Read Online Cool Cache by Patricia Smiley - Free Book Online

owner.”
    Alexis liked the look of the molinillo in the picture and wanted to know what it was. I told her it was used for frothing chocolate. She wanted to buy it. I told her it wasn’t for sale. She expressed interest in the heart box and the chocolate pot, too, but I demurred. Her negotiating skills were lucid and surprisingly sophisticated, which made me wonder if all that stumbling and slurring was just an act.
    Two hundred dollars’ worth of chocolates later, the bodyguard carried the bags and Alexis out to the SUV and drove away. Raines was a disaster waiting to happen, but if she came back and brought all of her celebrity friends, she could guarantee Nectar’s success.
    When Kathy and I were finished waiting on all the customers, the man in the back of the room stepped up to the counter.
    “Thanks for waiting,” I said to him. “You’re a real gentleman.”
    He smiled like a contented lizard sunning himself on a desert stone. “I did not know that buying chocolates today would earn me the praise of a beautiful woman.”
    “I’m sorry for what happened. It’s usually not this crazy. I hope you’ll come back.”
    “It is a long drive for me, but worth the trip. I tell my wife that cacao is good for my health, but she says my guilty pleasures will kill me one day. Too bad that young woman has no one to warn her of her fate.”
    “Money and immaturity are always a bad combination.”
    The man selected six chocolates. It wasn’t many for the length of time it took him to pick them out. The last he chose was my all-time favorite. Helen called them Forget-Me-Nots, because once you sampled one, you weren’t ever likely to forget. A delicate flower was stenciled on a thin crust of dark chocolate that covered a chocolate ganache so rich and sensual it made you want to say, “It was good for me, baby. Was it good for you?”
    “If you work here,” the man said, “you must share my passion for cacao.”
    I handed him the box. “I love Helen’s chocolates, but I don’t work in the store. I’m just filling in today. I’m a consultant, sort of a business doctor.”
    He nodded. “This Helen is a wise woman to seek help. I myself own a small business. I am always looking for new ways to make money so I can continue to indulge those guilty pleasures of mine.”
    I reached under the counter and handed him a card from my purse. “I’ve worked with a lot of small businesses. If you ever want to discuss your options, call me at any of these numbers.”
    “Perhaps I will.” He gave me a placid salute and made his way toward the door.
    It was getting late. I didn’t want to miss my appointment with Elizabeth Bennet, so I hung up my apron and headed for the door. I was just backing out of the alley when I was startled by a knock on the passenger-side window. I turned and saw Detective O’Brien staring at me through the glass. He didn’t look happy.

Chapter 8
    I got out of the car and stood facing O’Brien over the roof of the Boxster. The sun at his back made his red hair look like a burning bush. I hoped I wasn’t about to meet my destiny.
    “What are you doing here?” I said.
    “Looking for Lupe Ortiz’s cell phone. It’s missing. Too bad the crime scene was closed without consulting me. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a problem.”
    The scratch on O’Brien’s face seemed to be healing, but his disposition was still raw. He was probably pissed that Dale Ewing had complained to his supervisor.
    “I thought you solved the Ortiz case.”
    “We made an arrest, but the investigation isn’t over. You never know what else might turn up if you dig deep enough.”
    His words sounded ominous, sort of like a threat. The last thing Helen needed was a Beverly Hills cop with a little power and a lot of attitude.
    “You think somebody else was involved?” I said.
    “That feather we found at the scene is from a bird called a quetzal. It’s a symbol used by a street gang called the MayaBoyz. Roberto Ortiz is a