Sweet Revenge (Cocoa Narel Chocolate Shop Mysteries Book 1) (3 page)

He made a noise somewhere between a dismissive grunt and a defeated sigh, but didn’t say anything else until we were finished. “I can’t believe you can maintain such a shapely figure with that kind of appetite,” he said as soon as I’d finished eating, apparently believing it to be a compliment.

I can’t believe you can maintain an unbroken nose with that kind of attitude
, I thought, but remained silent.

He had been coming on to me all night. He would flip between acting aloof and incredibly interested, seemingly at random. He had spent a full five minutes without drawing breath, telling me that he was a highly successful doctor. It was both annoying and exhausting, and even if I didn’t dislike him before this date, I’d consider it a massive failure.

Finally, he cut to the chase. “Are you coming back to my place or what?”

I was taken aback by how bluntly he’d asked the question, and also by the fact that he’d asked it at all. It took me a few seconds to reply. “No, thank you. I don’t think this is going to work.”

He threw his napkin onto the table and stood up, and for a second I was worried he was going to be violent. “What a waste of time!” he exclaimed, storming out of the restaurant before he’d even paid. “You’re a tease!”

I put my head in my hands and sighed. I didn’t like the guy, and I thought he deserved much worse. I felt as though I was being publicly ridiculed again. Everybody in the restaurant was staring at me, and I could see one of the waiters hesitating to approach me.

“It’s fine,” I said to the waiter. “I’ll pay.” The waiter smiled at me and nodded.

I looked out the window to see Guy getting into his car. He whipped open his door and slammed it violently behind him, like a child who was told he couldn’t buy a toy. It was sad and embarrassing to watch.

As I watched, his car was suddenly engulfed in a massive ball of flame. The explosion tore through the car park and overturned the nearby vehicles, and the glass window I was sitting in front of cracked from the shockwave.

Everyone in the restaurant screamed, and a few people ran outside to see what had happened. If I’d had my wits about me, I would’ve assumed it was a car bomb of some kind, but when it happened, I couldn’t think at all. I simply sat in shock and stared. I guess this date really had blown up in his face.

Chapter 4

I sat with my head cupped in my hands. I’d been in this small room for hours, and had to make a physical effort to stop feeling like the walls were closing in on me. I leaned back in my chair and sighed, looking up at the lone fluorescent light illuminating the small monochrome room.

Two men sat across the table from me, nursing their coffees. They’d given me one, which led me to the realization that they either had no taste buds left or they themselves had significantly better coffee than what they had given me. I pushed mine to the side and looked one of the detectives straight in the eyes.

“For the last time, I have absolutely no idea what happened. I was on one of the worst dates of my life.”
Worst and only
, I nearly added. “I rejected his bizarre advances and he blew up in my face.” It took me a second to think about what I’d said. “Uh, that is, metaphorically. He got angry and stormed out to his car. He sat it in for a second before it exploded, so I assume it was rigged to trigger when he hit the ignition.” I shrugged. “But I really have no idea. I hadn’t even seen him since high school, and back then we barely spoke, if I could help it.”

Neither detective seemed particularly invested in my story, though it was clear both were listening. I figured they’d be good poker players. The taller one, who had introduced himself as Detective Rieker, spoke up. “You barely knew the man, and you went on a date?” he asked.

I sighed again, as loudly as I could, for dramatic effect. “Yes, for the fiftieth time. I knew him in high school, but we weren’t friends back then. We ran into each other in town today and he asked me out immediately. Right up to the end, I don’t think he even knew who I was. Which is kind of sad now, I suppose.” I looked into the awful coffee and tried not to think about it. I decided I was tired enough at this point to drink cold coffee and took a careful sip, worried it would be ice cold. To my surprise, it was as hot as it had been when it arrived. Maybe I hadn’t been here as long as it felt.

“Let me tell you what I think,” Rieker said, leaning forward and putting his elbows on the table.

I’d rather you didn’t
, I thought, but let him continue. I figured that arguing with them couldn’t possibly help my case.

“I think you murdered him for all the teasing. You mentioned a while ago that he’d teased you relentlessly when you were in high school, and then as soon as you get extensive plastic surgery, you go on a date with this guy and he ends up dead. Seems a little convenient.” Rieker raised an eyebrow as he said it. His partner remained perfectly motionless, not expressing so much as a hint of emotion.

“It doesn’t seem all that convenient to me! He was far—very, very far—from the best person I knew, but he certainly didn’t deserve to be
murdered
,” I spat.

“And what makes you think this was a case of murder?” Rieker pressed.

“Oh, because he was always very careful to buy cars that didn’t
explode and disintegrate him,
” I said sarcastically. “What else would it be? Faulty ignition caused an instant fireball? Struck by a meteorite? Seems unlikely.”

Rieker and his partner seemed unperturbed by my sharp wit. “Do you think this is funny?” Rieker asked me seriously.

“Of course not!” I snapped. “A man just died moments after talking to me, and I’ve been stuck here for hours because you’re too thick to realize it was somebody else! And whoever did it is out there somewhere, right now, possibly doing this to somebody else. This is about as far from funny as it could get!” I realized I was standing and brandishing my coffee like a sword, which made me feel instantly ridiculous.

Rieker smiled for the first time, though his partner was less impressed. I figured now, more than a little too late, that he’d just been trying to get an emotional reaction out of me, hoping to trigger some kind of verbal blunder. I sat back down and slammed the coffee onto the table. “When can I go?” I asked, holding back tears.

“When we feel like it.” It was the shorter man who hadn’t spoken until now. Rieker had introduced him as Detective Clyde, and Clyde had until now remained quiet and still. “Luckily, I feel like it right now.” He stood up as he spoke. “Please understand that this doesn’t mean we think you’re innocent, or that you’re off the hook in any way. I simply don’t believe there’s anything more to be gleaned from detaining you. Feel free to contact anybody else and go anywhere, on the condition that you do not leave the state until this matter is resolved.” Clyde left the room, and Rieker followed wordlessly, leaving me alone.

I looked up to see Clyde holding the door open and I scrambled to get up and leave. I decided to leave my awful coffee behind and try to forget about it forever. I looked at my cell phone but it had no service.

Rieker saw me. “Go down this hall and take the second right.” He motioned with his hand. “Tell the officer there the number you want to call and she’ll sort it out for you. There’s no cell service in here. Have a good night.”

I walked away without thanking him. My night would’ve been a good one if I’d ignored the date and sat at home eating chocolate instead of being accused of first-degree murder and detained for hours. They were basically on opposite ends of my enjoyment spectrum, really.

Rieker had made finding the officer sound quite simple, but I found myself lost almost immediately. I’d walked down the hallway and taken the second right, as he’d said, but found myself at another intersection of hallways, both of which seemed to lead to more hallways and doors.

I’d been in shock on the way in, and I thought I still was, so I didn’t remember the layout whatsoever. I sighed and picked a direction at random, hoping for the best. Luckily, I found the exit, and the officer I assumed was in charge of phones. I wondered if that was a full time job.

“Hello,” I introduced myself, though her expression remained completely deadpan. “I’m Narel. I was told you could place a call for me.”

“What’s the number?” the officer asked, her expression unchanging. She looked somewhere between annoyed and bored. I told her, and she asked me to wait a minute. After a brief moment she handed me the phone. “You have two minutes,” she said flatly before returning to some kind of paperwork.

I took a deep breath. I’d decided to try and call Carl. If he wasn’t sick of collecting me from strange places, he’d be able to come quickly, and I trusted him. He was close to my only friend these days, and I didn’t want to annoy him, but I also needed to get out of this police station. It was more than I could walk, even now that I was in a much better shape than ever.

The longer it rang, the more nervous I got. Eventually I heard his voice and breathed a sign of relief.

“Hello, this is Carl. I can’t come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after…” I hung up before he could finish and clenched my fist. I didn’t blame him for not being able to answer, but I really needed to get through to him, now more than ever.

The police officer looked up at me and raised one of her eyebrows. “It rang out,” I explained, trying not to sound as defeated and desperate as I felt. “Can I try again?”

She nodded. “I’ll have to call, though.” She reached for the phone. I complied and handed it to her, recited the number again, waited until she punched in the numbers, and then took it back as she handed it to me. I thanked her quietly and waited, trying not to panic. It occurred to me that I could call a taxi or even ask an officer for a lift home, and I calmed down considerably. I sighed, realizing how much the stress and shock was getting to me.

“Hello?” It was Carl, and he sounded out of breath.

“Carl! Thank goodness.” I said it far more loudly than I’d meant to, startling the officer behind the desk.

“Narel? Sorry, I left my phone in the other room. What’s…”

I cut him off before he could finish. “Carl, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I only have two minutes. Can you please come and get me from the police station?” I felt rude, especially since I was asking a favor of him, but I didn’t want to waste the call.

“What?” he exclaimed. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” I thought for a moment. “Well, no, not at all. I’ll tell you when you get here.”

“Okay, I won’t be long.” He hung up as soon he said it, but he didn’t sound angry. I sure hoped he wasn’t.

I handed the phone back to the officer who took it without so much as looking at me. I thanked her and sat down in a nearby seat. It was a quiet town and was getting fairly late, so nobody else had come in the entire time I’d been here. I figured it was for the best if a police station didn’t seem particularly busy.

I waited about fifteen minutes before Carl burst through the front door, looking around desperately.

“Narel!” he exclaimed as soon as he spotted me. He ran over and gave me a painfully tight hug. “What happened?”

I sighed. I’d spent all night explaining the story over and over, but I couldn’t just leave Carl in the dark. “Look, I’m fine. I went on a date...”

“What!” He interrupted. “You went on a date! With whom?”

“Do you remember Guy, from high school?” I asked. “He was one of The Populars.”

Carl had the exact reaction I expected. His jaw fell open and the color drained from his face. “No. No! Not Guy! No, you didn’t. You went on a date with Guy? Why? How did you even get in touch with him?” He was genuinely shocked.

“I ran into him in town, and I didn’t agree to the date because I was interested in him. Honestly, I just wanted to see what it would be like. It was almost a mental exercise,” I admitted, sadly. I realized now that even though Guy had been a jerk, I’d been tagging him along for my own benefit shortly before he’d died.

“And then what? Did he hurt you? Did he do something cruel again?” Carl asked me desperately.

I appreciated the concern. “No, Carl, nothing like that. Guy...” I trailed off, but took a deep breath and tried again. “Guy was killed. Possibly murdered.”

Carl’s mouth fell open so far that I thought he might suffer jaw damage. “Oh my goodness. Narel, what happened? Did anybody try to hurt you?”

“No, I was still in the restaurant and he stormed off. His car exploded when he got in it. I don’t know how or why.”

Carl sat down next to me, grabbing the edge of the chair to steady himself.

“Worse, I’m their main suspect,” I admitted, feeling tears well at the back of my eyes.

“Oh, Narel,” Carl said sympathetically. “We’ll figure it out.”

Chapter 5

The coffee machine finished with a whirr, signaling that the coffee was ready. Sweet, warm, unjudging coffee. It was my third this morning, and I was starting to suspect that maybe it wasn’t doing much to calm my nerves.

It had been a few days since Guy had been murdered, or at least killed. I still didn’t know for sure that it was a murder, but it was hard to believe his car had exploded of its own volition. Then again, I probably would have done the same if I’d had to spend so much time with him.

I was still the primary suspect in the case. The police weren’t publicly referring to the incident as a murder, but had also advised me not to leave the state. I was also quite sure that I was being followed, or that they’d at least stepped up their police presence recently. It seemed that every time I left my house I’d see a police car or five.

I took a long drink of the coffee and sat down. I had to try to move on from the whole affair. Guy had defined enough of my life while he was alive, and I certainly wasn’t going to let him do it now that he was dead.

Today was the day that I was going to make serious progress on my store. I’d always loved the idea of being able to sell specialty chocolates, but until the accident I’d never thought it would be a reality. Shops weren’t exactly cheap to lease, much less buy and run.

Carl was coming by to collect me at around ten, and I’d been constantly drinking coffee since I’d gotten ready at nine. I was feeling strangely nervous about going to see the realtor, and these coffees probably weren’t helping. They were delicious, though, and I’d wanted to be alert when I was deciding on a shop. Today was potentially life-defining, so I didn’t want anything to go wrong.

Eventually I heard a knock on the door. I got up and opened it to see Carl smiling broadly. “Thanks again for coming, Carl,” I said, smiling back. At this point he was practically my chauffeur, though he didn’t seem to mind. I’d had the worst imaginable luck with cars lately. There was the accident that resulted in my surgeries, and then the explosion that had killed Guy. Besides, I didn’t own a car. Mine had been wrecked, and I had no desire to buy another one quite yet. To say that I didn’t feel safe in or near cars was a vast understatement.

The exception, of course, was with Carl. It’s not that I thought Carl would be able to do something miraculous and life-saving if something went wrong, but for some reason, he was the only driver with whom I felt safe. Apart from Carl, I’d only been in a taxi and a police car since the accident, and I hadn’t felt anywhere near safe either time.

“You know I don’t mind,” Carl replied. “Besides, I’m excited to help you pick a store.” He looked down at my hands and leaned in for a closer peek. “Narel, you’re shaking. I know this is a big day, but it’s nothing you can’t handle.”

I laughed. “I know. Thanks Carl. I think it’s just the caffeine. I’m on my fifth coffee for the day,” I admitted sheepishly. “I’m ready and willing, though! Let’s get going.”

The realtor’s office was completely covered in windows, and clinical looking from the outside. I shuddered as it reminded me of the hospital. Happily, the interior was much more welcoming, if a little lacking in color. Carl and I walked up to the receptionist and introduced ourselves. She told us to sit and wait for a minute, which made me even more anxious.

I’d thought this morning that perhaps I was still anxious about cars. I hadn’t been worrying about it as much recently, but after the incident with Guy, cars had started to worry me a lot more. I knew it was largely irrational. Cars were always dangerous, of course, but my first accident was unlikely enough. I figured that something else happening was practically impossible. Now that I was here, though, it occurred to me that I was simply nervous about the meeting. If I made a bad decision it could cripple my business before it had even begun, but if I took too long to settle on a location, my store might not even start. I swallowed nervously and looked at Carl.

“You’ll be fine, Narel,” he said, grinning. I thought that perhaps he was enjoying my squirming, at least to some extent. Finally, a door opened and a man walked out to greet us. He was tall, with short hair and dark features. I couldn’t help but think that he was extremely handsome, and it was more than a little obvious that Carl felt the same way. I nudged him with my elbow to get him to stop staring.

“Hi, I’m Borage.” He greeted us with a smile and extended his hand. Carl and I shook it in turn and followed him into an office. He waved us toward the seats and sat across from us at his desk.

“Did you say your name is Porridge?” Carl asked seriously. I elbowed him in the ribs and he replied with a loud, “Ouch!”

I shook my head. I hoped this wasn’t a sign of the coming day.

The realtor flushed slightly. “No, Borage. Borage Fletcher.”

Carl and I exchanged glances. “Fletcher?” he echoed. “We went to school with a Tom Fletcher.”

Borage looked down at his papers. “I suppose it’s a common enough name in these parts.”

“Are you from around here?” I asked. “I don’t remember you from school.” However, I did remember Tom Fletcher, and this guy looked a little like him.

Borage looked up and fixed me with a penetrating look. “I’ve just moved here from Melbourne. You were brought up in this town?”

I nodded. “Yes. Carl and I went to school together.”

Borage looked down at his paperwork. “I’m sorry. I don’t have your names.”

“I’m Carl Smith and this is Narel Myers,” Carl said.

Borage jumped. He looked like startled kangaroo caught in the headlights. The moment passed quickly, and he looked down again at his desk. “So, I’ve gathered up all the likely spots for you.” He opened a large folder on the desk, each containing photos and information on available stores around town.

At first, I was just happy that I’d booked an appointment like this. On the other hand, seeing all of this at once was incredibly overwhelming. I barely knew where to start, what to look for, or what half of these words meant.

Borage smiled. “I know; it’s all a bit much. I’m happy to walk you through it. Are you two starting the business together?”

“Oh, no,” Carl replied, laughing. “We’re not together. As a couple, I mean,” he added pointedly. “I’m single.” Carl looked Borage directly in the eyes, much to Borage’s obvious discomfort.

“I see,” Borage replied, seeming somewhat put out. “May I ask which of you is the intended or current business owner?”

“I am,” I replied with a smile.

Borage nodded at me and turned the book to give me a better view of the information. I tried to take it all in, but still found myself overwhelmed. I felt my face turn red. I had no idea what I was even looking for here. What if I just wasn’t ready to run a business? If leasing a property was this difficult for me, maybe I should quit before I’d begun.

My panic was cut short by Borage speaking. “Don’t stress out too much. Everybody gets confused like this. I’m here to help.” Borage smiled reassuringly and at once started to explain commercial leasing contracts. He explained everything in great detail, and was very patient. I thought that he was probably used to dealing with people like me, that as much as I hated to admit it, had more money than business sense. It was only a small town, and although I hadn’t been in business before, I was a little concerned that there were so many vacant stores in town. Still, Borage had assured me that there was more than enough passing tourist traffic for a chocolate shop. And I thought he was right. After all, who doesn’t like chocolate?

Borage suggested that we walk down the main street to look at the available stores for rent. As we were all leaving, Carl stopped me and turned back to Borage. “Would you like to get a drink some time? Just the two of us, I mean,” he asked, quite bluntly. Carl had never been one to mince words, but I still found myself surprised at the straightforward way in which he’d asked the question.

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think my girlfriend would approve,” Borage replied coolly.

Carl sighed, but didn’t seem too upset.

We followed Borage out of the shop. Carl grabbed my arm and held me back a little. “Narel, I think he likes me!”

“But I don’t think he’s gay,” I said. “He said he has a girlfriend.”

Carl laughed in return. “He has no girlfriend! He made that up. He might have a boyfriend, though.”

I was doubtful. “Are you sure he’s gay?”

Carl nodded. “My gaydar is impeccable.”

I thought it prudent to remain silent. I remembered all the times that Carl’s gaydar had in fact been wrong.

“Don’t be fooled because he was checking you out. He only did it to cover up the fact that he’s gay.” Carl looked thoughtful and rubbed his chin. “He can’t be out of the closet yet.”

“He was looking at me?” I asked. “I didn’t notice that he was looking at me.”

Carl chuckled. “That’s because you’re not used to men looking at you.”

“Yes, I am,” I said. “Kids used to stare at me all the time when I was in school. Don’t you remember?”

“They were staring at you because you were morbidly obese, if you don’t mind me saying so, and you were always stuffing chocolate in your face. On the other hand, this guy was staring at you because he thought you were super hot.” Carl shrugged.

“Surely that’s not right.”

Carl merely laughed. “Anyway, don’t you think he looks a little like Tom Fletcher?”

“Shush!” I said. “He’ll hear you. Yes, he does! Do you think it’s him?”

“Why would he change his name to Borage, of all names?”

I was about to reply, but by now we had caught up to Borage, who was unlocking the door to a store. I thought over what Carl had said. I was used to the males of the species looking at me and laughing. Borage certainly had laughed, but I hadn’t even noticed him looking at me. Of course, Carl was far more experienced than I was in the whole dating area.

And was I ‘super hot’ as Carl had called me? I supposed I was. It certainly was taking a lot of getting used to. I had always had long blonde hair, but then I used to be morbidly obese, as Carl had said. I also used to have a huge, crooked nose, and a big round face, and huge ears that stuck out a very long way to the sides, and well… I’m sure you get the idea. I looked the extreme opposite to a supermodel. However, now I had to admit that I looked pretty good, better than good. The extensive plastic surgery had seen to that. I hadn’t been able to stare at myself in the mirror yet, despite the wisdom of the hospital psychologist who had visited me once a week. Nevertheless, from my quick glances, I knew I still had the same long blonde hair, but now I had a cute little nose, high cheekbones, and a nicely shaped mouth. What’s more, my skin was smooth and glowing. I assumed it was because of all the anti-inflammatories they had packed into me for the last few months. There was not a sign of the deeply acne marked skin I’d had at the time of the car wreck. And now I had a figure to match that face. It was as if the plastic surgeons had free rein to make me look like what I assumed was their idea of the ideal woman.

Come to think of it, in the short time since I had escaped from the hospital, I had noticed men looking at me, but I had paid it no mind at the time. Perhaps they were looking at me because I was attractive, after all. It was certainly something to have to wrap my head around.

I looked up, realizing that Borage was trying to get my attention.

“Sorry, I was a million miles away,” I said, and walked through the door he was holding open for me. I took an instant dislike to the store. It was dark and dingy and had an overly gloomy atmosphere. I couldn’t tell what the store had been before, but it looked as though it had been vacant for quite some time. I tried to remember what it had been. I had a vague recollection that it had been some sort of gift store, and before that, a hairdressing salon. I was still having trouble with my memory, and the doctors had told me that this was likely to be just a temporary thing. Still, I had a very vivid memory of most things that had happened to me in high school. The therapist said it was selective memory. Just remembering what this store had been was making my head hurt.

The next store was even worse, with a very narrow front that nevertheless extended deep out the back. I was beginning to be a bit worried that I wouldn’t find a suitable store. This had been one of two bakeries in town, and had closed down, some time ago by the look of it. The bakery fittings had been removed, but the walls were somewhere between mustard and beige, and there was the smell of damp. I looked up at the high pressed metal ceilings, and although I appreciated that they were an original feature, I did not appreciate the hideous shade of pink in which they were painted. The store wasn’t light enough, and it felt claustrophobic.

I turned to Borage. “I don’t like this one either. It’s a bit depressing. Don’t you have anything that’s nice and light?”

He nodded. “There’s a little one up the other end of town. It used to be a chocolate shop, but in more recent times it was a café.”

“Was that the one that closed only recently?” Carl asked.

“That’s right,” Borage said.

I tried to remember the store so hard that my head actually hurt. I rubbed my temples furiously, but that didn’t help. I remembered the chocolate shop where Guy had humiliated me, but that one had shut down years ago. “When was it a chocolate shop?” I asked Borage.