Chocolate Mousse and Murder

Book 22: A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery

by Cindy Bell

Genres: Animal Cozy Mysteries; Culinary Cozy Mysteries; Cozy Mystery; cozy animal mystery

Synopsis

A clean, fun cozy mystery that will keep you glued to the page.

Ally's days are filled with spending time with her detective husband, her adorable feline-friend, and playful pot-bellied pig. She is enjoying making chocolate treats at Charlotte’s Chocolate Heaven with her grandmother.

But then, the local dressmaker is found murdered. And Gabby, the employee at the chocolate shop, is the prime suspect. Ally and her grandmother believe she’s innocent, so along with the three quirky chocolate shop regulars, Mrs. Bing, Mrs. Cale, and Mrs. White, they help track down the killer.

But they soon discover that Gabby has some secrets of her own. Is she pulling the wool over their eyes and she really is the murderer?

Recipe Included: Triple Chocolate Mousse

Join the chocolate-making sleuths, their lovable pets, and eccentric friends for a fun-filled, puzzling, delicious cozy mystery by USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Cindy Bell.

Release date: April 26, 2023

Print pages: 161

Sample

Chocolate Mousse and Murder

A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery

Cindy Bell

 

Copyright © 2023 Cindy Bell

All rights reserved.

Chapter One 

A loud snort, followed by a damp nose pressed against the side of Ally Sweet-Elm’s leg, jolted her attention from the recipe displayed on her phone. 

“Arnold! I already fed you breakfast!” Ally laughed as the pot-bellied pig weaved around her legs and gazed up at her with hungry, pleading eyes. “Absolutely not. It’s not time for treats, yet.” She glanced over at a small dish of uneaten cat food on the kitchen windowsill. She had to have it up there because of Arnold’s ferocious appetite. “Where’s Peaches? She hasn’t come for her breakfast, yet? She must still be exploring in the backyard. And no, don’t even think about it. It’s not for you.” She looked back down at the recipe on her phone. “It’s Luke’s birthday in a couple of days, and he loves chocolate mousse. I want to try a new recipe for him.” Her mouth watered at the thought of it. Her stomach rumbled as well. She had been distracted by trying to find a recipe, and her toast sat untouched in the toaster. 

Arnold snorted again and let out a high-pitched squeal. 

“Okay, fine, we can both have a treat.” Ally plucked a chocolate candy from a dish on the kitchen counter and popped it into her mouth. She reached into the fridge and grabbed a few slices of squash which she put in Arnold’s bowl. 

As he inspected them with his snout, a quick glance up at her indicated he might prefer the chocolate instead. 

“Nope, no candy for you, sir.” Ally eyed her toast and tried to decide whether she wanted butter, peanut butter, or jelly. “Maybe all three?” She raised her eyebrows as she smiled. “I guess you’re not the only one with a big appetite this morning, Arnold.” 

Ally walked over to the fridge to find the jelly when loud sirens carried through the open kitchen window. She stopped in her tracks. It wasn’t often that sirens shattered the quiet of the peaceful town. A moment later, an orange cat leaped through the window with a screech. Peaches knocked her food dish right off the windowsill and into the sink. 

“Peaches! What’s wrong? Did the sirens startle you?” Ally swept the cat into her arms as the sirens continued. “What’s going on out there?” She pet the cat. “I’d better go check it out.” 

Peaches jumped out of her arms and ran down the hallway. 

Ally hurried out through the front door. She closed it to make sure the animals were safe inside. Then she ran across her yard, to the next. She followed the sirens down her street, then down the next side street and spotted several police cars pulling to a stop in front of a house about halfway down the street. Her heart lurched. 

Ally recognized the house as Sarah’s house. She broke into a run as she recalled that her assistant at the shop, Gabby, had an appointment there that morning. Sarah offered dressmaking and alterations from her home, and Gabby had wanted to have a few pants altered. They had planned to walk down to Charlotte’s Chocolate Heaven together after her appointment. 

Ally’s heartbeat quickened as an ambulance sped past her. Her thoughts raced with possibilities of what might have happened. If an ambulance was called, then someone had to be hurt. Was it Sarah? Was it Gabby? Had there been some kind of terrible accident? As she reached Sarah’s house, she noticed an officer walk toward the back of it. What was going on? She had to find out. She needed to know that Gabby was okay.

Ally ducked inside the house. The moment she stepped through the doors, all of the adrenaline that had pumped through her veins slammed to a sudden stop. An officer stood with his back to her and his weapon drawn, pointed right at Gabby. 

“Drop the weapon, now! Drop it or I’ll shoot!”

The tension in his shoulders and tone of voice made it clear that he intended to follow through with his warning. 

“No!” Ally tried to process the scene. “Don’t shoot her!” 

The officer ignored her as he kept his weapon pointed at Gabby. 

“Miss, you need to put the scissors down and raise your hands above your head. Do it now!” 

Gabby’s hand that held the scissors shook. Dark red liquid slid from the open points of the scissor's blades. 

Ally watched the liquid drip down to the floor. 

A short cry escaped her lips at the sight of Sarah’s body sprawled across the floor. She had clearly been murdered!

“Drop it, I said!” The officer’s voice raised again. 

“What?” Gabby stared at him. Her wide eyes flicked from him, to Ally, then back to him again. “What’s happening? Ally, why is he pointing that gun at me?” 

“Gabby.” Ally tried to keep her voice calm as the scene began to sink into her shocked mind. “You have to put down the scissors. Listen to him, Gabby. He thinks you have a weapon, and you have to put down the scissors, so we can get all of this figured out.”

“What?” Gabby blinked, then shook her head. “No, it’s not my weapon. I mean, I didn’t kill her. Is that what you think?” Her voice shook as did her whole body. “I walked in for my appointment, and I found her like this. The scissors were next to her. I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t sure what they were. I just picked them up.” Her face crumpled as a sob burst past her lips. “I wanted to help her. But I couldn’t help her! She was already dead!” 

“You have three seconds to put down those scissors!” The officer took a step toward Gabby. 

“No, don’t.” Ally reached for his arm to stop him. 

A strong grip clamped down on her shoulder before she could touch the officer. 

“No, Ally.” Detective Luke Elm spoke in a sharp but quiet tone as he guided her back a few steps. 

“Luke, please. She’s in shock. She doesn’t understand what’s happening. Don’t let him shoot her!” Panic rocketed through Ally, mixed in with a small amount of relief at her husband’s presence. 

“Shoot me?” Gabby stumbled back a step. “What? Why? I didn’t hurt anyone. I wanted to help.”

“I can take over from here.” Luke approached the officer.

“She won’t comply.” Benson kept his gun trained on Gabby. “She had the scissors in her hand when I came in here.”

“I hear you. But what you’re doing isn’t working,” Luke said. 

The officer gave a short nod. He took a step back, but he didn’t lower his weapon. 

“Let me try, okay?” Ally glanced over at Luke. 

“Okay,” Luke agreed.

“Gabby, listen to me.” Ally took a step closer to her, only to have Luke move in front of her. “Please, I know you’re scared. I know that you don’t understand what’s happened. But you have to listen to my words, okay?”

“Ally?” Gabby gulped down a breath. “It’s so horrible, Ally! Sarah’s dead! I wanted to help her.” 

“I know you did, Gabby. I know that you didn’t do anything to hurt her, and right now you’re scared, and confused because you’re in shock. But you have to put the scissors down. Okay? The police just got here. They don’t know what really happened, and you can’t explain it to them until you put the scissors down.” Ally tried to inch around Luke, but he moved with her, serving as a human shield between her and the scissors. 

“The scissors?” Gabby blinked. She stared at Ally for a moment, then looked down at her hand. She gasped as she dropped the scissors to the floor.