by R A Wallace
“You might want to ask her what happened between her and Gladys in high school,” Megan suggested.
Erica raised her eyebrows. “One of the puzzle pieces you found?”
Megan nodded. “A very important one, I think.”
Chapter Thirty
They sat on Megan’s back porch drinking lemonade. Erica had requested that Megan make her something with rhubarb. She’d been craving it. Megan made an Apple Rhubarb pie and Erica was finishing off her second piece. Caitlyn and Lauren just returned from checking out the miniature donkeys.
“They are too cute,” Caitlyn said as she took a piece of pie.
“I’ll have to bring the kids out. They’re going to want to meet Flora and Dora,” Lauren said with a grin. “I’m glad that you have animals. It saves me from having to do it.”
“You wouldn’t want pets?” Erica asked.
“Donkeys, chickens, and sheep aren’t pets,” Lauren said with a knowing look. “You wait until it’s your turn. That baby is going to want all of those and more. You’ll be telling him or her that they can visit animals at Aunt Megan’s too.”
Erica thought about it and nodded. “True. I haven’t gotten used to the idea of having a baby yet. I know I couldn’t handle the animals too.”
“Well, I think they’ve been perfect guests,” Megan said. “They’ve certainly kept Henry busy.”
“Have you heard anything more about Tara?” Lauren asked.
Erica took a deep breath. “Yeah. Apparently, she hasn’t actually been working for some time. She took an extended leave without pay, a fact she failed to mention when we initially interviewed her along with everyone else right after the murder.”
“You mean, she’s been walking around in her uniform but wasn’t actually working?” Lauren raised her eyebrows and looked at the others.
Caitlyn shook her head. “Did she tell you why she did it?”
Erica shrugged. “Yeah, but like most reasons for murder, I can’t say that I agreed with the reasoning.”
“What do you mean?” Megan asked. “Did you find out what happened back when we were in high school?”
“I got her version of it. Tara said that Gladys stole a boyfriend from her. That she had a prom date, but the guy dumped her to go out with Gladys instead. Do you guys remember that? Tara being stood up for prom?” Erica asked.
The others looked at each other than shook their heads.
“It was apparently an extremely important moment in Tara’s life. But I checked with the guy she mentioned, and he doesn’t remember it the same way. He’s married and living in another state now.”
“Why was she friends with Gladys recently?” Caitlyn asked.
“She said she pretended to be once she heard about the baking contest. She wanted to get close to Gladys, so she could figure out some way to make her lose. She figured then Gladys would know how it felt to lose something important to her,” Erica said.
“Was she the one that messed with Gladys’s cookies? The ones that made the judge sick?” Lauren asked.
“Yes, she said she did that at Gladys’s house before they were submitted to the contest,” Erica set her empty lemonade glass on the table next to her. “We knew that she’d been to Gladys’s when we first interviewed her, but she claimed it was just to discuss recipes for the contest. The cookies that we found with Gladys were what Megan had guessed. They were cookies that Gladys baked after the fact, and not the actual entries from the contest.”
“So, Tara didn’t mean to kill Gladys?” Megan asked, lifting the pitcher to see if Erica wanted more.
“No, that hadn’t been her original plan. But the more time she spent with Gladys, the more disgusted she became with her. Gladys was sabotaging the other contestants,” Erica confirmed as she nodded to Megan to indicate that she wanted more lemonade. “They got into some sort of argument in Gladys’s kitchen over it and Tara lost it.”
Megan refilled her glass. “Well, it is sad, but something good did come of it all. It brought Allison Germaine and Walter Goodfellow together.”
“And I got to sample a lot of really good food,” Caitlyn said with a grin.
“I did win some ribbons,” Lauren said with a smile.
“I did too, actually,” Megan said.
The others looked at her curiously. “You did?” Caitlyn asked.
Megan nodded. “One of the judges that stayed with me sent me an unofficial blue ribbon for my cooking while they were here. His name is Nigel Reese. It came in the mail today with a nice thank you card.”
“Aw, that is so sweet,” Lauren said.
Megan’s Recipes
Nutmeg Cookies (From Lauren and Megan’s grandmother)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten well
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 1/2 cups flour, or enough to make a stiff dough
Beat sugar and shortening until smooth. Mix buttermilk, baking soda, baking powder, eggs, and nutmeg and stir into sugar and shortening. Add flour until dough is stiff. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle each cookie with a little nutmeg and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown about 15 to 20 minutes.
Note: To make buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar for each 1 cup of milk, stir, and let sit for a few minutes.
Cranberry Vanilla Granola
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup wheat germ or milled flax seed
1/4 cup slivered almonds or other nuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup extra light olive oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water or apple cider
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries or other dried fruit such as golden raisins or cherries
Heat the oven to 300°. In a large mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients except the fruit. Toss until well combined. Spread the mixture evenly on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes. Let it cool and stir in the fruit. Store in an airtight container or zipper bag. Makes about 6 cups.
Note: Can add ¼ cup shredded coconut or omit fruit. Megan uses cherries from the farm that she has dried using a dehydrator.
Books by R. A. Wallace
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R. A. Wallace is the author of two cozy mystery series:
Indigo Investigations Cozy Mystery Series
Callie Indigo heads the private detective agency Indigo Investigations. When she isn't working a legitimate case, she's often talked into helping out friends and family. Her life becomes even more complicated with the appearance of Greyson Divine, who teams up with Callie to solve cases. This cozy mystery series includes a female sleuth, friends, and family.
Teaberry Farm Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery Series
Megan is the main character in the series but interacts with a wide range of other characters in the fictional town of Teaberry. A difficult first marriage ended in the accidental death of her husband. She supports herself with her bed and breakfast, produce from her farm, and her tech skills as a web developer. Over time, she discovers that the love of her life was in front of her all along. Main characters in the series are multigenerational.
