The Chocolate Spy Read online

  The Chocolate Spy

  A Crime-Solving Cousins Mystery

  Shannon L. Brown

  Sienna Bay Press

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to:

  Sienna Bay Press

  PO Box 158582

  Nashville, TN 37215

  www.shannonlbrown.com

  Copyright © 2017 Shannon L. Brown

  The Chocolate Spy/Shannon L. Brown—1st ed.

  ISBN: 978-1-945527-11-1

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  The Chocolate Spy (The Crime-Solving Cousins Mysteries, #3)

  FREE Lapbook

  Something’s Up

  Can You Keep a Secret?

  A Sweet Class

  Oops!

  The First Suspect

  I See You

  It’s a Mystery!

  The Secret’s Out

  Telling the Sheriff

  Bringing in Tony

  Swimming for Clues

  Sharing Suspicions

  Watch Your Step

  A Way Out

  The Second Suspect

  Sparkling Surprise

  Danger!

  More Chocolate

  Chocolate-Covered Clue

  Mystery Man

  Code Word: Spy

  Sticky Situation

  The Escape

  Safe & Surprised

  One More Mystery

  About Shannon

  Sign up for Shannon L. Brown's Mailing List

  Also By Shannon L. Brown

  Crime-Solving Cousins Mysteries

  The Feather Chase

  The Treasure Key

  The Chocolate Spy

  FREE Lapbook

  DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF the Mystery Writing Lapbook Kit that is tied to The Feather Chase here. (Ages 18 and older only please on this and all links in this ebook.)

  Once you’ve read The Chocolate Spy a review will be much appreciated. (Thank you in advance!)

  To all of the amazing readers of The Crime-Solving Cousins Mysteries,

  thank you for being part of Sophie and Jessica’s adventures!

  Something’s Up

  JESSICA BALLOW PUT her sunglasses on and lay down on her towel on Pine Lake’s sandy beach.

  Her cousin, Sophie Sandoval, sat on a beach towel next to her. “So what should we do now?”

  Jessica let out a big sigh. “This is pretty good. My heart isn’t racing every fifteen minutes now that we’ve wrapped up our last mystery. My summer in small-town Pine Hill has been much more exciting than I expected, even more exciting than back home in the big city of London, England.”

  “Even I’m not quite ready to search for a new mystery. But if one found me, I guess I’d be open.”

  Jessica laughed. “You are always ready for a mystery.”

  Sophie pointed into the distance. “Hey, there’s Tony over on Main Street, handing something out to people.”

  Jessica sat up and slid her sunglasses down her nose. “He’s coming this direction. Is my hair okay?” She smoothed her blonde hair, then tucked it behind her ears.

  Sophie looked her over. “Great, as usual.”

  They watched Tony Donadio make his way across the street and toward them on the sand. Tony’s parents owned Donadio’s Deli, where Jessica and Sophie often ate. He was also more than a little bit cute, went to the same church Sophie and Jessica attended, and was super smart like her.

  When he reached the girls, he handed a sheet of paper down to Sophie. Jessica leaned over to peer at it. On it was printed: Have a sweet summer. Learn how to make chocolates. Classes at Sweet Bites Chocolates now open.

  “Hmm,” said Sophie. “Are you interested, Jessica? It’s at a chocolate factory not far from here.”

  Jessica turned toward Sophie. “It doesn’t involve a mystery. And it’s chocolate? Do you even need to ask?”

  Sophie laughed, and Tony grinned.

  Tony said, “I knew you’d ordered hot fudge sundaes a couple of times over at the deli, but I didn’t realize you had a thing for chocolate.”

  “Oh yeah. The resort makes those awesome triple chocolate shakes, and there are the sundaes you’ve made for me at Donadio’s Deli. How could I have missed a chocolate factory while I’ve been visiting here?”

  “Not only is it a factory, but my uncle owns it. I’m handing these out for him.” Tony held up the stack of papers.

  “Your uncle?” Sophie asked. “My class went to see a chocolate factory a couple of years ago, but I thought it was owned by a family named the Wongs.”

  “My Uncle Sal bought it from them earlier this year. He lived all over the world while he was in the Army and wanted to settle down someplace when he got out.”

  “Your uncle learned to make candy in the military?” Sophie asked.

  Tony laughed. “No. He repaired helicopters in the army. Uncle Sal liked it here when he visited my family, the business was for sale, and he loves chocolate, so he was pretty excited to buy it. The good news is that my family gets samples every once in a while.”

  Jessica looked at the flyer again. “I wonder if we’ll get samples if we take this class.”

  Tony shrugged. “Probably.”

  Sophie sighed. “Jessica has been trying to get me to like chocolate. It’s okay. But I don’t want to run toward it every time I see some.”

  Jessica said, “And I do. For cousins, we’re very different.”

  “That’s true!” Tony and Sophie said together.

  The three of them laughed.

  “Sophie, let’s go see your mom and ask if we can take this class.”

  “I think Mom will be very happy to know where we are while the classes are going on—and that we aren’t in the middle of a mystery.”

  “You two managed to get into the middle of some danger with The Feather Chase and The Treasure Key,” Tony said.

  “Not just the two of us, Tony. You were right in the middle of it too. Three twelve-year-olds solved the mysteries.”

  Tony shrugged. “We have had some exciting times this summer. I hope you’ll let me know if you find another mystery.”

  Jessica shuddered. “Whew. I hope that doesn’t happen.”

  Sophie nudged Jessica with her elbow. “You know you had fun. But could we find another mystery this soon? Even I wonder about that.”

  A loud sound came from over the hills in the direction of Cutoff Trail. Sophie, Jessica, and Tony all turned toward it. A helicopter flew toward heir direction, barely above the many tall pine trees that gave this town its name. Sand blew around them as it passed overhead.

  Jessica covered her eyes with her hands, only pulling them away when the sound faded. The aircraft now hovered in the sky on the opposite side of town, then dropped below the trees and buildings.

  Sophie stood and brushed herself off. “Wow! A helicopter! I think it landed near the resort.”

  Jessica combed her hair with her fingers. “What’s so unusual about a helicopter? I see lots of them.”

  “Not in Pine Hill. I only remember seeing a couple. And it turned out later that someone was very sick, and the helicopter had come to take them to the hospital. Oh no! I hope everyone there is okay.”

  Sophie grabbed her towel and shook it out. Jessica stood and did the same. They both rolled their towels up as they started walking toward the helicopter’s landing spot at the top of a nearby hill with Tony at their side.

  When they crest
ed the hill and could see the front of the fancy resort hotel, they also saw people they knew crowded around in front of it. Businesses around town must have closed with the sound of the helicopter so their owners and workers could rush to see what had happened.

  Tony said, “There’s a landing pad on top of the resort. The construction crew came into our deli and bought lunch a few times while they were building it a few months ago. I didn’t think anyone would ever use it.”

  One person was pointing at the roof, so Jessica guessed it was as Tony had suggested: the aircraft had landed on the roof of the resort. Mrs. Bowman, the owner of Bananas Bakery, was among the onlookers, and they all knew her, so they hurried over there.

  When they reached her, the older woman glanced briefly at the trio, then returned her gaze to the roof. Before they could even ask what happened, Mrs. Bowman said, “Did you see it? A helicopter just landed up there. Tony’s dad went inside to check and make sure someone isn’t sick. If they are, we could get Doc Adams to come over here to help. The people working at the resort may not know about him.”

  Mr. Donadio came out of the resort with a smile on his face and said to the small crowd, “Everything’s fine. We can all leave. They had a guest arrive in a helicopter. I guess that can happen now that they have the helipad on the roof, so we don’t need to worry every time we hear the flapping sound of a helicopter.”

  Someone said, “Good!” and others agreed.

  “Mrs. Bowman and I should mention that you can have a wonderful lunch at Donadio’s Deli and follow it up with a delicious baked good, such as a muffin or a piece of cheesecake, over at Bananas Bakery.”

  “Please do,” added Mrs. Bowman.

  Smiles on faces told Jessica that some of the people in the crowd might do that.

  Jessica watched everyone walk away, including Tony, who headed back with his parents to the deli. “Sophie, do you think he minds working in the summer?”

  “No. I asked him once. He likes helping out his family, and he still gets to do other things, like when he works with us.” Sophie looked in the direction of the deli. “It’s downtown, so it’s also close to a lot of things.”

  “I’m not sure I’d be that nice,” Jessica said.

  Just then, a man came out of the resort and hurried away. He glanced over his shoulder as he went around the corner of the building and toward the center of Pine Hill. The man wore a suit and tie and sunglasses, and he reminded her very much of Agent Dallas, the FBI agent they’d met while working on a mystery.

  “Sophie? Did you see that man go around the side of the building?”

  Sophie turned back. “What? Where?”

  Jessica pointed.

  “Did he seem suspicious or mysterious?” Sophie asked with too much excitement in her voice, more than Jessica wanted to hear. She’d had enough of mysteries forever.

  Jessica shrugged, trying to act casual so that Sophie wouldn’t become too interested and try to follow him. “He was a man in a suit. I know you’ve said before that there aren’t very many of those in town.”

  “It’s probably just another man here to do business.”

  Jessica didn’t say anything, but she wondered about that. Could the helicopter have brought a new mystery to Pine Hill?

  Can You Keep a Secret?

  AFTER LEAVING THE RESORT, Sophie and Jessica hurried over to Great Finds, the antique shop owned by Sophie’s mother. When they got there, they pushed open the glass door, and a bell announced their arrival. Sophie called out, “Mom, it’s just us.”

  April Sandoval stepped into the doorway of her back room, drying her hands on a towel. “I was washing up some new teacups and vases.”

  “We went to see who was in the helicopter.”

  “Helicopter?” Mrs. Sandoval tossed the towel off to the side. “I guess I didn’t hear it over the running water. Who’s in trouble?”

  “No one,” Sophie answered. “It’s okay, Mom. I didn’t know that the resort had a helipad now, and it was just someone coming to stay there.”

  “I knew they’d built it, but I didn’t think anybody would ever use it.”

  Jessica smiled. “That’s what Tony said.”

  Sophie handed her mom the class announcement that Tony had given them, and she read it. Looking up at the two of them, she asked, “Do you want to go to this?”

  “Sure.” Sophie shrugged.

  Jessica nodded. “It’s chocolate.”

  “Well, it sounds like a good way for me to know where you are several mornings in the next week.” She glanced at the flyer. “I wonder why the classes skip days in between. Anyway, you’ll be there bright and early in the morning.”

  “Morning? I didn’t notice the time, Mom.” Sophie leaned over to read the paper again.

  “You’ll need to leave the house before me. If you come to Great Finds after class, you can help me. When you do, I’ll treat you to lunch at the deli. Jessica should like that.”

  Jessica smiled at the thought of seeing Tony at lunchtimes.

  “But Mom—”

  Mrs. Sandoval gave Sophie a look that told her she wouldn’t win this one.

  “Okay, Mom. The morning class.”

  Jessica wasn’t too happy about the time either. Morning definitely wasn’t her favorite part of the day.

  “Unless you don’t want to go, Jessica.”

  “I love chocolate, so I guess I’m willing to get up early.”

  With Sophie and Jessica looking over her shoulder, Mrs. Sandoval picked up the phone and dialed the number on the paper. “Sophie,” she said as she waited for someone to answer her call, “can you take the trash outside to the Dumpster, please? There’s some here and more in the back room.”

  “Sure, Mom,” Sophie answered. She picked up the trash can, which was full to the brim, and carried it out the back door. “Be right back,” she said to Jessica.

  As Jessica heard her aunt tell the person why she’d called, she glanced toward the window and saw Sheriff Valeska walk by the front of the shop. If anyone knew whether or not the FBI was back in town, the sheriff certainly would.

  “I’m going to run out and see if the sheriff knows who was in the helicopter, okay?” Her aunt gave a nod of agreement, so Jessica hurried outside. Anywhere else, she might have used her cell phone to ask her question, but with the hills surrounding Pine Hill, you never knew if a cell phone would work or not.

  The sheriff had stopped to talk to a man about half a block away. Jessica waited until the man walked off before she moved closer.

  When Jessica had met Sheriff Valeska the first time, she’d expected a sheriff to be hard-as-nails, like the sheriffs and police officers she’d seen on TV and in the movies. She’d been surprised to find a woman sheriff, and Sheriff Valeska did a great job. While she might not always appreciate Sophie’s tips about possible mysteries, because Sophie often saw mysteries when there weren’t any, she’d been very kind when they had found a real one. She’d also let them do some things that Jessica wasn’t sure every sheriff would allow kids to do.

  When the sheriff started in the opposite direction, Jessica called out, “Sheriff! Sheriff!”

  Sheriff Valeska turned back and paused to allow Jessica to catch up with her.

  “What can I help you with?”

  Jessica glanced around to make sure no one could overhear them. “I saw a man who might be an FBI agent. He was dressed like one. Are the FBI back in Pine Hill?”

  Sheriff Valeska stood there silently for a moment, then said, “Even if I knew, Jessica, I couldn’t tell you.”

  Jessica’s shoulders dropped. “Is there another mystery?”

  Sheriff Valeska paused again before saying, “You, Sophie, and Tony have worked together on other mysteries. Tony’s uncle owns the chocolate factory, you know.”

  Jessica nodded. “Sophie and I are going to take a chocolate-making class there starting tomorrow.” She hoped the word mysteries and the chocolate factory didn’t connect in any way.

 
Now it was Sheriff Valeska who turned to look around, and Jessica guessed she was also making sure no one could hear what she was about to say. Jessica hoped it was good news.

  “I can’t tell you very much . . .” The sheriff seemed to be gathering her thoughts and deciding how to say her next words. Finally, she said, “I’d like to ask you to keep your eyes open when you’re at the chocolate factory.”

  “Keep my eyes open? For what?”

  “Anything that seems not quite right.”

  This was starting to feel more like something Sophie would like to be involved in. “What does ‘not quite right’ mean?” When the sheriff didn’t answer, Jessica thought about what could be wrong in a chocolate factory. “A thief?”

  Sheriff Valeska shifted her hat farther back on her head. “Someone may not be who they say they are.”

  “A spy?”

  “I can’t tell you any more. Now, I have to ask three things of you. One, don’t tell anyone else. Two, anyone else means Sophie.”

  Oh no. She couldn’t tell mystery-loving Sophie about a possible mystery in her town?

  “We don’t know much yet,” the sheriff explained. “And Sophie has a way of getting herself in the middle of things.”

  Sophie did have a way of finding danger. “I won’t tell her right now. To protect her.”

  The sheriff nodded. “The third thing is that if you discover something, don’t talk to anyone about it but me. Don’t trust anyone else with this. Do you understand?”

  Panic surged through Jessica. Not only might there be another mystery in Pine Hill, but she alone could end up right at the center of it. She gulped. “I understand, Sheriff. I won’t let you down.”

  They said good-bye to each other, and Jessica went back to Great Finds where she found her aunt still on the phone, finishing up their reservations for the class. The class still sounded good, but Jessica now wondered what else she was signing up for.

  Sophie returned from trash duty. As she reached them, her mother was setting the phone down.

  Mrs. Sandoval said, “Class begins tomorrow. The woman on the phone, Erma Clayton, explained that they’re teaching the classes around the schedule for their orders. That’s why you’ll be there Wednesday, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday instead of four days in a row.”