Powdered Peril

by Jessica Beck

  “Suzanne?” she asked. “What’s going on?” She was clearly in a state of shock after hearing the news about her ex-boyfriend.

  “Can’t she at least get dressed first?” I asked.

  “Not until we get that splinter. I’m sorry. You’ll need to make your own way back to the donut shop.”

  “I’ll meet you at the hospital with some clothes,” I volunteered as I ignored the police chief. “Don’t worry, Grace, it’s going to be okay.”

  She nodded slightly, but I could see in her eyes that she didn’t entirely believe me.

  If I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure that I believed it, either.

  THICK AND RICH OLD-FASHIONED BAKED DONUTS

  As we’ve started eating healthier, we’ve changed some of our old-fashioned fried donut recipes to baked ones. Having a portable donut maker that produces minirounds has been perfect, but these donuts are nearly as good baked in muffin tins in a conventional oven. This is a delightful take on an old favorite, creating a donut that is dense and rich with subtle overtones.

  INGREDIENTS

  MIXED

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • ½ cup sugar, white granulated

  • ½ cup mashed potatoes

  • ¼ cup whole milk

  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted

  SIFTED

  1 cup flour, unbleached all-purpose

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  ½ teaspoon nutmeg

  ½ teaspoon cinnamon

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  INSTRUCTIONS

  In one bowl, beat the egg thoroughly, then add the milk, sugar, melted butter, and mashed potatoes. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing well until you have a smooth consistency.

  Using a cookie scoop, drop walnut-sized portions of batter into small muffin tins or your donut maker, and bake at 365 degrees F for 9–11 minutes, or until golden brown.

  Yield: 8–12 small donuts.

  CHAPTER 4

  As soon as Grace and the chief were gone, I dashed inside my best friend’s house and packed a small bag with a change of clothing and some makeup. There was no reason she couldn’t look presentable, and I knew for a fact that some of Grace’s confidence came from looking and dressing well. If it helped her, why not indulge the act? She could use every bit of self-esteem that she could muster at the moment.

  I locked the door on my way out, and then hurried over to the donut shop to check in with Nan before I took off. I wasn’t at all certain what I was expecting to find, but seeing the place full of happy customers hadn’t been one of the thoughts passing through my mind.

  Nan finished with her last customer, and then turned to me. “Back so soon?”

  “Just stopping in, actually. Is everything okay here?” I asked.

  “Better than that. Folks love your new donut, Suzanne. It’s a real hit.”

  I’d forgotten all about my new creation, and nodded absently at the news. “That’s nice. Listen, I hate to do this to you, but I’ve got a friend who needs me. I know it’s lousy timing, and you have every right to say no, but would you mind watching the shop a little longer?”

  “Go, don’t worry about a thing here. We close at eleven, right?”

  “I’ll be back long before that,” I said hastily.

  “Don’t worry if you can’t make it. Everything is under control here.”

  I was suddenly very glad that I had Nan in my corner. I knew that I’d always miss Emma and the drama of her ever-changing love life, but it wasn’t the worst thing in the world having someone a little older at the shop now who had a calmer perspective about everything.

  * * *

  I parked my Jeep in the ER parking lot, but I had a tough time finding Grace once I was there. I was starting to panic when my friend Penny Parsons saw me. Dressed in her disheveled scrubs, she looked as though she’d had a rough shift nursing, but it didn’t stop her from smiling when she saw me. “Suzanne Hart, what brings you to my corner of the woods?”

  “I’m here looking for Grace Gauge,” I said. Penny and I had shared some rough times lately, but we were back on solid ground now, something I was extremely grateful for.

  “Why would she be here? Did something happen to her?” Penny asked, concern evident on her face.

  “Not exactly,” I answered. “She’s here with Chief Martin so they can get a splinter removed from her hand.”

  “How bad is it?” Penny asked, clearly confused by my reply.

  “The splinter? It’s barely there. The mess she’s in? I’m afraid it’s quite a bit worse than that.” I didn’t want to go into much detail where idle ears could overhear our conversation. “It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you all of it sometime, but now I’m here with some clothes for her. I’m guessing that your shift is over, but is there someone I could ask for help tracking her down?”

  Penny smiled. “Don’t worry, this won’t take a second. Stay right here.”

  She went to the front information desk, and then tapped a few keys on the computer before frowning and looking back at me.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Let me make a quick call first,” she said.

  Penny was on the phone for over a minute, and then finally hung up and walked back over to me.

  “She’s still here, isn’t she?” I asked. Had the police chief already taken her away?

  “Yes, but Chief Martin told me that I should tell you to leave the clothes with me, and he’d collect them shortly.” She made no move to take the bag from my hands.

  “We both know that I’m not doing that, though, don’t we?” I asked with a smile.

  “How could I take them, when I’m not still here?” Penny returned, with a wicked grin of her own. “Someday you really will have to tell me what this is all about.”

  “I’ve got a feeling you’ll find out pretty soon without hearing it from me,” I answered. “Thanks, Penny.”

  “What are friends for? I was glad to do it. Good night, Suzanne.”

  “Good night,” I said, though it was just past eight in the morning. I thought I kept odd hours until I realized how many varying shifts Penny worked. At least my schedule was consistent from day to day.

  Chief Martin came out ten minutes later, looking around for Penny.

  When he saw me, he didn’t exactly smile, but then again, he didn’t run off in the other direction, either.

  “Where’s Penny?” he asked.

  “She had to go,” I replied. “Where do you have Grace stashed? I need to give her these clothes.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Suzanne. I’ll take them to her,” he said as he reached for the bag.

  I wasn’t about to let them go, though. “Hang on a second. Is there a reason I can’t talk to her myself?”

  He was clearly getting exasperated with me, but I had to give him credit. He managed to hold it in check. “Suzanne, she’s fine, but you can’t go back in the restricted area where we’re keeping her. We just recovered the splinter, so as soon as she gets dressed, I’m taking her to my office. There’s nothing you can do here.”

  “You don’t honestly believe that she killed him, do you?” I asked, fighting to keep my voice quiet.

  He wouldn’t commit to it, though. “Like I said, it’s too early to say anything. Now, can I have her things? I thought you had a donut shop to run.”

  “Nan’s handling it,” I said. “How do you know her, by the way?”

  He just shrugged. “Ask her if you want to know.”

  “Why are you being so difficult all of a sudden?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry if I’m curt, but I don’t have time for this,” he said, and held out his hand again. “I’ve got a murder to solve. Now, if you want Grace to have that bag, hand it over. Otherwise, she can stay in her bathrobe until we’re finished. I don’t care much either way right now.”

  He wasn’t bluffing; I could see it in h
is eyes. I gave him the bag, and as he walked away, I said, “Tell her to call me as soon as you’re finished with her.”

  He didn’t answer me, so at least it wasn’t an outright rejection.

  I thought about all of the things I could do just then, but then I realized that there was only one place I needed to be.

  It was time to go back to Donut Hearts and see if Nan was still handling my shop without a bit of help from me, or if the sky was falling in on her in my absence.

  I honestly wasn’t sure which outcome I was hoping for. After all, I wanted to feel needed in my own place.

  * * *

  The shop was crowded when I walked in, but Nan didn’t seem the least bit flustered. She smiled at me as she cheerfully waited on her next customer, and I moved in closer and stood just behind her. When she finished that order, I tapped her on the shoulder and said, “Thanks, Nan. I can take over now.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t mind, honestly.”

  Her positive attitude about being in front was a real change of pace for me, since Emma hadn’t been a big fan of waiting on customers, but I needed my work at the donut shop to get a little taste of normal back into my life. “Thanks, but I’ve got it. You’re the best.”

  “It was nothing,” she said as she stepped away and went into the kitchen, but I could see a slight grin on her face as she left.

  “Who’s next?” I asked, and started waiting on the rest of my customers.

  * * *

  Once there was a lull, I opened the kitchen door and called out, “Nan, do you have a second?”

  “Of course,” she said as she dried her hands on a dish towel and joined me. She nearly had the morning dishes finished, and I was really impressed with her efficiency. “What can I do for you, Suzanne? Is there somewhere else you need to go? I’d be happy to take over again. All you have to do is ask.”

  “I’ve got it covered. I just wanted to thank you again for pitching in. I also want to assure you that this isn’t going to happen very often.”

  “It was fun. Did you see the tray of samples I put out?”

  I had to think about what she was talking about for a second, and then it hit me. “The orange and apple disasters. I remember.”

  “They were nothing of the sort,” she said with a hint of reproach in her voice. “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of naming them Orange and Apple Surprise.”

  “I don’t mind one bit,” I said. The only surprise to me was that anyone could choke a bite down, but maybe I’d been wrong. As shocking as it sounded, it had happened before, and probably would again. “Folks really liked them?”

  “Well, not your crowd,” she admitted, “but mine was delighted with them.”

  I had to smile at her description. “Funny, I didn’t even know that I was part of a crowd. Do you mean brunette donut makers, or divorced women in their thirties who own their own businesses?”

  Nan blushed a little, and I felt bad for teasing her after she’d stepped up and helped me out. I put a hand on her arm as I said, “I’m just having a little fun with you. I know what you meant. So, do you really think we should add them to the menu?”

  “You’d do that, just on my word? That’s so kind of you, Suzanne. Everyone told me how nice you were, but you’re even sweeter than I imagined.”

  “Sweeter than those donuts?” I asked with a grin.

  “Yes, of course,” she replied, not getting the fact that I was joking around with her again. Emma would have laughed if I’d said it to her, I just knew it. Well, I couldn’t expect them to be identical. Each had her own strengths and weaknesses, and I knew that I’d have to learn about Nan’s quirks. I made a mental note to back off on my jokes, but I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to do it. I had a habit of saying something if I thought it was amusing, and I knew that I couldn’t stop completely, but if I could cut the quips in half, we might just make it.

  I heard the door open, and I turned back to the front of the donut shop to wait on my next customer. Finally, someone I was truly happy to see.

  “Mr. Mayor, may I buy you a donut and a coffee?”

  George Morris, one of my true friends, smiled at me as he put a hand on the counter. He’d been walking with a cane since his accident, but this was the first time I’d seen him out and about without even a hint of his former limp. “I’d love both, but I’m afraid that I’ll have to pay for them. I can’t take freebies anymore, Suzanne. I have to think about how it would look.”

  “Wow, being mayor isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, is it?” I asked as I got him a coffee and a plain cake donut. Unless he told me otherwise, this had become George’s favorite late-morning snack, and it was a rare day he didn’t make it into the donut shop since he’d been elected.

  “Well, I didn’t exactly campaign for the job, so I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” he said with a grin.

  “Everyone’s happy with the job you’ve done so far,” I said.

  “Well, Cam Hamilton didn’t exactly set the bar very high, did he?”

  “No, not so much,” I said, remembering the former mayor for a moment, and then doing my best to forget about him.

  As George paid for his order, I asked, “How’s it going, seriously? Do you like being in charge of everything that happens in April Springs?”

  “Don’t kid yourself,” George said as he took a seat by the bar where we could talk while I waited on other customers. “Most of the time I’m forced to act like a recess monitor in grade school. I never knew how petty some grown adults could be, but I’m finding out.”

  “Well, I heard there was at least one perk,” I said slyly.

  “What, being the grand marshal at the Christmas parade? When you think about it, it really isn’t much of a perk.”

  “I’m talking about Polly North, and you know it.” Polly was a retired librarian who was now the mayor’s receptionist. She’d done the job for Cam, and George had asked her to stay on to lend him a hand. If the rumors floating around town were true, the two of them were becoming more than just coworkers, though, and I only hoped that the whispers were true. They both deserved a little happiness in their lives.

  “Polly is a valuable member of my team,” George said. As I studied him a little closer, I could swear that I saw him blush a little.

  “Is that all she is to you?” I asked with a grin.

  He shook his head. “Suzanne, I don’t have time for this nonsense. The reason I came by was to discuss what happened over there.” As he said it, he gestured toward the Boxcar. Crime scene tape was still all around it, and it appeared that Trish wouldn’t be opening in time for dinner, let alone for her lunch crowd, something that I knew must have been killing her. It sounded harsh in my mind even as I thought it, but I was a little glad that Peter hadn’t gotten himself killed in front of the donut shop. Not only could I not afford the bad press, but the karma wouldn’t be good, either. I’d had enough dead bodies associated with my donut shop to last me a lifetime, and if I never stumbled across one again for as long as I lived, I would be just fine with that.

  “Have you heard something?” I asked George as I walked over to him. I noticed that a few other folks in the shop were listening as well, but there was nothing I could do about that.

  He shrugged. “It’s an active police investigation, so I’ve tried to stay out of it, but if you want me to ask a few questions, I will. After all, what good is it to have a friend in the mayor’s chair if you can’t take advantage of it now and then.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but it’s fine, really,” I said. “Don’t do anything on my account.”

  He wasn’t about to accept that, though. He did look a little hurt as he explained, “Suzanne, don’t dismiss me so quickly. I’ve got some real power now.”

  “That’s just it,” I said softly as I patted his hand. “I don’t want to spoil your time in office by asking for favors. It wouldn’t look right.”

  George appeared to consider that, and t
hen he nodded solemnly. “I confess that I didn’t think about it that way,” he admitted. “Surely there’s something I can do, though.”

  “Grace is involved up to her neck, so I’m going to help her clear her name. If we can think of something you can do that won’t interfere with your job, I’ll call you. Do we have a deal?”

  “We do,” George said, as Wayne Johnson came into the donut shop.

  “Can I help you, Wayne?” I asked.

  “No, but he can,” he answered as he pointed to George. “What about that NO PARKING sign for my loading dock? When are you going to get around to it?”

  “Wayne, I told you before. Those things have to go through the town council, and I only get one vote out of seven.”

  “Cam could have done it on his own,” Wayne grumbled. “He wasn’t afraid to throw his weight around. Why are you?”

  “Because I play by the rules, for you, and for everyone else.”

  Wayne was clearly unhappy with that response. “So, you’re telling me that if Suzanne here had a problem you could fix, you wouldn’t jump all over it, as close as the two of you are?” He hesitated, then turned to me and added, “No offense intended, Suzanne.”

  “None taken,” I said, “mainly because I would never let the mayor do something he shouldn’t just to make my life easier. Can you say the same thing, Wayne?”

  He wasn’t sure how to take that, and I could see him mulling it over in his mind. After a few seconds, a grin broke out on his face, and he said, “Well, it would be hard to do that with a straight face after what I just said.” He slapped George on the back, and I could see my friend wince a little at the hard impact. “Forget what I said, Mayor. I’ll be at the next council meeting and present my case just like everyone else. I’ve at least got your vote, right?”

  George nodded. “If it’s the same proposal you showed me last week, you do.”

  “That’s good enough for me, then,” Wayne said, and he left without buying so much as a single donut hole.