Blackberry Crumble (24 page)

She’d never glazed bacon before, but the recipe—written out by Leena Sanderson, Sadie assumed—explained the process in detail. Bless conscientious cooks! Within minutes the bacon was coated with brown sugar and spread out on the foil-lined pan. She slid the pan into the cold oven and set the timer and temperature according to the recipe. Sadie then turned her attention to finding the ice cream freezer so she could mix up the cream and sugar portion of the recipe.

“You’re back.”

Sadie looked up. She’d been so intent on looking through the cupboards for the ice cream freezer—though the chances of it being stored in the average-sized kitchen were slim—that she hadn’t heard May approach.

She smiled as she closed another cupboard door. “I was looking for the ice cream freezer. I can mix up the base, then let it chill until it’s time to add the bacon and get it mixing. What time is the picnic?”

“Seven,” May said, looking uncomfortable. “I’m really not sure it’s a good idea to go.”

Sadie saw her chance to assure May why it was important to be there. “You’re father died at home, right?” she asked, keeping her tone even.

May furrowed her brow, but nodded.

“And if Keith were a part of that, he could have come to the house. The only people who might know if he did are your neighbors. I have a list of Keith’s cars, as well as a photo of him. Should the opportunity arise—and I will be very careful about not blowing my cover—your neighbors might have some information about that night. In addition, it sounds like your dad was relatively close with Lois, and perhaps some other neighbors, too. Maybe he said something that will support what we’re looking for. Without him here, it’s up to those people around him to put the pieces back together.”

May wasn’t convinced and shook her head to emphasize her lack of faith. “If anyone had seen anything, they’d have told me before now.”

“Unless they didn’t know that what they saw was important,” Sadie reminded her. She came around the island and stopped in front of May. “Look, if you really don’t want to go, or don’t want me to go, I’ll respect that—I’ll even help you come up with an excuse. I didn’t mean to make you feel cornered. And you’re right that there may be nothing of value for this case at the picnic. But there might be something, even a small something, and”—she paused and smiled—“you have to eat more than just cereal, young lady. With all the stress you’ve been under, you’re ripe for catching some horrible virus that will send you to your bed, and you don’t want that, do you?”

May didn’t soften as much as Sadie had hoped she would, but she did nod. “Okay,” May said. “But I really don’t want anyone to know who you are. Everyone has accepted Dad’s death as tragic, and no one suspects anything other than a natural death. They’ll all think I’m crazy if they find out why you’re here.”

“They won’t find out,” Sadie said. “I’m very good with people, and I won’t endanger you or what we’re looking for in the least, okay? But we need more than paper,” she said, waving toward the stack of files she needed to return the office. “And people often know things they don’t realize they know.”

The oven dinged to indicate that it had reached the correct temperature, and Sadie let May ponder on what she’d said while she peeked in on the pan. It still looked like raw bacon coated in brown sugar. May crossed behind her to the fridge, where she took out a yogurt and a Diet Coke. Sadie moved out of the way so May could get a glass out of the cupboard.

“I’ve got the salad right here,” Sadie said, pulling open the fridge and removing the plastic-wrapped bowl of salad. “It goes great with Lois’s muffins.”

“This is for Jolene,” May said, setting her items on the counter. “I’d love some salad and, of course, one of Lois’s marvelous muffins.” She glanced at the plate and seemed to notice there was one missing.

“Sorry,” Sadie said, embarrassed. “I couldn’t resist.”

May smiled. “No one can.”

“And that’s another reason we need to go tonight, I need to sweet-talk that recipe away from Lois.”

“Mom had a copy of it,” May said, nodding toward the cupboard that housed the recipe box. “You’re welcome to copy it down; Lois doesn’t guard her recipes.”

“She is a good, kind woman,” Sadie said almost reverently, thrilled to get the recipe so easily.

May gestured to the yogurt and Diet Coke again. “Jolene says she feels like she could eat something—that’s a good sign. The first few days after getting chemo are brutal, so I’m relieved she’s feeling well enough to eat. She could use a few pounds.”

Sadie felt the sympathy brimming in her chest as she thought about what Richard had said, that May’s dad was the one person May thought would never leave her. Sadie wondered how sick Jolene was. How would May cope if she lost her sister so soon after losing her dad? “Is there anything I can do to help?”

May shook her head and seemed to be working hard to keep her expression neutral. “Thanks, but we’re okay. It’s kind of nice to be taking care of someone again. I haven’t had anyone but myself around for so long that I forget what it feels like to be connected, you know?”

“I know exactly what you mean,” Sadie said, hoping May believed her. She leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms over her stomach. “After my kids left home, I realized how much I needed to be needed. It’s hard to adjust to those changes sometimes. I’m sure Jolene appreciates you being here too. I bet she’s missed you.”

May shrugged and frowned while pouring the Diet Coke into the glass. “I don’t know about that.” She pulled open a drawer and removed a bendable straw, which she put into the glass. “We’ve never been particularly close. I know most sisters are, but it was just never like that with us.” She pulled open another drawer and hunted for a spoon. “It’s nice to be getting along now. Better late than never, right?”

Sadie wasn’t particularly close to her own sister, but she kept that to herself. “Relationships can be complicated,” she said, trying not to be too pushy now that May was opening up a little bit.

May let out a breath. “Can they ever.”

Sadie busied herself with making May’s lunch plate while May finished putting together the simple meal for her sister. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” May said.

“Sure,” Sadie said with a nod, refolding the cloth grocery bags as May left the room. Once she was alone, Sadie pulled down the recipe box. There were blank cards at the back of the box. Sadie removed two and then fingered through the “Breads” cards until she found “Marvelous Bran Muffins.” She pulled it out only to realize there was another recipe stuck to it—a common kitchen problem. Sadie gently pulled the secondary recipe off of the back, intending to re-file it appropriately.

“Second-Chance Baked Potato Soup,” she read out loud, smiling at the clever title. A quick skim through the ingredients and instructions made her wish she wasn’t full and that she had half a dozen leftover baked potatoes on hand. The soup sounded delicious, and after quickly determining that should she ask, May would likely be fine with her copying down this recipe as well, she pulled another blank card out of the box. As she wrote it out, she reflected on the title again. Second chance. She thought about Richard and May—one across town in his office, the other only a few rooms away—and wondered if a second chance was really possible between the two of them. She hoped so.

It took four minutes to copy down the recipes. Then Sadie slid the cards into her pocket and went back to work, completely pleased with how the day was going. Three new recipes in one day—fabulous! She eyed the recipe box as she worked, wondering if there were any other treasures in there.

Sadie turned the bacon over and was putting the pan back in the oven when she heard the sound of an engine pulling into the driveway. She stuffed the grocery bags back between the wall and the fridge and stepped to the sink to peek out the window at whoever had pulled up.

A little green truck—at least fifteen years old and probably not washed for almost that long—had pulled in behind May’s car, which meant it was someone comfortable with the house and with May, or otherwise they wouldn’t block her car. A man stepped out of the driver’s seat wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. Was it another neighbor? Jolene’s husband coming to pick her up early?

She was about to drop the curtain, anticipating him coming to the side door, when he surprised her by heading down the driveway toward the street. She craned her neck and watched until he turned the corner of the house, and then she hurried into the living room to peek out the side of the window closest to the driveway to see where he was going. Sadie was a little disappointed when he just headed for the mailbox.

He approached the silver mailbox and pulled open the door, giving Sadie a chance to get a closer look at him—for all the good it did her. The hat and sunglasses covered most of his face, but she could see that he had a mustache and goatee. There was something familiar about him, but Sadie couldn’t place it and chalked it up to her
wanting
something about him to look familiar.

He pulled a stack of mail out of the mailbox and began scanning it on his way to the front door. He paused at the bottom of the porch steps, taking one of the envelopes and deftly tucking it into the waistband of his khaki shorts.

Sadie felt her heart race just a little. He was stealing mail. Didn’t he know that was a federal offense?

He continued up the steps and, thrown off her game, Sadie headed for the kitchen instead of the front door. She checked the bacon, and not a minute too soon. It was nearly done. She grabbed the hot pads just as she heard the front door open. The mail thief had let himself inside the house!

“May?” he called, causing Sadie to jump as she crossed to the oven, unsure of what to do as she heard him approaching. Mere moments before he appeared, she decided to use her “What do you mean I’m not supposed to be here?” façade. Ignorance was such a blessed disguise sometimes.

The oven door hinge squeaked as she pulled it open. She used the hot pad to lift the pan and turned to find the man standing on the threshold of the kitchen, staring at her. He’d taken off his sunglasses, and without them, Sadie realized why he looked so familiar. She’d seen him before and felt her heartbeat increasing as she flashed back to Keith Kelly’s dinner guests from last night. Richard and Keith had met with two unidentified men—one of whom had been wearing a green polo shirt and seemed the least comfortable at the table.

He gave her a tentative smile, and she could only hope he hadn’t seen her at the restaurant or that her expression now hadn’t betrayed her surprise. “Hi, you must be May’s friend, Cindy.”

“Sadie,” she corrected him, taking her time to place the hot pan on a trivet she’d already put on the counter.

“Sadie, right, sorry.” He put the stack of mail down on the counter. Well, most of the mail; there was still the matter of an envelope tucked in his shorts.

“Happens all the time,” Sadie assured him, trying to stay calm. She wiped her hands on the dish towel hanging from the oven door handle and put out her hand. “And you are?”

“Hugh Sanderson,” he said with a nod, giving her hand a quick shake. “May’s brother.”

Marvelous Bran Muffins

3 1⁄2 cups All-Bran® cereal

1 cup boiling water

1⁄2 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1⁄2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

2 1⁄2 cups flour

2 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin cups. Soak 1 cup of All-Bran cereal in 1 cup boiling water and stir until evenly blended. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Beat eggs in one at a time, then add buttermilk and soaked bran. Mix. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Blend just until batter is moist. Fold in remaining All-Bran cereal. (If desired, mix in up to 2 cups of suggested additions.*)

Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each to the top. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Makes 2 dozen.

*Suggested Additions

Mix-and-match up to 2 cups of any of the following ingredients:

1 1⁄2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup chocolate chips—any type

1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 cup Craisins®, raisins, or dried cherries

1 cup chopped dates

1 cup chopped fresh cranberries

1 1⁄2 cups chopped apples

1⁄2 cup coconut

1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained

Chapter 29

Sadie felt her eyebrows go up slowly and her smile become a little plastic as she put the pieces together and tried to look unsurprised. When she spoke, she stuttered. “O-oh,” she said as though firing bullets. “I-it’s wonderful to meet you.” He probably thought she was touched in the head.