He finally looked me in the eye, and seeing the hurt look on his face almost broke my heart. “I’m sorry I stormed off that day. And I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch. I should’ve explained all this sooner, I guess.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m sorry, too. Let’s just forget about it. Start over.”
“Deal,” he said.
“Good.”
We kept walking.
“So, did you ever figure out who’s been messing with Sonya’s Sweets?” he asked.
“Not yet,” I said. “But I think I’m close. There are two possibilities, actually—or maybe two people are working together, although I’m not sure how or why. But did you know that Jonas Adams has family who still live in the neighborhood? His great-grandson is in college, actually.”
“You think his family could be behind the whole thing?” asked Milo.
“Maybe,” I said. “And there’s also this surly Girl Scout I know who’s totally obsessed with Girl Scout cookie sales. She was at the opening; I know because I have a picture of her. And yet she keeps denying it. So I have this weird hunch.”
“Huh,” said Milo. “Your weird hunches usually turn into something.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, nodding. “And hopefully this one is no exception.”
I told Milo I had to get home, take a shower, and go through my notes again.
We parted ways, and I was just a few blocks from my house when I nearly ran right into someone familiar. Two someones, that is: Joshua and Felicity from Sonya’s Sweets, except they were nowhere near the soda fountain. They were standing on the corner. Oh, and they were kissing.
Yup. That’s right. Kissing.
I stopped and started backing up, intent on going in another direction to avoid them, but then Joshua spotted me and broke away.
“Hey, Maggie!” he said. “Wait!”
I had no choice but to approach. Still, seeing Sonya’s crush making out with Felicity, Sonya’s cousin? It was the last thing I expected to see, and the last thing I wanted to see.
But suddenly something major clicked into place.
Sonya had been complaining about all of Felicity’s late-night texting. The person she’d been texting with called himself JAM.
Joshua’s last name was Marcus. Joshua Marcus. Could JAM be his initials? And if so, what did the A stand for?
I thought about the mini-chocolate-bar tattoo on Joshua’s wrist. And how he was always talking about his family recipes. And how Jonas Adams, Brooklyn’s King of Chocolate, had a great-grandson who’d just started college, and was still living in Park Slope.
Maybe Joshua’s middle name was Adams, and he’s Jonas Adams’s great-grandson.
Could it be? There was only one way to find out.
“Hey, what’s your middle name?” I asked Joshua.
He turned to me, surprised. “What do you mean?” he asked as a panicky expression flashed across his face.
“It’s Adams, isn’t it?” I asked.
“What are you talking about?” Felicity asked.
“He’s JAM,” I said, pointing to Joshua. “Joshua Adams Marcus. That’s what you call him when you text each other, right?”
“Yes, he’s JAM,” said Felicity. “But why do you care about his middle name?”
“Because I think he’s named Adams after his great-grandfather,” I said, definitely aware of the fact that Joshua hadn’t yet denied this.
“Wait,” said Felicity, turning to Joshua. “Who is your great-grandfather?”
Joshua turned bright red. “It’s Jonas Adams, but please don’t tell anyone. It’s embarrassing.”
“Tell anyone what?” asked Felicity.
“That my great-grandfather founded Adams Chocolate,” said Joshua.
“Why would you hide something like that?” asked Felicity. “Adams Chocolate is delicious.”
“I know,” said Joshua. “But I never tell people that, because I want to succeed on my own, not because my great-grandfather created Adams Chocolate.”
“I don’t see how sabotaging Ricki’s store is going to make you successful,” I said.
“Um, what are you talking about?” asked Joshua.
“You’re trying to eliminate the competition, right?” I asked. “That’s why you broke the picture window, switched the salt and sugar, and made the chocolate chips disappear.”
“Wait, I’m the one who found the chocolate chips,” he said.
That’s what you told people, I thought but didn’t say. “Maybe you found them because you’re the one who hid them,” I said.
“But I already told you,” said Felicity, “I’m the one who poured the salt into the sugar bowl.”
“But Joshua told me he did it,” I said. “And one of you has got to be lying, unless you’re working together.”
“No, I was lying,” said Joshua, “because I didn’t want to get Felicity in trouble. As for the picture window, I have no idea who broke it. But I promise you I’m doing everything I can to make sure Sonya’s Sweets is a success. I feel lucky to have that job, and Ricki’s doing incredible things with the store. I wouldn’t do anything to harm anyone.”
I studied Joshua. He seemed sincere. And something about his plea made me believe him.
“So you don’t know anything about the picture window?” I asked.
“Sorry,” said Joshua.
“You should go,” Felicity said to him suddenly. “I need to talk to Maggie alone.”
“Are we okay here?” Joshua asked me. “Do you believe me?”
I thought about this for a few moments. “I do,” I said.
“And you’ll keep my secret?” asked Joshua. “I promise you, I am not trying to mess with Ricki’s business.”
“Okay,” I said. “Sure.”
“Thank you.” He put his hands together and bowed a small bow. Then he turned to Felicity. “Text me later,” he said.
“Of course, Jammy,” said Felicity. She waved goodbye, and as soon as Joshua was out of sight she pulled me to the curb and sat me down.
“Okay, Maggie. What you saw? You’ve got to promise me you won’t tell anyone.”
“I can’t believe you’d do this to your own cousin.”
“Look, I can explain. I’ve been hiding this to spare Sonya. I know she has an enormous crush on Joshua, and that’s exactly why I insisted we keep our relationship a secret. I didn’t want her to get hurt, but the fact remains that I like him, too. And he’s actually my age. It’s, like, okay for us to be together. I’m not doing anything wrong.”
The way Felicity said this made it seem as though she wanted me to say that everything she did was okay. And some of it was okay: if she liked Joshua and Joshua liked her, then of course they could be together. They were both adults, or almost adults—more adult than me and my friends, anyway. But sneaking around and lying to her cousin? And then asking me to lie about what I saw? That was wrong, and there was no way I was going to let her get away with it.
“You can tell Sonya whatever you want. Or don’t tell her anything, but I can’t keep this a secret. She’s one of my best friends.”
“Exactly,” said Felicity. “I love her, too. That’s why I think she should be spared the pain.”
I shook my head. “No. It’s not fair.”
Felicity hid her head in her hands. “This is a disaster. I never should’ve come to New York. I knew I’d mess things up. Ricki and Sonya have been so nice to me, welcoming me into their home and giving me a job, and I’ve been terrible to them.”
“So it’s you?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” asked Felicity.
“Are you the one trying to shut down Sonya’s Sweets?”
Felicity looked at me and laughed. “No! Why would I do that? I love my aunt and my cousin. And I know I’m lucky to be here. It’s just—I can’t work at the soda fountain. I’m no good at it.”
I couldn’t exactly argue with Felicity. She was a horrible employee. “Are you sure you’re not trying to ru
in things there on purpose? Like, maybe you think if it had to close down, you wouldn’t have to work there anymore?”
“What are you talking about?” asked Felicity.
“Well,” I said, “you and Joshua were laughing right after the window got smashed. And you forgot to mail the electric bill. And, I don’t know—you keep spilling stuff.”
Felicity laughed again. “Believe it or not, Maggie, those are honest mistakes. I’m not guilty of sabotaging the store. I’m only guilty of vanity.”
“Huh?” I asked.
“Hold on. I’ll show you.” Felicity opened up her purse, dug around in it for a few moments, and then pulled out a thick pair of glasses, which she put on her face.
“You wear glasses?” I asked.
Felicity nodded, blinking behind her thick lenses. The frames were dark purple and chunky. They were so ugly they were cool. Or at least they would be on someone else; on Felicity they just seemed wrong.
“Try to tell me I don’t look hideous in these,” she said. “My eyes are so weak I can’t even wear contacts, so I’m supposed to have these on all the time.”
I tried to look at Felicity objectively. She definitely looked different, but not hideous. Not that I should have to reassure her at the moment. And then my mind began to shift gears, as some things—but not everything—fell into place.
“It was you who mixed up the salt and sugar,” I said. “Right? And Joshua lied for you because he likes you?”
“Yup.” Felicity nodded. “He didn’t want me to get into trouble. Ricki was already upset with me because I’d dropped an entire case of straws on the floor, which was still wet from when I tipped over the mop bucket earlier.”
“That’s sweet of him,” I said.
“I know,” said Felicity. “He’s a sweet guy. And I know it was inappropriate to laugh right after everyone was freaking out about the baseball that broke the window, but I couldn’t help myself. Joshua made this really funny joke and I lost it.”
“Wait,” I said. “What baseball?”
“The one that went through the window,” Felicity said, as if it were obvious. “Hold on a second.” She dug through her bag and pulled out a baseball, holding it up to me triumphantly.
I took the ball and turned it over in my hands. “Where did you get this?” I asked.
“I just told you,” Felicity said impatiently. “I picked it up off the floor after it sailed through the window.”
“So a baseball broke the window?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “Didn’t you know that?”
“No one knew that,” I said. “We’ve been trying to figure it out forever. This changes everything. This is important evidence.”
“Really?” asked Felicity, tilting her head to one side and squinting. “I never thought of it that way.”
“Then why have you been carrying it around for two weeks?” I asked.
She smiled and blushed and looked down at the sidewalk. “Joshua and I kissed for the first time on opening day, and I wanted to keep the baseball so I’d never forget about it.”
“Isn’t that kind of a strange souvenir?” I asked. “Why not keep your paper hat, for instance? Or maybe a spoon?”
“Huh,” said Felicity. “I guess I could have, if I hadn’t already lost my hat. But the thing is, you can’t argue with matters of the heart, Maggie.”
I let out a laugh. “What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I heard it in a movie once, and I liked the way it sounded.”
I had a bunch of questions I could’ve asked, but decided not to. Something told me that the normal rules of logic just didn’t apply to Felicity. “Um, that’s really sweet,” I said, trying not to lose my patience. “But I think you probably should’ve told me about this. And your aunt Ricki, who’s thinking about shutting down her store because of all of this unexplained stuff.”
Felicity looked at me guiltily. “She does seem kind of stressed, I suppose. I probably should’ve asked her why. I guess I’ve been preoccupied.”
“Obviously,” I said as I stood up and backed away.
“Wait,” said Felicity. “Can I get my ball back?”
“No, I need to figure out where this came from.”
“But it’s mine,” she said. “And I’ll tell you where it came from. One of the kids at the opening threw it.”
“Who?” I asked.
Felicity cringed. “I can’t tell you because he swore me to secrecy.”
“But he committed a crime!” I said.
“It was an accident,” said Felicity. “A simple mistake. The poor kid threw the ball to his friend, and didn’t realize his friend wasn’t paying attention.”
This time it was my turn to laugh. “You mean the whole thing was an accident?”
Felicity nodded.
“Are you positive about that?” I asked.
She nodded again.
“You’re not just making it up? I need to know. This is very important.”
“I swear to you,” said Felicity. “This kid came up to me and asked for the ball back because he was worried about getting into trouble. And I promised him if I could keep it, I’d never tell.”
“So he didn’t have it out for the store or anything,” I said. “The note had nothing to do with the shattered window?”
Felicity shook her head. “He loves Sonya’s Sweets. He’s been back almost every day since. He’s addicted to Joshua’s Key lime pie. I don’t blame him; it’s spectacular.”
“Okay. Thanks for the information. Is there anything else you think I should know?” I asked.
“Nope,” said Felicity. “I think that covers it. Um, you’re not going to tell Sonya about me and Joshua, right?”
“Nope,” I said, tossing the ball in the air and catching it again.
Felicity seemed relieved, but only until she heard my next words.
“I’m not going to tell her, because you’re going to.”
Felicity started to argue but then seemed to think better of it. “Do I get the baseball back, at least?”
I tossed it back to her, but she missed and it rolled off the sidewalk. Felicity started to dart after it, but I stopped her because a car was speeding down the street.
Once the coast was clear and we recovered the ball, Felicity thanked me. Then she took off her glasses, put them in her purse, and tripped over a gigantic crack in the sidewalk.
“Maybe you should wear them home,” I suggested.
“Maybe I will,” Felicity grumbled.
Chapter 21
Lulu called me later that night. “You left Beatrix’s in such a hurry this morning. Is everything okay?”
“Everything is great,” I said. “I talked to Milo and we’re good—and I’m pretty close to figuring out who’s been messing with Sonya’s Sweets.”
“Cool! Who is it?” she asked.
“Long story. And I don’t want to name any names until I get hard evidence.”
After I hung up, I wrote down some thoughts.
Joshua is the great-grandson of Jonas Adams, Brooklyn’s King of Chocolate. And yet, he is innocent.
The shattered picture window happened by accident.
Felicity is a huge klutz, and pretty absentminded, too. But she’s not guilty, either.
So only one person could’ve written the note: Clementine.
I slammed my notebook shut, realizing that all I had to do now was prove it.
After school the next day, I hurried to Beckett’s apartment. I owed his dog a walk, and I owed his moms an explanation.
Luckily, Caroline was home. She and Beckett were baking cupcakes, both of them up to their elbows in flower and sugar.
“Hi, Maggie!” she said.
“Hi,” I replied. “Guess what? I met the ghost of Margaret this weekend.”
“Hmm?” asked Caroline, concerned and probably wondering whether it was time to relieve me of my dog-walking duties.
“Turns out, Beckett’s imaginary friend is real!” I told her.
“Please don’t talk about G-H-O-S-T-S in front of B-E-C-K-E-T-T.”
“B-E-C-K-E-T-T spells Beckett!” Beckett told me proudly.
“Good job, sweetie,” his mom said, kissing him on the top of his head.
I explained the whole story, without using the word “ghost.” “So if you want me to babysit, just know I’m not crazy. My brother isn’t, either. And since I already have a job walking dogs, maybe you should get in touch with him.”
“Oh, Mommy, please can Finn babysit again?” asked Beckett.
“Sure,” Caroline said. “Maybe this Saturday. I’ll give him a call, okay?”
“Do we have to wait until Saturday?” asked Beckett. “That’s so far away!”
I left Caroline and Beckett to figure things out and took Nofarm out for a quick spin around the block. After dropping him off back home, I went to apartment 4A and knocked three times.
Clementine answered the door and didn’t seem exactly thrilled to see me. “What do you want now?” she asked.
“That’s an excellent question,” I said, walking into the apartment. “For one thing, I’d like to know why you want Sonya’s Sweets to go out of business.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Clementine.
“Don’t deny it,” I said. “I know you were behind the note. It was written on the back of one of your cookie boxes. And I know you signed for that delivery for Sonya’s Sweets, too.”
“What delivery?” she asked.
“The giant box of chocolate chips that you ditched in the alley next to your building—Samoa!”
Clementine put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at me. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I wondered how I was going to get her to admit the truth, and then I noticed something at her feet.
“What’s in the box?” I asked, trying to keep the smile off my face.
“Girl Scout cookies,” Clementine replied quickly.
Secrets at the Chocolate Mansion Page 15