A Ghostly Affair: A cozy mystery series (Death by Chocolate Book 3) Read Free Page A

over it. Maybe some counselling.”
    “Maybe.”
    “He’ll get back to normal once he’s in school.”
    “I suppose. Normally I’m happy if he wants to concentrate on his homework and go light on the partying.”
    “Joys of being a parent,” Maxine said lightly. “No matter what your kids do you worry they should be doing something else.”
    Karin gave a rueful grin. “You could be right. He’s a good kid. I should be happy he’s hanging out at home this weekend instead of hitting all the Halloween parties.”
    “Has he got a big project coming up?”
    “Science, but he’s already finished. He’s working on some type of robot thingy.” Karin shook her head. “You can tell I’m no techy.”
    “You and me both,” Maxine said lightly.
    But could a robot thingy be behind the ghost? She brought it up when Detective Patrick Shannon dropped by for coffee and a truffle.
    “What happened to Zak Forrestor was a tragic accident. Nothing more,” he said decisively. “How’s Tanya holding up?”
    “About as well as can be expected,” she said shortly. She knew she should be glad to have Zak’s death considered a tragic accident or the result of a ghostly prank. But she just couldn’t convince herself.
    It didn’t help that she had to convince Tanya as well.
    Eyes red-rimmed with grief Tanya railed against fate. “How could this happen? Everything was perfect. We were happy. He was going to introduce me to his parents. We were going away for a weekend…”
    Maxine hugged her friend tight, wishing she could turn back time, turn back fate. “It was an accident. There was nothing anyone could have done.”
    “I wish we’d never gone. If we’d stayed home that night….” There was a fresh onslaught of tears.
    “Oh honey, if we’d had any idea anything like this would happen I’d have never catered the event. Who would? They’ve been holding the same event at the Castle for over twenty years now.”
    “And nothing like that – that thing has ever appeared before. It doesn’t sound anything like Joan or any of the other sightings people have reported. I’m telling you, it wasn’t a ghost. It was man-made and it wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t.” Her voice rose in anger mixed with a touch of hysteria.
    “The police searched the castle. There was nothing. Besides who would have reason to do such a thing? Did Zak have enemies?”
    Tanya shook her head, a shudder going through her. “He got along with everyone. Oh some people better than others. I mean he was a developer. Sometimes people got the wrong idea…”
    “Such as,” Maxine said, genuinely curious now.
    “Oh there were some environmentalists saying his latest project compromised the breeding grounds of some birds,” she said dismissively.
    “And did they?”
    “Zak had environmental impact studies done as part of the development process. There wasn’t anything saying it was a problem. Otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to build there. You’ve seen his latest development – Eagle Ridge – it’s beautiful.”
    But had the environmentalists thought so? And how did Travis tie in? If he did. She was left with a lot to think about as she comforted Tanya.
     

Chapter Three
    One lone man remained, having a quiet cup of coffee, along with a truffle. With ten minutes to go before closing, Maxine started boxing up all the remaining chocolates and assorted treats, with the exception of a small plate ready for any unexpected customers.
    The sound of the door opening made her look up, only to find herself staring at Wendy. Her black stiletto’s clicked across the floor and she was dressed in her usual designer dress.  They didn’t hide the evidence of freshly shed tears that stained her cheeks as she approached Maxine with determination.
    "You have to help me," she said dramatically.
    "You know I'll do anything I can," Maxine said diplomatically. "Shall we start with coffee?"
    Wendy waved the coffee away with her hand, "I'm too