Murder at Midnight
Page 13
I loved the fact that I could hear the sound of the sea from my bedroom in the attic. It was calming to let the natural rhythm of the waves lull me to sleep. When I’d first moved to Gull Island from New York, I’d missed the sound of traffic, but now that I’d been on the island for six months the hustle and bustle of the city didn’t possess the same appeal it once had.
“I see you had the same idea I did,” Vikki said as I walked slowly along the white sand beach.
“It’s a lovely evening,” I agreed. “I’ll admit the warmer climate doesn’t quite mesh with the idea of Christmas, however.”
“We should decorate the resort. We can string white lights on the patio and around the eaves of the cabins. The main house will be a bit more challenging, but I’m sure we can get the guys to help.”
“I’ve been thinking about decorating. I’d love to do a tree in the living room of the main house. There are some boxes of decorations in the spare room. I’ll take a look tomorrow to see what we have. Will you be here for Christmas?”
“I’m planning to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Rick. We’re invited to his brother’s for Christmas dinner.”
“We should have a big dinner here at the resort earlier in the week. Maybe the twenty-third?”
“Alex is going to the Bahamas on the twenty-third. How about the twenty-second? Brit’s play is wrapping up that night, but it’s an early performance, so she should be done by seven. We can have a late dinner afterward.”
“I love the idea. I’ll check with the others.” I looked out toward the calm sea. “I think I’ll head in. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’m heading out early to meet with my agent. I’ll stop and stock up on twinkle lights while I’m in Charleston. Maybe we can start decorating tomorrow evening. I can’t wait to turn this place into a Christmas fairyland.”
I went back into the house, locked up, and headed up to my room. I grabbed some pajamas from my dresser and went into my attached bathroom. I changed and washed up, then went back into the bedroom. I was tired and it was late, but for some reason I was oddly antsy. Deciding to watch TV for a few minutes, I dug around in my nightstand for the remote. A piece of paper fell to the floor as I pulled out the remote from the drawer. Leaning over, I picked it up and was about to toss it back in the drawer when I noticed the message, penned with pink ink. It was a reminder I’d made to myself to follow up on a lead I’d been provided regarding a freelance article I planned to write detailing the secret behind a real-life local Santa. Local restaurant owner Gertie Newsome had told me about the local legend a week ago and it had immediately piqued my interest.
It seemed that twelve years ago a fire on the north end of the island had destroyed four homes. Three of them were vacation homes, but the fourth was a primary residence, and the family who lived there had lost everything. The fire had occurred just a week before Christmas, making the pain of loss all that much more acute. The family didn’t have insurance that paid for a temporary rental and it looked as if they might actually be homeless until an anonymous donor paid for a furnished rental nearby. When the family arrived at their temporary home, not only was the home fully stocked with food, clothing, and other items they’d need, but there was a large decorated tree in the living room with dozens of colorfully wrapped gifts placed beneath.
The person who’d saved Christmas for this family was never identified and it was assumed the benefactor’s generosity was a onetime thing. The story was mainly forgotten until the next year, when the local animal shelter was about to be shut down due to the loss of their facility, until Secret Santa, as everyone began calling him, anonymously donated an alternate building which was still being used to this day.
Every year since, a person, family, business, or animal in need had been gifted with their own Christmas miracle. Jack had written a nice article for the local paper, but if I wanted to interest a national publication in the story, I’d need to dig deeper to identify the person behind the legend. My mind played with idea as to how exactly I would accomplish this as I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.
Recipes from Readers
Scones with a Flavor Twist—submitted by Joanne Kocourek
Nana’s Banana Bread—submitted by Darla Taylor
No-Name Cake—submitted by Patty Liu
Tropical Treat Bread—submitted by Vivian Shane
Scones with a Flavor Twist
Submitted by Joanne Kocourek
These are wonderful! Best I’ve had in a long time. I’ve tried baking scones before and never liked the outcome. I tweaked the recipe a bit, though, because I wanted to offer a variety of flavors.
Base Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
1 tbs. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup whipping cream, divided
Wax paper
Sweet Variation Ingredients:
Chocolate-cherry scones: Stir in ¼ cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped, and 2 oz. coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate with the cream.
Apricot-ginger scones: Stir in ½ cup finely chopped dried apricots and 2 tbs. finely chopped crystallized ginger with the cream. Drizzle with vanilla glaze after baking.
Cranberry-pistachio scones: Stir in ¼ cup sweetened dried cranberries and ¼ cup coarsely chopped roasted salted pistachios with the cream.
Brown sugar-pecan scones: Substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar. Stir in ½ cup chopped toasted pecans with the cream.
Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tbs. heavy cream (or half-and-half or milk)
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
To make the glaze, simply whisk all the glaze ingredients together and drizzle lightly over scones right before serving. Scones are best enjoyed fresh from the oven.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir together first four ingredients in a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. Freeze 5 minutes. Add ¾ cup plus 2 tbs. cream, stirring until dry ingredients are just moistened.
Turn dough out onto wax paper; gently press or pat dough into a 7-inch round (mixture will be crumbly). Cut round into 8 wedges. Place wedges 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush tops of wedges with remaining 2 tbs. cream until just moistened.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15–20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
Nana’s Banana Bread
Submitted by Darla Taylor
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick)
1 egg, beaten
3–5 overripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans, optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan (may need two).
Mixing by hand, blend sugar and butter until creamy. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Spread mixture into pan(s).
Bake approximately 1 hour until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
No-Name Cake
Submitted by Patty Liu
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 large can pineapple, crushed
1 cup sugar
1 pkg. (6-serving size) Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix; prepare according to package directions
1 large container Cool Whip, thawed
Flaked coconut (toasted, if desired)
Prepare according to directions and bake cake in a 9 x 13 x 2–inch pan according to directions. Bring pineapple and sugar to a boil, then let cool completely. Once baked cake has cooled, poke holes in it with a fork and pour pineapple mixture over it; drain excess juice prior to pouring over cake. Spread prepared pudding over top of pineapple layer; refrigerate. Shortly before serving, spread Cool Whip over cake and sprinkle with coconut, if desired.
Serves 12–14
Tropical Treat Bread
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br /> Submitted by Vivian Shane
This yummy bread tastes like carrot cake but with a coconut twist! I always try to fool myself that I’m only making this as a way to get more fruit and veggies into my diet….
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. salt
3 eggs
1½ cups carrots
¼ cup flaked coconut
¼ cup golden raisins
8-oz. can unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup vegetable oil (I’ve substituted applesauce for the oil)
1 cup pecans
2 tsp. vanilla
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Add carrots, coconut, raisins, pineapple, vegetable oil, pecans, and vanilla and stir to combine. Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Spoon into two greased and floured 4 x 8 x 2–loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 65–75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire rack.
I occasionally drizzle the top with some ready-made cream cheese frosting thinned down with milk to make it drizzle consistency.
Books by Kathi Daley
Come for the murder, stay for the romance.
Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:
Halloween Hijinks
The Trouble With Turkeys
Christmas Crazy
Cupid’s Curse
Big Bunny Bump-off
Beach Blanket Barbie
Maui Madness
Derby Divas
Haunted Hamlet
Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies
Christmas Cozy
Alaskan Alliance
Matrimony Meltdown
Soul Surrender
Heavenly Honeymoon
Hopscotch Homicide
Ghostly Graveyard
Santa Sleuth
Shamrock Shenanigans
Kitten Kaboodle
Costume Catastrophe
Candy Cane Caper
Holiday Hangover
Easter Escapade
Camp Carter
Trick or Treason
Reindeer Roundup – December 2017
Zimmerman Academy The New Normal
Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook
Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries by Henery Press:
Pumpkins in Paradise
Snowmen in Paradise
Bikinis in Paradise
Christmas in Paradise
Puppies in Paradise
Halloween in Paradise
Treasure in Paradise
Fireworks in Paradise – October 2017
Beaches in Paradise – June 2018
Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:
Romeow and Juliet
The Mad Catter
Grimm’s Furry Tail
Much Ado About Felines
Legend of Tabby Hollow
Cat of Christmas Past
A Tale of Two Tabbies
The Great Catsby
Count Catula
The Cat of Christmas Present
A Winter’s Tail
The Taming of the Tabby
Frankencat
The Cat of Christmas Future – November 2017
The Cat of New Orleans – February 2018
Seacliff High Mystery:
The Secret
The Curse
The Relic
The Conspiracy
The Grudge
The Shadow
The Haunting
Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:
Murder at Dolphin Bay
Murder at Sunrise Beach
Murder at the Witching Hour
Murder at Christmas
Murder at Turtle Cove
Murder at Water’s Edge
Murder at Midnight
Writers’ Retreat Southern Seashore Mystery:
First Case
Second Look
Third Strike
Fourth Victim – October 2017
Fifth Night – January 2018
Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mystery:
Finding Justice – November 2017
A Tess and Tilly Mystery:
The Christmas Letter – December 2017
Road to Christmas Romance:
Road to Christmas Past
USA Today bestselling author, Kathi Daley, lives in beautiful Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken. When she isn’t writing, she likes spend time hiking the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home. She has authored more than seventy five books in eight series including: Zoe Donovan Cozy Mysteries, Whales and Tails Island Mysteries, Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mysteries, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Series, Writer’s Retreat Southern Seashore Mysteries, Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mysteries, Tess and Tilly Cozy Mystery Series, and Seacliff High Teen Mysteries. Find out more about her books at www.kathidaley.com
Giveaway:
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Facebook at Kathi Daley Books – www.facebook.com/kathidaleybooks
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E-mail – kathidaley@kathidaley.com
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Twitter at Kathi Daley@kathidaley – https://twitter.com/kathidaley
Amazon Author Page –https://www.amazon.com/author/kathidaley
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