by Lyndsey Cole
“Close the door and lock it so if he does come back, he’ll be forced to go down and search for me.”
“Shouldn’t you call Ryan and fill him in about what’s going on?”
“My tote with my phone is in my car which Eddie took.” Lily pushed open the front door and scanned the street, hurrying toward Nina’s car. “Come on. Call him with your phone when we get in your car.”
The car doors slammed and Lily let out a big sigh of relief. “Try to get a hold of Ryan now.” She reached for Nina’s phone, listening to it ring. “Start driving.” Lily frowned at Nina. “His voicemail. He probably doesn’t want to talk to you.” Lily left a message for Ryan to get to her house as soon as possible.
Sugarbush Lane was quiet and peaceful, but seeing her minivan in her driveway, Lily suspected it was anything but normal. “What do we do now? Wait for Ryan to get here?” Lily asked Nina.
“Are you serious? Of course, we’re going to wait. You weren’t considering going inside, were you?” Nina shook her head as she searched Lily’s face for a clue to what she might be thinking.
“No, I wasn’t going in, you were.” Lily laughed as she looked toward the front of her house. “Can you tell if anyone is inside?” She pointed to the big front window.
Nina leaned over the steering wheel, squinting. “I think it’s Eddie with his hands up in front as a barrier between himself and someone else. Who could be in there with him?”
“No idea.” Lily checked up and down her street. “There’s no other cars around that I recognize.”
Ryan pulled up behind Nina’s car and walked to Lily’s window. “What’s going on? Did you lose your phone?”
Lily pointed to her house. “Eddie Parker stole my car and phone and is inside looking for something.”
“Is the thing he’s looking for in your house?”
Lily nodded. “And he has a gun, so be careful when you go in to arrest him.”
Ryan called for some backup and carefully approached Lily’s back door with his gun out and ready.
He peered through the back door window before motioning for Lily to come over and join him.
“Is he crazy? He wants you to help him?” Nina asked.
Lily slid out of the car. “I trust him. Come on.” Lily jogged up her driveway, holding her arm, and peaked around Ryan’s back. “I don’t believe it.”
Chapter 19
Inside, Eddie stood with his hands up and Rosie sat a couple of feet in front of him. Watching. When Eddie lowered his arms a little, Rosie stood up and bared her teeth until Eddie’s hands shot back up in the air.
A giggle started in Lily’s chest, bursting out into a howling fit of laughter. “You need to go in and give Rosie some back up,” she told Ryan once she could stop laughing. “I don’t even know how she got in the house. She was with my mother all day.”
Iris appeared behind Ryan and Lily. “What’s going on? Are you spying on your own house?”
“Hey, where’d you come from? And how did Rosie get inside?” Lily asked her mother.
Iris leaned around Lily so she could find out what was going on inside. Looking through the window, her mouth fell open, then a roar of laughter erupted from her. “Rosie had been kind of depressed so I decided to drop her off on my way to do some errands. Your minivan was parked in the driveway but I was in a rush, so I just let her in and left. Weren’t you in here?”
More police cars arrived and Ryan told Lily, Iris and Nina to move out of the way. They climbed into Lily’s minivan and Lily filled Iris in on what had happened.
“Shouldn’t you get to the hospital and have that arm checked?” Iris said with her voice filled with concern for her daughter.
“Once Eddie is cuffed and out of my house I need to go in and say hello to Rosie. I’m not leaving until I give Rosie a hug. By the way, how long ago did you drop her off?” Lily turned sideways to look at Iris.
“Hmmm, about a half hour ago. I had to get something for tomorrow before the store closed, so I dropped Rosie off and figured I would come back for a visit when I was done. Here I am. Has she been in there with Eddie the whole time?”
“I guess so. I bet Eddie wet himself when he saw Rosie and realized he wasn’t alone,” Lily said and snickered. “I wonder what he did with his gun. He jammed one into my side when he found me at the Rosewood.” Lily felt around under the seat in her minivan. “Aha! He must have been so distracted about looking for the lottery ticket, he forgot to bring his gun into my house.” She carefully dangled a pistol by two fingers. “Ryan will want this for evidence.”
Eddie was being escorted down the driveway with his hands cuffed behind his back. As he walked by the minivan, Lily rolled down the window. “How was your visit with Rosie?” she asked with a smile on her face stretching from ear to ear.
After what seemed to take forever, Ryan came out of the back door and motioned for Lily to come inside. “There’s someone here that’s desperate to say hello to you.”
Right in the middle of the kitchen, Lily saw Rosie patiently waiting for her to come in, as if to say, what took you so long, that guy wasn’t any fun.
“There you are, my amazing Rosie.” Lily sat in one of the kitchen chairs while Rosie sniffed her all over, taking extra time checking her injured arm. She wagged her tail and grinned her goofy doggie smile at Lily when she finished her ritual.
Ryan was busy giving instructions in the living room. When he walked into the kitchen where Lily sat cradling her arm, his face was full of concern. He hustled over to Lily, crouching in front of her with both hands on her hips. “What happened?”
“It’s been a long afternoon.” All the adrenaline and emotion from the day’s events overflowed and tears ran down her cheeks. “I fell down the basement stairs and,” she rubbed her arm, “I think my arm is broken.”
“I’m taking you to the hospital. You can explain whose basement you were in and why on the way.” Ryan gently helped her to her feet and out to his car. As he slid into the driver’s side, he smiled at Lily and shook his head. “Nice try getting out of marrying me, but your plan won’t work. I’m happy to move the wedding to the hospital if that’s what it takes for you to say ‘I do’.”
“That won’t be necessary. I just hope the cast doesn’t clash with my dress.”
Driving through town, Lily enjoyed seeing all the Christmas lights twinkling in the darkness.
“I can’t figure out why we couldn’t find Candy’s little black book once we got a search warrant for her apartment. You wouldn’t know where it disappeared to, would you?”
“Well, as a matter of fact, there’s a couple of things hidden in a planter in my house. That’s what Eddie was after— Candy’s book and a lottery ticket. And, by the way, Eddie’s alibi? A big fat lie.”
“What? How do you know?”
“He was with Candy and I cozied up to Eddie’s sister who works at the Rosewood and she told me she doctored the sign-in book to make it look like he was there on Friday night. That’s confidential information, by the way.”
Ryan shook his head. “I’m curious to hear all the details of your day today, and I’m positive it will be fascinating, but I’m happy to wait until after you get your arm fixed.”
“Good.” Lily’s head rested on the back of the seat and she closed her eyes. “I’m kind of tired.”
Ryan turned into the hospital parking lot. “Here we are, don’t fall asleep yet.”
A groan slipped from Lily’s mouth. “This is starting to throb.”
Ryan opened Lily’s door and helped her out. “Sorry about that, guess you shouldn’t be driving around getting the wrong people upset with you.”
Lily had enough energy left to scowl at him before laughing out loud. “I couldn’t let Tamara rot in jail for something she didn’t do. Plus, she would drive you all crazy with her nonstop talking.”
Ryan had his arm around Lily. “Of course you’re right, but it kills me to admit the truth.”
“What?” Lily
gazed up at Ryan’s handsome face watching her reaction.
“You heard me, and I refuse to say it twice.” He kissed her to keep her from gloating too much.
Chapter 20
The sun was bright, the snow was white, and the sky was a gorgeous blue on Wednesday, Christmas Eve day. Lily relaxed in bed, not wanting to pull herself from the warm cocoon of her down comforter.
“Coffee’s ready,” she heard Ryan call to her.
She slid her feet around the cold oak floor before she felt her slippers and slid into the fuzzy softness. Pulling her fleece robe around herself, she padded quietly to her kitchen, sneaking up on Ryan. Her cold fingers found their way under his shirt and he flinched when they touched his warm skin.
“How was your night, sleepyhead?” Ryan asked as he turned around and wrapped his arms around her.
“Not bad, but tonight will be much better,” she answered while leaning on his strong body.
“Is sleeping on the agenda tonight?” he asked before kissing her.
“Hmm. Good question. Something smells good. What’s for breakfast?”
“Sit at the table and a surprise is almost ready.”
Ryan had already set the table with Lily’s special blueberry plates on her red placemats. Apricot jam and butter waited in the center of the table with one white lily in a bud vase. “What time did you get here?”
“About an hour ago. Rosie and I had a leisurely walk before I started breakfast.” Ryan opened the oven door and pulled out a cast iron pan of the puffiest popovers she’d ever seen.
“Wow. Where did you learn to make that tricky delicacy, Mr. Steele?”
“There’s a few things you don’t know about me yet, Ms. Bloom. I need to keep a few secrets up my sleeve.” He pulled out a chair and sat next to Lily.
“Delicious.” She mumbled with a mouthful of popover.
“Your mom called and wants us to come over to help get the house ready.”
Lily lifted her cast. “I won’t be much help except to tell everyone else what to do.”
“Take advantage of it while you can.”
They enjoyed their breakfast, cleaned up and headed to Iris’s house. Iris, Kari and Daisy were already bustling around, making the house sparkle.
“It doesn’t look like there’s anything left for us to do,” Lily said, noticing the beautiful flower arrangements and poinsettias placed on every available surface. She whistled her appreciation.
“How’s your arm today?” Iris asked.
“Not bad, I have to get used to doing everything with one hand though.”
“Or you could ask for help,” they all said at the same time and laughed.
“Yoo-hoo, where is everyone?” Tamara hollered before she walked into the living room. “Oh, dear, what happened Lily? Your arm is in a cast?”
“It’s nothing.” Lily smiled. “I can’t tell you how special it is to see you here.”
“You’re the best.” Tamara dwarfed Lily as she wrapped her arms around her. “I want to tell you all my plans for Candy. She was released too. Did you know that? She wants to find a new career and—”
“Can all that wait? I want to get comfortable and enjoy being here, if that’s alright with everyone. I’ll think about all that other stuff another day.”
Tamara patted her shoulder. “Of course, how thoughtless of me. This is your day. Any coffee in the kitchen?” she asked Iris.
“Help yourself.”
Lily put her head back and enjoyed the noises around her with Rosie’s head in her lap.
***
Jennifer played Here Comes the Bride as Lily stood at the top of the grand staircase. Her ivory silk dress caressed her skin and her hand rubbed the silver necklace her mother fastened around her neck after she was dressed. It was a necklace with special meaning, one that Iris’s mother gave her on the day Iris married Lily’s father. It made her think that her father was also with her as she walked down the stairs with Iris and Daisy. They led her to be with the man she loved, surrounded by the people she always wanted to be part of her life.
Tamara, as justice of the peace, stood in front of the fireplace waiting for Lily to join Ryan. The ceremony was short and simple, and as Ryan said to Lily, “I promise to love you, to cherish you and to keep you safe from murderers,” everyone laughed. He leaned close to Lily’s ear. “I’m glad we didn’t have to do this in a jail cell or at the hospital.”
She smiled her brilliant smile and squeezed his hand.
A Holiday Tradition from Lyndsey Cole’s Kitchen
Apple Beignet
This delicious Dutch treat is normally served on New Year’s Eve. But in our family, we prepare the Apple Beignets whenever the whole family is together—Christmas Eve, Christmas morning or New Year’s Eve.
Ingredients:
6-8 granny smith apples
Confectionary sugar
Oil—I use canola oil, 1 or 2 quarts, depending on the size of your pot.
For the batter:
1 can beer (cheap beer is perfect)
1 ½ cup flour
Directions:
I always estimate one apple per person and it’s fine to double or triple the recipe for the number of people you want to share this with.
Pour 2/3 of the beer into the flour and beat with a whisk until smooth. Add the rest of the beer. The batter should be thick and heavy. Let it sit for about one hour at room temperature but if you don’t plan ahead (like me!) you can use it right away. Or, if you miscalculate how much batter you need, mix up more and use it right away.
Peel the apples and core them. Slice into ½ inch circles.
Heat the oil. Use a deep fryer if you have one, but a big pot works too. I test the temperature by dropping a bit of the batter into the hot oil and if it sizzles and rises to the surface, you’re good to go.
Put the apple slices in the batter and carefully (this is important if you don’t want the hot oil to splatter and burn you) lower one slice into the oil at a time. Don’t overcrowd! They will sink, then pop up to the surface. When they are a nice golden brown on both sides, take them out and drain on paper towels.
You will be tempted to eat one immediately, but beware, they will be too hot. When they are cool enough to pick up, dip each slice in confectionary sugar and ENJOY!
I hope you love these as much as my family does. It’s an event in the kitchen with everyone waiting (somewhat patiently) for a new batch to come out of the hot oil.
One more hint: wear your holiday apron so your clothes don’t get splattered with oil!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lyndsey Cole lives in New England in a small rural town with her husband, dogs, cats and chickens. She has plenty of space to grow lots of beautiful perennials. Sitting in the garden with the scent of lilac, peonies, lily of the valley or whatever is in bloom, stimulates her imagination about mysteries and romance.
ONE LAST THING . . .
If you enjoyed this installment of Lily Bloom Cozy Mystery Series, be sure to join my FREE COZY MYSTERY BOOK CLUB! Be in the know for new releases, promotions, sales, and the possibility to receive advanced reader copies. Join the club here—http://LyndseyColeBooks.com
OTHER BOOKS BY LYNDSEY COLE
Begonia Means Beware
Queen of Poison
Roses are Dead
Drowning in Dahlias
Hidden by the Hydrangeas