by Mary Maxwell
“Can you come in here, please? Mr. Shipp seems a little confused about something.”
“Be right there,” Trent said. “That jackhole’s confused about more than one something, if you want my humble opinion.”
“You need me to stay?” I asked.
Trent frowned and rubbed his chin. “Well, I do want to get your statement sometime today,” he said. “But if there’s another emergency you need to resolve, I can catch up with you later.”
“It’s my sister,” I said with a shrug. “She’s at the book fair and I’m sure she’s probably ready for another coffee break.”
He smiled. “Nah, she’s fine. I heard Cody Lopez on the radio. He’s working security at the fair on his day off. Apparently, he ran into your sister earlier. Liv told him that you’d gone AWOL again, but some handsome photographer had volunteered to help out in the Sky High booth until you got back.”
“Ah, that’s so…” My mind filled with an image of Zack and Olivia side-by-side in the booth dispensing samples to the crowd. “Okay then,” I said, still searching for the right words to describe how it made me feel. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Yeah, sure,” Trent said. “He’s a pretty good guy, that Zack Hutton.”
I nodded. “Yep. A really good guy.”
Trent started walking toward the cabin. I watched him for a second and then reached into my purse for the car keys.
“Hey, Katie!”
I glanced back. Trent was midway up the front steps.
“I’m glad for you,” he said.
I knew what he meant, but I felt like being ornery. “For not getting shot by Pepper?”
“Yeah, uh-huh.” He smiled. “For that and the thing with Zack Hutton.”
CHAPTER 35
The next morning at nine, I was sipping a cup of coffee in the Sky High kitchen when Harper rushed in from the dining room. I’d been telling Julia and Harper about my adventures on County Road 10 during lulls in the breakfast business. They’d both heard about the situation the night before through the Crescent Creek grapevine, but demanded that I give them a detailed account when they arrived earlier.
“Okay, so keep going!” Harper gushed. “What happened after Denny ordered Pepper to drop the weapon?”
“Yeah,” Julia chimed in. “And thank goodness she never fired the gun!”
“Well, it wasn’t even loaded,” I said. “But she eventually put it on the floor. I felt bad for Denny; he had to say the same things over and over and over.”
“I’m not really surprised,” Harper said, pouring a splash of coffee into a mug. “Pepper’s the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.”
“She sure proved that yesterday,” I agreed. “Even when she knew it was over, she couldn’t quite let go of some fantasy playing out in her mind.”
“You mean she really thought they’d get away with it?” Julia said.
I nodded.
“Like they could just kidnap Walter,” Harper added, sipping from the mug. “And threaten him with an unloaded gun until he agreed to give back their money?”
“He didn’t know at the time that it wasn’t loaded,” I said.
They both murmured at the fact.
“Okay, but then what happened?” Harper’s eyes were wide with curiosity. “Did Denny cuff Pepper and throw her in the back of the squad car?”
I held up one hand. “This wasn’t an episode of Hawaii Five-0, okay? I didn’t actually see them escort Pepper out, but I’d bet they did it with care and respect.”
Julia snapped her fingers. “Darn it! It’d be more fun if they tossed her in the car like a bag of dirty laundry.”
“I actually feel sorry for her and the other three,” I said. “I understand being totally livid about the money they lost in Walter’s Ponzi scheme, but they should’ve sued him instead of taking the matter into their own hands.”
“And what about that Nigel guy and his sister?” asked Julia. “What’s going to happen with them?”
I shrugged. “They’ve got a long road to walk,” I said. “But I don’t think they’ll face any charges for the letter or their original intention to blackmail Walter.”
“Can they be charged with a lack of common sense?” Harper smiled. “It sounds like that’s their biggest offense.”
“They were a million miles from smart about things,” I agreed. “But they lost their father. And all of their inheritance.”
The bell on the front door chimed. Harper walked over and peered through the pass window into the dining room.
“It’s Frank Prevost,” she said. “You need to talk to him again, Katie?”
“Not really, but I’ll come out in a sec and say hi.”
After Harper abandoned her cup of coffee and returned to the dining room, Julia asked me if it was true that Walter would be extradited to New York.
“Where’d you hear that?” I asked.
“Here and there,” she said coyly.
“Was it Blanche Speltzer?”
She shook her head.
“Liza Moore?”
“What’s it matter, Kate? I heard it was true. And I want to protect my sources.”
“It was Amanda’s sister, wasn’t it?”
“Possibly,” Julia said with a wink. “Is it true?”
“Chances are, yeah. There are a few hoops and hurdles first.”
“Such as?”
“For starters, three things have to happen. New York has to issue an arrest warrant, a court hearing has to take place here and Walter has to waive his extradition rights.”
“Meaning what?”
“Basically, it means he’s saying, ‘Sure, I’ll go back to New York and face the murder charge.’”
Julia frowned. “Think he’ll do it?”
“Hard to say,” I answered. “The old guy’s pretty obstinate. He may try to refuse extradition and go through the courts here in Colorado first.”
“Sounds like a sticky bit of business.”
“Yeah, but I think—”
The bell in the pass window chimed. “Order up!” Harper called. “Two over easy, dry wheat toast and a single sausage link that’s been sliced down the middle and fried until it’s pitch-black.”
“Topher’s here?” I called.
Harper smiled. “He is.”
“Did he bring his whiskey in from the car?”
She nodded.
“Do we need to take his car keys?” I asked.
“Too soon to tell,” Harper answered. “But I’ll keep an eye on him. If he looks wobbly, I’ll invite him to have a cappuccino on the house.”
“And I’ll call him a cab,” I said.
The front door opened again. Harper glanced over her shoulder.
“Oh, not now,” she mumbled.
“What’s wrong?”
She gave me a withering glance. “My brother just walked through the door.”
“How’s he look?”
“Grouchy,” said Harper.
Julia joined me at the pass window. “Well, here’s an idea,” she said, leaning into the opening. “Maybe Topher can pour some of his whiskey into your brother’s coffee.”
Harper groaned. “I’m not going to encourage either one of those lugheads to drink this early in the morning.”
“Now, there’s a voice of reason!” I said. “Let me know if you need help out there, Harper. In the meantime, I’m going to duck into the office for a second and return a couple of calls before I come out to the dining room.”
CHAPTER 36
When Zack and I walked into Matchstick Café a few nights later, Edie Fuller greeted us with a toasty hug and a breathless announcement that was so quiet I only caught two words: Frank Prevost.
“What was that?” I said.
She nodded discreetly toward a table near the bar. I looked over and saw Frank Prevost and Inez Roller sharing a bottle of wine and a selection of appetizers.
“When she went to the ladies’ room earlier,” Edie whispered, “Frank told
me you were responsible for them being on their first date.”
“I just encouraged him to ask her out,” I said. “The rest is all Frank’s doing.”
“Well, he seemed pretty sincere,” Edie replied. “He even joked that you’re giving Blanche a run for her money in the matchmaking business.”
Zack chuckled. “You better hope she doesn’t hear about that, Katie. Otherwise, there’ll be trouble for sure!”
As we followed Edie to a booth in the back of the restaurant, I waved at Frank and Inez. She smiled and he raised his glass.
“They look happy together,” Zack said once we were seated.
I glanced again just in time to see Inez laughing at Frank’s joke. Their eyes were glued to one another and the delight on their faces suggested a very promising evening.
I smiled at Zack. “Looks like happiness to me.”
“Well, yeah. But the little exchange there; it was almost like…” He looked across the room again at Frank and Inez. “Isn’t that the guy from the UPS store?”
I nodded. “Frank Prevost. And he’s with—”
“Inez Roller. I know her from the newspaper. She’s one of Gretchen Goode’s best friends. We were all talking in Gretchen’s office one day about marriage and dating; Inez told us that there was a local guy she was interested in.”
“Uh-huh,” I said. “Frank Prevost.”
Zack took another quick look. Then he glanced back, reached over and wrapped my hand in his. “And you really are responsible for them going to dinner?”
“Me?”
Zack held my gaze. “Don’t be coy, Miss Reed.”
“Well, maybe I had a little something to do with it,” I said. “But it’s really kismet.”
“Kismet?”
“Same thing as fate,” I said. “Or destiny. You see, both Frank and Inez come to Sky High for breakfast almost every day of the week at the very same time. I noticed they were always checking one another out, and I knew they were both nice, single people. I also detected that Frank needed a gentle nudge in her direction, so…” I let Zack finish the thought. “It’s like any great romantic story,” I said. “Kind of like you and me.”
He smiled and leaned closer. “I didn’t need a nudge,” he said.
“That makes two of us.” I reached for his hand. “And aren’t we lucky?”
Zack answered by lifting my hand and pressing it against his lips.
“Very lucky,” he said quietly. “And very much looking forward to whatever tomorrow brings.”
Nana Reed’s Sky High Recipes
Candy Cane Caramel Muffins
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 cup butter, softened
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups crushed peppermint candies
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Blend sugar and butter until creamy.
3. Add eggs individually, beating until fully incorporated.
4. Gently add flour, salt and baking powder.
5. Stir in milk, vanilla and 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies.
6. Line muffin cups with papers and divide batter evenly.
7. Sprinkle each cupcake with crushed peppermint candies.
8. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Makes 20 cupcakes.
9. Cool in pans briefly before transferring to wire racks.
10. Decorate with Caramel Frosting and remaining crushed peppermint candies.
Caramel Frosting
1 cup butter
16 ounces light brown sugar
3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Eggnog Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
1 package vanilla pudding mix
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups eggnog
2 teaspoons rum (optional)
2 cups heavy cream
1 9-inch pie shell, pre-baked
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
1. Combine pudding mix, eggnog, pumpkin and nutmeg in medium pan.
2. Stir over medium heat until mixture thickens.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Add rum for flavor, if desired.
5. Refrigerate in large covered bowl for 1 to 2 hours..
6. Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.
7. Fold whipped cream into chilled pumpkin eggnog mixture.
8. Use spatula to transfer mixture to pre-baked shell.
9. Garnish with nutmeg and chopped pecans.
10. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving.
Chocolate Chip Scones
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
2 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 to 2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup pearlized sugar crystals
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Prepare two baking sheets: lightly grease or line with parchment paper.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. Blend cubed butter into dry ingredients with fork until mixture is coarse and crumbly.
5. Combine eggs, cream and vanilla.
6. Add wet to dry ingredients; hold aside 2 tablespoons of the egg, cream and vanilla mixture.
7. Fold in milk chocolate chips and mix until all ingredients are combined.
8. On a floured surface, shape the dough into a circle (8- to 9-inches in diameter).
9. Brush top of dough with remaining wet mixture.
10. Sprinkle pearlized sugar crystals onto top of dough.
11. Divide the dough into 14 scones with cutter or knife.
12. Arrange scones evenly on prepared pans.
13. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
14. Cool on wire rack briefly before serving warm with butter, jam, cream cheese or other favorite condiments.