Tragic Toppings (15 page)

George agreed. “I’ll take a glazed donut to start.”

“I’m glad you ordered things I know how to make by heart, but then again, I’m guessing it wasn’t a coincidence, was it?” I asked as they moved to the counter and I got their donuts for them.

“It’s too early in the day for you two to have made any progress, isn’t it?” I asked after I served them their food.

George grinned at me. “Are you kidding me? This guy of yours is unbelievable. I thought I had connections. Man, he just has to make a call, and the information’s there at his fingertips.”

“I have a few friends; that’s all.”

“So, what did you find out?” I asked. It was clear George loved being able to hang out with Jake, but we still had a murder to investigate.

Jake shrugged. “Not a lot we can use, unfortunately. Most of it was negative information at this point. The reason we came by is that I have to wait until a few folks get into work so I can pick their brains. I figured there was no better place to wait than here.”

“I’m glad you decided to come by,” I said as I got them both coffee.

After Jake took a bite of his powdered cake donut, I asked, “Tell me the truth. Is it as good as you remember?”

He considered it for a few moments, much too long for my taste, and then said, “I can’t be sure. I may have to take another bite before I can say one way or another.”

George laughed. “Stop making her squirm. Suzanne, they are great, as usual. If you ask me, you don’t need that book.”

“I’m not sure if I agree with you, but there’s not much I can do about it at the moment.” I sensed that they were both trying to spare my feelings, holding back so I wouldn’t run sobbing back into the kitchen. Maybe they had a point; I was pretty fragile just then.

A young man from the high school who looked vaguely familiar came in with a grin on his face. “I’m here for the reward,” he said as he patted his backpack. “Great news. I found your book.”

“Let me see it,” I said. I couldn’t believe it had turned up so quickly, and I felt my heart racing.

He took a step back. “Not so fast. Show me the money, and then I’ll show you the book.”

Jake stood and moved silently behind the young man, blocking any possibility for an exit. “You heard the lady. I suggest you do as she says. Now show her the book before you dig yourself into any trouble.”

He spun around, surprised by Jake’s sudden appearance. “Who do you think you are?”

Jake flashed his badge, and the young man paled. That’s when I knew where I’d seen him before. “Tommy Grace, if you have my notebook, give it to me. You don’t want me to call your mother, do you?”

“You know me?” he asked. “I’ve never been in here before in my life.”

“Your mom has, though. She was in this morning, as a matter of fact, and bought a dozen glazed donuts for her knitting club. What happened, did she tell you about the reward when she got back home?”

Tommy just nodded.

Jake stepped in, and I knew Tommy could feel his presence, like heat coming off a fire. Jake said in an icy voice, “You don’t have the book, do you? You never did.”

Tommy looked at his feet, and Jake nudged him a little. “I asked you a question, and I expect an answer.”

“No, I don’t have it,” he finally admitted. “Never did.”

I suppose I should have been expecting something like that to happen when I offered the reward. Still, it hadn’t taken the vultures long to come down from the skies. “What were you going to do, grab the money when I showed it to you?”

Tommy’s face went white, and I had a feeling I’d scored a direct hit. He stammered, “No, I don’t know, it wasn’t like that.”

I was about to scold him when Jake stepped in even closer and said, “You and I need to have a talk outside.”

Tommy nearly crumpled on the spot as my boyfriend put a hand on his shoulder, getting a good grip on it, from what I could see.

I wasn’t about to let him do anything he shouldn’t on my behalf. “Jake, he was stupid, but it’s okay. You can let him go.”

Jake looked surprised by my intervention. “Are you sure?”

“I am,” I said.

Jake shrugged, and then released his grip on the high schooler. Tommy nearly flew out the door, saying that he was sorry as he hurried out.

“You were too soft on him,” Jake said. “I was just going to talk to him, Suzanne. He needs to learn a lesson, and now he’s not getting any punishment at all.”

“That’s what you think.” I looked up a name in the telephone book, and then dialed the number I found. “Mary? It’s Suzanne from Donut Hearts. Tommy was just here. He tried to extort money from me.”

I held the phone away from my ear so Jake could hear what Mary was saying. After she finally wound down, I said, “There was a state policeman here at the time, but I convinced him not to arrest your son. I thought you’d rather handle it yourself. Was I wrong? Good, I’m glad you’ll take care of it. Of course. You’re welcome. See you later.”

After I hung up, Jake said, “I’m having second thoughts. It might have been more compassionate to let me scare him a little than turning him over to his mother.”

“Who said I wanted to show mercy? Mary will take care of him.”

“I don’t doubt it for a second,” Jake said. “You’re probably going to get more of these cranks, you know. Should I stick around and help you weed out the bad ones?”

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him and asked, “Did I appear to have any trouble with Tommy?”

Jake laughed as he shook his head. “I rescind the offer. You can do fine on your own.”

I smiled softly at him. “It is good having you around. You know that, don’t you?”

“Sure, but don’t be afraid to tell me again,” Jake said. “I love hearing it.” He glanced at his watch, and then called out, “George, are you ready to go? We should be able to make those telephone calls now.”

“On my way, sir,” George said. He got off that stool so fast I was beginning to wonder if he even needed the cane anymore. It was clear hanging around Jake was the best tonic he could ask for.

I didn’t doubt it; I found the same remedy was true for me, too.

“Sorry again about your recipes,” Jake said as they started to leave. “Don’t worry. They’ll turn up.”

“I hope so,” I said.

“Trust me, I know these things,” he said with a wink, and then the two men were gone.

I was still watching them leave when the phone rang.

I reached for it and said, “Good morning, Donut Hearts,” and I heard Grace on the other end.

“I’m going to have to bail on you today. I’m sorry, but something came up.”

“That’s okay,” I answered. “What happened?”

“My boss, and her boss, are in Charlotte. I have to drive down for a surprise meeting this afternoon.”

“Maybe they’re going to give you a raise,” I said.

“Getting fired is more likely. We’re really downsizing, and there have been rumors that some of the sales teams are being consolidated. I just hope they let me go back to my old route so I can still work.”

“Is it that serious?” I knew how much Grace loved her job, and I hated the thought that it was going to change for the worse.

“No, it’s probably nothing. Sorry I’m deserting you.”

“I just wish I could go with you and offer some moral support.”

“I don’t think the Grimms would like that.”

“The Grimms?” I asked.

“The last time I saw them together, they looked grim and grimmer, so I’ve started calling them the Grim Twins. That got shortened to the Grimms, with two
m
’s for some reason.”

“You don’t say that to their faces, do you?” I knew Grace had spunk, but there was a line that I didn’t think she’d cross.

“Of course not. I’m the very image of propriety when I’m with them. Don’t worry, Suzanne. It will all work out in the end.”

“I certainly hope so,” I said, and then wished her luck and told her good-bye.

*   *   *

Emma came out an hour later. “Has anybody tried to collect the reward yet?”

“We’ve had one false alarm, but that’s it so far,” I said. “It’s tough being patient like this, isn’t it?”

“I must have washed the same glass three times,” she admitted. “It’s driving me nuts thinking that someone just walked off with your book.”

“How do you think I feel? I’m the one who refused to make a copy of it, even though you told me a hundred times to do it.”

“Have faith,” she said, and then vanished into the back again. Since Emma’s mother worked at the shop on the rare occasions I was gone, maybe I’d ask her to look over the recipes I’d tried to reconstruct and see if she caught anything that I might have missed. She’d worked a shift for me a few weeks before when I’d taken a day off to spend time shopping with Grace in Charlotte. If the book didn’t turn up soon, I’d have to ask her, in the hopes of salvaging at least a part of what I’d lost.

*   *   *

Even with the complaints that our selection was less steller than normal, we still managed to sell donuts at a pretty good pace. At least we wouldn’t lose money. Yet. But I knew that if I couldn’t come up with that book by the end of business today, I was going to have to spend a lot of time and money I didn’t have testing and trying to re-create what had taken me so long to come up with in the first place. That meant that my investigation into Tim’s death wasn’t going to happen, at least not until I could get my own house in order. If Jake and George and Grace had to do it without me, I couldn’t help it. No matter what I’d promised Emily, my first priority was to keep Donut Hearts open. It was a great deal more than just my livelihood now; it had become a big part of my life.

*   *   *

I was taking stock of what we had left to sell for the day when the door chimed, and I turned to greet a new customer.

It was Emily Hargraves, and from the look on her face, I had a feeling that she wasn’t stopping by just to say hello.

CRULLER ROUNDS

These are good hot, or after they’re cooled as well. They are a little dense, so they go great with coffee or cocoa.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 eggs, beaten

•
2
⁄
3
cup sugar

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

• ¼ cup whole milk

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

DIRECTIONS

Beat the eggs, then add the sugar and butter. In the whole milk, dissolve the baking soda, then add it to the wet mix. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cream of tartar. Add the dry to the wet ingredients in thirds, stirring well as you go. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness, cut out rounds and holes, and fry for three to four minutes in 375-degree canola oil. Drain on paper towels, and then dust with powdered sugar.

Makes 10–12 donuts and holes

CHAPTER 10

“Suzanne, we need to talk.”

Why were those words never good to hear? “Was there anything in particular on your mind, Emily?”

“I had to come by and tell you again how sorry I am about dating Max. What was I thinking?”

Better women than her had fallen for my ex-husband’s lines. I didn’t call him the Great Impersonator for nothing. “Emily, I keep telling you, don’t apologize. Max can be smooth as silk when he wants to be. I don’t blame you for a second, and you shouldn’t blame yourself, either.”

“I should have used better judgment,” she said with a long sigh.

“I’m not one to comment on that, since I’ve had a few lapses myself when it comes to my former husband.” It was clear that she felt terrible about what she perceived as a betrayal, but I wasn’t about to let that cloud our friendship. She meant more to me than Max, and I wasn’t about to let him continue messing up my life, even after we were divorced. “I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of talking about it. Let’s drop it, okay?”

“Are you sure we’re good?”

“I’m positive. Hey, where are the guys this morning?”

“Back on their shelf in the shop,” she said. “Don’t worry, I checked three times to make sure I locked the place up tight before I left them.”

“Have you had any thoughts about their next outfits?”

“It’s starting to get cooler, so I think I’m going to hold out for Halloween,” she said. “The costumes are excellent, and I can really let my imagination go wild. It’s my favorite time of year.”

“Mine, too,” I said, and it was true. “We offer pumpkin donuts, spiced cider, and ghost éclairs. The decorations are tremendous, too.”

“I love the nip in the air. I know some folks think I’ve lost my mind, but I actually enjoy taking the three amigos out for a walk in their stroller. You should see how kids react to them.”

“You don’t have to sell me; I’m a big fan myself. I can’t wait to see how they’re going to dress up.”

Emily leaned forward as she spoke next. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve been thinking about making Cow an astronaut, Spots a robot, and Moose a pirate. What do you think?”

I thought she’d just ruined a surprise I looked forward to every year, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. She thought she was doing me a favor by giving me a sneak peek, and I wasn’t going to tell her otherwise. “I think it’s brilliant, as always,” I said.

“Good. I’m glad you approve.” She hesitated, and then asked, “Have you made any progress finding Tim’s killer?”

“I’ve got some friends in town working on it with me,” I said, “including my boyfriend, who happens to be a state police inspector on vacation. I’m hoping that one of us will be able to find something out about what really happened to him.” I just hoped that was true, even if it wasn’t going to be me. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I was busy trying to save my business. We each had our own priorities, after all.

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of your hard work,” she said.

“Don’t thank me yet. We haven’t done anything.”

“Don’t kid yourself,” she said with a sad smile. “I’ve asked and asked, but the police chief won’t tell me a thing about what’s happening.”

“He has his own set of problems and pressures,” I said. Now why on earth was I defending Chief Martin? That was something I’d never expected to find myself doing.