Diners, Drive-Ins, and Death: A Comfort Food Mystery

by Christine Wenger

  “The Wishing Well Campgrounds. They had an immediate vacancy in a cottage after someone got sick at their nighttime campfire and had to move to the hospital.” She tossed her hair and crossed her arms, looking smug. “Something about rat poison in his beer.”

  My stomach turned. “How can you hurt someone like that?”

  “It’s for the greater good. My greater good. I wanted to get back with Nick, but he only had eyes for . . . her!” She held the fillet knife at waist level, ready to lash out . . . at ACB.

  “Nick loved me,” ACB said. “And I loved him. He was good to me at one of the worst times in my life, and I will always love him for it.”

  I held my breath. Not a good thing to say when Leslie was ready to make a shish kebab out of her.

  “I loved Nick, too. He was a great kisser and he was fabulous in bed,” Leslie said.

  “Absolutely!” ACB laughed. “Nick sure was outstanding. Sal was good, but Nick . . . wow!”

  Leslie chuckled. “You know what? I like you, Antoinette. I wish that I didn’t have to kill you. But that’s what I’m going to do. I entered Miss Salmon and came here to get back with Nick. After he cast me aside like yesterday’s newspaper once again, I couldn’t handle it, so he had to go. If I couldn’t have him, then no one would. But it was actually Antoinette that I came here to kill.”

  “You don’t have to kill her,” I said. “Just put down the knife.”

  “Leslie, how did you get Nick out on my land?” ACB shifted on the cement.

  I wished she’d shut up. Anything could trigger Leslie into filleting the both of us like a fish.

  She waved the knife in the air. “Nick was surprised to see me, and at first he wouldn’t even give me the time of day. But I convinced him that I just wanted to drive and talk for a while, and he said okay. Then I told him that I wanted to go for a walk. I knew that Antoinette owned that land. I figured that killing Nick on her land would put another nail in her coffin.”

  “Then you planted everything at the scene?” I asked.

  “It was a piece of cake. Antoinette’s house is always unlocked—just like yours, Trixie—so it was easy to steal a knife from your basement. My intention was to trick the cops into thinking you were in cahoots with her, but it made an excellent weapon.” She laughed. “You small-townies really should lock your doors, huh?”

  I was still waiting for a chance to catch Leslie off guard.

  Sheesh! It might help if I could take out my phone and call Ty. . . .

  Oh, but I could! I didn’t need to see the screen to call him from my phone! I reached into my pocket and pressed the number one on my phone’s keypad to speed-dial Ty without Leslie seeing me. Why on earth didn’t I think of that before?

  I heard Ty answer.

  “What’s that noise?” Leslie asked, thrusting the knife under my nose.

  “That’s my stomach growling, Leslie. I’m hungry,” I said loudly. Maybe Ty could hear me. “Uh, Leslie, can we get out of Nick’s garage, and can you put that knife down before you kill us like you killed Nick?”

  I looked at Leslie and now she had crazy eyes. She was walking in circles around ACB and mumbling to herself. “Look at how beautiful I am!” She twirled in her evening gown. “How could Nick leave me at the altar for someone like you, Antoinette?”

  “Leslie, my name is Antoinette Chloe.”

  Sheesh. ACB was correcting a murderer about her name?

  “I still can’t understand how could Nick dump me for you, Antoinette Chloe. You can’t dress. You look like a luau in a hurricane.” She sniffed. “How could Nick embarrass me like he did? My picture was in the paper. Everyone saw.”

  Suddenly Leslie lunged at ACB, with the knife held high. I yanked at her gown as hard as I could and then she turned her attention to me.

  Luckily, Antoinette Chloe was on the ball and tripped Leslie. She fell like the skinny contest junkie she might—or might not—be.

  I jumped on top of her and smacked her hand against the cement floor until she let go of the knife. Then I tied her hands with the electrical tape that ACB kicked over to me.

  Ty Brisco, Vern McCoy, and Lou Rutledge—the entire Sandy Harbor Sheriff’s Department—ran into the garage. Lou rushed over to ACB, cut her free, and helped her up.

  ACB and I closed the distance between us and hugged.

  “Nice job, Trixie,” she said.

  “Nice job, Antoinette Chloe.”

  I looked at Leslie lying on the floor and sadness washed over me. She definitely needed help, and I hoped that she’d get it wherever she was sent.

  I took Ty, Vern, and Lou aside along with ACB and we huddled. “Be careful, guys. She’s not as helpless as you might think.”

  Leslie tossed her hair. “I can’t go to jail right now. I have to get back to the high school to rehearse that lame salmon tableau. I have a pageant to win.”

  I shook my head. I couldn’t believe that Leslie the Lunatic still wanted to win the pageant. “I think you’re going to miss the competition, Leslie.”

  ACB turned to Ty. “But I can’t miss my opportunity to emcee. This event is my life. Can I hitch a ride with you to back to the high school, please?”

  “Sure. I’ll even turn on the siren for you two. You both deserve to finish the event.”

  That was nice of him, but all I really wanted was a carton of nut chocolate-fudge brownie ice cream and a spoon.

  Epilogue

  E-MAIL TO AUNT STELLA

  Hi, Aunt Stella!

  I have so many things to tell you and you seem to be traveling somewhere, so I always rely on e-mail to reach you.

  First, Antoinette Chloe Brown wound up being not guilty. We found Nick Brownelli’s real killer with help from Ty Brisco. He’s really a great cop, but you know how impatient I get. I know I should leave him to his job, but ACB’s my friend, and I wanted to help her.

  I actually feel bad for the murderer, Aunt Stella. Of course, I feel sorrier for Nick Brownelli. He lost his life way too early.

  Sal Brownelli, currently residing in Auburn Correctional Facility in Auburn, New York, was actually a big help in providing motives for whoever might have wanted to kill Nick. Sal is still desperately in love with ACB, and I think a part of her still loves him, too, in spite of everything he’s done to hurt her. She has such a big heart.

  One of the major suspects was Chad Dodson of the Dodsons of Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts. They are the big cheeses of banking and insurance, and they had dumped Chad, since he was using up too much of their money. Chad was sniffing around Nick’s life-insurance policy, but his story about Nick owing him money was a lie. He figured that Antoinette Chloe was a soft touch and would buy his story and try to make good on Nick’s debts. Shame on him.

  Antoinette Chloe is the beneficiary of Nick’s policy, free and clear. And she decided that she’s going to continue building her drive-in, and plans on remodeling her restaurant with the check from Nick’s insurance company. The rest will go for her secret charity work.

  She wants to name the drive-in after Nick. Specifically, she wanted to name it Nick at Nite, but I pointed out that the name was already taken by a TV channel, so she’s still thinking about the name.

  Chad went home with his tail between his legs, but before he did, he arranged some kind of partnership with Billy Gerard, also known as Toxic Waste. Chad and Toxic want to open an American-type of restaurant somewhere around Alexandria Bay in the Thousand Islands area.

  Billy Gerard is a fabulous chef who owns a restaurant called Billy’s Bavarian. He’s quite devastated by the events, but I think the winner of the Miss Salmon pageant, Cher LaMontagne, has the hots for him, and vice versa.

  Billy hasn’t had much luck in the girlfriend department, but Cher seems to be nice and a real change from Leslie.

  Oh, and Billy knew that Leslie was masquera
ding as Aileen Shubert. But he’s been totally in love with Leslie for years, even after she dumped him and was going to marry Nick. Anyway, he kept his mouth shut and tried to figure out what Leslie was up to, but that didn’t stop him from frolicking in the grass with her, if you catch my drift. It’s a long story, Aunt Stella, but you get the idea.

  Oh, one day someone was bumping me from behind as I drove to Harbor Hair. Leslie McDermott confessed to Ty that she thought that ACB was driving, not me. Please don’t tell my mom about this. She hates my frequent brushes with death!

  But I don’t want my e-mail to be all gloom and doom. The Silver Bullet and the cottages are filled to the brim with fishermen and tourists. I’ll be able to make a balloon payment to you at the end of the quarter. As Ty would say, yee-haw!

  The first annual Miss Salmon pageant was a success. The auditorium was packed, and Margie Grace and ACB prepared a dance that memorialized the salmon running upstream, complete with dancing fishing poles and the fishermen doing the tango with the salmon. It probably would have been better if Margie Grace had left a little to the imagination when the contestants depicted the salmon laying eggs. LOL!

  ACB was a success as emcee. I think that the audience was more interested in her costume changes than watching the pageant; she had some real doozies.

  God bless her! She enjoys putting together colorful outfits.

  In closing, I just have to say that I looked fabulous in one of your gowns. Well, because of my height, it was a tea-length dress on me, not a gown. It was the one with the copper sequins on the bodice and a cream-colored skirt.

  Ty waited for me to change for the pageant, and when I walked down the stairs, he whistled—a long, low wolf whistle. And he smiled that great smile he has. His little dimple on the left made an appearance.

  Not that I noticed. No way.

  Love you,

  Trixie

  Family (and Friends’!) Recipes from the Silver Bullet Diner, Sandy Harbor, New York

  Cousin Virgie’s Holiday Broccoli-Corn Casserole

  Virgie used to make this easy, quick casserole for holiday gatherings, and we all looked forward to it. Yum!

  1 (16 oz.) can creamed corn

  1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained

  1 egg, beaten

  1 Tbsp. minced onion

  2 Tbsps. melted butter

  16 crushed saltine crackers

  Salt and pepper to taste

  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  Combine all ingredients in casserole dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or so until golden brown and bubbly on top.

  Makes 5 to 6 servings.

  Giant Snickerdoodle Cookies

  A friend I previously worked with gave me this recipe. His mother used to make them for his school lunches, and all the kids wanted to trade him. He said to mention that these are big and need room to expand. Don’t try to get more than 5 or 6 on a large cookie sheet.

  Prep: 20 mins.

  Chill: 4 hours

  Bake: 12 mins. per batch

  41/2 cups all-purpose flour

  2 tsp. baking powder

  1 tsp. baking soda

  3/4 tsp. salt

  11/4 cups shortening

  2 cups sugar

  2 eggs

  11/2 tsp. vanilla

  1/2 tsp. lemon extract or 1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel

  1 cup buttermilk

  1/2 cup sugar

  2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Set aside.

  In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat the shortening with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add the 2 cups of sugar. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and lemon extract or peel.

  Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the creamed mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours. Meanwhile, combine the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

  For each cookie, use a 1/4 cup measure. Roll each scoop of dough in the sugar-cinnamon mixture to coat. Place three inches apart on the cookie sheet. With the palm of your hand, gently press down the cookie to 1/2-inch thickness.

  Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms are a light gold. Transfer to a rack to cool. The cookies bake more evenly if you bake just one batch at a time.

  Makes about 24.

  Dick Green’s Famous Caramel Corn

  Dick and Judy are old friends of my family. Judy said that she always made this caramel corn when they took their kids to the drive-in, and they loved it! Dick adds that it’s absolutely delicious, and I wholeheartedly agree!

  6 qt. popped corn

  2 sticks butter

  2 cups brown sugar

  1/2 cup light corn syrup (such as Karo)

  Dash salt

  1/2 tsp. baking soda

  Preheat the oven to 250°F.

  Spread the popcorn in a shallow pan. Keep warm in the oven.

  Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to 248°F, checking frequently with a candy thermometer.

  Stir in the baking soda; it will foam.

  Drizzle over the popcorn; stir and toss to coat. Return the popcorn to oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

  Store in an airtight container.

  Dog Biscuits

  Blondie loves these!

  11/8 cup whole wheat flour

  11/8 cup unbleached white flour

  1/2 cup peanut butter or other nut butter

  1 cup water

  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  In a bowl, blend the wheat flour and white flour. Set aside.

  In a large mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil, peanut butter, and water. Add the flour, one cup at a time, and mix to form a dough. You will need to blend the final bit of flour by hand, kneading until a nice, firm ball of dough is formed.

  Let the ball of dough stand for about 10 minutes to allow the gluten to relax; this makes rolling easier.

  Roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness on a sheet of waxed paper. Cut with the desired cutter. I like to use a cutter in the shape of a dog bone! Score the tops of the cookies with a fork so the steam that builds up inside the cookies will be released.

  Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 25 minutes, rotating the pan a couple of times during baking. The cookies should be hard to the touch before being removed from the oven. Continue to bake in five-minute increments until they reach the proper hardness, usually around 30 to 35 minutes.

  Allow the cookies to cool completely, then store them in plastic bags or airtight containers.

  Big Jim Kocik’s Potato-Cheese Soup

  Big Jim was Uncle Porky’s golfing partner and had to make this soup each time he lost to Uncle Porky—which was a lot of times!

  7–8 strips thick-cut slab bacon, diced (1/2-inch dice)

  2 cups sweet onion, diced (1/2-inch dice)

  3 cups Swanson chicken stock (not broth)

  3 Tbsp. butter

  2–3 tsp. jalapeño slices, finely chopped

  1/2 tsp. black pepper

  1/2 tsp. of your favorite mixed seasoning

  6–7 cups red potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

  12 oz. Velveeta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

  11/2 cup half-and-half

  1 Tbsp. dried chives

  Notes:

  Use red potatoes; they hold up best in soups. After dicing, rinse 2 or 3 times to remove excess starch. Soak in cold water until needed.

  Easy way to dice bacon: Cut a stac
k of strips lengthwise, then cut 1/2-inch slices.

  After frying the bacon, do not drain away all the grease. Easy method: Push the fried bacon to one side of the Dutch oven or pot and absorb about half the grease with 5 or 6 paper towels.

  Two teaspoons of chopped jalapeños just barely register in this recipe but add to the flavor, so don’t leave them out. If you want a little more heat, add an additional 1 tsp. at a time. Just remember that you can always add more, but you can’t take them out.

  Swanson chicken stock comes in a 26-oz. container; use the whole thing. Homemade stock (from leftover strained chicken soup) is best, if you have any.

  Don’t be tempted to substitute cheddar or any other hard cheese for Velveeta, because Velveeta does not curdle and provides a very creamy texture to the broth. If you want more cheese favor, garnish the soup with shredded Asiago or some other favorite cheese.

  In a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove about half of the grease.

  Add the diced onions and continue cooking until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

  Add the chicken stock, butter, jalapeños, black pepper, Accent, and drained potatoes, and simmer on medium-low heat until the potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes.

  Add the Velveeta cheese, half-and-half and dried chives and turn up the heat to bring the soup to a simmer. Stir until the cheese is well melted and blended into the soup. Adjust the heat to low and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

  Trixie’s Raisin-Cider Sauce

  This sauce is absolutely perfect with ham or pork! I serve it all the time.

  3 Tbsp. brown sugar

  1 Tbsp. cornstarch

  1/4 tsp. salt

  1/4 tsp. cloves

  1/8 tsp. cinnamon

  A few grains nutmeg

  1 cup apple cider

  1/2 cup seedless raisins