Read to Death (19 page)

Chapter Thirty-six

Miguel had strung twinkling lights on the palm trees in front of his house and on the bushes along the bayside.

When Bridgy and I arrived with the moms, Miguel's yard was already filling up. Tina Wei looked adorable in shorts and an oversized baseball shirt that read “LEE COUNTY SHERIFF” in big letters. I reminded myself to congratulate her on the fabulous home run she'd hit in the softball game against Charlotte County.

Ophie, along with her friend Mark Clamenta, was serving
batidos
to Maggie Latimer and her daughter Holly.

Ryan, Cady and Owen Reston were grouped together, laughing like chums, which, now that Oscar's murder was solved, they were. I looked around for Skully, although I knew better than to expect him to show up at a social event.

Sage, dressed in a long, flowing rainbow pastel caftan with matching turban, immediately began to go around
the patio reading auras and telling everyone how fabulous it was that her daughter had so many friends. The screen door opened. Miguel and Cynthia Mays came outside each carrying a tray of finger foods.

“Come. Enjoy.
Tapas Cubana.”
Miguel held out his tray. “
Torta de frioles
, black bean casserole with homemade guacamole. Cynthia is serving chorizo with a nice sangria glaze.”

I took a bite of the chorizo. It was heavenly. “Miguel, I think you have outdone yourself.”

“This is only the beginning. I have made six shrimp dishes. No, no. I will not say. You must wait to eat until after the entertainment.”

“Entertainment? Miguel you have gone all out.”

“Not me. I have done nothing, but you remember my neighbor, Liam Gerrity, and his gorgeous Tess,
sí
? They are the entertainment.”

I nodded politely. Since Tess was a beautiful snow-white bichon frise whose real name was Countess Aurelia, I suspected the entertainment would be of the sit, bark, roll over variety. “And what of Bow?” I asked about Miguel's high-gloss black Maine Coon. “Won't she play with us tonight?”

Miguel shook his head. “If you tread very lightly to the edge of the garden, you may see her. Bow is likely to be sitting on the roots of the red mangrove just past the saw palmetto bush. She does not like too much company.”

I was about to go look for her when Frank Anthony, dressed in cutoffs and a surfer tee, came around the side of the house and used his lieutenant voice to command our attention. When he was sure he had all eyes and ears, he pulled out his phone and gave a quick look to his left as though waiting for someone or something.

Gray haired and balding, Liam Gerrity's protruding stomach came into view just before he did, with Tess at his heels. They turned to face the crowd on the patio, and Frank Anthony pushed a button on his phone.

As soon as we heard the first musical notes, there was a general uproar on the patio, and then we quieted down and listened to Silentó asking us to watch him whip and watch him nae nae. But it was Liam Gerrity and Tess who were putting on the show.

Mr. Gerrity was seriously getting his groove on, and Tess was matching him step for step. When Tess extended her paw for the whip, we all cheered. She wiggled her cute little furry butt for the nae nae.

The music stopped, and Frank Anthony yelled, “Once again. Everybody.” He pushed a button on the phone, and the patio turned into a dance hall. I almost doubled over watching the moms doing the stanky leg. When they got to the bop, Emelia said, “This part reminds me a little of the Charleston.”

Ophie nearly exploded. “Emy, really, the Charleston? How old do you want these young'uns to think we are?”

After the third round of “Watch Me,” I collapsed in a heap on a bench. “I need to rest.”

Sage petted my head. “My sweet rosebud, your rest has been our goal. With Miguel's guidance, Emelia, Ophie and I can run the café for a few days. You and Bridgy need a break.”

Bridgy plopped next to me. “If we could get away for a little R and R, where on earth would we go?”

Ophie joined the moms in shouting, “Key
West.”

Author's Note

Tammy Rushing Lynn won a character naming in
Read to Death
. Her winning bid was used to support the Friends of the Wetumpka Library in Wetumpka, Alabama, a great town where I had tremendous fun at the 2015 library fund-raiser.

I am honored that artist Paula Eckerty allowed me to use her name and the name of her exquisite painting
Let the Fairy in You Fly
, which is part of an exhibit that celebrates the collaboration between the Southwest Florida International Airport and the Lee County Alliance for the Arts. The ongoing art exhibits have given hundreds of thousands of travelers, including me, much visual pleasure as we pass through the airport.

Finally, I'd like to thank Karen Owen for once again developing a tasty recipe that has quickly become a favorite for the Read 'Em and Eat
gang.

Recipes

2 tablespoons oil

2 small onions, chopped

½ cup sliced celery

½ cup sliced carrots

4 cups peeled, diced potato

4 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons clam juice

1½ cups water

1½ teaspoons tarragon

2 teaspoons parsley flakes

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon paprika

2 pounds catfish fillets, cut into small pieces

1 dozen shrimp, cleaned, deveined and cut into two or three pieces each

3 tablespoons butter

½ cup flour

1 cup milk

Salt and pepper

Heat oil in large pot. Sauté onion and celery until tender. Add carrots, potato, chicken broth, clam juice, water and spices. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add catfish. Simmer 10 minutes. Add shrimp. Continue to simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until catfish flakes. Melt butter and mix with flour until smooth. Drop tiny dollops of flour mixture into chowder. Whisk each dollop gradually and thoroughly. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Lower heat, add milk, stir 3 to 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 8-10

by Karen Owen

RAISIN WHISKEY REDUCTION

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup whiskey

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons sugar

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir. Bring to a boil then simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat. Set aside two tablespoons of reduction liquid for the glaze. Set aside the raisins and the remainder of the liquid for the scones.

SCONES

2 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup soft butter

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

Raisin reduction minus 2 tablespoons liquid reserved for glaze

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Cut butter in small pieces and hand blend into the flour mixture until it resembles bread crumbs. Hand stir milk and egg into the flour mixture. Add raisin reduction to scone batter and mix. If dough is too wet, add a small amount of flour.

On a cutting board, shape dough into a mound. Cut into eight triangles and place on a cookie sheet without touching. Bake until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before glazing.

WHISKEY ICING GLAZE

¼ cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons reserved reduced whiskey mixture (liquid only)

2 tablespoons milk

Place powdered sugar in a small bowl. Stir in liquid and milk. If glaze is too thick, thin to taste with a few drops of water.