by Jessica Beck
It did neither, but it did manage to at least push her back enough to send her tumbling down the stairs, both knives flying from her hands as she fell. If Sally had used only one knife, she might have been able to grab the rail and stop her fall. As it was, she hit the back of her head with a satisfying thunk as she landed in a heap below us.
“Nice work,” Pat said.
“Thanks,” I answered as I scrambled down the stairs. “Get those knives.”
Pat rushed past me and managed to get to one of the knives, but Sally somehow managed to grab the other, despite her fall.
I saw it moving toward my brother in slow motion, and with every ounce of energy I had, I threw the walking stick at her with everything I had.
Unfortunately, I missed.
CHAPTER 26: PAT
Annie’s throw might have missed its mark, but it still managed to make Sally change the trajectory of the knife in her hand. The blade missed me by less than an inch, and as she tried to swing around for another chance at me, I grabbed her free hand with both of mine, discarding the knife I held in favor of pinning her down.
“Pat, are you all right?” Annie screamed as she nearly tumbled down the stairs herself.
“I’m okay. Get both knives.”
She did as I instructed, and once Sally was disarmed, she gave up all of the fight that was left in her. “Annie, go get one of the climbing ropes off the shelf.”
“Are you going to be okay while I do?”
“Just go!” I hadn’t meant to snap at her, but I was just beginning to realize how close I’d come to being skewered like the others.
Annie fetched the rope, and I tied Sally up so tightly that it would take one of her favorite knives to cut her free. I didn’t care if it cut off her circulation for good. Her attempt at committing a third murder had destroyed any chance that she had of getting compassion from my twin sister or me. Once Sally was secure, I still didn’t want to take my eyes off of her. “Call Kathleen, would you?” I asked nicely. “By the way, I’m sorry I yelled at you before.”
“You were entitled,” Annie said with a grin. Sally slumped forward, and I wasn’t even sure that she still had the power of speech. She was beaten, and she knew it.
After Kathleen cut her free and cuffed her, she led Sally away to her squad car. Once the double murderer was locked up in back, Kathleen said, “I don’t know how you two managed to get out of that mess, but you did it.”
“It was mostly teamwork,” Annie said.
I grinned in response. “You hit her high, and I hit her low. She didn’t stand a chance.”
“Really?” Kathleen asked. “Because it seems to me that both of you nearly joined her list of victims.”
“The important thing to remember is that she came looking for us, Sis. We didn’t seek her out.”
“And yet she still managed to consider you both big enough threats to eliminate.”
I shrugged. “Is it our fault that she overheard us as we figured out that she was the real killer?”
I told her about the Band-Aids on Sally’s hand, and she nodded. “That’s good to know. Are you two okay?”
I looked at Annie, who nodded. “We’re fine,” I said.
“Good. Why don’t you meet me downtown so I can take your formal statements? This police report is going to be a great deal more thorough than the one for Mitchell Wells’s murder, I can promise you that.”
“Would it be okay if we stopped off at the bank on the way first?” I asked her. “We still need to make our deposit for the day.”
Kathleen chuckled. “You two couldn’t live without this place, could you?”
“Maybe we could, but we wouldn’t want to,” Annie said, a sentiment I heartily agreed with.
“Fine. I’ll see you soon.”
“Well, that was closer than I would have liked,” Annie said on the drive to the bank. “I thought you were going to grab your walking stick before I could get to it.”
I grinned at her. “I never even thought about it,” I admitted.
“But you had a plan of your own, didn’t you?”
She knew me better than anyone else in the world. “If you hadn’t made your move when you did, I was going to get my old softball bat and take a swing at her. In hindsight, I like your plan better.”
“I don’t know if you could call it a plan, exactly,” she said with a grin.
“Whatever you want to call it, it worked.” I parked in front of the bank. “Are you coming?”
“No, I’m fine right here,” she said.
“I’ll be right back.”
I was heading for the door when it opened and Molly Fennel came out, nearly running into my arms. “Pat, I was just on my way to see you.”
“What’s going on? Did you hear about what happened already?” The confrontation had just been completed, but I wouldn’t have put it past our small town getting the word out already.
“No. What happened?”
“Sally Tremont killed Mitchell Wells, Albert Yeats, and then she tried to kill Annie and me, too.”
Molly threw her arms around me. “How terrible.”
I had to admit that for one moment, it felt good, but I was with someone else now. I broke free and said awkwardly, “Thanks.”
“Pat, I can’t believe that I almost lost you. I’ve made a horrible mistake. Would you take me back?”
I didn’t even have the chance to answer her when I heard someone cough behind me.
It was Jenna Lance, there to make her deposit for the day as well.
“Am I interrupting something?” Jenna asked as she looked at Molly and me standing so close together.
And in that instant, I had no idea what to say or do.
But then, one glance back at Jenna told me all that I needed to know.
“We were just saying good-bye,” I said, and then I left Molly and walked toward her.
RECIPES
Ribs and Vegetables, Annie Style
This is a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors while benefiting from the coals of a hearty fire. I’ve listed alternate methods of cooking this meal using charcoal briquettes or even a conventional oven, but I must admit that I’ve only ever made this meal with the coals from a hardwood fire. There’s something about the autumn that makes this a favorite of mine. Alternatives might be substituting carrots for the potatoes and serving this dish with rice instead. Some folks like to add beer or wine to steam the ribs and vegetables, but a half cup of water works just fine, too. These ribs and sides are a real treat, great in the evening to enjoy while you’re sitting around a rebuilt fire where your meal just cooked!
Ingredients
1 rack pork or beef ribs, cut in equal halves to fit
1 green bell pepper
1 large onion
6 red new potatoes
1 bottle barbeque sauce (18 ounces)
Directions
Cut all of the vegetables into large chunks and spread them out in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Slice the bell peppers along the longitude (making rings), removing the center stem and seeds, slice the onion along the longitude as well, and cut the potatoes into 2-3 inch chunks. Lay the ribs over the vegetables and apply the sauce over the top of the ribs, rubbing the sauce in to be sure that the tops are all coated. The purpose of the vegetables is twofold: to keep the ribs from burning on the bottom, and to add a delicious side to the meal. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and cook as directed, per the heat source directions listed below. After two to two and a half hours, the ribs should be tender to the touch with a fork. Now it’s time to brown them, by adding more heat to the top than the bottom. You will need to add more coals or charcoal at this point, or remove the lid of your cast iron pot if it’s in the oven, if so desired. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, then check for finished doneness. Serve these while hot, and enjoy.
Yields a meal for two hungry people
Directions for your heat source
If you’re cooking this meal outside in your
fire pit, prepare a hardwood fire first and let the fire die down to hot coals. If you’re using charcoal briquettes, start with enough to allow you to reach a temperature between 250 degrees F and 300 degrees F. In the past, I’ve used 14-16 briquettes on the top, with 8-10 briquettes below. A great deal of this depends on outside temperature, wind, and even humidity! As noted in the book, if you can place your hand six inches above the top without pulling it away, you should be fine. You can also cook this meal in your oven at 275 degrees F, if so desired.
Cooking implement
#12 Dutch oven is perfect, but other sizes are fine. Just adjust the recipe as needed.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
This is one of our favorite treats in my household, and cast iron is the perfect cookware for it. I don’t make it outside in my fire pit, but I know that some folks bake this treat in a Dutch oven in the coals. Wherever you prepare it, it’s absolutely delicious. We all love to eat it fresh from the oven, when the pineapple slices and the cherries are both still warm from baking, though some members of my family like it better the next day after it’s been in the fridge. As for me, I refuse to choose, sampling some on both days. I wish I could tell you what it tastes like the day after that, but we’ve never had one last that long. One member of my family even insists on this as a birthday cake substitute, it’s so delicious!
Ingredients
Topping (actually the base, as it is being prepared)
1 can sliced pineapple, drained (8.25 oz.)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup butter, melted
maraschino cherries (as needed)
Cake
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup milk (whole or 2%)
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the topping first. On the stovetop, melt the butter in a nine-inch cast iron skillet over low heat. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter. Then place the pineapple slices around the bottom of the pan, putting one in the center of the skillet for presentation. Cut as needed to fit the bottom. Then place cherries in the centers and curves of the pineapple slices. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, milk, shortening, egg, baking powder, vanilla, and salt at a low speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer, scraping constantly for thirty seconds. Then beat on high, scraping occasionally, for two to three minutes, until the ingredients are combined. Pour the batter evenly over the fruit in the cast iron skillet bottom. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your oven and skillet. Invert onto a heat-proof plate and let the skillet remain in place for a few minutes. Remove it carefully, and then serve while it’s still warm.
Yields 6-8 servings
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OTHER BOOKS BY JESSICA BECK
The Donut Mysteries
Glazed Murder
Fatally Frosted
Sinister Sprinkles
Evil Éclairs
Tragic Toppings
Killer Crullers
Drop Dead Chocolate
Powdered Peril
Illegally Iced
Deadly Donuts
Assault and Batter
Sweet Suspects
Deep Fried Homicide
Custard Crime
Lemon Larceny
Bad Bites
Old Fashioned Crooks
Dangerous Dough
Troubled Treats
Sugar Coated Sins
The Classic Diner Mysteries
A Chili Death
A Deadly Beef
A Killer Cake
A Baked Ham
A Bad Egg
A Real Pickle
A Burned Biscuit
The Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries
Ghost Cat: Midnight Paws
Ghost Cat 2: Bid for Midnight
The Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries
Cast Iron Will
Cast Iron Conviction
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Ten Years Later
Chapter 2: Pat
Chapter 3: Annie
Chapter 4: Pat
Chapter 5: Annie
Chapter 6: Pat
Chapter 7: Annie
Chapter 8: Pat
Chapter 9: Annie
Chapter 10: Pat
Chapter 11: Annie
Chapter 12: Pat
Chapter 13: Annie
Chapter 14: Pat
Chapter 15: Annie
Chapter 16: Pat
Chapter 17: Annie
Chapter 18: Pat
Chapter 19: Annie
Chapter 20: Pat
Chapter 21: Annie
Chapter 22: Pat
Chapter 23: Annie
Chapter 24: Pat
Chapter 25: Annie
Chapter 26: Pat
Recipes
