That Old Flame of Mine (30 page)

Mostly she wanted to understand how any of it was possible. He’d saved her life. She could still hardly believe it.

“Well, this is it.” Stella started to get out of the Cherokee when they reached the cabin. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been really quiet all the way back. Would you like me to stay awhile? Do you need anything from the store or something?”

“I’m fine.” She glanced at the cabin. The outside light was on. Her heart did a little somersault. “I’m tired. I thought I might go in and lie down. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He smiled and kissed her very gently on the forehead. “I’ll come back later and check on you. We’re starting work on the firehouse. All that old timber has to be torn down so we can rebuild. Lucky thing how the pumper and engine rolled right through the bay doors. They’re in good shape. Just need a new paint job. The science teacher over at the high school said the trucks moving that way had something to do with the heat in the bay doing something to the tires. I don’t know, but it was lucky for us.”

Stella wasn’t surprised. After being pulled from the fire by a ghost, she couldn’t imagine being surprised by anything ever again.

She said good-bye to John and walked up the familiar stairs to the cabin. The door opened before she could reach it. She took a deep breath. “Eric?”

“Out here.”

She walked out to the porch and sat in a rocking chair beside him. He was completely visible, from his long blond hair tied back with a leather thong to his red Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade T-shirt and hiking boots. He was a tall, handsome man with a broad chest and wide shoulders. She would have recognized him anywhere from the picture in the firehouse.

He had to have been strong in life, Stella thought, to be able to lift her and Tagger after being dead for forty years. Maybe all those Paul Bunyan–sounding legends about him were true.

“I’m glad you’re back,” he said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come and visit.”

“Me too. Thank you for getting me out of there. I know Tagger thanks you too. You managed to get the trucks out too, didn’t you?”

“They were in my proximity. I’m sorry I couldn’t get all the gear out.” For the first time since she’d sat down, he looked at her. His eyes were a stunning blue. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get there. I should’ve known about the fire right away. I don’t understand what happened. Usually, I can hear a mouse run through there. I think I was too wrapped up feeling sorry for myself.”

“It doesn’t matter. You were amazing. I don’t understand how it happened, but I’m glad you were there. Walt was completely calm and understanding about it when I told him. Everyone else thinks I got us out.”

“That’s the way it should be—except for your plan. I hope you never try anything like that again. You’re a firefighter, not an undercover cop. You should act like one.”

She was a little surprised at his criticism. “It worked. Adam is in custody. I hope I can get my laptop back since his shop is probably closed.”

“Stella—”

There was frantic knocking at her door. “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.”

It was John. He had a terror-stricken look on his face, like a kid seeing a monster movie for the first time. “I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to rest—you have to come with me. There’s something at the firehouse you have to see.”

Stella glanced at the deck. She couldn’t see Eric anymore. “What’s wrong?”

“Just come with me. It’s impossible to describe.”

Reluctantly, she left the cabin with John. “What is it?”

“You have to see it. No one is going to believe it.”

John raced down Firehouse Road like the devil was chasing him. He pulled into the parking lot, which was filled with her volunteers, and a large group of people she didn’t know. A coroner’s car was pulling up as they got out of the pickup.

For a minute, Stella thought it was some kind of surprise party—except for the coroner. Everyone shook her hand, said they were happy to see her. They all mourned the loss of the firehouse.

Petey and Kimmie managed to hug her very carefully.

John brushed them all aside as he led Stella into what was left of the garage bay area. Most of the walls were gutted. She saw sledgehammers and crowbars ready to take out the rest. The beautiful wood beams were gone forever. The mayor had already described the red brick building the town planned to put up in its place.

“We were starting the demolition,” John explained as they approached the back wall of the bay. “I hit it with the sledgehammer and a piece of sheet metal fell out. I couldn’t believe what was behind it.”

Stella looked into the wall cavity. There were dried bones. It looked like a complete skeleton, the skull staring back with empty sockets. Covering parts of the upper torso were bits of red fabric.

She felt like she’d been hit by the sledgehammer. “Who is it?”

“I took this out.” John held up a sealed plastic bag with a badge in it that said “Chief Eric Gamlyn, Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade
.
”

“I think this is what’s left of him. I don’t know how it got here.”

Stella looked at the badge as the coroner knelt in front of the skeleton in the wall. Had someone brought Eric here after the fire that had killed him?

The coroner, a jolly, gray-haired man who seemed more likely to play Santa than look at dead bodies, took the skull out of the wall. “Not sure who this poor fella was, but here’s your cause of death.” He stuck his gloved finger into a hole in the back of the skull. “He was shot. Probably died quick. Any idea when this happened?”

Stella saw Eric standing in the blackened ruin of the firehouse. He was staring at the skeleton with a look of disbelief and horror on his face.

Then he disappeared.

“I think we can safely say this is a murder case,” the coroner said. “It’s been here awhile. Might be hard to figure out exactly what happened.”

Stella staggered out of the firehouse and sat down at the old picnic table that had survived the fire. How was this possible? People saw Eric die in the grain silo fire. How would they ever figure out what had really happened?

There was only one thing to do. Eric had saved her life. It didn’t take long for her to make a decision.

She called her mother while she still had cell phone service. “Mom, it looks like I’m staying in Sweet Pepper a little longer than we planned.”

The Sweet
Pepper Difference

Sweet Pepper, Tennessee, grows the hottest, sweetest peppers in the world! It’s a combination of our soil and our proximity to the Smoky Mountains that makes our jalapeño peppers superior. Sweet, but with a bite that makes your eyes open. Not too hot—not too tame either.

These are some of the award-winning recipes from our annual pepper festival. Try a few, or some of your own, with our peppers. We’re sure you’ll agree that our peppers are the best! Enjoy!

Know Your Peppers

Because knowing the strength and taste of the peppers you use can make or break your meal, it’s best to know your peppers! This time, we’ll talk about the jalapeño.

The Jalapeño

The jalapeño is one of the most commonly used peppers in the United States. It is spicy but not overpowering. Jalapeños are usually red or green and are about two to three inches long. Their Scoville Heat Index (pepper ranking from hottest to mildest) is 5,000, which is somewhere in the midrange. These peppers can be added for an extra zing without offending the palate.

Recipes

ERIC AND STELLA’S CANDIED HOT PEPPERS

These are good on their own or as a garnish for everything from ice cream to chocolate cake!

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1
⁄
4
teaspoon ground cardamom

2 large mild or medium-hot red chili peppers

Preheat oven to 325
°
F.

In a small saucepan, mix together the water, sugar, and cardamom. Bring the mixture to a simmer over very low heat and let cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers. Thinly slice the peppers horizontally into rings. Add the pepper slices to the syrup and cook on low for about 15 minutes. Drain the syrup and put the peppers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cook in an oven on low for about 30 minutes or until the peppers are crisp.

These store well in a covered container for a long time. They are spicy and sweet with just the right amount of bite!

SWEET STUFFED PEPPERS

12 jalapeño peppers

1 pound ricotta cheese

1 cup sugar

1
⁄
4
cup semisweet chocolate chips or candied fruit

1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate syrup

If using fresh peppers, wash them and cut off the tops about
1
⁄
2
inch down from the base of the stem. Clean out the seeds and ribs. (You can buy our peppers already prepared in this way in some produce sections.)

For the filling: In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, sugar, and chocolate chips or candied fruit. Stir in the vanilla. Fill the peppers with the ricotta mixture—it’s best to use a pastry bag for this.

Swirl chocolate syrup over the filled peppers and enjoy!

SPICY BROWNIES

1
⁄
2
cup butter

2
⁄
3
cup semisweet chocolate chips

4 large eggs

1
⁄
2
teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1
1
⁄
4
cups all-purpose flour

1
⁄
4
cup unsweetened cocoa powder

5 jalapeño peppers

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil.

Melt the butter and chocolate chips together in a microwave safe bowl, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Blend all the ingredients together. Dice the peppers and fold them into the batter. Pour the melted butter and chocolate into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well. Put the batter into the greased pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is firm to the touch.

SWEET JALAPEÑO RELISH

This is a dish best served cold.

5 jalapeño peppers, chopped, with seeds removed

1 cup chopped sweet green peppers

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup sugar

1 6-ounce bottle of fruit pectin, such as Sure-Jell Certo

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the fruit pectin, to thicken the mixture. Allow it to cool for at least one hour. Serve as you would any type of garnish.