Read Online Sweet Revenge by Carolyn Keene - Free Book Online

can’t get toknow Jake in clothes that are covered with brownie batter!”
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    Nancy and George knocked on Dan Avery’s door, but there was no answer. He wasn’t in the basement playing Chocolate Trivia or taking a chocolate pastry class with Mrs. Tagley or participating in an auction of chocolate-related cooking supplies. In fact, he was nowhere to be found.
    â€œOkay, on to plan B,” Nancy said, running a hand through her hair. “Let’s try some members of the staff instead. The waiters who work in the dining room might have something to tell us.”
    Most of the waiting staff were too busy setting up for lunch to talk to Nancy and George, but two waitresses named Karen and Liz agreed to spare the girls a few minutes. After a brief explanation of her involvement in the case, Nancy asked, “Has either of you noticed anything in the kitchen that seems out of the ordinary? Even the smallest discrepancy could be a clue.”
    The two waitresses considered the question. “Well, Mrs. Tagley’s been in the kitchen more than usual,” said Liz slowly. She had a round face and curly dark hair. “It’s not exactly unusual, since so many of her desserts are being prepared for the festival. But it seems as though she’s in there constantly.”
    â€œIs she cooking or just checking up on things?” asked Nancy.
    â€œShe’s definitely not cooking,” said Karen immediately. “Mrs. Tagley hates to cook where people can watch her. Says she can’t concentrateif she feels like people are looking over her shoulder. She usually makes everything in the family’s private kitchen upstairs—you know, where her apartment is. Then she has the stuff brought down to the main kitchen.”
    Nancy was intrigued by this detail. She didn’t know what Mrs. Tagley’s motive might be. But Samantha’s mother certainly had the perfect opportunity to poison anything she made. “But what was she doing in the kitchen if she wasn’t cooking?”
    Both waitresses shrugged. “Beats me,” said Karen. “Maybe it makes her feel more in control.” She stared uneasily over her shoulder. “Uh, we should really go back to work.”
    Nancy thanked the waitresses for their time, then she and George headed back to Samantha’s office.
    â€œIt’s nice of you to keep me company,” Samantha said gratefully when they arrived. “All those guests staring at me is a little hard to take.” She reached for the telephone on her desk. “Let me just give a quick call down to room service and order us something.”
    â€œYou have room service here?” asked George.
    â€œYou can just get sandwiches, coffee, things like that.”
    â€œSounds good to me,” said Nancy cheerfully. The girls chatted until their order arrived, and then Nancy said, “I’ve been wanting to learn a little more about your background, Samantha. When did you meet Brock?”
    Samantha took a sip of iced tea. “Let me see,the summer after my freshman year. Brock was in summer stock here.” She smiled, remembering. “He was the lead in Brigadoon. It’s kind of hard to imagine when you see him playing a cop on TV, but he was great.”
    She took a bite of her turkey sandwich before continuing. “Oakwood’s got a pretty good summer stock company, considering we’re way out in the sticks like this. Actually, Brock grew up in an even tinier town than Oakwood, about thirty miles from here. I used to wonder if that was why my mother disapproved of him so much. Maybe she didn’t want me hanging around with someone who was from an even smaller town than I was.”
    â€œYour mother disapproved of Brock?” Nancy asked, glancing up alertly. “I didn’t realize that.”
    Samantha grimaced. “She practically bit my head off when I first mentioned his name. You