Sinister Sprinkles

by Jessica Beck

  “Suzanne, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about this business, it’s always time to make the donuts.”

  We got back to work, and by the time we opened at five-thirty, we had display cases full of donuts, but from the way the snow was still pelting down outside, nobody was going to be able to make it in to eat any.

  Or so I thought.

  As I looked out the window, I heard a rumbling coming down Springs Drive, and I looked outside to see a plow lumbering up the road.

  It appeared that my two favorite plowmen were back.

  Bob and Earl came in, shook the snow from their hats, then walked up to the counter together.

  Bob, the big, gregarious one of the two, said, “Man alive, it’s coming down out there. We had trouble getting our plow out of the garage this morning, didn’t we, Earl?”

  His slightly-built partner merely nodded, which was his preferred method of communication. Working so closely with Bob, Earl probably found it an easy habit to acquire, since Bob enjoyed talking so much, whether he had anything in particular to say or not.

  “Let’s see,” he said as he rubbed his hands together. “What looks good? You know what? It all looks great. What do you think, Earl?”

  His coworker smiled. “Hmm.”

  I got them two coffees, then grabbed a tray for their orders. “Another dozen donuts this morning, gentlemen?”

  Bob patted his expanding waistline. “I’d better start with five. My overalls are getting a little snug.”

  He slapped his partner on the back, and I half-expected the happy blow to send Earl to his knees, but he didn’t even rock from the impact. It was pretty clear that Earl was stronger than he looked.

  He held up three fingers, and said, “Pumpkin.”

  I got his donuts, then turned to Bob. “And you?”

  “Surprise me,” he said.

  As I grabbed some of my best donuts, I asked, “Is it as bad as it looks out there?”

  He shook his head. “No, not yet, but the National Weather Service is saying that this one’s going to get worse before it gets better. By noon, we’re supposed to have eight inches, and then it’s really going to start cranking up. They’re saying we could have two feet by nightfall.”

  “You’re kidding,” I said. We hadn’t had two feet of snow since I’d been a little girl, and that was long ago.

  “No, ma’am, I never joke about snow accumulations, not in my line of work.” He looked outside at the falling snow, then added, “We’re going to get these to go, if you don’t mind. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be a long day.”

  I did as he asked, then said, “As long as it keeps snowing, I’ll keep refilling your coffee cups on the house. How’s that sound?”

  “Like you’re going to lose money on us,” Bob said as he frowned.

  “Are you kidding me? I’m counting on you two to keep the roads open so my customers can get here.” I smiled at them both, then added, “Besides, I figure I’ll more than make up for it with all the donuts you’re going to buy.”

  He laughed, a sound that rattled the windows. “You will at that. I can always get bigger coveralls,” Bob said.

  He looked over at Earl, who was standing patiently by, and asked, “Are you going to stand there all morning gabbing, buddy, or are we going to go plow some snow?”

  “Snow,” Earl said, and the men left with their orders, back to their jobs making the roads safe for the rest of us.

  By seven, we’d had no other customers, and I’d pitched in to help Emma with the dishes. I left the dividing door between the kitchen and the front open in case someone came in, but I wasn’t worried about the money in the till. Max knew if he pulled that trick again, I’d skewer him with one of my long wooden donut turners.

  We did all we could in back, and as I threw a dish towel over my shoulder, I said, “You can go home, if you want to. It looks like nobody’s going to make it in today.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’d just as soon stay here with you.”

  “You know you’re welcome to, but I thought I’d offer.”

  “If I go home, Dad will find something for me to do, but if I stay, he’ll think I’m working hard.” She shrugged, then added, “It hasn’t exactly been easy around the house lately.”

  “Is he still giving you a hard time about what happened here?”

  Emma nodded, the sadness easy to see in her eyes.

  I’d promised to help Max, but not to the point of hurting Emma. “Can you keep a secret?” I asked.

  “I don’t know, I guess it depends on the secret.”

  “It’s one that will make you feel better, but you can’t tell anyone else. At least not until later.”

  She looked at me and arched one eyebrow. “Okay, I’ll admit it. You’ve got me curious.”

  “We weren’t robbed the other day,” I said.

  “You took the money?” she asked, a hint of hurt in her voice.

  “Don’t be silly. Max did. He was watching the store, and the second you disappeared, he rushed over and cleaned us out.”

  “How do you know that?” Emma asked.

  “He told me yesterday.”

  She looked startled by that declaration as well. “You’ve talked to him? I thought the police were looking for him.”

  “They are. He hid in the back of my Jeep yesterday when we closed up shop, but then he took off again. I honestly don’t have a clue where he’s hiding now.” As I looked outside at the snow, I added, “But I hope it’s someplace warm.”

  She shook her head. “I appreciate you telling me that, but it still doesn’t help.”

  “We’re getting the money back,” I said, not understanding her attitude. “It’s not lost after all.”

  “I left my post,” she said. “That’s what matters.”

  “We’re not in the military,” I said. “You didn’t desert in the face of enemy fire or anything.”

  “Try telling my dad that,” she said.

  Well, at least I’d tried to make her feel better.

  * * *

  I was surprised to see Wilma come trudging through the snow to get to my shop, since she wasn’t exactly a regular customer of mine.

  As she took off her heavy parka and put it on the rack up front, I said, “Good morning. You’re a brave soul facing this kind of weather for a donut.”

  She barely glanced at me as she said, “I thought my customers deserved a treat this morning. Would you get me two dozen donuts, any assortment? I figure if they’re willing to face this snow to get their hair done, they’re entitled to something special.”

  As I grabbed two boxes from under the counter, I said, “It’s nice of you to think my donuts are special.”

  Wilma smiled at me, then I saw her eyes go to the counter where I had some of my Christmas decorations. When she saw my nativity scene, the stand-up forest of snow covered mountains, the mini-tree lit with small lights, my fully-stocked gumdrop tree, the carolers, and the stuffed snowmen, she did a double take and stared openly at the display until she saw me notice her fixation.

  I said, “I know it’s a bit much, but Christmas only comes around once a year.”

  “And you’re taking full advantage of it, aren’t you?”

  “Why not?” I asked. “If you don’t mind my asking, I heard something around town that disturbed me. Were you and Darlene fighting around the time when she was murdered? I’m not saying you killed her. I’m just wondering if everything was okay between the two of you when she died.”

  “They were fine,” Wilma said, “and anyone who says otherwise is a liar.” She eased her tone a little as she added, “I never really had anything to do with her outside of work, but we didn’t have to be best friends to work together. As a matter of fact, I’ve never even been to her place, and she’s certainly never stepped foot in mine. That didn’t make us enemies, though. You’d be amazed how many of the girls who work for me have no idea what my house looks like. I like to keep things that way, too. It gives
us a kind of distance, you know? I learned early on that it doesn’t pay to get too overly familiar with your employees.”

  “I don’t know, Emma and I are pretty close,” I said.

  “Has she been to your house?”

  I thought about it, and realized that I didn’t know. “I can’t say,” I admitted.

  “Thanks, you just made my point.”

  I got her donuts, took her twenty, then made change. “Do you have a lot of appointments scheduled for today?”

  “Suzanne, it’s three days before Christmas. Everyone wants to look good for the holidays.” She stared at my ponytail, then added, “But I could squeeze you in if you’d like. Why don’t you lock up and come to the shop with me this morning? It won’t take long, I promise.”

  “No thanks,” I said. There was no way I was going under her scissors. “I’m afraid my customers are just as hungry for what I do as yours are for you. Everybody likes donuts at the holidays.”

  She shrugged. “If you change your mind, let me know.”

  “Oh, you can bet on that,” I said.

  Half an hour later, a few brave souls started making their way through the snow to Donut Hearts.

  George came in, and shook the snow off his hat.

  “Why didn’t you answer your cell phone?” he asked accusingly.

  I patted my pockets, then I remembered where I’d left it. “Because it’s still at home. I was recharging it last night, and I forgot to bring it with me this morning.”

  “That explains it. Try your phone.”

  “I just told you, it’s at home.”

  He frowned as he pointed to the wall behind me. “I mean that one.”

  I picked it up, and instead of the dial tone I’d been expecting, all I heard was a hissing and crackling on the other end.

  “It’s dead,” I said.

  “That’s why I came trudging through the snow. I was worried about you.”

  “I’m fine,” I said. “You didn’t have to come all this way.”

  “Are you kidding me? I’ve been going crazy with worry.”

  “Is that what brought you out in this mess? I’m touched, I truly am.”

  George shrugged. “Man, do I have a blockbuster for you.”

  “I could use some new information,” I said. I remembered my conversation with Cara, and said, “I’ve got some news myself.”

  “Go ahead, let’s hear it.”

  “I found out Lester Moorefield lost his feed the day of the murder and was off the air long enough to kill Darlene and get back to the remote station.”

  “Didn’t someone from the station notice he was gone?” George asked.

  “He worked the location alone,” I said. “Lester is still on our list, stronger than ever.” I looked at George, then said, “Go on. I can tell you’re about to burst. What did you find out?”

  “It turns out that Darlene’s cousin, Taylor—the one who was executor of their great-aunt’s estate—has a dirty little secret of his own.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “He’s got a record as long as my arm, and I’m pretty sure he had more of a reason to kill Darlene than any of us realized.”

  PILLA BITES

  These are very loosely based on a Mexican dessert, but I’ve changed it quite a bit over the years. These aren’t as sweet as most donuts, but they’re still tasty.

  INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup flour

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon granulated sugar

  • 1 tablespoon butter, soft

  • Water, warm (as needed)

  DIRECTIONS

  Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar, then add the butter until it’s absorbed into the dough. Add warm water to the dough until it reaches the consistency of pie crust. Set it aside for 20–30 minutes, then roll the dough out to 1⁄8 inch. Cut diamonds, rounds, or donut shapes out of the dough, then fry in 360°F canola oil. They cook very quickly so keep watch, and flip when one side browns.

  Drain on paper towels, dust with a little sugar or a dab on a touch of honey, and enjoy!

  CHAPTER 14

  “What has he been arrested for?” I asked.

  “The list is pretty long, but it’s mostly centered on fraud. The man’s a con man, and one of his scams was robbing widows out of their inheritances. You’ll never believe how he did it.”

  “You’ve got my attention,” I said. “Stop holding back.”

  George nodded. “Good old Taylor found new widows without anyone else in their lives, and he stepped in and offered to take over as executor for their late husbands’ estates. By the time he was done milking them, there wasn’t much left. I have a feeling that if he got his hands on that money, there wouldn’t have been anything left to distribute.”

  “And a hundred thousand dollars is a motive for murder, even if a thousand isn’t,” I said. “That’s good work, George.”

  “It wasn’t too tough, once I figured out his real name, and some of the aliases he was using.”

  “What do we do now?” I asked as I topped off his coffee.

  George said, “I told the chief what I suspected this morning, and he’s looking for Taylor right now.” He looked at me as he added, “Suzanne, I owed him that, after what happened with Muriel. I had to get back in his good graces.”

  I patted his hand. “I don’t care who catches the killer, just as long as he’s caught. You really think he did it?”

  “I think there’s a good chance of it,” George said. He took another drink of coffee, then said, “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to help them look. I’ll let you know when we find him.”

  Once he was gone, Emma walked back out front. “Was that George?”

  “As a matter of fact, it was. He thinks Darlene’s cousin Taylor killed her, and he’s out looking for him now, along with the police.”

  “I don’t know how you do it,” Emma said.

  “Do what?” I asked as I cleaned one of our tables. The snow was still coming down outside at a furious pace.

  “Deal with murderers,” she said. “At one point I thought I was cut out for digging into people’s lives, but deep down, I realize that I’m not.”

  “It’s not like I go out looking for trouble,” I said. “It just seems to have a way of finding me.”

  * * *

  By eleven-thirty that morning, we’d sold a great many more donuts than I’d ever expected, and I was glad we’d braved the elements and come to work.

  Emma kept looking outside, until I finally said, “Why don’t you just go on home. I can handle it till closing.”

  “Are you sure?” she said as she grabbed her coat. Emma had learned early on that whenever an escape route was offered, it made sense to jump on it, since things could change so quickly.

  “I’m sure,” I said before she was halfway out the door. I got out my mop and touched up the floor where newspapers didn’t quite cover it, and was just putting it away when the front door opened.

  From the look on his face, Lester Moorefield hadn’t come by Donut Hearts for a morning treat.

  He looked angry, and I suddenly realized that I was at the donut shop all alone.

  * * *

  “Good morning, Lester,” I said. “Shouldn’t you still be on the air?”

  “We’re running the Best of Lest for the last hour.” He didn’t even offer me a greeting back. “Suzanne, you need to stop what you’re doing, or someone’s going to get hurt.”

  “What are you talking about?” I said as I eased myself back toward the mop. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it had to be better than facing him down barehanded.

  He kept approaching, and in a few seconds he cut off my route to the back. “You’re sticking your nose somewhere it doesn’t belong.”

  “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. Why on earth had I sent Emm
a home early? Not that she would be much help if something happened, but it would be nice if there was a witness to whatever Lester had in mind for me.

  “You know exactly what I mean,” he said, and I could smell a trace of alcohol on his breath.

  We held the stare for a few seconds when the front door opened. A burly man bundled up for the weather came in, and Lester stepped away from me and left the donut shop without another word.

  The man stared at his retreating form, then asked me, “Is everything all right?”

  “It’s fine,” I said, collecting myself and waiting on him. Lester’s behavior had shaken me more than I cared to admit. I’d known all along that I was vulnerable working at the donut shop, and I wondered if perhaps Emma was right. Maybe I should step out of the way and let Chief Martin handle the criminals. I would be a lot safer if I just stuck to donuts.

  But I couldn’t do it. If I, or someone I cared about, was under suspicion when I knew in my heart they were innocent, I couldn’t stand idly by. I wasn’t wired that way.

  No matter what the risk, I had to help my friends, or what was I? And that circle included Max. Though my love for him was finished, there was still an element of caring there. It mattered to me what happened to him, and if I could help him, I would.

  That didn’t mean I had to set myself up, though. I decided to close up early, and locked the front door ten minutes before noon. I wished I could leave, but I still had some cleaning to do. If I didn’t, Emma and I would face twice the work tomorrow morning. But it felt good latching the deadbolt in place, and as I did, I saw that it was still snowing at a rapid pace, coming down in sheets of white. What was going on with the weather?

  There were barely a dozen donuts left as I cleaned the trays, so I put them in a box to take home with me. All I wanted to do was clean up and get out of there.

  As I collected the soiled newspapers on the floor, something on the counter caught my attention, and I nearly fell over when I realized a connection I’d been missing all morning.

  I knew who the murderer was, and the clue had been staring at me even before Darlene was murdered.

  I put on my boots and grabbed my jacket, then almost as an afterthought, grabbed the clue that had finally struck home and headed out into the blizzard. I knew Chief Martin was out there looking for Taylor, but suddenly, I realized he was going after the wrong suspect.