Murder at Peacock Mansion

by Judy Alter

  Marj picked up the portable phone and handed it to me. In the safety of the kitchen, I dialed Chester, whispered that Edith was here and I’d leave the phone on speaker if he promised to be very quiet. He promised.

  Suddenly, Gram, who hadn’t spoken to me in weeks, said, “Child? Have you forgotten your manners? Go greet that poor woman. Her problems are a lot worse than yours.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I muttered.

  Edith, meanwhile, was staring at me, as I started slowly toward her, trying to plaster a smile on my face. “Kate, is something the matter? You look pale.”

  “Oh, no, ma’am. I’m just embarrassed to have dropped that plate of eggs.” I turned to look and saw Gus cleaning up the mess I’d made. Then I turned back to—what? My fate?

  Edith looked different. It took me a minute to realize it was her eyes. Usually distant and slightly at half mast, today they were wide-open, staring directly. Edith was a person who seldom looked straight at you but had a tendency to fix her gaze on something slightly to either side of you. And today while expressing concern, the emotion didn’t reach her eyes. They remained unchanged.

  Bad sign, I told myself.

  “May I have some tea? English breakfast, if you have it, please?”

  I didn’t trust my shaky hands, so I excused myself and asked Marj to prepare the tea. As I turned to go back to Edith, Marj said, “Chester’s on his way.”

  That was some relief. I went back to try to start a normal conversation with Edith, but my phone was still on. “I’m so glad to see you. I’ve been worried about you.”

  She was completely astonished. “Worried about me? No reason, dear child.”

  “But the sheriff came looking for you, and you weren’t at home.”

  “Such a bothersome man. I have a safe room in my house—nobody can find it—and I hid there when I saw him coming. Made Lucy nervous.” Now she was staring off into space and not looking at me at all.

  I sympathized with Lucy. This woman was making me nervous too. But she went on.

  “I came to thank you for solving Walter’s murder.”

  I held my breath. I wasn’t about to tell her how I’d solved it in my mind.

  “It’s clear that Ambrose Connell, my ex-husband, murdered my dear Walter, and I wanted to thank you for proving it. I’ll be glad to pay you whatever fee you deem appropriate.”

  “I, uh, don’t think I did that much. I don’t want you to pay me. If I helped, I was glad to do it.”

  I prayed for Chester to walk through the door. The café remained empty in its midmorning lull. How far away could Chester have been when he said he’d be right here?

  “What happened to Ambrose?” I asked, wishing my heart would stop trying to beat its way out of my chest. Kate, why did you even ask that?

  “Oh, I killed him. Had to, you know. He was there that night. He knew all about it, even helped break down the French door. And then when those bumbling idiots found his body, I had to move it. I waited all night in the trees and then, before dawn, I moved it up to your fence. Seemed like a good way to confuse that stupid sheriff.”

  “So you and Ambrose cooperated in murdering Walter?”

  “Not really. He was angry at Walter for stealing me”—she gave a coquettish giggle—“and I just wanted Walter out of the way. It worked just fine. May I have that cup of tea?”

  I wanted to shake my head to clear my brain. Had I heard right? I motioned to Marj to bring tea, all the while wondering what I’d do if Edith turned violent. From now on, I was carrying something protective in my apron pocket, even if only a wooden cooking spoon. “Where did you kill Ambrose?”

  “In the pasture behind this café, close to your house. Hit him in the head with a shovel I found there. Made a really satisfactory smack. He thought we were going to talk about bribery money, but that man had been bribing me for twenty years. I wanted no more of it.”

  “Mrs. Aldridge, why are you telling me this?”

  Her expression was guileless. “Because you’re my friend. I think you should know.”

  “Thank you,” I said humbly, realizing now that I was in the presence of a crazed woman. Steven hadn’t been far off the mark with what he told the officers who arrested him. Do I dare push her farther about Rodney…and the peacocks?

  Trying to make my change of subjects casual, I said, “I hear you’re an archery expert.”

  “Oh my, yes. Walter and I hunted with bow and arrow. I got quite good, and it made him jealous, so after that we never hunted again. But I practiced with targets. And then I shot those peacocks. Nasty birds, made loud noises all day and night, would as soon fight as look at you, and left droppings all over. It was time for them to go. But I dragged them to the front door so it would look suspicious. Clever, don’t you think?” Now she was staring directly at me again, with those wide-open eyes. But she had something of a self-satisfied smirk in her expression.

  Stymied, I waited until she went on, “Rodney was like a peacock, you know. All noise, strutting, angry, and ready to fight. I never liked him, though I have a soft spot in my heart for James. Rose? She’s a nuisance but not worth bothering about.”

  And there I had it—a full confession caught on my phone, and a rundown on the family and the whole sorry business. But what did I do, sitting here next to this crazed woman? I feared the next thing I said could set her off and she’d go from thinking I was her friend to labeling me as her enemy.

  Chester walked in, barely glancing our way, tipping his hat and saying, “Mornin’, ladies.” Then he sat on a stool at the counter and said, “Coffee, please, Marj.”

  Marj gave him a funny look and poured his black coffee. He sat and sipped, while I prayed for him to come to our table. Finally, casually, he ambled over. “You ladies mind if I join you?” Turning to Edith, he said, “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure, ma’am. I’m Chester Grimes.”

  Thank heaven he didn’t add, “Chief of police here in Wheeler.”

  Edith turned a gracious smile in his direction and held out her hand. But those eyes wandered all over the place, looking any place but at Chester or me.

  Chester launched into a mundane discussion of the weather, wishing we’d get more rain, bemoaning the dryness of this particular spring. “Why, my Carolyn claims nothing much is blooming, and she’s a gardener to beat all, let me tell you. By now, we usually have a vase of daffodils or iris on the table, but not this year. Damn shame. I suppose the critters are suffering too.”

  David wandered innocently in, brightened with false surprise when he saw Edith, and came right over to us. “Edith, what a pleasant surprise. Do we have any business to discuss this morning? Save me a trip to Peacock Mansion.”

  “No, no thank you,” she said, and for a minute, those eyes darted wildly. “Now that everything’s settled, I don’t think I’ll be needing your services any more, David.”

  He was smooth. “Of course. I’ll return all records to you, although the Sheriff has copies.”

  “He does? Why?”

  “Fire, attempted murder, and murder—all occurred within his jurisdiction. If you need a good defense lawyer, I can give you names.”

  I was beginning to feel safe surrounded by two of the men I trusted to protect me. Edith, however, began to look agitated, eyes darting from one man to the other. She never acknowledged David’s offer of a defense attorney.

  “I must be going. So nice to see all of you.” She rose and reached into her purse.

  I froze, and Chester’s right hand went to the gun on his hip, but her hand came out with car keys only. Guns aren’t her style, I told myself.

  Chester rose gallantly. “May I escort you out?”

  Now she was in a hurry to get away. “Oh, that won’t be necessary.” Without so much as a good-bye to me, she hurried through the doors, Chester right behind her.

  As I sat stunned, wondering if they were going to let her just walk away, David said softly, “Halstead is outside waiting.”

  We heard l
oud screams of protest, and deep but determined male voices. For once, I was glad the café was almost empty.

  And then it was over. I walked into David’s open arms and began to sob. I wasn’t sure what I was crying for except all the waste of lives and anger and all the greed. Finally, I looked up and said, “In a way it all started in this café when she asked me to find out who killed Walter, and now it ends here. It’s like it’s come full circle.”

  Outside a siren bleeped, and I heard cars peel out of the dusty parking lot.

  Recipes

  Kate uses commercial equipment and commercial pans. The recipes are here cut down for home use. Also, Kate learned from Gram to turn some traditional dishes into casseroles for easier preparation.

  Sticky Buns

  Sticky buns are a part of Kate’s daily life. She puts the dough to rise first thing every morning. Here’s the basic dough:

  2 pkg. granular yeast

  ½ c. warm water

  Pinch of sugar

  1 12-oz. can evaporated milk, plus enough water to make 4 cups (nowadays I use “light” milk)

  1 scant c. vegetable oil

  1 c. sugar

  Dissolve yeast in water (add just a pinch of sugar to help the yeast work) and let it rise about five minutes. Mix milk and water, oil, and sugar. Add dissolved yeast. Stir in enough flour to make a thin batter, the consistency of cake batter. Let this rise in a warm place until bubbles appear on the surface (probably 1 hour—check it at 30 minutes).

  Separately, mix

  1 c. flour

  1 tsp. salt (or less)

  1 heaping tsp. baking powder

  1 level tsp. baking soda

  Sift seasoned flour into first mixture. Keep adding flour until it is too stiff to stir with a spoon. Knead well. Don’t let the dough get stiff with too much flour, or your coffee cakes will be heavy. This dough will keep a week or so in the refrigerator.

  To bake buns:

  Roll the dough out to a flat rectangle. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar and dab with butter. Roll up into a tube and slice into pieces of about 2 inches. Grease the bottom of an 8x8 pan thoroughly and then cover it with Karo white syrup and pecan halves. Place rounds of dough, cut side down, on the Karo/pecan mixture. Bake these at 350o until brown and center rolls appear cooked. Be sure to turn out of the pan immediately, while still warm. Cold cooked syrup turns to concrete. Rinse the pan immediately with very hot water. Serve while hot if you can.

  American Lasagna

  Café customers sometimes request lasagna, but making the real thing is time-consuming, and Kate refuses to buy frozen products. So she makes what she calls an American version.

  First layer:

  1 lb. ground beef

  1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes

  1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

  2 cloves garlic, crushed in garlic press

  2 tsp each sugar and salt (I cut back on those, but sugar is important in tomato-based sauces; Gram taught Kate sugar rounds off a tomato-based sauce.)

  Pepper to taste

  Brown ground beef in skillet. Drain grease and return meat to skillet. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes until it thickens a little.

  Spread in a 9x13 pan.

  For noodle layer:

  5 oz. egg noodles (approximately—they don’t come in this size pkg.)

  3 oz. pkg. cream cheese (or half an 8 oz.)

  1 c. sour cream

  6 green onions chopped, with some of the tops included

  Topping:

  1½ c. grated cheddar

  Cook egg noodles and drain. While the noodles are hot, stir in cream cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Spread over meat mixture. Top with grated cheddar, bake 35 minutes at 350° or until bubbly and cheese is slightly browned. Supposed to serve eight, but you’ll be lucky if you can feed six with it. Freezes well.

  Layered Enchilada Casserole

  If guests begin to ask for Mexican, or Tex-Mex, flavors, Kate whips up this casserole.

  Ingredients:

  2 c. cooked, shredded chicken—your choice. Buy a rotisserie chicken, toss a few frozen breast in the crockpot; poach the old fashioned way.

  1 can 15 oz. diced tomatoes, drained

  1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

  1 tub Santa Fe Blend Philadelphia Cooking Crème (if you can’t find, use cream cheese mixed with a bit of chicken broth to soften and a bit of Taco seasoning)

  2 c. shredded cheese—cheddar and Pepper Jack

  3 flour tortillas

  Thoroughly combine chicken, tomatoes, beans, and cooking crème in bowl. Put 1/3 c. on bottom of pie plate or 8x8 freezer pan. Top with 1 flour tortilla;

  Top tortilla with chicken mixture and cheese. Repeat layers, ending with chicken and last of the cheese.

  Bake 30 minutes at 350 until casserole is bubbly.

  Shepherd’s Pie

  Shepherd’s pie is an overlooked dish, scorned by food snobs these days. But Kate’s customers like this hearty casserole.

  Ingredients:

  Mashed potatoes, made of about 1⅓ lbs. red potatoes. (Even Gram didn’t skin them to mash.) A good trick: put some garlic cloves in the water when you boil the potatoes. Another good one: as you add butter, salt, and pepper, substitute sour cream or cream cheese for the milk.

  ½ c. shredded sharp cheddar—stir into hot, freshly mashed potatoes and set aside

  1 lb. lean ground beef

  2 Tbsp. flour

  4 c. frozen mixed vegetables (I prefer corn, green beans, carrots, and sweet peas.)

  ¾ c. beef broth

  2 Tbsp. ketchup

  ¼ c. shredded sharp cheddar

  Heat oven to 375°.

  Brown meat in nonstick skillet (an iron skillet is always best). Stir in flour and cook briefly. Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring, for five minutes.

  Spoon into 8 in. square baking dish. Cover with mashed potatoes. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheddar over the top and bake another 3-4 minutes, until cheese melts and casserole is bubbly. Serve six, but only if they’re not hearty eaters.

  Vegetable Soup

  Kate won’t use frozen prepared foods but she does use frozen vegetables, especially when she makes soup.

  Ingredients:

  2 large cans diced tomatoes with juice

  1 box broth—use vegetable, beef or chicken according to your taste. Fresh boxed broths are better than canned.

  Diced potatoes—Kate prefers to use canned white potatoes, because they keep their shape better when diced; you can also use frozen diced potatoes. (Sometimes Kate omits potatoes and stirs in egg noodles or cooked rice after the soup has simmered a good while.)

  Frozen vegetables to taste—see suggestions in Shepherd’s Pie recipe. Use what strikes your fancy.

  Optional: a bunch of fresh spinach.

  At this point you could add diced, leftover chicken or beef if you want.

  Season to taste: salt and pepper; a bit of sugar to round off the tomato taste; fresh or dried herbs at you want.

  Will simmer on the stove all day; leftovers freeze well.

  Cheeseburger Soup

  This one is hearty and always popular with café customers during winter months.

  Ingredients:

  2 carrots, grated

  1 onion, chopped

  2 stalks celery, chopped

  8 cups diced potatoes, partially boiled

  1 box chicken broth, low sodium

  ¼ c. flour

  ½-1 lb. hamburger meat

  ½ c. milk

  ¼ c. sour cream

  ½ lb. Velveeta

  Salt and pepper to taste

  Brown the meat and drain. Melt ¼ c. butter in large pot and sauté onion, and celery until clear. Add cooked hamburger meat, potatoes, carrots and broth. Simmer until potatoes are fully tender. Separately, melt ¼ c. butter and add flour; stir until thick. Add to soup to thicken. Add cheese, cut in chunks, and milk to the main pot. Stir u
ntil cheese melts. Simmer as long as you want. Just before serving, remove from heat and add sour cream.

  You can play with the amounts of cheese and meat to make a heartier soup if you want.

  Chocolate Chip Brownies

  With great reluctance, Kate buys pies from a supplier, who makes her own homemade pies. Kate doesn’t have time to do that but here’s a brownie recipe she makes in-house.

  Ingredients:

  4-1/2 c. flour

  2 tsp. soda

  2 tsp. salt

  4 sticks butter, softened

  1-1/2 c. sugar

  1-1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

  4 eggs

  2 tsp vanilla

  2 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips, semisweet

  2 cups chopped nuts (optional—Kate doesn’t like finding nuts in unexpected places like salads and brownies)

  You’ll note that these have all the ingredients of chocolate chip cookies. They go together the same way. Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy, then add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and mix in well. Add flour mixture in bits, stirring in thoroughly with each bit. Stir in chips and nuts, if using.

  Spread in two, pre-greased 9x13 pans and bake in pre-heated 350o oven for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

  About the Author

  An award-winning novelist, Judy Alter is the author of six books in the Kelly O’Connell Mysteries series: Skeleton in a Dead Space, No Neighborhood for Old Women, Trouble in a Big Box, Danger Comes Home, Deception in Strange Places, and Desperate for Death. She also writes the Blue Plate Café Mysteries—Murder at the Blue Plate Café, Murder at the Tremont House and the current Murder at Peacock Mansion. Finally, with the 2014 The Perfect Coed, she introduced the Oak Grove Mysteries.