He nodded glumly and turned around with his wrists together behind him.
“The whole meeting was recorded, you know, just like all the town meetings,” Deloris said, “so, I think things are going to turn out okay for you.”
“Time to go, Mr. Gallagher,” Brody said with a smile as he passed Dickie off to his deputy.
“Dickie...” I said before they took him away, “...just one more thing: Why did you put Tom in my dumpster? There was a dumpster right there at the real estate office where all of this happened.”
He nodded and slowly looked me in the eye. “Well, they pick up the garbage at Realty House on Mondays, and this happened on Tuesday night. We knew that they come to your place on Wednesday because when we get done eating breakfast we always go into the kitchen to talk to Smoke. We always hear the garbage truck out there when we’re tasting the turkey that Smoke roasted for the Wednesday special. He always gives us a slice. So, we thought that the body would be gone fast. We didn’t know somebody was going to set it on fire. I’m really sorry about that.”
I felt badly for Dickie as Stan took him out of the hall. I was just like everybody else, thinking that Dickie wasn’t very bright, but he’s really brilliant. I was amazed at how well he understood and explained all of the banking and politics that were going on. He figured out Tom’s complicated scheme all by himself.
I took Brody’s hand. “One year in a nice, low security psych ward where they’ll help him find some self-esteem – max! I’ll find a nice woman for him.”
“I’ll see what I can do, counselor.”
Ruby and Deloris and the others were still in a circle talking about the remarkable revelations. I waved to them as Brody and I headed for the exit. It seemed like most everybody in the hall wanted to stay and talk for a while. Nobody was leaving.
He put his arm around my shoulders. “Say, Mercy...how about if we pick up that ice cream and stop by your place right now?”
“I’m not in the mood for ice cream.” I took his hand as we walked toward the exit. “Besides, half of these people will be heading for the diner pretty soon. Deloris and Babs will need help.”
He seemed disappointed. “But, by the time they all get done chatting here and all the orders get put in to the kitchen and cooked up, they won’t really need help for at least an hour.”
I looked around at the crowd and considered his wisdom. Then I began walking briskly, pulling Brody along. “So, we’d better hurry! Last one to the car is a rotten egg!”
“We'll take my car...I’ve got lights and sirens!”
MY GRANDMOTHER AND her church family put together a recipe book in 1950. My other grandmother was the President of the Ladies Homemaker Club in her hometown and they also put together a recipe book in about the same time period. Although the books are weathered with wear, I'm sure the recipes are still good today. Here are some of those recipes. Enjoy!
Smoke's Hungarian Chops based on my Grandmother, Lorene Forgey's, recipe:
Ingredients:
4 pork chops
3 tablespoons oil
Paprika
Diced onion
2 cups button mushrooms
Salt and pepper
Bay leaf
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 cup sour cream (optional)
Caraway seeds (optional)
COVER BOTH SIDES OF the chops with a generous amount of paprika. Heat the oil in a large skillet and place the chops in the pan when oil is hot. Brown the chops on both sides. Add caraway seeds on top of the chops while cooking. Remove the chops from the pan after browning. Add diced onion and button mushrooms. Saute for 2 minutes. Place the chops back into the skillet along with a bay leaf and 1 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for one hour. Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Remove the chops from the skillet and add the cornstarch mixture. Increase the heat until mixture is boiling, stirring constantly. Return the chops to the gravy after it has thickened. You may also add 1 cup of sour cream to the gravy. Serve over mashed potatoes or noodles.
MILDRED HUBER'S BEAN Salad
Ingredients:
1 can (16 oz) green beans
1 can (16 oz) wax beans
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans
1 can (16 oz) lime beans
1 can (16 oz) sliced carrots
4 small green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced celery
½ cup sugar
½ cup vinegar
½ cup oil
Drain the canned vegetables and pour into a large bowl. Add the onions and celery. Mix together the sugar, vinegar and oil. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and blend. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight before serving.
LORENE FORGEY'S BAKED Apples Ala Mode
6 cooking apples
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
Wash, core and pare the apples ½ of the way down the apple from the top. Place apples in a baking dish. Prepare the syrup by cooking the brown sugar, water and butter in a sauce pan over low heat. When the mixture becomes syrupy, pour it over the apples. Bake the apples at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes depending on the size of the apples. Serve apples slightly warm with ice cream.
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Catalog of Books
Old School Diner Cozy Mysteries
Murder at Stake
Murder Well Done
A Side Order of Deception
Murder, Basted and Barbecued
The Grumpy Chicken Irish Pub Series
A Frosty Mug of Murder
Treachery on Tap
A Highball and a Low Blow
Cursed With a Twist
THE CHRONICLES OF AGNES Astor Smith
The Peculiar Case of Agnes Astor Smith
The Peculiar Case of the Red Tide
The Peculiar Case of the Lost Colony
THE CURIOSITY SHOP Cozy Mysteries
The Curious Case of the Cursed Spectacles
The Curious Case of the Cursed Dice
The Curious Case of the Cursed Dagger
The Curious Case of the Cursed Looking Glass
The Curious Case of the Cursed Crucible
THE WE’RE NOT DEAD Yet Club
Fetch a Pail of Murder
Wedding Bells and Death Knells
Murder or Bust
Pinched, Pilfered and a Pitchfork
A Hot Spot of Murder
WITCHY WOMEN OF COVEN Grove Series
THE WITCHING ON THE Wall
A Witching Well of Magic
Witching the Night Away
Witching There’s Another Way
Witching Your Life Away
Witching You Wouldn’t Go
Witching for a Miracle
TEASEN & PLEASEN HAIR Salon Series
A Hair Raising Blowout
Wash, Rinse, Die
Holiday Hooligans
Color Me Dead
False Nails & Tall Tales
CAESAR’S CREEK SERIES
A FROZEN SCOOP OF MURDER (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book One)
Death by Chocolate Sundae (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Two)
Soft Serve Secrets (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Three)
Ice Cream You Scream (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Four)
Double Dip Dilemma (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Five)
&nbs
p; Melted Memories (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Six)
Triple Dip Debacle(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Seven)
Whipped Wedding Woes(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Eight)
A Sprinkle of Tropical Trouble(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Nine)
A Drizzle of Deception(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Ten)
SWEET HOME MYSTERY Series
Creamed at the Coffee Cabana (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book One)
A Caffeinated Crunch (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Two)
A Frothy Fiasco (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Three)
Punked by the Pumpkin(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Four)
Peppermint Pandemonium(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Five)
Expresso Messo(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Six)
A Cuppa Cruise Conundrum(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Seven)
The Brewing Bride(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Eight)
WHISPERING PINES MYSTERY Series
A Sinister Slice of Murder
Sanctum of Shadows (Whispering Pines Mystery Series)
Curse of the Bloodstone Arrow (Whispering Pines Mystery Series)
Fright Night at the Haunted Inn (Whispering Pines Mystery Series)
MAD RIVER MYSTERY SERIES
A Wicked Whack
A Prickly Predicament
A Malevolent Menace
Murder Well Done Page 9