Candy Factory Mystery Read Online Free

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    â€œThe eggs get another chocolate bath that seals them up,” Meg said a bit impatiently. “Mrs. Winkles already explained everything. Really, Tom, I don’t see why we have to go over all this when there’s so much to do.”
    After being in the warm candy kitchen, the children noticed the drop in temperature when they stepped into a cooler room. Several candy molds had already passed through the cooling tunnel. Tom pressed a switch, and the conveyor belt stopped.
    â€œNow, pulling away the candy molds from the eggs,” Tom said, “that’s a job for someone with delicate, steady hands.”
    â€œThat would be Violet,” Jessie said. “She paints and sews and bakes perfect cakes and cookies.”
    â€œI was a baker once where I grew up in Lititz,” Tom told the Aldens. “That’s not far from here. Baking isn’t all that different from making candy, if you think about it.”
    â€œMrs. Winkles said you worked at a bank in Ohio before you became a candy maker,” Meg broke in.
    Tom’s whole face grew red. “I … uh … meant banker, not baker. I … did learn some baking and candy making in Lititz before I came here to get more experience. There are lots of candy factories and bakeries around that area.”
    The Aldens looked at each other. They were pretty sure Tom had said he was a baker not a banker, too. And Mrs. Winkles had definitely said Tom was from Ohio. Lititz was in Pennsylvania, not Ohio.
    Meg stared hard at Tom. “Lititz is where Seth Winkles’s relatives settled after he died. They moved from this area after he left the factory to Mrs. Winkles instead of them. Did you know they don’t even speak to her anymore?”
    Tom was the one not smiling now — or speaking, either. He turned away from Meg toward the children. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and spoke to the Aldens again. “Well, it’s time to end Meg’s history lesson and start the candy lesson,” he said.
    Tom wrapped his fingers around both sides of an egg mold and gently pulled apart the metal halves, which were held together by magnets. “Here’s how to separate the molds.”
    Benny licked his lips as he saw the delicately shaped chocolate eggs when the molds were pulled apart. “Yum.”
    â€œWell, you can’t eat those,” Meg said. “The good ones go back on the conveyor belt to be filled. I’ve had this lesson more than once, Tom. I’m going back to the candy kitchen to mix up some more chocolate.”
    After Meg left, Tom supervised the Aldens while they removed the candy molds and checked the eggs. He was quiet now, not teasing or joking with the Aldens anymore.
    â€œWhere do the smudgy ones go?” Jessie asked after she found some eggs with blurry designs.
    Tom didn’t answer, so Jessie spoke up again. “Where do the —”
    â€œI heard you the first time,” Tom answered. “I just need to concentrate on this batch. Put them in that big plastic bin. Take what you want. Doesn’t matter to me.”
    â€œAre you sure?” Benny asked.
    â€œI wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t sure. I’m going to get the chick machine going now — make sure it’s running, and all,” Tom explained. “We won’t be able to fill very many more chocolate eggs. We only have a few candy chicks left right now. I’m picking up a new shipment tomorrow.”
    While Tom checked the machine to see how it was working, the Aldens were working, too. They had steady fingers and good eyes. In no time, they could tell right away if an egg was perfect or not. Luckily, most of them were.
    â€œHey, Tom!” Henry called out when the children were done. “Can we really eat all the smudged ones like you said? It’s getting hard to look at all this chocolate and not have some.”
    Tom didn’t seem to hear Henry.
    â€œIs