Teaberry Farmers Market
Page 11
Erica and Brad arrived shortly after. While Brad and Justin joined the other men, Erica joined the women on the porch. Megan offered apple cider, lemonade, iced tea, and wine. The ladies settled in comfortable seats and the talk turned to marriage, babies, and the death of Cybil Lacey.
“What did you find out about Cybil Lacey?” Lauren asked. She had dressed in lightweight clothing for the warm day and had pulled her blonde hair up. She held the icy lemonade in her hands with a napkin under the glass to catch the condensation.
Erica set her empty glass of apple cider on the table next to her. “Her name was actually Mary Smith. She used several names that she’d made up over the years including Cybil Lacey, Serena Turner, and Lexie LaRue.”
“Is that why she insisted on cash? Because she couldn’t pay taxes under those false names, could she?” Caitlyn asked.
“She had multiple reasons for wanting to use different names,” Erica said. “She rarely lasted long in any of the towns that she worked in before they ran her out.”
The other women looked at each other with raised eyebrows. “I can understand that,” Lauren said. “Blackmailers aren’t usually well liked.”
“As Megan discovered, Cybil’s method of operation was to convince someone to become her customer,” Erica continued. “She would do that by flattering someone into going to her or discovering some tidbit about them that she could use to pressure them. Once she had them in her chair, she’d learn everything that she could about them. Apparently, she also got some people to tell stories about her other customers.” Erica shook her head.
“I can’t imagine living like that,” Lauren said.
“Yeah, why didn’t she just do their hair?” Caitlyn asked, reaching for a cookie from the plate next to her. “You know, like a hairdresser?”
“We have Jerry to thank for figuring that one out. Seems she wasn’t really any good at it,” Erica said.
“Irlene said the same thing,” Megan said as she refilled Lauren’s lemonade.
Erica shook her head when Megan raised her eyebrows at her in question and covered her empty glass with her hand. “The sad thing was, those women felt trapped into going to Cybil so that they could keep their secrets. But in many cases, what they thought was a secret really wasn’t.”
“So why did Janine Taylor kill Cybil?” Caitlyn asked. “Was she one of Cybil’s victims?”
Erica nodded. “One of the early ones. Except, Cybil hadn’t perfected her game at that point. She actually spread Janine’s secret all over town, that Janine had been cheating on her husband. It was a very small town and they basically ostracized her for it. Her marriage ended in divorce. Janine ended up moving away, drifting from town to town, trying to make a living.”
“Did she come here looking for Cybil?” Lauren asked.
“No, she claims she didn’t know that was the name Cybil was using. She saw Cybil at the hair cutting competition that first weekend of the farmers market.” Erica looked over at the plate of Oatmeal Pudding Cookies that Megan had set out and rested her hand on her stomach.
Lauren narrowed her eyes at Erica. “How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better,” Erica acknowledged. “It must have been something I ate earlier.”
Lauren watched as the color drained from Erica’s face, then she stood quickly and held out her hand to Erica. “Come with me.”
Megan and Caitlyn watched the other two women leave. “That didn’t look good,” Caitlyn said as she sat back in her chair, her wine glass in her hand.
Megan nodded in agreement. “Have you thought about having children?”
Caitlyn looked over at Doug. He was laughing at something Brad was saying. “Maybe once or twice.”
Megan watched Justin hold a platter as Dan transferred meat to the grill. “Yeah. Me too.”
Megan’s Recipes
Oatmeal Pudding Cookies (From Lauren and Megan’s grandmother)
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 (3 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
Mix flour with baking soda. Combine butter, sugars, pudding mix in large bowl and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mix then stir in oats and raisins. Batter will be stiff. Drop teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes 5 dozen.
Huckleberry Pancakes
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons margarine or oil
2 eggs
2 cups sour milk or buttermilk
1 cup huckleberries
Put all ingredients except milk and huckleberries in a bowl and mix. Add milk and beat with whisk. Gently fold in huckleberries. Cook in hot skillet sprayed with vegetable oil. Makes about 18 pancakes.
Note: To make buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar for each 1 cup of milk, stir, and let sit for a few minutes.
Books by R. A. Wallace
If you enjoy a book, please consider leaving a review.
Indigo Investigations Cozy Mystery Series
Callie Indigo heads the private detective agency Indigo Investigations. When she isn't working a legitimate case, she's often talked into helping out friends and family. Her life becomes even more complicated with the appearance of Greyson Divine, who teams up with Callie to solve cases. This cozy mystery series includes a female sleuth, friends, and family.
Teaberry Farm Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery Series
Megan is the main character in the series but interacts with a wide range of other characters in the fictional town of Teaberry. A difficult first marriage ended in the accidental death of her husband. She supports herself with her bed and breakfast, produce from her farm, and her tech skills as a web developer. Over time, she discovers that the love of her life was in front of her all along. Main characters in the series are multigenerational.