Town in a Blueberry Jam

“Herr Georg?”

“Yes, Candy, it’s me. How are you today? I hope I didn’t wake you. Were you asleep?”

“Um, no, well, actually I was just getting up.”

“Oh dear. Should I call back?”

“No, no, that’s okay.” Rubbing her eyes, she sat up, threw her legs over the side of the bed, and pushed her hair back from her forehead. “What’s going on?”

“I have a favor to ask. Rosemary, my regular girl, can’t make it in today. She’s out sick, or so she says, though I doubt that. It’s a suspiciously nice day. Still, she won’t be in, and I need counter help for a few hours while I’m in the kitchen. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to come in and help out?”

Candy squinted at the clock. “What time do you need me?”

“Around nine?”

“I’ll be there.”

“My liebchen, you are an angel!”

“I’m glad to help out.” She didn’t mention she was secretly relieved he had called. She had been trying to figure out how to approach him about what she had seen in his file the night before.

“Fine, fine. See you in an hour. Thank you so much!”

She started to say more but held back. She decided it would be best to wait until she could talk to him face- to-face to ask him the questions she really didn’t want to ask.

But as difficult as she knew it was going to be, she had to confront him about the documents she found the night before — or, to be accurate, the ones Sapphire had found. Though many of the faded, yellowed documents were in German, which she couldn’t read, she had a good idea of what they said, and they greatly disturbed her. They raised more questions than they answered — and led her to conclusions she refused to accept.

Ever since she first heard about the violent death of Sapphire Vine, Candy had been trying to fit the pieces together, to unravel the mystery of not only who murdered Sapphire (for Candy was now more convinced than ever that Ray had not done it) but also why she was murdered.

Now she had at least one possible answer — but she didn’t like it at all.

As much as she hated to admit it, Herr Georg seemed to be the one with the most to gain by Sapphire’s death. That troubled Candy more than she could say. It actually made her heart ache, for she couldn’t imagine Herr Georg doing anything so destructive.

But she had seen the e-mails, documents, and newspaper clippings herself. They were all there in the file, which still sat on her kitchen table, evidence of a hidden past that just possibly was a motive for murder.

Following her adventure with Maggie at Sapphire’s house the night before, she had arrived back home at some time after one in the morning. She had been dead-flat exhausted and upset with herself over how the whole thing ended.

By the time she had dashed out the back door of Sapphire’s house and into the yard, Cameron was long gone. She finally found Maggie wandering around blindly in the dark woods, desperately searching for the teenager. But it soon became evident he wouldn’t be found that night, so reluctantly they gave up the search. They had found what they came for and decided it was time to disappear into the night before anyone else stumbled upon their questionable activities.

So, emotionally and physically drained, they had trudged back to the Jeep, Candy lugging the bulging tote bag heavy with files and papers.

“That was... fun,” Maggie said on the way home, sounding not at all convincing. “We really should do that again sometime — like maybe in a decade or two.”

Candy had been too tired to smile. “I think our burgling career started and ended tonight.”

“You are so right about that.”

Once back at Blueberry Acres, Candy had emptied the tote bag of files onto the kitchen table, sat wearily, and spent the next half hour or so paging through Herr Georg’s file, trying to decipher some of the ancient, faded German documents within. But when she nearly fell asleep at the table, she finally gave up and crawled into bed.

Now it seemed that, much sooner than she expected, she would have a chance to talk to Herr Georg about what she had found.

As she rose, showered, dressed, and headed down to the kitchen, her mind was already churning, trying to figure out how she was going to broach the subject with him.

Downstairs, Doc was drinking a cup of coffee at the kitchen table. Sapphire’s files were piled neatly on the table in front of him. Candy couldn’t remember leaving them like that. Her brow furrowed as she realized Doc must have been looking through them. By the look on his face she knew instantly that he disapproved.

In silence, Candy walked to the counter, dropped a slice of bread into the toaster, and poured a cup of coffee. She moved about silverware and saucers and glasses, trying to fill the uncomfortable quietness. All the while she kept her back to Doc, but she could feel his eyes on her. She had seen him in these moods before — though rarely — and she wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

But there was no way around it. She had to face him. She turned, holding the cup of coffee up toward her face with two hands. He was looking right at her.

He pointed with the subtlest of gestures toward the files on the table. “What have you been up to?”

For a moment she was a child again, a little girl being admonished by her stern father. Old feelings she hadn’t experienced in decades sprang into her heart and mind. But then she reminded herself that she was a woman in her thirties, responsible for her own decisions, and that she had made those decisions for a very good reason.

“Dad, I’m trying to save Ray.”

“And these will help?” Doc tilted his head toward the files.

“They might. I think so, yes.”

Doc didn’t ask where the files came from; he seemed to know that answer — or if he didn’t, he didn’t seem to care. It was obvious that his concern was for Candy, and for her alone. With a foot he reached under the table and kicked back one of the chairs. “Have a seat.”

Candy looked at him suspiciously. “Okaaay.”

“I just want to talk for a few minutes,” Doc said as she sat down.

Candy placed the coffee cup on the table before her. “About what?”

“About you.”

“Me? What about me?”

“To be honest... I’m worried about you,” Doc said.

The toast popped up then, and Candy jumped up to place it on a plate and butter it. “Why are you worried about me?” she asked over her shoulder as she worked.

Doc sighed and waited until she had settled herself again, then leaned forward and folded his hands on the table in front of him. “Are you happy?”

Candy had taken a bite of the toast but stopped chewing at the question. “Am I happy?” she repeated with her mouth full, looking just a bit unglamorous.

“This whole thing with Sapphire and Ray, and the way you’ve become so... involved in it. It’s got me to thinking.”

Candy started chewing again, and this time swallowed before she spoke. “Dad, what’s on your mind?” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I have to leave soon. Herr Georg needs me to work in the shop.”

Doc nodded in acknowledgment, then got quickly to the point. “I’ve been watching you all week, and I realized that I haven’t seen you this dedicated to anything in a long time, not since you’ve moved up here — except for those damned chickens of yours. And it’s got me to thinking. Maybe you’re so involved with this Ray thing because you, well, because you haven’t had much direction in your life recently.”

Candy rolled her eyes. “Dad...”

Doc held up a hand. “Now hear me out. This is something I’ve got to say.” He took a deep breath, then continued. “When you were a little girl, you didn’t seem to know what you wanted to do when you grew up. Other little girls wanted to be teachers or doctors or lawyers or movie stars, but you had a hard time figuring it all out. Your mother and I were worried a bit about you then, but we knew eventually you’d find your way. And you did in college. You discovered a career, and then you met Clark, and for a while your life seemed to be on a fast