Read Online Final Fondue (A Five-Ingredient Mystery) by Maya Corrigan - Free Book Online

can all meet at the harbor at eleven.”
    Noah laid his fork and knife on his empty plate. “What else is happening at the festival today, Mr. Myer?”
    “There’s a boat docking competition this afternoon. You might like that. The harbor, the park dock, and nearby farms will all have special events. Val can tell you more about them. She was in on the planning.”
    “The Chesapeake Bay retriever demo is always popular.” Val didn’t detect much interest among the bridal group in dogs playing fetch in the water. No point in telling them about the crustacean chalk circle. She couldn’t imagine these city dwellers rooting for crabs scuttling to the edge of a chalk-drawn circle. “You can visit a corn maze on a farm about fifteen minutes from town. It has paths carved through a cornfield that goes on for acres.”
    “I’ve never heard of a corn maze,” Sarina said.
    “The maze has clues to help you navigate.” Granddad pointed at Val with his thumb. “Ms. Trivia over there made up the questions. Answer correctly and you’ll get on the right path.”
    “How does it work, Val?” Noah asked.
    She pegged him as a fellow trivia buff. “You get a passport before you enter the maze and, once inside, you look for numbered signposts. When you see one, you answer the question in your passport that corresponds with the number. A correct answer tells you the next turn you have to make to get out of the maze.”
    “And an incorrect one leads you deeper into the corn jungle,” Sarina said.
    “You’ll hit another sign before long. Every group gets a flag on a stick to take into the maze. You can use it to signal if you’re lost.” Val raised her arm and waved an imaginary flag. “The corn cops will find you and lead you back to the right path.”
    Granddad nodded. “At night the corn maze turns into an open-air haunted house. Scary scarecrows and sound effects.” He pretended to be a monster about to pounce.
    Jennifer smiled for the first time since she came downstairs. “I’ve never been in a haunted maze, but I love haunted houses.”
    “You may want to go to the outdoor concert tonight at the festival park.” Val certainly preferred a concert to a haunted maze.
    The house phone rang. She jumped up to answer it in the front hall. The caller ID read Florida and a phone number Val recognized as her mother’s. How would Mom react to the news about the murder?
    Val decided to put off telling her. “Hi, Mom. I’m in a hurry. I have to leave for the festival.”
    “I won’t keep you long. Your father’s gone on a weekend fishing trip to the Keys. I decided to take a little trip myself. I’m sitting on a plane waiting for takeoff.”
    “Exciting. Where are you going?’
    “To Baltimore-Washington Airport. Then I’ll rent a car and drive to Bayport.”
    Oh, no. “Didn’t Granddad tell you we have tourists staying in the upstairs bedrooms for the weekend?”
    “He told me, but I thought one of them might not show up or would check out early. If not, there are plenty of hotels between Bayport and Baltimore.”
    “Everybody showed up.” And one checked out early. If Mom was coming to town, she’d hear about the murder soon enough. Val had better prepare her for it. “A woman who came here for the weekend was murdered last night.”
    “ Another mur— ” Mom broke off, probably not wanting nearby passengers to hear her. “Tell me more.”
    Val gave her a brief summary, leaving the worst for last. “It happened in our backyard.” She heard nothing in response. Either the call had been dropped, or Mom was too stunned to speak.
    “When I was growing up,” Mom said at last, “we never had any crime in Bayport, and now this happens in the backyard. The flight attendant just said to shut off electronic devices.”
    “Have a good flight, and don’t worry about the murder. The police will probably solve it by the time you arrive.” Val didn’t believe it, but maybe her mother would.
    “The police