Pies & Peril Read Online Free PDF Page B

around town in stealth mode. He might think the elegant coffee shop was his competition, but it was really like comparing a plain, sour cream doughnut to a dark chocolate, hazelnut meringue torte.
    They had barely settled into the chairs when the waitress arrived with their orders. An elaborate arrangement of hearts was drawn in brown espresso on the layer of white foam atop Amy's latte. The scone was covered with an artistic squiggle of glaze. The cream-colored lines were flecked with dark speckles of vanilla bean seeds. Elliot's order of black coffee with a toasted onion bagel looked appetizing despite its simplicity, but since his bakery didn't make bagels she wondered how he was doing a comparison. Another waitress walked by the table. Two pieces of cherry pie sat on her tray. Amy's thoughts hopped back on track. She cleared her throat and said, "I was wondering if we could chat about doing some kind of memorial for Mandy Jo."
    Elliot plucked two packets of fake sugar out of a basket on the table. He ripped the tops off the pink packages and dumped the white powder into his coffee. "It's a tragedy that a young woman in the prime of her life was murdered. Even more so that the unfortunate event happened at the pie contest she loved competing in. What form of a memorial are you proposing?"
    " I actually have two ideas. A memorial bench in Town Center Park or renaming the Summer Festival pie contest in her honor. It could be called the Mandy Jo Pierce Memorial Pie Contest."
    He took a sip of his coffee and grimaced. Amy doubted the coffee tasted that bad, but doctoring anything with a sugar substitute was blasphemy, especially since he was a professional baker. He should know there was no chemical substitute for real sugar. It would serve him right if the Kona coffee had rebelled and turned bitter. Or maybe the face contortions were more in reaction to her memorial ideas.
    " Who do you propose to fund the bench? I've heard they are quite expensive. My bakery spends a great deal of money already as the main sponsor of the culinary events at the Summer Festival."
    So it was the memorial ideas souring Elliot. The man must have a death grip on his business 's purse strings if he was worrying about a three hundred dollar bench. Amy responded, "I'm not asking you to buy the bench, but I certainly wouldn't mind if you contributed." She smiled. "I could organize a fundraising campaign. If the whole amount isn't raised I can make up the difference. On the other hand, renaming the contest shouldn't cost anything and it would be a lovely gesture on your part."
    " If you would like to spearhead the collection of funds for the bench, I have no problems with that idea. I could even let you put a donation jar on the counter at my bakery if you'll keep track of the money. On the other hand, there would be expenses for me if the pie contest is renamed in her honor. There will be additional costs to have the longer title engraved on the trophies, and a new banner for the awards stage will need to be made, not to mention the loss in promotional value for me not to have my bakery associated with the contest. I'm afraid I would have to remove my sponsorship of the pie contest as it would no longer be fiscally beneficial to me."
    Talk about shrewd. The crop of swanky competitors must really be taking a toll on his bakery 's profits. "My husband's company makes banners, and I'm sure he'd be happy to donate a replacement if that makes changing the contest more appealing."
    " Donating your husband's services is very generous of you, but as I said, there are other factors that I must consider."
    Amy took a bite of scone. It was the less painful option as opposed to biting her tongue. She studied the hand drawn, chalk board menu hung above the gleaming, red enamel espresso machine as she considered whether it would be wise to push Mr. Maxson any farther. Mandy Jo had insulted a lot of people with her rude, acerbic comments and fiery temper explosions.