Dark Chocolate Murder Read Free Page A

harshly.
    Crystal despised her former brother-in-law.  First, the bozo had made Belinda give up her dream job, then he had verbally abused her all throughout the marriage, calling her ‘lardass’ and other demeaning names.  In Crystal’s estimation, Daniel had gotten exactly what he had coming to him when Belinda finally served him with divorce papers.
    “No, no, it’s nothing about Daniel.  He knows we’re not getting back together.  I wanted to talk to you a bout making a change in my life,” she spoke slowly, unsure of how the word ‘change’ would sound out loud when she said it.  Other than for her divorce, change had been a foreign concept to her for many years.
    “Go on, ” Crystal urged, her interest piqued.
    Belinda drew in a deep breath.  “You know how I’ve always wanted to open my own chocolate shop?”
    “Yes!” Crystal cried, immediately sensing where Belinda was heading and feeling an irrational excitement for her.
    “Well, I think I’m finally going to do it.  After all, what’s stopping me?” Belinda repeated the question that had haunted her during the appalling blind date and followed her into her dreams later that night.
    “That’s what I’ve always said!  What’s stopping you?  Nothing and nobody! Oh, I’m so excited for you, Belinda! Where are you going to open it?  And when?” Crystal demanded gleefully.
    “Well, I hadn’t thought about the particulars yet.  I guess I would set up shop somewhere here in Boston.  I’ll have to scope out locations and…”
    Crystal interrupted, “But you’re not happy in Boston.  If you’re going to make a change, why don’t you go all the way?”
    “You mean move out of state?” Belinda asked, intrigued.  The thought of leaving Massachusetts hadn’t occurred to her, but it was certainly an appealing idea.  Most comfortable in a sundress and sandals, Belinda had always dreamed of living someplace warm and summery.  Someplace like Monaco…
    Reading her sister’s mind, Crystal burst out, “Not just out of state!  How about out of the country?  You could move here!”
    “Oh, that’s ridiculous!  I barely speak French and I don’t have a work permit.  And you’ve told me how hard it is for foreigners to get approval to work in Monaco,” Belinda protested, although she whole-heartedly loved the idea and was already fantasizing about how she would tell Jerry that his reign of obnoxiousness was over.
    “It’s not hard when you have family living here!  Jean-Jacques and I would help you every step of the way.  We could even open the store in our name for legal purposes.  You could just transfer the money to us to rent a storefront.  We would be like your silent partners, but all the profits would be yours! Oh, Belinda, don’t say no!”
    Belinda laughed as her sister’s voice became squeaky with mounting eagerness.  It would be hard to say no to such an enthusiastic invitation, but there were so many details to sort through.
    “How do you know that all this would be okay with Jean-Jacques?” Belinda asked.
    “I’ve got him wrapped around my little finger, and you know it,” Crystal boasted.
    It was true.  Jean-Jacques was a very laid back man with a comfortable amount of wealth and a consuming love for his American wife.  Belinda had no doubt that Crystal could persuade him to help with this endeavor.
    “But what about the logistics?  I mean, it would be such a complicated move,” Belinda argued, as years of self-defeat threatened to steal this opportunity from her.
    “Belinda, don’t worry about all that. Don’t overthink this.  You’re finally ready to grasp your dream and it’s right here in front of you.  Don’t let it slip away,” Crystal pressed on.
    Crystal’s encouragement was a powerful magnet that Belinda could not resist.  She had allowed herself to be trapped in a status quo existence for far too long.  How much older did she have to get before initiating a change in her