Town in a Maple Madness

by B. B. Haywood

  Praise for the Candy Holliday Murder Mysteries

  “[A] winning combination of good food and endearing characters.”

  —Sheila Connolly, New York Times bestselling author

  “Haywood has again created a cliff-hanger that will have readers hanging on while waiting for the next installment.”

  —Richmond Times-Dispatch

  “Haywood’s prose is artful and fun, her narrative style is engaging, and the two central mysteries . . . are clever, complex, and connect quite seamlessly. The story is perfectly paced, with twists, clues, confrontations, and red herrings dropped in all the right places, and Haywood manages to keep the reader guessing until the very end.”

  —The Maine Suspect

  “An interesting cast of characters in a quaint Maine town. It’s not Cabot Cove, and thank God for that. Candy Holliday is an intriguing new sleuth in the lighthearted mystery genre.”

  —Bangor (ME) Daily News

  “Good pacing, clever plotting, and a surprise ending will leave readers thoroughly satisfied.”

  —RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

  “Enjoy Maine with less cold and far fewer black flies and a dash of intrigue and danger.”

  —Gumshoe Review

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by B. B. Haywood

  TOWN IN A BLUEBERRY JAM

  TOWN IN A LOBSTER STEW

  TOWN IN A WILD MOOSE CHASE

  TOWN IN A PUMPKIN BASH

  TOWN IN A STRAWBERRY SWIRL

  TOWN IN A SWEET PICKLE

  TOWN IN A CINNAMON TOAST

  TOWN IN A MAPLE MADNESS

  BERKLEY PRIME CRIME

  Published by Berkley

  An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

  Copyright © 2017 by Robert R. Feeman and Beth Ann Feeman

  Excerpt from Town in a Strawberry Swirl by B. B. Haywood copyright © 2014 by Robert R. Feeman and Beth Ann Feeman

  Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages

  diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not

  reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission.

  You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to

  publish books for every reader.

  BERKLEY is a registered trademark and BERKLEY PRIME CRIME and the B colophon are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Ebook ISBN: 9780698184367

  First Edition: February 2017

  Cover art by Teresa Fasolino

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book have been created for the ingredients and techniques indicated. The Publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require supervision. Nor is the Publisher responsible for any adverse reactions you may have to the recipes contained in the book, whether you follow them as written or modify them to suit your personal dietary needs or tastes.

  Version_1

  For James and Matthew,

  and for Rick

  Contents

  Praise for the Candy Holliday Murder Mysteries

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by B. B. Haywood

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Author’s Note

  Prologue

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  TWENTY-FOUR

  TWENTY-FIVE

  TWENTY-SIX

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  TWENTY-NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY-ONE

  THIRTY-TWO

  THIRTY-THREE

  THIRTY-FOUR

  THIRTY-FIVE

  THIRTY-SIX

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  THIRTY-NINE

  FORTY

  FORTY-ONE

  FORTY-TWO

  FORTY-THREE

  FORTY-FOUR

  FORTY-FIVE

  FORTY-SIX

  FORTY-SEVEN

  FORTY-EIGHT

  FORTY-NINE

  FIFTY

  FIFTY-ONE

  FIFTY-TWO

  FIFTY-THREE

  EPILOGUE

  Recipes

  Excerpt from Town In A Strawberry Swirl

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  It has been an incredible twelve-year journey writing the Candy Holliday Murder Mystery novels. Thanks to all who helped along the way, and with this edition in particular, especially Leis, Jenn, Allison, and Lily at Penguin, all editors extraordinaire; Danielle, Bethany, Katherine, Roxanne, and everyone in the editorial, PR, marketing, design, and production departments at Berkley Prime Crime; the immensely talented Teresa Fasolino for the incredible cover artwork for all the books in the series, and this one in particular, which perfectly captures the essence of the novel; the indispensable Mary A. Cook, whose proofreading skills, eagle eye, story suggestions, musical tastes (thanks to her husband, Joel), and deep knowledge of mystery novels have helped make these better books; Kae and Jon for their help from the start; George and Ruby; Barbara Boltz, the other B. B.; Todd Merrill at Merrill Blueberry Farms in Ellsworth, Maine, for answering numerous questions early on; officers at the Cape Elizabeth (Maine) Police Department, for a tour of a small-town police station; Sheila Connolly for her supportive words; Ellie and Lenora for their continued friendship; Brian Drost for a key character; and R. R. for listening to lengthy ramblings and story ideas. As always, warm wishes for Mat, James, and Noah. And, finally, many, many thanks to the fans, readers, and bloggers who have supported the series from the beginning.

  PROLOGUE

  He turned his back at the wrong time.

  It was the last mistake he would ever make.

  His vision flared white-hot as fire exploded in the small of his back and up through his insides. It spread along his arms, his fingers, and the backs of his legs like lightning. His arms stretched out and his entire torso arched forward as if hit by an electric shock, for that is how it felt to him. He shuddered as his breath left him in a grunt. His eyes bugged out, red fireworklike streaks slashing across his vision.

  He stumbled forward a step or two, gasping for air, and fell to his knees. Pain shot through his kneecaps and up his thighs as his teeth clattered together. Red-tinged spittle flew from his mouth into the moist riverside air, and he thought he might have bitten his tongue, or suffered a heart attack.

  Or perhaps it was something worse. Much worse.

  He tried to reach aro
und with one hand to find out what had happened behind him, but he couldn’t get his arm to move in that direction, for some reason.

  He knew what it was, though—or rather, guessed what it was, since he couldn’t turn his head to look back over his shoulder to tell for certain. He’d known of the blade—he’d seen it, even coveted it himself, as others had, since it had a unique history. But he never suspected it would wind up in his back. There were signals all around, but in his arrogance he’d ignored them. He thought he had the upper hand. He thought he had the situation well under control. He thought they’d agreed on the whole thing. He never expected any type of retaliation.

  My bad, he thought.

  It didn’t seem real. He’d come up with the plan, put it into action. But the situation had spun out of his control. He’d miscalculated, with lethal consequences. The realization sent a shock wave of panic through him.

  He felt a hard push in the center of his back, as if someone had put a foot there and shoved. He was slung forward onto his stomach, his face dropping to the ground. He hit it with such force that he lost consciousness for a few seconds, or maybe longer, for when he woke he found that his hands and feet were tightly bound together. There was a gag in his mouth. He had a hard time breathing and could barely open his eyes.

  Everything after that happened in a haze. He could feel himself being rolled into the net, felt it being wrapped tightly around him. Then he was rolled toward the water. He could hear it lapping against the damp bank. It was downhill, so it was easy to push him in that direction. Pinpoints of light—possibly stars in the sky, possibly reflections on the water, possibly something else—rotated in circles across his corneas. He knew what was happening, and struggled against the net, tried to move his arms and legs. But he was too tightly bound. Escape was impossible.

  He entered the water and was set adrift. The river engulfed him, swallowed him whole, pulling him down and into its deep flow. It was so cold it shocked him all over again, making his body stiffen and numbing his brain and muscles and the pain that still coursed through him. As the water folded over him, he squeezed his eyes shut, making gold- and lavender-colored sparkles swirl across the insides of his eyelids. He felt the water rise up his nose and burrow deep into his ears. He dared not take in a breath.

  He was facing downward and tried to roll himself around so he could get his mouth and nose above the surface of the water, but the power of the river’s grasp was too much for him. It mercilessly dragged him along, and he had little strength left to fight against it, for his lifeblood was flowing out of him, weakening him.

  Good thing there aren’t any sharks around, he thought, or I’d be a goner.

  But he knew he was a goner anyway, though he struggled as much as he could right up until the final seconds. Death came violently at first, his body jerking a few times, but right before the darkness took him, there was a moment of peace. A wonderful, blissful moment of peace.

  He knew the whole story. He knew it would not end here.

  There was still much to be told. The true ending was yet to be written.

  But, to his regret and dismay, he knew his part in the story was done. It ended here, deep in the dark, cold waters of the English River, flowing down toward the sea, drifting in a direction that would eventually take him right past the small coastal village of Cape Willington, Maine.

  From the Cape Crier

  Cape Willington, Maine

  March 24th Edition

  CANDY’S COMMUNITY CORNER

  by Candy Holliday

  Special Correspondent

  GET READY FOR MARCH MADNESS

  So much to talk about, so much going on, and so little space, so I’ll be quick!

  This year promises to be one of the busiest ever for our little coastal village of Cape Willington. In addition to all of the regular annual community events for which our town is so widely known—including the Lobster Stew Cook-off in May, the Strawberry Fair in June, the Blueberry Festival in July, and the Pumpkin Bash in October—we’re adding a new early-spring event called Maple Madness Weekend! It takes place this coming Saturday and Sunday, March 25th and 26th, and it’s being held in conjunction with the annual Maine Maple Sunday statewide celebration, which has been going on for years.

  Highlights of the weekend will include tours of the town’s two sugar shacks—one out at Crawford’s Berry Farm, operated by Neil Crawford (with enthusiastic support from his shaggy dog, Random), and the other at the world-famous Sugar Hill Farm, run by Hutch and Ginny Milbright. They’ll have their sugar shacks fired up and boiling sap all weekend, so be sure to bring the entire family and stop by for an up-close demonstration of how sugar maple sap becomes maple syrup. You also can pick up bottles of freshly made maple syrup out at the Crawford farm, so be sure to stop in. (I’ll be there, so come by the table and say hi!)

  But that’s just the beginning of the weekend’s festivities. For the first time ever, the town will play host to a trendy “pop-up” temporary restaurant—in this case, fittingly, a family-friendly pancake house, located in the brand spanking new English River Community Center, down at River Walk Plaza (formerly known as Warehouse Row, of course). As you’ve no doubt heard, that area of town is currently undergoing a renovation, thanks in part to a grant from the Pruitt Family Foundation, which is funding the town’s new River Walk project (more on that in the next issue).

  The Maple Madness Weekend will also include a Maple Marshmallow Roast and Community Bonfire on Saturday night in Town Park, with plenty of food booths, activities, and live music, and a Maple Scavenger Hunt on Sunday afternoon. Plus, you can enjoy specially prepared maple dishes and foods all weekend at the village’s many fine and casual dining establishments (see below). We’re expecting a big crowd for this one, and the whole town is pitching in to help out. No tickets are required; just dress warmly and have fun!

  OUT LIKE A LAMB?

  We all know how unpredictable March weather can be here in Down East Maine. It certainly came in like a lion, with plenty of bluster, but I think (hope?) that we’re in the lion cub part of March now. (Winter has to end sometime—am I right, people?) At least it’s warmer during the day, which is good for humans and good for the maple trees, as it gets the sap (and the blood) flowing. We hear it’s been a pretty good year so far for our local maple syrup producers, so let’s continue to support them. And keep your fingers crossed for good weather this weekend!

  HERE’S MUD IN YOUR TIRES

  I’m sure I don’t have to remind you, but it’s M-U-D season here on the cape. So watch out when you’re driving on those long dirt driveways, lanes, and back roads, which can easily turn into rivers of muck at this time of year. The other day I was chatting with local landscaper Mick Rilke, and he reminded me of the three most important things you need to keep in mind to successfully navigate the cape’s muddy roads at this time of year. Mick should know, so here they are:

  1. In snow, drive slow; in mud, drive as fast as you can.

  2. Stay in the ruts when possible—unless you’re going sideways, in which case . . .

  3. Hitch up the horses.

  Thanks for the pointers, Mick! But seriously, folks, be careful out there. Early spring can easily fool you, as all true Mainers know, so don’t be its latest victim!

  A FABULOUS WEEKEND FOR FOODIES

  Okay, back to the food. Restaurants all around town will be cooking up special dishes for this weekend’s celebration. Here’s a tasty sampling. (Warning: Extreme hunger may occur while reading!)

  For starters, our good friends at the Black Forest Bakery, Herr Georg and “Frau” Maggie Wolfsburger, will be whipping up some supremely scrumptious Chocolate Maple Brownies. I’ve sampled them, and they’re heavenly. You have to stop by and try a few!

  Dolores Kilborne at Duffy’s Main Street Diner tells me they’ll be going all out with Maple Glazed Sausages. Made from their own secret recipe, t
he sausages will be hand grilled on maple sticks over a roasting flame. You know there will be a long line around the block for those! That’ll give the guys at the public works department something to talk about!

  Over at the Rusty Moose Tavern, they’ll be serving up Maple Burgers all weekend, accompanied by a side of Maple Glazed Onion Rings. Of course, there’s always good company at the tavern (and plenty of salty stories) to enjoy with your burger, rings, and beer.

  Melody’s Cafe will serve up freshly baked Maple Banana Bread and Maple Drop Cookies, made with generous amounts of maple syrup. Melody has outdone herself once again! And Phil, the manager over at Village Pizza, tells me he’s putting together a special Maple and Bacon Flatbread Pizza. Maple syrup and bacon together on a pizza? Absolutely brilliant!

  While it’s too early in the season to open up the Ice Cream Shack, Lyra Graveton informs me that she’ll be manning (or womanning?) a booth at the marshmallow roast, where she’ll serve up scoops of Maple S’more Ice Cream. For the record, that’s maple ice cream with marshmallow and chocolate swirls in a graham cracker cone. Did I mention brilliant? Yum!

  On a tonier note, the Lightkeeper’s Inn will be pulling out all the stops this weekend with a full Maple Feast, complete with Maple Glazed Ham coated with maple-roasted nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup. It will be served with Maple Mashed Potatoes, Maple Glazed Carrots, and Maple Biscuits. That’s truly a maple feast!

  Also, at the marshmallow roast and throughout the weekend, vendors in Town Park and along Ocean Avenue will be selling maple cinnamon buns, maple granola bars, maple-glazed doughnuts, and much more.

  In addition, the Pruitt Public Library will host a special showing of maple-themed paintings by local artists all week. And at a Saturday morning workshop held at the Lightkeeper’s Inn, Chef Colin Trevor Jones will show you how to make your own maple cream candies! So plan for a very sweet (and very sticky!) weekend of noshing!