Kat smiled. “That’s great news. I’m really sorry for your loss. I hope you and your children can rebuild a happy life together.”
“Thank you, Ms. Denham,” Reiss said. “That means a lot.”
At the dinner table, Kat said, “You were so good, Lennon, that you even melted Reiss Talbot’s heart. Let’s face it. You have a special talent for being a pastor.”
“Reiss has become a regular member,” Rhett said. “He’s in our support group for fathers.”
“That’s great,” Kat said. She thought about everything that had happened since Jay’s death. “Although Jay’s death was truly a tragedy, in the aftermath, a lot of people have been inspired to improve their lives. I think that is a wonderful legacy.”
“By the grace of God,” Lennon said. “Whatever happened to Julian Perkins, though?”
Kat had followed up on that aspect of the investigation after Georgina had confessed to the murder. When she found out that he wasn’t the murderer, she became less afraid of him, and just worried about his mental health. As much as she was scared of being arrested, she got back in touch with Detective Randson Butler, to ask him what had happened on that score. Evidently he’d gone into inpatient treatment at a private hospital and was doing a little bit better. She explained all this to those sitting at the dinner table.
“That’s good,” said Blaine. “He really didn’t sound well at all.”
“Oh gosh, do you remember when he called our house?” Lacie said. “That was really scary.”
“It was,” Kat agreed. “And then I got told off by Detective Butler for snooping around.” She laughed. “Not the best night of my life, let me tell you.”
“And what about that crazy guy who did the shooting prank?” Jethro asked.
“EJ Lewis,” Kat said. “I don’t know, actually. Any news, Lennon?”
“I haven’t heard from him or about him,” Lennon said. “I don’t normally allow phones at the dinner table, but why don’t you look him up, Jethro?”
Jethro whipped his iPhone out of his pocket and went onto Google. “Well, he’s still uploading videos. The latest one is called ‘OMG watch as I nearly DIE falling off this building’.”
Kat chuckled. “Sounds like EJ. Shock value.”
Jethro rolled his eyes as he watched the video. “They’re filming a fitness video on the roof of a building, then some of his team jump out from behind some plants and spook him. He freaks out and runs away, and goes a little bit to the side. Not even really near the edge. Then his team call him back.” He shook his head. “It has half a million views. I don’t understand.”
“The world of social media,” said Kat. “It’s a mystery to us all, I think. … Well, it looks like they’re back to their normal mischief. At the time, I was almost convinced they were responsible for Jay’s murder. When I was in their office, they acted so cold about her death, and were capitalizing on it with an exclusive magazine deal.”
Rhett shook his head. “Very bad taste.”
“Indeed,” Kat said. “But looks like it’s just bad taste, not committing a murder to create an opportunity. I’m very glad about that. If that had turned out to be true, it would have really knocked out my faith in humanity. Murdering someone you don’t know just to advance your own career?”
“I still can’t believe how it actually happened,” Rhett said. “It gave us a huge wakeup call at the church. We realized how content we were to take things on face value, and present things on face value. You know, happy marriages, obedient children, happy family life, good finances. People were keeping their struggles silent and pretending to be as perfect as their neighbors.
“But we’ve all realized no one is perfect, and we’ve all started opening up and supporting each other. At the moment, we’re starting various self-help groups so people can lean on each other and pray together and make sure they feel supported, not judged.”
“That’s great,” Kat said. “I think Jay would have loved that, too. That’s what she was all about. Admitting struggles instead of hiding under perfectionism. She’d really be proud.”
Lennon smiled. “Justice was really served for Jay, huh?”
Kat smiled back, feeling bittersweet. “In the best ways we could hope for.”
RECIPES
SWEET AND SAVORY MONTE CRISTO SANDWICH
Ingredients:
2 eggs
½ cup milk
½ tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. maple syrup
Pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper, and cinnamon
4 slices thick sourdough bread
2 tbsp. yellow mustard
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
½ lb. thick sliced ham
2 oz. sliced gruyere cheese
2 tbsp. butter
Directions:
Beat eggs, milk, vanilla, and maple syrup in a large shallow dish along with a few pinches of salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Assemble sandwiches with mustard, mayonnaise, ham, cheese, and salt and pepper to personal preference. Lightly press down on sandwiches with flat side of a spatula.
Heat skillet over medium heat and melt butter. Dip and coat both sides of each sandwich in egg mixture and place in skillet. Cook sandwiches 2-3 minutes on each side until browned and cheese has melted. Enjoy!
CHICKEN SALAD WITH GRAPES AND WALNUTS
Ingredients:
1 lb. cooked chicken, shredded (I like to use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.)
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp. fresh parsley
¼ cup finely diced red onion
½ cup quartered red grapes
½ cup finely sliced celery
¼ cup chopped walnuts
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and parsley together. Add the chicken, grapes, celery, nuts, and red onion. Stir well to combine. Enjoy!
NOTE: Serve as a sandwich with toasted bread, on lettuce wraps, or on top of a green salad.
RED VELVET CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Ingredients:
3 ⅓ cups flour (not self-rising)
¾ cup (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 ¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 tbsp. liquid red food coloring
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp. salt
1½ cup buttermilk
1 ½ tsp. white vinegar
1½ tsp. baking soda
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp. milk, plus more if needed
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spray with cooking spray. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar and mix on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk the food coloring, cocoa powder, and vanilla together. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well. Stir the salt into the buttermilk and add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour, starting and ending with flour. In a small bowl, stir together the vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well.
Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full with batter and bake in preheated oven for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Cool completely and top with Cream Cheese Frosting. Makes about 3½ dozen cupcakes.
Cream Cheese Frosting: In a large bowl, mix together butter, cream cheese, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. If frosting is too thick, add a little milk
. If you’re planning to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, you want it thick enough to hold its shape. This makes enough frosting to pipe a big swirl on the top of each cupcake. Enjoy!
NOTE: If you don’t want to pipe a large swirl of frosting onto each cupcake and prefer to spread a small layer on top instead, the amount of frosting can be cut in half.
CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI PASTA IN CHEESE SAUCE
Ingredients:
8 ounces medium size shell pasta
3 cups broccoli, stems removed and chopped into florets
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. pepper
⅛ tsp. salt
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions:
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Add broccoli during last 2-3 minutes of cooking time. Drain and set aside.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and chicken broth and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbling and thickened. Remove from heat and add cheddar cheese. Stir until melted.
Add the drained pasta, broccoli, and chicken and stir to combine. If sauce becomes too thick, add milk as needed to thin. Enjoy!
HONEY BAKED CHICKEN
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
½ cup butter, melted
½ cup honey
¼ cup prepared mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. curry powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place chicken pieces in a shallow baking pan, skin side up. Combine the melted butter, honey, mustard, salt, and curry powder. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Bake in preheated oven for 1 ¼ hours, basting every 15 minutes with pan drippings, until the chicken is browned and the juices run clear. Enjoy!
*****
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ABOUT DIANNE
I live in Huntington Beach, California, with my husband, Tom, a former California State Senator, and my boxer dog, Kelly. My passions are cooking, reading, and dogs, so whenever I have a little free time, I am either in the kitchen, playing with Kelly in the back yard, or curled up with the latest book I'm reading.
Her other books are available below:
Amazon: Blue Coyote Motel
Amazon: Coyote in Provence
Amazon: Cornered Coyote
Amazon: Coyote Series
Amazon: Kelly’s Koffee Shop
Amazon: Murder at Jade Cove
Amazon: White Cloud Retreat
Amazon: Marriage and Murder
Amazon: Murder in Cottage #6
Amazon: Murder in the Pearl District
Amazon: Murder and Brandy Boy
Amazon: Murder in Calico Gold
Amazon: The Death Card
Amazon: Murder at The Cooking School
Amazon: Murder & The Monkey Band
Amazon: Murder at The Bed & Breakfast
Amazon: Murder at The Secret Cave
Amazon: Murder in Cuba
Amazon: The Blue Butterfly
Amazon: Trouble at the Kennel
Amazon: Murdered by Words
Amazon: Murdered by Country Music
Amazon: Murder at the Big T Lodge
Amazon: Murdered in Argentina
Amazon: Murder on the East Coast
Amazon: Murder at the Clinic
Amazon: Murder at the Polo Club
Amazon: Alexis
Amazon: Trouble at the Animal Shelter
Amazon: Murder in Calistoga
Amazon: Murder on Bainbridge Island
Amazon: Murder & The Movie Star
Amazon: Murder in Whistler
Amazon: Murdered by Plastic Surgery
Amazon: Murder in Seattle
Amazon: Murder after Midnight
Amazon: Murder in San Francisco
Amazon: Murder at Le Bijou Bistro
Amazon: Murder at the Courthouse
Amazon: Murder at the Gallery
Amazon: Murder at the Waterfront
Amazon: Murder at the Gearhart
Amazon: Murdered by Superstition
Amazon: Red Zero 1
Amazon: Red Zero 2
Amazon: Red Zero 3
Amazon: The Professor’s Predicament
Amazon: Murder at the Church
Amazon: Murdered by Prejudice
Amazon: Small Town Murder
Please feel free to follow me on these social media sites:
Website: http://www.DianneHarman.com
Blog: http://www.DianneHarman.com/blog
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @DianneDHarman
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COMING SOON!
PUBLISHING 3/15/19
MURDER IN CHICAGO
BOOK TEN OF
THE NORTHWEST COZY MYSTERY SERIES
http://getbook.at/MIC
Al’s past is catching up with him...40 years in the mob and karma has his number.
He’s a marked man, but a tip-off buys him some time. Can he catch his would-be murderer before they catch up with him?
It’s a game of cat and mouse...will Al live to see his new husky puppy Spike grow up? Or will Red be lying vigil by his coffin?
Find out in the latest nail-biting installment of the Northwest Cozy Mystery Series by a two-time USA Today Bestselling Author.
Small Town Murder: Midwest Cozy Mystery Series Page 14