Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry Read Online Free Page A

bribed Uncle Charlie to keep the cabin during the contest.
    Overall, the town was ready for the Challenge, even if Skye wasn’t. She exhaled noisily. At least, unlike other events Scumble River had hosted, this one was likely to produce nothing worse than burnt chicken. The food might be to die for, but it was unlikely that anyone would be murdered over a recipe.

CHAPTER 2

Assemble the Ingredients
    S kye squirmed, trying to find a comfortable position on the wobbly plastic seat. She wasn’t sure where the school had found these flimsy folding chairs, but they were not designed for a woman of her generous curves. She felt as if the chair was about to collapse at any minute, landing her on her butt. Skye was okay with her full figure, but situations like this reminded her that society had different expectations.
    May and Skye had been the first to arrive. After their names were marked off on the list, they were given red and white checked aprons, a tote bag full of goodies—all products of Grandma Sal’s Fine Foods and its subsidiaries—and had their picture taken with Grandma Sal. Then they verified their recipes and were sent to sit backstage to wait for the rest of the finalists to show up. Once all twenty-four contestants arrived they would be brought onstage and introduced to the media, and Grandma Sal would make her welcoming speech.
    Skye wished she had brought a book. Her mother was chatting with Uncle Charlie, who had come in a few minutes after Skye and May. The woman sitting on the other side of Skye had been on her cell phone since she arrived—probablybecause she kept having to repeat herself over and over again, saying, “Can you hear me? Is this better? How about now?”
    Skye contemplated telling the signal-impaired woman that Scumble River had more dead zones than a Stephen King novel, but decided against it. Telling her wouldn’t do any good. Cell phone coverage was one of those life lessons—like a sign saying WET PAINT —that everyone just seemed to have to test out for themselves.
    Skye yawned. She was
so
bored. Maybe she should go talk to her brother. Vince had come in ten minutes ago, causing a stir with his golden blond hair and male-model physique. Vince, May, and Skye all shared the Leofanti emerald green eyes, but Vince used his to better advantage. He had the ability to hypnotize any female between the ages of three and ninety-three.
    Shaking her head, Skye decided this wasn’t the time to chat with her brother. The smitten women around him would not appreciate his sister diverting any of his attention away from them.
    Skye counted the tiles in the ceiling. If something didn’t happen soon, she was going to scream. It had been over thirty minutes since the last person arrived, and a quick tally of the people milling around the twelve-by-twelve room made it clear that they were all waiting for one last contestant. They had been instructed to arrive at ten a.m., and it was now closer to eleven.
    Skye wrinkled her nose. The room smelled of makeup, sweat, and mold. Up until a few days ago the space had been used as a dressing room for the annual school play, and it housed the drama department’s costumes during the rest of the year.
    Uncle Dante must have persuaded Homer to have the room straightened up. The principal would never have thought of doing it on his own. Even the uncomfortable chairs, now arranged in four rows of six, would have been too much of a hassle for him. Homer had mentally retired from his job several years ago; he just hadn’t bothered to turn in the paperwork.
    Clearly everyone was beginning to get impatient. Some wiggled in their seats, others paced, and a few muttered about “talking to someone and finding out what’s holding things up.”
    Skye hoped that one of the more vocal finalists would
do
something. Normally she would be leading the charge, but this was May’s moment, and Skye had vowed not to ruin it for her mom, who preferred manipulation to