Murder Passes the Buck (37 page)

could have done differently, but Chester
’
s murder might have gone unsolved if it wasn
’
t for my efforts.

Blaze continued to insist that I haven
’
t been myself since Barney died and that I needed supervision. Of course I wasn
’
t the same
— none of us were the same after Barney died. I like to think I
’
m a better person than I used to be.

The first thing I did after Floyd
’
s arrest proved I still have my wits about me. I ripped up the deeded rights to the minerals on Chester
’
s land. Bill and Onni worked out an agreement to share in the proceeds from any gold found on the land, which, they discovered through a survey, didn
’
t amount to a whole lot. They
’
d never be rich, but their lives would improve.

Blaze
’
s spiffy lawyers sat stiffly next to him in the courtroom. I took my table alone with my friends right behind me. Cora Mae, Kitty, and Star sat in a trim line.

Kitty leaned forward and whispered to me.
“
Impugn their case. You can do it.
”
And she patted me on the shoulder.

I don
’
t know how she
’
s figuring out what my word for the day is. She must be sneaking a peek at the scrap of paper I write them on. It
’
s the only explanation. From now on, I
’
m committing them to memory.

The judge wasn
’
t too happy with me for ignoring his advice about legal counsel. After complaining about it, he read the letter from the psychological evaluator. It blah-blahed along, with the final paragraph saying it all.
“
While Mrs. Johnson tends to be unorthodox in her methods and eccentric in her behavior, I saw no signs of incompetence as defined by the laws of our state.
”

My fans clapped and shouted until the judge threatened to remove them.

Heather, my disloyal daughter from Milwaukee, was a witness for the other side.

“
She
’
s always been like this,
”
Heather stated.
“
So what
’
s the big deal now?
”

Apparently, as it was explained to me later, that comment helped our side a lot. I could tell Blaze wasn
’
t happy with Heather
’
s testimony when he dropped his face into both hands.

I told the judge about the murder and how I had saved Kitty. I told him I had spray-painted Blaze
’
s truck and I had bored screws into his hall floor out of love and caring. And finally, I showed him a brand new savings book from the Escanaba bank where I had returned my money after digging it up. I even let him see the balance.

The judge cleared his throat and began.
“
Mrs. Johnson is not incompetent simply

because she knowingly chooses to do things most of us would consider foolish. We all have the right to make mistakes. Mrs. Johnson just makes more than her fair share.
”

He glared at the opposing side.

“
Anyone,
”
he continued,
“
who takes on her own case without legal representation and argues it as effectively as Mrs. Johnson has can
’
t possibly be incompetent to manage her own affairs.
”

“
Guardianship denied.
”
He slammed his gavel on the bench.

My fans went wild.

Grandma Johnson was waiting in my living room, a large suitcase next to her chair.

“
Where you been? I
’
ve been sitting here pretty near all day. And look at this place. What a dump!
”

I eyed the suitcase.
“
Who brought you over?
”

“
I called George for a ride. Don
’
t know where my family is half the time. Avoiding me as usual. Nobody
’
s answering their phone. Nobody
’
s home at Blaze
’
s. Star
’
s gone. Someone said Heather
’
s in town visiting and she hasn
’
t even stopped by. Everybody
’
s forgetting about me again.
”

I plopped down on the couch and peeled

off the penny loafers.

“
What you all dressed up for? It
’
s not like you to look decent for a change.
”

“
What
’
s the suitcase for?
”
Maybe Grandma Johnson is finally packing it in and checking into a nursing home. Hurray. No more going over there to help clean or to make her meals.

“
I
’
m movin
’
in with you.
”

I almost swallowed my tongue.

“
It
’
s only temporary to see how I like it.
”

I pried my tongue out of my tonsils.
“
You sure you want to give up your freedom?
”
I stammered.

“
All
’
s I
’
m giving up is loneliness, if you ask me. And if you ask me, this place needs some work. You git a bucket of hot water and we
’
ll scrub up the spare bedroom so I can stand to sleep in it. And hurry up about it.
”

At ninety-two, Grandma Johnson still has a lot of vinegar left in her. If you ask me.

The right side of my face started twitching.

RECIPES

Here are some of Gertie
’
s favorite recipes for hungry hunters …

KITTY
’
S FRIED DOUGHNUTS

Finns and Swedes love their bakery. A cup of strong coffee and a doughnut will make them happy all day long. Kitty has been known to carry these around in her purse in case she gets hungry later. The secret to perfect doughnuts is the mashed potato. Don
’
t forget to dunk them in coffee.

Makes a bunch

5 cups white flour 4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 11/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 cup mashed potatoes

11/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

oil for frying

powdered sugar or granulated sugar

cinnamon (optional)

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add mashed potatoes and sugar. Mix well. Blend in eggs and melted butter. In separate bowl, combine buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon rind. Add to flour mix, blend well, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes.

Roll out dough and cut with doughnut cutter. Fry in oil in pan or in a deep fryer until golden brown; turn with fork, brown other side. Remove; lay on paper towel to drain and cool. Shake doughnuts in bag with granulated sugar or powdered sugar. Try 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon for a special treat. Serve warm.

GRANDMA JOHNSON
’
S RUTABAGA CASSEROLE

The rutabaga is a hybrid cross between a cabbage and a turnip. The Swedes, who

raised bushels of potatoes, began experimenting with growing rutabagas and tried preparing them like potatoes
— boiled, mashed, and treated with cream and sugar. It was an instant success. If you find the taste too strong, you can mix them with potatoes (one-third potato to two-thirds rutabaga).

Serves 4-6

4 pounds rutabaga

1/2 cup cream (half and half)

6 tablespoons butter

1 tsp nutmeg

8 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Peel and cut rutabaga into 1 inch cubes. Cover and boil for 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain. Combine with all other ingredients and mash until all lumps disappear.

PERFECT PUMPKIN PIE

We have contests in the U.P. to see who can grow the biggest pumpkin. I never even try to win because I like to eat my pumpkins, and those giants aren
’
t the eating kind. Pie

pumpkins are small and plump and have plenty of pulp on the inside for making pie. If you are lucky enough to use fresh pumpkin, prepare it by cutting it in chunks and steaming it 10 or 15 minutes until soft. Mash with potato masher.

1 pie

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Beat pumpkin, milk, eggs, spices, and salt. Pour into crust and bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool. Serve warm or room temperature, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deb Baker
grew up in the Michigan Upper Peninsula with the Finns and Swedes portrayed in
Murder Passes the Buck.
She has an intimate knowledge of the life and people of the region.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the International Sled Dog Association, where she actively races sled dogs. Her short stories have appeared in numerous literary journals, including
Passages North
and
Room of One
’
s Own.