Free Sally Berneathy - Death by Chocolate 04 - Chocolate Mousse Attack by Sally Berneathy

wasn’t a very good investment. Lee’s Summit became the hot area, not Pleasant Grove.”
    “ Even so, I’m surprised you couldn’t find anybody to rent it in five years.”
    Fred frowned and I wondered if I was pushing Jamison too hard. I’d left the topic of mold far behind and was verging on nosiness.
    Jamison licked his lips and refused to meet my gaze. “I was in med school at the time. My wife and I were having some problems. I planned to move into the house myself but…” He shrugged, lifted his eyes and tried the phony smile again. “We worked things out.” He checked his watch and stood. “If you need me to sign some sort of document specifying there was no mold in the house when I owned it, I’ll be happy to do so but right now I have another appointment.”
    Fred rose . “I don’t think that will be necessary, but thank you for the offer. I’ll let you know if it comes to that.”
    We started out of the office which had gone from hushed to almost vibrating with Jamison’s tension.
    Fred turned back at the door. “One of the neighbors, Sophie Fleming, three story Victorian house across the street and up one, has found some mold problems too. Did you know them? The Flemings?”
    He swallowed and his throat convulsed as if he was choking. “No.” The word came out as a loud whisper. “I never met them.”
    I looked at Fred . “Was that the family with the little girl? Carolyn? Wasn’t that her name?”
    “No, that was somebody else.”
    Indirect lighting or not, Jamison’s face went several shades paler.
    Fred smiled. “Thank you for your time.”
    He also thanked the receptionist on our way out.
    I enjoyed it when Fred did that. Slice them, dice them, make them sweat, but always with perfect manners.
    I restrained myself until we were out of the cool, hushed building and back in the hot, noisy parking lot.
    “He knows something!” I said as Fred emerged from the revolving door behind me.
    He lifted an eyebrow. “He knows lots of things or he wouldn’t be licensed to perform surgery.”
    I punched his arm. “Stop that! You know what I mean!”
    He smiled and opened the car door for me.
    To my amazement, Fred’s perfect vehicle had the audacity to be hot and steamy.
    “He knows about the Flemings and he knows about Carolyn,” I said as soon as Fred got in. “He could be the one who killed her.”
    He started the engine and turned on the air. “We definitely made him nervous, and it had nothing to do with mold. I’ll dig deeper and see what I can find.”
    “And I’ll have lunch with my mom.”
    Fred backed out of his parking space and looked at me. “Okay. Did I miss the change of subject?”
    “My mom and her friends are well acquainted with cosmetic surgeons. I’ll see if she knows anything about this guy —where he lives, how he treats his wife and kids. Maybe she’s even used him.” That was a creepy thought. Maybe my mother had kissed my cheek with lips sculpted by a murderer.
    Fred put the car into gear and pulled slowly out of the lot, merging into traffic. “Quite a sacrifice for you to make. What if she doesn’t know anything?”
    I shrugged. “I’ll have an expensive lunch she’ll pay for and for a few days she’ll quit nagging me to come to see her. It’s pretty much a win-win situation.”
    *~*~*
    I got home in time to call my mother and set up a lunch for Sunday, shower again, change into cutoffs, and make a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies before Trent arrived with a pizza. I’m not all that fast, but he was late. I’m not complaining since I’m usually the one who runs late, so it works out well if we both are.
    Henry greeted Trent by winding around one of his legs then disappearing out the open door behind him. He had things to do and mice to meet.
    I gave Trent a kiss and took the pizza box. “I made cookies.”
    “I can smell them.”
    We went into the kitchen and I got two cold Cokes while Trent took down the paper plates.
    Usually Trent