Chocolate Heart Killer: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 14 by Kathleen Suzette (guided reading books .TXT) 📗

“He was the only barber my husband would go to. He liked that he could still get an old-fashioned no-frills men’s haircut from him.” She shook her head. “He’ll be sorry to hear it. He used to go to Logan’s father and grandfather for his haircuts, too.”

“Bob always went to him, too,” Mom said. She turned on a burner on the stove and placed a pan with butter onto the burner.

“Everyone that knew him will be sad he’s gone,” Linda said, picking up the top order on the printer.

“I heard he recently broke up with his girlfriend,” Christy said, then glanced at Linda.

She turned to her. “He did. She wanted him to marry her and he wouldn’t, so she left him. I don’t blame her, I suppose. He was a wonderful guy, but a girl wants to get married after she’s dated a man a long while. They’d been dating for years and I guess she thought she had waited long enough. She’s friends with my daughter, you know.”

That was odd, I thought, since Ethan was under the impression they were still together. But maybe they had gotten back together and word of that hadn’t gotten around yet.

“My goodness, we have a lot of orders this morning,” Linda said, picking up the rest of orders on the printer. “I’m telling you, we need a bigger shop.”

Mom grinned. “I expected January sales to be slower than this. But I’m not complaining. More business is always a good thing.”

She was right. This month’s sales weren’t nearly as busy as the Halloween season and Christmas sales, but they were still brisk. I made a mental note to call about the empty shop next door. I had brought it up to my mother several weeks earlier, but we both had been so busy, that neither of us had called about it.

The Pumpkin Hollow Candy Store had been at the same location since it opened up in the 1940s and we were reluctant to move it, in spite of the increased sales the online store had brought in. But that empty shop next door could be turned into a new kitchen and the current kitchen could be expanded into a packing and shipping department. Before the end of the year, I was sure we would no longer be able to accommodate the online orders with the current situation.

“You know,” Linda said, turning back to us. “I saw a recipe for cherry bonbons online. Maybe you could adapt it, Ann? I think they would be lovely for Valentine’s Day candies.”

Mom looked up at her. “That does sound good. Why don’t you pass on the recipe to me? I can always take a look at it.”

“Are you going to make more cherry cordials?” Christy asked. “I love your cherry cordials.”

Mom made the best cherry cordials I had ever tasted. She usually made them for Christmas, but they would be great for Valentine’s Day, too. “I ordered more cherries. We should get them in tomorrow, and we’ll be back in the cherry cordials business.”

I measured out the rest of the ingredients for the fudge I was making, and my mind went back to the accident. It made me sad that Logan’s family and friends were starting out a new year with a loss like that. Especially since one of those friends was Ethan.

Chapter Four

The Michaels’s home was conservative and in a nice area of Pumpkin Hollow. The stucco house had been re-coated during the fall, giving the house a fresh look. I knew this because I had ridden over with Ethan when Logan’s car was in the shop. He had been borrowing his parents’ car and had returned it, and Ethan was giving him a ride to the garage to get his own car back.

I looked at Christy when I had parked my car. She held a plant in her lap, and she turned to me. “I hate doing this.”

I nodded. “Especially when it’s someone we know and people as nice as the Michaels’s are.”

We got out the car and headed up the walkway. Connie Michaels answered the door, looking tired and haggard. It had been two days since Ethan and I had found Logan’s body and I felt bad about what she must be going through now.

“Hello Connie,” I said gently. “We wanted to stop by and tell you how sorry we were to hear about Logan.” I didn’t mention that I was with Ethan when we discovered the accident. I didn’t want her to ask for details that I didn’t want to give.

She smiled sadly. “That’s so sweet of you girls,” she said with a nod. “Would you like to come in?”

We followed Connie into the living room and sat down on the loveseat. The Michaels’s living room was done in yellow and blue and looked like something straight out of Better Homes and Gardens. Everything matched and looked fresh and bright.

“We brought you a plant,” Christy offered. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you, that’s kind of you.” She took the plant from her and set it on the coffee table.

We talked for a few moments and then Connie’s husband, Bradley, entered the living room looking tired and haggard. “Hello Mia, hello Christy.”

We both turned to him and expressed our condolences.

He came over and sat on the couch next to his wife. “I still can’t get over it. How could our son be dead? It’s something that has been going over and over in my mind and I keep thinking it isn’t true. He’s going to call me or stop by.”

The sorrow in his eyes broke my heart, and I wished there was something that I could do or say that would ease his pain. There wasn’t of course, but that wouldn’t stop me from wishing I could.

“I was just telling