A Juicy Murder

by Eryn Scott

  Paul ran after him, still in his stocking feet. And Luke entered the living room just to see them both as they disappeared around the side of the porch. He shot a confused look at Hadley then bolted back the way he’d come. Hadley followed him.

  Thankfully Luke was wearing shoes, and he was fast. Hadley watched from the driveway as Luke intercepted Michael as he fled Paul. Just as Coach Wilson had mentioned, Luke was right where he needed to be, almost to the point where it seemed like intuition. Luke’s defensive moves slowed Michael up enough for Paul to catch up with him and do what he did best: tackling.

  While Tyler had been the star quarterback and Luke the best wide receiver in the county, Paul’s bulk made him an aggressive offensive lineman.

  Hadley grimaced as she heard the wind leave Michael’s body as her brother bowled into him and knocked him over.

  Paul must’ve knocked more than the air out of Michael because he didn’t even try to fight when the handcuffs clicked around his wrists. Seeing that Paul had it under control, Luke came over to Hadley, wrapping her in a tight hug. He kissed her forehead as Paul put Michael into the back of the cruiser.

  Hadley peeled herself away from Luke for a moment, dashing back to the porch. She came back after a few moments with Paul’s boots in her hands. She jogged over and handed the shoes to her grateful brother, who cringed like he might’ve stepped on something pointy during his surprise pursuit.

  As Paul pulled away in the cruiser, Hadley carefully made her way back to Luke. Having been in the process of changing when Michael showed up, she didn’t have any shoes on either. She gestured into the house with a tip of her head.

  “We should follow him. I have the evidence he needs on my computer.”

  Luke nodded. “As long as you fill me in about what the heck happened on the way.” He still looked shocked.

  “Deal.” Hadley pulled the USB drive from her laptop and slid on some shoes.

  Paul relaxed when he saw Hadley and Luke show up at the office. McKay paced in the conference room, yelling at Michael who sat there in tears. She handed over the USB drive, and Paul clicked it into his computer.

  “This should be enough to put him away,” Paul muttered.

  Hadley nodded. That was all he could ask for, she guessed. Then she turned to Paul. “By the way, how’d you know he was at my house?”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t. But when I told McKay your suspicions, he went by his apartment. Michael wasn’t there, and I got a feeling.”

  “Twintuition,” Hadley said with a smile, leaning into her brother. “Told you it’s a thing.”

  Paul wrapped an arm around her but ruined the sweet moment by mussing her hair.

  “Hey,” she said, holding her hands up to shield herself.

  She laughed despite her momentary frustration, realizing her hair must’ve looked a mess beforehand too. She hadn’t done anything to it that morning other than throw it into a sloppy bun.

  Kevin walked into the office, and Hadley forgot about anything but what was in his arms.

  Sweet Pea blinked back at her, burritoed into a blanket.

  Hadley raced forward. “Is she okay?” she asked, scanning what she could see of the cat’s body with worried eyes.

  “She’s fine,” Kevin said. “Was a little freaked out having the run of the back of my patrol car, so she got nervous, and I wrapped her up. She was howling like a wild animal at one point.”

  As if to illustrate his point, Sweet Pea let out the low moan.

  Something clicked in Hadley’s memory at the sound. When she and Luke had been hiding out in the old warehouse that night, spying on Hunk’s meeting with Michael, there had been a similar howl. She’d thought it had come from the forest, but it must’ve actually been Sweet Pea in Michael’s car. He must have come straight to the meeting from breaking into Hadley’s house.

  Goose bumps rose on her arms as she realized how close she’d been the whole time. She was just glad everything had worked out okay.

  Kevin handed over the cat. Sweet Pea purred and rubbed her head against Hadley’s chin.

  “I missed you too, girl.”

  25

  Hadley closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of the farmers market the following Saturday. Lush grass, Leo’s fresh-flower booth, and the bitter scent of Wendy’s coffee mingled together to make one of Hadley’s favorite smells in the entire world.

  She opened her eyes to gaze out upon the Stoneybrook market from behind her table. This was her favorite time of the morning, the minutes before the market opened, when everyone was set up and waiting for the customers. There was an expectant hush that fell over the booths. But this Saturday, she felt especially grateful that her peaceful town was back to its usual quiet ways.

  With Michael headed to trial for his crimes, and the secrets tucked back away where they belonged, Stoneybrook felt more and more settled.

  Even Simone was being treated with much more local kindness, after being dragged through the investigation. Most of the town had no idea she’d been involved with the mayor of Cascade Ridge, of course—as that would’ve drastically changed their feelings—but it wasn’t Hadley’s place to share.

  Plus, Simone had apparently broken it off with him in the alley that day, when she’d learned he had already been paying off multiple blackmailers for his other affairs. That had turned out to be the pictures they’d been fighting over. While they’d been dark and of a delicate nature, they certainly hadn’t included Simone.

  Hunk had even cleaned up his act, dropping out of this year’s body building competition to focus completely on the gym and, as he so eloquently put it, “toning the noodle boys and girls of Stoneybrook.”

  Suze let out a snort of laughter in the booth next to Hadley, stealing her from her thoughts. Paul was whispering something in Suze’s ear, no doubt an adorable inside joke. The two of them were ridiculously sweet.

  “Okay, you two.” Hadley crossed her arms in front of her. “I’m getting a toothache over here, so I’m going to do a walkthrough before the market opens.”

  Suze swiped at her eyes, which had been watering with happy tears. She nodded.

  Paul tipped his head to one side. “Is walkthrough what we’re calling you going over to see Luke now?” He shot his twin a grin.

  Hadley only laughed. She couldn’t argue. “Maybe take a break from kissing to sell some jam if you could.”

  Suze and Paul gave her a serious salute as she left. They were back to giggling and whispering a few moments later.

  Sighing, Hadley walked through the park, loving the way her feet sank into the cool grass. She waved to Josie behind her pottery stand, reminding herself to ask if she was willing to make the participation mugs for the annual Cascade River Run again this fall. But before she could walk over to her booth, an arm wrapped around her waist, making her stop and smile.

  “How is it you’re more gorgeous every time I see you?” Luke’s words slipped into her ear like a soft blanket around her shoulders.

  Hadley smirked and turned to stare into his cornflower-blue eyes. “The same way you become more handsome each time I turn away.”

  Luke pulled her closer and kissed her. Besides their kiss on the front steps of the town hall, it was the first time they’d kissed in public. Hadley might’ve felt all eyes on her if she hadn’t been so focused on the man next to her. As it was, she only cared about him.

  She threaded her fingers through his, and they walked over to Josie to say hello. As Luke joked around with the potter, Hadley realized something. She’d always thought her ex, Tyler, had been Stoneybrook’s golden boy. The man was the high school quarterback and prom king. He was tall, dark, and handsome. Every girl wanted to date him. But he’d left at the first sign of trouble and had cheated on Hadley the first chance he’d gotten.

  Luke Fenton, however, was Stoneybrook through and through. Hadley mused on Coach Wilson’s words about the man. That’s the kind of person who will always be there for you, no matter what. Luke’s
handsome face lit up from a story Josie was telling him. Yep, he was a different species from Tyler altogether. True blue.

  She hooked her arm through his. They chatted with Josie for a few more minutes before moving on. As they walked, the Stoneybrookians pretended not to stare and hid their whispered comments behind raised hands or turned heads. Still, Hadley knew they would be the subject of local gossip for a while. She didn’t care. She hoped the people around her were so interested in their new relationship because of how long it had taken them to realize their feelings and how happy they made each other.

  By the smiles and sly winks they shot her and Luke as they walked by, Hadley was sure she was right.

  Passing by the Fenton Farms booth, Luke’s sister, Jolee, interrupted Hadley’s produce shopping by running over to give her a big hug.

  “It’s about time, you two.” Jolee punched her brother on the shoulder.

  Hadley laughed as Luke reached over and returned the playful punch. That’s when she caught Annie Fenton watching them from behind the booth. Annie smiled and opened her arms, so Hadley walked over and pulled Luke’s mom into a long hug.

  “I’m so happy you finally figured it out,” Annie whispered into Hadley’s ear.

  Hadley pulled away, feeling her eyes getting a little misty. “Sorry it took us so long,” she said, repeating Jolee’s sentiment.

  Annie shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind Hadley’s ear. “Nonsense. The best things are worth the wait. I’m so happy. I always wanted it to be you.”

  A tear slid down Hadley’s cheek. She swiped it away before grabbing Annie’s hand with hers.

  “Okay, what’s going on over here?” Luke asked, wrapping an arm around his mother’s shoulders and pulling her into a hug. “Are we crying?”

  Hadley and Annie laughed.

  “Absolutely not,” Hadley scoffed.

  “I was about to thank Hadley for being the one thing that could get you to move back here.” Annie cocked an eyebrow at her son.

  Luke tsked. “See? It’s this kind of gushing attention that made us hide our relationship in the first place.”

  “Hide it? For how long?” Jolee asked, standing next to her brother.

  “Seven months. We’ve been dating almost the whole time I’ve been back home.” Luke kept his expression deadpan.

  Annie and Jolee blinked as they looked between Luke and Hadley.

  “Really?” Annie asked, the whispered word half gasped.

  “Nope.” Luke smirked. “But would you blame us?” He shook his head as he scanned the obviously gossiping crowd seated behind each booth.

  They waved goodbye to Luke’s mom and sister, continuing down the other side of the market. Simone’s juice stand came up on their right.

  “You know, I never got to try any of this juice.” He rubbed his hand across his stubbly chin.

  “That’s right.” Hadley pulled him forward. “It’s time to remedy that. If we go now, before the market opens, we can beat the lines.”

  Simone smiled as they approached. Just before they reached her stand, she put out a sign that read, Sorry, all out of supplies.

  Luke stopped in his tracks, placing a hand over his heart. “You’re kidding.” His eyes were wide with disbelief.

  Laughing, Simone nodded. “Of course, I’m kidding.”

  Pressing his lips together for a moment, Luke frowned.

  “I think Simone will fit in fine around here,” Hadley said with a chuckle.

  They ordered two juices. Hadley chose the Green Machine again, while Luke ordered the Beta-Carrot-King. Simone shot a knowing wink at Hadley, who reminded herself not to let him have more than one a week, just in case.

  They sipped and walked the rest of the way through the market, coming to Hadley’s booth a few minutes after the first few customers trickled through. In fact, as they walked up, Paul was talking to a couple looking at Hadley’s jams.

  “And here’s my talented sister right now.” He gestured toward her. “Had, they were wondering what inspired you to make this ginger-rhubarb jam.”

  Hadley smiled a hello and then tipped one shoulder up. “Honestly, I thought of it on the fly one morning.” That Sunday, almost two weeks ago felt like a different lifetime. She’d been worried about the recent murder and hadn’t been sure of her feelings for Luke.

  Speaking of the man, he walked over and put an arm around her shoulders. “Hadley is a jam genius. She had to start selling her jams online because customers were so distraught that they didn’t buy more when they were in the valley.” He winked at the couple. “Don’t make the same mistake.”

  The man nodded and grabbed another two jars. Hadley had to feign an itch on her nose to cover her grin. Luke would give Gran a run for her money as a jam salesperson.

  Once the customers paid and left, Suze grabbed Paul’s hand and pulled him away from the booth. “K, now it’s our turn. Maybe take a break from kissing and try to sell some art, if you can.” Suze winked back at Hadley.

  She laughed and gave her a salute.

  Before they were even five feet away, Luke pulled Hadley closer. “In order to take a break, we have to start, right?” he said between kisses.

  “Right.” Hadley wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him.

  Just then, a customer walked by with a cat on a leash.

  Hadley gasped. “Omigosh, that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “Now that’s a bonafide cat lady.” Luke gave the woman leading the cat a nod of approval.

  “Oh, is that what I have to do? I thought owning three would’ve already gotten me into the club.” Hadley sent him a sidelong glance.

  “Three cats is a lot.” He nodded, his blue eyes sparkling.

  “Too much?” she asked.

  “Maybe not enough.” Luke grinned. “I’m thinking four sounds just about perfect.”

  “You know what?” Hadley said, laying her head on his shoulder, “I was thinking the same thing.”

  Recipes

  Both of the following recipes are created by Marisa McClellan, creator of Food in Jars.

  Gingery Rhubarb Jam

  Makes 5 (half-pint/250 ml) jars

  3 pounds/1.4 kg rhubarb (look for red stalks rather than green)

  3 cups/600 g granulated sugar

  4 tablespoons powered pectin

  2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

  1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice

  Prepare a boiling water bath canner and 5 half-pint/250 ml jars.

  Trim rhubarb stalks and cut them into inch-sized segments. Place them in a wide, non-reactive pot.

  Whisk the pectin powder into the sugar and add it to the fruit. Add the ginger and lemon juice and stir to combine. Let the contents of pot sit for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sugar begins to dissolve.

  When you’re ready to cook, place the pot over high heat and bring its contents to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, and cook, stirring regularly, until the rhubarb breaks down, the fruit has thickened, and the total volume in the pot has reduced by about one-third. This should take between 22 and 30 minutes, depending on the water content in the rhubarb.

  Remove jam from heat and funnel it into the prepared jars, leaving about 1/2 inch head space. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

  When the time is up, remove the jars and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When the jars have cooled enough that you can comfortably handle them, check the seals. Sealed jars can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.

  Quick Pickled Snap Peas

  Makes 1 quart

  1 pound sugar snap peas

  1 1/2 cups rice wine vinegar

  1 tablespoon honey

  1 teaspoon sea salt

  3 thin slices fresh ginger

  1 scallion

  1 sprig fresh mint

  In a small saucepan, combine the vi
negar, honey and sea salt. Heat until the honey and salt are entirely dissolved.

  Wash the sugar snap peas well. Using a knife, trim both ends and remove the tough string that runs along the back of the peas. Cut the scallion into 2 or 3 segments, so that they fit the jar. Stand them up in a clean quart jar, along with the sprig of mint.

  Pack the prepared sugar snaps into the jar. If they don’t all fit, set the aside. You may be able to sneak them in once the pickling liquid is poured.

  Pour the hot vinegar over the sugar snaps. Gently tap the jar on the counter to release any air bubbles. If you had any remaining peas, try and pack them into the jar at this time.

  Place a lid on the jar and let the jar rest until it has cooled to room temperature. Refrigerate. Let these pickles sit in the vinegar at least 24 hours before eating. They will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.

  Visit Marisa’s blog and website, Food in Jars, for tons of recipes, tips, product reviews, and links to her books.

  The next Stoneybrook Mystery is coming later this year, but until then … have you read Eryn’s other cozy mystery series?

  These books feature literature enthusiasts, a Boston Terrier, and—well, a few bodies. Follow Pepper and her university friends as they solve mysteries on and off campus.

  Start the series today!

  Also by Eryn Scott

  Mystery:

  The Pepper Brooks Cozy Mystery Series

  The Stoneybrook Mysteries

  Women’s fiction:

  The Beauty of Perhaps

  Settling Up

  The What’s in a Name Series

  In Her Way

  Romantic comedy:

  Meet Me in the Middle