Paint the Town Dead (26 page)

“Miss Boudreaux did steal it. Nixy noticed she had it concealed on a chain under her clothes. Of course, we searched her room again, and we're holding all her property, including the ring.”

“But, Eric, you confirmed there were two diamond rings in Kim's effects.”

“There still are. Miss Boudreaux put a different ring on the body. Mr. Boudreaux has identified it as the original family ring minus the original diamond. He'd given the old ring to his sister after he married Doralee.”

“She had a new stone mounted in the old gold band,” Doralee breathed. “I'd forgotten about this, but I suggested she do that very thing when Ernie gave me that monstrosity. I even offered to pay for whatever kind of gem she'd want to use in the mounting. I didn't know she'd followed through on it.”

“I must've seen the gold band when I expected to see the shiny platinum one. That's why the ring looked dull to me.”

“That and the band had shifted on Ms. Thomason's hand,” Eric said. “The diamond was caught between her ring and pinky fingers. I saw it when I had another look at the crime scene photos.”

“The entire situation is sad,” Sherry said.

“I'm sure Ernie will do all he can to get her as light a sentence as possible.” Doralee glanced at her watch. “I hate to leave our hosts with all the dishes, but we should get going.”

Aster waved off the comment. “You go. We have many hands to make light work.”

Zach turned to me. “Are you staying, Nixy, or can we drop you at your place?”

“I'll take her home,” Eric said.

The look he gave me set butterflies fluttering in my middle.

*   *   *

Wags and Woofs might not have been the most romantic of venues, but no one else was there, and it worked for me. Hand in hand, we headed for the same bench we sat on last time while Amber and T.C. entertained themselves. Amber began sniffing for other dogs, then played on the ramps. T.C. got sidetracked chasing a squirrel that shot up to the highest branches of a tree and chattered at her.

I peeked at Eric's expression. He really was handsome, and his depth of character shone in his eyes and his manner. I hoped his restful silence meant no lecturing.

“You did good, Nixy,” he said finally.

“Thank you.”

“I'm glad you weren't in danger this time.”

“I second that, and I feel a ‘but' coming.”

“But I trust this is the last time you'll be involved in snooping.”

I sighed. “I'd be happy if my sleuthing days were over, but you know I can't make that promise. Not with the Silver Six being my family.”

“Now I hear a ‘but.'”

“But for now I have an emporium to run, and new pets to get chipped.”

“And a long overdue dinner date with me.”

There were those butterflies again.

They went berserk when he kissed me.

From Bonnie Eastwood
Hudson, Florida
[email protected]

First, establish a work area with good ventilation, and one where you can isolate gourd dust and debris. I have a studio, but a garage will do fine, or work outside.

To clean gourds, I use hot water, abrasive cleaning pads, and elbow grease. Old-fashioned copper or steel scrubbies work great, but may leave metal particles behind. The hot water is partly to soothe my arthritic hands.

While you're scrubbing your gourds, let them talk to you and listen! Not every gourd needs to sit on a surface. They can be mounted on driftwood, suspended on rope, etc., to create wall hangings.

Once it is dry, decide how your gourd needs to be cut. I favor interesting angles, but let your inner artist guide you.

Ready to cut your gourd? Gather your supplies close to
hand.
Remember to wear your mask at all times, especially during the cleaning and cutting processes!

1. Put on your mask and drill a pilot hole. I use an electric jigsaw to complete the cut.
   
2. With a spoon, clean out the gourd innards. Gourds are set out after harvesting to cure. When you cleaned your gourd, you may have heard the dry seeds—called cucurbits—rattle inside, but they may be in a ball with the pulp. Whether the inside is papery with loose seeds or the seeds are in a solid ball, scoop and scrape with the spoon.
   
3. If you want all the fruit and seeds out, soak the gourd in water and a bit of bleach.
   
4. Sand the top and anywhere else you cut for a finished edge. Wear your mask!
   

Ready to paint? Anything goes! You can use acrylic or oil paints, stains, paper collage, or any medium that will adhere to the surface. No watercolors, though! Depending on the effect you want, be sure to let each application of paint dry before you layer with new colors and such. Wood burning is another great way to decorate gourds.

When the paint is dry, or you've finished with however you're decorating, “coiling” is a great way to finish the top of your gourd. Yes, beginners can do this! I use pine needles from my yard, but other materials work as long as they can be woven into a circle or oval. Embellish the coil with beads, metal charms, or wood cutouts—painted, stained, or plain. Lately I've been making my own clay leaves to attach to my one-of-a-kind gourds, but you can buy yours. Again, let your creativity shine!

By Colleen Thompson

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

A glass of some kind. Does not necessarily have to be a wineglass.

Alcohol. Rubbing or acetone works best.

Paint markers.

Paper and pencil.

First thing, make sure to clean your glass until it sparkles. Any streaks of oils from your fingers will hamper your success when you go to paint. After your glass is well washed, you need to rub over the surface with alcohol. This will help to ensure no oils from your hands or anything else is left on the glass. As a side note, the alcohol can be used to touch up or erase paint on the glass so long as the paint hasn't dried.

Leave your glass to dry and move on to the paper and pencil. Here you will sketch your piece of work. This paper can then be rolled up and stuck into the glass to form a kind of guide for you as you begin to draw. If you have a steady hand and are skilled in the art of . . . well, art, then go for the freehand experience.

Before you use the paint markers, which can be bought at any art store, including Michael's, A.C. Moore, and Hobby Lobby, there are some rules. Do not—I can't stress this enough—do not push too hard on the glass with the marker tip. The markers are designed to slowly release paint as you glide across the glass. Pressing too hard will make them
bleed, rendering the glass unusable. You can dot your glass, gently and softly, but just be aware of how much pressure you place on the end. The best designs on glass come from lines and dots. These markers cannot fill in, though, like a normal marker on paper. It just won't work and it will leave your design with streaks. If you use acrylic paint and a brush, filling in is much easier, but more time consuming. Instead, use dots.

Let your work dry completely for about twenty-four hours so the paint has time to stick well to the glass. If you want, you may heat set the glass. This step is tricky because if not done right, the glass will shatter or it may even melt. You will need to line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and turn your oven on to 350 degrees.

DO NOT PREHEAT THE OVEN.

Put the glass on the cookie sheet and into the cold oven. Allow the glass to warm while the oven is heating up because this will lessen the chance of the glass shattering. Leave the glass in the oven for thirty minutes, but turn off the heat after just twenty minutes. Leave the glass in the oven, though, for another ten or so minutes.

Be careful when washing your glass and do not place it in the dishwasher. Hand-wash only.

You can freeze it!

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

3 cups flour

2¼ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 large (29-ounce) can pears, drained and finely chopped (You may use chopped pears that come in fruit cups.)

1¾ cups sugar

¾ cup oil

¼ cup milk or pear nectar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease the bottom and halfway up the sides of two 8 x 4 x 2 inch loaf pans.

Toast the walnuts, and add to the flour.

In a large bowl, combine the walnuts, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, pears, sugar, oil, milk/nectar, and vanilla.

Add the pear mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until combined.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Wrap in foil and store overnight before cutting.

With thanks to the family of our late local Pear Bread Lady, Ida Buckler.

Rest in Peace,
Ida.

Nancy Haddock
is the national bestselling author of
Basket Case
, the debut novel in the Silver Six Crafting Mysteries, as well as the paranormal novels
La Vida Vampire
,
Last Vampire Standing
, and
Always the Vampire
.
A native Oklahoman and longtime resident of Texas with family roots in Arkansas, she now makes her home in the fascinating city of St. Augustine, Florida. A former speech pathologist and high school teacher, Nancy lives with her husband and a rescue dog named Baron in a little pink house on the beach with a fake flamingo in her front yard. Visit the author at nancyhaddock.com.

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