by Jessica Beck
“Loud and clear,” Grace said.
After the mayor drove away, Momma walked across the street to the diner parking lot where she’d left her car.
I looked at Grace and asked her, “What now? Do you have any plans?”
“No, my evening is suddenly free,” she said.
“Why don’t you come over and we’ll hang out, maybe make something to eat,” I suggested. “Our men are going to be tied up most of the night.”
“I could cook for us at my place,” Grace suggested.
“Really? Since when did you start cooking?”
“Since Stephen told me how much he liked home-cooked meals. Hey, he’s made quite a few changes for me. I thought I’d return the favor.”
“Will wonders never cease? This is truly a day of miracles,” I said.
“I’m not saying that it will be great, but I’ve gotten pretty good at making stir fry,” she said.
“Sold,” I answered as we got into my Jeep and drove the short distance to her place.
Once she was in the kitchen prepping our meal, she said, “Suzanne, I’m happy that Stephen is finally getting his promotion, but I hate that it comes at the expense of Jake leaving his job behind.”
“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “He only took the job on a temporary basis. He wouldn’t have quit if he hadn’t been ready to move on.”
“What’s he going to do now?” Grace asked as she started chopping up the peppers and onions.
“I don’t know. I’m sure between the two of us, we’ll figure something out.” I could smell the onions as Grace chopped them, and a sudden chill went through me.
I knew who had killed Harley Boggess.
And what was worse, Jake was going after the wrong person.
Chapter 24
I called Jake’s cellphone, but he didn’t pick up. Of course. He was probably with Curtis Daniels right now, and he wouldn’t allow his time with his suspect to be disturbed by an outside telephone call. “Call Stephen,” I ordered Grace.
“You heard George. If I tell him what’s about to happen, he might not get the job.”
I took the knife from her hand and put it down on the cutting board. “Call him, Grace.”
“Okay. What’s this about?”
“I’ll tell him, and you can listen, too.”
There was no answer. The two police officers were probably together. As I held the phone hoping for an answer, there was a knock on the front door, and Grace went to answer it before I could stop her.
“Grace, don’t,” I said too late.
When the door opened, I saw the killer standing there.
I knew that she’d done it, and what was more, from the look on her face, she knew that I knew.
Light glanced off the steel blade in her hand, and I grabbed the knife Grace had been using and put it into my back pocket, trying not to cut myself in the process. I would have lunged at her with it and ended things one way or the other right then and there, but Grace was between us, and I couldn’t put her life in jeopardy.
As she walked in and closed the door behind her, Grace asked, “It was you? You killed Harley?”
“Ask Suzanne,” the killer said. “She knows I did it.”
Grace looked at me. “Suzanne? Is that true? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was trying to,” I said. “I just figured it out. That’s why I was calling Jake and Stephen.”
I turned to the killer and said, “You might as well give up now, Wendy. Help is on the way.”
“Then I believe I’ll stay right where I am,” the secretary said. “After all, if you’re telling the truth, I could use a hostage, so that gives me one of you to spare.”
As she said it, she put her knife to Grace’s throat, and I knew that I had to do something, or I was going to be forced to watch my best friend be murdered right in front of me.
Chapter 25
“Were you blackmailing Harley to cut you in on what he’d stolen from the company?” I asked, trying to figure out how I could distract Wendy long enough to free Grace from her grasp.
“Is that what you think?” Wendy said with a laugh. “How wrong I was to worry about you and your friends snooping into my life. Harley never stole so much as a postage stamp from that place.”
“It was you all along?” I asked, honestly shocked by her admission.
“No one gives the secretary enough credit. I had the passwords and account numbers for both of them, but I realized that Curtis was too sharp for me to steal using his information. Lately Harley’s been so distracted that I knew he wouldn’t even notice what I was doing.”
“Which was?” I asked as I slowly crept closer to them, hoping that Wendy wouldn’t notice.
“Systematically gut their bank accounts,” she said. “I would have gotten away with it, too, if Amber hadn’t convinced Harley to leave the company. I knew that would trigger an audit, and Harley would realize that I’d been duping him. I had to get rid of him before he found out the truth. Once he was unable to refute the accounts, I figured that I’d be in the clear.”
“So you killed him. I’m curious, though. Why did you lure him to George’s office? It’s an odd place to commit murder.” And then I got it. “You knew that it would be empty, didn’t you? You’re the one who saw him leaving town. I’ll bet you called in the anonymous tip that he was fleeing the scene of the crime, too, didn’t you?”
“Well, at least you got that right. I figured why not use the information I had to my best ability? I brought this knife to use on him, but I thought George’s letter opener sealed the deal, don’t you think? It’s clear that you knew I was up to something. What gave me away?”
“Onions,” I said as I took another small step forward.
“You got that, did you?” she asked. “I was afraid of that happening.”
“What about onions?” Grace asked her. “If I’m going to die, I’d at least like to know the truth.”
“I’d been picking onions for some soup before I met Harley. I got it all over my hands, but I was inured to the smell by the time I met with him. You smelled it, though, didn’t you?”
“I admit, at first I thought he’d had them for lunch. Then, when I saw your greenhouse, I put two and two together.”
“That’s it? Two coincidences and you believed that I was a killer?”
“There’s more. When I first saw you at your office, I thought you were rubbing your hands raw because of Curtis yelling at you, but after you killed Harley, you must have tried to scrub the smell away, in case you left any traces on the handle of the letter opener. I didn’t finally put it all together until Grace started cooking. The smell of chopped onions was the trigger, and I knew that you’d done it.”
“Very good, though you missed my motive by a mile,” she said. “Still, it was a good effort, for an amateur. As much as I’ve enjoyed our little chat, I’m surprised the police haven’t shown up by now. Is there any chance you were lying to me when you told me that you’d called them?”
“If you don’t believe me, check my phone,” I said as I held it out to her.
She actually lowered the knife a bit as she reached out for my phone with her free hand.
“Now!” I screamed at Grace, who dropped instantly to the ground as though she’d been shot. I didn’t have time to pull the knife from my pocket as I dove toward Wendy, driving my body into hers and sending her back against Grace’s front door. The knife clattered out of her grip and landed a dozen feet away from us, but her hands weren’t empty for long. In a split second, Wendy wrapped them both around my throat and started to squeeze the life out of me.
Grace tried to help, beating her hands against Wendy’s head, but she wouldn’t release me. The knife I’d tucked in my pocket had sliced through my jeans in the scuffle, and as we finally managed to free Wendy’s hands fr
om my throat, she somehow found it. It was heading straight for my back when Grace grabbed the handle just in time, sending it off its direct course to my heart and landing instead in Wendy’s side.
She screamed out in pain, and as she reached to pull it out, I grabbed it instead, giving it a little twist on the way out. She was outraged now, a wild animal more than a woman, and I knew that she wouldn’t listen to any of our threats or reason. Instead, I pinned her arms while she fought me. “Call 9-1-1,” I said breathlessly.
“I’m on it,” she said as Wendy kicked furiously at her, doing everything in her power to escape. She couldn’t, though. I wasn’t going anywhere. She’d come close to ending us both, and I wasn’t about to give her another chance at it.
Chapter 26
The next afternoon, with Stephen Grant duly sworn in as our town’s full-fledged chief of police, I had quite a crew working with me at the old law offices my father had left me. Jake was there, newly relieved of his duties and seemingly quite happy about it. Momma and Phillip were helping out as well, and Grace had even taken time out to lend a hand.
“I’ve never seen so much dust in my life,” I said as I wiped down yet another bookshelf.
“I paid the taxes and emergency repairs,” Momma said. “I didn’t think it needed to be kept pristine.”
“I appreciate all you did,” I said, and I meant it. I’d gotten over the fact that Momma had hidden my inheritance from me. After all, it had been my father’s wish, so how could she not respect it?
“It’s the least I can do,” she said as she looked around. “What are you going to do with the place? If you’d like to sell it, you can use my agent.”
“I thought I might hold onto it,” I said. “I know that Teresa Logan is looking for a permanent office, and the extra rent might be nice every month.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Grace asked. “After all, the woman’s got her eye on your husband.”
“I’m right here, you know,” Jake said. “And besides, that’s ridiculous.”
“Face it, Jake, some women just can’t resist a man in uniform,” Phillip said as he smiled at his wife.
“I was attracted to you for other reasons,” Momma answered with a grin, which was just about more information than I was interested in.
“It’s funny, but all three of us are involved with lawmen,” Grace said.
“Correction; that’s one lawman, and two that are retired,” Jake said.
“How does Stephen like his full title?” I asked Grace.
“He’s nervous about letting folks down who believe in him,” she said. “I keep telling him that he’ll do fine, but I’m not sure he believes me.”
“Give him time. He’s a good man. He can handle it,” Jake answered.
“I’m not worried about him, but I am a little concerned about you,” Grace said.
“Why’s that?”
“You’ve done one thing your entire life,” Grace said. “And now you’ve decided not to do it anymore. What does that leave you with?”
It was a question that I’d been contemplating quite a bit over the past eighteen hours myself, but I was glad that I hadn’t been the one to ask it.
“Are you kidding? I can do anything I want,” he said with a grin. “For the first time in my life, I’m truly free.”
My husband looked at me and smiled, and I realized that everything would be all right. We had each other, and whatever came our way next, I knew that we’d face it together, and that was all that I really needed.
Recipes
A Simple Raspberry Glaze
We’ve filled donuts with raspberries and whipped cream, an easy recipe that follows below, but for the most raspberry flavor, we like a glaze on a plain donut, whether it be yeast or cake in origin. Basically, this glaze is so good that the donut is simply a delivery device! Depending on how long you simmer the glaze mixture, the flavors will condense and intensify.
Ingredients
•2 cups raspberries (Fresh is preferred, but frozen will do just fine.)
•1 cup confectioners’ sugar
•2 teaspoons lemon juice
•1 teaspoon orange juice
Directions
In a medium-sized saucepan, mix the raspberries (fresh or defrosted if first frozen), powdered sugar, lemon juice, and orange juice. Put the pan over medium heat, stirring often until the raspberries start to release their juices. At that point, raise the heat to medium high and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally until the mix begins to thicken. This should take anywhere between forty-five seconds and ninety seconds. Remove from heat and strain, pressing the solids down until all of the liquid is extracted. This sauce can be used immediately or refrigerated for up to one week.
Makes enough to drizzle a dozen donuts
Alternate Recipe
You can also skip the steps above and go the easy route, which also happens to be delicious as an added bonus. Put a jar of raspberry preserves into a medium-sized saucepan and heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the preserves start to reduce. As the moisture begins to evaporate, the flavors intensify, and once the mixture takes on your preferred consistency, it can be used immediately or saved in the refrigerator until later.
Raspberry-and-Cream Filling
This one relies on an old standard recipe, one that we’ve used whenever we’re in the mood for something light and festive in taste. Again, fresh raspberries are nice, but frozen will do fine once they’ve been defrosted. It’s a nice light touch, and we like this mixture in the summertime when it’s hot outside.
Ingredients
•2 cups whipped cream
•1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen), crushed
•1/2 cup raspberry preserves, jam, or jelly
Directions
This one couldn’t be easier. Take the whipped cream and add the preserves along with the crushed raspberries and juice, folding in thoroughly. Using a piping bag or a plastic baggy with one corner snipped off diagonally, pipe this mixture into your favorite whole donut recipe and enjoy. As an added bonus, drizzle with one of the raspberry glaze recipes above for a double shot of raspberry goodness.
Pumpkin Apple Spice Donuts
These donuts are a bit of an acquired taste, but let’s face it, after writing twenty-three donut mysteries and their accompanying recipes, I’m running out of concoctions to create! Some of you have requested recipes featured in the books themselves, so this is my attempt to satisfy your desire—at least of the donut variety! This one was fun to do, so if you’re feeling adventurous, have at it. I hope you enjoy the unique flavor combinations, if you’re brave enough to try making these yourself!
Ingredients
Mixed
•2 eggs, beaten
•3/4 cup fresh apple cider
•1⁄4 cup brown sugar, light
•1⁄4 cup sugar, white granulated
•1/4 cup pumpkin pie canned mix
Sifted
•3–4 cups bread flour
•1 teaspoon cinnamon
•1 teaspoon nutmeg
•1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
•1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
•Pinch of salt
•2 tablespoons butter, salted, melted and at room temperature
•Canola oil, enough for frying the donuts
Directions
Heat the oil to 360 degrees F.
While you’re waiting for the oil to reach the proper temperature, take a medium-sized bowl, add the beaten eggs and cider together, and then loosely incorporate them. Next, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and pumpkin pie mix to this blend, again incorporating thoroughly.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking p
owder, and salt together until it’s thoroughly blended. Mix this together, adding the melted butter last. If the dough is too sticky to work properly, add small increments of flour until you get a consistency you like. If you add too much flour, add a little more cider until you get the perfect dough. Roll the dough out 1/2 to 1/4 inch thick, then cut out the donut shapes using a cutter or a water glass. Fry the donut rounds in canola oil for 3 to 4 minutes, turning halfway when one side is golden brown. These can be coated with confectioners’ sugar after frying or lightly coated with apple butter.
Makes six to twelve donuts.
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Other Books by Jessica Beck
The Donut Mysteries
Glazed Murder
Fatally Frosted
Sinister Sprinkles
Evil Éclairs
Tragic Toppings
Killer Crullers
Drop Dead Chocolate
Powdered Peril
Illegally Iced
Deadly Donuts
Assault and Batter
Sweet Suspects
Deep Fried Homicide
Custard Crime
Lemon Larceny
Bad Bites
Old Fashioned Crooks
Dangerous Dough
Troubled Treats
Sugar Coated Sins
Criminal Crumbs
Vanilla Vices