Death by Chocolate

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

All things considered, I was feeling surprisingly good by the time I got to work the next day. I didn't even mind waking up so early. I was just happy to be waking up at all.

We'd finished with the breakfast crowd and I was trying to decide which chocolate fantasy to feature that day when Fred called.

"Is Paula there?"

"No, she just left to take Zach to day care. What's up?"

"I finally got some information on Paula's father-in-law." He sounded disgusted, and I couldn't wait to hear what the dirt would be. "I should have uncovered it long ago, but I did it the hard way. I can't even tell you how many databases I've hacked into, and all this time it was a matter of public record, available to anybody. I can't believe I was so dumb about this."

"Fred! Just tell me what you found! You can beat up on yourself later. In fact, I may come over there and do it right now if you don't tell me what you know about Lester Bennett."

"He's dead."

"Dead? Damn! Somebody got to him before me, huh? I hope they tortured him first."

"Not exactly. He died in Dallas six months ago from complications of a stroke."

"Six months ago?" I repeated incredulously. "No, wait a minute. If Lester Bennett's been dead for six months, who the hell is Lester Mackey?"

"There's no way to be certain, but, considering all the available data, it's possible Lester Mackey is really David Bennett."

My head was spinning almost as wildly as it had last night after I ate all the poisoned pudding cake. "David Bennett cannot be Lester Mackey," I said, slowly and precisely. "David Bennett is dead. Paula killed him."

"Unfortunately, she didn't. After I wasted hours getting to Lester's death certificate, I checked David's and didn't find it. Then I checked the newspaper stories. All public information. All right out there in the open for anybody to find. I can't believe I missed it."

"Fred! Stop obsessing! What was in the newspaper stories?"

"I have the first story right here. Dallas police officer, David Bennett, was shot Thursday night by his estranged wife, Paula Bennett, at Mrs. Bennett's place of residence in Ft. Worth. Mrs. Bennett called 911 and confessed to the crime then disappeared with the couple's infant son. Officer Bennett is in stable condition at Harris Methodist Hospital. A warrant has been issued for Mrs. Bennett's arrest for attempted murder. According to Officer Bennett, his wife's recurring mental problems were exacerbated by her recent pregnancy. Mrs. Bennett requested Thursday morning that her husband come to her place of residence to discuss a reconciliation. However, when he arrived, she became hysterical and threatened to kill herself and the child. Officer Bennett tried to calm her, but she took a gun from her purse and shot him. Bennett is concerned for his child's safety."

"That's outrageous! How could they believe that bastard?"

"It sounds plausible. If I didn't know Paula as well as I do, I'd believe it."

The pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "But anybody who knows Paula wouldn't believe it. That explains why he's been trying to prove she's an unfit mother and even a murderer. He can't afford for people to hear her side, not with all those scars he gave her. They'd make a good case for self-defense."

"It certainly wouldn't help his reputation. So to completely discredit her, even make it look like she could have killed somebody, he invented Lester Mackey. Hard to prove the man's not dead when he wasn't alive in the first place."