A Sticky Situation (23 page)

Piper caught my arm as soon as I came through the door of the Stack. She steered me not to my favorite booth near the back of the restaurant but to the oversize storage closet next to the kitchen.

“Spill,” she said as soon as she'd closed the door behind us.

“It was Priscilla who took the money and who killed Spooner.” I had just been at the police station giving my official statement to Lowell and had gone over everything with Myra and Mitch sitting there goggle-eyed. My patience with the story was at its end.

“I know all about that. Hazel was already in giving all the juicy details.” That figured. I'd stopped in at Greener Pastures first thing to tell the family what had happened before any of them heard about it secondhand.

And I'd spent some time checking in on the sugaring
operation. Nothing made me feel like everything was right with the world like being out in the sugar bush. Hazel must have hustled over to town to share what she knew while I was busy working. “I mean about the fact that you ought to look utterly done in after last night. Instead, you're all glowy.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” The words squeaked out through my pursed lips.

“If you don't want to tell me I'll just have to guess.” Piper looked me up and down like I was a fifteen-year-old she had just caught sneaking in three hours past curfew. “You haven't had time to change your hair. That isn't a new outfit.”

“I got a surprisingly good night's sleep, considering.” Which was true. I had enjoyed the best night's sleep I'd had in ages, even with the snoring in my ear.

“That's it then.” Piper winked at me. The fluorescent lighting glinted off the silver hoop piercing her eyebrow. “And there I was thinking I would be the first sleepover guest at your new apartment.”

“Then I guess you should have been the one braving the storm last night to see how I was.”

“Hazel didn't mention that part,” Piper said.

“I thought telling the family about the close call with Priscilla was as much excitement as they could take all at once. Besides, it isn't really anyone's business but mine and Graham's.”

“You just keep telling yourself that.” Piper popped the door open. “I've got to get back to work. If you want to fill me in on the details later I'll be all ears. If not,
I'll know you think he's a keeper. Either way, I'm happy for you.” With that, she headed back to the restaurant floor. I followed her and spotted Tansey sitting at the counter looking like her usual self.

“Well there's the woman of the hour.” Tansey patted the stool next to her. I looked around for Knowlton. I wasn't sure I was up to being sandwiched between the two of them. He was nowhere in sight so I climbed up onto the stool and prepared for the onslaught.

“Nice to see that you're feeling well enough to come to town, Tansey.”

“I am now,” Tansey said, dropping her voice. “Thanks to you.” Tansey reached over and patted me on the back. I felt the threat of tears starting to spring to my eyes.

It might have been from the force of Tansey's hand thumping my shoulder blade but it was probably how touched I felt by her uncharacteristic show of affection. Tansey isn't a physically demonstrative person. I've never even seen her hug Knowlton. I took a deep breath to steady my voice before swiveling my stool in her direction.

“I guess this means I've upheld my end of the bargain and that you'll be back to full duties on the festival committee, right?” I asked.

“The way I remember it was that if you didn't help clear Spooner's name I was not going to be able to help with the festival anymore. I don't remember saying that if you did I would come out of retirement.” Piper appeared in front of us with a paper bag and handed it to Tansey, who elbowed me in the ribs then walked out of the Stack whistling.

*   *   *

When I was growing up we collected sap in buckets instead of using tubing strung between the trees. When my great-great-grandfather was a child they boiled the sap down in cauldrons hung over fires built in clearings in the woods. One thing that hasn't changed over the years is the fun of an old-time sugaring off party just for family and friends.

We pull out the cauldrons and the ladles and the family heirloom wooden buckets. We don our winter woolens and mark the calendar for a full day of hauling sap by a horse-drawn cart and boiling it down over an open flame. Everyone participates and everyone has a great time. It's like Thanksgiving and a family camping trip all rolled into one. Even Celadon seems to love it.

In all the excitement of the preparations I was able to forget the troubles of the last few days. Loden, Clark, and Graham did the heavy lifting with the cauldron under Grampa's expert guidance. Celadon and Piper packed hot, freshly fried batches of cider doughnuts into towel-lined baskets and carried them into the woods.

I couldn't help but notice how Piper broke off a piece of doughnut and laughingly popped it into Loden's mouth. His hand reached up to touch hers and I felt a flicker of hope for the two of them. Graham caught me noticing them and gave me a wink that let me know he was thinking the same thing.

Grandma stood over a small cast-iron kettle patiently checking a batch of syrup she was boiling down to make sugar on snow. Spring and Hunter stood beside her at
the ready to test the candy for doneness. Sugar on snow has got to be about as old as sugaring itself. All you need is some syrup and a patch or a pan of clean snow. Once you've boiled some finished syrup down to the soft-ball stage, about 233 degrees Fahrenheit, you ladle it out quickly onto a swath of clean snow.

Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it just right but no one minds sampling the candy until Grandma says she's satisfied. Because it is so sweet Grandma always serves dill pickles along with the candy. It may sound strange but it's well worth a try.

My mother and Lowell stood next to each other, laughing as they poured sap from wooden pails into the cauldron. Even Hazel took a break from stirring up trouble. She sat on a stump near the fire with a cigar clamped between her teeth but in a spirit of goodwill and cooperation she hadn't lit it. She was heading home the next day and the thought occurred to me that she was trying to leave on a sweet note.

Jade, surrounded by billowing clouds of sweet-smelling steam, looked like she was enjoying herself. The weak winter sunlight glinted off the perfect sheen of her blond hair and for the first time in years I was glad she was there instead of wishing she wasn't.

Celadon crunched her way across the packed-down snow to stand beside me. Her cheeks were rosy and her nose was red but her eyes were bright and sparkling.

“When we're all here together, doing something like this, I can't help but feel like the luckiest person in the world,” I said as I pointed at all the happy activity
surrounding us. She took a step forward and wrapped her parka-swaddled arms around me. “What was that for?”

“Because I admire your attitude. A lot of people would still be in bed with the covers pulled over their heads after what you've been through lately. Me included.” Celadon never said things like that. Worry clutched at my chest.

“Is this your way of telling me you need one of my kidneys?”

“It's my way of saying I appreciate how the way you live your life reminds me to be my best self even when I'd rather be an uptight grump.” Celadon squeezed my mittened hand with one of her own before leaving me to join her children in tasting a fresh batch of maple candy.

*   *   *

Standing a little apart from the group, watching them smiling, jostling, laughing, and boiling sap my heart swelled in my chest. Almost everyone I loved was together and flourishing. Only one was missing. And then, out of the corner of my eye I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of my father leaning up against a maple tree covering his eyes like he was playing a game of hide-and-seek with me the way he used to when I was small.

Maybe, just maybe, my mother was right and he'd been trying to get in touch with me all along. I decided not to look too closely, not to break the spell. Things were perfectly sweet just the way they
were.

Maple Pumpkin Butter

This fills your kitchen with a perfect autumnal scent as it slowly simmers. It tastes as good as it smells spread on crisp toast or used as a filling between layers of cake. Or beat some together with softened cream cheese and use as a dip for pretzels.

30 ounces canned pumpkin puree

⅓ cup maple syrup

1 ¼ cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

⅛ teaspoon cardamom

Spray a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl combine all ingredients and add to the slow cooker. Cook on low setting for 6 hours, or until mixture is reduced to a thickened, spreadable consistency.

Bacon Maple Chutney

This makes a wonderful housewarming gift or something nice to have on hand in the fridge when guests happen to drop by.

1 pound bacon

3 cups thinly sliced sweet onions

¼ cup maple syrup

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Remove from pan. Remove and reserve 2 tablespoons melted bacon fat from skillet and discard the rest. Return pan to burner and add reserved fat. Reduce heat to low and add onions and sprigs of rosemary, cooking slowly and stirring occasionally until they are very soft and golden in color. Chop bacon into small pieces and add to the pan. Stir in the maple syrup and continue stirring until it is reduced and the entire mixture is
sticky and thickened. Remove rosemary sprigs. Add cracked pepper to taste. Serve with crackers and cheese or add to sandwiches.

Salted Maple Cream Pie

This delicious treat goes together quickly with very few ingredients. If you're pressed for time it's even yummy if you use a store-bought, prebaked crust. Go ahead, Piper will never know!

1 ½ cups pure maple syrup (Grade B is best for a richer maple flavor)

1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup water

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 prebaked piecrust, either homemade or store-bought

In a saucepan whisk together the maple syrup, salt, nutmeg, and cream. In a separate bowl whisk together the water and the all-purpose flour until no lumps remain. Heat the maple syrup/cream mixture over medium heat until it begins to
steam. Slowly whisk in the flour/water mixture. Stir constantly over medium-high heat until it starts to boil and thickens, about three minutes.

Pour into piecrust and cool to room temperature. Place in the refrigerator and chill until completely cold. Serve with a dollop of whipped
cream.