by Jessica Beck
“You have to do better than that,” he said. “Do you want him to wake up and cause me trouble? Is that it?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve never tied anyone up before,” I said.
“You do it,” he said to Grace. As she knelt beside me, Barry leaned forward to keep a closer eye on us. The gun was still pointing in our general direction, but for a split second, it wasn’t aimed directly at any of us.
Grace must have noticed it at the same time that I did. Just as we were about to lunge for the weapon, Gladys surprised us by throwing herself onto Barry’s back. We took advantage of his confusion, and we grabbed the gun at the same time, wrestling Barry for possession of it.
It went off in our hands, but fortunately, no one was hit by the stray bullet.
The next instant, the front door imploded, and Chief Grant came barreling through with an entire contingency of cops, both his and some borrowed from surrounding communities.
“How long have you been out there?” I asked him as he took possession of the gun. The men seemed to fight for the privilege of cuffing and dragging both of our would-be assailants out.
“Since Barry pulled the gun,” Chief Grant said. “Trish was frantic when she didn’t hear from you, so I came over here to see what was going on. We saw Grace’s car out front, and Gladys’s, too, and when I peeked in through the drapes, I saw Mickey Wright laying on the floor, and Barry holding a weapon on you.” He hugged Grace fiercely for a moment and then smiled at Gladys. “We were about to risk a move when you leapt onto his back. That was fast thinking.”
“Who was thinking?” the older cook asked. “I didn’t want him killing Suzanne and Grace because of me.”
“Well, between the three of you, you made sure that wasn’t going to happen. Is anybody hurt?”
“No, but I’m still a little woozy,” I admitted. “I drank some of the doctored tea.”
“Let’s get you home,” he said.
“I’m all for that,” I answered.
Chapter 23
Two days later, I was running the donut shop with Emma as usual, glad that things were finally back to normal, though Jake was still in Raleigh. It had taken everything I had to tell him not to rush home, and since he was close to dealing with the situation there, he had reluctantly agreed with me. They’d found the missing two hundred thousand dollars in cash at Barry’s place stuffed under his lumpy mattress, and the garden club was about to get a double dose of money from Gray’s estate. In a way, it was fitting that the landscaper’s money would go to a cause dear to his heart.
Just before I was set to close, Emily Hargraves came in, owner of Two Cows And A Moose, and she was beaming. “Have you heard the news?”
“About?” I asked, hoping that nothing else bad had happened.
“Max won the customized quilt!”
“That’s great,” I said, having nearly forgotten about the charity raffle that had been held as a fundraiser. “What’s he getting put on it, famous actors?”
“No, it’s even better. Cow, Spots, and Moose are going to be featured, front and center, and when it’s finished, it will be displayed proudly at the newsstand. I just hope it doesn’t go to their heads.” Emily treated her three stuffed animals from childhood as though they were alive, and anyone who wanted to be her friend went along with it.
“What are they going to be wearing?” I asked. Emily was famous for dressing them all up in the most wonderful costumes anyone could imagine.
“I’ve been giving it some thought, and I think I want them just the way are.”
“Are they okay with that?” I asked her with a grin.
“They think it’s wonderful,” she said as she grabbed a coffee and an overly embellished donut, as was her custom. “Where’s Jake? I haven’t seen him around lately.”
“He’s visiting his sister and her kids in Raleigh,” I said.
“How long is he going to be gone?”
“Hopefully not too much longer,” I said, and then, to my delight, the front door opened again, and the next thing I knew, my husband was wrapping me up in his arms. “You’re home!” I shouted.
“Easy, I’m right here,” he said as he finally pulled away. “Hi, Emily.”
“Hey, Jake. Welcome home. Well, I’d better be going. I just wanted to tell you the good news.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Suzanne will tell you,” she said with a grin.
“She won a quilt,” I said quickly. “I wasn’t expecting you. Did you take care of things with your sister?”
“It’s all over,” he said. “That guy won’t be bothering her anymore.”
“Jake, you didn’t do something to him, did you?”
“No, not that I wasn’t considering it, but he decided to hold up a liquor store, and he got caught doing it. That’s why I had trouble finding him. Where he’s going, he won’t be a problem for Sarah for a very long time.” He kissed me soundly, and then he said, “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” I said, happy to have him back where he belonged. “The next time you go anywhere, I’m going with you.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal. How are you doing?”
“Now that you’re back? Never better,” I said with a huge grin.
“I feel the exact same way.”
He stayed with me as I closed the donut shop for the day, and after we went to the bank, we went back home to our cottage together. I knew the Garden Club was going to be feeling rich after their windfall, but they couldn’t compare to how I felt.
I had my husband back, a job I loved, and I was surrounded by family and friends.
If that wasn’t rich, I wasn’t interested in whatever else it might be.
Recipes
Super Pancakes
My family calls these super because they go well beyond the boxed mix I use as my base. I take any basic mix available off the supermarket shelf, but instead of using it as it is, I like to add leftover goodies I may find in my pantry or refrigerator that might give them a super charge! In the past, I’ve used things like: diced apples, diced peaches, or diced strawberries; canned pumpkin; raisins; quick oatmeal; or basically anything I have on hand to embellish the recipe to make it more substantial. You can try this with boxed waffle mixes as well. One word of warning. Don’t use too much filling so that it overwhelms your basic mix. In addition, I like to add some vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or whatever I’m in the mood for at the moment.
Ingredients (per the mix directions)
2 1/2 cups pancake mix
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup water
1⁄4 cup canola oil
Extras (mix and match)
1/2 cup quick oatmeal (uncooked)
1/2 cup diced fruit (apple, peach, strawberry)
1/4 cup raisins or craisins
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
Directions
Combine the mix’s main ingredients as directed. Then choose your extras from the list above, or be creative and try something different yourself. These mixes aren’t very expensive, so if something doesn’t work, you haven’t committed too much to the experiment! I would recommend you add the oatmeal, vanilla extract, and the cinnamon as a base for any recipe. In fact, if that’s where you want to start, this alone creates a delicious breakfast all by itself. The diced fruit or pumpkin add heft to the recipe, but you will have to adjust the water you use in the mix. Just try for a consistency of normal pancake mix and you should be fine. This is not an exact science for me, so don’t be afraid to play around with it. Once you’ve got a mix you like, cook the pancakes on the griddle as directed and enjoy.
&
nbsp; Makes four to five pancakes, depending on their size
Smashing Good Chocolate Donuts
Every now and then we get on a health kick and forgo our regular fried donuts and make baked ones instead. You didn’t think I was going to say that we cut them out altogether, did you? If you did, then you clearly don’t know me and my family! These chocolate donuts are delicious, and even friends who swear they don’t like baked donuts line up for this one! Imagine a chocolate cake in the form of a donut, and you’ll be close to visualizing these. The kitchen smells amazing long after these have finished baking. They can be covered with icing or eaten plain, but my favorite is to sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar. Not only are they delicious, but they are miniature works of art, too!
Ingredients
1 cup flour, unbleached all purpose
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk (whole or 2% are fine for the recipe)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean seeds (optional)
Topping
powdered confectioners’ sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together until blended, then add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients. In another, smaller bowl, combine the milk, egg, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract and vanilla beans (if used) together. Add the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until they are incorporated together.
Bake 6-9 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly, then remove the donuts to a cooling rack and dust immediately with powdered confectioners’ sugar.
Yields 10–12 donuts.
Fudge Fudge Fudge!
This is a favorite around the winter holidays at my house, but honestly, is there ever a bad time for fudge? Some members of my family love the chocolate (which substitutes a cup of chocolate chips and a cup of chopped nuts for the peanut butter), but this is one of the rare cases where I opt for another flavor instead: peanut butter! There’s something about this that takes me back to my childhood, and I love reliving happy memories while I’m creating a tasty treat, too! Be warned, as it happened to Evangeline in the book, making fudge, at least in my experience, is a complex process that’s not necessarily easily mastered, but it’s worth learning. I’ve found that the key is the amount of stirring required, as Evangeline discovered herself. Stopping too soon or mixing too long can lead to unhappy results, but the technique can easily be learned, so have patience. Good luck, and enjoy!
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup marshmallow cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
Later
1 cup peanut butter, smooth
1teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, add the sugar, evaporated milk, marshmallow cream, butter, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be bubbling all across the top, so don’t be alarmed, but do be careful, as it’s extremely hot at this point! Keep boiling and stirring this mixture for approximately fifteen minutes, and then take it off the heat immediately. With practice, you’ll be able to tell when the fudge is finished cooking by its stiffness. Let me warn you, stirring will be a workout near the end, as it becomes quite dense.
Off the heat, stir in the peanut butter until it is thoroughly incorporated, and then add the vanilla extract last.
Quickly spread the mixture onto a buttered 8-inch square pan, let cool, and then cut into small squares.
Makes 36 small squares, a fair amount given the richness of the fudge
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Other Books by Jessica Beck
The Donut Mysteries
Glazed Murder
Fatally Frosted
Sinister Sprinkles
Evil Éclairs
Tragic Toppings
Killer Crullers
Drop Dead Chocolate
Powdered Peril
Illegally Iced
Deadly Donuts
Assault and Batter
Sweet Suspects
Deep Fried Homicide
Custard Crime
Lemon Larceny
Bad Bites
Old Fashioned Crooks
Dangerous Dough
Troubled Treats
Sugar Coated Sins
Criminal Crumbs
Vanilla Vices
Raspberry Revenge
Fugitive Filling
Devil’s Food Defense
The Classic Diner Mysteries
A Chili Death
A Deadly Beef
A Killer Cake
A Baked Ham
A Bad Egg
A Real Pickle
A Burned Biscuit
The Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries
Ghost Cat: Midnight Paws
Ghost Cat 2: Bid for Midnight
The Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries
Cast Iron Will
Cast Iron Conviction
Cast Iron Alibi
Cast Iron Motive