by Jessica Beck
He stared at me for a brief second, and then he shrugged as he dropped his weapon to the floor. Jake might have just sealed our fates, but at least this way, we might have a fighting chance if my call had gone through. I had all the faith in the world in my husband’s ability to win a shoot-out with the art supply shop owner, but she had the drop on us, and by the time Jake could have pivoted and gotten off a shot, one of us would probably be dead.
“Did you honestly kill her just so you could have Chris to yourself?” I asked her.
“That was part of the reason,” Kerry admitted. “I am so much prettier than she ever was. Why would he want her instead of me?”
“Maybe he was looking for more than just looks,” Jake said.
I saw Kerry’s finger tighten on the trigger, and I knew that provoking her was not the right way to handle this, not if we wanted a chance of getting out of it alive. “Kerry, it’s impossible to know why some people are attracted to others. What I don’t understand is why you asked Annabeth to meet you at the library after hours. Why take the chance of being seen together in public if you were just going to kill her?”
“It’s probably because she hadn’t decided to kill her yet,” Jake said. “You were going to give her one last chance to back off, weren’t you?”
“It was the right thing to do,” I heard the killer say, as if she had any idea what the right thing was any more. “She had talent, money, and Chris. What made matters worse was that she didn’t even want him,” Kerry said, gesturing to the man’s body. The artist hadn’t made a single movement since we’d arrived, and I had to wonder if his injuries were more significant than we knew. He had to get help soon, or he might be dead as well. “When I asked her to give him up, she said he wasn’t hers to give. She told me I was better than that, that I should actually find someone who wanted me, not someone who didn’t care if I was dead or alive. When she walked off, I decided right then and there to kill her.”
“But you weren’t ready, were you?” Jake asked her.
“I was ready. I just wasn’t prepared. I stole this gun from my cousin, and I went to her studio to make sure she didn’t bat those eyelashes at Chris ever again.”
“But you didn’t shoot her,” I said, trying to draw her out as much as I could. Right now keeping her talking was our best option.
“I was going to, but she’d left her door unlocked, and she was so wrapped up in a painting she was doing that she didn’t even see me come in. I grabbed a paperweight and hit her on the side of the head as hard as I could. It had a ninety-degree angle to it, and I was about to leave it when I noticed that it matched the edge of her worktable. I dragged her to where I thought she might fall if she slipped from the ladder she was on, and then I smeared a little blood and hair from where I hit her onto the table’s edge.” She shivered slightly. “It was pretty gruesome doing that, but I had no choice.”
“That wasn’t the first time you wanted to kill her though, was it?” I asked. “I’m willing to bet that if Jake were to check that car’s registration, he’ll discover that it belongs to you, not your sister.”
“I wasn’t trying to kill her then. I just wanted to scare her. That’s why I pushed those boxes over, too.”
“Did you loosen the rung of the ladder, too?” I asked.
She looked surprised by the question. “No, if it’s loose, I didn’t do it. It looked pretty old to me when I pulled it down.”
Most of Annabeth’s clues had been spot on, so it hardly mattered if she’d found the loose ladder rung and had decided that someone was trying to kill her that way.
“What about the art she gave me? You broke into the donut shop, and then you tried getting into our cottage. Why?”
“After I killed her, I saw the notes she made on that butcher paper. I had to wonder what else she might have written, and she’d told me about giving you something that would shake your world up. I didn’t know what that meant, but I had to find out for myself. What was it?”
“I’d show you a photo of it, but you just broke my phone,” I said. Why hadn’t the police responded to my call yet? Were we going to die here in Chris Langer’s studio alongside him?
“Enough talk,” she said. “I’m sorry, but if you two hadn’t been so nosy, you wouldn’t be in this predicament in the first place, so in a very real way, it’s nobody’s fault but your own.”
“Do you honestly believe that the police aren’t going to track you down after they discover our bodies?” I asked. The question gave me chills as I asked it. If and when that happened, it would be too late for us, and that was what mattered at the moment.
“They won’t suspect a thing. After all, it’s going to be murder-suicide,” she said with a laugh as though she’d just said something amusing. The woman had really snapped.
“I don’t see it,” Jake said with a frown.
“You confronted Christopho, he shot you both, and then he killed himself,” she said.
“How are you going to explain his caved-in skull?” Jake asked.
“I don’t have to. Let the police figure it out,” she answered. “I’ll be long gone by then.”
I wasn’t sure how long Chris Langer had been awake and listening to us, but he clearly understood that he had to act now or lose the opportunity forever. He reached out for the same baseball-sized rock Kerry had used to bash his head in, and he somehow managed to heave it at her while still lying on his side, suffering from, at the very least, a concussion, and who knew what other damage she’d done on her earlier assault?
She was caught off guard by the rock being heaved at her, and that was all of the distraction we needed. Jake grabbed his weapon, and before Kerry could lift her own, he had her dead to rights.
“Drop it, Kerry. It’s over.”
I saw her hesitate just as the door opened again behind her. There stood a uniformed cop, his weapon drawn as well. “Drop your weapon,” he screamed at her.
It was enough to push her over the edge. I saw her tense as she got ready to fight and die, and then, as suddenly as it had come, she dropped her gun to the floor and started sobbing.
Apparently the killer decided that it was better to be a live coward than a dead martyr to a cause that no one else in the world cared about.
Chapter 23
A week later, Jake and I were settling in for the night at the cottage when the doorbell rang. My husband offered to get the door, but I was closer, so I opened it myself to find three dozen people standing outside on our front porch, all of them grinning like crazy people.
“What’s going on?” I asked them in surprise.
Momma was at the front of the crowd. “We know you didn’t want us to make any fuss about you coming back home, but now that you’ve been here for awhile, we decided it would be a good time to have a Happy Thursday party for you.”
I had to laugh as I turned to my husband. “Jake, did you know about this?”
“Me?” he asked as innocently as he could manage. “How could you even think such a thing?” It was pretty clear that he’d been in on it all along. I should have known something was up when I’d told him I was going to change into my pajamas for the night and he’d insisted that I stay dressed.
“Well, what are you all out there standing around in the cold for? Come on in,” I said as I stepped aside.
Trish, Emma, and Hilda started carrying in food, George, Grace, Max, and Emily all had various decorations they couldn’t wait to put up, and Phillip waved an old CD player. “I’ve got music,” he said gleefully.
Before I had time to catch my breath, the party was in full swing, and I found myself happy that they’d done this behind my back and against my express wishes.
Soon the furniture had all been moved to the edges of the room, and there was actually space enough for an impromptu dance floor.
When one of my favorite songs started playing, J
ake offered me his hand. “May I have this dance?”
“You bet,” I said as I melted into his arms.
“You’re not upset with us, are you?” he whispered softly in my ear. “So many people love you that they couldn’t bear the thought of not showing you directly.”
“It’s wonderful,” I admitted. “I love them, too.” I stopped dancing for a moment and pulled back. I looked intently into my husband’s gaze. “Jake, I never want to leave April Springs.”
“I get it, and I agree. It’s where we belong,” he said.
With that, I pulled him close to me again and continued to dance with the man of my dreams.
I knew, now more than ever, that life, even when it was full of hardships and tragedies, was best lived among those I cared about. Somehow the lows weren’t as low, and the highs were even higher when I was around people I loved, and for that brief and shining moment in time, I had so much joy inside me that my heart nearly burst from it all.
I was home in every way that it counted, and that was really all that mattered to me.
Recipes
A Nice Raised Donut
This recipe is as good a place to start as any if you’ve never made donuts before. You can adjust the amount of cinnamon and nutmeg if you’d like, but these amounts are my favorites from experimenting over the years. This recipe only goes through one raising period, so it’s one of the easier full donut recipes to knock out when you just don’t have time for two.
Ingredients
1 cup water, warm
2 packages fast-rising yeast (1⁄2 ounce total)
2 1⁄2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
1⁄3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3–4 cups flour
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, add the water, yeast, and sugar. Give the yeast 5 minutes to start working, and if it doesn’t foam up or at least bubble a little, try fresher yeast. Add the beaten egg, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt and then blend it all together thoroughly by hand. Next, start adding flour to the mix, stirring along the way, until the dough pulls away from the sides and is not sticky to the touch. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for about 2 minutes. Roll it out until it is around ¼ inch thick and cut out any shapes you’d like. We use rounds, diamonds, and even our ravioli cutter, which leaves cool edges.
Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately one-half hour. While you are waiting, heat enough canola oil to 360 degrees F. Once they’ve completed their rise time, fry the donuts for approximately 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Drain on a rack with paper towels underneath and then dust with confectioners’ sugar or make up your own simple glaze.
No quantities given, since these depend entirely on the shapes you choose!
The “When All Else Fails” Donut
Okay, let’s start with a full disclosure on this one. A friend shared this recipe with me years ago and urged me to make it and see for myself how great they were. I could barely choke the things down, but she tasted them and continued to rave about them. I’ve made them again a few times over the years, mostly when I know she’ll be around, but make these at your own risk. Who knows, you might just have better luck than I have, which isn’t really saying much at all! You’ve been warned! At least it’s easy to make, and pretty inexpensive, too.
Ingredients
1⁄2 cup boxed biscuit flour
1⁄2 cup milk (or water if you don’t have milk on hand)
1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
Start by heating enough canola oil on the stovetop to fry your donuts. I like to do most of my frying at 360 degrees F.
The recipe itself couldn’t be easier. In a large bowl, mix the boxed biscuit flour, milk, sugar, and cinnamon until thoroughly incorporated.
Once your oil is up to temperature, drop teaspoons of batter into the pot, being careful not to splash any oil as you do. These usually take about 2 minutes for the first side and then another minute or two for the other side. You need to keep a close eye on these once they are being fried, because they can go from done to burned in a blink of an eye.
By my count, these make about 18 donuts, a little on the small size. You can dip these in chocolate, drown them in confectioners’ sugar, or eat them plain.
One Two Three Donuts!
I call these One Two Three Donuts because they are so easy to make, and unlike the recipe above, the results are outstanding. With just two ingredients, it’s ready made for the noncook or nonbaker. In fact, I often tell folks that it’s the perfect donut recipe for someone who doesn’t think they could ever make donuts.
Give it a try, and don’t be afraid to vary the liquid you add when you make them again. In the past, in lieu of plain milk, I’ve used half-and-half, heavy cream, as well as chocolate milk and even eggnog!
No matter what you do, remember to have fun! After all, that’s what donut making really should be about.
Ingredients
1 packet Martha White chocolate chip muffin mix (7.4 oz.), split in half
1⁄2 cup whole milk (2% can be substituted, or the choices listed above as well)
Directions
These honestly couldn’t be simpler.
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Next, combine the mix with the liquid of your choice, though I’d probably advise making them the first time with whole or 2% milk.
Once mixed together thoroughly, you can add the batter to a donut pan or even use a cupcake pan if that’s all you have on hand.
These need to bake approximately 10 to 13 minutes, depending on your oven. I rely more on inserting a clean toothpick into the center of a few than actual time.
When the toothpick comes out clean, cool them on a rack, and then ice them, dust them with confectioners’ sugar, or eat them plain with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee.
Makes 4 to 8 donuts, depending on your pans.
Donuts with a Kick
This is an old favorite of my family, but I won’t lie to you. I stole it from our local county fair! The man there was extremely secretive about his recipe, but it didn’t take much effort on my part to crack the code when I got back home. These donuts are not only bright and bold in color, they taste that way, too. This recipe is a real hit with kids of all ages, so give them a try when you’re feeling adventurous!
Ingredients
Mixed
1 egg, lightly beaten
3⁄4 cup white granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sifted
2 cups flour, unbleached all-purpose
1 full packet of powdered unsweetened Kool-Aid mix (.13 oz.) Any flavor works for these, but we like Tropical Punch!
1 tablespoon baking powder
Dash of salt
Canola oil for frying (the amount depends on your pot or fryer)
Directions
Heat enough canola oil on the stovetop to fry your donuts, bringing it up to 360 degrees F.
Next, in a large bowl, beat the egg and then add sugar, butter, and vanilla. Mix this all together and then set it aside. In another bowl, sift together the flour, Kool Aid packet, baking powder, and salt. Once that is completed, add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring as you go, until you have a smooth consistency. Be warned, the dye in the Kool-Aid will most likely make these things brighter than anything you’ve ever baked in your life! Be brave and forge ahead, though.
Nex
t, when the oil has reached the proper temperature, drop walnut-sized balls of dough into the oil. Fry for two to four minutes, turning them halfway through the process.
In my opinion, these don’t need any embellishments, but if you’d like, feel free to up the sugar content and dust them with confectioners’ sugar.
Makes 10 to 12 donuts, depending on your portions.
A Good Donut for the End of the Day
This donut is a good place to end your day. When it’s time to wrap everything up and you can’t find anything sweet in the house that appeals to you, give these a try. They are simple to make, give you good results, and when all is said and done, you’ll be happy you made them.
Ingredients
4–5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 dashes of salt
1 egg, beaten
1⁄2 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
Directions
Heat enough canola oil on your stovetop to cover your donuts plus a little more. Bring the oil up to 360 degrees F and then get started on your dough.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt until incorporated. Add the beaten egg, sour cream, and buttermilk, stirring it all lightly in until combined.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly for approximately 1 minute. Roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness, then use a donut cutter with the removable donut hole insert to cut out your donuts and holes. If you don’t have this tool, you can use one medium-sized glass for the perimeter, and one a fourth of its diameter to cut out the hole.
Fry the donuts and holes for 2 minutes on each side, flipping halfway through. Take them out of the oil and drain on a rack and serve. For these donuts, I like to take softened butter and spread lightly across the tops, then sprinkle a sugar/cinnamon mix (one tablespoon sugar to one teaspoon cinnamon) while they are still warm.