Never Say Pie (A Pie Shop Mystery) (22 page)

“Little did they know you don’t scare easily,” he said. “Or else you wouldn’t have gone there today, would you?” He frowned at me. He wasn’t happy I’d gone to their house, did he know I was guilty of breaking and entering too?

“I admit, I was scared. But how else was I supposed to find out anything?” I said. “You wouldn’t do it because you had to have a search warrant. I didn’t have to have one. As long as I didn’t get caught.”

“But you did.”

“Am I in trouble?” I asked.

“Big trouble.” He leaned forward. He was so close I could see that he hadn’t shaved. Too busy saving lives, like mine. “What were you looking for?” he asked.

“I can’t remember,” I said, rubbing my head. “I’ve been gassed, you know. But I do know what I didn’t find. No evidence of anyone making home-made candy in their kitchen. But wait, there’s more.” If I could only remember what it was. “Now I know. I went there to help Nina. I was reading Grannie’s advice column letters. Don’t tell her I told you.”

He nodded. “Go on.”

“In the bag was an anonymous letter from someone who’d hit her husband. I assumed it was Nina. I thought she needed help, like, you know, anger management classes or something.”

“So you came to help her,” he said dubiously. “Give her some advice, which she couldn’t get from the real advice lady.”

“More or less,” I said modestly. “Then I found out that One, Nina had been cheating by buying her caramels when the rules of the Food Fair say you have to make or grow the products yourself. And Two, that she was shacking up with Heath to get him to overlook that fact and give her a good review which led to Three, her husband, Marty, finding out and murdering Heath.” I closed my eyes for a minute. Then I asked, “Is that enough to convict him?”

“Along with the phone messages and a confession.”

“Then it was Marty who ransacked my apartment.”

“He figured out who found the phone and he wanted it.”

By the time we’d finished this wrap-up I was exhausted. I closed my eyes. I reached for Sam’s hand and I squeezed it. I wanted to sleep but there was something I had to say, something I wanted to tell him. “By the way, you may have been right. I might have fallen into the pool that night. Not sure …”

“Get some rest,” he said. “I’m putting my deputy outside the door here to keep everyone out. No visitors. Oh, and I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a gold star and handed it to me.

“What’s this?”

“I’m deputizing you.”

Tears filled my eyes. “I’m a deputy,” I murmured.

He nodded.

I closed my eyes clutching the gold star.

When I woke up Grannie was sitting next to my bed. She was wearing a tailored silk blouse and a pair of trim slacks with low-heeled shoes and she was holding a pie in one hand.

“How are you?” she asked putting her other hand on my forehead to check my temperature.

“Better. How did you get in?

“Next of kin has visiting privileges.”

“You look spiffy.”

“You like the outfit?”

“Perfect for hospital visiting,” I said.

“Sam told me where he found you. I thought I told you not to go into someone’s house if they’re not at home.”

“You did tell me. Of course you did. But how do you get a good look at somebody’s kitchen unless they’re not at home? I had to find out if Nina really made those delicious caramels.”

“Couldn’t you have asked Sam to check for you?”

“How would he know if someone had been making caramels in their kitchen? Besides, he’s a stickler for the rules.”

“And you’re not?” She sighed.

“I wasn’t before, but now that I’m a deputy …” I held the star up so she could see it.

“Congratulations,” she said. “I’m not surprised. Sam says he couldn’t have solved this murder without you.”

“Did he? He didn’t tell me that.”

“That’s because he wants you to stay as humble and unassuming as you are.”

“No problem,” I said. “Humility is my middle name. Hanna Humility Denton. Make that DEPUTY Hanna Humility Denton. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good,” she said. And Grannie is always right. I shared the Georgia Peach Pie she brought with the nurses.

The End

Double Chocolate
Cream Pie

Chocolate Filling

¾
cup sugar


⅓
cup cornstarch


2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate, cut in small pieces


½
tsp. salt


2
½
cups milk


3 egg yolks, beaten


½
tsp. vanilla extract


1 chocolate pie shell, made of crushed chocolate cookie crumbs and butter.(9-inch, pre-baked).

Chocolate Cookie Crumb Pie Crust

1
½
cups chocolate cookie crumbs

1 tbsp. sugar

¼
cup melted butter

Mix ingredients and press into 9-inch pie pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

Chocolate Cream Pie Whipped Topping


1 cup heavy cream 


2 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar 


½
teaspoon vanilla extract


For the filling:
In top of a double boiler, combine sugar, cornstarch, chocolate, and salt. Stir in milk. Cook mixture over boiling water, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, or until chocolate mixture has thickened. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

Gradually stir half of the hot chocolate mixture into beaten egg yolks; return egg mixture to the double boiler, stirring well. Cook over boiling water, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract. Pour filling into a baked pie shell.

Chill chocolate cream pie thoroughly in refrigerator, about 3 to 4 hours.

For the topping: In a mixing bowl, beat cream with confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract until stiff. Spread over chocolate cream pie and return to refrigerator until serving time. Store leftover chocolate cream pie in refrigerator. 

(Like there’s going to be any leftover? I don’t think so.)

Butterscotch
Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter

3 eggs

¾
cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. flour  

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¾
cup dark corn syrup

3 tbsp. bourbon

2 cups pecan halves

½
cup butterscotch chips

1 (9-inch) pie shell of your choice. Hanna uses her all-butter, all-purpose crust.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a small saucepan. While butter is melting, beat eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar, flour, vanilla extract, syrup, and bourbon. Add in butter when just melted. Stir in the pecans and butterscotch chips. Pour mixture into an unbaked pastry pie shell.

Place pie on baking sheet and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, covering pie gently with foil after 30 minutes to prevent crust from burning. Makes one (9-inch) pie.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carol Culver is the author of more than thirty books, including many bestselling Harlequin romance novels. She has a BA in French and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. This is her second mystery novel in her Pie Shop Mystery series.

Author photo by Craig Culver.