by Riley Adams
Lulu sighed. “There really wasn’t any evidence, was there? I don’t think you can convict anybody because their husband picked up take-out instead of going to a restaurant.”
Pink laughed. “Well, y’all are wrong. We read Sharon her rights and she decided to spill everything. It was like a dam bursting and she couldn’t keep it all in. We even repeated a mention of a lawyer, worried that her confession wasn’t going to count in court—but she kept right on talking. Couldn’t wait to get it off her chest.”
“What a relief!” said Lulu. “I was thinking it was going to be my word against hers.”
“Of course, there were a ton of onlookers who could have backed you up on how she was trying to attack you, Lulu. Y’all did draw a lot of attention,” said Pink. “That was probably the excitement of the year for those folks.”
“Good entertainment value,” said Cherry, chortling. “Although I don’t know why I’m laughing. I’m still so mad at Sharon that I could spit. She tricked us into being her friend! She acted so…damaged. I thought she was a good person.”
“She was a good actress,” said Lulu. She thought for a moment. “Sharon said that Brody wasn’t part of the scheme. Is that what she told y’all, too?”
“He sure seemed surprised when we paid a visit on him tonight,” said Pink. “He’d been texting Sharon trying to figure out where she was. So apparently he didn’t know anything about her plan to get rid of Lulu. And he claims not to know anything about Reuben’s murder or John’s.”
“The motivation was money, obviously,” said Cherry.
“That’s what Sharon said. Their whole lifestyle was endangered and Reuben bragged that he had more money than he actually did. And apparently Reuben and Sharon were a lot closer than we realized. They started an affair shortly after Sharon and Brody moved to Memphis. Reuben was drunk one day and told Sharon he’d changed his will and was leaving nearly everything to her and Brody. He didn’t know how desperate they were or that Sharon would now have a motive to kill him.”
“I’m surprised she could take down a big guy like Reuben with a knife,” said Cherry.
“Not me!” said Lulu. “She was strong as an ox.”
“She seemed real focused and determined,” said Pink. “And that desperation of hers drove her pretty hard, too. It might have made her even stronger than she was.”
“Did y’all hear anything from the people whose house I broke into?” asked Lulu.
“Lulu the burglar,” chortled Cherry.
Pink said, “Technically, you didn’t break into the house since the door was unlocked. It was more like trespassing. And no, they didn’t seem to mind—they understood why you came inside. Although their bushes have now got to be seriously pruned. And they did say their dog has an upset tummy.”
Lulu said, “Poor thing. I know I scooped out too much, but I was in a hurry.”
“It was quick thinking, though,” said Pink admiringly. “You really got yourself out of a pickle.”
“I have you to thank for that, Pink,” said Lulu. “You’re the one who told me to stay alert and be prepared to fight.”
“It was real gutsy of you to plow the car into the bushes,” said Cherry.
“Better than going off with a killer to a remote location,” said Pink. “But I do think it was very brave of you.”
“And I won’t say anything again about the fact that you tote that huge pocketbook,” said Cherry. “Or the fact that it’s always on your arm.” She looked pointedly at Lulu, and sure enough, the purse nestled in the crook of her arm.
“I’m thinking that even if she’s not pulling out survival gear from that pocketbook, it could be a weapon all by itself,” mused Pink. “Just seeing the size of it and the probable weight.”
“There was probably a time in my life when I could have put all my stuff in a tee-tiny pocketbook,” said Lulu. Then she stopped, thinking. “No, actually, likely not. I’ve always toted most of my stuff with me.”
“I’m glad you do,” said Cherry. “Who knows when we might need something from the Pocketbook of Power the next time we have an adventure?”
Recipes
Pineapple Casserole
1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 stick melted margarine
1 cup crushed buttery crackers
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Drain most of the juice from the canned pineapple (leave about 6 tablespoons), and pour the chunks and remaining juice into a casserole dish.
Mix the sugar and flour, and pour the mixture on top of the pineapple chunks.
Sprinkle the cheese on the top.
Mix the melted margarine and crushed crackers together and sprinkle on the top of the cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Simply Southern Pimento Cheese
8 ounces of extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
1 4-ounce jar pimentos, with liquid
1 cup mayonnaise
1 squirt regular mustard
1 dash garlic powder
Put all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes for the pimento cheese to thicken into a spread.
Bread Pudding
2 eggs, slightly beaten
21⁄4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 cups day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
1⁄2 cup raisins
1⁄4 cup butter
1⁄2 cup caramel topping
vanilla ice cream (if desired)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the bread, brown sugar, and raisins. Pour into an 8-inch round baking pan and dot with butter. Put the baking pan inside a larger pan containing an inch of water. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with caramel and vanilla ice cream.
Three-Bean Casserole
1 package frozen French-style green beans
1 package frozen lima beans
1 package frozen baby green peas
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
11⁄2 cups sour cream
3 ounces softened cream cheese
1 medium onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 can drained and sliced water chestnuts (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1⁄4 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
dash of paprika
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the beans and peas according to directions. Drain and place in a greased casserole dish. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, onion, salt and pepper, and water chestnuts (if desired) and add to the bean mixture. Mix the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and add to other ingredients. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese and paprika on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
Blueberry Muffins
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
1⁄2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2⁄3 cup milk
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract
13⁄4 cups self-rising flour
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the oil and sugar. Add the eggs, milk, and water and beat together. Add the flavorings. Add the flour and beat at a low speed until mixed. Fold in the blueberries. Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds of the way full, distributing the berries evenly. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until turning brown.
Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes
BASE
2 cups Oreo crumbs
8 tablespoons melted margarine
FILLING
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1⁄2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11⁄2 cups mini chocolate chips
TOPPING
11⁄2 teaspoons chocolate ganache
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line mini muffin tins with mini paper liners.
Crush the Oreos and mix with the melted margarine. Put 1⁄2 teaspoon of the crushed cookie mixture into each paper cup.
In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, gradually adding the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until the mixture is silky smooth with no lumps. Add the mini chocolate chips. Fill the paper liners nearly to the top with the mixture.
Bake for 15 minutes, and remove before the cheesecakes crack, while the centers are still soft. Cool. Top with the chocolate ganache.
Berkley Prime Crime titles by Riley Adams
DELICIOUS AND SUSPICIOUS
FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD
HICKORY SMOKED HOMICIDE
RUBBED OUT