“This is a bucolic setting you have here, Cam,” Marilyn said. “It’s just lovely.”
“Come on back and I’ll show you as much of it as I can. The path is paved to the barn, at least.”
“I’ll bring up the rear with the snacks,” Sim said. Vince and Ellie followed her.
They were halfway on a slow route to the barn, with Albert pointing out various plantings he’d established decades earlier, when Cam heard, “Yo, Flaherty,” from behind her. She turned to see Bobby strolling toward them from his truck, which took up the next-to-last spot on the long driveway.
“What is this, a party?” Cam asked.
Bobby shook Albert’s hand and then Marie’s, and fist-bumped with Sim. He greeted the teens, too.
“Luce said she was going to be here, and after I heard the news, I had to stop by, too.” Bobby’s expression was a somber one. “Thanks for getting that monster, Cam. Both of them.”
“I didn’t really get them. Well, I sort of got Geneva. The Coast Guard ended up capturing Rudin.”
“That’s what we heard,” Marilyn said, her eyes again bright. “It must have been so terribly exciting for you. Or terrifying, like.”
Cam let out a breath. “Definitely the second.”
After touring the barn, they ended up in the sunshine on the other side of it. Cam grabbed a few of the plastic milk crates from the barn and set the donuts on one. Marilyn sat on the bench next to Albert’s wheelchair, and Sim perched on another upturned crate. Vince slung his arm over Ellie’s shoulder as they leaned against the barn wall.
“You certainly did a fine job rebuilding the barn, Bobby,” Albert said.
“Thank you, sir. It was a pleasure.”
“And it’s pleasing to look at, as well as functional,” Marilyn added. “The best of both worlds.”
A tousled-hair Pete strolled up with Dasha and unclipped his leash. Dasha padded into the barn, and Cam could hear him slurping his water even from outside.
“Good walk?” she asked Pete.
He nodded, smiling, and wiped perspiration from his forehead. He greeted everybody. “What’s this, breakfast?” He gestured to the donuts.
“Help yourself,” Sim said.
“I’m going to go find Luce,” Bobby said.
“She’s picking asparagus again. Find a volunteer named Sue, too,” Cam called after him. “And Alexandra and DJ.”
Pete beckoned to Cam and drew her away from the group. “Did some digging. Your mom is in the clear for that thing in Florida.”
“She is?” Cam whispered in astonishment.
He nodded. “She didn’t hit a person. Somebody had put a roll of carpet out for the trash, and the wind had pushed it into the street.”
“Geneva was lying!”
“Apparently, and not for the first time. No wonder your mother couldn’t find anything in the news about the accident.”
“Incredible.” Cam shook her head. “Just incredible. I can’t wait to tell Mom.”
Cam and Pete rejoined the group. She’d have to wait to tell her mother, but smiled at the image of her mom’s surprise and relief at Pete’s news. Her parents would be able to get to their summer research as soon as Deb had healed. More important, her mom wasn’t a criminal. Cam felt as light as if she’d been hauling a heavy cart piled full of compost that had just tipped out onto the ground.
Felicity appeared from the vicinity of the hoophouse. “Wow. Is this the Westbury organic farming subgroup?” She smiled and greeted them one by one.
“Something like that.” Cam gestured at the box. “Have a donut, courtesy of Sim.” Cam selected one of the chocolate rings. “Except not this one. Farmer’s prerogative.” She’d just bit into it when her parents appeared from around the corner of the barn, followed by Ruth in civilian clothes. A little color had returned to Deb’s face, and a blue sling held her right arm across the front of her body. William grasped her other arm.
“They let you loose,” Cam said, hurrying toward them.
“I gave her the unofficial official police escort,” Ruth said, laughing. “Your dad asked for my help so he wouldn’t get lost.”
“Thanks, Ruthie.” Cam kissed her mom’s cheek and looked into her eyes. “You all right?” she whispered.
“You told me I would be,” Deb whispered back. “I heard you.”
Cam’s eyes welled. She blinked away the happy tears.
Clapping commenced as William led Deb through the group. Marilyn patted the bench beside her, where Deb sank down to sitting, relief evident on her face. Bobby, Lucinda, and Sue walked up from the direction of the fields, Sue carrying a full basket of asparagus spears. DJ and Alexandra followed, with Preston moseying behind. He ambled over and jumped onto Albert’s lap.
“Let’s hear it for survivors,” Albert said. He held up a piece of donut. “It’s not champagne, but it’ll have to do.”
“To Cam’s mama,” Sim echoed, holding up her own sprinkles-covered sweet.
“And to Cam,” Felicity added, brandishing a piece of asparagus. Dasha trotted over and barked. He sat alert at Cam’s feet, gazing up at her.
Cam looked around the circle. All the family she had in the world. All these friends holding a piece of pastry or a spear of asparagus in the air as a toast. All this support. She’d never envisioned such a scene a year ago. And could only hope her relationship with each of them would strengthen and deepen in the next year. Quite the leap for an introvert.
Cam raised her donut. “Here’s to all of you.”
Recipes
Roasted Garlic Spread
Cam’s father William whips this up for their lunch sandwiches. You can use it as a spread, or as a dip with crackers or raw vegetables.
Ingredients
2 small garlic bulbs
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup soft cream cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1 teaspoon minced parsley
Dash of habanero hot sauce
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Slice the tips off the garlic bulbs. Place on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle olive oil over the bulbs. Wrap the foil around the garlic and roast in the oven (a toaster oven works well for such a small quantity) for 30 minutes. Remove the packet and open the foil to let cool.
Mix the sour cream, cream cheese, and herbs in a small bowl. When the garlic is cool enough to touch, squeeze the soft garlic out of the bulb and into the bowl. Mix well, mashing the garlic with a fork. Add a few drops of hot sauce to taste.
Kale and Couscous Salad
Cam ordered this delicious and easy salad for her dinner at Throwback Brewery. Brewery co-owner Nicole Carrier was kind enough to share a version of the recipe for this book, which I have modified slightly.
Ingredients
1 cup pearl couscous
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups washed and chopped kale leaves, stemmed
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cook the couscous until al dente and drain well. Sprinkle the salt over the kale and rub the kale with your hands for a few minutes, until it wilts. Add the cooled couscous, walnuts, cranberries, Parmesan cheese, and cumin, and mix. Stir in the olive oil and rice wine vinegar. Adjust oil and vinegar to taste, and grind black pepper over the salad.
Brown Rice Vegetable Risotto
Cam’s mom orders this fresh, chewy dish at Jake’s restaurant, The Market.
Ingredients
4 ounces asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 cups chicken stock
2½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup butter
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional
for taste
1 red sweet pepper, diced
2 stalks diced spring garlic (or scallions)
1½ cups brown rice
½ cup dry vermouth
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano (or herb of
choice)
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley (or herb of choice)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Directions
Cut asparagus just below the tips, then on an angle at 1-inch intervals. Set aside.
Bring stock to a simmer. Keep on a low simmer.
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add asparagus. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the color turns bright green. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste, and set aside.
In a large saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the spring garlic and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the pepper and rice and stir so that they are coated with the butter and glossy, about 1 minute. Add the vermouth and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it is absorbed by the rice. Ladle in ½ cup of the simmering stock and stir constantly, until the rice again absorbs the liquid, adjusting the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Continue ladling in about ½ cup of stock a time, stirring between additions and letting the rice absorb the liquid before adding more. Continue stirring and adding stock until rice is tender but slightly al dente.
Stir in asparagus and herbs. Vigorously beat in the remaining butter and the Parmesan cheese. Add peas and lime juice, and stir just until heated through. Remove from heat. Cover and let risotto rest for five minutes before serving.
Divide among four warm bowls, grind a generous amount of pepper over each, and serve.
Swedish Cheesecake—Ostkaka
Jake’s special dessert, which he offers Cam and her parents at his restaurant.
Ingredients
4 large eggs
½ cup sugar
¼ cup unbleached white flour
24 ounces strained cottage cheese
½ cup almond meal
3 to 4 ground almonds
1 tablespoon Frangelico liqueur
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Whip the eggs until fluffy. Stir in sugar, flour, and cottage cheese. Fold in the almond meal, almonds, and liqueur.
Butter a 9” x 13” casserole. Pour the mixture into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. If cheesecake starts to get too brown, cover with foil.
Best served warm with strawberries and sour cream or crème fraîche.
Mulch Ado about Murder Page 23