Town in a Blueberrry Jam by B. B. Haywood Read Free Book Online Page A

enough. I’m having him over to the shop on Monday to put up some shelves.”
    “Oh, Ray’s great,” Candy agreed as she watched the truck drive away. Then she turned and took the baker by the arm, steering him toward the house. “So, tell me, what have you got in the box?”
    “Oh, well, as I said, it’s quite special. It’s a German pastry called a linzerschnitten .”
    Inside the kitchen, he dramatically opened the box and let her smell the aroma first, then with a flair lifted out a plate that held the layered torte pastry.
    “It looks delicious,” Candy said. “What’s in it?”
    “Three thin layers of spicy dough made with ground almonds, hazelnuts, cinnamon, and lemon zest. There’s a delightful buttercream between each layer. And on top, a layer of almond paste, followed by a layer of fresh blueberries, topped with a crosshatch of dough, all delicately baked to a crispy brown. In Germany, raspberries, apricots, or cranberries are usually used for the fruit topping, but of course blueberries are a must here.”
    “Of course.” Candy nudged the still-warm, golden brown crosshatching with her pinky. “Herr Georg, no one makes pastries as flaky as yours.”
    He grinned at the compliment, showing off the gap between his two front teeth. “Would you like a bite?”
    “More than one, I hope. I’ll put on the tea.”
    Herr Georg’s linzerschnitten was like nothing Candy had ever tasted before, but she’d come to expect only the best from him. They ate two small pieces each, washing them down with cinnamon-orange tea. Herr Georg left the rest for Doc and Candy to enjoy as dessert that evening.
    The baker carefully surveyed Candy’s preparations for the festival, pronouncing her pies and scones among the best looking he had ever seen. Then, late in the warm afternoon, she walked him out to his car.
    “I’ve made several batches of inzerschnitten for sale at the festival tomorrow,” he said as he climbed into the driver’s seat.
    “Guess I’d better bring along my checkbook then.”
    “Ah, Candy, meine liebchen , your money is no good with me. You know that.” He winked at her as he started the car. “I’ll save one for you.”
    After he drove off, Candy walked back into the kitchen and began to pack up the baked goods and gifts for the festival in the morning.
    Doc called just before dinnertime. “Sorry I’m late, pumpkin, but I got sidetracked. I stopped in at the diner to check the news about Jock, and it looks like something’s up. Rumor is they’ve found some incriminating evidence at the scene, but we don’t know what yet. Finn’s checking it out now, so I thought I’d hang around in case he needs any backup. I probably won’t be home for dinner. You want to join me here?”
    She was tempted but, in the end, decided she still had too much to do. “What about the festival and the booth? We still have to load up the truck.”
    “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it when I get back. We’ll do Chinese another night, okay?”
    Candy couldn’t help feeling disappointed as she hung up. “Another Friday night alone,” she muttered to herself as she dropped into a chair, surrounded by silence.
    On an impulse she called Maggie, just to find someone to talk to, but all she got was an answering machine.
    She hung up without leaving a message.
    In a moment of weakness she thought of calling Ray but quickly decided that was crazy.
    “Well, guess it’s time to get back to work,” she said as she rose. And then she spotted Herr Georg’s linzerschnitten sitting on the counter where he had left it.
    She finished off the whole thing right then and there, washed down with half a bottle of white wine.
    Doc would just have to find his own damned dessert.

SIX

    By seven thirty the following morning Candy and Doc had set up their booth on Cape Willington’s Main Street, which was blocked off to traffic for the festival. They had a prime spot—at the northeast end of the street in front of