Seeds of Deception (28 page)

After the door had closed, Elizabeth came down the stairs, wearing a terry-cloth robe and still toweling her hair. “I heard voices, but I wasn't decent. What did I miss? Where's Phillip?”

“He's saying good-bye to Chief Bennett, outside,” Meg told her. “The chief came by to say that Ricky Del Monte lost it when he found out what Miriam had done, and attacked her. His father called the police, and he was picked up at his father's house.”

“So is it over now? The police know what happened with Enrique and Arthur? What about Miriam?”

“She wasn't harmed, but we don't know if she'll be charged, or with what.”

Phillip returned, shutting the front door behind him after a gust of cold air followed him in. When he spotted his wife, he said, “They told you?”

She crossed quickly to him and hugged him, then stepped back. “They did. Oh, Phillip, what a sad mess! That boy should have gotten help years ago, and now more
people have suffered. What will the police do with Miriam?”

“I would guess that the police will go easy on her, given the circumstances. I'll help if I can, but I can't lose sight of the fact that she betrayed both Arthur and me, and put us all at risk. She knew what her husband was capable of.”

And that made her as guilty as he was
, Meg thought to herself.

Dinner at the club was a subdued affair, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Over coffee—everyone had declined dessert—Elizabeth said to Meg, “Not exactly the honeymoon you and Seth had planned, was it, darling?”

“No, but it's kind of typical of our luck, Mother,” Meg replied with a rueful smile. “Seth, I think you deserve some kind of medal—for patience, for not whining, for letting me do what I thought I had to. Right or wrong.”

Seth glanced at his companions around the table. “I believed you
were
right. If I had thought you were wrong, I would have told you. But you answer to your conscience, not to me.”

Meg laid her hand on his, fighting tears, and said, “Thank you.”

Elizabeth and Phillip gave them a long moment before
bringing them back to the real world. “Will you be leaving now?” Elizabeth asked, a touch sadly.

“I think we need to. We've been gone, what?”

“Just over a week,” Seth reminded her.

“Wow, it feels a lot longer than that.” Meg shook her head. “Mother, Daddy—we should plan a vacation where we can just enjoy one another's company. Just not during harvest season—”

“—or if there's a drought,” Seth picked up the thread—

“—or if we're planting a new orchard, or, heaven forbid, starting up a cider operation.”

Her mother laughed. “Just send us your calendar for the next year, and we'll try to squeeze in a visit somewhere.”

“We'd like that.”

*   *   *

The next morning
Meg and Seth set off early, after a round of tearful good-byes.
Partings are always hard,
Meg reflected, glad that she was going back to her own home—with her own husband. She remained quiet, save for necessary driving instructions, until Seth reached the highway. “So we've survived ten days of marriage, and there's been only one murder.”

“Something to remember when we're old and gray,” Seth agreed. “We're going to avoid the New York traffic, right?”

“If I pay attention to the exits, yes,” Meg told him. “After that it's easy.” After a few more miles, she began again. “You know, I meant what I said last night—you were a rock.”

“Mostly I kept my mouth shut,” Seth said.

“Don't put yourself down. You were behind me all the way. Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“After spending an admittedly stressful week with my parents, what do you think of their marriage?”

Seth didn't hurry to answer. “As you have pointed out on more than one occasion, they're kind of formal with each other. I'm kind of surprised by your mother, now that I know her better—she's an intelligent, capable woman, but she's never worked?”

“For pay? Well, she did before she married—you heard all that the last time they were in Granford. Are you asking tactfully if Daddy insisted she stay home?”

“Did he?”

“I don't think so. He made plenty of money, so she didn't
need
to work, but I don't think he would have been upset if she had chosen to, especially after I was old enough to look out for myself. She certainly came of age in a post-feminist culture that would have encouraged her to work. Her choice, but I know I couldn't stand that lifestyle, even if you were fantastically rich.”

“So you became a farmer and married a plumber? Is that some kind of delayed rebellion?”

“I hope not! I like what I do. I like doing it with you. Isn't that enough?”

“Of course it is. And the same goes for me. Works out well, don't you think?”

“I do. Now, why does that sound familiar?” Meg asked, suppressing a giggle.

Once assured that Seth knew where he was going—not that she had had any doubts—Meg dozed intermittently as they drove northward. Luckily the weather had cooperated
with them, which might be the only part of the last week that had worked out as intended. Well, Monticello had been all that she had hoped for, but after that things had sort of fallen apart. Still, they'd wrapped up not one but two crimes in a record five days. Maybe she and Seth were getting better at this. But she hoped with all her heart that they wouldn't have to put their experience to work again, in Granford or anywhere else. Poor Miriam. No, poor Enrique, who hadn't deserved to die because one young man thought breaking the law when it suited him was acceptable, and when he was thwarted, lashed out violently. She had no pity for Richard Del Monte, and only a bit for his father, who had ignored his son's obvious problems for too long, and who now had to live with the results.

The final time she opened her eyes, it was growing dark, and she recognized the back road from the Massachusetts Turnpike to their end of Granford. “How long was I out?” she asked Seth.

“An hour or two—it's after five. Almost there.”

“Thank goodness. Can we figure out what normal is now?”

“I hope so.”

Seth made the turn by the big farm stand, then another turn a couple of miles farther, and then they were approaching her house—no,
their
house. Bree must be home: there were lights on in several of the windows, and the house looked warm and welcoming in the dusk. They crunched over the gravel of the driveway, pulled to a stop, and Seth turned off the engine. “Home.”

“It is.” She leaned over and kissed him, then quickly disengaged her seat belt and jumped out of the car, slowing only when she realized how stiff her joints were when she stood up. It didn't matter. She strode to the back door, fishing out
her keys as she went, but the door was already unlocked, so she walked into her kitchen, with Seth close behind. They were greeted enthusiastically by Max, who couldn't seem to figure out which one of them to jump on, so he tried both of them on for size several times. Lolly, in her favorite place on top of the refrigerator, stood up and stretched, but waited for them to come to her. And Bree was standing by the stove, which was covered with pots issuing good smells. “Welcome back,” she said. “Still married?”

“So it seems,” Meg told her. “How'd you know we'd be home today? I kept forgetting to tell you when we were coming, but things kept happening so we weren't really sure until last night. Anyway, thanks for all this!” She waved her hand around the kitchen. “We're tired and hungry and I'm sure Seth has had enough driving for a while.”

“Your mom called to let me know you were on your way, so I could shoo out all the guys from the orgies. Kidding! And I figured you'd be hungry.”

“Can we wash up before we eat?”

“No hurry.”

“Is all the plumbing still working?” Meg asked, glancing slyly at Seth.

“Of course it is—your husband installed it, didn't he? He's good.”

“I know. Let me go and clean up, and then we can come down again and tell you all about everything. Unless Mother already unloaded the story?”

“Nope,” Bree replied, “she said you'd have plenty to tell me but she'd let you do the telling. There wasn't a murder involved, was there?”

“As a matter of fact, there was,” Meg said. Before Bree could close her gaping mouth, she and Seth fled upstairs.

Five minutes later they were seated around the kitchen table with wineglasses in hand. Max had his head laid on Seth's knee, and Lolly had settled under Meg's feet, which suited her fine since she didn't plan to move for a while. Bree dished up and then demanded, “Okay, spill it. And start from the beginning.”

Telling the tale of the accident in Amherst, which had turned out to be nothing more than an accident, and the discovery of Enrique's body, and the attack on Arthur Ackerman, and the unraveling of the connections—between the past, the Corey family's time in Madison, combined with the history of the New Jersey Mob; then fast-forward to the present and Phillip's secretary and the state attorney who had hoped to run for governor—took the better part of an hour, allowing for interruptions from each other and Bree's incredulous questions and second helpings of dinner. When they had finished, Meg felt like a limp balloon. And it was only seven o'clock.

“So, did we miss anything while we were gone? Any word from Lydia or Rachel?”

“I'll bet you two have figured out that Lydia and Christopher are kind of together now,” Bree said.

“Yes, we noticed that even in our rose-colored fog. How'd you figure it out?”

“Hey, I'm not stupid—I saw them together. Enough said. By the way, Lydia said Rachel is fine, Maggie has gained a pound, and they're looking forward to seeing you when you're ready. You'd better warn her to set aside a chunk of time, if you're going to tell her what you told me.”

“Duly noted,” Meg said.

“Any natural disasters?” Seth asked. “You know, floods, blizzards, earthquakes?”

“Nope. A few snow flurries. All good. I've held off on the pruning, but that can wait for January.”

“You mean we actually have free time?” Meg said, laughing. “Well, I can get an early start on running the numbers before year-end. You want to take some time off, now that we're back? Go visit family or anything?”

Bree suddenly looked nervous, and had trouble meeting Meg's eyes. “Well, there's one thing I have to tell you . . .” She stopped, as if searching for a way to go on.

Please, no more crises!
Meg sent up a silent prayer. “What?”

Bree cleared her throat. “I've had a job offer, or not a job, exactly, but sort of a senior internship.”

“Okay,” Meg said cautiously. “Doing what?”

“Helping with an orchard. In Australia. Christopher told me about it, and so I applied, and they made the offer while you were gone. They're doing some really interesting stuff with creating new varieties of apples.”

“And what did you tell . . . whoever this is?”

“I haven't yet, because I thought I owed it to you to talk with you first. But I'd have to leave by the end of the month, if I'm going.”

Nothing is ever easy, is it?
Meg reflected
.
“Bree, you have been a godsend, helping me with the orchard these past two years. I wouldn't have made it without you. But I can't stand in your way if this is what's right for you.”

Bree smiled. “Great, because I think it would be really cool to work in Australia, at least for a while. But the good news is, Christopher said he'd help you find someone to fill in for me. And it's the slowest time of year, so you'd have plenty of time to bring this person up to speed.”

“Then go, with my—our—blessing. You're not leaving tomorrow morning or anything like that, are you?”

“No, ma'am. I'll be around for a week or two. And thanks—I didn't want to feel guilty about leaving you on your own.” She stood up and said, “If it's okay with you, I'll go upstairs now. I can clean up in the morning.”

“Shoo! We can handle it.”

After Bree disappeared, Meg turned to Seth. “Well, never a dull moment in Granford, is there?”

“You aren't upset?” Seth asked.

Meg shook her head. “Not really. I don't want to hold her back, and I know we can cope, one way or another. You want to take Max out while I do the dishes?”

“Works for me. I'll see if I can tire him out.”

“And when you two get back, we can go to bed.”

“Now there's an invitation I can't
refuse.”

Cooking in winter in New England has always been a challenge, although the number of fresh ingredients available in markets has increased steadily. But it's still cold, so warm and spicy dishes are welcome.

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb carrots, chopped small

1 lb turnips, cut into half-inch chunks

1 large onion, diced

1 large apple, preferably a green variety, peeled, cored, and diced

4-6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

3 large sprigs thyme (strip the leaves off the stems)

1 tsp curry powder

4 cups water or vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

In a deep pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and add the chopped carrots and turnips. Cook until they brown on one side at least.

Stir in the chopped apples, onions, and garlic and reduce the heat. Cook until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add a half teaspoon salt.

Stir in the thyme leaves, curry, and grated ginger, then cook for two minutes until fragrant.

Add the water or broth, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, checking to make sure the vegetables are tender (the carrots and turnips might take longer). Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can leave the soup chunky or puree it. An immersion blender is a good option if you want to thicken it while leaving some texture.

Serve it with a hearty bread—homemade if you have it—and you've got a satisfying supper for a chilly night!

This is a tasty recipe that's great for a cold, damp winter's night. Flash-frozen fish is widely available even in winter. If you keep the ingredients on hand, you can have a quick dinner!

2 8-oz cod (or other white fish) fillets

4 tbsp Asian sweet chili sauce (also known as Thai chili sauce)

2 tsp rice vinegar

4 tsp soy sauce

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Lime slices (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the glaze, in a small bowl mix the chili sauce, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.

Cut two sheets of parchment paper, large enough to wrap your fillets. (Note: it's hard to get two fillets that are exactly the same size. Don't worry about it.) Dab a bit of the sauce on each piece of parchment paper, then place one fillet on each sheet and brush with the glaze. Top with the garlic slices (and the lime if you're using it).

Fold the parchment paper over the fillets, crimping the edges to seal the packets. Place them in a baking pan.

Bake 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven (depending on the thickness of your fillets). Remove the pan from the oven, place the packets on a plate and open them carefully (watch out for the steam!).

Drizzle any of the juices from the packets over the fillets and serve with rice.

This is a rich and delicious twist on a traditional apple pie.

CRUST

8 oz (½ pound) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces

1 lb plain white flour

¼ cup white sugar

Pinch of salt

Water (about 5 tbsp), chilled

Place the butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the sugar and salt and pulse again.

Place the water in a cup or pitcher (you can add an ice cube to keep it cold) and add slowly until the mixture holds together to form a dough. You may not need all the water, but the dough shouldn't be crumbly.

Knead on a floured surface just long enough to combine. Wrap it in plastic wrap or put in a plastic ziplock bag and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

FILLING

Zest of 1 lemon

Pinch of ground cinnamon

⅓ cup white sugar

4 tbsp cornstarch

6 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into half-inch slices (Cortlands work well—just make sure you use a good cooking apple)

7 oz marzipan, cut into small cubes

1 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the lemon zest, cinnamon, sugar, and cornstarch.

Flour a board and a rolling pin. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Divide into two portions, one half the size of the other (the larger will be for the bottom). Roll out the larger piece and fit it into a 9” pie pan (the pastry should overlap generously), pressing it against the sides of the pan. Place in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.

Arrange a layer of apple slices in the pie dish and sprinkle with the marzipan cubes and cherries or cranberries. Repeat in layers until the pan is nearly full at the edges and heaped in the middle.

Roll out the smaller piece of dough to make a lid that fits over the apples. Crimp the edges of the bottom crust over this to seal. Make a hole in the center of the crust to let the steam escape.

If you like, beat an egg yolk with a little water and use as a glaze over the crust.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown (test to make sure the apples are soft). If it's getting too brown after 25 minutes, cover the top with foil to keep the edges from burning.