Trouble and Treats (A Chocolate Centered Cozy Mystery Book 6) by Cindy Bell Page A

the truth, Gary. I want to know if you had something to do with Emma’s death?”
    He raised the knife a little higher and pointed it right at her. “Are you accusing me of killing my wife?”
    “Ex-wife.” She narrowed her eyes. “No, of course not. But do you know what happened?”
    “No.” He shook his head. “I would never hurt Emma.”
    “You didn’t really hurt her did you? She just happened to fall, because there was a loose floorboard from when you worked on the stairs? Or maybe she slipped when you were arguing?”
    “Never.” His grip tightened on the knife. “Why are you talking to me about this?”
    “Because I want the truth. Emma didn’t deserve to die, and I want justice for her.”
    “Oh, aren’t you the brave little thing?” He chuckled and shook his head. “You want to know the truth?” He put the knife back into his pocket and glared at her. “Fine, I’ll tell you the truth. The truth is, Emma never should have left me. She got it in her head that I was some kind of monster, just because I have a bit of a temper. I wonder where she heard that from?”
    “Maybe she just wasn’t happy in the relationship anymore.”
    “Don’t you think I know that?” He sunk his hands into his hair and tugged. “I tried but nothing I could do would make it work, I didn’t know how to fix it. But what I do know is that she never should have married Jack. I mean the guy doesn’t even like animals. She made a huge mistake when she married him. I tried to warn her, but she wouldn’t listen to me. She accused me of being obsessed. She accused me of being a stalker.”
    “I think the pictures hidden in the wall in your old apartment are a pretty good sign that was true,” Ally said timidly.
    “Oh, you found the pictures?” He cleared his throat. “I forgot them there and then when I went back they were gone. I should have burned them.”
    “So, how do you explain stalking your ex-wife and her new husband? Is there something good about that?”
    He groaned and turned away for a moment. When he turned back Ally thought she could see tears in his eyes.
    “Yes, not that you’ll believe me. But yes. I wasn’t stalking her. Jack gave me this off feeling the first time I met him. He just felt like a fraud to me. He acted like he loved her, but it was too perfect and it seemed more like acting than love.”
    “So, you had nothing to do with her death?”
    He lunged towards her so suddenly that Ally jumped back. It was like he had suddenly snapped. His cheeks were bright red as he stared hard into her eyes and coated his words with fury.
    “I did not kill Emma! You’re looking at the wrong husband!”
    Ally’s heart dropped at his words. It wasn’t with fear, despite how close he was. It was with surprise. As vicious as he seemed, she believed him when he said he didn’t kill his ex-wife. “What do you mean? What did you find out about Jack?”
    “He’s not who he says he is, for one.” He clenched his jaw and took a step back from her. “He’s a liar. He’s never where he says he’s going to be. I figured he was cheating on her. I thought if I could just get some pictures of him in the act, then she would see what a fool she was being. But I could never catch him with anyone.” He frowned. “I tried. But it wasn’t enough. I can’t believe he killed her.”
    “Now, wait a minute, I saw the way you acted towards her on the day of the yard sale. You shouted at her, and threatened her. Do you really think I’m going to buy the idea that you actually cared about her?”
    “You don’t have to buy anything. Yes, I was frustrated with her. She was giving up everything to go be with a man that was nothing but a liar and a cheat. Why wouldn’t I be angry? If she’d only listened to me, maybe she would still be alive.”
    Ally shifted her weight back on her heels and did her best to hold her tongue. It was very possible that he was making everything up about Jack to deflect the attention