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  Pineapple and Poison

  Sticky Sweet Cozy Mysteries, Book 1

  Allyssa Mirry

  Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Copyright 2019 Summer Prescott Books

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying, or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

  **This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

  Contents

  1. A Good Sign

  2. Candy and Competition

  3. Samples and a Storm

  4. A Soaking Wet Surprise

  5. The Detectives

  6. Company and Commiserating

  7. The News

  8. The Competition’s Claims

  9. Crabby Craig’s

  10. The Lifeguard

  11. Pulling at Answers

  12. Suspicions at the Shop

  13. The Other Realtor

  14. Another Interrogation

  15. Home, Sweets, Home

  16. Realizations and Danger

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  1

  A Good Sign

  “I don’t know if I can do this,” Lydia Doherty said quietly.

  “Of course you can,” her best friend, Trina, teased. “Just flick the light switch.”

  Lydia let out a small chuckle in response. She hadn’t really been talking about turning on the new neon light sign that would shine in the window of her soon-to-open salt water taffy shop. She had been thinking about the venture in its entirety.

  The truth was that she had always wanted to run a taffy shop by the shore. Salt water taffy had been her favorite candy since she was a kid building sandcastles by the ocean. Then, as she grew, she began to enjoy creating the candies from scratch. Owning this shop really would be a dream come true. However, now that it was close to actually happening, Lydia was becoming more nervous than excited.

  “We’ll have to exchange your sandals for snow boots if you’re going to get cold feet,” Trina joked.

  “No. I want this, and I’m ready for this,” Lydia said, letting the words convince herself as much as her friend. “I have enough time to make sure everything is ready before the summer crowds arrive. I learned about the location and its trends from the previous owner. And, I’ve already hired my employees who will come in and learn how to make terrific taffy.”

  “You also have a great sign in place, but you’re still hesitating to turn it on. Liddy, what’s wrong?”

  Trina tilted her head and stared at her friend. Her wavy hair cascaded down her back with the movement, making her look like a model in a shampoo ad. Trina’s reddish hair always looked perfect, which was probably because she was a stylist at the local hair salon. It was a stark contrast to Lydia’s dark hair that was usually pulled back in a messy bun to keep it out of the way of sticky candy.

  Lydia stopped focusing on hair and tried to focus on an answer to the question.

  “I really am thrilled that this is happening. It’s something I’ve always dreamed about. But, now…” She sighed softly. “Well, I’m afraid if I fail, it won’t just be a disappointment for me. I feel like I’ll be letting them down too.”

  Lydia knew that Trina would understand who she was referring to. Lydia was talking about her aunt and uncle. Aunt Edie and Uncle Edgar had raised Lydia and her brother, Leo, after their parents had died in a car accident when they were children. Lydia always thought that her parents couldn’t have picked better guardians to care for them in their stead. Edie and Edgar were compassionate and kind. They were also smart and silly, and Lydia had always felt safe when they were around.

  They had raised the children in Ocean Point, which was a charming little beach town on the Jersey Shore. It could get a little crowded during the summer months because the boardwalk enticed tourists to visit, and when snow began to fall on the sand, there were times when it could feel like a ghost town. However, it always truly felt like home to Lydia.

  She had gone to a local college so she could stay near the people and shore she loved (and so she wouldn’t have to go to a state where she’d have to pump her own gas!) as she tried to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Not finding a proper answer for what her career goals should be, she worked in different candy shops and enjoyed the delicious job perks. Then she had moved to a North Jersey town that felt like a suburb of New York City when she thought she met “the one” and had gotten an engagement ring from him.

  She returned to Ocean Point when Uncle Edgar had gotten sick the previous year. She helped care for him as his illness progressed and kept a worried Aunt Edie company in the family home she had grown up in. Her older brother would also help out, but rising through the ranks of the Ocean Point Police Department took up much of his time as well.

  Lydia never regretted coming home once. She treasured the moments spent with her family and the extra time she had with her Uncle Edgar before he passed.

  The experience had also shown her that she had been wrong about “the one.” She found that her fiancé was uncooperative when her family was facing tragedy, and she began to realize how selfish he really was. He had been very charming when most of their focus as a couple had been on his career. However, when she needed some support, he was hesitant to give it. He never offered to go with her when she said that she needed to visit her aunt and uncle, and had even tried to convince her to stay with him because he wanted her to create some fancy desserts to impress his colleagues at parties.

  He had even said, “Why do you even need to go? It’s not like they’re your parents.”

  It can often be hard to pinpoint the exact moment when a relationship dies, but this wasn’t the case for Lydia. As soon as he said that, she knew that he wasn’t who she thought he was. She packed up her bags and sped down the Garden State Parkway to get home. She hurried to see the man who had been a second father, a mentor, and a friend to her.

  Uncle Edgar had also proved to be a guardian angel. She never expected it, but her uncle had made sure that Lydia was left enough money in his will to open up her own taffy shop on the boardwalk. He said that he knew it was her dream and he wanted to make sure that she would be able to achieve it.

  Lydia had been sincerely touched by the gesture and that her uncle had been able to understand what her dream job was before she did. She had been running around making preparations to get the shop in order before the summer, but now that everything was almost in place, she was thinking about the implications of success or failure.

  “Are you crazy?” Trina asked. “That’s what you’re worried about?”

  “I guess it is.”

  “In the first place, you’re not going to fail. People love salt water taffy, especially the people who visit the beach in the summer. And, I’ve tasted the taffy you make. It’s incredible. Better than the stuff they made here last summer. And you have all these cute little knickknacks that people will buy too. Also, I’ll talk this place up at the salon, so you know word will spread. This shop and you are going to be beloved,” Trina said. She placed a comforting hand, with long lavender nails, on her friend’s shoulder. “And besides, what did Aunt Edie say?”

  Lydia reached into her purse and took out a postcard. The front had a picture of the canals of Venice with a gondola on the water. The back had a message from her Aunt Edie.

  Aunt Edie had recently become a world traveler. She had always wanted to explore but
had put this desire on hold because she had been so happy with her husband and niece and nephew at home. Before Uncle Edgar had passed, he had told his wife that he thought she should use what she would inherit from his life insurance to begin her travels and see the world. Aunt Edie had taken this suggestion to heart and seemed to be having a wonderful time on her adventure. She sent Lydia a postcard from every place she visited.

  Lydia had read the message when it first arrived the day before, but now she began to take the message to heart. She read it aloud to Trina.

  “Dearest Lydia, Venice is even more beautiful than I hoped! My wonderful marriage to your uncle and raising you kids was my first dream, but I do love following this second dream of mine too. Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams, dear! They might change, but they are always worth pursuing. And I’m sure your taffy shop will be a sweet one! I’m going to visit St. Mark’s Basilica this afternoon and then try the local cuisine. Ciao! XOXO, Edie.”

  “Does that make you feel better?” Trina asked.

  Lydia nodded. “Thank you for reminding me of this and thank you for being here to stop my nerves from getting the better of me. I’m sure you had other things you needed to do this morning.”

  Trina brushed away the thanks with a wave of her hand. “First and foremost, you’re my best friend, and I’ll always be there for you. The second reason is selfish. I’m excited to try your taffy. And finally, there’s not really that much to do at the salon right now. It’s mostly girls who turn their hair platinum blonde for the summer and then don’t listen to me when I say avoid swimming in chlorine pools. My only appointment today is to deal with someone’s newly green hair. But I can make her sweat a little bit for ignoring my advice.”

  Lydia smiled and then headed towards the light switch for the sign.

  “I think I’m ready to do it now.”

  “Go for it,” Trina agreed.

  “I’m not going to do any more second-guessing. If a problem comes up, I will deal with it. I’m going to make this taffy shop a success. There’s no looking back now.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Trina cheered as Lydia flicked the switch.

  The two friends walked outside the shop to admire the new glowing sign that proclaimed the shop was now called “Doherty’s Taffy and Trinkets.” The shop looked warm and inviting, and soon there would be sweet smells coming from behind the counter. The impending opening felt official now.

  Lydia hugged her friend. “It’s really happening.”

  “You’ll be great,” Trina assured her. “And look at the sign in the window. It looks so nice that I think that sign is a good sign. Like, a good omen. As well as being pretty.”

  Lydia was about to say that she agreed when she heard a distant rumble of thunder. She maintained her newfound optimism and excitement and refused to believe that this was another sign – of something ominous to come.

  2

  Candy and Competition

  Lydia’s determination to believe in her taffy shop dream translated into a good mood all afternoon, even after Trina left. The rain seemed like it was blowing out towards the sea instead of hitting the town, and Lydia was humming a happy tune when her staff arrived.

  She was starting the summer off with three employees that she had hired earlier in the week. Kelsey was a responsible high school student that had said she would be great interacting with customers because of her theatrical background in drama club. Lydia had actually babysat toddler Kelsey when she was a senior in high school. She tried not to think about how much time had passed since then and how old she must seem to the student now.

  Jeff was recommended to Lydia through Trina, or rather the gossip that had come up at Trina’s hair salon. Truthfully, Lydia had forgotten which brother of which friend of which customer Jeff had been suggested by. However, he was a strong young man who could help with deliveries. He was a surfer and loved to be out on the water. He would be able to give good advice to tourist customers about water activities to take part in after they enjoyed their sweet treats.

  Dianna was closer to Lydia’s age of early thirties. She had responded to the online ad that Lydia had placed and had a background in making candy. She would be most helpful in the kitchen and said that she was looking forward to her new shore town home.

  When they arrived, Lydia showed them around the shop. It was cute and colorful inside, which would hopefully attract customers in from the boardwalk. Most of the shop where patrons could wander was filled with novelty items for the beach. There were shovels and pails with her logo on it, postcards to purchase, and even snow globes filled with specks of sand.

  Then, there was the candy counter. It was here that customers could order the different taffy flavors. There was a glass partition so that guests could watch the taffy being pulled and most of the cooking process. Lydia remembered being fascinated by the candy making process when she was a kid and hoped that this would attract customers who wanted to observe as well as taste.

  “Was this glass wall always here?” Kelsey asked.

  “No,” Lydia said. “It was one of the changes I made when I bought the shop. I thought seeing the taffy be made would help attract business, and it might be fun for all of you as well.”

  Kelsey grinned. “We’ll have an audience.”

  “I think what’s going to be the most fun is tasting all the taffy,” said Jeff.

  “And you’ll all get an opportunity to do so after we make a batch,” Lydia said. “I wanted to begin training you on how to use the equipment. We’ll whip up some taffy as training, and then we’ll hand out some free samples to any passersby on the boardwalk today. When I spoke to the last owner, she said that they had six basic flavors available, and that pineapple was the most popular because of its tropical feel.”

  “Sounds good to me,” said Jeff.

  “So, pineapple salt water taffy is what we’ll make today,” Lydia continued. “We’ll make the taffy with pineapple extract, and we’ll make some that is yellow and some that is green. We’ll wrap the yellow inside the green and—“

  “That’s different from how the last lady used to do it,” Kelsey said. “Her taffy was only ever one color at a time. I think this is more exciting.”

  “Did you ever come to this shop when the last person ran it?” Jeff asked. “I remember the taffy being good last summer before she closed up to try and sell the building.”

  “I actually hadn’t been to this shop in a long while,” Lydia admitted. After her absence from Ocean Point for a few years, she hadn’t spent much time on the boardwalk when she was caring for Uncle Edgar. However, Lydia realized that she was the boss and she didn’t have to explain everything about her personal life if she didn’t want to.

  She led them behind the counter and said, “I plan on making a few changes, but we’ll keep the essence of the taffy that everyone loves.”

  “Fair enough,” Dianna said, speaking up. “If I were taking over a shop, I’d implement some of my own changes to the recipe as well.”

  Lydia nodded. She hadn’t thought that her changes were radical. In fact, she knew the flavor list the former owner had used, but she hadn’t looked at the old recipes at all. She had simply seen that pineapple had been the most popular flavor at the shop and had brought out own her own pineapple recipe that she’d developed when she was experimenting with taffy flavors.

  However, Lydia thought this would be a good moment to discuss her opinions on her creations. “Some taffy recipes only call for artificial flavors to be added to a base, but I like to use a mix of artificial and natural flavors. I think it adds a richness to the sweetness. I also like to use different colors in the designs, so they are more eye-catching. But don’t worry, the vanilla taffy will still be all white, and the grape will still be purple. However, I think for the pineapple taffy both green and yellow will just add to its popularity. We’ll keep the six amazing flavors that they’ve always had here.”

  Then, Lydia led them all behind the counter. She sh
owed them the vat that would be used to mix the candy ingredients together at high temperatures. Then, she showed them the cooling table where the taffy would be brought down to a more manageable heat. Then, she showed the taffy pulling machine where the candy would be moved around by metal hands so it would become more aerated and would form the proper texture.

  Lydia explained that for smaller or special batches they could pull the taffy by hand, but for the large batches that they would need for the summer crowds, the machine would be necessary.

  There was also a machine that could wrap the taffy into non-stick wrappers when they were busy. However, the wrappers with the “Doherty’s Taffy and Trinkets” logo printed on them hadn’t arrived yet, so they would have to use generic ones today and the specialty ones tomorrow.