by Jessica Beck
“I don’t want to push you, but if you’re sure, then I’d love to have you by my side again. Hopefully it won’t come up for a long time, or maybe even forever.”
“Well, if it does, I want to be in on it from the start with you.” She stopped, looked over my shoulder, and then she added, “Why does Jake look as though he’s the one who just got shot and not Chief Martin?”
I turned around to see what she was talking about, and sure enough, Jake looked stunned as he rejoined me.
“Hey, Grace. Suzanne, do you have a second? We need to talk.”
“Why don’t I like the sound of that?” I asked him. “Grace, whatever he has to say to me, he can say it in front of you.”
“That’s okay. Stephen’s motioning for me to join him.” She hugged me once more before she left. “Thanks.”
“It’s my pleasure,” I said. After she was ten steps away from us, I asked Jake, “What’s going on?”
“Something’s come up, and I need your advice before I make my decision,” he said solemnly.
“I’m listening.”
“Stephen Grant feels as though he’s in over his head as acting chief of police, and the mayor has asked me to step in and take over until he’s ready to assume the job on a full-time basis.”
“I thought you were finished with law enforcement,” I said in my most level manner.
“I thought so, too, but working this murder case with you told me that I wasn’t quite done with it yet. Would it be too terrible if I took over for a year or two until Grant is ready to assume the position permanently? He’ll be my deputy chief, and I’ll have him ready to go by the time I’m ready to hand the department over to him. If you don’t want me to do this, just say so, and I’ll tell them that I’m not interested.”
I took his hands in mine. “Jake, the only thing that matters to me is that you’re happy, so the real question is, would you be happier being idle, or working at something you love doing?”
He grinned at me. “When you put it that way, there’s really not much of a decision to make, is there?”
“Not in my mind, Chief,” I said with a grin. “Look on the bright side. You get to go back into law enforcement and still sleep in your own bed every night. It’s a win/win in my book.”
He kissed me soundly before he said another word. “Marrying you was the best decision I ever made in my life, bar none.”
“Right back at you,” I said. “Now go tell them the good news.”
“Thanks,” he said, with more joy and enthusiasm than I’d seen in him since he’d quit the state police. He’d been getting restless, and this would make the perfect transition for him. I doubted that it would be his forever job, but it was exactly what he needed right now.
And I wouldn’t have to retire my own amateur sleuthing either, now that Grace was back on board.
Maybe I’d even have more success, now that I was so close to someone on the inside.
One way or the other, we’d have to find some middle ground between Jake’s new job and my penchant for investigation, but I had faith in us.
After all, no matter what, we would find a way to make it work.
RECIPES
A SIMPLE LEMON GLAZE
In two of the recipes below, I like to use a simple lemon glaze to ice the donuts when they’re finished. Adding a little fresh lemon juice and zest to the glaze makes the donuts really pop. Truth be told, when I’m in the mood for the taste of lemon, this goes on just about anything I’m making at the time, including Belgian waffles! The recipe couldn’t be simpler, so don’t be afraid to try this one at home!
Ingredients
1 cup sifted powdered confectioner’s sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Directions
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest, stirring well until you have the consistency you desire.
Use immediately, pouring the glaze over any donuts or other bready treats you happen to have handy.
Glaze will cover 1-2 dozen donuts, depending on how heavily you apply it
MOMMA’S HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP
This soup recipe is not just for when someone gets sick in my family, it’s also perfect on a cool day in spring, summer, or autumn. We love the soup alongside a grilled cheese sandwich made with hot and gooey sharp cheddar cheese! This recipe has been tweaked over the years until it’s near perfection, at least in our opinions. I give you my word that once you taste this soup, you’ll never go back to anything that comes in a can!
Ingredients
1-2 cups cooked chicken, cut, diced, or chopped
4-6 ounces pasta, cooked (we like spaghetti noodles, but wide egg noodles work great, too)
4 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped basil
Directions
In a large pot, heat the olive oil on a medium setting. While that is warming, in another smaller pot cook the pasta according to the directions on the package until it is al dente. Add the chopped carrots to the olive oil, sautéing until the carrots begin to soften. Next, add the broth, the cut-up chicken, and the basil, and simmer for ten minutes. Once the pasta is finished, add it to the simmering mixture and take off the heat immediately. Salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy.
Makes four servings
LEMON CRUSH DONUTS
In my household, lemon is always in fashion. There’s something about the taste of it when it’s mixed into a donut recipe that makes the treats spring to life for us. When we make these donuts, freshly squeezed and grated lemon is a real must. I love the smell as I grate a little of the peel for this recipe, and sometimes I simmer the leftover pulp in some water on the stovetop to infuse the kitchen with those zesty aromas. These donuts aren’t exactly gorgeous, but they are tasty, so what’s not to like? As I’ve said before, in my home, there are five things that count about the food we serve here: taste, taste, taste, taste, and appearance. The trick? Number five doesn’t count!
Ingredients
Dry
1 cup flour, unbleached all purpose
1 teaspoon, baking powder
1/4 teaspoon lemon peel, grated
1 dash salt
Wet
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
Directions
In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, lemon peel, and salt until it is all thoroughly incorporated. In another bowl, mix the whole milk, sugar, butter, egg, lemon juice, and the vanilla bean seeds together. Mix well, and then slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until they are combined, being careful not to over-mix, as this could cause denser donuts.
Bake these donuts in a 375°F oven or in your donut maker for 6-8 minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack. You can make a simple lemon glaze using melted sugar, lemon juice, and a little grated lemon peel, or dust them immediately with powdered confectioners’ sugar.
Yields 8-10 donuts.
ANOTHER QUICK DONUT MIX, THIS ONE WITH LEMON
I don’t always feel like making a regular donut mix when I’m in a hurry for a quick treat, so I love to experiment with augmenting mixes that come prepackaged. One thing I’ve done lately is grab a lemon cake mix off the shelf of my pantry and convert the ingredients into some excellent donut batter. This recipe can be baked or deep-fried, depending on the final consistency you like your batter. For a more cake-like texture, just reduce the amount of milk you use. A great deal of this is accomplished playing it by ear, something I know many folks are afraid to do when they’re baking. I say throw caution to the wind and have some fun. The worst thing that happens is your creation is a complete and utter failure, something that has
happened to me in the past more times than I can count.
At the very least, you’ll get a funny story out of it!
INGREDIENTS
Approximately 16 ounces of a lemon cake mix (we like Krusteaz lemon pound cake mix, but any mix is worth trying)
3/4 cup whole milk
10 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, the milk, melted butter, lemon juice, and grated lemon peel, mixing until moistened.
Bake these donuts in a 375°F oven or in your donut maker for 6-8 minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack. You can make a simple lemon glaze using melted sugar, lemon juice, and a little grated lemon peel, or dust them immediately with powdered confectioners’ sugar.
Makes 5-9 donuts, depending on baking method.
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