Candy-Coated Secrets Read Online Free PDF Page A

clutched my arm. “What is it?”
    “Since we’ve been here, I’ve felt like I’ve been followed. I thought it looked like a black bear.”
    “A bear?”
    “Yeah. But it isn’t a bear. This time I saw someone wearing a gorilla costume.” I gazed at her face. “It’s clear someone is following me. I’d like to know why.”
    Her grip tightened. “Oh, no you don’t. You ain’t going chasing off after nobody in a costume.”
    “It does seem fishy, doesn’t it?”
    “This is a county fair with a carnival attached. There’re bound to be strange things.” She tugged at me. “Come on. We’ve got candy to make and only three more days to make it.”
    We marched to the truck, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to glance over my shoulder. My gorilla friend stood in the shadows.
    Watching.
     
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
    With a box full of chocolate tigers, lions, clowns, and hot air balloons on the seat beside me, I drove to the fair. The midway still resembled an anthill with workers striving to finish before opening night. I parked in front of the arts and crafts building and gathered my wares.
    Not being buff, and having ditched my resolution of working out, I could only handle one bulky cardboard box at a time. The chocolate weighed about thirty pounds. To have enough to sell, I figured I’d be making a couple of trips a day from the candy store to my temporary new home—at least for this week.
    The carnival looked different as the hues of a summer sunset cast the first shadows over the grounds. Like a fairyland with the rides outlined in colored lights.
    The drone of the generators vibrated around me. A lion roared. Must be feeding time. The box slipped and I had to stop to get a better grip. My gaze roamed over the gaily lit fairgrounds searching for my gorilla shadow. The tightness in my shoulders relaxed when I couldn’t find it.
    Someone had propped open the door to the arts and crafts building, and I sent another thanks to heaven. The dusk cast the cavernous room into a gloom of shadows and gray-tinted light. A quick glance didn’t readily show a light switch, and with the box growing heavier, I decided the light was good enough to see by. At least until I deposited my load. To not run into anything, I slid my feet inch by inch along the concrete floor until I arrived at my cubicle.
    My arms ached with relief as I set my box on a folding table. The hum of the refrigerator assured me it worked. As I withdrew my chocolate treasures, I thought of how much I missed Ethan, and again asked for forgiveness for my selfishness. God sent him to build houses for the homeless. Who was I to complain of my need to have the man I love close to me?
    Yet my stomach churned with longing for his company. Desire to speak with Ethan spurred me to move faster so I could call him. Thank God for the modern miracle of cell phones.
    I yanked open the refrigerator door—and screamed.
    The beady eyes of a dead armadillo stared up at me. A scrap of paper hung from a tooth. With trembling fingers, I reached for the paper, held my breath against the rotting odor, and read, This is what will happen to you if you stick your nose where it don’t belong. I released my grip on the handle. The door slammed with a muffled thud.
    The beat of pounding feet rushed toward me, echoing through the building. Harsh fluorescent lights blinked on, blinding me. I’d seen dead animals before. Living in the country guaranteed that, and I didn’t usually shriek. But having one in my refrigerator had to be a first. I wasn’t involved in anything, yet everyone warned me to stay away.
    “Miss Meadows?” Washington Bean sprinted to my side. The whites of his eyes and teeth shone against his ebony skin.
    I pointed, and thought of Joe. “Don’t touch anything.” My fingerprints were already on the refrigerator. My cousin would be livid.
    Washington used his shirttail to open the door and whistled through his teeth. “That critter’s been dead