I had wondered about sending the owl/penguin that had turned into a vampire, afraid it might be too scary for a kid’s gift. When I asked about it, CeeCee rolled her eyes and laughed. “Scared of it? Are you kidding? Everybody was trying to trade for it.”
Rhoda and Elise flanked Nicholas as he helped himself to food. Both women were still awestruck that he was the vampire author. Rhoda hadn’t called him foofie once. Sheila brought in a pot of coffee and set it on the dining room table. Nicholas glanced up at her and smiled broadly.
“Now that everything is out in the open,” he began, “my life is going to change. I’m going to need help for Luxe. More than help, I need someone I can depend on to manage things.”
The whole time he’d been talking, his gaze had stayed on Sheila. “Is it something you’d be interested in?” he asked. When she didn’t reply, he added that the job came with full benefits and she could continue with her costume design classes.
“Oh my,” Sheila said at last as her breathing became choppy. “Oh my,” she said again as she reached in her pocket for her hook and string. She began to make a length of chain stitches without even being aware of what she was doing. Her breathing calmed when she began a row of single crochets and she had a beautiful smile. “Yes,” she said, finally. “I would like that very much.”
Mason brought Spike, who was wearing his crocheted red sweater. I’d finally taken pity on Mason and, once the murder was settled and the launch party over, I’d finished it for him. Peter had brought his girlfriend for another chance to meet me. Samuel had invited some of his musician friends, who had set up in the corner of the living room and started to play. Jeffrey was following him around like a shadow. Ryder had come, too. I heard him working the crowd, telling everyone to check out his YouTube piece. Dinah and Commander had come with the kids. I was glad things seemed to be working out for them. It was nice having some little ones for the holidays. In between everything, I’d managed to crochet a little monkey for Ashley-Angela and an elephant for E. Conner. I’d gotten a stocking for each of them and, along with the toys, had filled them with candy canes, maple candy and art supplies. Dinah was going to hang them up when the kids went to bed so they would have a surprise in the morning.
Adele was still recovering from the shock about William and behaved in true diva fashion with a lot of sighs and faraway looks. I must have needed my head examined, but I’d talked Barry into trying to fix her up with a motorcycle cop he knew.
As I stood in the dining room, Barry came and put his arm around me. We looked out at the backyard full of orange trees and then something happened.
It started with a few white swirls and I thought I was seeing things. But then there were more spots of white twirling around the orange trees before landing softly on the ground. Barry and I watched as a thin layer of snow began to cover the grass. It wouldn’t last and would probably be gone by morning, but for now it was pure magic. He pulled me closer as we shared the moment.
“Hmm, snow in Tarzana. Maybe Santa will show up, too,” he said with a smile. “Merry Christmas.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small blue velvet box.
Simple Snowflake
Chain 8 and join with a slip stitch.
Round 1: Chain 14 (first 6 chains count as first triple crochet), single crochet in the sixth chain from hook, chain 2, *triple crochet in the ring, chain 8, single crochet in the sixth chain from hook, chain 2.* Repeat from * to * 4 times. Join with a slip stitch to sixth chain of the beginning chain 14.
Round 2: *Chain 6, single crochet in the third chain from hook, chain 6, single crochet in the third chain from hook, chain 9, single crochet in sixth chain from hook, chain 6, single crochet in sixth chain from hook, chain 6, single crochet in sixth chain from hook, chain 6, single crochet in third chain from hook, chain 6, single crochet in third chain from hook, chain 3. Join with a slip stitch to top of first triple crochet in the preceding round.* Repeat from * to * 5 times. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Finishing: Dip the completed snowflake in a small amount of liquid starch (a sandwich-size plastic bag works well). Squeeze out the excess starch and lay on a piece of wax paper on top of a piece of cardboard. Shape the snowflake and, starting in the middle, hold in place with rustproof pushpins. When it’s dry, remove the pushpins and carefully pull off the wax paper. Attach clear thread and hang.
Vampire Scarf
Note: When changing colors, you can carry the yarn along the side of the scarf. The edging will cover the carried-along yarn.
With white, chain 22.
Row 1: Half double crochet in third chain from hook and in each chain across—20 stitches made. Chain 2 and turn.
Row 2: Half double crochet in each half double crochet across. Change to color in the last stitch. (Change color by working last stitch until there are 3 loops on hook; yarn over with new color and pull yarn through all 3 loops to complete the stitch.) Chain 2 in new color and turn. Repeat rows 1 and 2, alternating between white and black until the ball of white and ball of black are used up. End with white. Fasten off and weave in ends.
EDGING
Attach black yarn and single crochet evenly around the whole scarf, making 3 single crochets in each of the corners. Fasten off. To make the fang trim, attach black yarn to the edging on one end of the scarf, *single crochet, double crochet, triple crochet, double crochet, single crochet,* repeat from * to * 3 more times. Fasten off. Repeat on the other end. Weave in ends.
TASSEL
Wrap about 3 yards of the red yarn around a 2-inch piece of cardboard. Take a 6-inch piece of red yarn and thread it through the tapesty needle. Slip the needle under all strands of the yarn at the top of the cardboard. Pull it tight and tie it around the wrapped yarn. (Keep the ends separate from the tassel and use later for tying the tassel to the scarf.) Cut the loops of yarn at the opposite end of the cardboard. With an 8-inch piece of red yarn, wind it tightly around the loops and tie securely. Trim the yarn so the loose ends are all about the same length. Tie the tassel to a corner of the scarf.
Mrs. Shedd’s Santa Lucia Buns
1 cup milk
1 package dry yeast
¼ cup lukewarm water
1 tsp. sugar
⅔ cup sugar
5½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ cup softened butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 tbsp. cold water
¼ cup slivered almonds
Scald milk and cool to lukewarm. Proof yeast by stirring it into the lukewarm water and teaspoon of sugar. Cover and set aside. After 5 minutes it should begin to bubble. Pour the proofed yeast into the mixing bowl. Stir in the lukewarm milk and ⅔ cup sugar.
Gradually add 2 cups of flour and beat until smooth. Add the butter, eggs, salt and cardamom and beat until well mixed. Add the remaining flour and mix. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured pastry cloth, board or piece of wax paper and knead until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in bulk (about 1½ hours). Punch the dough down, cover and let rise until double in bulk again (about ¾ hour).
Divide the dough into about 26 equal pieces. Roll each piece between hands and coil the rope into a circle. Cover and let rise until double in bulk. Brush with egg white and cold water and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350 degrees for about 23 minutes.
Showstopper Stained Glass Cookies
1 bag of fruit-flavored roll candy or other hard candy
1 cup softened butter
⅔ cup sugar
1 egg
2½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
Separate candies by color; put each color in a plastic bag. Cover the bag with a towel and crush candies with a hammer. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and beat until well mixed. Gradually add flour and mix until w
ell blended. Add salt and vanilla and mix well. Chill the dough for at least 3 hours before rolling out. Roll out the dough to about ¼-inch thickness and cut out cookies. Cut out a hole in the center, leaving at least a ½-inch border. Place cutout cookies on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Fill cutout space with crushed candy. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Candy should be melted and cookies lightly browned. Let the cookies cool before removing them from the cookie sheet.
An alternative: The dough can also be shaped into logs before chilling and then sliced and decorated with colored sugar or sliced almonds or a few chocolate chips and baked at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Prime Crime Holiday Bundle Page 149
