Candy Corn Murder Read Online Free

said.
    Zoe was gathering up her school texts and notebooks, stuffing them into her Country Cousins backpack, to the accompaniment of a steady stream of pows, whams, and bangs. “You’ll need your superpowers to get him away from the TV, Mom,” she said before leaving the house.
    Lucy knew it was true. Once Patrick got started watching cartoons, it was almost impossible to get him to stop. She checked the clock, calculating that the show would end in twenty minutes. That was time she could use to tidy up the house and start the Crock-Pot before she had to leave the house for her job and Patrick’s day care. “Twenty minutes, Patrick,” she yelled, pulling some carrots out of the fridge. “Twenty minutes!”
    Lucy was already guiltily aware that she was not the ideal caregiver for Patrick, at least not by his parents’ rather rigid standards, when she pulled up outside Little Prodigies in her SUV and was met by his teacher, Heidi Bloom.
    â€œA word, Mrs. Stone,” called Heidi, holding a finger in the air as she hurried down the sidewalk. Lucy’s friend Sue Finch, who was a part owner of Little Prodigies, as well as its director, was terribly impressed by Heidi’s credentials, which included a master’s degree in early childhood education, and had recently named her head teacher.
    Lucy had climbed out of the car and was unlatching Patrick’s seat belt, preparing to help him out of his booster seat. “No problem,” she said, setting Patrick down and giving him a kiss and a shove in the direction of the preschool’s door, just a short distance from the car.
    â€œWell, actually, there is a problem,” said Heidi, adopting a serious expression. Unlike the other teachers, who were breezily casual, Heidi had a buttoned-up quality, reinforced by the long-sleeved and high-collared shirts she wore over baggy-bottomed slacks. Her blond hair was pulled back tightly into a perfect French twist.
    Lucy braced herself. She knew Patrick’s behavior wasn’t always ideal, but she chalked it up to his parents’ absence. “I know Patrick can be difficult,” she began.
    â€œOh, no. It’s not Patrick,” said Heidi. “I’m sorry to say it’s you, Mrs. Stone.”
    â€œMe?” Lucy was sure there was some mistake. “I paid the bill. I’m quite sure I did.” In fact, Lucy had been shocked by the high cost of day care, which Toby had fretted about, confessing that his graduate stipend wouldn’t begin to cover it while he and Molly were away. She and Bill, eager to help the young family, had quickly offered to assume the expense, but she was now regretting that promise, as it was taking a big chunk out of their monthly budget.
    â€œIt’s not that,” said Heidi. “It’s our drop-off policy. You need to walk Patrick into the school. You can’t just let him out of the car. He must be escorted by the hand, and you need to sign him in on the sign-in sheet.”
    Lucy gauged the distance from the curb to the door with the Little Prodigies sign and decided it was probably less than twenty feet. “Are you kidding me? Patrick is perfectly capable of walking twenty feet, and I always watch to make sure he goes inside.”
    â€œThat sort of irresponsibility is simply unacceptable,” said Heidi. “You may not realize this, but the sign-in sheet is one of the tools we use to ensure the safety of our precious little ones here at Little Prodigies.”
    Lucy didn’t appreciate being scolded, especially since she was the one paying the exorbitant bill, but she figured there was no way she was going to win an argument with Heidi. “Point taken. In future I will make sure to sign him in,” she promised, checking her watch. “Can you do it for me today, though? I’m running late.”
    â€œWhy don’t you just come with me and I’ll show you the sign-in sheet