Christmas Canapés & Sabotage: a Culinary Competition Mysteries holiday short story Read Online Free Page B

doors, with foam sample boxes still balanced on top of coolers and storage bins. Something obviously was happening, and it didn't appear to be good. When Amy made it to the table, she found out what the fuss was about.
    "An apparent power surge broke all of the cold storage equipment we had set up for this event. Replacements are on the way, but in the meantime we are asking that everybody go into the conference room to the left," a woman with long, wavy hair the color of pumpkin explained. "At this point it looks like we'll be running about half an hour behind schedule. If you are afraid your cooler won't keep something sufficiently chilled, the patio doors are unlocked to place food outside. It's only fifteen degrees, so everything should keep fine. All samples will be turned in after the replacement equipment arrives, and then the ballroom will be opened for the competition."
    Even though it was cold enough outside to make a polar bear happy, Amy didn't need to stash any of her food on the patio. She had lined the super-insulated coolers with ice packs. The dips, winter fruit salad, and vegetables would stay perfectly chilled for hours.
    Amy grabbed the brass handles on the cart and tried to steer it toward the conference room. It was sort of like grabbing a stubborn bull by the horns and trying to move it backward as the swivel wheels sunk into the plush carpet. How did bellhops make it look so easy? The long-sleeved white shirts they all wore were probably hiding biceps that would make a body builder jealous. Finally she made it into the large room and maneuvered along the wall to an open spot near the mini kitchen at the far end.
    "Well this is a bit inconvenient," Bea said as she arrived dragging a cart behind her. "I guess I had better get these sample cartons back in a cooler."
    Amy nodded. In the chaos she had forgotten about her samples hanging out on top of the cooler. "It's pretty unusual to have all of the refrigeration equipment break at the same time, don't you think?"
    Bea shrugged as she unlatched the cooler lid. She had let her usual super-short spiked hairstyle grow out a bit. The pixie cut looked wonderful with her heart-shaped face. "If it was a power surge, those can do a lot of damage. At least people can stash food outside to keep cold if they need to. This would've been a disaster for quite a few people if it was held in the middle of summer instead of the winter."
    Amy surveyed the crowd. There were a lot of people heading outside. An almost constant glacial breeze puffed across the room as people walked through the French doors to deposit containers full of food in the snow banks along the sidewalk. The big windows that overlooked a garden in the summer were like glass doors on the makeshift refrigerator now. Hotel workers circulated through the crowd, offering masking tape and markers to people who wanted to label their containers. "I always make sure I have plenty of ice in my coolers to keep food cold, no matter what time of year it is. I'm not turning the heat off in my vehicle and getting frostbite so my trout dip won't spoil."
    "Common sense, but things like that probably play a good part in you winning so many contests."
    Amy wrapped a strand of hair around her finger, a nervous habit whenever she was uncomfortable. She was super competitive and proud of winning so many trophies and prizes, but it was difficult for her to take a compliment without wanting to pull her hair over her eyes and hide. How did she sometimes win against professional chefs? Often when she had a chance to look at other entries, after the prizes were awarded, it seemed impossible that she had won.
    Bea nudged Amy with her shoulder and said, "This is kind of fun despite the glitches. I should pick your brain for tips so I can enter even more contests besides this one and the Summer Festival baking contests. Hopefully I won't get my platters and tablecloths stolen in the future."
    "I would love to chat with you, but you