Evil Éclairs

by Jessica Beck

  “I’ll take that,” I said. “Who should I look for?”

  “Don’t worry, he’ll find you there.”

  A tour bus must have stopped outside, because a gaggle of shoppers came in together, ogling the sights. I recognized the expression on Nancy’s face as one of my own. Business could be like that sometimes. Things were slow and uneventful for what seemed like forever, and then, all of sudden, you had more work than you could handle.

  I left her as she tried to watch every person in her shop at the same time, and found Grace outside eating an ice cream cone.

  “That looks good,” I said.

  “There’s plenty more right over there,” she answered as she pointed to a shop nearby. “I was wondering where you went, and then I spotted you inside. You were in such an earnest conversation with Nancy that I didn’t want to interrupt. Find out anything good?”

  “She’s got an alibi.”

  “Then we can mark her off our list.”

  “It’s not that simple,” I explained. “He’s a married man, and she wouldn’t give me his name.”

  “So, she stays on the list.”

  “For now. He’s supposed to come by Donut Hearts sometime tomorrow to confirm her alibi.”

  “I bet Jake’s going to just love that.” She looked around and noticed that his car was gone. “What happened? You didn’t run him off, did you?”

  “No, he had to go. We’re having dinner tonight, though.”

  Grace’s eyes lit up. “Where’s he taking you? Someplace nice, I hope.”

  “Momma and I are cooking for him,” I admitted. “Speaking of which, I’d better call and give her a heads-up.”

  “You can do it on the way back to April Springs,” Grace said.

  “It’ll just take a second.” I dialed my home number, and Momma answered. “Hey, it’s me.”

  “Hello, me.”

  “What’s for dinner?”

  “I was thinking we could rob the freezer and have another leftover night. Why?”

  I tried not to laugh as I said, “That sounds good. I invited Jake over, and I’m sure he’d love to scrounge through your freezer with the two of us.”

  That perked her up instantly. “Nonsense. Let’s see, is there time for a roast? When exactly is he coming?”

  “Six,” I answered.

  “No time for that, then. Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something grand.”

  “Momma, no offense, but I don’t think he’s coming strictly for the cooking. At least I hope not.”

  “Suzanne, leave the menu to me. When will you be home?”

  “I’m in Union Square, so it might be a while,” I admitted.

  “Excellent.”

  “You’re happy that I’m out of town?” What an odd reaction to get from my own mother.

  “No, just that you’re there. Before you come back, I need you to swing by Olson’s and pick up a few things.”

  “Grace is here with me, too, Momma.” If I could get out of making the shopping trip, I was going to.

  “She can help, as well. Do you have a pen and paper handy?”

  I mimed to Grace a pencil writing, and she dove into her purse and pulled them both out. I normally confined myself to a wallet or a small handbag, but Grace liked to be prepared for anything short of the end of the world.

  “Go on,” I said, and I wrote as quickly as I could to keep up with her. After she was finished, I asked sarcastically, “Is that all?”

  “No, but I already have the rest of what I need. You can invite Grace, too, if you’d like. The more the merrier.”

  “While we’re at it, she can include twelve of her closest friends, too. That’s a lot of food.”

  “Nonsense. The man doesn’t get to eat home cooking very often.”

  After I hung up, I said, “I guess you heard we’re going shopping.”

  She was grinning broadly at me. “She didn’t exactly give you a chance to say no, did she? Don’t worry about it, Suzanne. I can pick up a few things myself while we’re here.”

  It appeared that my investigation, at least for now, was over.

  * * *

  I was out of the shower and toweling off my hair when my cell phone rang. If it was Jake canceling, I was going to skin him alive. Momma had pulled out all of the stops, making chicken and meat loaf, with garlic mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, candied carrots, and sweet potato casserole. I’d tried to help until I kept getting in her way and she finally sent me upstairs to take a shower and get the smell of donuts out of my hair. I could never be entirely successful, since the scent felt permanent sometimes, but I could do my best to disguise the scent with mango or strawberry. Jake claimed he loved the smell of fried donuts, but I knew he could just be trying to mollify me.

  I saw that it wasn’t Jake when I picked it up.

  “I’ve been wondering if you’d call,” I said to George after saying hello. “Any progress on your poking around into Lester’s life?”

  “I’m pursuing something even as we speak,” he said cryptically.

  “Anything in particular?”

  “Positively,” he said.

  “Care to share?” Why was he being so mysterious all of a sudden?

  “I can’t,” he said. “If I’m wrong, I could ruin someone’s reputation, and I can’t bring myself to do that to someone who might be innocent.”

  “I won’t tell anyone,” I said. “You know you can trust me.”

  He started to say something, I could feel it in my bones, when he suddenly went silent. “Come on, you know you want to,” I added, trying to convince him to talk.

  “Maybe tomorrow,” he said. “If not then, the next day for sure.”

  “You’re not taking any chances, are you?”

  “What’s life without taking a risk now and then,” he said. I could almost hear him smiling over the telephone.

  “George, please be careful. If something happens to you while you’re helping me out, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. I mean it.”

  That sobered him. “Suzanne, I’ll be as careful as I can, given the circumstances. This might be the break we need to solve Lester’s murder.”

  I started to say something when he cut me off. “Gotta go. They’re back.”

  “Who’s back? George? Are you there?”

  I was talking into a dead phone.

  Why did that man insist on taking so many chances? He missed being a cop, putting his life on the line every day. Was helping me just an excuse to feed his adrenaline habit? Was I enabling him somehow? I wouldn’t be able to stop worrying about him until I knew he was safe.

  My phone rang again, and I didn’t even look at the caller ID as I grabbed it. “George? Are you okay?”

  “It’s me,” Jake said. “What’s wrong with George?”

  “Nothing,” I answered, not able to come up with anything on the spot.

  “Suzanne,” Jake said.

  “He’s doing something for me, and I wanted to be sure he was okay.”

  I could hear Jake take a deep breath, and then slowly let it out. “Do I want to know what he’s doing?”

  “I sincerely doubt it,” I answered as honestly as I could. “I don’t even know myself, so there’s no use grilling me about it.”

  “Okay, forget I asked. I’ve got some bad news.”

  “You’re not canceling on us, are you? Momma went to a lot of trouble to make dinner tonight.”

  “No, it’s not that. I’m just running a little late.”

  Maybe I could let him live after all. “How late?”

  “Half an hour,” he answered.

  “Ten minutes? That shouldn’t be too bad.”

  “I get it,” he said. “I’ll try my best to shave it to that.”

  “You’d better. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this meal.”

  “I’ll be there. Don’t start without me.”

  I laughed. “I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises.”

  “Then I’d better
go,” he said as he hung up.

  As I got dressed, I couldn’t help wondering what was delaying him. Did it have something to do with the case, or was it something else? I’d been dying to ask, but I was afraid of what his answer might be.

  I came down promptly at six to find Momma waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me. “You took your sweet time, Suzanne. He’s due here any minute.”

  “Actually, he’s going to be late. He called, but I forgot to tell you. Sorry about that.”

  “Any idea how long he’ll be delayed?”

  “He started with half an hour, but I got him down to ten minutes.”

  “Did he say what was delaying him?”

  “He didn’t offer any information, and I didn’t ask,” I said as I walked into the dining room. We were eating formally tonight, and Momma had outdone herself, both on the food selections and the table settings. I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks for doing this.”

  “It’s my pleasure, and you know it.”

  “Sure I do, but it’s still nice to thank you.”

  “You’re most welcome. Would you like me to make up a plate and take it to my room? I’d be happy to give you both some privacy.”

  I couldn’t help laughing at the thought of my mother teetering on the edge of her bed trying to cut up her chicken without sending the plate spilling to the floor. “If you do, I’m eating in my room, too. You could always make up a doggy bag for Jake, but I don’t know where he’s going to eat his meal.”

  “I thought I’d offer.”

  Nine minutes later, the doorbell rang.

  I threw the front door open, and saw Jake standing there with a bouquet of flowers. “For me? They’re beautiful.”

  “They are,” he agreed, but made no move to deliver them to me. “They’re also not for you.”

  “I’m not sure I like you bringing another woman flowers,” I said.

  “That’s an excellent point. Next time I’ll bring two,” he replied.

  “I suppose that will have to do. She’s going to love them.”

  Momma called out from the kitchen, “Suzanne, are you going to let him inside?”

  “You need to come out here,” I said to her.

  My mother poked her head out. “Why is that? I’m putting the finishing touches on this gravy.”

  “He brought you flowers,” I said.

  “The gravy can wait, then,” she answered as she came out.

  Jake presented them to her, and then said, “Thanks for inviting me, Dorothy.”

  “Very good. You didn’t even stutter that time. You’re always welcome.” She handed the flowers to me and said, “Suzanne, put these in water.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I said, taking them from her. It was awfully thoughtful of him, and I knew he was scoring big points with my mother. I just hoped he didn’t forget to score a few with me, as well.

  “That smells wonderful,” he said.

  “Let’s go enjoy it, shall we?” Momma answered.

  We went into the dining room and sat at the table. The feast was laid out, and Momma said, “You two sit, and I’ll be right back.”

  Once she was gone, Jake looked at the spread and asked, “Who else is coming? This is enough to feed an army.”

  “Don’t worry, what we don’t eat, we’ll freeze. Some of my momma’s best meals are leftovers.”

  “I can believe that.”

  While we had a few minutes, I asked, “What kept you, anyway?”

  He glanced at his watch. “Hey, I promised ten minutes, and I made it in nine. I can’t do much better than that.”

  “Did you get a break in the case?”

  “I can’t talk about that, and you shouldn’t ask.”

  His voice was flat, his words devoid of emotion. I’d crossed the line we’d agreed to respect.

  “I’m sorry,” I said immediately. “I was out of line. Can we forget it happened?”

  Jake seemed to think about it, and then said, “If you forgive me for not bringing you flowers, too, we can call it even.”

  I stuck my hand out to him. “Deal.”

  He stood, leaned over, and kissed me. A second later, he said, “I’d rather seal it that way myself.”

  “I hope you don’t do that with all of your agreements,” I said. As I looked up, I saw Momma standing in the doorway. Was that a smile on her face? How much of what had happened had she witnessed?

  “Is everyone ready to eat?” she asked.

  “More than ready,” Jake answered.

  As we enjoyed her fine food, I did my best to be charming, even coming close to matching Momma’s natural social graces. I’d pushed Jake for information when I had no right, and I was bound and determined to make up for it by being as pleasant as I could be.

  After the meal, Momma said, “It’s a beautiful night. Why don’t you two take a stroll in the park? When you come back, I’ll have pie for you.”

  “What kind did you make?” Jake asked.

  I laughed and nudged him gently. “Could you honestly eat another bite? You were a marvel the way you tore through that dinner.”

  “Suzanne,” my mother said, employing her motherly voice again.

  “It’s fine, ma’am,” Jake said. “She’s right, but I’ve had your pie before, remember? I think if I took a walk around the park, I might be able to handle a slice.” He turned to me and asked, “What do you think? Are you game?”

  “I am if you are,” I said. “Why don’t you go ahead? I want to help with the dishes.”

  Momma wasn’t hearing any of that, though. “Nonsense. Go on, both of you.”

  There was no use arguing with her, and I knew it. “Let’s go, Jake. We can’t win this one. Trust me, I’ve got years of experience.”

  “We’ll see you soon, then,” Jake said.

  As we walked out onto the porch, he said to me, “Suzanne, I need to do more for your mother than give her flowers. She’s a real treasure.”

  “What can I say? Like mother, like daughter.”

  “I’m serious. Is there anything I can do to repay her for the kindness she continually shows me?”

  “Take good care of her daughter,” I said in all seriousness.

  “I already do that, don’t I?”

  I kissed him, and then pulled away, smiling. “Okay, I’ll give you that one. I’ll think about it and get back to you.”

  “I’m serious about this.”

  “So am I. Now let’s take that walk so you can get your pie.”

  As we walked around the park, past my favorite hiding place, my thinking place, and the Patriot’s Tree, I marveled about how good Jake’s hand felt holding mine. I was glad we’d forgone a dinner out and had stayed home. Being with him there was what I’d missed most about having someone in my life. Even Max had satisfied some of that need to belong, to be comfortable in my own skin, and to be content. It was a lot to ask of anyone, but Jake gave it to me willingly, and I was determined to do my best to return it in kind.

  PINEAPPLE DROP DONUTS

  One day I was playing around in the kitchen and found a can of crushed pineapple. Why not include it in a donut? I’ve been happy with the results, so I thought I’d add it to my stable of donut recipes!

  INGREDIENTS

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • 1 can crushed pineapple (8.5 oz.)

  • 1 cup all purpose flour

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

  • ½ teaspoon baking powder

  • Dash of salt

  • 2½ tablespoons sugar (white)

  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

  DIRECTIONS

  Heat canola oil to 360 degrees while you mix the batter. Put the pineapple in a large mixing bowl, then add the beaten egg and the sugar. Sift the dry ingredients, then add them slowly to the mix. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and then fold in the extras, until the batter is smooth.

  When the ingredients are incorporated, take a teaspoon of batter and rake it into the fryer with another spo
on. If the dough doesn’t rise soon, gently nudge it with a chopstick, being careful not to splatter oil. After two minutes, check, and then flip, frying for another minute on the other side. These times may vary given too many factors to count, so keep a close eye on the donuts.

  Makes around eighteen small donuts.

  CHAPTER 14

  As we approached the house, I saw Momma standing on the porch waiting for us.

  “There you are,” she said as we joined her. “I’m afraid there’s an emergency phone call for Jake.”

  He frowned and put his hand in his pocket. “Why didn’t they call me on my … hey, where’s my phone?”

  She held it up. “It must have fallen out of your pocket when you sat down to eat dinner.”

  Jake took it from her and said, “Excuse me. I’d better see what this is about.” He stepped off the porch, and as he left us, Momma said, “I’m so sorry, Suzanne. I hated to interrupt your date.”

  “We were just out taking a walk,” I said. “It’s no big deal.”

  “Holding hands and walking through the park is a very big deal in most people’s minds,” she said. “I know it was for your father and me.”

  “You still miss him, don’t you?” I was just beginning to grasp the depth of love my mother had experienced with my father. I knew that was making it harder for her to get on with her life, but it also told me that someone who loved that deeply and completely, someone who was so clearly good at being in love, shouldn’t turn her back on it again. If she could find love in her life, why shouldn’t she at least try?

  “I do miss him, that’s a fact. Some days are worse than others, though.”

  “Wouldn’t you like to experience that again, then?”

  She looked at me with tears in her eyes. “How could I ever have that again, when most people don’t get to experience it even once?”

  “There’s no limit to the number of times you can fall in love,” I said. “And even if there is, shouldn’t you be sure before you give up once and for all?”

  She was about to answer when Jake rushed up onto the porch. The look on his face told me that his news was not good.

  “What happened?” I asked. “Do you have to go?”

  “Yes, and you need to come with me.”