GARDEN SWEETS

It’s spring, Easter is fast approaching, and Samantha Sweet has been so busy at the bakery that she hadn’t quite realized that a lot of the yards in Taos are looking a little ragged. It isn’t until she overhears the gossip in Sweet’s Sweets that she realizes the popular neighborhood gardener and handyman, Victor Martinez, has not come around to do his annual spring cleanup and no one has seen or been able to reach him in months.

Sam’s next step is to ask her sheriff husband to look into it. But after a quick check, Beau says there’s no missing person’s report on file and, although calls to Victor don’t connect, there’s really no evidence that he didn’t simply move away without telling his customers.

Sam has an uneasy feeling about this and begins to ask around on her own. Rumors run rampant, as some people think Victor has moved away. Others believe he has met with a bad fate. As Sam starts to find clues, theories abound and a number of people can be considered suspects, including a business competitor and Victor’s conniving ex-wife.

The more questions she asks, the more convoluted the stories become, and Sam wonders if she’ll figure out this one at all.