“Stay down!” Brenda shouted as she swung a lamp down against the top of his head. The man’s body jolted, then collapsed against the floor. “Is he dead?” Brenda gasped as she stared down at him.
“No, just knocked out.” Joyce grabbed her hand. “He’s not going to stay that way for long, we have to get out of here.”
“Maybe we should tie him up?” Brenda looked around for something that would hold him.
“No, there’s no time. If he wakes up he’ll overpower us.”
“Should I hit him again?” Brenda winced.
“It’s not necessary, Brenda, we just need to get back to the car. I’ll call for help!” Joyce pulled out her phone, only to find it had no signal. But it had at the car. “Hurry, we just have to get to the car.”
“Joyce!” Brenda followed after her. “I found some white powder in the closet. I think it’s the poison!”
“Good, that might be the evidence Arthur needs, but we have to get out of here alive.”
As they bolted through the door, a shout came from the bedroom.
“He’s already awake!” Brenda gasped. “He’s going to catch us if we run towards the car, he’ll see us.”
“There’s only one other option.” Joyce looked towards the field of trees that spread out behind the farmhouse. An icy breeze made her shiver. It wasn’t wise to go into the woods, as the sun was setting on a winter’s night, but it also wasn’t wise to be in view of a murderer. “Run, Brenda!”
They held hands as they ran towards the trees. Within moments they were past the tree line and deeper into the woods.
Brenda tried to get her bearings, to direct them towards town, but no matter where she turned, she saw the same towering trees.
“Joyce, I don’t know where to go.” She squeezed her friend’s hand.
“It doesn’t matter, just keep running.” Joyce tugged her forward, deeper into the woods.
“But we won’t be able to survive out here. It’s freezing, and the sun is setting!”
“Our only other choice is to head towards that curl of smoke.” Joyce paused long enough to jab her finger in the direction of the farmhouse they’d just fled. “If you think that’s a wise idea, then maybe I was wrong about your instincts!”
“Shh!” Brenda squeezed her hand as panic seized her chest. “Someone’s coming.”
“Is it him?” Joyce whispered as she huddled close to Brenda. Then she could hear it, too. It was a subtle crunching of the leaves as he walked. She could barely take a breath as she realized that he may have already spotted them.
It seemed to take hours for a few seconds to pass. Gray’s massive frame sauntered right beside them, but the light from the sun had faded, and they were well hidden by the trees. As he continued on, Joyce closed her eyes.
“He went past.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “But who knows how long it will be before he comes back?”
“I don’t know, but this is our chance. He’s away from the house, and he probably won’t return to it for quite some time. He is going to hunt for us. He’s not going to expect us to head back that way.”
“If we can make it back to the farmhouse we might be able to get a call out on the landline, if there is one. I have no signal here. Do you?”
“No, nothing.” Brenda blinked back tears. “Should we try for the car?” She reached into her pocket in search of her keys, but found nothing. “Oh no, Joyce, I think I must have dropped the keys somewhere.”
“It’s okay, we’re going to get through this.” She hugged her friend. “Let’s head back to the farmhouse. The sooner we can call for help, the better.”
As they approached the edge of the tree line, Joyce spotted a figure. It was too dark to make it out. She and Brenda froze.
“Who do you think it is?” Brenda whispered.
“Joyce? Brenda? Are you out there?” Arthur’s voice drifted through the trees.
Joyce started to step forward, but Brenda pulled her back.
“Wait. How would he know we were here?”
Joyce considered the possibility for a moment, then shook her head.
“No. I trust him, Brenda. Hurry!” She pulled her towards Arthur. “Arthur! We’re here!” She kept her voice low as she didn’t want to alert Gray.
“There you are!” Gray’s voice boomed from a few steps behind them.
“Run!” Brenda pushed Joyce forward towards Arthur.
Gray grabbed Brenda’s shoulder and tugged her hard towards him just as she stepped outside of the tree line. She shrieked as she felt his strong hand threaten to break her bones. Then there was a loud bang. It made every muscle in her body jerk.
Gray groaned and crumpled to the ground.
“Brenda!” Joyce reached for her. “Are you okay?”
Dazed, Brenda looked back at the man on the ground. He’d been shot in the knee. As he rolled back and forth in pain, Arthur approached him with his gun still drawn. He kept the weapon trained on him as he barked orders into his radio for backup.
“I think the poison is in the house, Detective.” Brenda stared into his eyes. “It wasn’t me.”
“I know, Brenda.” He studied her with a frown. “I know.”
As Joyce wrapped her arms around Brenda, she offered a small smile of gratitude to Arthur.
“It’s okay. We’re safe, now. We’re safe.”
As the dark, frigid night lit up with flashing lights of approaching police vehicles, Joyce held on to her friend.
Over the next hour they answered lots of questions, and Charlie arrived to see his wife.
“How could you do something so dangerous?” He cupped her cheeks as he looked into her eyes. “Brenda, why didn’t you call me?”
“Charlie, it’s okay, I’m okay. But please, I really want to see Sophie. I want to see my daughter.”
“Okay, okay.” He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go. We can start our holiday early.”
Joyce shivered as she looked towards the farmhouse, which was crawling with police officers.
“All of us.” Brenda took her hand. “Come with us, Joyce, we can spend Christmas together and give all of this time to blow over.”
Joyce started to refuse. She never liked to intrude, but the look in Brenda’s eyes filled her with warmth. Maybe her husband was gone and her kids were away, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a family waiting to spend the holidays with her. As she walked towards Charlie’s car with them, Arthur jogged up to her.
“More questions?” She looked over at him with an exhausted frown.
“No. I just want you to know that thanks to you, Gray, or should I say Paxton Jones, will never see the outside of a prison cell. His father died in prison and he blamed Jerry for his death because he ratted on him. I looked into him, but I wasn’t able to link him to Jerry until today. We found the poison. When Jerry came to the vendors meeting, he saw him and recognized him. Gray couldn’t believe his luck.”
“Jerry must have recognized him or at least seen him loitering around the bakery. He was obviously worried, so he got the cameras.”
“Yes, I think so. Gray recognized Jerry and he decided to take revenge and place you guys in the firing line. He overheard Mark mention that he got the donuts for Jerry to try and he snuck into the bakery and sprinkled the poison over the donuts.” He looked at his hands. “I only wish I could have stopped all of this before it started.”
“You did what you could, Arthur.” She patted his cheek. “You saved us both. Brenda and I never would have made it out of there alive if you hadn’t shown up. How did you know?”
“I was waiting on some information from some locals and I figured out Gray’s connection to Jerry. The lead on Orville was a dead-end and then Gray didn’t show up for our meeting. Then I tried to reach you, and Brenda. Neither call would go through. My instincts told me that you had used me as a distraction, and I assumed that you were at the farmhouse.” He stared into her eyes. “It was just a hunch. Then I saw your car.”
&n
bsp; “You have great instincts, Arthur Crackle.” She smiled. “Merry Christmas, Detective.”
“Merry Christmas, Joyce.”
Two days later, Joyce sat on a couch in a friend’s living room in front of a giant, over-decorated tree, and listened to the squeal of a little girl who believed in Santa. She watched as Charlie and Brenda fawned over Sophie. It was a moment that could have turned out to be far different. Her gaze wandered to the large living room window as she thought of Detective Crackle and what kind of holiday he might be having. Outside, the yard, and the street were blanketed in snow. The Christmas lights that adorned the houses in the neighborhood, sparkled against the pristine white world. The sight of it took her breath away.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Sophie slipped her hand into hers. She’d abandoned her pile of toys. “Want to build a snowman?”
For a split-second she thought about the cold, and the ache it might cause in her joints, but those thoughts passed in the glimmer of Sophie’s eyes.
“Oh yes, let’s do it!” She laughed as she followed her outside. The whole family joined in to make the snowman. Joyce took a step back and snapped a photograph of the moment. She sent it in a text to Detective Crackle, and wished him a Merry Christmas. He sent back a picture of his feet propped up by a fire, beside a cup of hot chocolate, and wished her the same. Despite the chilly temperatures, she felt a warmth grow within her.
Finally, the magic of the holidays had arrived, and as Brenda slipped her hand into Joyce’s, she felt all of the stress of the past week fade away. She was ready to enjoy the holidays.
The End
***
Thank you very much for reading Fatal Festive Donuts. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. The next book in the series Bunny Donuts and a Body is available now. You can sign up for my cozy mystery newsletter to be notified of my latest releases so you don’t miss out on the special new release price at
http://www.cindybellbooks.com
Also by Cindy Bell
Donut Truck Cozy Mysteries
Deadly Deals and Donuts
Fatal Festive Donuts
Bunny Donuts and a Body
Strawberry Donuts and Scandal
Sage Gardens Cozy Mysteries
Birthdays Can Be Deadly
Money Can Be Deadly
Trust Can Be Deadly
Ties Can Be Deadly
Rocks Can Be Deadly
Jewelry Can Be Deadly
Numbers Can Be Deadly
Memories Can Be Deadly
Paintings Can Be Deadly
Snow Can Be Deadly
Tea Can Be Deadly
Greed Can Be Deadly
Clutter Can Be Deadly
Wagging Tail Cozy Mysteries
Murder at Pooch Park
Murder at the Pet Boutique
Chocolate Centered Cozy Mysteries
The Sweet Smell of Murder
A Deadly Delicious Delivery
A Bitter Sweet Murder
A Treacherous Tasty Trail
Pastry and Peril
Trouble and Treats
Fudge Films and Felonies
Custom-Made Murder
Skydiving, Soufflés and Sabotage
Christmas Chocolates and Crimes
Hot Chocolate and Homicide
Chocolate Caramels and Conmen
Picnics, Pies and Lies
Dune House Cozy Mysteries
Seaside Secrets
Boats and Bad Guys
Treasured History
Hidden Hideaways
Dodgy Dealings
Suspects and Surprises
Ruffled Feathers
A Fishy Discovery
Danger in the Depths
Celebrities and Chaos
Pups, Pilots and Peril
Tides, Trails and Trouble
Racing and Robberies
Athletes and Alibis
Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mysteries
Hairspray and Homicide
A Dyed Blonde and a Dead Body
Mascara and Murder
Pageant and Poison
Conditioner and a Corpse
Mistletoe, Makeup and Murder
Hairpin, Hair Dryer and Homicide
Blush, a Bride and a Body
Shampoo and a Stiff
Cosmetics, a Cruise and a Killer
Lipstick, a Long Iron and Lifeless
Camping, Concealer and Criminals
Treated and Dyed
A Wrinkle-Free Murder
A Macaron Patisserie Cozy Mystery Series
Sifting for Suspects
Recipes and Revenge
Mansions, Macarons and Murder
Nuts About Nuts Cozy Mysteries
A Tough Case to Crack
A Seed of Doubt
Roasted Penuts and Peril
Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mysteries
Murdering the Roses
Dead in the Daisies
Killing the Carnations
Drowning the Daffodils
Suffocating the Sunflowers
Books, Bullets and Blooms
A Deadly Serious Gardening Contest
A Bridal Bouquet and a Body
Digging for Dirt
Wendy the Wedding Planner Cozy Mysteries
Matrimony, Money and Murder
Chefs, Ceremonies and Crimes
Knives and Nuptials
Mice, Marriage and Murder
Cindy Bell is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author. She is the author of the cozy mystery series Wagging Tail, Donut Truck, Dune House, Sage Gardens, Chocolate Centered, Macaron Patisserie, Nuts about Nuts, Bekki the Beautician, Heavenly Highland Inn and Wendy the Wedding Planner.
Cindy has always loved reading, but it is only recently that she has discovered her passion for writing romantic cozy mysteries. She loves walking along the beach thinking of the next adventure her characters can embark on.
You can sign up for her newsletter so you are notified of her latest releases at http://www.cindybellbooks.com.
Baked Gingerbread Donuts with Ginger Glaze
I have included recipes for both ginger glaze with sprinkles and a red, white and green glaze with ginger. You can use one or the other or make a mixture, depending on what you prefer.
Ingredients:
Donuts:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons golden syrup
Ginger Glaze with Sprinkles:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/8 cup milk plus extra to thin the glaze if necessary
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Red, white and green sprinkles for decorating
Red, White and Green Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/8 cup milk plus extra to thin the glaze if necessary
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Red gel food coloring
Green gel food coloring
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 6-hole donut pan.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into a bowl. Add the brown sugar and mix together.
In another bowl mix together the melted butter, buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract and golden syrup.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Don’t overmix, the mixture will be a bit lumpy.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared donut pan.
Bake for 12-14 m
inutes. The donuts are ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
To prepare the ginger glaze with sprinkles, whisk the sugar, milk and ground ginger in a bowl until well-combined. Add extra milk to thin the mixture if necessary.
When the donuts are cool, dip one side into the glaze and move around until the side is covered.
Sprinkle the glazed side with the red, white and green sprinkles and leave to set on a cooling rack.
To prepare the red, white and green glaze whisk the sugar and milk in a bowl. Use extra milk to thin the mixture if necessary.
When the donuts are cool, dip one side into the glaze and move around until the side is covered.
Take the remaining glaze and mix in the ground ginger. Divide the glaze into two. Using a couple of drops of food coloring dye one portion red and the other green.
Using a spoon, drizzle each color over the glazed donut. Leave aside to cool.
Enjoy!