Read Online Sally Berneathy - Death by Chocolate 04 - Chocolate Mousse Attack by Sally Berneathy - Free Book Online

in a can like yours.”
    Boy was growing up.
    He needed a father.
    I accepted the challenge.
    *~*~*
    Matthew came to Death by Chocolate the next day. Two o’clock, end of the lunch rush, an hour from closing time. As soon as he came in the front door, I went into the kitchen where Paula was loading the dishwasher.
    “Can you take the front for a few minutes? I need to make a phone call.”
    She closed the dishwasher door and looked at me through narrowed eyes. “He’s out there, isn’t he?”
    “Who?”
    “You know very well who I’m talking about.”
    I pulled my cell phone from my pocket. “Got to call Fred. We’re going to visit the previous owner of his house.” That was all true. I just didn’t mention that I needed to call Fred to get the report on Matthew Graham.
    I went through the back door to the alley, giving her no choice but to go out front.
    I called Fred. “Did you check on Matthew Graham?”
    “Yes.”
    “And?”
    “Squeaky clean. Doesn’t even have any speeding tickets.”
    “You say that like it’s something commendable.”
    He sighed. “Some people might think so. Anyway, this guy checks out down the line. Single, neve r been married. Got his PhD in history from the University of Missouri in Columbia. Graduated with honors. He grew up around this area and his family still lives here.”
    “Tell me about his family.”
    “Mother and father still alive, still married. Matthew is the youngest of eight kids. Seven boys and one girl.”
    “Wow. That’s a lot of family.”
    “They’re members of Seventh Gate. They have large families.”
    I cringed. “That name sounds familiar. Isn’t that some kind of a nut job religious group?”
    “ Yes, it is. Those people give new meaning to the word strange . It was started back in the sixties by a guy named Gary Drummond who got carried away with the hallucinogenic drugs. He was certain the Apocalypse was just around the corner so he bought some land which was dirt cheap in those days and set up his own patriarchal cult on a self-sustaining farm. They’re still out there, waiting for the end. It appears Matthew escaped when he was eighteen.”
    “So I take it he’s not close to his family?” I hoped not.
    “ Once somebody leaves there, that person is dead to them, so I assume they’re not close. It’s difficult to find out a lot about them. They refuse to file any sort of documents with the government, no birth certificates, no tax returns, no social security numbers. They consider the government, technology and all of us to be satanic. The FBI, ATF and IRS have tried to take them down, but so far they haven’t made a lot of progress. They get away with a lot under the umbrella of religious freedom.”
    “ But Matthew ran away. That speaks well for his sanity. His past doesn’t matter. Is he married? Dating anybody? Did you hack into his cell phone to see if he’s been sending nude pictures of himself to anybody?”
    “Not married. His Facebook status does not indicate he’s in a relationship and I didn’t find any e-mails or texts that indicate he’s romantically involved with anyone. As far as I can determine, he’s not sending nude pictures of himself to anybody through any form of modern technology. As to whether he’s taking them with an old-fashioned camera and handing them to someone in person, I have no idea.”
    “Okay, thanks. Gotta run. See you in a couple of hours to begin our other investigation.”
    I disconnected the call and dashed through the kitchen into the restaurant. Matthew and Paula were the only people there. She was leaning over the counter toward him. He was leaning toward her. They both jerked upright and looked at me when I entered the room.
    “Paula and I are having a cookout at my place tomorrow evening, Matthew. Would you like to come?”
    Paula gasped.
    Matthew blinked rapidly, looked from me to Paula, bit his lip then finally nodded. “Yes, thank you. I’d love to come. Can I bring something?