“What happened to them?”
Sheriff Larson stood. “I’m pretty sure there are a few private collectors holding on to counterfeit Jonathan Swift counterfeit coins. That’s real justice.” He motioned to Felicia. “Let’s go home. I’m beat. Tomorrow will be filled with reporters, paperwork, and reports.”
Miranda walked them out to the porch, and Austin stood beside her and watched with her as the sheriff and Felicia drove back to town. “I’m glad we were able to help, but it feels like we actually just increased the circle of pain. Kevin’s dead. Jennifer’s emotionally frozen. Alfred will get a career boost. Nothing really changes for Stephanie or Kurt. Not very satisfying.”
“But we found Howard and his killer.”
Miranda pulled her shoulders back. “You’re right. I’m looking at this from a purely negative view because this will be so hard to share with Aunt Ora.”
“You’ve never been reluctant to do the right thing,” said Austin softly.
“But, knowing that doing the right thing will hurt someone is a new burden. I know my aunt will be extremely grateful that we fulfilled her deepest wish and gave Howard peace.”
Miranda felt Austin’s good arm steal its way across her shoulders, and he drew her into a side hug. “We make a good team.”
She lifted her head to give him a soft kiss. “A very good team.”
Recipes for Moonshine Cocktails
Cherry Mimosas
Serves 4
Equipment
1 cocktail shaker
4 champagne flutes
Ingredients
Ice
¼ cup Cherry Ale-8
¼ cup clear moonshine
Prosecco
Maraschino cherries
Directions
Fill shaker with ice.
Add Cherry Ale-8 and moonshine to shaker.
Shake and pour into flutes.
Top up the flutes with prosecco.
Garnish with maraschino cherry.
Lemonade ’Shine
Serves 4
Equipment
Vegetable peeler
2-quart pitcher
Lemon juicer
Spoon
4 mason jars
Ingredients
6 fresh lemons
2 cups water
Mint leaves
½ cup turbinado sugar
1 cup clear moonshine
Ice
Directions
Peel off four lemon skin curls.
Muddle mint in the bottom of a 2-quart pitcher.
Squeeze lemons, add juice to pitcher.
Add sugar, stir all until sugar dissolved.
Add moonshine.
Fill mason jars halfway up with ice and add water.
Stir and pour into mason jars.
Garnish with mint and lemon curls.
Cola Moon
Serves 4
Equipment
2-quart pitcher
Knife
Spoon
4 mason jars
Ingredients
1 fresh lemon
¼ cup turbinado sugar
1 cup clear moonshine
2 16-oz. bottles RC Cola (or any cola on hand)
Ice
Directions
Peel off four lemon skin curls.
Squeeze lemon, add juice to pitcher.
Add sugar, stir until all the sugar dissolves.
Add moonshine.
Add cola.
Fill mason jars halfway up with ice.
Stir mixture and pour into mason jars.
Garnish with lemon curls.
Recipes for Snacks
Cheesy Bits
Serves 16
Equipment
Baking sheet
Aluminum foil
Parchment paper
Cutting board
Measuring cup
Small mixing bowl
Spoon
Knife
Spatula
Ingredients
1 cup grated cheddar cheese or use a packaged cheese
mixture
1 cup chopped white onion
1 cup mayonnaise (here in the South, we use Duke’s
mayonnaise)
4 slices of sourdough bread (or any sliced bread on
hand)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Wrap baking sheet in aluminum foil. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit.
Mix grated cheese, chopped onions, and mayonnaise in the bowl until thoroughly blended.
Cut bread slices into fourths.
Heap about a tablespoon of the mixture onto each piece of bread, covering the slice to the edges.
Place on baking sheet with about a half an inch separation.
Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, checking frequently until topping is bubbly and browned around the edges.
Let cool for a few minutes.
Old-Fashioned Corn Bread
Serves 16
Equipment
Seasoned cast-iron skillet
Small mixing bowls
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Mixing spoon
Knife
Spatula
Aluminum foil
Ingredients
1 tablespoon bacon drippings
2 cups cornmeal or 1½ cups cornmeal and ½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 large egg (optional)
1¼ cups buttermilk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Directions
Put the bacon drippings in a 9- or 10-inch well-seasoned cast-iron skillet and put the skillet into the oven. Then turn the oven on to 400° F with the skillet inside. (If you don’t have an iron skillet, you can use an uncovered Dutch oven or a metal cake pan.)
Whisk together all the dry ingredients (cornmeal, baking soda, salt, sugar if using) in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg (if using) and buttermilk until combined, then mix that into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir in the melted butter.
When the oven is hot, take out the skillet (carefully, as the handle will be hot!). Add the corn-bread batter and make sure it is evenly distributed in the skillet.
Bake at 400° F for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are beginning to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
Let the bread rest for 10 to 30 minutes in the skillet before cutting it into wedges and serving.
To store, let the corn bread cool, then remove from pan and wrap in plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. Store at room temp for 2 to 3 days.
Bean Salad with Tart Dressing
Serves 4-6
Equipment
Can opener
Large mixing bowl
Measuring cup
Mixing spoon
Measuring spoons
Saucepan
Ingredients
1 16-oz. can of green beans, drained
1 16-oz. can of yellow wax beans, drained
1 16-oz. can of red kidney beans, drained
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped sweet onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 jar (4 oz.) chopped pimento peppers, drained
½ cup vinegar
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup white sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Mix green beans, yellow wax beans, kidney beans, celery, onion, green bell pepper, and pimento peppers in a bowl.
Combine vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from burner and pour dressing over bean mixture; toss to coat.
Refrigerate until flavors blend, 8 hours to overnight.
Pickled Beets
Serves 4–6
&
nbsp; Equipment
Knife
Scrub brush
Saucepans
Colander
Mixing bowl
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Mixing spoon
Ingredients
1 lb. small beets (about 7 beets)
½ cup white vinegar
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Directions
Trim but leave the root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain again. Cool slightly. Trim off beet roots. Rub off skins. Thinly slice beets. Place in a large bowl.
Combine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Pour vinegar mixture over beets. Cover and chill. Discard bay leaves.
Acknowledgments
This second book in the Paint & Shine series has been a lovely trip down memory lane. My parents are both from the area where this story is set, Wolfe County, Kentucky. My grandfather built the farmhouse that’s featured here from a Sears Catalog kit. I’ve spent most of my summers as a child running barefoot in the soft grass, gazing up at the Milky Way in the evenings, and hiking the hundreds of trails in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Although I’m a good cook, I’ll never reach the standard of biscuit perfection that my grandmother achieved every single morning of her life. I can still taste the biscuits. I hope I have done justice to an idyllic part of my upbringing.
I have so many people to thank for getting this book out of my head and onto the page. It was a long journey, and sometimes the path wandered into the weeds or disappeared completely. Luckily, I have a tribe of supporters.
I thank my parents for a wildly original raising. Mom and Dad thought that children should be shown how to live their best life, not lectured into it. My mom taught her two girls and two boys how to cook, clean, knit, sew, paint, draw, and not be afraid to tackle something new. She praised the trying—not the result. My dad taught us all to hunt, fish, camp, track, shoot, and garden, and how to use power tools. Both parents instilled in me a work ethic that I still bless them for today.
My mother’s parents let me run loose on their little truck farm most summers. I loved the feel of rich soil on my bare feet, the smell of freshly cut hay, and the warm acceptance of all their neighbors as “Della’s oldest grandchild.” I relished the freedom to play in the creek, climb the big hill, pet the cow, run through the tall corn, and generally make a huge nuisance of myself. My mother’s parents are buried in a peaceful cemetery overlooking the bend in the road above the tiny village of Trent, Kentucky.
They were hardworking, generous, kind, and clever backcountry folk. My grandma Buchanan was the best biscuit maker in Wolfe County. That was an important skill in those days. She made at least one cast-iron skillet full every morning from the time she was a teen until way into her eighties.
My mother’s middle brother, Harold Gene Buchanan, inspired the Uncle Gene character in this series. He parted this life too early but managed to leave behind an inspirational, spiritual, and scientific legacy to his family and friends. He was a big personality full of boundless energy, curiosity, and drive. He showed me, by example, that your background doesn’t limit you in achieving your dreams.
My independent editor, Ramona DeFelice Long, was an amazing award-winning writer, editor extraordinaire, and refined woman with deep roots in the southern heart of Louisiana. She knows what makes a good story and could tell me in a way that didn’t scare the ever-loving bejesus out of me. Sadly, she lost her four-and-a-half-year battle with cancer in the fall of 2020.
She will be sorely missed by the hundreds of writers that she inspired to join her Sprint Club. The rules were simple: Sign in. Write for one solid hour. Enjoy the rest of your day knowing that your favorite job is done. My condolences to her lovely sister and the oft-mentioned menfolk, her husband and twin sons. Rest in power. Thank you.
First readers are important, and I have a powerful one. We exchange pages every month and meet to rip them apart, so we can put them back together in better shape. Sam Falco, you’re my hero.
I’m crushed to report that my wonderful agent, Beth Campbell, has left BookEnds Literary Agency to pursue the next stage in her publishing career. She inspired me to write better and try harder to produce the best writing I can. I wish her the very best. I know we’ll hear about her soon.
My new agent is James McGowan, a member of the cast of rock stars that make up the fabulous staff that Jessica Faust of BookEnds Literary Agency has gathered. He’s enthusiastic about this close-to-my-heart series and my new projects. I’m grateful I can count on him to be my champion in negotiating the twisty passages of modern publishing.
My extraordinary editor at Kensington Publishing Corporation, Elizabeth Trout, has managed to take my jumbled plot threads and wibbly-wobbly emotional crises and guide me to a much better story. Larissa Ackerman has been proactive in consulting with me to brainstorm new promotional and marketing themes with creative and fresh concepts. Last year, I finally met Michelle Addo, who rocks Kensington’s new Cozy Club Mini-Cons, held all over the country. When I appeared with the other cozy mystery writers at Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona, it was a bucket list event for me.
I wouldn’t be published at all if not for the Sisters in Crime organization and their online group, the Guppies. The fishy name comes from the following: The Great Unpublished. The group started out as a collection of unpublished writers sharing information about the confounding world of publishing. The secret to its success is that after reaching that revered status of published, Guppies stay in the group and reach back to help others. The split is now about fifty-fifty published to unpublished of more than nine hundred members. If you have any inclination to follow the writer’s journey, you need to sign up right now. Here’s the link for national organization: https://www.sistersincrime.org.
I am grateful for the dedication of booksellers everywhere who love readers and are kind to writers. My local bookstore in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, is Haslam’s Book Store at 2025 Central Avenue. The owners have welcomed me with unstinting support, and I’ve even been specially honored to meet all four of the bookstore cats: Beowulf, Teacup, Clancy, and Emily Dickinson.
My next-favorite local bookstore is owned and managed by the irrepressible Nancy Alloy of Books at Park Place. I enjoy talking all things bookish with her and her dog, the very skeptical Watson, who greets me with subtle and rare affection.
The newcomer to the local bookstore scene is Tombolo Books. They opened only a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic and managed to support readers and writers during a difficult time.
In today’s online world, book bloggers are markedly influential on who discovers your books. At Malice Domestic I met my first real live book advocate. Dru Ann Love, who runs https://drusbookmusing.com. She posts her personal reviews, reveals new covers, announces new releases, and publishes author interviews. Her main feature is “A Day in the Life” essays in the voice of the character of the featured mystery. Thanks, Dru—I’ll hug you in the hotel lobby at the next mystery conference.
My muse of many years, Joye Barnes, is completely responsible for my lack of writer’s block. Every time I get a little stuck, I mentally look her in the eyes and ask, “What would Joye be thrilled to have happen next?” Thank you, Joye, for your unfailing support.
Many writers struggle through their writing process hideously alone without the support of their families. I’m not one of those. I have the devoted encouragement of my husband, sons, daughters-in-love, grandchildren, parents, brothers, sisters, and a large extended family, all cheering me on to finish the next book.
I am ever so grateful to you, the readers. There is no greater reward
than to hear that one of my books helped someone get through a difficult time by providing a few hours of distraction. That’s one of the reasons I write. Other than that I’m completely addicted to writing.
George is my constant cheerleader, relentless taskmaster, overall handyman, and ever-ready book-bag carrier in support of my writing dream. He has earned the title Trophy Husband for this role in this adventure.
If you’re from eastern Kentucky, you’ll notice that I’ve used a large chunk of my fully paid-up artistic license. I have combined two famous trail locations into one for this book. I love the Indian Staircase and climbed it many times as a child. It’s a wonderful adventure, but I’m not sure I still have the innocent confidence it takes to climb it. The other aspect I’ve altered is a view of Battleship Rock. I’ve moved the cliff to be seen from the top of the Indian Staircase. That’s the scene that I want Miranda’s clients to paint.
Thanks for your support. It means everything. It’s worth repeating: you mean everything to me.
Read on for a special preview of the next book in the Paint & Shine Mystery Series . . .
Death a Sketch
Forthcoming from Kensington Publishing Corp. in summer 2022
Chapter 1
Late Friday Afternoon, Miranda’s Farmhouse
“I have a bad feeling.” Miranda Trent rocked gently in the porch swing, her hand wrapped around a cup of hot mint tea. “What a mess. I shouldn’t have accepted a big contract from that horrible man and his horrible company. A four-day workshop is a big leap for my new business.” She drew up a handmade quilt and tucked it around herself and Sandy, the sleeping puppy in her lap. “Have I made a dreadful mistake, Mom?”
Draw and Order Page 24
