Crunch Time (50 page)

In addition, Charlene acknowledged she had accompanied a real estate agent and Stonewall Osgoode to Jack’s house, where they’d pretended to put an offer on it, then backed out. She and Stonewall had come over to our house, too—the “elderly couple”—to make sure they had the right place, the one belonging to Goldy the caterer, the one where Yolanda was staying.

And yes, Charlene also confessed—to avoid a conspiracy-to-commit-murder charge—Stonewall Osgoode had worked for Kris Nielsen. They’d hooked up in graduate school at Colorado State, where Stonewall was in veterinary school, because they were both interested in making money selling drugs. But it was dangerous, and could lead to unwanted attention from law enforcement.

What Tom and the department theorized was that after Kris killed his mother, he didn’t need money anymore. He told Stonewall they should get out of the drug business. That was probably why Stonewall had been so upset when his partner had left the enterprise.

And then someone—probably Kris, the department again theorized—had anonymously turned in Stonewall, who’d been kicked out of veterinary school. Kris’s files revealed he had paid a lawyer to defend Stonewall, who’d gotten the light sentence.
I can control you,
Kris’s actions said. That control thing was the way his mind worked.

After Stonewall’s stint behind bars, he had bummed around for several months, not doing much of anything, according to Charlene. Charlene said when Stonewall drank or smoked dope, he would tell her these things. That Kris had met Yolanda and was crazy in love, but then she had dumped him. And then Kris’s real craziness had once again surfaced. He’d been obsessed with Yolanda, even though that obsession hadn’t stopped him from sleeping around. Yolanda had gotten a sexually transmitted disease. She’d confronted Kris, who’d flown into a rage and hit her with a broom. Yolanda and Ferdinanda had moved out.

Stonewall’s job for Kris expanded from trying to get rid of Ferdinanda—in June—to full-out stalking of Yolanda. The pages I’d taken from the files showed the payoffs to Stonewall, for surveillance, for looking in the windows of Yolanda’s rental and our house, for arson, and for murder. Stonewall’s bank account showed the exact amounts that Kris had paid him being deposited the next day.

Still, Stonewall hadn’t been able to stay away from the easy money of drugs. He had told Charlene that there was “money to be made” in the drug business, but she insisted he hadn’t told her about the puppies or the grow operation. He’d said, “You don’t want to know.”

Yet Kris had found out. He knew Marla’s puppy, rescued from a mill, had gotten sick. We’d gotten the news at the Breckenridges’ party. A dump of Kris’s phone showed a call to the veterinarian’s secretary. She said he claimed to be the puppy’s owner, wanting to know what had been taken out during surgery. She said she wasn’t supposed to say, because the veterinarian was calling the cops. Kris had driven over and, claiming he had adopted a sick beagle puppy, too, charmed the information out of her. She was so sorry, she told sheriff’s department investigators, she just felt so bad for an owner whose puppy had been spayed so a container of marijuana seeds could be smuggled inside. . . .

Stonewall Osgoode had told Charlene it was all over. His “partner,” as he referred to Kris, had fired him. He didn’t want him growing weed, because it could attract too much attention to the two of them. “After all I’ve done for him,” he’d grumbled to Charlene.

From us at the Breckenridges’ dinner, Kris had found out about Hermie Mikulski. His phone log showed he’d called her, to tell her about the puppy mill, to set her up to be there when he hid beside Stonewall Osgoode’s house until an opportune moment to shoot Osgoode. Kris had been hoping to frame Hermie for Osgoode’s death. More important, he wanted to keep the cops from associating
him
with Osgoode.

Kris had used the same gun that he’d loaned to Osgoode, when he’d hired Osgoode to shoot Ernest McLeod. Tom said Stonewall had killed Ernest, on orders from Kris, using a gun supplied by Kris, the same one Kris used to kill the gas station attendant, the same one he used a few days later to kill Stonewall Osgoode himself. All this was confirmed by the files I’d taken from Kris’s house . . . and the .38 they found beside Kris Nielsen.

Kris had used that same .38 to shoot a fellow grad student, who’d been working at a gas station outside of Fort Collins. That poor young man, Tom theorized, had seen Kris when he was driving back from Minnesota after killing his mother, by sweeping snow over the furnace exhaust pipe. The young grad student, working at the station, had probably accosted Kris, been glad to see him at that ungodly hour. Driving back from Minnesota days earlier than he later claimed, Kris had not wanted anyone to know exactly when he arrived back in Fort Collins.

“Such a waste,” Yolanda said. “So many people died so he could have money. And power over others. But . . . why couldn’t he leave me alone?”

That was the psychology of stalkers, Tom explained. They want their partner back, because without the partner, they don’t feel whole. A piece of them is missing, and they’re desperate to retrieve it. Father Pete had inadvertently given us the clue to Kris’s behavior when he’d talked about his support of Charlene all those years. He’d said the church is a safety net.

Kris hadn’t wanted Yolanda to have a safety net of any kind. That was the key to those papers with dates, letters, and figures that I’d taken from the file marked
Miscellaneous
. Kris had paid Stonewall to surveil Yolanda—“S.” Stonewall Osgoode, whose files revealed a receipt for a Unifrutco oil can, had burned down the rental. That was “B.” When Kris heard from Charlene that Ernest had left his house to Yolanda, he’d hired Stonewall to murder Ernest—“K”—then firebomb Ernest’s house, while she was in it, just so she would know he could find her anywhere.

In addition to Kris being killed, the big news from my searching the Bertrams’ garage was my discovery of Ernest’s red backpack. Inside was Norman Juarez’s mother’s necklace, a digital camera showing Sean Breckenridge and Brie Quarles in various clinches, and the pages he’d photographed from Kris’s files, which had set him on the track to find out about the suspicious death of Kris’s mother.

Everyone had a lot to thank Ernest for, we heard, when we had the delayed party to celebrate his life a week later. People in AA expressed gratitude for Ernest’s support. Norman Juarez, with the discovery of the necklace and the diamonds in Humberto’s chandelier, was now a wealthy man. The gold, Tom speculated—when Humberto refused to confess—was long gone, spent on Humberto’s land, cars, house, and lifestyle. Norman Juarez is suing Humberto for it, nonetheless.

In typical humble style, Norman said Ernest’s tenacity had brought him new hope after years of trying to lock up that thief, Humberto Captain.

Yolanda apologized to me, again and again, for not telling me Ernest had told her he was investigating Kris. I told her it was fine; I understood the insanity that her life had become. Did I ever.

At the memorial party, Ferdinanda and Yolanda gave thanks for Ernest laying down his life for them. They have moved out of our house and into an apartment in Lolly Vanderpool’s building. Norman Juarez, with his wife’s blessing, gave Lolly Vanderpool a diamond, for her bravery in helping Ernest recover his mother’s necklace. She repaid Julian, returned to MIT, and is no longer working as a hooker.

Norman Juarez gave Yolanda and Ferdinanda another diamond. Yolanda squealed—with happiness? surprise? disbelief?—when she heard Ernest had left his land and house to her. She and Ferdinanda are drawing up plans for a new place. They’re already squabbling over the size of the kitchen.

Rorry Breckenridge is divorcing Sean and moving back to New Orleans. Facing a charge of conspiracy to commit assault, Sean admitted to Tom that it was Kris who’d asked for the Navajo tacos at the church party and Kris who had told him Yolanda had hepatitis. Sean is looking for a job, but according to a gleeful Marla, no one is willing to hire an accountant who hasn’t kept up with tax law for over a decade.

Brie and Paul Quarles are separated. Father Pete asked for, and received, the resignations of both Sean and Brie from the Saint Luke’s vestry. According to Marla, Brie has moved to Albuquerque. Marla said, “Maybe
she’s
working as a hooker.”

Hermie Mikulski is very happy that Stonewall’s puppy mill is closed. All the beagles have been adopted. She’s now starting a drive to restore habitat for the wild birds that flock to Aspen Meadow. The avian population declined after the forest fire, and she wants to bring their numbers back up. All in all, that pursuit seems safer than trying to close puppy mills.

Norman Juarez offered Tom, Arch, and me a diamond. I was tempted, because if we do have a baby, we’ll probably need more money. But the temptation lasted only a moment.

“I know someone who needs it more,” I told Norman Juarez. “It’s a kid named Peter at Arch’s school. He has leukemia, and the family might have trouble with their bills.”

Norman Juarez gave Peter’s family the proceeds from the sale of three diamonds. At last report, Peter was getting better.

And Tom and I, well, we are trying to get pregnant. It’s fun.

Acknowledgments

The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the following people: Jim Davidson; Jeff, Rosa, Ryan, Nick, and Josh Davidson, with thanks again to Rosa for help with the Spanish in the text; J. Z. Davidson; Joey Davidson; Sandra Dijkstra, Elise Capron, Elisabeth James, and the rest of the excellent and hardworking team at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency; Brian Murray, Michael Morrison, Liate Stehlik, Carolyn Marino, Debbie Stier, Dee Dee De Bartlo, Wendy Lee, Joseph Papa, Megan Swartz, and the entire brilliant team at Morrow; Jasmine Cresswell, who offered the idea for this book, and the rest of our brainstormers’ group, who helped hammer it out: Connie Laux, Karen Young Stone, and Emilie Richards McGee; David and Linda Ranz, for again providing the author with space to work in Nashville; for inspiration and support, as ever, the St. Anne’s-Belfield School community, Charlottesville, Virginia, with special acknowledgment of the passing of our dear Emyl Jenkins; Jeff Joseph, Maserati aficionado, Sarasota, Florida; Carol Alexander, a wonderful friend who tested the recipes, made suggestions, and then retested them all; Kathy Saideman, who read the text in numerous incarnations, always offering insightful comments; Richard Staller, D.O., who as usual addressed all medical issues; Julie Kaewert, kind as ever; the real John Burtrum, who bears no relationship to the character in this book; Triena Harper, who brings her sharp coroner’s eye to all questions; and as always, Sergeant Richard Millsapps, who patiently addresses all manner of inquiries on police procedure, and like Triena Harper, now retired from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, Golden, Colorado.

RECIPES IN
CRUNCH TIME

Goldy’s Caprese Salad

Crunch Time Cookies

Love Potion Salad

Tex-Mex Ham and Cheese Casserole

Goldy’s Garlic Lamb Chops

Goldy’s Guava Coffee Cake

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

Breakfast Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

Puerco Cubano

Ferdinanda’s Florentine Quiche

Goldy’s Caprese Salad

1-1/2 pounds organic heirloom tomatoes, chopped if large, or you can use grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

8 ounces
ciliegine
(small fresh mozzarella balls), drained

12 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped

3 cups baby field greens (mâche), gently rinsed and spun dry

Dressing

1/4 cup best-quality white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2/3 cup best-quality basil oil (infused with basil, not with dried basil leaves in it; recommended brand: Boyajian)

In a medium-size bowl, combine the tomatoes,
ciliegine,
and chopped basil. Place the dry greens in a medium-size, attractive glass or crystal salad bowl. Set aside.

In a jar with a screw-on lid, combine the vinegar, mustard, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Screw the lid on tightly and shake to combine well. Take off the lid, pour in the oil, screw the lid back on tightly, and shake very well to combine.

Place the tomato mixture on top of the greens. Shake the dressing again, and pour on about 1/4 to 1/2 cup dressing. Taste carefully. Depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes, you may need a bit more sugar. (Do not use too much dressing. Store the remainder, still in its covered jar, in the refrigerator.)

Toss the salad and serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Crunch Time Cookies

1 cup pecan halves

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup softened cream cheese

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups rolled oats

8 ounces (1-1/2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips

4 ounces (2/3 cup) toffee bits (Heath toffee bits or Bits o’ Brickle)

In a large frying pan, sauté the pecans over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until the nuts begin to change color and emit a nutty scent. Turn the nuts out onto paper towels and allow them to cool, then chop them roughly and set aside.

Sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until the mixture is very creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat very well, until the mixture is creamy and uniform. Add the granulated sugar and again beat very well, until you have a uniform, creamy mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Using a large wooden spoon, stir in the dry mixture just until combined. Then stir in the oats, chocolate chips, cooled nuts, and toffee bits, blending only until thoroughly mixed.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator until completely chilled, at least three hours or overnight.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, take the bowl out of the refrigerator and allow the batter to warm slightly while the oven is preheating.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place silicone mats on two cookie sheets.

Measure the batter out by tablespoonfuls, two inches apart. Place no more than a dozen cookies on each sheet. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 9–11 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are very brown and the centers are no longer soft.

When you remove a cookie sheet from the oven, place it on a cooling rack for 2 minutes, so the cookies can set up. Then use a pancake turner to remove the cookies to cooling racks, and allow them to cool completely. Store in airtight containers or in zippered freezer bags. These cookies freeze well.

Makes 4 dozen

Love Potion Salad

1 ounce pine nuts

4 cups baby field greens (mâche), gently rinsed and spun dry

1 pound grape tomatoes, rinsed, patted dry, and halved

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles, or to taste

In a wide sauté pan, toast the pine nuts over low heat, stirring constantly, until they are lightly browned and emit a nutty scent. Turn out on a paper towel to cool while you make the dressing (see below).

When you are ready to serve the salad, place the greens and tomatoes in an attractive salad bowl. Toss with about 1/4 cup dressing, and taste. (You may need to add more dressing, but do not overdress the salad.) Sprinkle the crumbles and pine nuts on top of the salad, and toss again. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Love Potion Salad Dressing

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons minced shallot

1 tablespoon best-quality mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons best-quality aged balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

kosher salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup best-quality extra-virgin olive oil

Place first seven ingredients, plus salt and pepper to taste, in a blender jar. Blend to purée. Stop the blender twice, and with the blender off, use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the jar. When the mixture is a uniform color, remove the filler cap (the small plastic cap inside the large plastic lid), and while the blender is running, very slowly drizzle in the olive oil. (With your free hand, you may want to hold a paper towel over the filler cap opening between drizzling operations, to prevent spattering.) When the mixture is completely emulsified (less than a minute), stop the blender and pour the dressing into a pint-size jar or pitcher. With 1/4 cup of dressing, dress the salad. Tightly cover the jar or pitcher with the remainder of the dressing and keep it in the refrigerator. When you want to dress another salad, bring the dressing out of the refrigerator (where it will have separated), so it can come to room temperature. When it is at room temperature, use a whisk and quickly stir the dressing, so it can re-emulsify.

Tex-Mex Ham and Cheese Casserole

1-1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1-1/2 cups diced ham, from which the fat has been trimmed

1/4 cup prepared picante sauce

3 ounces diced canned chiles, drained and patted dry

5 pieces sourdough bread, buttered and cubed (you should have about 4 cups of cubes)

2 large eggs

1-1/4 cups whole, low-fat, or skim milk

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325˚F (high altitude: 350˚F).

Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic pan.

Combine the cheddar and diced ham in a bowl and toss well. In another bowl, combine the picante and chiles.

Place one layer of buttered bread cubes in the bottom of the prepared pan; sprinkle with one half of the ham and cheese mixture. Carefully spoon half of the picante mixture over the ham and cheese. Place the rest of the bread cubes on top, sprinkle with the remaining ham and cheese mixture, then spoon on the rest of the picante mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and seasonings together until well mixed. Use a spatula, if necessary, to break up any clumps of paprika. Strain this mixture evenly over the layered ingredients in the pan. Bake, uncovered, for about 25–30 minutes, or until the center is cooked and the casserole has turned golden brown. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Goldy’s Garlic Lamb Chops

2 racks baby lamb chops (about 1-3/4 pounds each)

2 tablespoons crushed garlic

olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Preheat oven to 425˚F. Lightly oil the rack on a roasting pan.

Remove the lamb chops from their packaging. Rinse them, pat them dry, and place them on a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, carefully trim a 1/4-inch layer of fat from the area above the meat. Set this fat aside.

Still using the sharp knife, cut 8 evenly spaced, deep pockets in the meat itself. Stuff the pockets with the garlic. If you have garlic left over, spread it across the meat.

Pour enough olive oil over the chops to cover, then gently massage it into the meat. Sprinkle the chops with the salt and pepper, then place the reserved layers of fat over the pockets of garlic. Place the chops on the prepared rack of the roasting pan. Carefully insert a meat thermometer in the meat.

Roast until the meat thermometer reads 145˚F. Remove the lamb from the oven and carefully place a piece of foil over the chops. Allow to sit for 10–15 minutes. Serve, preferably with mint jelly.

Makes 6 to 8 servings (2 to 3 chops per person)

Goldy’s Guava Coffee Cake

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup commercial sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (preferably Mexican vanilla; you may also substitute one teaspoon vanilla extract and one teaspoon vanilla-bean paste)

1 tablespoon finely minced orange zest (the zest from about one large navel orange)

2 teaspoons finely minced lemon zest (the zest from about one large lemon)

1/2 cup best-quality guava preserves, well stirred (recommended brand: Queensberry)

2 cups all-purpose flour (high altitude: add 2 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling on top of the cakes (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch square pans.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with the sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well, until very well combined. Add the sour cream and stir in thoroughly. Add the vanilla. Mince the zests together (or whirl them in a coffee-bean grinder dedicated to mincing zests). Stir in along with the preserves. Stir thoroughly.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir carefully until thoroughly combined. Do not overmix. Batter will be stiff.

Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Spread the batter to the edges of the pans.

Bake on Convect for 15 minutes, or on Bake for 20–30 minutes, just until the cakes pull away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Place the cakes, still in their pans, on racks. Allow them to cool 10 minutes, then invert the cakes and remove the pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

When you are ready to serve the cakes, you may sift the tops with confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 2 cakes

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 ounce dried wild mushrooms (porcini, cremini, or morels)

2-1/2 cups spring water

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus an additional 2 tablespoons, if needed

1 shallot, finely diced

8 ounces fresh button mushrooms, gently rinsed, patted dry with paper towels, and finely diced

7 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups (1 quart) homemade chicken stock

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup dry sherry

sea salt or kosher salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the dried mushrooms in a large heatproof bowl. Bring the spring water to a boil and pour it over the dried mushrooms. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Remove the reconstituted mushrooms with a slotted spoon, pat dry, and chop finely. Set aside. Strain the mushroom water through cheesecloth and set the water aside. You should have about 2 cups of mushroom water.

In a large stockpot, melt the butter over low heat. Place the diced shallot and diced fresh mushrooms in the pot and allow to cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Raise the heat to medium, sprinkle in the flour, and stir constantly until the mixture bubbles and the flour is cooked, about 3 minutes. (If the mixture is completely dry, add up to 2 tablespoons of the extra butter. Stir the mixture until the butter is completely melted, then stir and cook until the flour is cooked.)

Using a 1/2-cup measuring cup, add the chicken stock and reserved mushroom water 1/2 cup at a time. Bring the heat up to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Lower the heat and add the chopped wild mushrooms, the cream, the sherry, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, for another 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

When the soup has cooled slightly, spoon it in batches into a blender, and purée. Place the puréed batches into a large heatproof bowl. When the soup is completely puréed, pour it back into the stockpot, taste, and correct the seasoning. Bring the soup back to a simmer and serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Breakfast Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

1-1/2 pounds cinnamon raisin bread, torn up into bite-size pieces

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

4 large eggs, at room temperature

4 cups half-and-half

2 tablespoons vanilla (preferably Mexican, or you can use 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste)