FELICITY DELACORTE
{Six months before Basalt and Gretchen meet again, Bas' oldest brother Graphite met Felicity Delacorte in Ash City...}
When the double-fudge triple-layer chocolate cake detonated, Felicity Delacorte stared in utter disbelief at the carnage decorating the top of the display case.
She didn't remember making the batter with an explosive. Had she switched out canola oil with nitroglycerin?
Oh, you're hilarious, Felicity.
Licking chocolate from her lips and swiping dessert debris off her face, she ducked down and examined the underside of the refrigerated unit.
Had the machine somehow murdered her four-hour homage to all that was chocolate and delicious?
It didn't look homicidal—or even slightly annoyed. The refurbished unit could be cranky on occasion, but it had never killed a cake.
If the damned fridge was dying, she was screwed. She'd barely been able to afford the older used model.
