Crops and Robbers (32 page)

Joan didn’t think Jake was truly homicidal, but she didn’t want Betsy to learn about the association’s secrets. She wanted to get the confrontation over with and keep everyone else she cared about in the dark.

I had been the one to tell him about the note with Manny’s name. At the time, I didn’t know what it meant, but I would always feel terrible for mentioning it. Always. It was because of the note that Jake confronted Manny, not sure he was involved or how, but Manny admitted to taking kickbacks. Apparently, he offered to compensate Jake nicely to keep him quiet, but not without throwing in his own threats. The association had gotten away with far too much and had too much power. Even Manny had thought they were untouchable, but he hadn’t deserved to die.

Jake wouldn’t admit to destroying Bo’s onion tables. We had to chalk that one up to random vandalism, but I would always wonder.

Nobel was in all kinds of trouble, but not for murdering people. His charges were more like theft and fraud and threatening harm to others. There would be no way to prove who had been involved in the poisoning that might not have even been a poisoning, but Betsy guessed that Nobel had somehow been in the middle of it. I’d promised Elliot Nelson an exclusive interview just as soon as Sam told me what I could say to the press.

All the members of the association, particularly the original four, were in the process of a criminal audit. There were going to be a lot of unhappy restaurateurs when everything became clear.

Viola was in some trouble, too, but we knew she hadn’t been aware that her involvement was illegal. Aldous was going to do what he could to help her get a light punishment. We’d invited him to dinner, but he’d declined, saying he was busy with Viola’s case.

But Mom was free, and she and Dad were planning on sticking around awhile—just to make sure their daughters stayed out of trouble.

All was well.

Well, until my dad, who was sitting next to me, leaned over and whispered in my ear.

“Darlin’. You know I love you and your sister more than anything, right?”

“Of course, Dad.”

“Then forgive me for intruding.”

“Huh?”

“You need to decide.”

“Decide what?”

“Which fella you love—or love more. You need to talk to them and tell them both. It’s only fair.”

Of course, my dad had seen me kissing Sam. He’s the one who told Allison.

“Oh.”

Dad winked and turned to talk to Tom.

I looked around the table. Ian was next to me and was just pleased that my mom was free and I hadn’t gotten too hurt beyond a little scrape this time. I still hadn’t told him about the kiss yet. He was looking at Betsy as she once again shared the story of our adventure in my barn. She continued to make me sound like some hero. Hobbit was the hero, but some people didn’t understand just how much animals knew and could do. I did, and that was all that mattered.

Sam sat on Betsy’s other side. True to his word, he acted as though nothing had happened between us. He was a good guy. Allison sat next to him. She caught me surveying the table and fixed me with a strong glance and a nod. Our twin communication was at work. She was silently repeating what Dad had just said. Mom was next to her, and though she hadn’t said a word about the kiss, I suspected she knew, too.

They were right, and it was all I could do not to jump up on the chair and announce my feelings, tell everyone what I’d been thinking, because I had been thinking. I’d been going over everything in my head and in my heart. I wanted to explain that I wasn’t good at making such decisions, but I was finally as certain as I could ever be about this one.

It wouldn’t have been fair to those involved, though.

It’d have to wait until I could handle it in private in the next day or two. I was going to risk a lot of things, perhaps even losing them both. It was a chance I had to take. It was only fair.

I hoped I’d do the right thing. I hoped my two marriages had taught me something, but more than anything I hoped everyone would end up in a happier place and where they were supposed to be.

My hippie parents and their attitudes might finally be rubbing off on me.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; blend into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, apricots, and nuts. Usinga ¼ cup measuring cup, drop dough onto cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until set. Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet.

 

Allison makes these for all special occasions, including jailbreaks!

In the bowl of an upright mixer, combine the water and the yeast and allow the yeast to dissolve. Add the remaining dough ingredients and mix using a dough hook on low speed. Once a ball forms, mix on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough becomes elastic and smooth. Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl coated with olive oil. Allow the dough to rest for 4 hours. Once the dough is rested, place on a flat surface and dust with some flour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a deep baking dish or a deep-dish pizza pan (approximately 12 to 14 inches in diameter), use your fingers to spread the dough over the bottom of the pan, and then up the sides of the pan approximately ½ inch.

Begin layering the topping ingredients. Start with the mozzarella cheese, add tomato sauce, and then add the rest of the toppings. Place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until golden and crispy.

Serve pizza straight from the oven to the table.

In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add onions; cover and boil for 9 to 11 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool for 5 minutes. Cut a thin slice off the top of each onion; carefully hollow out the center, leaving a ½-inch shell. Chop removed onion.

In a nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook the chopped onion, green onion, and parsley in 4 teaspoons butter for 3 minutes. Add the ham, salt, pepper, celery seed, and garlic powder; cook until onions are tender and ham is lightly browned. Stir in ¼ cup bread crumbs; heat through. Stuff the mixture into each of the onion shells.

Melt remaining butter; toss with remaining bread crumbs. Sprinkle over stuffing. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until crumbs are lightly browned and onions are heated through.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix butter, 1½ cups sugar, and eggs.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture. Chill dough in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, blend 3 tablespoons sugar and 3 teaspoons cinnamon.

After dough is chilled, form into one-inch balls. Gently roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture and place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove immediately from pan and place on cooling racks.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Bake on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown, about 20 minutes—but watch them closely as they can burn easily. Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container.

FARM FRESH MURDER
FRUIT OF ALL EVIL
CROPS AND ROBBERS