The Diva Sweetens the Pie

by Krista Davis

  Thank you,

  Patsy Lee Presley

  I hadn’t expected that. There was a certain lovely irony to it, though. I retreated to my office and made a couple of calls.

  Chapter 45

  Dear Natasha,

  I served the most beautiful cream pie to my mother-in-law, but the knife tore the filling. By the time it was on her plate, it looked like it had been massacred. What did I do wrong?

  So Embarrassed in Rescue, Missouri

  Dear So Embarrassed,

  The next time you cut a cream pie, run the knife under hot water first. It will glide through without tearing the pie.

  Natasha

  Three miracles occurred on the last day of August. At eight in the morning, on a day when the sky was a vivid blue and the only clouds were like big fluffy lambs, Nellie Stokes walked out of the detention center a free woman.

  The second she was out the door, Aly ran into her arms. Nellie swung her up, and even though Aly’s feet were off the ground, it looked to me like a dance of celebration. Tears rolled down my cheeks just to see the two of them together. They had a lot of lost time to make up.

  Dooley embraced them both in his awkward praying mantis–appearing way. For Aly’s sake I hoped everything would work out for their family, and that they would stick together.

  Still holding Aly’s hand, Nellie walked toward Nina and me. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough. You gave me my life back when no one else cared.”

  * * *

  At noon I met with Honey Armbruster, Benton Evans, and the interim CEO of Patsy Lee, Inc. Everyone except Honey knew what it was about.

  I handed Honey the check and the letter. “This is from your mother.”

  Honey burst into tears. “Why didn’t she tell me? She was too proud.... I might have done the same.”

  The interim CEO had been watching Honey carefully. “Patsy Lee left a considerable estate and, of course, a thriving business. We would like you to come on board and be our new representative. Basically, you would take over for Patsy Lee.”

  Honey looked at each one of us. “I can’t believe this is happening. I’m on the verge of foreclosure and suddenly I have money and a business?”

  I gave Honey a big hug and left them to work out the details.

  * * *

  At two o’clock in the afternoon Alex arrived at his home. Seated in a wheelchair, he rolled through his front door and into his living room, his mom hovering nervously behind him. I had cooked all his favorite dishes and set up a buffet. His assistant was there, along with most of the fire department, and a host of Alex’s friends and clients.

  The bruising on his face had almost vanished, and the broken bones were on the mend. He was under strict orders from his doctors to take it easy, which he promptly violated by insisting he could walk. And he did—to the cheers of everyone around him.

  * * *

  While Alex was on the mend, I had a lot of time to think about what had transpired. I felt enormous guilt for Willa’s attack on Alex. Even though my friends assured me that she had attacked him because he had told her he would turn her in if he thought she would kill someone else, I still believed my nosing around had influenced her.

  I was torn, though, about Alex’s behavior. I knew he was an attorney and that he had responsibilities to his clients—even to the guilty ones.

  When I walked by his office days later and spied him inside, I thought perhaps the time had come for me to face what I was dreading.

  I strode into the office. The walls had been painted and movers were bringing in new furniture. “It looks great!”

  “I’m treating myself to an antique desk. What do you think?”

  The partner’s desk was massive and masculine, with inlaid woods and a rope carving all around the top. “You deserve it.”

  “I hear you saved my life.”

  “Are you kidding? I almost got you killed. And I couldn’t have dragged you out without Wong’s help.”

  He winced. “I was worried about you. After all, I knew to watch for Willa, but you were out there floundering around without a clue.”

  “I still don’t understand why you never said anything to anyone.”

  “Because she was my client. She came to me because she was afraid she would be charged with Grainger’s murder. I owed her complete confidentiality. No one was more surprised than I was when the cops never brought charges against Willa.”

  “But what about Nellie?”

  Alex rubbed a scar on the side of his face. “To be honest, when you said you were looking into Grainger’s murder, part of me was relieved. I couldn’t tell you anything, but I knew I would be glad if you managed to spring Nellie.”

  “But what if I hadn’t? How could you live with yourself knowing that a woman was spending her life incarcerated for a crime she didn’t commit?”

  “It was something I had to come to terms with. I didn’t like it, but my allegiance had to be to my client. For that matter, if I had exposed her, I could have lost my license to practice law.”

  I looked into his eyes. I wanted to understand. I wanted to go back in time, before Patsy Lee was killed and before Aly came to me for help, before I knew the truth. I understood how much Alex loved practicing law. It was what he was meant to do. But I would never have been able to live with myself knowing that an innocent woman was spending her life behind bars. He would have allowed Aly to grow up without her mom. He would have let Nellie waste her whole life in prison. All to protect a killer.

  I would have taken the heat and allowed myself to suffer, even if it meant losing my job. In this equation, as far as I was concerned, there was only one decent thing to have done—I would have made sure Nellie was released.

  “I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t see this coming. You’re a decent and honorable person in most ways, but you called this one wrong. And it was a huge thing. Not some little quirk that I can live with. I can’t be with someone who would let an innocent person languish in prison for something she didn’t do. You alone had it in your power to right that wrong. But you chose to protect yourself and your murderous client. Goodbye, Alex.”

  * * *

  On a Saturday evening, almost three weeks later, life in Old Town had settled down. I was gearing up for the US Pet Expo, where manufacturers of items for pets would be showing their products. Mars was busy with November elections, and Nina was fostering a Jack Russell terrier. We all made the time to get together in my backyard for an end-of-summer barbecue.

  Bernie, Nina, and Mars showed up first. Nina brought strawberry bourbon lemonade, which we were all eager to try. I was pouring it into tall summery goblets when Nellie arrived with six pies! I had no idea how we could eat them all.

  Nellie was radiant. Aly wore a dress that matched her mom’s. Dooley looked as awkward as ever, but he couldn’t stop smiling.

  Natasha had eyes only for Mars again, causing Bernie to snicker. She ambled over to me. “I’m just sick. Did you see Tommy Lee on TV last night? That could have been me if I hadn’t taken your advice and baked a cake.”

  They say to pick your fights. Natasha would always blame someone else when things didn’t work out for her. I offered her a glass of lemonade. “Maybe it worked out for the best, Natasha. If you had gone with Peter, you wouldn’t be able to participate in the pie seminars that Roger is putting on. That might be even better for you.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “They say things happen for a reason.”

  Natasha gazed at Mars. “Sometimes we have to give luck a big push.”

  Uh oh. Trouble ahead. And that was when Brock walked into the backyard with Honey.

  Honey and Natasha exchanged a glance and the only two women wearing high heels in the grass picked their way over to Mars like chickens doing a fancy dance.

  Brock pecked me on the cheek. “I hope you don’t mind that I came along with Honey.”

  “Are you kidding? If I had known you would be in town I would have invite
d you. How’s life back in New York?”

  “You won’t believe this, but Patsy Lee’s gift to Honey turned out to be a blessing for me, too. Patsy Lee, Inc. hired me. I’m working with Honey now. She’s so much like Patsy Lee that you wouldn’t even believe it.”

  “How are your twins?”

  “Lively! But I’m loving every minute of being a dad. Hey, I thought you might want to know that I ran into Peter. Over drinks, he told me that the big fight between him and Patsy Lee was because he had wrecked Nellie’s marriage by sending a letter accusing one of them of having an affair.”

  “I suspected he was behind that.”

  “Nellie was big competition for Patsy Lee. Of course, Peter regrets it now. He’ll be happy to hear they’re back together.” Brock shook his head. “How low can you go?”

  Mars intercepted him, probably in an effort to get away from Natasha and Honey.

  I had just joined Bernie at the grill when Wong and Roger arrived through the back gate.

  “Is Tommy Earl going to be here?” I asked Wong.

  She frowned. “Of course not. His life is in New York now. Peter is keeping him busy. I wasn’t very impressed by Peter, but the man knows how to promote!”

  “I’m sorry things didn’t work out. Any other beaus on the horizon?”

  Wong wrapped an arm around me. “We single ladies will have to pal around together.”

  “Sounds good to me!” I thought about Alex often and heard through the grapevine that he was doing well. Maybe one day I would stop by to see him. But I wasn’t ready for that yet.

  “Did you ever find out who Patsy Lee was running from on Friday night?” asked Wong.

  Roger’s face went pale. ”I fear that might have been me.”

  Wong’s eyes widened. “Surely not. You’re such a gentleman.”

  “I’ll miss Patsy Lee. She was a spitfire. Would you believe that we had a long romance over the years? We kept it completely secret.”

  Wong looked surprised.

  I didn’t want to spoil Roger’s fun so I didn’t tell him I knew about it.

  “Oh, yes! She rolled into town on Thursday and the two of us had a quiet little rendezvous. On Friday, I hoped we would get together again but she had plans to meet with Peter that she didn’t tell me about. Patsy Lee knew I wouldn’t like that. I planned to tail her to find out what she was up to. It was actually funny. She was dodging me, trying to lose me! Life was never boring with Patsy Lee!”

  When we all sat down to eat at my outdoor tables, the mood was jovial, the barbecue smelled heavenly, and the strawberry bourbon lemonade was the perfect touch.

  Bernie clicked a knife against his glass. “I realize that our lovely hostess should make a toast, but I have an announcement to make and if I know Sophie, she won’t mind.”

  I smiled at him.

  “The big news is that I have finally hired a new pastry chef for The Laughing Hound—Ms. Nellie Stokes!”

  A cheer went up along with applause. At Bernie’s prodding, Nellie stood up and took a bow.

  But it was Aly’s expression that brought tears to my eyes, and I knew I had done the right thing.

  Recipes

  Piled High Strawberry Pie

  Graham Cracker Crust

  1 8-inch pie pan

  9 sheets honey graham crackers

  4 tablespoons butter

  Pie Filling

  2 pounds strawberries

  1 cup sugar

  5 tablespoons cornstarch

  1¼ cup water

  2 tablespoons lemon juice

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  Melt the butter. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. With the food processor running, pour in the butter. Press into the pie pan with your fingers. Bake 8–12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

  Wash the strawberries, hull, and cut into quarters lengthwise. Place two cups of the strawberries in a heavy-bottomed pot, add the sugar, and mash with a potato masher, leaving some clumps of strawberry. Add the cornstarch and mix until dissolved. Stir in the water and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook at a simmer (you may need to turn the heat down a bit) and cook until it thickens and turns red, approximately 2 minutes.

  Pour enough of the uncooked strawberries into the prepared pie pan to cover the bottom in a single layer. They should not be perfectly arranged. Some should be turned up and others down. Ladle ⅓ of the hot strawberries over them. Add another layer of the uncooked strawberries, mounding them toward the center. Ladle another ⅓ of the cooked strawberries over them. Add the remaining uncooked strawberries, heaping them toward the middle. Ladle the remaining hot strawberries over top, slowly. (If you pour it too fast it may overflow.) Try to cover all the bare strawberries. Refrigerate until set. Serve with sweetened whipped cream. If you’re feeling festive, pipe the whipped cream around the edge for a knockout appearance.

  Sweetened Whipped Cream

  1 cup heavy cream

  ⅓ cup powdered sugar

  ¾ teaspoon vanilla

  Beat the cream until it begins to hold a shape. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat.

  Quick and Easy Blueberry Cobbler

  1.5 quart baking dish

  3 pints of blueberries

  ⅓ cup sugar (taste the blueberries and add more accordingly)

  2 tablespoons cornstarch

  ¼ teaspoon dried lemon peel

  ¾ cup water

  1 cup flour

  1 cup sugar

  1½ teaspoons baking powder

  ½ teaspoon cinnamon

  ½ teaspoon salt

  8 tablespoons melted butter (one stick)

  1 cup milk

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  In a medium bowl, mix the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir well to combine. Mix together the butter and milk. Add to the flour mixture and beat with a spoon until smooth.

  Wash and pick over blueberries. Set aside. In a large pot, mix the ⅓ cup sugar with the cornstarch. Add the water and the lemon peel and mix until dissolved. Pour in the blueberries and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.

  Pour the blueberries into the baking dish. Pour the dough over the top of the hot filling. Place on a baking sheet in case the blueberries spill over the sides while baking. Bake 45 minutes or until the blueberries bubble and the dough on top is light brown.

  Serve with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

  S’mores Pie

  1 9-inch pie pan

  Note: Do not use Pyrex, glass, or ceramic pie pans under the broiler.

  Graham Cracker Crust

  9 sheets cinnamon graham crackers

  6 tablespoons unsalted butter

  Filling

  1½ cups heavy cream

  pinch of salt

  12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

  2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  2 teaspoons vanilla

  1 bag miniature marshmallows, divided

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. With the food processor running, pour in the butter. Press into the pie pan with your fingers. Bake 8–12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool briefly.

  Scatter the miniature marshmallows on the cooked and cooled graham cracker crust in a single layer.

  Pour the cream and salt into a heavy pot and heat over medium. (It does not need to boil.) When it warms, pour the chocolate chips in and stir continuously until it’s smooth and all bits of chocolate have dissolved. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is dissolved. It should be very hot. Pour over the marshmallows. With the back of a spoon, push down any marshmallows that are not covered with chocolate. They will float to the top, which is fine.

  Cool the pie completely and refrigerate. When cold, add enough miniature marshmallows to cover the top. They�
��re cutest if they all lie in the same position. Place under the broiler just long enough for them to brown lightly, 45 seconds to 1 minute.

  An apple pie without some cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.

  —Old English Rhyme, circa 1750

  Salted Caramel Apple Pie

  10-inch pie pan

  Note: Use a metal pie pan for this recipe. Pyrex, glass, and most ceramic pie dishes cannot go from the freezer to the oven. They will break from temperature shock.

  Pie Dough

  2½ cups flour

  1 teaspoon salt

  2 sticks (16 tablespoons) frozen unsalted butter

  ice water

  Place the flour and salt in a food processor and mix with a fork. Using the shredding disk, insert the butter into the feeding tube and shred. Save any bits that stick to the top. With the machine unplugged for safety, remove the shredding disk and replace it with the pastry blade. Add the bits of butter that stuck to the top. Put the top back on and plug the machine in again. Pulse to combine. Add four tablespoons of ice water and run about 20 seconds. Pulse and add water (not much!) as necessary for it to begin to clump together. Remove the dough from the food processor and, mold into a ball. Cut off about ⅓, wrap it in wax paper, and refrigerate. Roll out the remainder immediately.