Truffle Trouble

Book 10: Amish Candy Shop Mystery

by Amanda Flower

Genres: Amateur Sleuth; Cozy Mystery; Female Sleuths

Synopsis

Combining the sugar rush of candy making with a fascinating look at Amish life, a quirky whodunit, and a sweet romance between chocolatier Bailey King and Sheriff Aiden Brody, Amanda Flower’s USA Today bestselling Amish Candy Shop Mysteries continue, as summer wedding season comes to the village of Harvest, Ohio…

Horror d'oeuvres

Summer is finally upon the village of Harvest, Ohio, nestled in picturesque Amish Country, and folks are abuzz over their very own Bailey King’s upcoming June wedding. The Amish Candy shop owner and star of TV’s Bailey’s Amish Sweets is marrying Holmes County Sheriff Aiden Brody. To sweeten the occasion will be a scrumptious giant chocolate truffle wedding cake, made especially for the happy couple by Bailey’s New York City mentor, Jean Pierre. Other than the risk of the ring bearer, Jethro the pig, taking a bite out of the confection, what could go wrong?

As it turns out, a food-related disaster does befall the day. But with Bailey in the mix, it’s nothing so pedestrian as a peckish pig. At the reception, a wedding guest dies after sampling the hors d'oeuvres. Café owner and new caterer Darcy Woodin, who made all the food except the desserts, is pegged by police as the number one suspect. Even more incriminating, the victim is one of Darcy's ex-boyfriends . . .

Still, Bailey is friends with Darcy, and she’s certain the young woman is innocent. Even before the first dance with her new husband, Bailey’s on the case. Can she help solve it in time for her honeymoon—or will a killer try to end her happily ever after before it’s even begun . . .?

Recipe included!

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 336

Sample

“Bailey, you’re getting married tomorrow!” My cousin Charlotte squeezed both of my hands and jumped up and down. Her red-gold braid bounced behind her head as she moved. “Finally.”

“Finally?” I arched my brow at her. “Why is everyone saying ‘finally’? Was there ever any doubt that Aiden and I would marry?” I smiled to take the bite off my words.

“Yes! So much doubt. The two of you dragged your feet. It’s been years! Everyone in Harvest—no, in all of Holmes County—has wanted this from the time you and Aiden met. It was love at first sight. You would have to be blind not to see it.”

I thought back to the moment I’d met Aiden. I had been standing in my Amish grandparents’ candy shop, Swissmen Sweets, cutting up fudge when he came in. I had just popped an extra-large piece of fudge in my mouth when he spoke to me. I was so startled I almost choked. It had not been my finest moment by any means. I wouldn’t have called it love at first sight. He had been much closer to giving me the Heimlich maneuver than falling in love with me.

I rolled my eyes. “That might be a bit of an exaggeration.”

“Don’t kill the fantasy everyone in the village has had about your love story. It’s one for the ages and will be passed down from one generation to the next.” She dropped my hands and placed hers over her heart.

I snorted.

“Aren’t you happy to be getting married?” Charlotte looked stricken. I thought the person who would be most devastated if Aiden and my romance had a bad end was her. Well, her and Aiden’s mother, Juliet Brook. I suspected that Juliet had been waiting for Aiden and me to marry before we’d even met.

“I’m very happy,” I said, doing my best to put her fears at ease. “I have been waiting for this day for a long time, too. Maybe not as long as the entire village, but I’m ready to start my life with Aiden. There’s so much to do, and then there’s the Summer Soiree on top of the wedding. Margot said she had a little project for me for the soiree, but she hasn’t told me what it is yet. I’m hoping to leave for the honeymoon before she gets a chance.”

Margot Rawlings was the community planner for the village of Harvest. She orchestrated all the large events on the square, from the Christmas parade to the farmers’ market. Every year, she added more and more events with the hope that Harvest would surpass Berlin as the most-visited Amish town in Holmes County, Ohio. So far, Berlin was still winning, but Margot was never discouraged.

“Don’t you want to know, instead of having her spring it on you?” Charlotte held on to the end of her braid. Even though she was no longer Amish, she still dressed modestly in a SWISSMEN CANDYWORKS T-shirt and long denim skirt. My cousin had left the Amish way over a year ago, when she married Sheriff Deputy Luke Little. Deputy Little was a kind and steady man, and he was a perfect fit for Charlotte’s bubbly personality.

I would not say that Deputy Little was her true reason for leaving the faith. She’d had one foot out the door already when she left her very conservative Amish district to live in Harvest and work with my maami, Clara King, and me at Swissmen Sweets. Years later, we expanded into our candy factory, Swissmen Candyworks. I couldn’t imagine running the business without Charlotte, especially when I was in New York City so often filming my show for Gourmet Television, Bailey’s Amish Sweets.

I walked around the lobby of Swissmen Candyworks, straightening displays and checking the expiration dates on the packages of candy. We couldn’t have anything past due out on the shelves.

“I’d rather not.” I tightened the ponytail on the back of my head. At the moment, I was dressed for a workday in a T-shirt and jeans, but soon I would have to get ready for my rehearsal dinner.

I felt like I was moving in a fog. After all the time Aiden and I had been together, through so many ups and downs, we were finally getting married. Charlotte said that she couldn’t believe it, but I really couldn’t believe it.

“My goal is to avoid Margot at all costs. I’ll get married and then leave for my honeymoon right after. There won’t be any time for her to trap me into one of her projects.”

“Have you met Margot?” Charlotte asked.

It was a fair question. Even I doubted the success rate of my plan, but I wasn’t going to admit it. I just needed to make it through the next thirty-six hours, and I would be in the clear.

Charlotte put her hands on her hips, and her bright green eyes flashed with irritation. “I can’t believe that Margot had the nerve to schedule the Summer Soiree just days after your wedding. Everyone in the village has known the wedding date for months.”

“She said that it was the best date for the vineyards that are participating.”

Charlotte sniffed. “I don’t even know that she should be doing it. I know I’m not Amish any longer, but I still believe in the idea that alcohol leads to trouble. Margot knows how most of the Amish feel about it, and she’s just throwing it in their faces.”

For the Amish, alcohol consumption was a tricky topic, and it truly depended on the individual district as to whether it was allowed. Some said “absolutely not,” and others said it “was all right in moderation.” All agreed that getting drunk was wrong. The Amish believed overconsumption of anything was wrong—from alcohol to food to even candy.

Harvest was predominately an Amish village, and the reception Margot had received from the event from the Amish population, and even some of the English community members, had been less than favorable.

I would never admit this to Charlotte, but I, too, wished the soiree wasn’t so close to my wedding. Because of the closeness of the dates, the soiree would be a main topic of conversation at the reception. I was confident of that. Most of the village would be at my wedding, and when they all got together, the gossip flew.

I prayed that Margot and Ruth Yoder, the bishop’s wife, didn’t get into a fistfight over the matter at the wedding reception. Ruth had been the most vocal against the idea of the Summer Soiree. Anyone who knew her wasn’t surprised by this. She constantly lamented the fact that Harvest seemed to be turning more English, at least in her eyes. The soiree was the final straw for her. She had even gone so far as talking to the town council about the matter. For an Amish woman to dip her toe in politics in any way was unheard of. If the Amish had an issue with the English powers that be, more often than not they ignored them, or in extreme cases, a male leader of the church would step forward.

It seemed to me that Bishop Yoder, Ruth’s husband, had chosen the “ignore” method, and apparently that left her no choice but to go to the council herself to shut the soiree down. Unfortunately for Ruth, it was very much still on. The chance of her and Margot coming to blows over the matter was unlikely, but still a possibility.

“We can worry about the Summer Soiree after the wedding,” I said. “I can only handle one giant event at a time.”

“Understood.” Charlotte clasped her hands together. “You and Aiden make the most beautiful couple, and to think that you are marrying my husband’s best friend, and we are cousins! We’re all going to be one big family soon.”

I smiled. This was true. Aiden was close friends with Charlotte’s husband, Deputy Luke Little. Also because Aiden was the Holmes County sheriff, he was Deputy Little’s boss. Now that we were about to be family, I would have thought that I would start thinking of Deputy Little as Luke, but in my mind, it just didn’t fit him. He was most definitely Deputy Little, and he always would be to me.

“What time is Darcy getting here?” I asked as I looked around the lobby of Swissmen Candyworks, the candy factory that I had built from the ground up. After I took over most of the operations of Swissmen Sweets from my grandmother, it was clear that we were outgrowing the old candy shop, as online orders skyrocketed with the popularity of Bailey’s Amish Sweets. Moving the candy shop was never even an option as it was also Maami’s home. The most obvious choice was to make a second, much-bigger location. I opted for a factory and not a traditional storefront because it would give me the best opportunity to expand our business to large retail stores across the country. We hadn’t made that giant leap yet. At the moment, our candies were sold in a number of smaller shops in Holmes County and at the Harvest Market, which shares the parking lot with Swissmen Candyworks.

The candy factory had taken almost two years to become a reality. The process had been full of challenges, some worse than others, but now we were open and overall business was good. I was also grateful for Charlotte, who had become my right-hand woman in the candy business. I didn’t know how I could manage both places without her or without Maami. For over fifty years, Maami had awakened every morning at four to make fresh candies and fudge to hand-sell to the tourists who came in by the busload to Swissmen Sweets. For many coming to Harvest, the candy shop remained the main attraction. It was an authentically Amish candy shop where everything was made by hand.

For the most part, we made all the candies in the factory by hand, too, but we certainly had more equipment to speed up the process and increase efficiency. Visitors could watch us make candy from beginning to end on one of our candy-making tours. However, there would be no tours on my wedding weekend, as the reception was to be in the factory and on the neighboring grounds.

“Darcy should be here any minute,” Charlotte said.

As if she’d beckoned her on, the front door to the Candyworks opened, and Darcy Woodin came inside, wheeling a large wagon ladened down with containers and dishes.

She held the door for her grandmother, Lois Henry, who pulled an equally large wagon.

“Good heavens, it has to be a hundred degrees out there. It’s not supposed to be this warm in June. This is August weather, if you ask me. The world must be really heating up. When I was young, it was cool and rainy in June.” Lois delicately touched her brow. “I think my makeup is running. I hate going through my day with a bare face. Can someone powder my nose before I run into a potential husband?”

I smiled. Lois was always on the lookout for a potential husband. She had had several over her life, and she’d told me more than once that I was “behind the eight ball” just having my first marriage in my thirties.

“Your makeup looks perfect,” I said.

“You’re sure? It must be my new setting spray that is holding it together. I got the kind that could freeze an elephant in his tracks.” Lois wore a flowy, floral caftan. Her spiky, red-purple hair was perfectly in its upright and locked position. There was so much product in Lois’s hair that nothing short of a hurricane would move it. She finished the look with a full face of makeup, including false lashes and enough costume jewelry to open her own shop. Everything from her clothes to her makeup to her hair was bright and vibrant. And this was her day look. I couldn’t wait to see what she wore to the wedding. There was a good chance that she would outshine me, and I was completely fine with that. No one could compete with Lois Henry when it came to fashion.

Lois dropped the handle to her wagon. “Seriously. I should at least powder my nose. I know that some of the young folks find the dewy look appealing, but at my age it does not work.”

“Grandma, you look fine,” Darcy said and quietly set down the wagon handle.

Darcy was a reserved young woman and could not be more opposite from her boisterous and outspoken grandmother. Even so, their bond reminded me so much of my maami and me. There was nothing like a close bond between grandmother and granddaughter.

Darcy pushed her long blond curls out of her face and gave me a hug. “Bailey, I can’t tell you how happy we are to be part of your big day. I’m honored that you asked Sunbeam Catering to be part of this. This is our first big event, and you are really taking a chance on us. I wish I could repay you.”

“Don’t be silly. There is nothing to repay. Aiden and I love your food. You know that we eat at the café way more times than we do at home because of our busy schedules. You were always going to be our choice.”

Darcy blushed.

She might be embarrassed by the praise, but what I said was true. Sunbeam Café was always our first choice. Darcy had opened Sunbeam Café a few years ago, and since day one, the café on the square had become a staple in Harvest. Her food, which included soups, sandwiches, and salads of all kinds, was a nice respite from the heavy Amish food that most people came to expect in Holmes County. It was especially popular with locals. One could only eat so much Amish fried chicken or ham steak before the doctor started muttering about cholesterol numbers.

There’d been some pushback when she’d opened the café. Harvest was primarily an Amish town in the middle of Holmes County. Not everyone—mainly Ruth Yoder again—was happy with the idea of a non-Amish business being on the square, which up to that point had all been Amish-owned.

“I’m so glad we have this extra time to set up. I hope it didn’t hurt your factory too much to have it closed two days for the wedding. It certainly makes everything easier.”

I smiled. “I thought so, too. My main goal for this wedding is easy. I don’t know if I will achieve that on all fronts, but at least I know the reception and the food will go that way.” I bit my lip. “The ceremony might be another issue.”

“Why’s that?” Lois asked. “Isn’t Aiden’s stepfather officiating?”

I nodded. “Reverend Brook is officiating. I’m more worried about what Margot Rawlings has up her sleeve. She is decorating the square, so it could be”—I paused—“memorable.”

Lois chuckled. “I bet it will be. Millie’s husband, Uriah, takes care of the square grounds for Margot. I’m sure he knows her plan by now. I’ll see what intel I can find out.”

Millie Fisher Schrock was Lois’s best friend, and she and her husband, Uriah, were just about the sweetest couple in Harvest. Uriah would be able to put my mind at ease, and I felt better knowing he would be involved. He was Amish and would understand my desire for something simple. Yes, it was my wedding, but I wanted my Amish grandmother and Amish friends to feel comfortable at the ceremony and the reception.

I grinned. “If you could, I would be grateful. I’m on pins and needles over it. I asked for simple.”

“Margot doesn’t do simple,” Lois said.

How well I knew.

Darcy wrapped her hands around her waist. “Bailey, I’m just so impressed with how you are able to juggle everything—the candy shop, the factory, your show, and now the wedding. I can barely keep it together since I added catering to my repertoire.”

“You’re doing just fine, but I’m happy to talk to you any time.”

“But not today.” Charlotte looped her arm through Darcy’s. “There is too much to do. Darcy, let me show you where to set up the buffet. You’ll be bringing the food tomorrow, correct?”

“We have some of it in the van,” Darcy said. “Bailey said we could store it in the refrigerator here.”

“Absolutely,” Charlotte said and started to pull her away when the door opened again. I expected it to be a member of my staff or perhaps Jean Pierre, my mentor from JP Chocolates in New York. Jean Pierre had insisted on making my wedding cake, and he was flying it from the city to Harvest today. He was set to land any time. I wanted a simple, picnic-style wedding, but I knew there would be nothing simple about Jean Pierre’s cake. I hoped I had a table big enough to hold it.

But Jean Pierre was not at the door. It was none other than Margot Rawlings, followed by a small group of people I didn’t know.

Across the lobby, Darcy gasped.

I glanced at Darcy. She was as white as a sheet, making the freckles that danced across the bridge of her nose look that much brighter.

“Won’t this work beautifully?” Margot asked the group behind her.

“It’s perfect,” a tall, thin woman in a sundress said. “There’s so much potential.”

“Exactly. It will be the perfect place for people to come and cool down during the soiree. It promises to be a hot night, and we have to have some place for people to rest. I think one of the wine stations could go in here as well.”

“It should be mine,” a very handsome man close to my age said. The man looked around the room as if he was assessing everything. His hair was dark brown and on the longer side, and he wore dark sunglasses over his eyes. His clothes were pressed, and I noted that he wasn’t wearing socks with his leather loafers. This was not the typical clientele to wander into Swissmen Candyworks. “My vineyard is the oldest at the soiree and should have the best spot.”

One of the two women in the group folded her arms across her chest. “And does that mean that I should have the worst place because I have the newest winery?”

He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t care where they put you, Carly, as long as you’re as far away from me possible.”

She glared back at him.

Margot clapped her hands. “Now, let’s not argue about placement. I will have it all sorted out. This will simply be a place to refresh and escape the summer heat that evening. All four vineyards will be on the square. We must remember that the square is the focal point of Harvest.”

“Margot, did you need something?” I asked.

“Oh, Bailey, there you are!” she said as if I hadn’t been standing in the middle of the room the entire time. Margot wore her typical summer uniform of jean shorts and a Harvest T-shirt, and her brown–going gray, short hair bouncing on the top of her head like a collection of springs. “I’m so glad I caught you before all the craziness of the wedding. I realize you must have so much to do, but I do have to ask one little favor. It’s small and should take no time at all.”

I was in for it.

“What’s the favor, Margot?”

“We need a cooling venue for the Summer Soiree on Thursday evening. There promises to be a terrible heat wave coming in. The temperatures are set to be close to ninety. We need a place to go where people can cool off and enjoy their wine in some air-conditioning. The Candyworks is the perfect spot.”

I bet it was.

“I don’t know if I can do that, Margot. I don’t want to upset my grandmother’s Amish district. Bishop Yoder does not approve of the Summer Soiree because of the alcohol.” I shot an apologetic look at the group with her. “No offense.”

“Bishop Yoder?” Margot yelped. “Does anyone even believe it’s Bishop Yoder and not that woman? She has been trying to bring down the entertainment I bring to Harvest for years, and now she’s kicking up a fuss over the soiree. It’s not like I’m throwing a frat party.”

“Nobody thinks that, Margot,” Lois said.

“I still should talk to my grandmother before I agree to anything,” I said. “I don’t want her to be uncomfortable.”

“Do you want people to faint from the heat? No one will come back to Harvest if tourists drop dead from heatstroke. I don’t think you want that on your conscience, do you?”

“I don’t know how it would be on my conscience when I won’t even be here.”

She nodded. “Exactly. You won’t be here, so how can your grandmother be offended?”

“I can’t ask my Amish staff to be here.”

“What about Charlotte? She can do it.”

Charlotte looked at me in panic.

I sighed. “I will have to think about it, Margot. I’m getting married tomorrow, and you’re not giving me much time to think it over.” As I said this, I guessed that was exactly why she was asking me the day before my wedding—so I wouldn’t have the time to address it. Margot could be sneaky when she thought it would benefit Harvest. Planning the next big event on the square was always on the top of her mind.

She placed a hand on her chest. “It’s not my fault that the weather report changed. I’m just trying to think of solutions that will protect the many visitors who will be coming to Harvest for the soiree. The Amish business, including yours, should be grateful for it. The inn is booked solid, and so are many of the surrounding hotels as well. It will be the premier event in Harvest this summer.” She paused as if she realized what she was saying. “Your wedding is important, too.”

“Thanks,” I said. “You haven’t introduced us to your friends.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I was just in such a rush to find out if you would be willing to support us, considering how much this village has supported you over the years.”

I made a face.

“These are the owners of the four wineries who will be sharing samples of their wines at the Summer Soiree. Because this was our first event like this, I didn’t want to overbook the wineries. There are so many in Holmes County, but these are the best of the best.” She cleared her throat. “Bailey King, may I introduce to you Angel Stark from Celestial Vineyard, Jon Michael Grimes from Country Vintage Wines, Carly Crestwood from Hackney Family Winery, and Jason Hackney from Swiss Valley W. . .