Deadly Chocolate Addiction

A handsome chocoholic comes to Death by Chocolate, eats three of Lindsay’s desserts and rescues her from her ex, Rickhead. The mysterious man is her new best friend. She sends him on his way with a complimentary box of desserts.

After he’s gone, she reflects that he knew things about her and her restaurant a total stranger wouldn’t know, like Trent’s rank as a detective and Paula’s name before they were introduced.

Then she finds a small brass key hidden under his plate with his generous tip. Could he have accidentally left the key? Surely he’ll return for more chocolate and she will find out what’s going on.

The next day brings another strange visitor. An artificially stacked blonde in four-inch heels strides in and demands to talk with Lindsay about her relationship with the woman’s husband.

Lindsay can’t think of a married man she has a relationship with. There’s her father, but unless he’s a bigamist with bad taste in women, it can’t him.  Could it be Fred? For all Lindsay knows about his personal life, he could be a bigamist or even a trigamist. He is an over-achiever.

Before she can solve the mystery, Trent arrives with a picture for her to identify—the stranger who left the key. He won’t be coming back for more chocolate. He’s been murdered. The box from Death by Chocolate led Trent to Lindsay.

Who killed him? And why? Robbery can’t be the motive. The box of desserts she sent with him is still full.

Does the key he left behind hold a clue? What does the key protect? Is it something important enough for someone to kill for it…to kill Lindsay for it?

And why is Rick smuggling chocolate into Lindsay’s restaurant when most people are taking it out?