Sticky Sweet

by Connie Shelton

  “No, these are for you,” Sam told him.

  She didn’t admit that there had been enough boo-boos along the way for the staff to have already tasted all they wanted. For his money, Stan Bookman would get only the best of the best, the absolutely perfect pieces. She had already decided that the less-than-perfect ones would be donated to local women’s and children’s shelters where those poor, abused souls would never otherwise have access to such fine chocolate or the magical, positive, mood-altering effects of these particular ones.

  The thought reminded her of the special powders she would now need in greater quantity. And the box. A quiver of worry went through her, but she tamped it down. This was not the time.

  * * *

  Sam raised her head from her desk, looked around and saw the sun was low in the sky already. Once she’d seen to the packing of the gift boxes and sent the Bookmans on their way, she and the crew had pitched in to give the kitchen a thorough cleanup, followed by the rare treat of lunch catered by Orlando’s Kitchen. She’d let them all go home early before she walked through her place, admiring the work they’d done, looking forward to the challenges as they all continued to stretch their muscles for inventiveness and creativity.

  When weariness overtook her, she settled into her chair and decided to rest her head on the desk for a minute. Obviously, that minute had turned into more than an hour and she woke with a catch in her lower back. She stood slowly and stretched out the kinked muscles. It was time to head home.

  She moved through the Victorian building, turning off lights, pulling curtains, leaving only the nighttime lighting on. The quiet old house comforted her, reminded her of when she’d found this place and the work she had put into cleaning and making it ready as a business location. Some months remained on the lease, and now that Bookman’s business seemed assured to grow, she would most certainly renew it. Or consider purchasing the old house. She admired its classic lines, the original woodwork on the banisters and stairs. It would be a good purchase.

  The appliances gleamed in the kitchen; it had been worth devoting the time today to cleaning and making sure everything was in shape for the work to come. As she reached for the light switch, something caught her eye. On the countertop, in a far corner near the storeroom, stood three cloth sacks, about twelve inches tall, which had not been there earlier.

  Sam walked toward them, reaching out. The material was rough, almost like homespun fabric from an earlier time or place. Each sack appeared full of something, with the top gathered and tied with a strip of the same fabric. She lifted one and found it lightweight for its size. Her heart began to race and she tugged at the tie on one bag.

  Inside, the rough bag was lined with a fine material. She knew this cloth—it was the same as that which held the magical powders she had so recently wished for. She dipped her fingers and they came out coated with flakes of iridescent blue. Her wish had come true.

  Bobul!

  She would need to store the powders where she alone controlled their use. Too much in a recipe or spilling a bag would spell catastrophe. She knew what to do.

  She thought of the safe upstairs in her office, but a little inner voice said it would be prudent not to put all the valuable powders in one place. She gathered the bags in her arms and headed toward the basement, where a small cupboard near the bottom of the steps could be locked to safeguard these precious ingredients. She unlocked the basement door, descended the stairs. Below the cupboard, a narrow shelf held the bags while Sam retrieved the key from its hidden spot across the room. She unlocked the cupboard and began to place the bags, but one of them hit another object. When she reached inside to move it, her fingers encountered a familiar shape.

  The carved box.

  She felt her head swim. No way. She knew for a certainty she had not locked it away in this place.

  Isobel St. Clair had warned of danger—perhaps Bobul was now looking out for the box, and for Sam.

  As in the past, her mentor had somehow known, somehow sensed her needs. She climbed the steps and looked around the kitchen, into the storeroom, but there was no sign of him. She searched the backdoor entry, the portico, the parking area where her truck sat—no evidence of the quirky Romanian there either.

  He had come—and gone—while she napped, and she felt a profound sadness that she’d not even had the chance to see him briefly, to thank him for being her benefactor. She stood beside her truck clutching the box, stared into the deepening dusk, and raised her voice.

  “Thank you—thank you for this!”

  No sound came back and she knew he was gone.

  The frosty air began to chill her. She gathered her coat, locked the door, and got into her truck. It was time to go home.

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  Thank you for taking the time to read Sticky Sweet. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and is much appreciated.

  Thank you,

  Connie Shelton

  * * *

  Author’s Note

  As always, I have a huge amount of gratitude for everyone who helped shape this book into its final version. Dan Shelton, my husband and helpmate for twenty-eight years, is always there for me. And thank you Stephanie, my lovely daughter and business partner, for giving my business and writing career a burst of fresh new energy this year!

  Editors Susan Slater and Shirley Shaw spot the plot and character flaws and help smooth the rough bits in the prose. And topping off the effort are my beta readers, who drop everything in their own lives to read and find the typos that inevitably sneak past me. Thank you for your help with this book: Christine Johnson, Debbie Wilson, Judi Shaw and Susan Gross. You guys are the best!

  Visit my Pinterest board called Chocolate Heaven to see photos of the elegant chocolates that inspired me for Sam’s creations in this story.

  * * *

  Books by Connie Shelton

  The Charlie Parker Series

  Deadly Gamble

  Vacations Can Be Murder

  Partnerships Can Be Murder

  Small Towns Can Be Murder

  Memories Can Be Murder

  Honeymoons Can Be Murder

  Reunions Can Be Murder

  Competition Can Be Murder

  Balloons Can Be Murder

  Obsessions Can Be Murder

  Gossip Can Be Murder

  Stardom Can Be Murder

  Phantoms Can Be Murder

  Buried Secrets Can Be Murder

  Legends Can Be Murder

  Weddings Can Be Murder

  Alibis Can Be Murder

  Holidays Can Be Murder - a Christmas novella

  The Samantha Sweet Series

  Sweet Masterpiece

  Sweet’s Sweets

  Sweet Holidays

  Sweet Hearts

  Bitter Sweet

  Sweets Galore

  Sweets, Begorra

  Sweet Payback

  Sweet Somethings

  Sweets Forgotten

  Spooky Sweet

  Sticky Sweet

  The Woodcarver’s Secret

  Spellbound Sweets – a Halloween novella

  The Heist Ladies Series

  Diamonds Aren’t Forever

  The Trophy Wife Exchange

  Children’s Books

  Daisy and Maisie and the Great Lizard Hunt

  Daisy and Maisie and the Lost Kitten

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  Contact by email: connie@connieshelton.com

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  Sticky Sweet

  Published by Secret Staircase Books, an imprint of

  Columbine
Publishing Group, LLC

  PO Box 416, Angel Fire, NM 87710

  Copyright © 2018 Connie Shelton

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information contained in this book we assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency herein. Any slights of people, places or organizations are unintentional.

  Book layout and design by Secret Staircase Books

  Cover images © Beata Kraus and Irina Onufrieva

  First trade paperback edition: June, 2018

  First e-book edition: June, 2018

  * * *

  Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Shelton, Connie

  Sticky Sweet / by Connie Shelton.

  p. cm.

  ISBN 978-1945422478 (paperback)

  ISBN 978-1945422485 (e-book)

  1. Samantha Sweet (Fictitious character)--Fiction. 2. Taos, New Mexico—Fiction. 3. Paranormal artifacts—Fiction. 4. Bakery—Fiction. 5. Women sleuths—Fiction. 6. Chocolate making—Fiction. I. Title

  Samantha Sweet Mystery Series : Book 12.

  Shelton, Connie, Samantha Sweet mysteries.

  BISAC : FICTION / Mystery & Detective.

  813/.54