Джанет Кантрелл - Fat Cat At Large

“I guess you ladies are doing all right,” said a male voice behind them.

Chase turned to see Detective Olson, his own gun drawn, flanked by several uniformed policemen, all aiming at Violet Peters.

“You heard?” Chase asked.

“I heard every word. It was very clever of you to guide us here. Ms. Bjorn was reinterviewed an hour ago and she told us that the woman she’d seen at Gabe’s condo was ‘that other nice girl’—not the owner, the other one, she said.

“The lab has already checked out the buttons. Ms. Peters ordered them, always from the same place, so they’re quite distinctive. And she must not sew them on very securely, because they apparently tend to fall off easily. We found at least one at each crime scene.”

Vi was helped to her feet, then handcuffed. The hot glares she was throwing the policemen, and one policewoman, were almost enough to melt their metal badges.

“They said they’d pay me,” Vi muttered, to no one in particular. “They never paid me for anything. It was hard putting those rats there. After all the risk I took, they acted like they didn’t have to do anything for me. They owed me. They owed me money and a job. They both cheated me!”

• • •

Julie, Anna, andChase sat on Chase’s balcony, each wrapped in a thick woolen blanket. The old-fashioned globe streetlamps glowed, casting golden pools on the sidewalk below them, where shoppers, wrapped in heavy jackets, hurried through the chilly night. The three women sipped goblets of dark red wine and nibbled Anna’s latest creation, dessert bars that tasted like donuts. She hadn’t decided what to call them yet and Julie said she hadn’t decided if she liked them. To help make up her mind, she reached for a third one from the copper tray on the low table next to her.

Quincy nestled in Chase’s lap, purring so loudly that some of the pedestrians below glanced up when they passed by.

Anna ran her hands over the smoothness of the new blue marble rolling pin Julie had surprised her with tonight. She laid it on the table next to her with a smile.

“What do you think of Inger?” Chase asked. She had hired the young woman while Anna was in Woodstone, Connecticut, for a rest and recuperation, visiting her old friend Alice Slocum. Alice was the secretary for the police department there and had a friend named Gigi who furnished them with delicious meals from her Gourmet Delite catering service.

“She seems capable. I’m sure she’ll do well.”

“I feel bad about it, but I asked Niles how to run a background check on her. She checks out fine.”

“Niles? You’re on a first-name basis now?” Julie smiled. “What happened to Mike? Is he Dr. Ramos now?”

Chase hesitated. “Nooo, not exactly.”

“You’re stringing both of them along?”

“Not stringing along! I’m just not dating either one exclusively.”

“It doesn’t hurt to take your time,” said Anna, “or to keep your options open.”

“At least neither one of them is anything like Shaun Everly.”

“Is he still around?” Julie asked. “I never got to meet the cad.”

“No, he’s gone back to Chicago. I found the deposit slip, finally. I sent a note to his uncle, accompanied by a copy of the evidence that he was the one stealing from the restaurant, not me. His uncle is bringing charges. Last I heard, he was in jail and no one had posted bail for him. Detective Olson has a friend on the force there and he said he’d keep me updated. I can’t wait to find out the outcome of the trial.”

“Sometimes the justice system does dispense justice,” Anna said.

Julie nodded in agreement. “You were talking about keeping your options open, Grandma,” she said. The light from inside Chase’s apartment caught Julie’s mischievous smile as she turned her head toward Anna. “Is Bill Shandy still on the fence?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Anna reached into her pocket and fumbled under the blanket for moment. When she brought her left hand up, a brilliant diamond winked in the light on the ring finger.

Quincy raised his head as a shard of reflected light from the ring ran across his face. He gave the ring a glance, then, seeming content, lowered his head and resumed purring.

RECIPES

Hula Bars

Oven: 375

Yield: 36 small dessert bar squares or 18 dessert bars

Crust:

½ cup melted margarine

½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon coconut extract

Filling:

2 eggs

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon coconut extract

¼ teaspoon salt

1⅓ cups (1 package) walnut chips

½ cup dried pineapple

½ cup coconut, lightly packed

Topping:

¼ cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Spray Pam on sides and bottom of 8x8 baking pan.

Melt the margarine. You can use a glass measuring cup and the microwave.

In a smallish to medium bowl, stir together brown sugar and flour. Stir in the margarine and extracts. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.

When the oven is preheated, bake the crust for 15 minutes.

While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until frothy.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, extracts, and salt. Stir this into the eggs.

Mix in the walnuts, pineapple, and coconut. Spoon this over the crust and return the pan to the oven.

Bake 20–25 more minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Cut into 36 bite-size squares or 18 bars. Put them on a preparation plate and dust with powdered sugar. Transfer to serving plate or storage container.

Kitty Patties

Yield: 8 small patties

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground turkey

4 tablespoons low-salt chicken stock

½ cup oatmeal or 1 instant packet

4 eggs

Mix meat and broth, then add oatmeal and egg. Make into 8 small patties.

Broil 1 or 2 at a time, leaving them fairly rare.

Allow to cool, then serve.

You can keep some in the refrigerator for 3 days at the most, but only if the meat is very fresh.

Freeze the other patties until ready to use, up to 4 months.

Janet Cantrellis the Agatha Award–nominated author of the Fat Cat Mysteries. She and her husband live in Tennessee.