Murder in Palm Springs

by Dianne Harman

  “I told him what had happened and he said based on his handling of the ricin when he made the pellet used to kill Jimmy, he thought that Horace had probably died from ricin poisoning. If it doesn’t go into the bloodstream immediately like Jimmy’s did, it can take several days for death to occur. The coroner was pretty certain that’s what happened to Horace.”

  “Oh, Jeff…” Marty started crying again and both ends of the phone were silent. Marty thought she heard Jeff choking back a lump in his throat as well. Finally, she composed herself enough to say, “Well, maybe it’s for the best. At least he didn’t have to be the target of some media circus and go through a trial. Was Ruby with him?”

  “No, she came to the hospital, and after he was taken to his room and seemed to be in reasonable spirits, she said she was going home to get his iPad and some other things he’d probably want. It wasn’t pretty, so I’m glad that won’t be her last memory of him. I drove over to her home and told her in person.”

  “How did she take it?”

  “As I’d expect. She was devastated. First Jimmy is murdered, then she finds out her brother is the murderer, and then he dies by the same poison he used to kill Jimmy. You couldn’t script that. I asked her if she had someone she could call to be with her and she gave me her sister’s name. She’s flying in and will be here tonight. I’m having one of my men meet her at the airport and take her to Ruby’s home. This really has to be about the saddest case I’ve ever been on.”

  “Oh, Jeff, I’m just devastated. Horace was really such a nice man and Ruby’s a wonderful woman. I wonder what the future will hold for her?”

  “I have no idea, but I doubt she’ll be staying in that house. I wouldn’t be surprised if she left Palm Springs. Too many bad memories. I have to go, Marty. See you in a little while.”

  “Loves.”

  EPILOGUE

  Two months later, Jeff called Marty and said, “I just got a phone call from Ruby and I thought you’d want to hear how she’s doing.”

  “Very much. How is she?”

  “She seems to be doing well. She bought a home in Tupelo and feels good that she moved back there after Horace’s death. She said to tell you hello and thank you for arranging for the sale of the memorabilia collection.”

  “With a lot of help from Carl.”

  “I know that, but she’s crediting you with it. Anyway, with the proceeds from the collection and the sale of the house, she’s set for life. The only thing I regret is that I wasn’t able to keep the press at bay in some fashion. I’m glad I no longer have to read about Horace’s death and Jimmy’s murder.”

  “Me too. As much as I hated the amount of coverage the press gave it, I do understand. Plus, I’ve heard that one of the studios is thinking about making a movie out of it,” Marty said.

  “That’s probably true because Ruby told me she’d been approached by a studio asking her if she’d consider being a consultant if they got the funding to make the movie. She said she didn’t want to revisit all of the pain, but maybe if she was a consultant, the movie would reflect the truth, rather than the rumors that Horace and Jimmy were involved. She said there was absolutely no truth to it, but it was the type of story the news loved.”

  “Jeff, I just had a thought. If the movie is made, I wonder if they’d have an appraiser and a detective in it, and if so, who do you think the director would choose to play us? Maybe they’d even want us to play ourselves.”

  “Marty, I don’t see that happening, so you can forget about having your name on a star imbedded in cement on a sidewalk in Hollywood. See you later.”

  RECIPES

  BEEF STEW

  Ingredients:

  1 tbsp. olive oil

  3-4 lbs. beef chuck roast, cubed into 1” pieces

  1 white onion, chopped

  1 cup baby carrots, cut into bite size diagonal pieces (If you don’t want to cut them yourself, they’re available in the packaged salad area of your supermarket)

  2 stalks celery, chopped in small pieces

  18 oz. can whole tomatoes, cut into chunk size (If you wish, you can add some of the juice from the can.)

  1 tsp. salt

  1 tbsp. ground pepper

  4 garlic cloves, minced

  1/3 cup tomato paste

  5 cups beef broth (I use “Better Than Bouillon.”)

  1 cup red wine

  1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

  1 tsp. dried thyme

  1 lb. baby potatoes, part halved & part chunked

  1 ½ cups small brown mushrooms (If you use larger ones, quarter them.)

  1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed

  2 large slices sourdough bread, lightly toasted, then torn into bite size pieces

  1 tbsp. corn starch (to make slurry & thicken stew to taste)

  Wondra flour, as needed ( I use it to thicken stew to desired consistency)

  Directions:

  Use a sharp fileting knife and cut roast into bite sized 1” sized cubes. Cut around fat & gristle and discard. In a large Dutch oven (or pot), over medium heat, add olive oil & cook all sides of beef cubes until seared, about 10 minutes.

  You’ll probably have to do this in two batches, so you don’t crowd the meat. Transfer beef to a plate and set aside. In the same pot, cook onion, carrots, and celery until soft, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until garlic is fragrant and tomato paste has darkened, about 2 minutes.

  Place beef back into Dutch oven, then add broth, wine, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and chopped whole tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Season w/salt & pepper to taste. (I like to go heavy on the pepper). Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

  Add potatoes and simmer, covered until potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add peas, mushrooms and bread pieces and continue to simmer for 7-10 minutes, stirring as necessary. If you want the stew to be thicker, add the corn starch slurry, half at a time, as needed. For even more thickness, sprinkle a small amount of Wondra flour on top of stew mixture. Allow to cook for 1 minute, and then stir into the stew. Enjoy!

  Note: Recipe makes 6 servings. I like to serve it in large soup bowls with Irish soda bread. Great for dunking in the stew. Enjoy!

  DEVILISH DECADENT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

  Ingredients:

  16 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

  ½ cup butter

  ¾ cup all-purpose flour

  ½ tsp. baking powder

  ½ tsp. salt

  4 jumbo eggs

  1 ½ cups sugar

  2 tbsp. instant espresso powder

  1 tbsp. vanilla extract (Don’t use imitation. It makes a difference.)

  2 cups fine quality bittersweet (56%-60% cacao) chocolate chips

  2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

  Directions:

  Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large heavy-bottom saucepan, melt the semisweet chocolate and the butter over medium-low heat until smooth, about 5 – 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In a large bowl beat together the eggs, sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla until mixed and slightly foamy. Beat in the chocolate mixture and then the flour mixture. Stir in the bittersweet chocolate chips and the walnuts.

  Using about 2 heaping tablespoons of dough for each cookie, spoon the dough onto the cookie sheets. Bake until the cookies are cracked on top and moist in the center (don’t overbake because you want the cookies to have a fudgy center.) Transfer the cookie sheets to a baking rack and cool completely before removing. Enjoy!

  COD FISH WITH LEMON CAPER SAUCE

  Ingredients:

  1 lb. skinless cod filets, ½ inch thick, patted dry

  2 tbsp. olive oil

  ¼ tsp. kosher salt

  ¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper

  2 medium size lemons, juiced (You can substitute limes.)

  ¼ cup capers, drained

  3 tbsp. unsa
lted butter

  3 cloves garlic, mashed

  2 tbsp. flour (I prefer Wondra flour for coating & dusting.) Directions:

  Heat oil in large frying pan until oil is shimmering. Meanwhile, lightly dredge cod fillets in flour so they are barely covered, then sprinkle salt & pepper on the fillets. Flip over and repeat the process on the other side of the fillets. Add the cod fillets to the pan and cook until golden-brown on each side. About 3 minutes per side.

  Remove fillets to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain off half of the oil remaining in the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the lemon juice. When it begins to bubble add the capers, butter, and garlic and swirl over the heat until the butter is completely melted, about 1 minute. Thicken the sauce as needed with a shake or two of Wondra flour. Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

  Note: This recipe serves 4. Best to buy frozen cod fish in package containing individually vacuum-packed cod filets.

  BRUSSEL SPROUTS WITH SWEET PARMESAN CHEESE SAUCE

  Ingredients:

  1 package of Brussel sprouts or loose (approx. 15-18)

  2 tbsp. vegetable oil

  1 tbsp. sugar

  2 tbsp. white vinegar

  Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

  5 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

  Directions:

  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the bottom off of each Brussel sprout, peel off the outer leaves, and cut each one in half, lengthwise. Scatter the halved Brussels in an ovenproof glass pan. Sprinkle 2 tbsp. water over the Brussels, cover with plastic wrap, punch 3-4 holes in the plastic wrap, and heat in microwave for 4-5 minutes on high until nearly tender.

  Meanwhile, mix together the oil, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small dish. When Brussels are finished in the microwave, remove from microwave and pour the oil/sugar mixture over the Brussels and place in oven for 20 minutes. Five minutes before they’re finished, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the Brussels and continue to bake. Serve & enjoy!

  CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE

  Ingredients:

  1 pkg refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough

  16 oz. cream cheese, softened

  ¾ cup sugar

  1/3 cup whipping cream

  1/3 cup sour cream

  Cooking spray

  2 tbsp. chocolate syrup for drizzling on top

  Directions:

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9” springform pan with cooking spray. Form 6 cookies from the dough and place in the freezer.

  Press cookie dough into the bottom of the pan. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the whipping cream and the sour cream. Pour filling evenly over the cookie dough. Crumble the frozen cookies over the filling.

  Bake 55-60 minutes or until set around the edge and the center is almost set, but still a little jiggly. Turn oven off and leave door ajar. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven. Run a metal spatula around side of pan to loosen. Refrigerate cheesecake for 2 hours or until well chilled.

  Remove sides of pan. Serve and enjoy!

  *****

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  ABOUT DIANNE

  I live in Huntington Beach, California, with my husband, Tom, a former California State Senator, and my boxer dog, Kelly. My passions are cooking, reading, and dogs, so whenever I have a little free time, I am either in the kitchen, playing with Kelly in the back yard, or curled up with the latest book I'm reading.

  Her other books are available below:

  Amazon: Blue Coyote Motel

  Amazon: Coyote in Provence

  Amazon: Cornered Coyote

  Amazon: Coyote Series

  Amazon: Kelly’s Koffee Shop

  Amazon: Murder at Jade Cove

  Amazon: White Cloud Retreat

  Amazon: Marriage and Murder

  Amazon: Murder in Cottage #6

  Amazon: Murder in the Pearl District

  Amazon: Murder and Brandy Boy

  Amazon: Murder in Calico Gold

  Amazon: The Death Card

  Amazon: Murder at The Cooking School

  Amazon: Murder & The Monkey Band

  Amazon: Murder at The Bed & Breakfast

  Amazon: Murder at The Secret Cave

  Amazon: Murder in Cuba

  Amazon: The Blue Butterfly

  Amazon: Trouble at the Kennel

  Amazon: Murdered by Words

  Amazon: Murdered by Country Music

  Amazon: Murder at the Big T Lodge

  Amazon: Murdered in Argentina

  Amazon: Murder on the East Coast

  Amazon: Murder at the Clinic

  Amazon: Murder at the Polo Club

  Amazon: Alexis

  Amazon: Trouble at the Animal Shelter

  Amazon: Murder in Calistoga

  Amazon: Murder on Bainbridge Island

  Amazon: Murder & The Movie Star

  Amazon: Murder in Whistler

  Amazon: Murdered by Plastic Surgery

  Amazon: Murder in Seattle

  Amazon: Murder after Midnight

  Amazon: Murder in San Francisco

  Amazon: Murder at Le Bijou Bistro

  Amazon: Murder at the Courthouse

  Amazon: Murder at the Gallery

  Amazon: Murder at the Waterfront

  Amazon: Murder at the Gearhart

  Amazon: Murdered by Superstition

  Amazon: Red Zero 1

  Amazon: Red Zero 2

  Amazon: Red Zero 3

  Amazon: The Professor’s Predicament

  Amazon: Murder at the Church

  Amazon: Murdered by Prejudice

  Please feel free to follow me on these social media sites:

  Website: http://www.DianneHarman.com

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  COMING SOON!

  PUBLISHING 5/10/19

  CAROL

  BOOK THREE OF

  THE MIDLIFE JOURNEY SERIES

  https://amzn.to/2UxR9dm

  Letting go of a lifetime of hurts isn’t easy. It’s pretty hard to believe that Happy Ever After even exists.

  Can Carol let go of the past and move on to the future with a handsome chef whose intentions towards her are an open book? It’s pretty clear to everyone but Carol that he’s in love with her. It’s also pretty clear to everyone that Carol has some issues she needs to overcome before she can take the first step to midlife happiness.

  A Maltese puppy and good friends who conspire with the chef just might make everything possible. But then again, whoever said life will go smoothly and just the way you want it to was wrong.

  This is the third book in the Midlife Journey Series by a two-time USA Today Bestselling Author. The series highlights women who have a second chance at happiness after having dealt with life issues that happen to all of us by the time we’re in our midlife years.