behind the plumbing, flushed, then washed my hands. With a deep breath, I opened the door.
Aunt Eunice waited, arms crossed and foot tapping. “What are you doing?”
“Uh, using the restroom?”
“Fastest time ever recorded if you did. What was in the box?”
“Nothing.” Well, the first box was empty, kind of, except for the thing inside. I glanced to where the outward packaging still rested on the counter.
“Summer, you’re a terrible liar.” She pushed me out of the way and stepped into the small space. I closed my eyes and waited. Before I counted to five, my aunt screamed and dashed back out.
“I tried to hide it from you.”
The odor of burnt peanuts permeated the candy store. “The brittle!” Grabbing a hot pad from a nearby shelf, I darted to save my candy. The mixture had moved past the greenish tinge of perfectly cooked peanut brittle to the dark brown of scorched nuts. This obviously wasn’t a candy-making day. I turned off the gas and started scooping for the second time.
“I’m calling Jo ~Rdanice waitee. This is getting out of hand.” Aunt Eunice marched to the phone hanging on the wall, punched in some numbers, then demanded to speak with her nephew. After disconnecting, she turned to me. “He’s on his way. Said not to do anything with the box. He also said not to touch it. He isn’t talking about the rat, is he? He doesn’t think we’d actually touch that thing, does he?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m sure it’s the box he means.” Joe would be furious to know I’d carried then tucked the offending item behind the toilet. It wouldn’t help that Aunt Eunice’s fingerprints were also on it. We couldn’t leave it out front for a customer to see. My throat constricted at the thought of Ethan’s reaction. How much could he take and still be supportive?
Maybe things were getting dangerous, but I could handle it. The few times I’d gone to my self-defense classes would help. I could do a roundhouse kick with the best of them. Maybe. If I had to.
I poured boiling water over the sticky mess on the sides of the vat, washing the gunk to the bottom. After covering the congealed mess, I lit the fire to steam the last of it from the copper sides. If only life were that easy. Light a fire, and steam away the hardest part.
The bell over the door jingled. Joe stormed in. Aunt Eunice bustled to meet him. I stayed right where I was.
“Joe, we got us a chocolate-covered crime. Right in there behind the toilet.” Perfect. After getting over her fear of the dead rodent, Aunt Eunice grew witty.
Joe’s eyebrows rose so high that if he’d had bangs, they would have disappeared. “You said you received a threatening package. What’s it doing in the bathroom?”
My aunt planted her fists on her hips. “Summer put it there. Tried to hide it from me so I’d find it and be surprised. I almost had a heart attack.”
“I did not. I wanted to keep you from finding it and freaking out. My heart was in the right place.” Where did the ideas in my aunt’s head come from?
“Who delivered it?” Joe stepped past us and into the bathroom. He nudged the box with his toe.
“The rat’s dead, Joe. It won’t hurt you. Some little boy brought it in.” I lifted the package and thrust it toward him. “Here. Other than mine and Aunt Eunice’s fingerprints, it ought to be clean.”
“A rat?” He drew back like it would bite him.
What a baby! I pushed the box into his chest. Joe put his hands up. So much for my not touching it anymore. “Didn’t Aunt Eunice tell you what had been delivered?”
Exaggerating my movements, I stomped to where we kept our plastic garbage bags, ripped one from the roll, dropped the disgusting rat’s coffin inside, then handed it to my cousin. “Better?” And him a big cop with a gun.
Joe grimaced and took the bag. “Did you question the boy? What did he look like?”
“Question him? Why? He delivered a package. There wasn’t a reason to suspect
Aunt Eunice waited, arms crossed and foot tapping. “What are you doing?”
“Uh, using the restroom?”
“Fastest time ever recorded if you did. What was in the box?”
“Nothing.” Well, the first box was empty, kind of, except for the thing inside. I glanced to where the outward packaging still rested on the counter.
“Summer, you’re a terrible liar.” She pushed me out of the way and stepped into the small space. I closed my eyes and waited. Before I counted to five, my aunt screamed and dashed back out.
“I tried to hide it from you.”
The odor of burnt peanuts permeated the candy store. “The brittle!” Grabbing a hot pad from a nearby shelf, I darted to save my candy. The mixture had moved past the greenish tinge of perfectly cooked peanut brittle to the dark brown of scorched nuts. This obviously wasn’t a candy-making day. I turned off the gas and started scooping for the second time.
“I’m calling Jo ~Rdanice waitee. This is getting out of hand.” Aunt Eunice marched to the phone hanging on the wall, punched in some numbers, then demanded to speak with her nephew. After disconnecting, she turned to me. “He’s on his way. Said not to do anything with the box. He also said not to touch it. He isn’t talking about the rat, is he? He doesn’t think we’d actually touch that thing, does he?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m sure it’s the box he means.” Joe would be furious to know I’d carried then tucked the offending item behind the toilet. It wouldn’t help that Aunt Eunice’s fingerprints were also on it. We couldn’t leave it out front for a customer to see. My throat constricted at the thought of Ethan’s reaction. How much could he take and still be supportive?
Maybe things were getting dangerous, but I could handle it. The few times I’d gone to my self-defense classes would help. I could do a roundhouse kick with the best of them. Maybe. If I had to.
I poured boiling water over the sticky mess on the sides of the vat, washing the gunk to the bottom. After covering the congealed mess, I lit the fire to steam the last of it from the copper sides. If only life were that easy. Light a fire, and steam away the hardest part.
The bell over the door jingled. Joe stormed in. Aunt Eunice bustled to meet him. I stayed right where I was.
“Joe, we got us a chocolate-covered crime. Right in there behind the toilet.” Perfect. After getting over her fear of the dead rodent, Aunt Eunice grew witty.
Joe’s eyebrows rose so high that if he’d had bangs, they would have disappeared. “You said you received a threatening package. What’s it doing in the bathroom?”
My aunt planted her fists on her hips. “Summer put it there. Tried to hide it from me so I’d find it and be surprised. I almost had a heart attack.”
“I did not. I wanted to keep you from finding it and freaking out. My heart was in the right place.” Where did the ideas in my aunt’s head come from?
“Who delivered it?” Joe stepped past us and into the bathroom. He nudged the box with his toe.
“The rat’s dead, Joe. It won’t hurt you. Some little boy brought it in.” I lifted the package and thrust it toward him. “Here. Other than mine and Aunt Eunice’s fingerprints, it ought to be clean.”
“A rat?” He drew back like it would bite him.
What a baby! I pushed the box into his chest. Joe put his hands up. So much for my not touching it anymore. “Didn’t Aunt Eunice tell you what had been delivered?”
Exaggerating my movements, I stomped to where we kept our plastic garbage bags, ripped one from the roll, dropped the disgusting rat’s coffin inside, then handed it to my cousin. “Better?” And him a big cop with a gun.
Joe grimaced and took the bag. “Did you question the boy? What did he look like?”
“Question him? Why? He delivered a package. There wasn’t a reason to suspect
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