“In your dreams,” Sheila replied with a chuckle. “He’s hired a defense attorney, some guy from Waco. And since there are two deaths involved—potentially four—in two different states, I wouldn’t lay odds on a plea deal. This could drag on for years. And even when he’s convicted, there’ll be appeals.”
McQuaid shook his head, disgusted. “Justice doesn’t always win out, does it?” I knew he was thinking of the Strahorns and of Leslie, three people he had cared for deeply. He wanted to see their killer punished. But—
The phone broke the silence. I got up and went into the kitchen to answer it, so as not to interrupt the conversation. It was Hank Jamison, calling from Kansas. I listened for a moment, holding my breath, then wished him Merry Christmas, thanked him for calling, and went back into the living room, where McQuaid and Sheila were still seated, talking.
I put my hand on McQuaid’s shoulder, and he broke off, looking up at me. “Yeah?” he asked. “Who was that?”
“Jamison,” I said. “Hank Jamison. From Sanders.”
“That’s nice,” McQuaid said, brightening. “Calling to wish us Merry Christmas, huh? I’ll phone him tomorrow. He’s a good man.”
“No,” I said. “Not Merry Christmas. Something else.” I sat down and looked from him to Sheila. “He wanted me to tell you—both of you—that he had just heard from the Lake City police. Jess Myers is dead. He tore up a bedsheet, braided it into a rope, and hung himself from the bars of the window in his cell. He was pronounced dead an hour ago.”
Sheila closed her eyes. “Ah, hell,” she said softly.
For a long moment, McQuaid didn’t say anything. At last, he let out a low, slow breath.
“Justice,” he said. His voice was dark and heavy. “Finally. After all.” Justice. Not necessarily the kind of justice anybody wanted.
But justice, in the end.
SHEILA had gone, the fire was dying down, and still we sat, close together, watching the shimmer of the lights on the tree, the glittering tinsel. I was thinking of the children and how, in spite of everything, we had enjoyed a happy holiday. Things might be hard, the world might not be the way we wanted it, but we were together, and that was what counted.
On the sofa beside McQuaid, Howard Cosell shifted with a contented doggie sigh. McQuaid stirred, stretched, and got up, taking my hand.
“Only one more thing, and the day will be perfect,” he said. He pulled me to the doorway, where the mistletoe hung.
“Perfect?” I asked, teasing. “Is anything ever perfect?”
“This is,” he said, and took me in his arms.
Recipes, How-To, and Ideas for Holiday Giving
Cass Wilde’s Holiday Peppermint Cupcakes
½ cup butter or shortening, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined. Add egg and egg whites, beating until blended. Set aside. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the creamed mixture; stir until blended. In a measuring cup, mix milk and extracts. Add to the batter; mix until blended. Add remaining flour mixture and mix very well. Divide batter evenly among 12 prepared muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 350° F oven until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Remove cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely. Frost.
FROSTING
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2-2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, divided
6 peppermint candies, crushed
Place white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave and cook on high for one minute. Alternatively, place in a double boiler and melt over boiling water. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and butter. Using an electric mixer, beat until thoroughly mixed. Add cooled white chocolate; beat until mixed. Using the mixer’s low speed, beat in peppermint extract and 2 cups confectioners’ sugar. Using medium speed, beat until fluffy, adding up to ½ cup additional confectioners’ sugar to make it spreadable. Frost cupcakes, and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.
China’s Easy Slow-Cook Sausage-Corn Chowder
Made the easy way, with canned soup, canned corn, and cooked sausage.
1 pound ready-to-eat smoked sausage, cut in half lengthwise and into
½-inch slices
3 cups cubed potatoes
½ medium onion
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
¼ cup red bell pepper
1 bay leaf
1 15- or 16-ounce can cream-style corn
1 can mushroom soup
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried savory
Sour cream
Snipped fresh chives or fresh parsley
Place sausage, potatoes, onion, carrots, bell pepper, and bay leaf in a slow cooker. Combine corn, soup, and broth, and add to the cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 to 7 hours. Fifteen minutes before serving, remove bay leaf, stir chowder, and add milk and herbs. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with dollops of sour cream and sprinkles of snipped chives or parsley.
Garden Quiche with Tomato, Basil, and Garlic
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1½ cups sour cream
½ cup evaporated milk
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 tablespoons minced green onion tops, divided
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon fresh minced basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves,
crushed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1¾ cups fresh or canned diced tomatoes, drained
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, mix eggs, sour cream, evaporated milk, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons green onion, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour into pie shell. Combine remaining cheese, bread crumbs, basil, and garlic in a small bowl; sprinkle over sour cream mixture. Top with tomatoes and 2 tablespoons green onions. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.
China’s Hot Spiced Holiday Tea
This warm and cheering cranberry- and orange-flavored tea is a natural for the holidays. The recipe makes 12 cups.
12 whole allspice
3 small cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons whole cloves
12 cups water
12 tea bags (an orange-spice tea is nice)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup cranberry juice
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup lemon juice
Combine allspice, cinnamon, and cloves with the water in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Cover and steep for about 5 minutes. Stir and strain. Strain a second time to clarify (a coffee filter is handy here). Add sugar and stir until dissolved. At serving time, stir in juices, pour into a glass or stainless steel pan, and reheat before serving.
Leslie Strahorn’s Gingerbread Cookies
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1
cup shortening, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup molasses
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon; set aside. In another large bowl, mix together the shortening, molasses, brown sugar, water, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients in two or three additions, mixing very well. Divide dough into 3 parts, flatten to about 1½-inch thickness, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
To shape and bake: Preheat oven to 350° F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies will look dry but be soft to the touch. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on wire racks. Frost when cool.
Rosemary-Mint Soap for Holiday Gifts
HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
Plastic candy molds (holiday shapes are nice) or small plastic
containers
Cooking spray or petroleum jelly
2 4-ounce bars of castile (olive-oil) soap
2 tablespoons water
1½ teaspoons rosemary essential oil
1½ teaspoons mint essential oil
2 tablespoons crushed rosemary leaves
HERE’S HOW TO MAKE IT:
Spray molds with cooking spray or grease with petroleum jelly. Grate castile soap into an enamel saucepan. Add water and essential oils and heat slowly, stirring. When the soap has melted and the mixture has the texture of whipped cream, add rosemary leaves. Quickly fill each mold, then rap the mold sharply on a hard surface to eliminate air bubbles. Allow to harden overnight in the molds. Turn soaps onto a wire rack and air-dry for a few days before wrapping. If any seem rough-edged, wet your hands and smooth the surfaces; dry thoroughly.
• Other fragrant floral possibilities: violet oil and violet petals; lilac oil and lilac florets; orange oil and calendula petals; lemon oil and dried chopped lemongrass and coarsely grated lemon zest; lavender oil and lavender buds with chopped rosemary leaves. Be creative!
• To make a gentle scrubbing soap, add 1 tablespoon chopped dried luffa, or ½ cup cornmeal or oatmeal (not flakes). Increase liquid slightly, if necessary.
Thyme & Seasons Christmas Simmer Gift Potpourri
1½ cups cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces
½ cup whole cloves
½ cup allspice berries
½ cup whole rose hips
¼ cup dried bay leaves, broken
¼ cup dried rosemary leaves
¼ cup dried orange peel
¼ cup dried lemon peel
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon aniseseed
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to small lidded jars or plastic bags. Add a label with these instructions:
To use: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in an old 1-quart saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons potpourri and reduce heat. You may also add 2-3 apple slices, if you wish. Simmer, adding water as needed. You may reuse the potpourri, but refrigerate between uses.
Two Pomanders for Holiday Gifting
An easy-for-kids-to-make artificial pomander starts with foam balls, oakmoss, a spice potpourri (made of whole allspice, cinnamon chips, sandalwood slivers, star anise, cloves), cinnamon oil, and white glue. Place the oakmoss on a plate. Cover the ball with glue, and roll it in the oakmoss until completely covered. Let dry, then glue pieces of spice potpourri onto the ball, starting with the largest pieces and filling in with the smaller ones. Dust with powdered cloves and dot with a few drops of cinnamon oil. Hang with a ribbon loop.
To make the real thing, you will need a small apple or orange, about a cup of whole cloves, and about 6 tablespoons of spice mixture (2 tablespoons each of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg) for each pomander you want to make. Poke holes in the fruit with a skewer or similar tool, so that when whole cloves are pushed into the holes, the tops are nearly touching. (You might want to try a few to see what distance you should leave between the holes.) When the fruit is completely covered with cloves, put it into a small plastic bag with 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture and shake gently, being careful not to dislodge any cloves. If there’s an excess of spices, leave them in the bag. You have several alternatives for drying. 1) Put the pomander in your gas oven with the pilot light on; 2) use your electric oven turned to its lowest setting; 3) use your food dehydrator, set at 105-115 degrees. Dry overnight. For the next two or three days, repeat the spice treatment, returning the pomander to the heat source until the pomander is dry. (You will need less spice for subsequent treatments; make more as needed.) You may also wrap the pomander in toilet paper and put it in a dark, dry cupboard; it will dry in two to three weeks. Hang with ribbon or raffia.
Holly Blues Page 27
