Savory Spring Waffle (The Diner of the Dead Series Book 11)

by Carolyn Q. Hunter

“Let me know if you girls need any help,” Bertha nodded.

  “We’d love some help carrying the supplies over if you have a moment,” Sonja acknowledged.

  “Glad to,” Bertha smiled.

  Sonja tried to step back around the booth when Alison stopped in front of her, causing her to almost stumble. “Ally!”

  “Sonja, look at this flower back here!” her friend exclaimed, pointing. “It’s just beautiful.”

  “Where?” Glancing down she noticed the little plant. It had pointed green leaves with purple bell-shaped flowers blooming all around it.

  “I’d love to have one of these in the garden window at my house.” Alison beamed, turning to face Bertha. “Is it possible for me to have some?”

  “Which flower?” the garden owner asked, leaning over the booth.

  “This one.”

  Bertha’s eyes widened slightly. “I’m sorry, but I don’t offer that plant to patrons.”

  Ally’s mouth straightened in disappointment. “You don’t?”

  “No, I’m sorry. It’s for herbal blends only.”

  “You can’t make an exception this one time?”

  Bertha shook her head. “I’m sorry, dear.”

  “Come on,” Sonja encouraged. “She said it’s only for her herbal blends. Let’s get the van unloaded.”

  “Oh,” Ally moaned. “All right. Can you at least tell me what it is?”

  Bertha didn’t hear the question. She was already on her way toward the van to help carry boxes.

  CHAPTER 3

  * * *

  “I wish I could figure out what that flower is,” Alison commented as they busied themselves preparing waffles and other tasty Easter dishes for the garden party. They had begun by decorating the booth in the fashion of the season. A large yellow, white, and pink plaid tablecloth was draped over the old wood and adorable stuffed bunny rabbits with colored eggs and wicker baskets populated the space with a little festivity.

  Ally peeled and cut open hard boiled eggs while Sonja got to work on the waffles. She scooped the yolk out of each egg and placed it in a large mixing bowl. The white part was placed in a large egg tray to await its filling.

  “Well, I think you should just let it go for now,” Sonja noted stirring the fresh batch of frothy waffle batter, just the way everyone liked it.

  “I can’t,” Ally insisted, scooping out a hefty helping of mayonnaise and placing it in the yolk bowl. Next, she squeezed in some lemon Dijon mustard, poured in just the right amount of white wine vinegar, and began to mix the ingredients until they were the deliciously smooth yellow color everyone expected from deviled eggs.

  “Well, we can try to look it up later,” Sonja nodded toward the food. “For now, let’s get some work done.”

  “Fine,” Ally sighed, adding a pinch of salt, black pepper, and some smoked paprika to the mix. “I guess you’re right.”

  Sonja smiled at her friend and nodded. If she could keep her mind off the strange nightmare from the night before, then she expected her friend to stop fretting over some simple flowers.

  Pouring waffle batter into each of the four irons, she closed the lids and let them cook. This latest recipe—made especially for Easter—had a lower sugar content to assist the savory flavors that would be going on top of the dish.

  As the waffles cooked, Sonja set into chopping some fresh garden vegetables—a mixture of chard leaves, mustard greens, and spinach. Next, she began slicing the cherry tomatoes into little circles. Finally, she pulled out the containers of pre-crumbled bacon and blue cheese she had prepared at the diner earlier that morning.

  Just as the first waffles finished cooking, and as Alison was placing out the first tray of deviled eggs sprinkled with a fine amount of chipotle pepper powder on top, the guests began to arrive. Families dressed in their Sunday best—little boys in pale blue suits and girls in pink spring dresses—came waltzing into the garden.

  Sonja instantly spotted her father, her mother, and her mother’s friend Panelope walking in. Panelope had her niece with her as well—a teenage girl who had recently moved into town.

  “Sonja, sweetie,” her mother beamed. “It all looks beautiful.”

  “Thanks, Mom. Hi, Dad.”

  “Hi, sweetie,” her dad nodded. “I can’t wait to see what the latest waffle you’ve whipped up is.”

  “It’s a good one,” Sonja bragged. “Morning Pan, Cass.”

  “Hi Sonja,” Cass beamed.

  Cass and Sonja had become quick friends after the young girl had begun attending the weekly game nights Sonja held at the diner.

  “What’s the new waffle for this month?” she asked.

  “I call it the Spring Garden Waffle,” she responded. “It’s a mixture of fresh greens, tomato, and blue cheese atop a warm waffle. Add just the right amount of real bacon bits and a raspberry vinaigrette sauce and voila, a delicious Easter Day brunch. Would you like one?”

  “Yes, please,” Cass exclaimed. “It sounds amazing.”

  “One for me and Pan as well,” Sonja’s mother chimed in.

  “Hey, don’t leave me out,” her father exclaimed.

  “Don’t worry,” Sonja said. “There are four waffle irons, so you guys will be the first to taste test the waffle.”

  “And some deviled eggs?” Ally offered. “Made them myself.”

  “Well, you won’t have to twist my arm,” Pan interjected with a smile.

  Sonja got quickly to work, plating the waffles and refilling the irons with fresh batter. As she did, she noticed the thick black book under Cass’s arm. The pages were edged in gold leaf and the binding appeared to be leather.

  “Looks like some hefty reading,” Sonja commented with a smile, sincerely interested in the book.

  Cass looked confused for a second but then glanced down at the book under her arm. “Oh, you mean this?” She pulled it out. “Ha-ha, this is just the book I borrowed from the library. Belinda suggested it.”

  Belinda was a friend of Sonja’s and a volunteer librarian. She often found herself at the library asking Belinda for assistance in researching some new supernatural or occult phenomenon.

  “What is it?” the curious cook asked.

  The teenage girl held the book up for her to see. The front was embossed with a gold picture of a woman burning on a pyre. Sonja’s heart instantly skipped a beat, recalling the dream from the night before.

  “It’s all about the history of witchcraft from ancient times until today. How it started off as an ancient practice, worshiping of the Earth and stuff, and then became something that people were afraid of.”

  “Yes,” Sonja nodded, taking in the picture again and wondering if there was any connection to the dream she’d had. “History is a fun subject, for sure.”

  “I think it’s fascinating,” Cass smiled, placing the book back under her arm and accepting the plated waffle from Sonja.

  The supernaturally sensitive woman couldn’t get the image of the burning pyre off her mind. Did one of the witches from the past come and visit her last night? Was an ancient witch coming back from the dead to seek some age-old revenge?

  Sonja shuddered at the idea. She’d dealt with a case like that once before and had no desire to see anything like it again. Honestly, it was too early in the year to be dealing with witches. She could do without all of that stuff until Halloween.

  CHAPTER 4

  * * *

  By ten in the morning, the garden was filled to the brim with people from all over town, all wanting to celebrate the Easter holiday and the arrival of spring. Even Frank and Alex were there, patiently waiting for their significant others to be done serving the crowds and to come spend some time enjoying the gardens together.

  “This is your best waffle yet,” Frank noted, scooping the last bite off his plate into his mouth.

  “You say that every time,” Sonja teased him.

  “And I mean it,” he exclaimed, placing the paper plate and plastic fork into the nearby trashcan. “And it w
as the perfect accompaniment to this garden party.”

  “Accompaniment? Are you trying to wax eloquent?” she playfully punched him in the shoulder.

  He raised a knowing eyebrow at his girlfriend. “You give me such a hard time. I was just trying to give you a compliment, and so what if I try to use a better vocabulary.”

  “Ah, young love,” Ally joked, stealing a glance at her husband.

  “Hey, I’m older than you are,” Sonja shot back.

  “But Alex and I are married. You two are only dating.”

  “I should have known this would become a competition of some sort,” she groaned.

  “Well,” Frank announced, “while you two ladies finish up here, I think Alex and I will take another round about the garden. Right, Alex?”

  “Sure,” the other man smiled back. Alex, unlike Frank, was a timid man and was often quiet in social situations.

  “Maybe when we get back you’ll be ready to go?”

  “Maybe,” Sonja responded. “Hopefully.”

  “Okay, see you soon.” As the two men turned to go, another woman came breezing up to the booth in somewhat of a panic.

  Her blonde hair was cut into a bob that belonged in the nineteen twenties, and she wore a long flower-patterned dress. The expression of desperation on her face indicated she meant business. Sonja couldn’t help but notice that she looked strangely familiar. “Excuse me, ladies,” she snipped without a hello. “I need to find Bertha Hamson. Have you seen her?”

  “Last time I saw her she was near the cottage at the entrance,” Ally noted.

  “Same here,” Sonja added. “You’re most likely to find her there.”

  “I already checked there,” she snapped angrily. “This is of dire importance.”

  “Okay, okay,” Sonja put up her hands defensively, hoping to calm the woman down. “We’ll find her.”

  Before the two woman behind the counter had another chance to glance around for Bertha, the garden owner came storming over seemingly out of nowhere.

  “Bertha,” the stranger shouted, “there you are.”

  Instantly, Sonja realized why the woman looked familiar. She looked uncannily similar to Bertha.

  “Elanor, what are you doing here?” was the concerned reply.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “Not now, please. We can talk after the party.”

  “I need to warn you.”

  “Not this again,” Bertha groaned, attempting to lead the woman away. “I already know what you have to say and I’m not interested.”

  “No, you don’t understand. You are in serious danger.”

  At this comment, Sonja couldn’t help but perk up her ears a little more in case there were any juicy tidbits.

  “Not now,” Bertha insisted, calmly grabbing her sister’s hand and patting it. “How about you go lay down at the cottage? Huh?”

  “I don’t need to lay down,” Elanor jerked her hand away. “I need to tell you that you have to come back today, otherwise it may be too late.”

  Bertha sighed, obviously having dealt with this on multiple occasions. “Elanor, I’m not interested in coming back. Now, why don’t we go to the cottage where you can relax? You don’t look well.”

  “No, I’m fine,” the woman screamed, drawing the attention of multiple party-goers. “I’ve asked you too many times, now, and you just don’t listen. You just don’t care.”

  “I do care, Elanor, but I’m done with that part of my life.”

  “Well, in that case, there is nothing else I can do for you.” Turning away, Elanor ran from the garden.

  CHAPTER 5

  * * *

  “What was that all about?” Sonja asked once Elanor was gone.

  “Just my sister’s craziness,” Bertha informed her.

  “Your sister?” Ally asked.

  “She’s wasn’t always like that, believe me. When we were younger, she was the sweetest girl you’d ever meet. But in the past few years, she’s changed.”

  “What was she worried about?” Sonja pressed.

  “Nothing, really. She just is mad I left the business.”

  “A family business? She seems very attached to it.”

  “Very. We both raised by two very passionate parents who loved their work.”

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Alison noted. Sonja’s best friend had basically grown up with a father who put his blood, sweat, and tears into his business—the local diner. Sonja and Alison worked hard to respect his memory.

  Sonja admired anyone who was truly passionate about a dream and pursued it wholeheartedly. What could be so wrong about that?

  “Nothing wrong with it at all,” Bertha agreed. “In fact, I’m glad I was raised the way I was. I just sort of grew out of it, personally. Now, I’d rather do something that gives back to the community. Elanor, on the other hand, wholeheartedly believes that it was my duty and only path in life to remain with the family business, but only became really dogmatic about it the last few years.”

  “Really? What changed?”

  She sighed, cradling her tea comfortingly. “I think it’s because both our parents passed away. Guess it sort of spooked her.” She shrugged. “She just believes it is our sole responsibility to carry on their legacy, is all. I love her dearly and am happy she finds something worthwhile in maintaining the business, but I’m just not interested.” She sipped from the tea mug. “I wouldn’t pay her any mind.”

  “Are you sure that was the only thing she was trying to talk to you about?” Sonja asked, thinking that the dire nature of Elanor’s attitude didn’t fit the description of someone who simply wanted to ask a family member to return home. In fact, the way she presented herself was downright frightening.

  “Positive. She’s just very dedicated.”

  “I see,” Sonja answered a little skeptically.

  “What else could she possibly have to warn me about?” Bertha shrugged.

  Sonja instantly thought of her dream, wondering if it was really an omen of someone’s death. Could Bertha be in some sort of real danger? Did Elanor know something wicked may be coming her sister’s way?

  Shrugging, Sonja decided she was being paranoid. For once, her dream was probably just that, a dream. Elanor was probably just a very passionate woman.

  “Sorry, girls. I’d rather not talk about this anymore.”

  “We completely understand,” Sonja nodded. “We’re sorry for prying.”

  “No, I’m sorry you had to witness that little scene with my sister.” Taking a long drink from the tea in her hand, she looked into the bottom of the mug. “Looks like I need a refill. Good thing I have a whole French press full in the kitchen. Would you girls like some?”

  “No thanks,” Alison replied.

  “I’m fine,” Sonja answered.

  “Okay, then. I’ll be right back. It’s almost time to start the Easter egg hunt.”

  * * *

  Sonja and Alison served a few more people before closing the booth down. They had planned on participating in the Easter egg hunt with Frank and Alex when it started. Every year, the garden was split into two sections. One-half was for the children’s egg hunt, where all the little plastic eggs were filled with jelly beans, little chocolates, and toys.

  The other half of the garden was for the adult’s egg hunt. Each egg on their side had a raffle ticket inside. After the hunt was over, they held a raffle for various prizes, and everyone used their tickets to see if they had won anything.

  It was a fun tradition, and Sonja wasn’t about to miss it.

  As they finished loading things back into coolers and boxes, they stowed them away under the booth until after the garden party was over.

  “You girls ready to hunt some eggs?” Frank announced warmly as he and Alex approached.

  “More than ready,” Alison beamed, walking around the table and putting her arm in her husband’s.

  “I called my dad,” Alex noted. “He says Cyndy is having a fun Easter there at home.
”

  “Of course, she’s having fun,” Ally replied. “Your dad is great with kids.”

  Cynthia, Alison and Alex’s daughter, was still a little too young to do the kid’s egg hunt, so Alex’s father was spending his Easter Day babysitting.

  “Enough talk about kids,” Frank insisted, jokingly. “It’s adult time.”

  “Easy for you to say, Frank,” Alex teased, slowly warming to the social situation of the double date. “You don’t have any.”

  “Too true.” Frank beamed. Glancing around for a second, Frank raised an eyebrow. “Where is Bertha? She’s supposed to start the egg hunt soon.”

  “She headed over to the cottage to grab some tea,” Sonja answered. “I’ll go see what’s keeping her.”

  “Hurry back.” Frank leaned in and kissed her.

  Jogging across the garden, Sonja came to the front door of the cottage. She was about to step inside when she heard a popping noise from up the road. Glancing up that way, she spotted Henry Haboth dashing from behind a parked car.

  What the heck was he doing back there? Trying to spy on Bertha?

  Paying him no mind, Sonja stepped inside the cottage. “Bertha? Are you in here? Everyone is waiting for you to start the egg hunt.”

  Stopping dead in her tracks, Sonja gasped.

  Laying on her back on the floor was Bertha. Her eyes were wide and her pupils dilated. A broken mug lay nearby on the tile.

  “Burn her,” she muttered senselessly. “Buuurn the Wiiitch.”

  CHAPTER 6

  * * *

  “Hurry, come quick,” Sonja gasped as she ran back to Frank, grabbing his arm. “I think Bertha’s been drugged.”

  “Drugged?” He exclaimed, not taking a moment’s hesitation to follow his girlfriend toward the cottage. “Are you serious?” He had learned never to doubt Sonja when it came to these matters.

  “Is she okay?” Ally squeaked, quickly tagging along and dragging Alex with her.

  “I don’t know,” Sonja answered, leading the way.