Deadly Donuts (4 page)

I’d never seen Max’s face light up like that the entire time we’d been married, and to be honest, it kind of bugged me a little at first, but I quickly let it go.
 
I had someone in my life, a man who mattered to me deeply.
 
If Max could find that experience with Emily, more power to them both.

After they were gone, Grace motioned for me to join her.

“Wow, that went surprisingly well, didn’t it?” she asked me, sounding a little disappointed that there hadn’t been a better show.

“Better than I ever imagined.
 
I just hope that I did the right thing sticking my nose into their business.”

“Hey, whatever happens, from the sound of it, you gave Emily every chance to make up her own mind,” Grace said.
 
“Do you feel like some pie?
 
I noticed that you mostly just picked at your meal.”

“Can you blame me?
 
It was one of the oddest conversations I’ve ever been privy to, and that’s saying something.”

Trish came back to Grace’s table.
 
“Who would have believed it?
 
They both looked happy when they left.”

“We’re all amazed,” Grace said.
 
“Care to join us for some pie?”

She looked around at the crowded diner, and then Trish said, “Why not?”

“We don’t want to take you from anything,” I said.

“It’s hard to imagine what I
wouldn’t
do for pie,” she said as she walked back up front.

“Are you nervous about tonight?” Grace asked in a soft voice after Trish was gone.

“A little, but I’m feeling better about it since I told you.
 
Knowing that you’re going to be close by is huge for me.”

“I still think I should be standing right beside you when you talk to this guy.
 
You shouldn’t be alone.”

“I can handle him,” I said, hoping that it was true.
 
I saw Trish approach with a tray full of pie.
 
“Remember, not a word to anyone, Grace.”

“My lips are sealed,” she said.

Trish lowered the tray as she explained, “I’ve got apple, cherry, and pumpkin.
 
Take your pick.”

“Pumpkin?” I asked.
 
“In August?”

“Hey, what can I say?
 
My pie maker was homesick for Thanksgiving.
 
There are other choices, you know.”

“No, I want that one,” I said as I reached for the golden orange slice.

“I don’t have to tell either one of you that cherry’s my favorite,” Grace said.

“I knew that, and I had a hunch that Suzanne wouldn’t be able to resist the pumpkin.
 
I wanted the apple slice all along.”

We all laughed at that, and we shared a few minutes of joy as we ate and caught up on the most mundane things in each other’s lives.
 
It was one of those moments I cherished about living in a small town.
 

No problem ever seemed too big when I had my friends around me.

Too soon, though, we were finished with our dessert.
 
I paid for the pie and Grace left an even bigger tip, all under Trish’s protests.
 

Once we were outside, I was surprised to nearly run over someone on the steps who was decidedly alone.

If the chief of police was heading into the diner to eat by himself, where exactly was my dear sweet mother?

Mom’s Apple Pie Donuts

No, my mother never made these, but who can resist the name?
 
I love baking apple pies, so once when I was looking for something warm and tasty to make on a cold and rainy afternoon, I searched for some apples to no avail.
 
Why not an apple pie donut?
 
Some of my best work has been using what I have on hand, and this was no exception.
 
This recipe includes apple pie spice, which consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, and applesauce.
 
These donuts are the next best thing to fresh apple pie, and after they are out of the oven or your donut maker, try them with powdered sugar while they’re still warm.
 
We also like dipping them in apple butter, and if we’re feeling particularly decadent, we add a touch of butter to each bite first.
 
Very tasty!

INGREDIENTS

MIXED

1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup applesauce, natural and unsweetened

1/4 cup whole milk (2% will do)

1/4 cup butter, softened

SIFTED

1 1/4 cups flour, unbleached all-purpose
1/3 cup brown sugar, dark

2 teaspoons apple pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice)

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

If you’re using your oven, preheat to 365 degrees F before you start mixing.

In a bowl, beat the egg lightly, then add the applesauce, milk, and butter.
 
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, brown sugar, apple pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
 
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing well until you have a smooth consistency.
 

Put the batter into your donut pans or into your donut baker and bake for eight to ten minutes in your oven, five to six minutes in your donut baker, or until they’re richly brown.

Yield 10-12 small donuts

Chapter 3

“Did you forget someone?” I asked Chief Martin.

“No, not that I know of,” he replied.

“Where’s Momma?” I asked him a little more pointedly.

“Suzanne, I don’t have a clue.
 
I didn’t realize that she was lost.”

The police chief looked as perplexed as I felt.
 
Had their plans changed, or had my mother lied to me about what she was up to this evening?

“Sorry, I must have gotten my dates mixed up,” I said.
 
“I just thought that you two were going out tonight.”

“We were, but something came up at the last minute,” he answered.

“For you, or for her?” Grace asked.
 
I wanted to shush her, but it was too late.

“Her, if it matters.
 
Suzanne, you’re acting a little oddly this evening, if you don’t mind my saying so.”

“Why should I possibly mind that?” I asked.
 
“Have a good dinner.”

“Thanks,” he answered uncertainly.
 
It was clear that our exchange had left the man a little off-balance.

When I turned around to look at him a few paces later, he was still standing there staring at me in open puzzlement.

“What was
that
all about?” Grace asked.

I explained about the note that I’d gotten from my mother, and Grace giggled.
 
“Do you think it’s possible that Dorothy is stepping out on him with another man?”

I couldn’t imagine it, not for a second.
 
“There’s no way.
 
If she had another date, she would have just told him about it.
 
My mother doesn’t believe in playing games when it comes to affairs of the heart.”

“Then what could it mean?”

“I wish I knew,” I said as I glanced at my watch.
 
“If she’s at the house, I’ll ask her about it, but if she’s not, I’m going to get to bed a little early tonight, since I have to get up before I really want to for that meeting.
 
You don’t mind if I take off early, do you?”

“Don’t worry about me; I’m a big girl.
 
I can take care of myself.
 
I’ll see you later tonight near the clock.”

“I hope I don’t see
you
while you’re hiding in the bushes watching my back,” I said.

“You’ll never even know that I’m there.
 
I’m as quick and as quiet as a cat,” she said.

“I’ll take your word for it,” I said with a smile as I got into the Jeep and drove home.
 
I was curious about what my mother had been up to, and this time I was hoping that she was home so we could talk.
 
I wanted to know what she was doing, and if she was there, I decided that I was going to tell her about my meeting later that night.
 
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that she deserved to know what was going on.
 
If there was one person in April Springs who had more at stake in all of this than me, it was Momma.
 
My father had meant the world to her, and if there was someone out there trying to sully his name with a murder accusation, she had every right to know about it, no matter what the blackmailer wanted.

Unfortunately, Momma wasn’t home when I got there.

I decided to call Jake and get his insight on what I was about to do, but his phone went straight to voice mail, meaning that he was too deep into his investigation to pull out of it for anything short of a national emergency.

Since there was no one I could talk to, I decided to do the most sensible thing I’d done all day.

I went to bed, but not before setting my alarm clock for an hour earlier than I usually got up.

I had somewhere to be tonight, and I couldn’t afford to miss it.

I was awake a full hour before my alarm was set to go off.
 
I got dressed, and peeked at Momma’s door when I got downstairs.
 
It was closed, but that didn’t mean anything; it had been closed when I’d gotten in the night before.

I started to grab my jacket on the way out the door, and then I wondered why I should bother.
 
The temperature was in the mid-seventies, and we were supposed to get another hundred-plus day by the time all was said and done.

At least Momma’s car was parked snugly beside my Jeep, so
sometime
in the night she’d made it back home.
 
I planned to talk to her about her whereabouts after work, but for now, I had a blackmailer to meet.

As I drove down the darkened street toward Donut Hearts, I saw that the lights were off at Grace’s, and her car was still in the driveway.
 
No doubt she’d decided to leave it where it was and she’d walked down the road to her vantage point.
 
The clock was close enough for her to walk past my donut shop and a few other businesses without generating too much of a sweat.
 

I was thankful that she was somewhere in the shadows watching over me.

I got to the clock, parked my Jeep, and then I got out and walked toward one of the benches in front of it.
 
A man was already sitting there, all alone.
 
Even though his back was turned to me, I had no doubt that it was my blackmailer.

“Well, I’m here,” I said from ten paces away.
 
“Where’s this supposed evidence about my father that you promised to show me?”

There was no response.
 

Was he toying with me, or had he fallen asleep waiting for me to show up?

“Hello!” I said loudly.
 
“Wake up!”

If he was sleeping, he was about to get a rude awakening.
 

I grabbed his shoulder to shake him awake, and he slumped off the bench and slid down onto the sidewalk.

Someone had clearly decided to settle accounts with the man before I’d had the chance to deal with him myself.

I was leaning over the body checking for a pulse when a police siren whooped once at me, and I turned to see the chief of police, a look of clear concern on his face as he opened his car door and raced toward me.

“It’s not what it looks like,” I told Chief Martin as he ignored me and got down on one knee to check for the man’s pulse.

“Be quiet, Suzanne,” he ordered.

For once, I decided to listen to him.

That’s when I remembered Grace.
 
Why hadn’t she come out when the chief showed up?
 
“Grace?
 
Are you there?” I called out into the darkness.

“Suzanne, I’m warning you,” he said.

“I don’t understand.
 
Grace was supposed to meet me here,” I said, stretching the truth just a little.
 
“What if she’s hurt?”

Chief Martin stood up from the body and pulled out his handgun.
 
“Stay right here.”

“With him?” I asked as I gestured to the corpse.
 
“Forget it. I’m coming with you.”

He started to argue the point, but then he must have realized how futile it would have been.
 
“Fine.
 
Just stay behind me, and don’t do anything stupid.
 
Do you understand?”

“I’ll behave myself,” I said, meaning every word of it.

“Now, where exactly was Grace supposed to be?”

I couldn’t really answer that, not without giving away why I was there.
 
“I’m honestly not sure.”

“Then you don’t even know for sure that she was ever here in the first place.
 
Call her.”

I took out my cell phone and hit the number three for speed dialing.
 
Momma was one, Jake was two, and Grace was three.
 

After nearly eight rings, I was ready to give up when she finally answered.

“Suzanne, I’m so sorry.
 
I must have fallen asleep!
 
Are you all right?”

“Not by any definition of the word,” I said.
 
“He’s dead.”

“Who’s dead?
 
The blackmailer?
 
Do you need help hiding the body?
 
Are you at the clock?
 
I can be there in two minutes.”

“I’m with Chief Martin,” I said.
 
“Maybe you should just stay right where you are.”

“I’m so sorry.
 
I know that I blew it.
 
I don’t know what else I can say.”

“Grace, don’t worry about it.
 
We’re good.
 
Now, go back to sleep,” I answered, and then I disconnected the call.

“So she’s at home, safe and sound?” the chief asked after he put his weapon back in its holster.

“It turns out that she never left the house,” I said, the relief thick in my voice.
 
If Grace had done as I’d asked and come down to the clock, there might be more than one body there right now.

“And why was she meeting you at this time of night here by the clock, instead of at the donut shop?”

I had a decision to make.
 
I could try to weave some kind of story on the spot to cover my tracks, or I could tell the truth.
 
It didn’t take long for me to realize that there was no way I could tell as many lies as I needed to in order to get me out of this.
 
“That man came by the donut shop this morning and called my dad a murderer to my face,” I admitted.
 
“He demanded that I pay him off for his silence, but I didn’t believe him.
 
When I asked him for proof, he promised me that he’d have it with him tonight.”

The chief took that all in, and then he asked, “Did you find anything on him?”

“I didn’t even have time to look,” I admitted.
 
“You showed up the split second
after
I discovered that he was dead.
 
How did you know that a body would be here?”

“It was an anonymous tip,” Chief Martin said.
 
“I hate those things, but we have to follow up on every last one of them.
 
This time it turned out to be on the money, though, didn’t it?”

“I didn’t kill him,” I protested yet again.

“I know that, Suzanne.”

Wow, that was a real change of pace coming from him, to accept my innocence so easily.
 
“How do you know that?”

“The body’s already starting to stiffen up.
 
That means that unless you hung around after you killed him waiting for me to show up, or you came back to get something you missed the first time, you probably didn’t kill him.”

“Thanks, Chief.
 
That’s such a relief hearing you say that.”

“Don’t go thanking me just yet.
 
I still need to hear everything you know about this guy.”
 
It was clear by his expression when the next thought struck him.
 
“Did you tell your mother about this man?”

“No.
 
I never breathed a word about it to anyone but Grace.”

He frowned.
 
“I don’t mean to sound rude, Suzanne, but that’s not like you, is it?
 
I have a hard time believing that you didn’t even tell Jake.”

“I tried, but my call went straight to voice mail,” I answered.

An ambulance parked on the street by the clock, and paramedics got out to examine the body.
 
It didn’t take them long to realize that he was a lost cause.
 
“There’s nothing we can do, Chief,” one of them said.
 
“Want us to bag him up for you?”

“Not until my guys get here.
 
Thanks for coming so fast.”

“All part of the service.
 
Call us if you need us.”

Before they were gone, two of Chief Martin’s deputies showed up, including one who was a frequenter of my donut shop.
 
Officer Grant nodded to me as he approached, but he didn’t say a word.
 
Our friendship had gotten him into hot water on more than one occasion, and I didn’t consider it a slight in the least that he came as close as he could to ignoring me.
 

Grant had a large, thick bag with him, and Chief Martin said, “Get pictures and video of
everything
.”

“Got it, Chief,” he said, and then Officer Grant got to work.

To the other officer, Chief Martin said, “Take your flashlight and start a perimeter search of the area.”

“What exactly am I looking for?” the officer asked.

“In general, anything that looks suspicious, or doesn’t belong here.
 
Specifically, we’re looking for the murder weapon.”

“How was he killed?” the officer asked.
 
I thought it was a reasonable question, but the chief just frowned.
 
“We haven’t determined that yet.
 
Just keep your eyes open.”