Illegally Iced (2 page)

Though he’d tried to disguise it, there was no way that I wouldn’t know Jake’s voice. I turned to my boyfriend and hugged him with a great deal more force than I’d intended. I’d been holding it together for the sake of everyone else around me, but having Jake there to lean on allowed me to let some of it go. “It’s just awful,” I said as the words poured out of me. “Someone just stabbed James Settle.”

“I heard about it on the radio on my way over here,” he answered. “How bad is it?”

“They’re still working on him,” I said as I glanced over in that direction.

“My timing’s pretty lousy, isn’t it?”

I hugged him tighter. “Never, ever apologize for coming to see me,” I said. “How long can you stay this time?” His job investigating significant crime took him all over the state of North Carolina, and I was lucky to see him once a month, not that I was complaining. I didn’t need to be courted and pampered seven days a week, but when Jake
could
make it to April Springs I had to fight from declaring a donut holiday so I could spend more time with him.

“I don’t have much time at all,” he admitted sadly. “Are you free for dinner?”

“Why wait that long? We can start with lunch and work our way up to dinner,” I said. “I’m really glad that you’re here. Give me a second and then we can go.” I suddenly remembered Chief Martin’s instructions to me before he’d left. “Shoot. The chief asked me to hang around until after he was finished.”

“Do you know anything about what happened?” Jake asked, his gaze lingering over the crime scene.

“I heard two screams, and then a pair of my customers ran over here with their kids and asked me to call 911. That’s the sum total of everything I know.”

He nodded gravely. “Then you should be in the clear.”

“Maybe,” I said a little reluctantly.

“What does that mean?”

“James and I had a disagreement about the smoke from his portable fire pit coming into my shop this morning, but it was really nothing.”

“Is that what he was using for a forge?”

“Of course not,” I said. James had given me a crash course in blacksmithing several months before, and I’d remembered quite a few things about it. “That fire would never get hot enough for forging, but he told me that he wanted the folks who lingered to watch to stay warm, so he brought the pit along as well. That’s where all the smoke was coming from.”

“Okay. Let me talk to the chief and see if I can get you excused.”

I glanced back inside and said, “If you’d like, I can go with you. Give me a second to talk to Emma, and then we can both tell the chief I’m leaving.” I glanced over at Jake and saw that his attention was still focused on the crime scene. I doubted that he’d heard a word I’d said. “Would you rather postpone lunch and go talk to Chief Martin yourself first? I don’t mind if that’s what you want to do; really I don’t.”

He kissed me quickly, and then said, “Thanks. I won’t be long,” as he hurried toward the action while everyone else with the slightest bit of sense was doing their best to get away from it.

I walked into my donut shop and saw that nearly all of our leftover donuts had been consumed by our makeshift crowd. A great deal of the tension I’d seen earlier had begun to ease. I knew that my meager offerings wouldn’t erase what they’d seen, but at least it might help them forget, at least for a moment or two.

“Is everyone feeling better?” I asked.

As though they were all in school, the kids turned to me en masse and said in a semblance of unison, “Thank you, Mrs. Hart.”

“Actually, you can all call me Suzanne,” I said. A few of the mothers noticed the familiarity, but I didn’t care. I wanted these kids to feel safe and welcome in my shop, and if I stepped on a few adult toes doing it, so be it.

“What do we owe you?” Sandy asked as she approached me, digging into her huge purse.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s on the house,” I said, making it loud enough for everyone to hear.

“But we had chocolate milk, too,” she protested. “The donuts may have been extras, but the milks weren’t.”

“Leave something in the tip jar if you feel like you have to and we’ll be square,” I said. I’d originally put it there to help Emma with her college expenses, but now that she was living at home again I’d have to find another way to put it to good use. I just knew that I wouldn’t feel right keeping it for myself, or even splitting it with my assistant. There were no worries, though. I was certain that I’d find a good cause for it if I just put my mind to it.

I saw that Jake was back, but he didn’t come inside. I stepped out, and the second I saw his face, I knew that it was bad news.

“He’s dead, isn’t he?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, Suzanne.”

I felt something inside die a little. “Do they have any idea who might have done it?”

He shook his head, and I felt a rage begin to boil for whoever had taken my friend away from all of us.

“The chief needs me over there, but I thought you should know,” he said as he gave me a tender hug before he left.

When I walked back inside, I did my best to smile, even though I was shattered by the unbelievable news. “If we’re all finished eating, I’d appreciate it if you all would do something for me,” I asked loudly.

“Anything,” Terri said. “Just name it. Would you like Sandy and me to stay behind and help clean up?”

“That won’t be necessary, but thanks for the offer.”

“Then what can we do?” Sandy asked.

“I want you all to go out and try to have a lovely afternoon,” I said with my brightest smile. It was tough to do, but the kids deserved it.

It was a relief to see so many smiles coming back at me. I was in shock about James’s murder, and I knew that the truth of the matter was that it hadn’t even hit me yet, but I had made up my mind to be brave for these kids, and I was going to do exactly that, even if it crushed me. A few mothers visited the tip jar, though I couldn’t see what they were contributing, nor did I care.

After they were all gone, Emma said, “I’ll get started on these dishes.”

I shook my head as I said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be happy to do them myself. Emma, thanks for sticking around to help out. I appreciate it.”

“Is it really true? How is James doing?” she asked earnestly.

“I’m afraid that he’s dead,” I answered. I looked around the dining area, and realized that the mess might be exactly what I needed to take my mind off what had just happened. “Now take off before I change my mind.”

She was gone in an instant, and I locked the door behind her.

In fifteen minutes I had the dishes done, the floor swept,
and
the counter and tabletops wiped down, but there was still no sign of Jake. I decided not to wait for him in the shop, since a few folks had already come by and knocked to get in while I’d been cleaning up. There were two donuts left, both in the heart shape of a cutter I’d gotten from my temporary employee, Nan Winters, and I’d saved them just for him. He hadn’t had one of the new shapes of donut yet, and I wanted him to get at least one while he was in town.

I took a seat at the table out in front of the shop and watched the police move with amazing efficiency as they examined the crime scene. James’s body was gone, but his portable blacksmithing equipment was still there—and his fire pit as well, still sending up wisps of smoke every now and then. Why would someone want to kill him? It had to have been a heated argument, no pun intended. After all, it wasn’t likely that someone had planned to stab him in broad daylight in the park with dozens of eyewitnesses around. That meant that it was either done in a burst of passion, or because the opportunity presented itself. Whoever had killed him had the guts of a cat burglar, and I didn’t envy the police chief as he tried to catch the culprit.

I was still waiting for Jake when I noticed someone walking toward me from the storefront closest to mine.

What did Gabby Williams want with me, and why did she look so upset?

I had a feeling that I was about to find out, and what was more, I was pretty sure that I wasn’t going to like it. I had to fight the impulse to run away in the opposite direction the second I saw her bearing down on me, but I held my ground as she neared me.

“I just don’t understand it. Why did you have to kill him, Suzanne?” Gabby shouted as she got closer, and I knew that my initial instincts to escape had been right on the money.

I wasn’t sure why Gabby was accusing me of murder, but I knew that I had to nip it in the bud before the story spread all over April Springs. I’d been convicted in the court of public opinion before, and I had no desire to ever revisit the experience again.

FRIED CINNAMON TOAST

This is a variation on one of our old camping favorites. Instead of cooking the dough on a stick over a campfire, though, we load it down with our delicious extras and deep-fry it. One of my best, and easiest, donut recipes! This is one is well worth a try!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 canister refrigerated biscuits (we use Pillsbury Grands! Homestyle Buttermilk in the 10.2 oz. size with 5 biscuits)

Mixed

• ¾ cup sugar, white granulated

• ½ stick butter, softened (4 tablespoons)

• 1½ tablespoons cinnamon

• Canola oil for frying (the amount depends on your pot or fryer)

INSTRUCTIONS

Open the canister of biscuits and pat in your hands until they are in oval shapes. Mix the softened butter, sugar, and cinnamon, and then put 1 to 2 tablespoons in the center of the oval. Bring the dough up around the sides and pinch the edges tightly.

Drop the logs of dough into the oil, being careful not to splash hot oil. Fry in the hot canola oil (360 to 370 degrees F) 3 to 5 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove when they’re golden brown, and you’ll be greeted with five cinnamon smiles!

Yield: 5 cinnamon toast sticks

CHAPTER 2

“What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?
I
didn’t kill him,” I said angrily, my temper flaring despite my best effort to keep it in check.

“I heard you two fighting not two hours ago,” Gabby said, “so don’t try to deny it. Suzanne, I’m not saying that you didn’t have a right to be angry with the man, but you shouldn’t have killed him.”

We were starting to gather a bit of crowd now ourselves. I had to find a way to shut Gabby up, and quick. “I didn’t touch him,” I said, this time letting my voice grow louder by the second. The sooner I could dispel Gabby’s theory in everyone’s minds, the better off I’d be.

“I know what I saw, so don’t bother trying to deny that you were arguing with him this morning, Suzanne.”

I was about to answer when I saw Chief Martin approach us with Jake on his heels.

Oh, boy.

Now I was in the thick of it whether I wanted to be or not.

*   *   *

“Tell me exactly what happened this morning, Suzanne,” Chief Martin said. “I thought you said earlier that you didn’t know anything about the murder.”

“I didn’t do it!” I repeated loudly for everyone’s benefit. I was about to add something else when I saw Jake shake his head slightly. It was clear that he didn’t want me explaining myself too much when I was angry, and most likely with good reason. I had a tendency to share too much when I was in trouble, and I wouldn’t be doing myself any favors at the moment if I kept talking.

“I never said that you did,” the chief said patiently, and I was happy that I’d heeded Jake’s advice. “But,” Chief Martin added, “if what Gabby Williams just said is true, you had a confrontation with the man this morning, and now he’s dead. You have to admit that it doesn’t look good for you, Suzanne.”

“It wasn’t anything like a
confrontation,
” I said, stressing the last word as I stared hard at Gabby. To her credit, she didn’t even flinch. I thought we’d worked out our tenuous friendship over the past few years, but evidently that extended only so far with Gabby.

“Then what was it?” the chief asked. I looked at Jake, who encouraged me with a subtle nod to explain it to the chief of police.

“It was more like a conversation,” I amended.

“About what, exactly?” he asked.

Jake made a rolling motion with his fingers, telling me that it was okay to elaborate.

I knew that it wasn’t going to sound too good for me, but it was the truth, and I had to tell it. “The smoke from his fire pit was coming into the donut shop, and I asked him as nicely as I could to move it somewhere else.”

“And what did he say?” the chief asked.

“He told me that he was sorry, but he couldn’t do anything about it since there was already a fire going in it, and then he went back to work,” I admitted.

“I bet that steamed you pretty good,” the chief said.

“Hey, that’s enough of that,” Jake said, finally speaking up.

The chief didn’t apologize, though. He simply shrugged at Jake, looked back at me, and then said, “You know that we’ll talk more about this later, right?”

I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I knew that tone of voice too well, since I’d heard it often enough in the past from him. I was becoming a person of interest in his mind, no matter what his relationship might be with my mother, and I didn’t care for it, not one single bit. It appeared that no matter how unwilling I was to investigate another murder, if the chief’s attitude was any indication of what the entire town might be thinking at the moment, I really wasn’t going to have much choice.

I was going to have to figure out who killed James Settle myself.

“We might as well get it over with now,” I told the chief. “Do we have to go downtown, or will a table at the donut shop do?”

“Your shop is fine,” he said.

Jake started to follow us, but Chief Martin shook his head. “I’m sorry, but this is a private conversation.”

“Either I go with her or she gets a lawyer,” Jake said in his best authoritative voice.

The police chief shook his head and tried his best to calm my boyfriend down. “That just makes her look guilty, and we both know it. I shouldn’t have to explain that to you.”