The Chocolate Magic Café, page 1
part #1 of Chocolate Magic Series
The Chocolate Magic Café
A Chocolate Magic Cozy Mystery - Book 1
Olivia Swift
Copyright © 2018 by Olivia Swift
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Afterword
About the Author
Also from Lirios Publishing
1
Magda Caraganic was twenty-five, five foot five, and had a slender figure. She liked to look good but had no need to exercise as the constant work of the chocolate business meant that she very rarely sat still. Even when she was working, she was always moving her feet and thinking about the next job at hand.
Magda had a big, colorful apron wrapped around her and a white cloth tied around her mane of long, dark-red hair to keep it out of the way. She had a natural tendency toward that color, but the modern selection of hair dyes meant that the shade was, at the moment, a deep plum. She was piping the finishing touches to some truffles with a steady hand and trying to hold down the excitement of maybe, just maybe, opening her own chocolate café.
The place smelled delicious. As her friend Rula tried to steal a truffle from the finished ones at the side, Magda said they were counted.
“Don’t even think about it,” she said. “I have got to have five hundred of these finished by tomorrow, and this is the last hundred.”
“You always have a few extra just in case,” Rula said with a smile.
“For accidents and not to satisfy your appetite,” Magda answered, but she looked up as she finished the final decoration and grinned. “Go on then—just one.”
Rula snatched at the one she knew was coffee and milk chocolate before Magda changed her mind.
“I am ready to go when I remove this apron,” Magda told Rula and peeled off her head covering and the apron. “I’ll just check that the cats cannot get in here while I am away. In fact, I think I’ll pop them in the bedroom to be sure.” She slipped through the door into the living room and called for Abigail and Crystal who followed her like little dogs into the bedroom.
Rula took a mandarin orange truffle and ate it quickly.
“I know you’re eating,” Magda shouted from the distance. Rula considered taking another and thought better of it. The five hundred truffles on the counter looked amazing.
“I’ll help you to box up later, if you like,” Rula offered as the chocolatier came back in with a jacket and purse in hand.
“Thanks. That would be great,” Magda said. “Let’s go and see what this place is like.”
They used Rula’s car, even though it was not far, and drove into the center of the small town. The main street, with parking bays slotted along both sides, was busy. As you drove along, the view of the mountains rose in magnificent glory as a backdrop to the town. The lakes could not be seen from the main street, but the place lived on tourism as visitors flocked to swim, fish, climb, hike, camp, and in the winter, snowboard and ski. The locals accepted the huge number of tourists because it was the lifeblood of the place, and most folks made a good living from the seasonal intruders. Magda was no exception because the stores loved her handmade, local goodies that were packaged as if her Hungarian ancestors made the chocolate somehow exotic and special. Magda Caraganic’s truffles had built up a reputation.
Rula found a place not far from where they were heading and parked. The two girls walked toward the hiking shop, which was apparently where the entrance to this plot of land was located. They were both well aware that their slim figures attracted attention along with the killer heels and skintight jeans.
“Mornin’, girls,” Mikey called from the hiking shop as they came to where he was putting out a display.
“Hi, Mikey,” Magda answered. “Is there a pathway down the side of your building?” The man nodded and stepped over beside them.
“Right there,” he said and pointed. They all walked to the corner of his building and looked down the side. “Why would you be asking that?” he queried.
“Magda has apparently inherited whatever is behind there,” Rula told him.
“Really?” he replied. “Don’t think I ever looked at what was down there. It must be behind the bank because there is no space behind my place.”
“Thanks. We’ll let you know if it is anything spectacular,” Magda said.
The passageway was wide enough for three people to walk abreast. The ground felt hard, but grasses and weeds were growing through it. The two buildings on either side made it quite dark, but when they reached the end of the bank building, the place opened up and it was brighter. The stone walls of what had once upon a time been a stable had a roof, and around it was a level area that could loosely be called a garden. The small, arched windows in the stonework had been placed high enough to be out of the reach of the horse residents but they looked attractive.
Behind the building a sheer rock face went straight up for about thirty feet.
“Wow. I guess the people who bought the rest of the estate didn’t want a bit of a cliff edge and a piece of scrappy ground,” Rula remarked as they went toward the building.
“I suppose there was more land and a way around the cliff before the town grew up and blocked it,” Magda added as she turned the key in the big double doors to the building.
“I guess the doors were this big so that you could actually ride in on a horse,” Magda said. The doors were heavy, but they were able to push them wide with a bit of a struggle.
As light flooded in, they could see one huge room with a couple of stalls that proved it had been a stable. There was nothing much else in there, and Magda looked at Rula, grinned, and almost jumped up and down.
“The chance to have a soda fountain type of place for hot chocolate.”
Rula slipped an arm around her friend’s shoulders and agreed.
“There is space, services on the main street, and the curiosity value to bring people in. We need another pair of eyes. Call Branston.” Magda took out her phone and called her cousin.
Branston Carter was a cousin on her mother’s side of the family. Aunt Gertie who had left her the piece of land was her father’s sister. Branston had always been a good friend of both girls and was the first person they called when a man was needed. He was almost always cheerful and lived life to the fullest.
“Branston, we are at this plot that Aunt Gertie left me; have you got time to run over and see what you think?” Branston, on the other end, said that it was no problem as he was not far away.
As Magda hung up, Rula said, “You know, and I know, what sort of place you would like. I also know that you have boundless energy but that you want to just concentrate on making the stock. If we have a try at this venture, that leaves me to run the place and serve the customers. I would like that, and you can simply be the chocolate genius that you are. I can keep my job at the hotel in the meantime.”
“I know, and I can’t wait to be the owner of a chocolate shop. I do worry that I'll not get the orders done and the whole thing will fall on its face,” Magda said.
“Just enjoy telling us what you want and I will figure out the rest,” Rula told her.
They were looking around the outside of the building when Branston arrived, and he was not alone.
Her cousin was sporting full cowboy gear with a Stetson that looked heavy enough to push his head into his shoulders and a shirt with so many fancy decorations he could be used at Christmas.
“Lordy, Lordy,” Rula said. “You’ve been working at the holiday ranch again, pretending to be a cowboy.” The man grinned.
“Get paid well for it.”
“You have a perfectly good and well-paid job,” Magda told him.
“But it’s no fun, and there are no horses to ride,” Branston said and saw her frown as she noticed who had walked in behind him. “Brought Sam because you need a builder to look at things.”
“But do I need this builder?” Magda replied. Sam Barnes ignored the remark completely and walked around the small plot and then inside the building.
“I did some work on the main house,” he said. “I never knew this rock face came down to the main street. What you going to do with it, girls?”
“Nothing you would like, Sam,” Magda retorted. “You like modern, slick, and soulless.”
“You were going to add ‘just like yourself’ and stopped. I guess that’s an improvement.”
Rula joined in to stop the argument that had gone on between the two for as long as they could remember. She told him they would like a natural wood look resembling an old-time mining cabin. It would have a covered veranda for chairs and tables as well as seats inside, but the working parts and serving areas would be up-to-the-minute modern and sophisticated.
“How much space is available inside?” he asked without waiting for an answer and pulled out a tape measure. “The building seems quite sturdy, but it will still need a survey. This entire space would make a superb and huge kitchen, which I am guessing Your Ladyship would require. You would need an extra wooden extension and the whole of the front and sides covered by a veranda that would disguise the stonework.”
Magda was annoyed that he had gotten spot on what she had in mind but nodded and asked if it was possible. She really did want to take this chance and go for her dream.
Sam Barnes could feel that. She would never have believed it. He pushed it to one side. In all the years of his friendship with Branston, he had learned a lot about Magda Caraganic. The group was friends, and he sometimes wondered if Magda actually enjoyed the arguments.
“If this building passes a structural survey, it will be easy peasy,” he said in a down-to-earth tone. “Working with wood is always quite quick. We would need some foundations poured before putting up the extension. That would have to be brought in manually, but it isn’t a huge amount.”
“How much space would the extension take up?” Rula asked, and Sam paced it out and came back in the door.
“There would still be plenty of room for a garden with more seats.” He glanced at Magda and could not resist the chance to annoy her again.
“If the mysterious descendant of Hungarians makes exotic and sensational truffles, would that be the theme, Miss Caraganic?” He emphasized the "ch" on the end of the name because it had always made her rise to the bait before.
“Well, my ancestors were Hungarian,” she answered huffily.
“You are third generation American with a fancy name,” Sam told her and saw the flare of annoyance in her eyes. They had been over this argument a million times. He smiled, and to make up for it, told her she did a wonderful job with the chocolate. He enjoyed making her respond but had the sense not to spoil her possible new venture.
“If the fancy name means I get the odd freebie, and the tourists like it, I’ll live with it,” said Sam.
“That was almost an apology, Sam Barnes. Are you growing up at last?” She paused. “Well, speaking of chocolate . . .” Magda fished a small box out of her shoulder bag and opened it. “Before you just swallow these, I want an honest opinion on the flavor and tell me what you think it is.” She passed around the box, and they all took one and nibbled with eyes half closed and waiting for the sensation.
“Mmm,” Branston said, “coconut.”
“And rum,” Sam added.
“And something else but I can’t place it. Lovely and moist.” Rula joined in.
“Trade secret.” Magda smiled.
“It is wonderful, whatever it is. Another good one, I think,” her friend told her. “Well, we are eating chocolate in this place now. It seems like a good omen,” Rula added.
“One more and we could toast the success of the venture,” Sam suggested, eyeing the box she still held in her hand. He was rewarded, for once, with a genuine grin as she handed the box around.
“To the chocolate shop,” she said and held up her own truffle.
“To success,” Sam said and popped the whole truffle in his mouth in one go. The other two echoed the sentiment, and there was a sudden mood change between them as if the start of something. It was a good feeling.
Branston suggested they make the entrance from the street mysterious and inviting: like stepping into a bygone age with lanterns strung across the courtyard.
“Complete with cowboys, I supp—” Magda screamed and her hands flew to her mouth. She grabbed at the nearest arm, which happened to be Sam’s and realized that he was as transfixed as she was. All four of them were staring at a point on the stone wall. Magda was actually shaking.
2
There was a silence as everyone was speechless.
“Did you—did you—see what I saw?” Magda quavered after a few seconds and Rula nodded.
“This sounds crazy, but I just saw a cat walk through the wall and disappear.”
“Me too,” Sam said. “I saw that as well. Thank the Lord it wasn’t just in my head if you saw it at the same time.” He shook his head as if to wake up from some sort of dream. “I don’t believe in ghosts.”
“You do now. I saw it as well,” Branston added with a bit of shakiness in his voice. He took off the Stetson and flapped at the air with it. “That is some sort of thing to discover. You could make it the theme and attract all the paranormal investigators.”
“Oh no. I don’t want loads of nutty folks trying to record paranormal voices.”
Magda realized she was still holding on to Sam and straightened up.
“I saw a black-and-white cat.” She looked at the others.
“More white than black,” Rula added and the others agreed.
“We all saw the same thing,” Branston observed, ”so it must have been real.”
Sam pulled himself together and walked cautiously over to where the cat had disappeared. He knelt down and ran his hand over the wall.
“Once upon a time there was a small opening here. It’s been filled in at some point.”
“So, the cat thought it was going through an opening,” Branston said as he walked over to look at the area Sam indicated.
“Does it change things, Mags?” he asked. “Can you live with a resident ghost?”
“Well it is a cat ghost,” Rula put in. “Magda loves cats.” Magda thought about it.
“I think it was just the shock. I never saw a ghost before that I know of.” She smiled and made a practical suggestion to banish the fright from her mind. “Let’s just check everything out.”
Sam did one or two measurements and a few sketches as they walked right around the outside of the building. Branston suggested one of those climbing walls against the rock face.
“You would break your neck trying it out. No thanks,” Magda told him.
“I’ll buy everyone a coffee if you like,” Sam offered, “and show you what I think.”
When the heavy doors were locked, Magda took out her phone and took a photo.
“The doors are special. I would like to make them noticeable, I think.”
“Good point,” Sam admitted and took a photograph himself.
They settled in at a local diner to go over what had happened.
“Would anybody believe that we saw a ghost?” Branston wondered out loud.
“Should we just keep it to ourselves anyway?” Magda asked. “I don’t want people poking around and asking questions.”
Rula agreed with her. “It would be a nuisance, as we would be in the middle of building and getting the place worked out.”
Sam sketched as they talked, and when he turned his sketchbook to let her see, Magda actually gasped because he had captured everything as if he could see into her mind, exactly what she had envisaged. She looked at him and back at the sketch.
“Go on; admit that you like it,” Sam demanded with a half smile that told her he knew that she would like it.
She nodded slowly and took the sketch back to have another look. It was an effort but she agreed with him.
“Okay. You are right. It is exactly what I had in mind. How much will it cost? Aunt Gertie left me some money to do something with my business but—” She left the sentence hanging in the air.
“I can roughly cost it out for you.” He did a few figures and showed her the result. Magda looked up at his face and back at the paper.
“Can I really do it for this?”
“That is me doing the plans for free but charging for the work,” he answered. “Think about it and give me a ring.”
“Don’t need to think about it. Let’s give a it a go,” Magda decided and lifted her coffee cup. “To my new chocolate shop.”
“Woo-hoo,” Rula called which made everyone in the diner look their way.
“To success,” Branston added. “Lord, I forgot about this,” he added, and dragged a crumpled leaflet of Magda’s out of his jeans pocket. “Merle, at the ranch, has a shop to fleece the customers out of even more cash, and she wants to know about bringing in some truffles.”
