continued to eat where he had left off. “Magda fancies riding out sometimes,” Branston said to Merle.

  “Anytime, Magda,” Merle said. “I might come out with you. I very rarely get to ride just for the pleasure of it.”

  “Not my idea of enjoyment,” Sam said.

  “I used to ride a lot once upon a time,” Magda told them.

  “You were good as well,�
� Branston answered. “We had an excellent teacher when we were youngsters. Can you remember riding out here when it was just an old ranch?” Magda nodded and Rula agreed as well.

  “You have worked wonders here in eight years, Merle,” Rula said. “The place is genuine luxury with a touch of the wilderness thrown in. How bad was it when you took it over?”

  “Pretty broken down. Doors swinging loose and no fences to speak of. Was hard work but worth it,” Merle replied. “Been a lot easier since Branston became manager because I can actually run the place while he deals with the outdoor stuff.” Branston made an elaborate bow and grinned.

  “I can’t ride,” Jeremy joined in, “but I like the style of the place. Staying in the cabin has been a pleasure. It’s a really good way to relax.”

  “When you have your diner up running and Magda has her extension, I can write up the enduring allure of the wild west,” Bart grinned. “It will give me a good bit of scope and you will both get publicity.”

  “Oh, whoa,” Mikey put in with a laugh. “I hope the joys of trekking and climbing can be included here.” Then he looked at Jeremy. “I can’t ride either, I have to confess.”

  “You can scale sheer walls but not climb aboard a horse? Wow!” Magda said.

  “I’ll teach you,” Rula said. “Everybody local knows how to ride.”

  “If we just do a walking trek, even beginners can enjoy the ride. We never hurry and always keep helpers front and rear. We should all go out and take a picnic sometime,” Merle offered.

  “Sounds good to me,” Rula offered.

  “I’ll let the rush of curiosity seekers die away first,” Merle said and glanced at Branston. He nodded.

  “We have had more than usual last-minute bookings.”

  “And they are all curious about the police tapes and the story of a cold case,” Merle added. “I think some of these people just follow all sorts of crime scenes.”

  “Some of them are local though,” Branston said. “That woman with the ginger hair doesn’t even disguise her curiosity. She was taking photos of the crime scene and they confiscated her phone.” He laughed.