Murder Well Done Read online

  He nodded glumly and turned around with his wrists together behind him.

  “The whole meeting was recorded, you know, just like all the town meetings,” Deloris said, “so, I think things are going to turn out okay for you.”

  “Time to go, Mr. Gallagher,” Brody said with a smile as he passed Dickie off to his deputy.

  “Dickie...” I said before they took him away, “...just one more thing: Why did you put Tom in my dumpster? There was a dumpster right there at the real estate office where all of this happened.”

  He nodded and slowly looked me in the eye. “Well, they pick up the garbage at Realty House on Mondays, and this happened on Tuesday night. We knew that they come to your place on Wednesday because when we get done eating breakfast we always go into the kitchen to talk to Smoke. We always hear the garbage truck out there when we’re tasting the turkey that Smoke roasted for the Wednesday special. He always gives us a slice. So, we thought that the body would be gone fast. We didn’t know somebody was going to set it on fire. I’m really sorry about that.”

  I felt badly for Dickie as Stan took him out of the hall. I was just like everybody else, thinking that Dickie wasn’t very bright, but he’s really brilliant. I was amazed at how well he understood and explained all of the banking and politics that were going on. He figured out Tom’s complicated scheme all by himself.

  I took Brody’s hand. “One year in a nice, low security psych ward where they’ll help him find some self-esteem – max! I’ll find a nice woman for him.”

  “I’ll see what I can do, counselor.”

  Ruby and Deloris and the others were still in a circle talking about the remarkable revelations. I waved to them as Brody and I headed for the exit. It seemed like most everybody in the hall wanted to stay and talk for a while. Nobody was leaving.

  He put his arm around my shoulders. “Say, Mercy...how about if we pick up that ice cream and stop by your place right now?”

  “I’m not in the mood for ice cream.” I took his hand as we walked toward the exit. “Besides, half of these people will be heading for the diner pretty soon. Deloris and Babs will need help.”

  He seemed disappointed. “But, by the time they all get done chatting here and all the orders get put in to the kitchen and cooked up, they won’t really need help for at least an hour.”

  I looked around at the crowd and considered his wisdom. Then I began walking briskly, pulling Brody along. “So, we’d better hurry! Last one to the car is a rotten egg!”

  “We'll take my car...I’ve got lights and sirens!”

  MY GRANDMOTHER AND her church family put together a recipe book in 1950. My other grandmother was the President of the Ladies Homemaker Club in her hometown and they also put together a recipe book in about the same time period. Although the books are weathered with wear, I'm sure the recipes are still good today. Here are some of those recipes. Enjoy!

  Smoke's Hungarian Chops based on my Grandmother, Lorene Forgey's, recipe:

  Ingredients:

  4 pork chops

  3 tablespoons oil

  Paprika

  Diced onion

  2 cups button mushrooms

  Salt and pepper

  Bay leaf

  1 cup chicken broth

  1 tablespoon cornstarch

  2 tablespoons water

  1 cup sour cream (optional)

  Caraway seeds (optional)

  COVER BOTH SIDES OF the chops with a generous amount of paprika. Heat the oil in a large skillet and place the chops in the pan when oil is hot. Brown the chops on both sides. Add caraway seeds on top of the chops while cooking. Remove the chops from the pan after browning. Add diced onion and button mushrooms. Saute for 2 minutes. Place the chops back into the skillet along with a bay leaf and 1 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for one hour. Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Remove the chops from the skillet and add the cornstarch mixture. Increase the heat until mixture is boiling, stirring constantly. Return the chops to the gravy after it has thickened. You may also add 1 cup of sour cream to the gravy. Serve over mashed potatoes or noodles.

  MILDRED HUBER'S BEAN Salad

  Ingredients:

  1 can (16 oz) green beans

  1 can (16 oz) wax beans

  1 can (16 oz) kidney beans

  1 can (16 oz) lime beans

  1 can (16 oz) sliced carrots

  4 small green onions, thinly sliced

  1 cup thinly sliced celery

  ½ cup sugar

  ½ cup vinegar

  ½ cup oil

  Drain the canned vegetables and pour into a large bowl. Add the onions and celery. Mix together the sugar, vinegar and oil. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and blend. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight before serving.

  LORENE FORGEY'S BAKED Apples Ala Mode

  6 cooking apples

  1 cup brown sugar

  1 cup water

  2 tablespoons butter

  Wash, core and pare the apples ½ of the way down the apple from the top. Place apples in a baking dish. Prepare the syrup by cooking the brown sugar, water and butter in a sauce pan over low heat. When the mixture becomes syrupy, pour it over the apples. Bake the apples at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes depending on the size of the apples. Serve apples slightly warm with ice cream.

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  Catalog of Books

  Old School Diner Cozy Mysteries

  Murder at Stake

  Murder Well Done

  A Side Order of Deception

  Murder, Basted and Barbecued

  The Grumpy Chicken Irish Pub Series

  A Frosty Mug of Murder

  Treachery on Tap

  A Highball and a Low Blow

  Cursed With a Twist

  THE CHRONICLES OF AGNES Astor Smith

  The Peculiar Case of Agnes Astor Smith

  The Peculiar Case of the Red Tide

  The Peculiar Case of the Lost Colony

  THE CURIOSITY SHOP Cozy Mysteries

  The Curious Case of the Cursed Spectacles

  The Curious Case of the Cursed Dice

  The Curious Case of the Cursed Dagger

  The Curious Case of the Cursed Looking Glass

  The Curious Case of the Cursed Crucible

  THE WE’RE NOT DEAD Yet Club

  Fetch a Pail of Murder

  Wedding Bells and Death Knells

  Murder or Bust

  Pinched, Pilfered and a Pitchfork

  A Hot Spot of Murder

  WITCHY WOMEN OF COVEN Grove Series

  THE WITCHING ON THE Wall

  A Witching Well of Magic

  Witching the Night Away

  Witching There’s Another Way

  Witching Your Life Away

  Witching You Wouldn’t Go

  Witching for a Miracle

  TEASEN & PLEASEN HAIR Salon Series

  A Hair Raising Blowout

  Wash, Rinse, Die

  Holiday Hooligans

  Color Me Dead

  False Nails & Tall Tales

  CAESAR’S CREEK SERIES

  A FROZEN SCOOP OF MURDER (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book One)

  Death by Chocolate Sundae (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Two)

  Soft Serve Secrets (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Three)

  Ice Cream You Scream (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Four)

  Double Dip Dilemma (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Five)

&nbs
p; Melted Memories (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Six)

  Triple Dip Debacle(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Seven)

  Whipped Wedding Woes(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Eight)

  A Sprinkle of Tropical Trouble(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Nine)

  A Drizzle of Deception(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Ten)

  SWEET HOME MYSTERY Series

  Creamed at the Coffee Cabana (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book One)

  A Caffeinated Crunch (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Two)

  A Frothy Fiasco (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Three)

  Punked by the Pumpkin(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Four)

  Peppermint Pandemonium(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Five)

  Expresso Messo(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Six)

  A Cuppa Cruise Conundrum(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Seven)

  The Brewing Bride(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Eight)

  WHISPERING PINES MYSTERY Series

  A Sinister Slice of Murder

  Sanctum of Shadows (Whispering Pines Mystery Series)

  Curse of the Bloodstone Arrow (Whispering Pines Mystery Series)

  Fright Night at the Haunted Inn (Whispering Pines Mystery Series)

  MAD RIVER MYSTERY SERIES

  A Wicked Whack

  A Prickly Predicament

  A Malevolent Menace