Death by Chocolate

Police might be listening. “And then.... if
you still want to.... a Mrs. Fields chocolate chip with maca-damia nuts would
be great, too.”
    “You got it.”
    As the two sisters walked
down the mall to the beauty salon, Savannah was grateful for this peaceful
interlude with her sibling. But she doubted whether even the sensual pleasures
of a manicure, a pedicure, and a sugar fix could erase the thoughts of Eleanor
Maxwell lying in her coffin, her supposed loved ones gathered around her. And among
them, a killer—or killers—wi th evil secrets.
    Yes, Savannah decided, she
was very grateful for her own family. And at the moment, she was especially
grateful for Cordele, warts and all.

Chapter

15
     
     
     
    “W here’s Miss Sunshine and Light?”
Dirk asked Savannah as they sat together on the sofa, her largest mixing bowl
full of popcorn between them. On the coffee table was his half-empty bottle of
beer and her cup of Bailey’s-enhanced coffee, along with a dozen folders,
notebooks, and files pertaining to the case.
    “Upstairs in the bathroom,”
Savannah replied. “I bought her a bottle of Victoria’s Secret’s new bath gel.
She’s blissfully soaking in a mountain of bubbles, just like I intend to do
after you leave.”
    “Here’s your hat; what’s
your hurry?”
    “Something like that.” She
gave him a smile that diluted the insult. Not that he would have cared one way
or the other. Dirk didn’t really care what anyone thought of him and that made
him difficult to offend.
    “Tell me something,” he
said, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “Exactly what is Victoria’s
secret anyway?” ‘That’s for women to know, and men to find out only on very
special occasions.”
    He gave her a sideways
glance up and down her figure. “I guess you and I haven’t had any occasions that
were... special enough.”
    She sniffed and blew her
nose on a tissue. “Nor are we likely to.”
    “Isn’t that cold of yours
getting any better?” he said with more genuine concern that she would have
expected him to muster.
    “Well... yes.... actually
I’ve noticed an improvement just today. Thanks for asking.”
    “Good. The sooner you get
over it, the less likely you are to give it to me.”
    “Right.” Picking up her
notebook from the coffee table, she glanced over her list. “Did you go by the
lab today?”
    “Yeah. Eileen had taken the
day off.”
    “A lot of people do that on
Sunday. Don’t take it personally.”
    “Anyway. That Mexican dude
that works there on the weekends—”
    “I believe her assistant is
Honduran.”
    “Whatever. He said they
didn’t get any prints off the letter except for Eleanor’s and one from Martin
Streck.”
    Savannah took a handful of
popcorn. “That doesn’t surprise me. I already told you I caught him looking at
one of the letters in her office. Was it that one—the most recent one?”
    “Yep. That was it.”
    “And I don’t suppose the
county wants to spend the big bucks for a DNA test on the envelope seal unless
we’ve got something substantial on somebody.”
    “Exactly. And it wouldn’t
be enough to just test the envelope. At this point, we’d have to swab and run tests
on everybody there except maybe the dogs, and I haven’t even ruled them out
yet.”
    “Why do I have the feeling
it would match either Louise or Martin? Maybe both.”
    “On the same envelope?
Yuck.”
    “I’m kidding. Although,
from what Eleanor’s twin sister said, Louise and Martin have swapped more than
just slobber.”
    “He’s a lot older than she
is. And not nearly as good-looking.”
    “Do you think she’s
good-looking?”
    He shrugged and took a swig
of his beer. “She’s not exactly a dog. But a little skinny for my taste.” He
turned and gave her a quick but searching glance. “Why? Do you think he’s good-looking?”
    “Eh, not particularly.” She
decided not to mention that Streck had nice thick hair. Dirk was particularly
touchy on the topic of hair thickness or the lack thereof. It was his only form
of vanity.
    “Maybe the two of them are
in cahoots,” he suggested, stretching out his legs and propping his sneakers on
the coffee table.
    She reached over and
swatted his leg. He lifted his feet as she slid one of the folders under his
shoes. “Maybe so,” she said. “Perhaps he robs Eleanor blind, and when he’s
finished draining the coffers, Louise knocks off Mommy Dearest.”
    “And if they’re a couple,
they get to share the