Killer Crullers

by Jessica Beck

  “Sure thing,” she said, as Gabby shut the door and locked it soundly. I could see the look of confusion on my assistant’s face, but I’d have to clarify it later. Right now, I had to help Gabby.

  We were walking to the back of the store when I heard the police chief say aloud, “What’s this?”

  Had he found something that he shouldn’t have? I couldn’t imagine what it might be, but I hoped that it wasn’t ten grand in cash, or worse yet, the diamond brooch the police were looking for.

  EGGNOG DONUTS

  We were having fun in the kitchen just before Christmas one year, and on a lark, I added whole eggnog instead of milk to the recipe. Wow, what a nice result. These are easily one of our favorite donuts to make these days when eggnog’s available in the store.

  INGREDIENTS

  Mixed

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • ½ cup sugar, white granulated

  • ½ cup eggnog (whole milk can be substituted)

  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (omit unless using milk instead of eggnog)

  Sifted

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

  • Pinch of salt

  DIRECTIONS

  This one’s easy! Mix the beaten egg, sugar, eggnog, and melted butter in one bowl, and in another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Slowly add the sifted ingredients to the wet mix just until it’s combined. Drop bits of dough using a small-sized cookie scoop (the size of your thumb, approximately). Fry in hot canola oil (360 to 370 degrees F) 1½ to 2 minutes, turning halfway through.

  Yield: 12–16 donuts

  CHAPTER 2

  “What is it? Let me see what you’ve found,” Gabby commanded as we hurried to the back room.

  Chief Martin held a receipt up in the air. “It’s an itemized purchase slip dated yesterday and made out in the name of Jean Ray.”

  “Do you see a brooch, or cash, listed there?” Gabby asked a little crankily. Honestly, I was amazed how well she was holding it all in, but I could tell from the tone in her voice that she wasn’t far from losing it.

  “No, but it proves you bought a coat, a hat, and two sweaters from her,” the police chief said.

  “I never denied it,” Gabby said, her voice growing louder with each syllable.

  Chief Martin shrugged. “Where are the items listed here?”

  Gabby walked past him to the rack closest to her back door. I knew that was where she sometimes stored the gently used clothing and accessories she took in, and it was a handy place for her to go through the inventory before she sent it all out to be dry-cleaned and gussied up a little before anything hit her sales floor. She pulled the items in question from the rack and put them down on the counter by the door. “Be my guest. Explore away.”

  The chief did a thorough search, and after he was finished, he turned to her. “There’s nothing in any of the pockets, or even the hat band, for that matter.”

  “That’s exactly what I told you that you’d find,” Gabby said. “As I said before, the Rays are both mistaken accusing me of anything.”

  The police chief just shrugged, and then he went back to his search. I noticed that Officer Grant was still out on the sales floor, so while Gabby watched the chief, I decided to watch his employee. Okay, it might have been an excuse to get away from the pair of them, especially knowing how volatile the situation was, but I’d promised Gabby my help, and I was going to do the best that I could for her.

  Officer Grant looked at me as I came out from the back. “What was the commotion about?”

  “The chief just searched the items Gabby bought from Jean.”

  “He came up empty, of course,” Grant said as he continued his search.

  “Of course he did. Does that mean you trust Gabby?” I asked, being careful to keep my voice low as I did.

  Grant smiled slightly. “Not exactly. I just know that if Gabby Williams were ever inclined to steal something from a customer, she wouldn’t be dumb enough to leave it just lying around after she took it. If that cash or that brooch were ever here, they’re long gone by now.”

  “Not exactly a vote of confidence, is it?” I asked.

  “Hey, you asked, I answered,” he said, “and if you quote me on any of it, I’ll tell my boss you imagined it.” Officer Grant added the last bit with a grin, and I couldn’t help smiling slighty myself.

  As he continued his search, I found a stool where Gabby sometimes perched, and watched his progress. He didn’t seem to mind one bit having an audience.

  Twenty minutes later, the police chief joined us up front, with Gabby close on his heels.

  I couldn’t help myself as I asked, “Did you have any luck?”

  “Of course he didn’t,” Gabby answered for him.

  Chief Martin appeared to ignore the jibe as he looked questioningly at his only reinforcement. When Officer Grant shook his head, the chief nodded, and then moved to the other side of the store.

  In forty-five minutes, the officers finished their search at nearly the same time.

  “There’s nothing here, Chief,” Officer Grant said.

  In reply, the police chief said, “Go back to the station,” and Grant did as he was told. I let him out, and then turned to the chief. “Can I go ahead and leave this unlocked? After all, Gabby has a business to run.”

  He wanted to say no, I could tell by his rigid stance and the frown on his face, but he glanced at Gabby and must have known that he didn’t want to have that particular fight on his hands. “Go ahead.”

  I took the sign out of the window, then I unlocked the door. The chief started to leave, but before he did, he turned to Gabby and said, “Thank you for your cooperation.”

  Gabby smiled broadly at him, and then said, “It was my pleasure to be of assistance.”

  After he was gone, Gabby slumped against the counter where she’d been standing.

  “I’m glad that’s over,” I said.

  Gabby just shook her head. “I only wish it were, but Desmond isn’t about to give up that easily. He’s coming back, that you can be certain of.”

  So much for my celebration. As I started to go, I said, “Gabby, if you need me, I’m just a phone call away.”

  “Thank you, Suzanne. I might just take you up on that.”

  After I left her, I popped back into the donut shop to make sure everything was in order. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Emma. In fact, when I took one of my rare days off, she ran the shop for me, with the help of her mother. I just knew that I wouldn’t be happy until I’d gone over everything again myself. My life, not to mention my entire savings, were invested in Donut Hearts, and I wanted to be sure that everything there was in perfect order.

  I was still going over the books when there was a tapping at the front door.

  What was that all about?

  I walked out front, and to my happy surprise, I found Jake standing there smiling at me.

  I hurried to the door and opened it for him. “What are you doing here?” I asked breathlessly as I hugged him. Jake wasn’t as fond of public displays of affection as I was, but I was slowly breaking down his resistance.

  My boyfriend, a state police investigator, managed to break free from me, and then grinned. “I’m happy to see you, too, Suzanne.”

  “I thought you were going to be in Asheville all week,” I said. A friend of Jake’s, another investigator who’d retired to take a teaching position at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, had asked him to guest lecture for a week in his criminal justice classes, and before Jake could answer, he was told by his supervisor that it was important that Jake do it, so he’d reluctantly accepted the assignment. It wasn’t that Jake didn’t want to help his friend, but he had a real dislike for public speaking of any kind, and he’d once told me that he’d rather face an armed criminal than an audience.

  “I’m
headed to Asheville right now,” he said. “I really wasn’t in any position to turn Grayson down. I’m not sure what he has on my boss, but whatever it is, I wish he’d share it with me. I could use a little blackmail information myself.”

  I glanced at my watch. “I thought you were supposed to get started today.”

  “Hey, you’re supposed to be glad to see me, no matter the circumstances.”

  “You know I am,” I said as I hugged him again. “I just don’t want you to be late on your first day because of me.”

  “Nothing to worry about. My first inquisition isn’t until four, so there’s still plenty of time to get there. Is there any chance you’ve changed your mind about taking a few days off and going with me? Asheville’s beautiful this time of year.”

  “It’s beautiful every time of year,” I said, “but I can’t. I have donuts to make.”

  He nodded. “And crullers to create before you sleep.”

  I must have looked oddly at him when he mentioned crullers, because he asked, “Was it something I said?”

  “No, it’s just that I had a bad experience with crullers today.”

  That didn’t clear things up for him. “Did they burn, or were they raw inside?”

  I shook my head. “They were fine when they left the shop, but I wasn’t all that crazy about what one of my customers did with them after they were gone.”

  “Nobody died, did they?” Jake asked, suddenly very serious. My donuts had been used for evil in the past, and I shuddered whenever I thought about it.

  “No, it was more like a case of assault.”

  Jake laughed at that. “How do you assault someone with a donut?”

  I said, “Some crazy man bought a dozen crullers from me and headed over to Gabby Williams’s shop. By the time I got there, he’d thrown over half a dozen against the glass door and front windows of the place. Needless to say, Gabby was not amused.”

  “I can’t imagine that she would be,” Jake said. “Why the pastry barrage, anyway?”

  “He claimed that Gabby stole cash and a valuable brooch from his aunt’s coat when she brought it in for resale.”

  “How much cash are we talking about?” Jake asked, and I could see his gaze go into full-tilt police-investigation mode.

  “Ten thousand dollars, and who knows how much the jewelry was worth.”

  Jake frowned. “That’s a felony.”

  “If it’s true,” I said, “but I don’t believe it for one second. Gabby is many things, and everyone knows that I’m not her biggest fan, but I refuse to accept the idea that she is a thief.”

  Jake held his hands up as though he were defending himself. “Hey, take it easy. I’m on your side, remember?”

  “Sorry, I guess I’m just a little sensitive about the plight of the small business owner. It’s hard enough to get by without having folks accuse you of wrongdoing. Gabby’s really bothered by this, and I am, too.” I neglected to tell Jake that Desmond had threatened me, too. After all, it had been in the heat of the moment, and I was certain that he’d already forgotten about me. Gabby, I was sure, was another story entirely.

  “That’s one of the many reasons I care so much about you,” Jake said as he gave me a kiss. Though we were in a deep, committed relationship, Jake couldn’t bring himself to tell me that he loved me. I understood why, and promised myself that I’d be patient with him. He’d told me early in our relationship that he’d only been able to tell one woman in his life that he loved her, and that had been his late wife. I tried to tell myself that I didn’t mind not hearing those three words from him, and usually I was able to let it go, but it would have been nice, just once, to hear him tell me that he loved me.

  “Suzanne, if you’re sure you haven’t changed your mind, I’ve got to scoot.”

  “Sorry, I’d really love to, but I can’t. I’ll see you this weekend, right?”

  “Barring a major catastrophe,” he said with a grin.

  “So then, it’s a fifty-fifty proposition?”

  “That sounds about right,” Jake said, and then he left.

  I was on my way to the bank when I heard a car horn behind me. I looked up in annoyance, but it quickly turned into a smile when I saw that it was Grace Gauge, my best friend. I was nearly at the bank, so I waited to respond until I could pull into the parking lot. Grace joined me, getting out of her fancy company car and heading for my Jeep.

  “Are you done for the day already?” I asked her as we met in front of my car.

  “Why not? You are.”

  “Sure, but I start a lot earlier than you do.”

  Grace smiled at me. “Hey, it’s not my fault if you’re the early bird. I’ve got things under control in my territory, and everyone under me is finally working hard, so I don’t have to crack any whips or knock heads.”

  “How are you keeping them so dedicated to the company?”

  Grace smiled. “What can I say? My people love me. Well, they fear me a little, too, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If someone starts to slack off, I just let them know that there’s a pile of résumés from people eager to take their places; it’s amazing how motivating that can be.” She looked me over from head to foot, and then added, “I’ve got say, Suzanne, I don’t see any evidence.”

  “Of what?” I asked, honestly confused.

  “The Great Donut Massacre,” Grace said.

  “It was more like a cruller skirmish,” I admitted. “How did you hear about it?”

  “How do you think? In the same convoluted way any rumor gets spread around April Springs,” she said. “I’m sure it wasn’t as spectacular as I heard. In that version, there were iced donuts hanging from you and Gabby Williams like you’d both just been decorated for Christmas.”

  “It was a handful of crullers, and they all hit her building. We both escaped relatively unscathed.”

  “Care to tell me about it?” Grace asked.

  “How about over lunch?” I suggested. “After I make this deposit, I’m free.”

  “Lunch it is,” Grace said. “I’ve got a few calls to make, so I’ll meet you out here when you’re finished.”

  I went into the bank, deposited my day’s receipts, and on my way out, Desmond Ray walked in.

  “I saw that ugly Jeep of yours out front, so I knew I’d find you here,” he said, blocking my way out of the building. “You need to butt out of this, Suzanne. It’s between Gabby and me.”

  “I wouldn’t be involved at all if you hadn’t used my crullers to assault her.”

  He shook his head. “I never hit her, just her precious shop, and don’t flatter yourself. You were just within easy reach of her place with ammunition for sale. She deserved worse than that.”

  I couldn’t let him get away with talking like that about Gabby. “I believe her. Your aunt must be mistaken.”

  Desmond raised his voice, and I saw some of the folks in the bank looking our way. So much for keeping a low profile around town. “You’re as bad as she is. What happened, did she give you half the money she stole from my family so you’d keep your mouth shut? When I’m done with her, I’ll settle my score with you, donut girl.”

  “You’re as crazy as a bag full of rabid bats,” I said, something my uncle Ned had been fond of saying when confronted with someone else’s insanity.

  Bennett Jenkins, the aging security guard for the bank, walked over to us. “Is there a problem here, folks?”

  “No, we’re fine,” I said as I brushed past Desmond and left.

  I half expected Desmond to follow me, but when he didn’t, I told Grace, “Let’s go.”

  “I’m fine with that, but where are we headed?” She must have noticed my expression. “Suzanne, is something wrong?”

  “We’ll talk about it later. I’ll meet you at the Boxcar Grille.”

  As I drove to the Boxcar, I had to wonder if Desmond was focusing on me, now. If he was, I didn’t like it. Maybe the next time something like that happened, if it ever did, I’d keep my nos
e out of it.

  Fat chance that could ever happen, I admitted to myself.

  * * *

  I waited by my Jeep in the diner parking lot, but Grace apparently decided not to follow me. I gave her four minutes, and then dialed her phone number.

  “You didn’t get lost, did you?” I asked as I reached her.

  “No, I think I can find the Boxcar on my own. Sorry, but one of my underlings just called. It turns out that all the wheels aren’t turning as smoothly as I’d thought.”

  “Did you wave those applications under her nose?” I asked.

  “I was just kidding before. Suzanne, I hate being managed with fear, and I won’t do it to the people under me, no matter how tempting it might be sometimes.”

  “Does that mean you have to cancel lunch?”

  I heard her laugh as I saw her drive up. “Not a chance. Erica is just going to have to get herself out of this jam herself.”

  She hung up, and joined me by the Jeep. Before we went in, I said, “Grace, I really don’t mind if you need to go.”

  “Not a chance,” she said as she steered me toward the Boxcar. “We’re going to have a long and leisurely lunch, and then I’ll deal with Erica.”

  “If you say so,” I answered. I had no desire to change her mind. Hanging out with Grace was one of my favorite things to do, and in a way, it made up for the fact that Jake was so far away most of the time. If I had the chance, I planned to surprise him in Asheville while he was there, but for the moment, I had enough on my hands to keep me busy. I yawned, and realized that it may have just been after one P.M., but my internal timepiece constantly reminded me that I’d been up since one-thirty that morning.

  “Let’s go in, I’m starving,” she said as we walked into the converted train car that was now one of my favorite places to eat. Trish met us at the front counter with a grin so broad I thought her face was going to explode.

  “Why are you so happy?” I asked as she led us to a free table. “Did you win the lottery or something?”

  “It’s even better than that,” she answered with a smile.

  “Did you get a new man in your life?” Grace asked with a twinkle in her eye.