Rock Candy and Robberies Read online

  Rock Candy and Robberies

  Candy Covered Cozy Mysteries, Book 3

  Patti Benning

  Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Copyright 2020 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

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  Also by Patti Benning

  Author’s Note

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Chapter 1

  It felt odd to be packing her bags when she was only going to be about fifteen minutes away from her home, but Candice knew that those fifteen minutes could feel like an hour when she was late to work and realized that she had forgotten something essential like clean socks, a phone charger, or shoes that weren't snow boots.

  She was surprised by how much she was looking forward to spending two weeks house sitting for her parents. It would feel like a mini vacation, even if it wasn't, not really. She'd still be working, of course, and in fact there would be more work to do, since she would be taking care of her mother’s dogs, Keeva and Maverick, along with her usual responsibilities.

  Felix, her calico cat, would be going with her, and Eli, her husband, was looking forward to tagging along as well, though he wouldn't be joining her until later that evening. She felt a thrill of excitement as her thoughts drifted toward him. He was currently attending a meeting with a loan officer, and would soon have an answer as to whether the small business loan he was hoping to get had been approved.

  It would change a lot for them if he got it. No, she corrected herself. Not if. When. He was going to start his own business, making cookies and ice cream treats for dogs. He would be able to sell his products through several local businesses, including his ice cream shop, her mother's deli, and her own candy store. It would happen, the only question was how long it would take for them to get everything in place.

  Since he had three businesses in his family circle alone to work with, she knew he would be getting off to an easier start than what most small businesses faced. He enjoyed cooking, and he had always wanted to branch out on his own a bit, and not just rely on the ice cream shop he had inherited from his grandfather. An additional plus was that with his career choice, he wouldn’t have to suffer through the limitations his body had from his old injuries. She knew it was something he found shameful, no matter how many times she told him she was just glad he was alive and couldn’t care less if he couldn’t hike or run as far as he used to be able to.

  “You ready to go, Felix?” she asked. The cat, who had been unhappily stuffed inside a pet carrier ten minutes ago, meowed at her. He wasn’t fond of travel, though he would settle in once they got to her parents’ house and the carrier had been hidden away.

  She murmured reassuring words to him as she carried his carrier out to the car. The snow between where their front porch used to be and where they parked was trampled down to a dangerously slick path, and she made a mental note to salt it again before she left.

  She settled Felix’s crate onto the front seat and buckled it in, then turned back to the house, wincing when she saw the ugly, torn up area where their porch had been before the fire a few weeks ago. Deemed structurally unstable, it had been torn down and replaced by a hastily assembled set of steps. The porch would be rebuilt, but not until the weather improved. No matter how many times she saw the ugly scar on her house, she would never get used to it.

  It took her another trip to carry her suitcase and purse out to the car, then another to salt the path so it wouldn’t be slippery when Eli got home. At last, she locked the front door and got into her car, only to have to run back in again when she realized she had forgotten her phone.

  She was still feeling harried by the time she pulled into her parents’ driveway, and took a couple of calming breaths before shutting her car off. She had parked next to her mother’s metallic green SUV, which was running. There were suitcases stacked in the back, and as she was getting out of her own vehicle, she saw David come out of the house, his arms laden with more bags.

  “Hey,” she called out, waving to him. He nodded at her, then thanked her when she hurried forward to grab a few of the bags from him.

  “Are you bringing all of this?” she asked, packing the bags she had taken into the SUV.

  He chuckled. “No, thank goodness. Your mother found a bunch of old clothes while she was going through her summer stuff for the cruise, and decided to donate what we don’t need to a charity. We’re going to drop them off on our way to the airport. Thank goodness Karissa is going to meet us there; I don’t think we’d have room for her otherwise.”

  “Oh, I wish Mom had told me; I’m sure I’ve got some old clothes that don’t fit me anymore buried somewhere,” Candice said. “Does she need any more help packing stuff up?”

  “I don’t think so. We’re just about ready to go — early, for once. I’m glad you’re here, she has a list written out for you but it will probably be easier for her to tell you everything in person.”

  “All right, just let me grab Felix and I’ll go and find her.”

  David grabbed her suitcase for her while she carried the cat carrier in, and even carried it up to the guest bedroom for her instead of just putting it by the door. One of them had set Felix’s litter box up for her, which made her smile.

  “We’re planning on leaving in about ten minutes,” he told her. “Can you come down to the kitchen once you get your cat settled in?”

  “All right,” Candice agreed. She shut the door as he left the room, then set the cat carrier on the bed and pulled the irritated cat out. He looked around, and seemed to relax once he realized where they were. She carried him over to the litter box and put him inside it.

  “Don't forget where that is,” she said. He sniffed around for a moment, then hopped back out. “I'll bring you up some food and water once I'm done talking to Mom.”

  She left, shutting the door behind her. He'd be able to wander around the house soon enough, but she wanted to make sure he had some time to settle down, learn very certainly where his litterbox was, and eat and drink a little before she let him wander around the rest of the house. Even though the dogs didn't bother to try to chase him, he was always a little bit cautious around them at first, and she knew taking things slow was the way to go with him.

  She walked down the stairs and sure enough found both her mother and David waiting in the kitchen. Her mother was writing out what looked like the finishing touches to a list, but looked up when she came in. A smile spread across her face.

  “Candice, sweetie, it’s so good to see you. I'm sorry that we won't have long to catch up before we have to leave.”

  “It's okay, Mom,” Candice said, letting herself get pulled in for a hug. “I thought you weren't leaving until two, though. I would've come earlier otherwise.”

  “We were planning on leaving at two, but then we decided there were a couple stops we wanted to make on our way to the airport. Thank you again for doing this. We rea
lly appreciate it. I left some cash for you in the envelope on the microwave. I want you to enjoy yourself while you're here, so you and Eli should treat yourselves to something special. Feel free to eat and drink anything you find in the fridge, and of course make yourself at home. Now, here’s a list of instructions for the dogs, and a couple things that will need to be done at the deli.” Her mother frowned. “It’s weird leaving it in the hands of someone other than Darren.”

  “I know,” Candice said. “Sometimes it's still hard to believe that he’s gone.”

  There was a moment of silence for the young man who had been one of Moira’s first employees. Then, the older woman seemed to shake herself and focus on the present again. “We should have Internet access once we’re on the cruise ship, but it will only be through Wi-Fi. We can do video calls and emails, but no texts or phone calls. It costs a lot to get international service, and we decided it’s not worth it. I left a few numbers in case there's an emergency – the only one you don't know is Theodore Otto. He's David's new business partner at the brewery – you might have seen him around. Karissa’s been showing him the ropes, though he won’t really have much to do there until they expand.”

  “I think I’ve seen him from a distance,” Candice said.

  “Sorry, things have been hurried and I didn’t have time to introduce you,” David said. “He shouldn't need anything, but I did give him your information in case he does. I’ve got manuals for some of the machines here, and a key in case he needs to get into the brewery. We’re pretty much shut down, since Karissa and I are both going to be out of the country, but I told him he’s still free to get familiar with the place while we’re gone. I was going to make a copy of the key for him, but I didn’t have time.”

  “I left your contact information at the deli, too,” Moira said. “The employees know to call you if something urgent comes up. I think everyone else who’s in the need to know group knows where I'm going. I gave Martha and Denise most of the same information about our trip that I'm giving you. If anyone does come looking for me, just tell them where we are and that we’ll be back in a couple of weeks. I prefer that you don't tell them how to reach me unless it's really urgent – I'm trying hard to make this a real vacation, not a working one.”

  “Understood,” Candice said.

  “That should be about it,” David said. “I can't think of anything else on my end. Lenny might stop by to drop some old files off; if he does that, just leave them in my office.”

  “Thank you again, Candice. I know that we’re asking a lot of you, not just taking care of the house, but everything else too,” her mother said.

  “I really don't mind,” Candice said. “It will be nice; a chance to get away from all the normal stuff at home. I’m looking forward to spending time with the dogs, too. Where are they, by the way?”

  “We put them both out in the backyard,” Moira said, glancing at the backdoor. “Poor Maverick was getting anxious. He hates watching us pack. You can let them in once we leave.”

  Candice read over the list, then put it up on the fridge, holding it in place with a dog-shaped magnet. “I think I've got everything. If I need anything, I know how to reach you. Don't worry about the house or the dogs.. Have fun on your trip, and take lots of pictures.”

  “We will,” her mother promised. They traded another quick hug, and Candice did her best to keep out of the way as they finished up their packing. She watched her parents pull down the driveway a few minutes later, then turned back to the house and smiled. It would be home for the next two weeks. It was time to start settling in.

  Chapter 2

  When Candice woke up the next morning, she felt a moment of disorientation. She wasn't in her own bedroom, the one she had grown so used to over the last few years.

  She sat up and blinked, shifting the familiar weight of Felix draped across her stomach. He meowed as she moved and she gently picked him up and placed him between her and Eli out of habit. By then she had remembered that she was in the guest bedroom of her parents’ house, and she had two very eager furry responsibilities waiting for her downstairs.

  Even though she had to go into work later that day and had a lot to do on her mother's list, it still felt like a mini vacation. She was looking forward to spending time with the dogs, and to poking through the fridge and pantry, knowing that her mother had likely stocked some of her favorite foods. She could go on a walk before going in to work and enjoy some of her parents’ property – it was only on five acres, but they had a lovely path mowed through the forest and even a bridge that went over a small stream. She could take Maverick with her; the German Shepherd would love to play fetch. Keeva wasn't as reliable off leash, but she could play with them both in the fenced in portion of the yard later.

  She slipped out of bed quietly, not wanting to disturb Eli, who was still snoring softly next to her. She looked at Felix for a moment, and he returned the stare before lowering his head back down, his tail curling around his body. She shook her head, amused. He really was the laziest cat ever. He rarely got out of bed while one of them was still sleeping. Even the promise of breakfast wouldn't do it for him.

  She left the room, leaving the door partially open in case the cat changed his mind, and went downstairs where she was greeted by the two large dogs. They hadn't slept with her and Eli, since Felix was still a bit wary of them and she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable in the only room in the house that was his. He would get used to them again after a few days, she knew, and then she would let the dogs join them.

  “Good morning you two,” she said. “Do you want to go outside? And then have breakfast?”

  The dogs seemed to recognize both “outside” and “breakfast” and both of them dashed toward the backdoor. As both were large dogs, it sounded a bit like a stampede, but they knew the house well enough not to crash into anything. If either of them was just a bit clumsier, Candice had the feeling that none of her mother’s décor would have survived this long.

  She walked through the kitchen and into the mud room where she opened the door to the backyard. The dogs ran out and she shut it behind them, looking through the window for a moment as they sniffed around in the snow. She turned to make coffee, satisfied that they would handle the urgent matters themselves before scratching at the door to be let back in. She had a lot to do today, but she didn't need to be at work until the afternoon, and she was in no hurry to get started.

  Even though Candice and Eli technically had more property than Candice's parents did, a lot of the time it didn't really feel like it. Most of their property was open farmland, and they rented out the vast majority of their acreage to a dairy farmer, who paid them monthly for his use of the land. It was a good set up, but between the cattle, and David and his brewery, a lot of the time it felt like most of their land wasn't actually theirs. The parts they did use had only a handful of trees, and nothing that could be called a forest. It was still lovely property, but it was much more open, whereas her parents’ house was nestled back in the woods. She couldn’t even see the road, let alone any of the neighbors’ houses. She loved walking along the path through the forest first thing in the morning after having her first cup of coffee. It was peaceful and relaxing, even with the snow that threatened to turn into slush as soon as the temperature inched up another few degrees.

  She said goodbye to Eli just before noon. He promised to stop in at the candy shop later that day and bring her lunch if he had time, but she knew that he would be busy for most of the day getting things prepared for the new business. She wouldn't be back until later that evening, after the candy shop was closed, so she said her goodbyes to the animals after making sure Eli knew what to do to take care of them. He loved dogs as much as she did, but even though they both wanted one, they had decided to wait for the time being. She worked quite a bit at the candy shop, though gradually that was changing since Suri was now comfortable enough in the shop to open and close on her own. Eli didn't know how busy he would be wit
h his new business, and it wouldn’t be fair to a dog to have to spend ten or more hours a day alone while its owners worked.

  She drove first to the deli, deciding to check in on everything there, though she wasn’t expecting to have anything come up. The place could run itself well enough, even with her mother in another country.

  It was strange to think that her parents, along with David’s sister, Karissa, were now somewhere out in the Gulf of Mexico, heading toward the Caribbean Sea, having the time of their lives while she and Eli were still in Michigan surrounded by snow. She hoped they had a good time; they both deserved a vacation, and the cruise was two weeks of relaxation in paradise. She hated to admit it, but she was a bit jealous. She would have loved to go with them, even if it would have meant finding a pet sitter for all the animals and begging her employees to work double shifts… on second thought, she could remember why she and Eli hadn’t gone.

  Maybe we can go on a cruise together next year, she thought. By then, things should have settled down a bit.

  There was a strange sense of déjà vu as she pulled into the deli's parking lot. She had worked at her mother's restaurant on and off ever since she was a recent high school graduate, and had even worked there as her full-time job for a short while.

  All she had to do was stop in and make sure things looked like they were running smoothly. This was the first time her mother had gone out of town with the new manager, and even though she trusted him, she wanted a second pair of eyes to make sure nothing disastrous was happening.

  She smiled as she walked inside the familiar building, the scent of the black bean chili Soup of the Day hitting her nose. There were a couple of customers inside, sitting at the small round tables and eating their lunch. There was only one person standing in front of the register, and he left with his wrapped sandwich moments after Candice came in.