by Jessica Beck
“We were actually on our way here to see Officer Durant when you called,” Jake explained as he lent me his support. “It turns out that Alex didn’t trust him to do the right thing, after all. He mailed a letter to his old boss explaining everything. There was enough in it to ruin him, and Durant, too. Apparently Alex knew his old partner better than anyone realized. I’m guessing that even his own murder wasn’t entirely surprising to him.”
“So then, does that mean that we just went through all of this for nothing?” I asked.
“Never believe that for an instant, Suzanne. After all, the two of you kept him occupied until we could get here,” Jake said. “If you hadn’t, there was a good chance that he would have been long gone. We found a bag of money in his personal car and two different passports, neither one with his name on them. My hunch is that he was getting ready to take off when you and Grace spooked him.”
“Why didn’t he just go, though? We wouldn’t have been able to stop him.”
Jake shrugged. “If I had a guess, I’d say that you managed to get under his skin. He wanted to settle one last score with you before he left. After all, in the end, you and Grace were the ones who uncovered the real clues.”
“It still doesn’t make sense to me, but the man was clearly nuts, so I’d probably go crazy myself trying to figure out his motivations.”
“Trust me, his motive to get rid of his former partner was solid enough. I think he was on the edge before he killed Alex. After that, all bets were off. Durant saw an opportunity to go after you and Grace, and he took it.”
“Is he dead?” I asked as I glanced back toward the body.
“He is. Don’t worry about him now, though. We can talk about all of that later. Let’s get you to a doctor first so they can check you out.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted for the hundredth time since they’d found us. “How’s Grace holding up?”
“She seems to be okay. Why do you ask?”
“We had a rough time back there, rougher than I can ever remember,” I said, shivering again.
“Well, it’s all behind you now.”
“Sure it is,” I said. It turned out that we didn’t have to walk that far before we came back to my Jeep. It had felt as though we’d trekked ten miles into the forest, but in reality, it had probably only been a twentieth of that.
“Is my Jeep totaled?” I asked him as I stared at it surrounded by the trees.
“Not even close. If you ask me, I think it will be easy to fix, if you still want to. You know, we can afford a new car for you.”
“Thanks, but I like the one I’ve got,” I said.
There was an ambulance parked beside Durant’s squad car out on the road, along with Chief Grant’s patrol car, too. A pair of EMTs rushed toward Grace and me the moment they saw us. “We’re okay,” I kept saying, but they continued to insist on fussing over us.
“Which one of you wants to ride in the ambulance, because you’re both going to the hospital,” one of them said.
“If we go, then we go together,” Grace said, and I nodded in agreement.
“Fine, but we need to head out right now.”
As we climbed in back, Jake said, “We’ll be right behind you.”
“See you soon,” I said.
As we rode to the hospital, Grace squeezed my free hand that wasn’t being monitored by the closest EMT. “That’s it, Suzanne. I’m finished.”
“Me, too,” I agreed. “After we get back home, I’m taking a long, hot bath, and then I’m going to sleep for a week.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Grace insisted. “I can’t go through that again. I’ll always be your best friend, but I’m not going to investigate any more murders with you.”
“We don’t have to talk about that now,” I said, doing my best to reassure her that we were going to be all right.
“Yes we do!” she said loudly, causing a look of concern to spread across the EMT’s face as he monitored her vitals.
“You both need to take it easy,” he said gently.
“Not until she agrees,” Grace insisted.
“I do,” I said. “Of course I agree. Grace, you’ve been wonderful. Thanks for everything that you’ve done. I get it. I really do. You’re through.”
“Are we still best friends?” she asked, the relief clear in her voice.
“The best,” I said, and I meant every word of it.
We rode the rest of the way in silence, and I had time to mull over what Grace had just told me. Had she meant it, or would she change her mind in the light of a new day? I couldn’t imagine investigating a murder without her, but then again, we’d just been through a pretty traumatic experience, and it had hit her much harder than it had me.
If she truly was done, then I was determined to accept her resignation gracefully, no pun intended.
I would always have her in my life.
Just not in my investigations.
Only time would tell, though.
In the meantime, I planned to celebrate every moment I had left as pure bonus time and to get every ounce of joy out of living that I could manage.
In the end, that was all that really mattered.
RECIPES
Oatmeal Donuts
These donuts might lack the flash and pizzazz of many of the rich and indulgent donut recipes in my repertoire, but there are occasions when what I want is comfort food, something warm and hearty without a lot of other ingredients. I save making these for those brisk, cloudy days when I have time to indulge in a recipe that doesn’t have to be finished in mere seconds and there’s no hungry crowd clamoring for instant gratification!
Ingredients
Wet
1 egg, lightly beaten
1⁄2 cup granulated white sugar
1⁄2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
Dry
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oatmeal (old-fashioned, not quick)
Directions
Start by heating enough canola oil in a pot for frying to 360° while you work on the batter. While the oil is heating, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the egg lightly, and then add the sugar slowly to the mix as you beat it with a fork. Next, add the milk, oil, and vanilla to the mix and stir. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together—all the dry ingredients except the oatmeal. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing lightly, and then fold in the oatmeal until the batter is smooth.
When the oil is at the right temperature, take teaspoons of batter and rake them into the oil with another spoon. If the dough doesn’t rise soon, gently nudge it with a chopstick, being careful not to splatter oil. After two minutes, check the donuts for brownness, and then flip them one by one, frying for another minute on the other side until it is done as well. These times may vary given too many factors to count, so keep a close eye on the donuts.
Yield: Around a dozen small donuts.
Birthday Cake Donuts
There aren’t a great many things I love about getting older, but having birthday cake on that special day is high on the list! I’ve tried on numerous occasions to top the standard white birthday cake in donut form, but I haven’t been able to do it yet. I wouldn’t say the icing is optional, not with my family, but the use of candles is strictly your choice. It’s no one’s birthday in your household, you say? Well, you know that it’s got to be someone’s birthday somewhere in the world, no matter what day you feel like making these, so choose to celebrate a perfect stranger’s special day with your very own birthday cake donuts!
Easy Version
1 box birthday cake mix, your choice (we prefer Duncan Hines Classic White, but any boxed mix will do just fine)
1 cup water, lukewarm
&nb
sp; 1/4 cup canola oil
3 egg whites
1 container white icing (not optional, at least not for me!)
Follow the instructions for mixing on the back of the box, but to bake these, use your donut maker or a donut pan in your oven. The presentation is what makes these donuts instead of cupcakes, but hey, who are we kidding? They are delicious no matter what shape or form they may take.
Using a cookie scoop, drop walnut-sized portions of batter into small muffin tins or your donut maker, and bake at 365°F for 6 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Top with white icing while the donuts are hot.
Yield: 6–10 small donuts.
A Lovely Scented Donut
Suzanne may be a professional donutmaker in my novels, but I can assure you all that I am not. However, I do have the hearty enthusiasm that many other amateur bakers share, and I can’t wait to experiment with new variations to my standard donut recipes. I stumbled upon this one on a rainy day with donuts on my mind, and after a few attempts, I found this combination perfectly delightful.
Ingredients
Wet
1 egg, lightly beaten
3⁄4 cup whole milk
1⁄2 cup white granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Dry
1 1⁄2 to 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, depending on desired consistency
2 teaspoons apple pie spice mix (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger)
1 teaspoon baking powder
A dash of salt
Directions
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg thoroughly, then add the other wet ingredients (whole milk, sugar, and melted butter), mixing until it is all incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, apple pie spice mix, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing well until you have a smooth, consistent batter.
Using two tablespoons, drop walnut-sized portions of batter onto a cookie sheet, donut mold, or in your donut maker, and bake at 350°F for 9 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Yield: 8–10 small donuts.
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