Powdered Peril

by Jessica Beck

  “Are you kidding? I’m impressed by how long you stayed in bed. You must have needed it, or you wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

  “I tried to get up at my regular time,” I admitted. “I was going to open the donut shop, but I just couldn’t do it.”

  “I’m glad you resisted the temptation,” she said. “April Springs will somehow be able to manage without their donuts for one day.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” I admitted. I felt a little guilty, but it was too late to do anything about it now. If Emma had been my assistant, she and her mother could have opened for me, but there was no way I would ever ask Nan to do it. “This smells wonderful.”

  “Well, dig in,” she said.

  I didn’t have to be told twice. I ate the heartiest breakfast I’d had since I’d opened Donut Hearts, and there wasn’t a sugary confection on the table. As much as I loved donuts, it was a nice change of pace having Momma’s country feast instead.

  “Wow, I’m stuffed,” I said as I finally pushed away from the table. “Momma, you outdid yourself.”

  “It was my pleasure. Grace, did you get enough to eat?”

  “I’m as full as I’ve been in years,” my best friend said. “I can’t thank you enough for taking me in like this.”

  “No thanks needed,” she said as the doorbell rang. “Now, who could that be? I distinctly told everyone that no one was to come by until after twelve.”

  “Show them in anyway,” I said. “We’re fine with seeing whoever’s out there.”

  “Not until you’ve each had a chance to take a long soak in the tub and have some time to get ready for company. They’ll go away, and come back when I say,” Momma said resolutely. I knew that no one was going to get past that gatekeeper. “After you’ve done as I’ve suggested, then we’ll see.”

  I knew better than to fight her on it.

  She left to answer the door. Grace and I both tried to stand, and then settled back down onto our chairs.

  “I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll stay right here a while,” I said.

  “My thoughts exactly,” Grace replied.

  Momma came back a few seconds later with a frown on her face.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked her.

  “I’m not sure if you’d like to see who’s out there, but I couldn’t just turn them away, not given the circumstances.”

  Wow, that was something. Who could break down Momma’s will? “Go on. Show them in,” I said.

  “Better yet, we’ll see them in the living room,” Grace said.

  “Are you sure about that?” I asked.

  “Suzanne, we have to get up sometime,” Grace answered with a smile. “It might as well be now. Come on, I’ll give you a hand if you need it.”

  “No way,” I replied with a smile of my own. “If you can get up, so can I.”

  We stood, each of us fighting our grimaces. “There,” Grace said, “that wasn’t so hard. Whoever is out there better be worth it, though.”

  As we walked out into the living room, I realized that there was no doubt about that.

  “Emma, what are you doing here?” I asked as I hugged my former assistant, despite the pain it caused. “I thought you’d be getting settled into school by now.”

  She hugged me back, gently, I was relieved to find, and as she pulled away, I saw that there were tears in her eyes. “Suzanne, I missed you so much.”

  I wiped a few of her tears away and said, “Hey, it’s okay. We’re both fine. There’s no need to cry.”

  “I’m glad you’re not hurt, but that’s not it,” she said. “I never should have left April Springs. I made a huge mistake when I went away to school. Would you take me back at Donut Hearts?”

  I settled down onto the couch, and Grace took one of the chairs so Emma could join me. “Emma, what happened? I thought that going away to college was exactly what you wanted.” She’d certainly told me enough times how she couldn’t wait to put April Springs behind her, and the sudden change of heart was puzzling.

  “Nothing went right,” she admitted, clearly fighting the urge to cry. “I hated the professors, the classes, my roommates, everything. Suzanne, I never dreamed how great I had it here. I just couldn’t take it.”

  “You’re just homesick,” I said as I touched her shoulder lightly. “It’s understandable, and I know that it will get better. You just have to give it some time.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t do it. I’m miserable there. Home is where I belong, at least for now. Whether I can come back to work for you or not, I’m moving back home. Mom and Dad packed the truck with my stuff, and I didn’t hear about the accident until I read it in Dad’s newspaper this morning. He didn’t say a word to me when they picked me up, can you believe it?” Emma’s father, Ray Blake, owned and operated the April Springs Sentinel. Of course he’d run a story about our accident. There wasn’t that much hard news to cover in our small town, but I’d never even considered the fact that he’d do a story on what had happened to us.

  “He was just trying to protect you, I’m sure,” I said. “He’s like that, remember? Are you certain that you want to come back home without giving school a fair chance?”

  “Suzanne,” she asked, her voice quivering a little, “don’t you want me to come back to April Springs?”

  “Of course I do, Emma,” I said, and it was nothing but the truth. “I just don’t want you to give up on your dream.”

  “Dreams change,” she said. “Besides, I can go back next year if I change my mind. There are still plenty of classes I can take at the community college that will transfer.” She looked at me tentatively as she asked, “How’s the donut shop going? Is Nan working out okay?”

  I had forgotten all about my new assistant. “She’s doing fine,” I admitted, “but she’s not you. Emma, if your heart’s set on leaving school, I won’t try to change your mind, but I can’t just fire Nan because you came back. It wouldn’t be right. You see that, don’t you?”

  It was pretty clear from her expression that that was exactly what she’d been hoping for, and I felt like a complete heel, but I couldn’t cut Nan loose just because Emma was back.

  “I understand,” she said. “If it doesn’t work out with her, though, would you keep me in mind as her replacement?”

  I stood, feeling a little better, whether from the meal or the pills I’d taken, and hugged her. “Emma, you know I will. As a matter of fact, if you’re interested, you can come in and work the day Nan takes off every week. I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I can do. How does that sound?”

  “Great,” she said, though only halfheartedly.

  “I’m sorry I can’t offer you more.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s perfect. Honestly, I’m just glad that both of you are okay.” She finally looked at Grace and asked, “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m as sore as I can be, but other than that, I’ll make it just fine.”

  “I’m sorry about Peter,” Emma added, and I felt a slight chill come into the room.

  “So am I,” Grace said, though what she meant exactly was hard to determine.

  “Well, I’ll let you two rest,” Emma said as she headed for the door. “I just wanted to pop in and say hello.” She lowered her voice, and then added, “I’m coming back later during your regular visiting hours, per your mother’s request.”

  I grinned as she said it. Why wasn’t I surprised?

  “Your first shift starts in three days,” I said. “And Emma?”

  “Yes?”

  “I really am glad to see you again,” I said.

  “Me, too.”

  After she was gone, Momma came out of the dining room, and I didn’t doubt for one second that she’d heard the entire exchange.

  “Am I doing the right thing keeping Nan on?” I asked her and Grace.

  They both nodded, which made me feel better instantly.

  Momma said, “Suzanne, you made a commitment to Nan, and she’
s doing her job. I’m sorry Emma is out in the cold, but you did what you had to do.”

  “Do you really agree, Grace?” I asked.

  “I don’t see that you had any choice. Don’t be too tough on Emma for coming home, though. I had two roommates who did the exact same thing, and they’re both doing great now. Going away to school just isn’t for everyone.”

  “I hope she follows through with what she said and keeps up with getting her education,” I said.

  “She took classes at the community college before, and if I know Ray Blake, she’ll be enrolled again come the fall. In the meantime, we need to get dressed. I’ll just run home, take a quick shower and change, and then I’ll be right back.”

  “Would you like me to go with you?” I volunteered.

  “No, I may be a little feeble at the moment, but I think I can make it on my own,” she said with a smile. “Besides, I want to take that bath in my own tub.”

  Something occurred to me just then. “How are you going to get home? Are you really up to walking that far?”

  Grace’s expression changed in a heartbeat. “That’s right, my car’s gone.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot. There was a rental car dropped off for you this morning,” Momma said as she walked into the room. “It’s a nice one, too.”

  Grace nodded. “It doesn’t surprise me one bit. My boss never was one to take half measures, and she must have found out from Chief Martin where I was staying.”

  Still, Grace hesitated, and I had to wonder if she wasn’t quite ready to drive again after what had happened the day before. It might take a little time to get her confidence back behind the wheel after the accident. I said, “Tell you what. I know you’re a big girl and all, but if you give me ten minutes to get ready, I’ll go with you.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” she said, though I could hear in her voice that was exactly what she wanted.

  “I know that I don’t have to. I want to,” I said as I made my way up the stairs. “In the meantime, sit tight on the couch and I’ll be right down.” I turned to Momma and added, “I’ll take that bath tonight. Deal? For now, the shower will be perfect.”

  She got it instantly, which was one of the things I loved about my momma. “That sounds like a splendid plan,” she said.

  I tried to hurry, but the hot water felt too good beating down on my sore body. I must have overstayed my allotted time, but by the time I was dressed in fresh jeans and a new T-shirt, I was closer to being ready to take on the world than I had been since the accident.

  To my relief, Grace was still there.

  “Here I am, clean as a whistle and ready to go,” I said with a smile.

  “How was your shower?”

  “Better than it had a right to be,” I said.

  “I’m looking forward to that myself,” she replied.

  “Then let’s go.”

  I called out to Momma, who must have gone in the kitchen after I left to get cleaned up, and said, “We’ll be back a little later.”

  She popped her head out of the other room. “Take your time, but there is going to be a flood of visitors precisely at twelve, and I’d hate to disappoint them.”

  I glanced at the clock and saw that we had plenty of time, even if Grace decided to take twice as long as I had getting ready. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be here.”

  “Good. And bring your appetites with you. I have another feast planned.”

  I groaned a little at the thought of another of her big meals so close on the heels of the last one. “Just make it something light, okay?”

  “Sorry, we both know that’s not in my vocabulary,” she said with a smile. “Can you smell that aroma?”

  I took a big whiff of the air and didn’t need to guess. “It’s your famous lemon chicken,” I said. It was a recipe my mother was known for far and wide, and rightly so.

  “Maybe I can spare a little room for a bite or two,” I said with a grin.

  Momma laughed. “I thought you might. Now shoo, you two. I’ve got work to do.”

  As we closed the front door behind us, I whistled when I saw Grace’s rental. It was quite a bit nicer than the Jeep I drove every day, and it was even a little better than Grace’s wrecked company car. “My, my, my. We’re traveling in style, aren’t we?” I asked with a grin.

  Grace didn’t return my smile, though. She was staring at the new car as though she thought that it meant to hurt us.

  I added, “Hey, I’d be happy to drive, if you’re not ready to get behind the wheel again.”

  “No, I can do it,” she said, taking one firm step after another toward the car. “I’ve got to face it again sometime, so it might as well be now.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She allowed herself a quick laugh. “It’s less than three football fields away to my place. I’d better be able to do that, since so much of my job these days is driving from one rep’s territory to another.”

  I hadn’t thought about that. “You don’t have to go back to work right away, though, right? You still have some time on your leave.”

  “Don’t worry,” Grace said as she got into the car. “By the time I go back to work, I’ll be fine. Come on, let’s see how this baby handles.”

  We drove the brief route without incident, and as Grace pulled to a stop in her driveway, she stroked the steering wheel lightly. “You know what? I could get used to this.”

  “And think,” I said as we got out. “This is just the rental. Your new one is going to be nicer than this one.” I laughed as I added, “Sometimes life just isn’t fair.”

  “And sometimes it’s just right,” she said with a smile.

  A BAKED OLD-TIMEY SPIN

  A great many donut recipes use very similar ingredients, so sometimes I like to take an old favorite and play with it. Not all the experiments work out, but some are good enough to add to the family list of recipe possibilities, and this is one of them. The taste is different from what you might expect in a donut, and some love it as much as others don’t. If you’ve got a rainy day and feel like playing, this one’s worth a try.

  INGREDIENTS

  MIXED

  1 egg, beaten

  ½ cup sugar, white granulated

  ½ cup buttermilk

  ¼ cup whole milk

  1 tablespoon butter, melted

  1 teaspoon orange juice

  SIFTED

  1½ cups flour, unbleached all-purpose

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix

  A dash of salt

  INSTRUCTIONS

  In one bowl, beat the egg thoroughly, then add the sugar, buttermilk, whole milk, melted butter, and orange juice. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice mix, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing well until you have a smooth consistent batter.

  Using a cookie scoop, drop walnut-sized portions of batter into small muffin tins or your donut maker, and bake at 360 degrees F for 8–12 minutes, or until golden brown.

  Yield: 8–12 small donuts.

  CHAPTER 16

  “What’s all this?” Grace asked as we drove back to the cottage I shared with my mother. She’d taken a little longer than I had to shower and change, but then again, I didn’t have a bandage on my head to protect from the water. I hoped that she’d be able to downsize it soon. It made her scratch look much worse than it actually was. There were two cars already parked in the driveway besides mine and Momma’s, so Grace had trouble finding a place to park. She ended up edging off into the grass, the only space she could have taken without blocking our visitors in.

  “That’s Emma’s car,” I said as I pointed to it, “and the other one belongs to George. Since Momma told her that she couldn’t stay long this morning, she came back to find out what really happened yesterday.”

  She looked at me for a second and frowned. “How many times are we going to have to retell this story over the next few weeks?”
>
  “More than either one of us is going to want, I’m willing to bet,” I said. “Should we make a run for it while we can?”

  “I’m feeling better after that shower, but not good enough to go on the lam,” Grace answered with a smile. “After all, they are our friends.”

  “I know.” I opened the passenger side door, but Grace put a hand on mine. “Suzanne, we need to talk before we go in.”

  “Why is that never a good thing to hear?” I asked.

  “Nothing’s wrong. I just think we should get our stories straight. Now don’t take offense, but are you positive that the wreck was intentional? Because if you are, I’ve got your back. Just say the word, and I’m on board. We can tell the same story, and let folks believe what they choose to.”

  I looked at the sincerity in her gaze, and realized that I could have no better friend. “I’ve been thinking about it, and honestly, I believe it might serve us better to say that it was an accident after all.”

  She looked startled by my statement. “You were so sure, though.”

  “I still am,” I admitted. “But what good does it do us to stir up any more trouble than we’ve already got? Besides, if we tell everyone that it was an accident, maybe the killer will get sloppy again and make another run at us.”

  She shook her head. “We’re taking an awfully big chance here, aren’t we?”

  “Hey, we can stop anytime. You just say the word.”

  Grace frowned, and then asked, “You’d really do that? I know how you are when you get your teeth into a case.”

  I grinned at her. “You got me. It’s doubtful that I could stop now even if I wanted to, which I don’t. Grace, I understand your reticence, but we need to see this through to the end.”

  “No matter what?” she asked solemnly.

  “No matter what.”

  “Then let’s go inside. The quicker we can get rid of our well-wishers, the faster we can pick up our investigation. I’ve got a feeling we need a new sense of urgency for finding the killer.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Think about it, Suzanne. When whoever it was who ran us off the road realizes that we aren’t taking the warning to heart, they’re going to come after us again, and next time, they might not stop with just trying to scare us off. It would be a great deal better if we found out who they were first.”