CHAPTER 29
Jeff turned off the computer in his office, said goodbye to the captain, and walked out to his car in the early darkness. He was tired and looking forward to another good meal at the compound and seeing Marty. It was getting to the point that he was beginning to dread the days he didn’t see her.
I don’t know whose court the ball is in, Marty’s or mine. I think she cares for me as much as I care for her, but it’s pretty obvious she’s not going to invite me to live with her in the compound. I think the only way that’s going to happen is if we’re married, and I’m not sure I’m a good marriage risk. Maybe I’m too old to start all over again. Plus, there’s a very good chance she’d say no even if I did ask her to marry me.
He spent the thirty minute drive to the compound going back and forth about whether or not he was ready to get married, always acknowledging that even if he asked her, Marty might say no.
As he approached the compound he noticed a car parked alongside the road. He drove past it and saw a bumper sticker on it that read “Tribal Power.” That’s a strange place for someone to leave their car, he thought, plus with that sticker, it looks like it’s someone from one of the tribes. Must have run out of gas. If it’s not gone when I leave the compound later tonight, I’ll call it in. A few moments later he parked in his usual place in front of the compound. The computer in his car started flashing with a new message. He read it and gasped. The message was from Luke Peterson regarding the scanned photograph Marty had sent him earlier.
He looked at the computer screen and saw what Luke had written. “The man in the photograph who you identified as Richard Sagebrush is definitely the man I saw at the shack when he killed my father. I understand that Detective Combs will give this information to the appropriate law enforcement officials. Let me know what you want me to do. I’ll be happy to come to High Desert and identify him in a lineup or give a statement. I’ll wait to hear from you.”
Jeff ran to the compound gate and was opening it just as Duke came running up to him. He had his pink booties on, but Marty wasn’t with him. He hurried into the courtyard and shouted, “Where’s Marty?”
“She took Duke out for a walk about fifteen minutes ago. Why?” Laura asked.
Jeff pulled his gun from its holster and said to Duke. “Find Marty, Duke, find Marty.” Duke raced towards the gate with Jeff right behind him. He yelled over his shoulder, “Stay where you are. Don’t try to follow me. Marty’s in trouble.”
“I’m going with you. She’s my sister,” Laura said.
“No. Les, make sure she stays here.” He ran into the dark night, trying to follow Duke who blended into the night. Several minutes later Duke stopped and stood next to him. He could hear Marty softly crying and begging the man he now knew was Richard Sagebrush to spare her life. He made a vow at that moment that if he was able to save Marty’s life he was going to ask her to marry him. He slowly crept to within a few feet of where Richard was standing over Marty. He got close enough so that he could make out Richard’s silhouette and could see the gun he was holding that was pointed at Marty’s head.
Jeff’s years of training and instinct took over and there was no thought process involved. He simply raised his gun and shot Richard, hitting him in the arm that was holding the gun and causing him to drop the gun. He had the brief thought that the years he’s spent at the gun range had paid off.
“Move and you’re a dead man, Sagebrush. Marty, it’s okay. You’re going to be fine. Duke and I are here. I know you’re really shaky, but I want you to pick up Sagebrush’s gun and walk over to me.
“Good. Put the gun at my feet. Here’s my cell phone. I want you to call Sheriff Antonio and tell him to come to the compound and arrest Richard Sagebrush for Randy Jones’ murder and your attempted murder. After you call him, call Laura and tell her to bring Led and John and a flashlight to the back of the compound. I’ll yell when I see them, so they know where we are. And lastly, you better call Duke over to you. He’s quivering and shaking like crazy, and I’m sure he needs to know you’re all right. Duke was the one responsible for me getting here in time, so we both owe him a debt of gratitude. I can feel you shaking. Here, go ahead and lean against me. The others will be here in a few minutes, and very soon this whole incident will just be a memory.”
CHAPTER 30
Several hours later, John said, “Well, I’m glad I hadn’t started dinner when all this happened. What a night. Is anyone still hungry?”
“John, we’re always hungry for your food, but I think having a couple of glasses of wine has been good for all of us. Jeff, what’s going to happen now?” Les asked.
“Sagebrush will be arraigned more than likely tomorrow morning. I’m sure he’ll hire a good attorney. From what I hear the members of his tribe have received a lot of money from the casino they own, so he can probably afford it. Anyway, I’m sure his attorney will tell him to plead not guilty, and then the judge will set a trial date. His attorney will try and get him out on bail, but being charged with murder and attempted murder is pretty much a guarantee that the judge won’t allow him to get out. Then there will probably be a plea bargain offer. If he agrees to whatever it is, he goes to prison. If he doesn’t agree to it, he stands trial and will go to prison, probably for life. No jury in their right mind would acquit him.”
Marty walked out of her house with Duke next to her and joined them at the communal table in the courtyard. “I just got off the phone with Mary BirdSong and Luke Peterson and told them what happened. I feel so sorry for both of them. Mary feels everything is her fault because she was the one who told Richard about Randy’s artifacts. It’s going to take her a long time to get over it, if she ever does. And poor Luke. He finally found his father, but never even got to talk to him. It all seems like such a waste. Truth really is stranger than fiction. No one could ever make up a story like the weird facts in this case.”
“It’s kind of funny that I told Max to stay home and relax tonight, and it’s the one night we have a lot of excitement out here. He’s never going to forgive me for that,” John said.
Marty shuddered. “Trust me, that’s the kind of excitement I never want to go through again. I really thought I was going to die when I bent down on my knees in the desert. Duke, Jeff, you saved my life.”
“Sometimes you get lucky and get to where you need to be before something horrible happens. It was kind of one of those things, but I agree, I don’t want to ever go through something like that again. I honestly didn’t know if I was going to be able to get to you in time,” Jeff said, gently placing his hand over hers.
“Okay, I think we need to eat something. Tonight it’s bratwurst with coleslaw and baked beans. I know that doesn’t sound too gourmet, but it’s leftovers from The Pony. Don’t despair. I do have a surprise for dessert, but I could use a little help. Les, Laura, why don’t you two do the honors on the barbecue for the brats. I’ve been simmering them in beer for hours, and they should be really plump by now. Slap them on the barbecue for eight minutes or so to finish them. Marty and Jeff, stay where you are. You’ve done enough tonight.”
A few minutes later the courtyard became quiet. Jeff and Marty heard voices coming from the kitchen and by the barbecue outside John’s back door, but with only the two of them remaining at the picnic table it was peaceful. Duke was snoring softly where he slept next to Marty.
Marty and Jeff both spoke at the same time. “Marty, I…” “Jeff, I…”
“You go first,” Jeff said.
“All right. When I was being marched out into the desert by Richard, and I knew I was probably going to die, I realized I’d never told you how much you’ve come to mean to me. I love you. If you don’t feel the same way, I think we better end this relationship because I can’t be your friend.” She took a deep breath. “Actually, I decided to ask you if you’d like to move into my place here at the compound.”
Jeff stared at her in amazement. “Well, I made a decision tonight, too. I decided to as
k you to marry me. I know I’m just an old detective, who’s losing his hair and carrying a few too many pounds, but I love you, and while a few hours ago I would have been happy to move into your home, now I want to move in when we’re married. Marty Morgan, I didn’t have time to get a ring, but will you marry me?”
Marty noticed he was rubbing his finger and his thumb together, and she remembered Laura had mentioned once that it was a “tell,” something he did when he was nervous. She felt her eyelid begin to twitch and laughed as she shouted, “Yes, yes, yes!”
At that moment Laura, John, and Les walked into the courtyard with several platters filled with bratwurst on buns, baked beans, and coleslaw. “What’s the yes, yes, yes, I just heard?” Laura asked
Marty turned to look at her, “Laura, would you be my maid of honor? Jeff and I are getting married.”
The platter of bratwurst sandwiches Laura was holding dropped out of her hands and landed on the courtyard paving stones with a crash. Laura looked first at Marty and then at Jeff. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope, this is for real. We’re going to get married, and then Jeff is moving in here.”
“All right,” John said, clapping his hands. “You can have the wedding here, and I’ll make all the food for it as my wedding present. Laura, I think we can salvage the sandwiches. I’m invoking the five second rule,” John said, bending down and giving Marty a kiss on the cheek.
“What’s that?” Les asked.
John answered, “In restaurant talk if someone spills something on the floor they have five seconds to get it back on the plate. Supposedly it’s okay to eat it if it hasn’t been on the ground any longer than that. Think Julia Child popularized it on her television food show. Since we’re not in a restaurant, that drop actually might qualify as a ten second drop. Fortunately I have a killer dessert for you, if we can’t eat the sandwiches.”
“I’ll bite, literally,” Laura said. “What’s the killer dessert?”
“It’s a dessert a little old Italian grandmother gave me the recipe for called Zucotto. It’s kind of a chocolate pudding. Trust me on this one. No matter what your day has been like, you can’t eat just one serving.”
An hour later, the other four fully agreed with John that no one could eat just one serving.
Recipes!
There's a surprise following the recipes.
GAZPACHO
Ingredients:
1 ½ red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
½ red onion, roughly chopped
½ cup water
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
14 oz. can of crushed or chopped tomatoes
1 ½ fresh ripe tomatoes, cored, and roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ cup ready-made salsa
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. dried Italian herbs
1 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Kosher salt
½ tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (for garnish)
1 ripe avocado, chopped into small square pieces (for garnish)
Directions:
Place the chopped bell pepper, cucumber, celery, onion, half of the canned tomatoes, and the water in a blender. Pulse until the chopped vegetables have been further chopped to a consistency you like. Add the remaining canned tomatoes, fresh chopped tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, red pepper flakes, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce, and blend.
Add the salsa, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, Italian herbs, garlic salt, Kosher salt, pepper and blend. Chill for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve use chilled soup bowls and spoons (30 minutes in the freezer) and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, a little chopped avocado, and a sprinkling of cilantro.
I like my gazpacho to have texture, but I dislike large chunks of anything in it. Serves 4 to 6. Enjoy!
SEAFOOD PAELLA
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1 skinless boneless chicken breast cut into ¾ inch cubes
¾ tsp Kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
¾ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
8 large cloves garlic, peeled, and thinly sliced
1 medium leek, white and light green parts only
1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
3 8 oz. bottles clam juice
15 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
1 tsp. smoked paprika
¼ tsp. ground turmeric
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves
8 oz. spaghetti, broken into 1” pieces
12 small little neck clams OR half a bag of frozen clam meat
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh Italian parsley
Directions:
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the sausages and stir, breaking them into small pieces with a wooden spoon until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken, ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken and sausages to a medium bowl, using a slotted spoon.
Add the garlic, leek, onion, bell pepper, and ½ teaspoons salt and pepper to the pan. Cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the clam juice, tomatoes with their juice, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and bay leaves. Add the spaghetti and cook, uncovered, until almost tender. Add the clams and shrimp. Cover and cook until the clams open, about 5 minutes. Discard any unopened clams. Remove the cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer gently until shrimp and chicken are tender, 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the parsley and serve. Enjoy!
CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ baking soda
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 ½ cups almond oil
2 cups grated carrots
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped walnuts or almonds, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9” x 13” pan. Mix together first 7 ingredients. In a separate bowl beat the eggs until light and fluffy, then beat the oil into the eggs. Add egg and oil mixture to dry ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer. Add grated carrots and pineapple. Stir in nuts, if desired. Bake for 50-55 minutes. When cake is cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 tbsp. orange juice
1 lbs. sifted powdered sugar
Directions:
Combine butter, cream cheese, and orange juice, and beat together until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well. If needed, add more powdered sugar to get desired consistency. Enjoy!
ZUCOTTO (FLORENTINE PUDDING)
Ingredients:
½ cup shelled almonds, chopped
14 oz. sponge cake or lady fingers (you can buy these at the store)
½ cup of liqueur (brandy, orange) for non-alcoholic use coffee
1 ¾ pints of heavy cream, chilled
¼ cup sugar
1 cup chocolate (not less than 50% cocoa bean content) sliced in thin strands
For garnish you can use unsweetened cocoa powder, roasted almonds or hazelnuts and extra chocolate.
&
nbsp; Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the almonds in a fry pan over medium heat and cook until they’re brown. Cool completely.
Lightly wet a 2 quart bowl and line with plastic wrap, allowing it to hang over the rim.
If using sponge cake, slice it thinly and cut each piece in half diagonally. Use about 2/3 of the pieces of cake or lady fingers and line the bowl, laying slices with the narrow ends pointing to the bottom of the bowl. Sprinkle the cake with liqueur and set aside. The moisture will allow the pieces to mold to the bowl.
Melt half of the chocolate and let it cool.
To make the filling whip the cream and the sugar together at a very low speed until it forms soft peaks.
Fold in the nuts and the remaining chocolate. Transfer 1/3 of the filling to a separate bowl and fold in the cooled chocolate.
Spoon the “white” cream mixture into the cake-lined bowl spreading it against the sides to create a well in the middle. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the well and level with a spatula. Lay the remaining cake slices/lady fingers on top and sprinkle with liqueur. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.
To serve: turn the pudding upside down on a large plate. Remove the setting bowl and the wrap. Decorate as your wish. Enjoy!
PECAN CARAMEL CANDIES
Ingredients:
63 miniature pretzels
1 package (13 oz.) Rolo candies
63 pecan halves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line baking sheets with foil. Place pretzels on foil and top each pretzel with a candy. Bake for 4 minutes until candies are softened – they will retain their shape. Immediately place a pecan half on each candy and press down so the candy fills the pretzel. Cool for five minutes and refrigerate for 10 minutes or until set.
*****
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Murder & The Secret Cave: High Desert Cozy Mystery Page 12
