Sweet Revenge (Cocoa Narel Chocolate Shop Mysteries Book 1) by Morgana Best

coffee beans, chocolate-coated roasted almonds, chocolate-coated roasted hazelnuts, chocolate-coated roasted macadamia nuts, chocolate-coated caramelized coconut buttons, chocolate-coated orange buttons…” I stopped to draw breath and just then, Borage’s phone rang.
    “Excuse me; I have to take this,” he said.
    I walked over to the other side of the room in attempt to look discreet, and stared at the floorboards.
    “Yes, Hamilton, I’m happy to meet after working hours. Yes, seven at the pub. Sure, I’ll meet you there.” Borage hung up and then walked over to me. “I had no idea there were so many types of chocolate.” He laughed. “Well, that just shows that I don’t have any idea about chocolate.”
    “You do you like it, though, don’t you?”
    He nodded. “Oh yes, I absolutely love chocolate. You seem to like it more than I do, I suspect.”
    “You’re right there,” I said fervently. “I’ve been obsessed with chocolate for years. “
    He shot me a penetrating look, and looked as though he were about to say something, but changed his mind. “Come on then, let’s go and see what you’ve done with the store so far.”
    I had a feeling that that wasn’t what he had originally intended to ask me.
    Borage exclaimed with happiness when he saw the new color. “Wow. I absolutely love it!” he said. “It really suits a chocolate shop. I hope you do a roaring trade, Narel.”
    “So do I!” I said. “There’s so much passing tourist trade with this being a major highway going through our little town, but when I build up the business to a degree, I’m going to start it online.”
    “Online?” Borage asked. “Can you still do that in summer? What if the chocolates melt?”
    “No, these days they have a pack that protects the chocolates and keeps them cool. It’s kind of ice wrapped inside a thermal package, and there are thermal packaging materials as well.”
    Borage appeared to be genuinely interested. “How long would it keep the chocolates cool for?”
    “The packs are guaranteed to keep chocolates cool for five days,” I said. “That means I can safely send them to anywhere in Australia, even in very hot weather. Anyway, I think that’s where the bulk of my business will be, and then it won’t matter if I ever leave town.”
    “Yes, it must be hard coming from the city to such a small town,” Borage said thoughtfully.
    I bit my lip. Of course, Borage didn’t know that I was in fact a long-term resident. “Did you find it difficult coming to this town to live?” I asked him.
    Borage’s eyes shifted, as did his feet. He folded his arms across his chest and looked decidedly uncomfortable. “Yes, you could say that,” he said quietly, avoiding my eyes.
    I was left with the distinct impression that Borage Fletcher was hiding something, something rather big indeed.
     
     

Chapter 11
     
    I hadn’t slept well the night before, presumably as there had been two recent murders, and one a short distance from my house. Not to mention the fact that the other one had happened right in front of my eyes. And then there was the worry about Mongrel. I had left a dish of cat food in the middle of my kitchen, and it was gone by morning. Yet Mongrel stayed in his carrier basket in daylight hours. I had still only seen his face, and that was not a sight I would forget.
    I had thought I would sleep well when I was away from the hospital, but then again I suppose I had not expected people around me to be murdered. I awoke before seven and was doing my best to get back to sleep, when there was a loud knock on my door. I leaped out of bed and flung my robe around me. This couldn’t be good—no one arrives at someone’s house before seven in the morning to give them good news. I hurried to the door. “Who is it?” I called out.
    “It’s me.”
    I recognized the voice as Carl’s, and opened the door. “What’s happened?” I asked him.
    His face was white and he hadn’t taken the time to