1 Chocolate Worth Dying For Read Free

Two
    The funeral was well attended. Held at the Royal Oak Memorial Site the priest gave a eulogy that moved Maxine to tears. Although she couldn't help but notice it didn't have the same effect on Tracey Vandemeer.
    Dressed in a simple black dress with black pumps no one could accuse her of playing the vamp and yet, somehow, she managed to look beautiful and… not all that upset. Oh, it was true she looked serious and she wasn't smiling or laughing. Yet – somehow – Maxine couldn't help thinking she didn't look as if she'd be dying of sorrow anytime soon.
    The same could not be said of Tracey's children. Both looked red-eyed from crying and pale in a way that wasn't healthy. Lindy clutched her mother's hand while Ric stared stonily ahead, making her want to cry. She hoped they would be OK.
    It seemed half of Victoria was there with family and friends, a large number of real estate agents and business associates. Including almost everyone from the museum party Maxine noticed. Several joined Tracey speaking eloquently about the deceased and the impact he had had on their lives, on the community.
    "Everyone who knew Ron loved him," Rick Dodd said fervently.
    Behind her she heard Wendy Carr snicker and say rudely in a side whisper to her husband, "he certainly hid it well when Ron was alive."
    Later as they waited in a fine drizzle of rain under numerous umbrellas for the casket to be lowered into the grave Maxine found herself standing beside Wendy at the graveside.
    She couldn't help it. She had to know. "What did you mean by that comment you made about Rick Dodd?" she whispered.
    Wendy startled in surprise. Then she lowered her voice again and said, "Oh come on. Everyone knew they were having problems. Then he makes that sanctimonious speech! West Shore developments would be shut down this week if they didn't get an infusion of cash from somewhere." Bill looked daggers at her and Wendy stopped talking.
    Tanya tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around smiling at her.
    As she did she noticed another woman in the back of the crowd, eyes swollen from crying. Who was she? And how did she know Ron? Because to Maxine's' untrained eye she looked a whole lot more broken up about Ron's death than his widow did.
    As the funeral broke up she tried to find the woman but she disappeared into the crowd like smoke in the wind. "Did you see that woman?" she whispered to her Grandma Ellie.
    "Whoever she was she seems heart-broken," Ellie said, putting her hand over her heart. "We can't be the only people who noticed her. Someone will know something."
    But no one Maxine talked to seemed to have noticed anything. Besides hearing a whole lot of stories about how wonderful Ron was she was no closer to learning who would want him dead. She saw detective Patrick Shannon from Victoria PD standing at the edge of the crowd and made her way over to him.
    "Hi Patrick. Working?"
    He gave her a small smile. "You know I can't talk here."
    Her eyes widened slightly. "You mean you're…"
    He grabbed her arm guiding her away from the funeral. "This isn't the time. I'm trying to blend in and see if I can see anyone who might be of interest. Just ignore me."
    "And if I do?" she said batting her eyelashes at him.
    He gave a sigh of exasperation. "I'll do my best to stop by your shop today."
    She smiled. "That wasn't so hard was it? Did you happen to notice that woman at the back? Maybe Ron was having an affair, he…"
    "Enough," Patrick said. "I'll check into it." He turned away and disappeared back into the crowd.
    Tracey was surrounded by well-wishers sharing memories of Ron and giving her condolences. She might not seem overly broken up about his death but that was a long way from murdering him. Particularly when his kids seemed so – destroyed – by their father's death. From everything she'd seen Tracey Vandemeer was a good mother, and no mother would put her kids through such a traumatic experience if they could avoid it.
    Would they?

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