With a smirk on his face, he yanked his head from the car and hollered, “Hey, Doc, she’s cold. Must be the shock. You got a blanket in the trunk?”
He gently closed the door, and I laid back and shut my eyes. My head was pounding, but I couldn’t get rid of the stupid grin on my face. I could feel it as I pictured him kissing me. Sure, he was goofy and, at times, infuriating, but I liked him just the same.
As for the stuff he’d said about me being unable to keep my mind off bad things? Well, he didn’t know me all that well. I was quite accomplished at keeping the boogeymen at bay. I’d done it for years. Sure, sometimes my emotions got the better of me. But that’s why I saw a therapist, although I did my best to avoid thinking about anything that might upset me. To date, it had proven to be a fairly effective strategy, even if my therapist—and now Deputy Ryden—didn’t seem to endorse it.
I shifted in my seat. Where was the doctor? I was chilly and wanted that blanket. I was tempted to open my eyes and check for him, but the gawkers were still out there. I could feel them staring. So I kept my eyes shut and took my mind off my goose bumps by focusing on the music softly playing on the car radio.
It was a favorite Kristofferson song of mine—from my parent’s era. It carried me back to evenings when I was young, and the three of us would dance in our living room. And now, tonight, after the song was over, the last few lines replayed through my mind, a family reverie I apparently wasn’t ready to let go. “’Cause the moral doesn’t matter. Broken rules are all the same. To the broken or the breaker. Who’s to bless, and who’s to blame?”
That’s what I thought. Just a warm memory to comfort me during a tough time. But then one of my little voices broke in and said, Hey, Emme, do you really know? “Who’s to bless, and who’s to blame?” And after that, images flashed through my head. Images of Ole and Lena, Samantha Berg, Vern and Vivian, the Johnson twins, Rosa, Father Daley, and the Anderson sisters. “Who’s to bless, and who’s to blame?” More images. My parents crashing through a guardrail. Me accepting a check written in blood. Samantha taunting Rosa. And Harriet stabbing Samantha.
I yanked my eyes open. My lips were quivering. And my hands were shaking. “’Cause the moral doesn’t matter. Broken rules are all the same. To the broken or the breaker. Who’s to bless, and who’s to blame?” My breath caught in my throat. And tears began to fall uncontrollably down my face.
“Damn!” I didn’t want to give into my feelings. The last time I did, on the anniversary of the death of my parents, I think I cried for six or seven hours. And it changed absolutely nothing. It only led me to think about things. Hard things. Painful things.
Beyond that, it merely made me hungry. No, not hungry. Ravenous. And here I was on my way to a hospital. An institution not known for fine cuisine. Not even particularly good comfort food. So tell me. How was I supposed to make it through the night?
Recipes from Hot Dish Heaven
One-Arm Hot Dish
Chocolate Frosted Mint Bars
Carrot Bars
Uncle Ben’s Hot Dish
Tater-Tot Hot Dish
Lena’s Chili Hot Dish
Tuna Noodle Hot Dish
Blondies
Pumpkin Bars
Cheeseburger Hot Dish
Jell-O Delight
“Regular” Jell-O Salad
Halfway Bars
Special-K Bars
Hester’s Favorite Jell-O
Lemon Bars
Three-Bean Hot Dish
Snickers Salad
Chocolate Caramel Bars
Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Pistachio Salad
Irish Baked Hot Dish
Chicken Wild Rice Hot Dish
Nut Goodie Bars
Seven Layer Bars
Egg-Bake Hot Dish
Apple Square Bars
Cookie Salad
Glorified Rice Salad
Traditional Brownies
Green Bean Casserole
Oriental Hot Dish
Corn Flake Hot Dish
Broccoli and Stuffing Casserole
Chicken Fried Rice Hot Dish
Table of Contents
For More Information:
Dedication
Acknowledgements:
Part One - Brown the Meat
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Part Two - Boil the Noodles
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Part Three - Combine the Meat and Noodles and Mix in the Soup and Seasonings
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Part Four - Heat and Serve
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Recipes from Hot Dish Heaven
One-Arm Hot Dish
Chocolate Frosted Mint Bars
Carrot Bars
Uncle Ben’s Hot Dish
Tater-Tot Hot Dish
Lena’s Chili Hot Dish
Tuna Noodle Hot Dish
Blondies
Pumpkin Bars
Cheeseburger Hot Dish
Jell-O Delight
“Regular” Jell-O Salad
Halfway Bars
Special-K Bars
Hester’s Favorite Jell-O
Lemon Bars
Three-Bean Hot Dish
Snickers Salad
Chocolate Caramel Bars
Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Pistachio Salad
Irish Baked Hot Dish
Chicken Wild Rice Hot Dish
Nut Goodie Bars
Seven Layer Bars
Egg-Bake Hot Dish
Apple Square Bars
Cookie Salad
Glorified Rice Salad
Traditional Brownies
Green Bean Casserole
Oriental Hot Dish
Corn Flake Hot Dish
Broccoli and Stuffing Casserole
Chicken Fried Rice Hot Dish
Hot Dish Heaven: A Murder Mystery With Recipes Page 24