She smiled at him. “I suppose it was.”
“It’s yours.” He held up the sketchbook but didn’t hand it over. “And now that I’ve given it, might I make a suggestion?”
Puzzled, she cocked her head.
“We have already been contacted by a collector, a woman who is probably the most avid fan of Cantone in the world. She has heard word of the book and would like to buy it.”
Sam hesitated. She loved the book, loved looking at the artist’s sketches.
“This woman, you must understand, knew Cantone in his younger years. She . . . how do I say this delicately? . . . she probably was his lover, lived with him, in those dark times after his wife died. Most likely, she watched him with pencil in hand as he made many of those sketches.”
“Oh. Then you are absolutely right. She should have it.” Sam took a step back.
“I had a feeling you might say that.” He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. “That’s why I accepted this on your behalf.”
He pulled out a long white envelope and handed it to Sam.
“What’s this?” She pried up the flap. Inside was a check with so many zeros in the figure that it took her breath away.
“It—it’s too much. I can’t take this.” She started to hand it back but he raised his palm.
“But— How can it be—”
“The book is worth it to her. And she’s a woman who can afford it. Trust me.”
“But—what about the visitor’s center, the art school? Wouldn’t it be better spent there?”
“I’ve already told you, we have plenty for those projects. We want you to have this. Surely there’s something you can use the money for?”
Her eyes welled up. “Yes, there is something I’ve dreamed of for a very long time.” And she knew the perfect location. The tears spilled, dripping off her chin. “I’ll put it to good use.”
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at her face while she stood there helplessly. “Come, my dear. Let’s have some of that beautiful cake you made.”
What’s Next For Samantha Sweet?
Sam’s dream of opening her own pastry shop is coming true, but in the midst of opening Sweet’s Sweets Sam finds herself in the middle of another mystery.
Among the items Sam has carted off to the thrift shop from one of her break-in jobs is a heavily blood-stained garment that raises a lot of questions. The sheriff’s department takes over but the clues are elusive. Sam’s new man, Deputy Sheriff Beau Cardwell, has a tough time convincing his boss to treat the coat as evidence of a murder—it’s an election year and Sheriff Padilla doesn’t want bad press before he’s securely back in office.
But Sam has other tools at her disposal. A wooden box which came into her possession weeks earlier seems to give her the ability to see beyond the obvious. And when she begins to get strong impressions about some of the guests at her store’s grand opening gala, she figures out which course Beau should take in the investigation. Things heat up from all directions as Sam and Beau begin to work out the puzzle.
Watch for
Sweet’s Sweets
The Second Samantha Sweet Mystery
Coming in 2011