The Remedy Is Murder

by Mary Maxwell

  “What are you so cheery about?” she asked.

  I pointed at her.

  “Me?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I’ve never seen you so happy.”

  “Really?”

  I nodded.

  “What about the time I found the pair of Louboutins online for eighty percent off?”

  “Not even close,” I said. “And stop being silly. You and I both know that whatever this is with Antonio is way better than a pair of heels.”

  She giggled. “That’s true. And I’m being silly or whatever you want to call it because I’m almost as nervous as I am happy.”

  “That’s life,” I said.

  “So what do you think?” She bit her lower lip. “What should I do now?”

  “That part’s simple,” I said. “Well, complicated and simple, because we tend to overthink and overanalyze things.”

  “Well, yeah,” she said. “But what’s your advice?”

  “Breathe,” I told her. “And enjoy yourself. I don’t know Antonio yet, but I know you, Viv. You deserve every good thing and all the happiness in the world.”

  “You know what?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “I believe that for the first time in my life,” Viveca said quietly. “We all really do deserve good things.”

  “And happiness,” I added.

  “It’s like my Aunt Silvia used to say,” she replied with a faint smile. “‘Life only happens once, so grab as much bling as you can carry.’”

  I giggled. “Are we talking about diamonds or love?”

  “All of the above!” Viveca replied. “All of the above!”

  CHAPTER 42

  Ted Sterling sat in one of the rocking chairs on the front porch at Sky High Pies while I leaned against the railing. The sun was beginning to set and there was a slight chill in the air as we made small talk about local news and the weather. When his rant about the latest round of storms began to wind down, I sensed that he was ready to broach the main subject. He’d called earlier in the day and asked to stop by for a chat about his brother.

  “I wanted to thank you,” he began. “I’d heard about you consulting with the police before, but this is the first time it’s directly impacted my life.”

  It was a few days after Ruth Grainger had confessed to stealing the lockets and patient files from Dr. Whistler’s house as well as the series of anonymous assaults around town. The District Attorney had also filed involuntary manslaughter charges against her for Don Sterling’s death. The local rumor mill was whirling around the clock with the possibility of even more charges against Ruth in the days ahead for embezzlement, forgery and fraud related to thousands of dollars stolen from the cleaning business that she owned with Alma Tucker.

  “It blows my mind that someone running a busy place like Sky High would also have a side business helping to solve crimes,” Ted added. “You’re a shining example of what it means to be a good citizen and a true hero, Katie.”

  “I appreciate the kind words,” I told Ted. “But it’s not really a side business. My consulting work is more of a voluntary thing that I do to help the community.”

  He squinted. “What about that fellow up in Boulder? Do you volunteer when he needs help, too?”

  “Actually, I do have an agreement with Adam Caldwell,” I answered. “He pays me an hourly wage and expenses, but that’s only happened once so far. He and his partner have been able to handle most of their cases since the agency opened.”

  Ted’s face went red. “I probably shouldn’t have asked about that. It’s none of my concern.”

  “You’re fine,” I told him. “I’m an open book. I mean, about most things. If you ask for Nana Reed’s baking secrets, I clam up real fast.”

  He chuckled. “I get it, Katie. You know, I met your grandmother once back in the day. I was in my junior year of high school. Some relatives were visiting from down south, and my parents brought everyone here for lunch. Your grandmother came out to the dining room and entertained our table with some of her stories.”

  “She could tell good ones,” I said, picturing Nana Reed in her flour-speckled apron sharing one of her favorite tales with customers. “She knew how to keep everybody entertained without risqué language or insult humor.”

  “That’s a rare thing,” Ted said.

  “Not around here,” I replied. “Julia, Harper and I do our share to keep things clean.”

  He laughed again. “Some of my buddies at work could learn a thing or two from you ladies. Maybe I should have them stop by sometime.”

  “They’d be welcome,” I said.

  Ted nodded as his eyes drifted over my shoulder. He stared into the distance for five minutes or so, filling his lungs with a steady diet of deep breaths.

  “The thing is,” he said eventually, “I’m still pretty wrecked by what happened. I’m trying to make sense of it by talking to you and Detective Kincaid and my close friends.”

  “Talking is good,” I said.

  “It’s nothing that I’m comfortable with,” he admitted. “But I’m trying. My poor wife is an angel, but I had the idea that maybe it would be good to let her catch her breath. She’s grieving, too.”

  “You both are,” I said. “And so are your family members and everyone who knew and loved your brother.”

  He nodded somberly. Then he said, “Duckie Bryant isn’t. He and Donny never got along.”

  “Well, this isn’t about Duckie,” I replied. “He’s a mean chunk of dirt.”

  Ted laughed. “That’s putting it mildly.”

  “Just being honest,” I replied.

  “Don loved eating at Sky High,” Ted said pensively. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not, but your parents sent him a huge box of cookies and muffins when he was in the hospital getting his gallbladder removed a few years ago. It was the only time that I can recall when Donny wasn’t here for Saturday breakfast before his shift at work.”

  “Every week,” I said. “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor the sausage rollups at Hot Diggity Dog kept your brother from starting his weekend at Sky High with biscuits and gravy and cups of black coffee.”

  Ted smiled. “Want to know a secret?”

  “Always,” I said.

  “Don stopped at Hot Diggity before he came to your place,” he said. “He bought three rollups for lunch and then came to Sky High for breakfast.”

  I laughed and slapped my thigh. “I love that! Thank you for sharing it with me. I can’t wait to tell Jules and Harper. We were always teasing him about being so loyal to us on Saturday.”

  “He was an equal opportunity kind of guy,” Ted said. “And never an unkind thought, word or deed toward another soul.”

  “Which makes his death that much more difficult to process,” I said.

  We sat quietly for a few moments. Ted’s gaze was on something far away again as he rocked gently in the chair.

  “Why do you think she did it?” he asked eventually.

  “Ruth Grainger?”

  “Yes. Why did she want to hurt so many other folks?”

  “I don’t know if we’ll ever be certain of that,” I said. “But I think she was in pain. And very, very lost.”

  “That’s no excuse,” he said angrily. “Everybody’s got pain. But most people know the difference between right and wrong.”

  “I agree with you,” I replied. “But not everyone can control their rage. Ruth was upset about things that most people could resolve with calm conversation. For some reason, she thought it was a sign of weakness that her son went to see Dr. Whistler. If you asked me to guess, I’d say that something happened during Ruth’s childhood that damaged her. Maybe it related to her weight or how she saw herself. Maybe she was bullied when she was younger.”

  “And that’s a good enough reason for you?” His voice was tight and sharp. “She couldn’t handle her son having some kind of psychological problems so my brother had to die.”

  “Not at all,” I said, pu
shing up from the railing. “There is no excuse for what she did. There’s only an explanation for her choices and actions. I’m not trying to justify anything that Ruth did. She committed a series of heinous acts, Ted. A series of crimes. And even though she now claims that your brother’s death was never her intention, what’s done is done. You’ve lost a beloved family member. Our town has lost a good man. And since there is no way to bring him back, the one thing we can do is honor his spirit and legacy by following his example of living as openly and honestly as he was doing in his final years.”

  I sat down beside Ted. His breathing had increased and his hands were wrapped tightly around the arms of his chair.

  “I like that idea,” he said. “We can honor my brother by being nice to everyone we meet.”

  CHAPTER 43

  The next day, Alma Tucker came through the front door of Sky High Pies as I hurried down the hall from the office. It was a few minutes after three, and I wanted to lock up before I joined Julia in the kitchen for another cookie baking marathon. One of our most loyal customers was coming by in the morning for six dozen sugar cookies decorated with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles, so we needed to get started if we wanted to finish by six.

  “I know that you’re closed,” Alma said. “But I wanted to give you a little gift of appreciation.”

  She opened her cavernous handbag and came out with a small package wrapped in pink-and-white polka dot paper with a giant white bow.

  “This is for you,” Alma said, handing me the parcel. “I hope you like it, Katie!”

  The gift was the size of a paperback book. It didn’t weight much, but I could feel a wooden frame of some type beneath the wrapping paper.

  “A diamond necklace?” I joked.

  She shook her head. “It’s from my heart,” she said. “I don’t know about you, but I just love giving handmade presents to the really special people in my life.”

  “Those can be the best,” I said. “I have a pair of earrings that my nephews made when they were five or six. They’re twins, so one boy made the left earring and the other made the right.”

  “How cute!” she said. “What do they look like?”

  I rolled my shoulders. “Lumps of coal,” I said. “But I adore them. I wear them every Christmas just to make the boys cringe.”

  She giggled. “Well, I hope my gift doesn’t make you cringe.”

  “Can I open it now?” I asked.

  “I wish that you would,” Alma replied.

  “Let’s go sit at a table in here,” I said, motioning toward the dining room. “Would you like anything to drink?”

  She shook her head and followed me. As soon as we were settled, I carefully removed the big bow and loosened the tape on the back of the gift.

  “This is such a nice surprise,” I said, folding back one side of the polka dot paper. “You really didn’t have to bring me anything.”

  “I wanted to show my appreciation for your work in resolving the Don Sterling case,” she said. “I also wanted to tell you how grateful I am for the respect that you showed my son. He obviously demonstrated poor judgment by making a copy of Dr. Whistler’s key and stealing from his home, but he and I are working through that together.”

  “Oh, really? You and Angus are going for counseling together?”

  She smiled. “My son’s idea,” she told me. “I was talking to him about trust; sharing it, nurturing it and learning to find it again after a breach. At one point, Angus asked if he could make a suggestion. I thought he was going to propose that we stop talking about it, but he surprised me by asking if we could meet with Dr. Whistler together.”

  “He’s a smart kid,” I said.

  Alma laughed. “I know,” she said. “He got that from his father.”

  “Probably from both of you.” I folded the other half of the paper away from the gift. “I’ve heard it’s usually a—” My breath hitched in my throat. “Oh, my word, Alma! That is absolutely stunning!”

  The present was a small watercolor of a pastoral meadow scene with Aspen trees and tiny yellow flowers beneath a blue sky etched with thin curls of cloud.

  “I did that in Estes Park,” she said. “Not too far from Prospect Mountain.”

  I studied the gorgeous painting for a few minutes, trying to conjure visions of my last visit to the park before I left for Chicago.

  “I haven’t been there in forever,” I said. “But it’s really lovely. Thank you for the thoughtful gift, Alma.”

  I got up from my chair, walked over and leaned down to give her a hug. When I stepped back, she was wiping away tears and sniffling quietly.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve been pretty weepy these past few days.”

  “That’s understandable,” I told her. “It’s been a stressful time for everyone.”

  She nodded. “I’m worried about my boy. He’s having trouble processing all of the tension. Angus has had a few missteps in his life, but he has a good heart.”

  “Who doesn’t make mistakes when they’re a teenager?” I asked.

  One corner of Alma’s mouth lifted. “My sister,” she offered with a hesitant laugh. “But please don’t ever tell her that I said so.”

  “Doesn’t she live out west somewhere?”

  “Santa Cruz,” Alma said. “And she loathes snow, which means she expects us to always visit them out there.”

  “Not a bad place to spend time though.”

  She laughed again; stronger and steadier. “It’s beautiful, but I’m more of a mountain person that a beach bunny.” She reached down and patted her right thigh. “Not to mention that my legs look like funny little sausages in a bathing suit.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that,” I said. “But thank you again for the painting.”

  “That’s kind of you to say,” Alma replied. “But you’re a real artist. You went to school for it, right?”

  I nodded. “But look what I did with that?” I said. “My first career was working as a private investigator, and now I bake pies and cookies.”

  “Well, at least creativity applies to both,” she said.

  “I suppose.”

  We studied her watercolor for a few moments. Then I heard Julia squawking my name in the kitchen.

  “Duty calls,” Alma said, getting out of the chair.

  I stood up and gave her another quick hug.

  “That really was an unexpected surprise,” I said. “Thank you for making my day brighter.”

  She smiled. “You’re welcome, Katie. And thank you again for helping Detective Kincaid solve the case. I think that we’ve all learned quite a few lessons in the past couple of weeks.”

  “Don’t poke Mama Bear?” I smiled. “Is that one of them?”

  Alma laughed with glee. “That’s one of the most important lessons in life!”

  Nana Reed’s Sky High Recipes

  Taste of the Tropics Cake

  Ingredients

  1/2 cup unsalted butter

  2 cups granulated sugar

  2 large eggs

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  1/2 cup chopped walnuts

  1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds

  1/2 cup chopped pecans

  2 teaspoons baking soda

  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple

  1 7 ounce package sweetened shredded coconut

  1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

  1 8 ounce package cream cheese

  3-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

  2. Prepare a 9x12 in. baking pan: lightly grease or line with parchment paper.

  3. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine butter, granulated sugar and eggs.

  4. Add flour, baking soda, salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

  5. When all ingredients are blended, fold in pineapple, coconut and condensed milk.


  6. Mix completely and fold batter into prepared baking pan.

  7. Bake for 35 minutes or until tester placed in center comes out clean.

  8. Cool for 30 minutes.

  9. While cake is cooling, make frosting by blending together cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar and remaining vanilla extract.

  10. Use a spatula to cover the top of cake with frosting before garnishing with chopped walnuts, almonds and pecans.

  Snazzydoodle Cookies

  Ingredients

  1 cup unsalted butter

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon kosher salt

  2-1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  1 cup light brown sugar

  1/2 cup granulated sugar

  2 large eggs

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1 cup finely chopped chocolate toffee bars

  3 cups corn flakes

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

  2. Prepare two baking sheets: lightly grease or line with parchment paper.

  3. Melt butter in a small saucepan until it foams and turns brown.

  4. Pour melted butter into stand mixer’s bowl.

  5. While butter cools slightly, combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

  6. Mix butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar until thoroughly combined.

  7. Add vanilla and dry ingredients to wet mixture and blend completely.

  8. Fold in chopped toffee bars.

  9. In a separate bowl, mix together remaining granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cardamom and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

  10. Place corn flakes in another bowl.

  11. Use spoons or small scoop to form 1-inch balls of dough.