I had a baseball cap on my bed head and took a second looking for my car keys before I realized that my car was still parked back in town. Talk about being let down. Perhaps I would take a chance with my home brew.
I was still standing next to the kitchen sink and debating how badly I wanted a cup of coffee when I noticed the back door leading out to the garage wasn’t shut all the way. What was worse, it wouldn’t shut all the way. Someone had jimmied it open if the bent strike plate was any sign. The question was why hadn’t the house alarm gone off? I didn’t have time to answer that. I needed a plan.
Now I’m no fool. My first thought was to get out of the house and call the police. I wasn’t about to search the manor for Janice The Psycho. Part of me would’ve loved to seek her out and end the feud once and for all, but the other part of me valued my life. Who knew what Janice was planning? The only problem with my plan was that we didn’t have a house phone, my cell phone (or what was left of it) was back at the bakery, and living on a secluded bluff didn’t leave me a whole lot of options where to go without transportation.
What should I do? I thought. Stand my ground in the kitchen with a butcher knife? Also not a great idea.. What if she had a gun? I would have to do something. The best idea I had was to go outside and wait for Ellen or Amelia to come home and then get them to call the police, and just hope Janice didn’t make her presence known before then or attempted to run me over. She had to have a car stashed somewhere. Before I could act, I smelled the smoke. This time I knew it wasn’t coming from my hair. Smoke was coming from upstairs. I immediately thought of Milo and Bernie and became completely unhinged. I grabbed the fire extinguisher from under the kitchen sink, tossed the safety pin, and raced back up the staircase.
Tammy met me on the landing. Smoke was coming out my bedroom, and she laughed, standing in front of the closed room.
“Oh, are your kitties in there? That’s too bad. Maybe you should stay out of other people’s business?” she said in a sing-songy voice. “You ruined my sister’s life and now I will take yours.”
I didn’t even wait to see what Tammy would do. With the canister tucked under my bad arm, I blasted her face with the fire extinguisher and then with a face full of foam, I hit her in the chest with the canister. With her down, I opened my bedroom door, and the smoke poured out. Milo and Bernie came running right out as soon as I called and they bolted down the stairs. The fire was contained to my bed, but I knew it would spread quickly with the door open. I ran in, shut the door behind me and doused the bed in white foam, smothering the fire. A siren screamed up the driveway, and with the fire out, I turned my attention back to Tammy. I cautiously looked out the bedroom door and saw her making a break for it down the stairs. I dropped the extinguisher and bolted after her. She reached the heavy front door, yanked it open and ran out to the snowy front yard. I was feet from her and jumped off the pillared front porch, tackling her in the snow. She rolled underneath me and came up swinging. Using my cast, I pinned her to the ground under her neck. Deputy Preston leapt into action and I gladly allowed him to take over securing Tammy.
Chapter 7
The deputies arrested Tammy and she was currently sitting in the back of a squad car shooting death glares my way. Preston and I were huddled out in the middle of the front yard talking with Milo and Bernie in tow. Thankfully, both cats were fine and were content as could be letting Preston and I fuss over them. Although Preston’s eyes were starting to water a bit thanks to his allergies. I’d go inside and get him an allergy pill as soon as I had permission to do so. The fire fighters insisted we stay out of the house until they could clear the area. Who knew how many fires Tammy had attempted to start. She was reserving her right to remain silent. I explained to Preston how I had helped send Tammy’s sister to jail and effectively “ruined her life,” as Tammy had liked to put it. In reality, the sisters were pretty good at ruining their own lives. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was if Tammy had acted on her own accord or if Tonya had put her up to the task, but it didn’t really matter.
“The alarm hadn’t been cut,” Preston explained. “Your alarm company contacted dispatch when they couldn’t reach you. Given the past twenty-four hours, I wasn’t about to assume it was a false alarm.”
I rarely felt the need to have an alarm, but at that moment, it had been worth every penny.
Nick popped in and I swear his heart rate would have spiked if it had been beating.
“I’m fine,” I said to him before he could speak. If anyone looked over at us, they would have assumed I was talking to Preston who Nick had materialized right next to.
“It was Tammy,” Preston added.
I filled Nick in on her motive.
“Well, if Janice didn’t want to kill you before, she will now,” he replied.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Can you come into town?” Nick asked.
“I’ll drive,” Preston said.
We arrived in downtown Bleu Clair Bay and my eyes immediately searched out my bakery. Milo who had ridden on my lap and even perked up and looked out the side passenger side window. Bernie was riding on Preston’s lap. I was surprised, Preston only sneezed twice on the ride into town.
When we drove past the bakery, the space looked completely normal. The appearance gave me hope that all was not lost. I would have loved to get out and take a closer look, but just then my attention was drawn across the street to a group of protestors, led by none other than dispatcher Betty Jones and the rest of the Concerned Community Pact. The group’s name was proudly displayed across their baseball caps—“Citizens who care!” The handmade signs had phrases such as, “Fake Bake” and “Cookie Devil” written on them. I assumed the last one was a play on the Janice’s shop’s name. I couldn’t spot Janice, but at that moment, I was not about to hunt her down. I had a one psycho a day limit.
But, there was one person whom I wanted to hunt down, and that was Granny.
“Any luck tracking her down?” I asked Nick.
“Honestly, I didn’t look. I was too busy keeping an eye on Janice and making sure she didn’t fly off the handle when Betty and her crew showed up with their signs.”
“How did the pact find out?” I asked.
“Autumn told us about Janice at the station. I’m sure Betty overheard as she always does,” Preston said. I doubted even Autumn would mind Betty’s loose lips in this instance. Well, then again, maybe not. It was Autumn after all.
“Mind if I run up?” I said to Preston, motioning to Granny’s apartment.
“No, but I better go with you in case Vanessa makes an appearance,” Preston replied.
That was perfectly fine by me. I did not want to deal with Granny’s granddaughter again. I also didn’t want to let Milo out of my sight, not yet, and thankfully Preston didn’t object when I suggest we bring the cats with us.
Inside Granny’s apartment was exactly as we had left it the day before and finally my luck was changing because Granny was there too. She was sitting on her bedside looking at her crossword book. Preston happily put Bernie down and he pranced right over to Granny and jumped up on the bed.
“Well, where did you come from?” she asked the cat with child-like wonder in her voice.
“We brought him,” I replied. “I hadn’t seen you since the fire and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Friar who?” She asked.
“Fire,” I replied, but Granny wasn’t following. I didn’t try again.
“You’re okay?” Preston asked, making the universal okay symbol with his hand.
“Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked.
Granny looked back to the crossword puzzle on her nightstand.
“Are you ready to on up?” I asked, copying Preston and using a hand gesture to accompany the words.
“Up?” She looked to the ceiling.
“Yes, up to heaven. You don’t have to stay here,” Nick said.
“Heaven.” Granny go
t a far off look on her face and I really felt like we weren’t going to get her to crossover—not today. “That’s it!” Granny’s exclamation startled me.
“What’s it?” I asked.
Granny ignored us and she hovered over her crossword puzzle and counted the squares. “A state of bliss. The answer is heaven. Hot dog! I solved the last clue.” Granny did a little jig. “That last one was a bugger, too.”
Milo wiggled in my arms and I set him down. He copied Bernie and jumped up on the bed.
“Well isn’t that just precious,” Granny said, motioning to the two cats. “If they’re not in love, then I’m a fool.”
“Milo and Bernie?” I replied. “Friends, maybe, but they’re both males.”
“Bernie’s not a male. Her name is short for Bernadette.”
“Oh.” I stood there blinking for a minute.
Nick laughed from behind me. “You might end up with a household full of cats yet.”
With that, the room became bright, and the air smelled sweet. Much like my bakery on a warm summer day. Nick gave me a nod before winking out of existence. He had yet to be beamed up to heaven, and he wasn’t planning on taking the trip today, either.
“Oh, they’re calling for me. Guess I better go,” Granny said to us. “You think they have puzzles up there?”
“I’m sure of it,” I replied with a smile on my face.
With a whoosh of air and a wave, Granny headed on up and left us alone in her apartment once more.
“Do you ever get used to it?” Preston asked me.
“Nope, never,” I replied.
Cinnamon Cherry Pie Tarts
This recipe uses the same cinnamon roll recipe that I included in the Spirited Sweets boxed set. I’ll include it below, but I’ll also let you in on a secret.
Are you ready?
You can absolutely use your favorite store bought cinnamon roll dough and icing, and even canned cherry pie filling. It’s okay, I won’t tell!
But for the true bakery experience, keep on reading.
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
1 cup warm milk
1 packed of instant dry yeast
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup butter melted
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons on cinnamon
For the filling:
2-3 cups of pitted cherries
1/4 cup of water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons of corn starch
For the icing:
1 cup of confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons of softened butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of orange juice
INSTRUCTIONS
Dough:
Pour the warm milk into the mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast and sugar on top. Let the yeast bubble (about 5 minutes).
Add the eggs, butter, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Remember, you want your ingredients to be room temperature or warmer (in the milk’s case.)
Mix well until the dough is elastic and smooth (about 5-7 minutes). The dough will be sticky.
Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and add the dough.
Cover the bowl with a towel.
Set the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until it doubles. It should take about 30 minutes.
**Note: you can also make the dough in your bread machine if you have one. That’s what I do!**
Filling:
1. Place cherries and water in a pot and cover over medium heat. After 5-10 minutes the cherries should start to become soft and juicy.
2. Stir in sugar and cornstarch. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.
Icing:
1. Mix all ingredients together. Add more juice if needed (I usually start with splash and go from there.)
ASSEMBLY
1. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Press dough into and along the sides of the muffin cup. (If you’re using store bought cinnamon rolls, use one roll per cup.)
2. Scoop in one spoonful of cherry filling.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes until nice and golden.
4. Top with icing and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing.
About the Author
I'm a mystery author with a soft spot for romance and humor, too. I love all things girlie with a dollop of danger, have a strong affinity for the color pink (especially in diamonds and champagne), and, not to brag, but chocolate and I are in a pretty serious relationship.
For information on new releases and fun giveaways, visit my Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/stephdamoreauthor/
I love chatting with my readers and hearing what you think. Let’s connect!
Sugared Suspect Page 6
