The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase Read online

  As he turned off the light, he felt a little silly for letting the chickens (and Henry!) scare him off. But as he drifted to sleep with the smells of the new candy he’d collected mixing with the old chocolate odor from his suitcase, Logan knew he wouldn’t need the puzzle to remind him of his grandfather anyway. Almost everything he knew about candy he’d learned from Samuel Sweet. That knowledge lived inside him. He would take it everywhere he went, and it wouldn’t even need to fit in a suitcase.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Tuesday

  Logan could hardly contain himself. He shifted his weight from side to side and had to concentrate on keeping his feet on the floor and not jumping up and down. He and his parents stood by Miles and his parents, who stood next to Philip, who had worn a tie for the occasion. Only a handful of others would be the first to see the Harmonicandy come down the belt. The head candymakers from each room were there, including Fran, from the Taffy Room; Avery, from the Tropical Room; Paulo, from the Bee Room; and of course Steve and Lenny. Sabrina, the head of advertising, and three other “suits” from the sales and marketing teams ran in just as Max pressed the button to start the machine. He’d offered to let Philip do the job, but Philip had declined. The gears began to move, and a cheer went up from the small crowd.

  Outside, hundreds of employees and guests were waiting on the great lawn for the Kickoff to officially begin. The crowd included the judges from the candymaking contest, who always got to celebrate the newest winner. They would also be presenting Philip with his winning plaque, just like the ones in the front lobby of the factory. The Candymaker had bought everyone plastic harmonicas to practice with, so the crowd was no doubt keeping busy while they waited.

  “Here they come!” Miles shouted. He pointed as the first tray of naked Harmonicandies slid under the enrober and chocolate cascaded down upon them. He really didn’t need to point, as all eyes had been glued on that first tray. A dozen more trays followed right behind it. They’d all be wheeled outside so everyone could try them together.

  Amid his joy, Logan felt a pang of sadness that Daisy couldn’t be there. She loved the enrober even more than he did, and he loved it a lot. They’d all tried to reach her, and no one had heard back. He couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere other than where he stood right then. But if he were the world’s best teenage spy, maybe he wouldn’t want to leave his supersecret assignment to watch a candy bar being made. Daisy was probably on the other side of the world, rescuing a kidnapped princess or recovering a priceless work of art.

  The trays moved past them toward the cooling tunnel, where it would take five minutes for the Harmonicandies to solidify. When the real ones were ready to be packaged for sale in a few weeks, the tray would have a longer journey. After cooling, it would flip over, gently releasing the Harmonicandies onto the belt and funneling them, one at a time, into the wrapping machines. At the end of the line, they would drop into a specially made box that would cushion each one so the inner workings of the harmonica wouldn’t get crushed.

  Each person cheered as the first tray passed in front of them. Philip just wiped away a tear. He didn’t even try to hide it. Logan was at the end of the line. When the tray reached him, he cheered like the rest of them. How would they wait until all these had cooled before they tasted one?

  The Candymaker’s walkie-talkie buzzed, and he stepped away from the group to answer it. The rest of the group watched the clock, counting down the seconds. But when the Candymaker returned, his eyebrows were scrunched together. Everyone stopped talking and gathered around him.

  “What is it?” Logan’s mother asked. “Is everything okay?”

  The Candymaker paused. “I hope so. Big Billy from Mmm Mmm Good is here.”

  “So?” Mrs. Sweet said. “You invited lots of other candymakers, right?”

  He nodded. “Yes, but he just told the crowd he had an announcement to make after the unveiling of the Harmonicandy.”

  “You don’t think he changed his mind about letting us produce some of his candy, do you?”

  Mr. Sweet shook his head. “I hope not. It’s his choice, of course. Maybe he thinks we’ll be too busy with the Harmonicandy to give his the time they deserve.”

  “Come now, Richard,” Henry said, stepping forward. “Nothing’s wrong till something’s wrong, right? This is a day of celebration. We’ll worry about Big Billy if he gives us something to worry about.”

  “You are wise beyond your years,” the Candymaker said, putting his hand on Henry’s shoulder.

  “There ain’t much left beyond my years!” Henry joked.

  Logan relaxed. His dad and Henry had been having that exchange for as long as Henry had been handing out advice. Which was as long as Logan could remember.

  “The first batch is done!” Max announced, transferring the now-cooled tray to the bottom shelf of the cart. “You can all go join the party, and I’ll wheel these out as soon as the rest are cooled off.”

  Logan, Miles, and Philip lagged behind as the others filed out. “I’d like to stay,” Philip said.

  “I bet your family’s anxious to see you,” Max said.

  “They’re not here.” Philip said it like he didn’t care, but Logan wondered whether he really did. It seemed as though Philip was very used to his dad’s not coming to things.

  “I’m here,” a man’s voice said from behind them.

  They turned around to find Reggie heading into the room. Logan had begun to suspect that Reggie meant more to Philip than just someone who worked for his father.

  “What are you doing here?” Philip asked, two red patches appearing on his cheeks. “I said you didn’t need to come.”

  Logan cringed to hear Philip talk to Reggie that way.

  Reggie held up Philip’s violin case. “You left this in the car.”

  Philip looked surprised. He mumbled thanks, took a quick peek inside like he was making sure his violin was still in there, and stuck the case in a cabinet.

  Max’s assistants had been busy pulling the finished trays off the belt, and the carts were now full. “We’re ready to introduce the Harmonicandy to the world,” Max said. “Boys, a little help?” Logan and Miles each grabbed a cart and lined up behind Max. Philip got behind the last one, giving Reggie one more wary glance.

  The bright sunshine was a stark contrast to the last time Logan had stood in that spot outside the back door, only ten hours before. The shooting stars seemed almost like a dream. Now balloons and banners hung from trees, boxes of chocolate pizza sat piled high on picnic tables, and colorful beach balls flew through the air, chased by laughing kids. It was a beautiful sight, and Logan’s heart swelled.

  The crowd welcomed him and Miles and Philip with cheers and chants of “Harmonicandy! Harmonicandy!” They had the honor of handing out a Harmonicandy to each person lined up in front of their cart. If some of the people Logan handed them to looked a few seconds too long at his hand or arm or face (which some definitely did), he refused to let it bother him. He thought again that it wasn’t fair that Daisy had to miss this, even if she was out saving the world somewhere. Philip caught his eye and smiled at him. A real, genuine smile, which was rare for him. Logan smiled back extra wide.

  When everyone had a Harmonicandy clutched (but not too hard!) in his or her hand, the Candymaker stood at the podium to make a speech. He gestured for Philip to join him, then spoke about having dreams, about the joy of teamwork and of believing in oneself. Logan knew people were still giving him sideways glances and whispering that he was probably wishing he were standing up there instead of Philip. But he wasn’t. He was too excited about taking the first bite of the Harmonicandy before it melted.

  It had been four months since he’d last tasted one, and that was four months too long. He knew back then that they’d created something special, and it wasn’t only that the candy bar played music. Somehow the ingredients had combined to taste so much better than the sum of their parts. He’d always regretted that they hadn’t made any extra c