Sweet Friend of Mine (A Sweet Cove Mystery Book 8) (13 page)

“
I
found
a house that Darren likes.” Betty sat next to Mr. Finch playing a board game with Jenna and Tom, and Chief Martin and his wife, Lucille, who sat across the table from them. Angie, Courtney, Rufus, Ellie and Jack played cards at the other end of the dining room table. The group had just finished a dinner of lentil loaf, meatloaf, grilled broccoli and carrots, and scalloped potatoes. Dessert would be served halfway though the game-playing. Euclid and Circe sat on the China cabinet licking their paws and wiping their faces, cleaning up after eating their meatloaf portions.

Betty went on. “The house is private and it looks over the beach down near Coveside. It’s perfect for him. He’s meeting with his accountant to discuss the investment and will call me later in the week.”

Darren and Lottie had already returned to Boston. Lottie’s last semester of her master’s degree classes was starting soon and Darren had a tour coming up in the spring that he and his band had to prepare for.

Henry Whitaker had been charged with the murder of Ryan Allen, his very best friend. On the night Ryan went missing, Henry stopped his car at the side of the road and walked down the slight slope to the ditch where Ryan and his father were arguing.

Henry had recently discovered that Ryan and Lottie were still dating. He felt betrayed and started to rant to Mr. Allen about how Ryan was with Lottie and that he was still playing and writing music with Darren. Mr. Allen had a fit and stormed away telling Ryan to find his own way home.

While Henry argued with Ryan, he admitted to stealing Lottie’s ring with the vine on it. Henry was wearing it on a chain around his neck. Ryan lunged for it and ripped it from Henry’s neck and Henry went crazy punching Ryan over and over. The medical examiner believes that Ryan had internal injuries from crashing his car in the ditch and that Henry made the injuries worse with the beating he gave his friend. Ryan’s injuries made him too weak to fight back. When Ryan succumbed and dropped to the frozen ground, Henry panicked. He carried his friend to his car and drove to the river where he deposited the body into the icy water.

The afternoon that Angie and Jenna ended up rescuing Lottie from Henry, Ellie returned home from running errands to find Euclid and Circe howling and running through the house. She knew her sisters must be in trouble so she called Chief Martin. The chief told Ellie he had just heard from Angie and was on his was to Francine’s house.

Before returning to Boston, Darren and Lottie, along with the Roseland sisters, Mr. Finch, and the two cats, drove to the river where Ryan’s body had been found to honor the memory of the young man. The day was clear and cold with a blazing blue sky overhead. One by one, each person stepped to the river and placed a long-stemmed yellow rose into the water. Yellow roses were chosen because they symbolized friendship and the joy that friends share with one another. As the flowers floated slowly down the river, Darren played guitar and he and Lottie sang their song,
Sweet Friend of Mine
.

There wasn’t a dry eye among them.

Before Darren left Sweet Cove, he told the sisters and Finch that Ryan was the best friend he would ever have. Mr. Finch nodded and said, “I believe that when you lose someone you love, you must hold them in your heart and never let them go.” Darren knew he would hold Ryan in his heart forever.

Jack removed a card from his hand and put it in the discard pile. “Too bad Josh didn’t get back in time for game night,” he said to Angie.

Angie took a playing card from the pile in the center of the table. “He’ll be back soon.”

Mr. Finch made eye contact with Angie and gave her an encouraging smile. He knew that she’d been fretting over her relationship with Josh Williams ever since she’d heard that the Sweet Cove Resort had been sold.

“So tomorrow we’re all going to meet here and head to the mountain.” Courtney had been able to arrange last minute accommodations for all of them at a ski resort a few hours from Sweet Cove. Everyone was able to rearrange their schedules for the short trip and they were all looking forward to several days away. “It wasn’t easy getting accommodations that would allow two cats.” Courtney smiled up at the two felines. “But I did it.”

“We couldn’t leave our furry friends at home.” Mr. Finch winked at the cats and they trilled.

Angie’s phone buzzed with an incoming text. After checking the message, she slipped the phone into her sweater pocket and stood up. “Josh just got back. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to the resort to see him.”

“Invite him to come here and play.” Ellie looked at the new card she’d lifted from the pile and added to her hand and she smiled.

“Maybe we’ll come back later.” Angie went to get her coat wondering if Josh wanted to tell her that he was moving away. With her body filling with dread, she picked up the keys to Jenna’s car from the foyer side table and headed for the door.

Parking the car in the lot of the resort, Angie couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the place. Snow was falling softly and as the flakes lazily drifted down from the night sky, they sparkled under the hotel lights. As Angie approached the resort’s front door, Josh opened it and stepped out wearing his heavy jacket.

“Angie.” He smiled and hugged her. “I thought we could walk around and go over to the park on the point for a little while.”

Angie agreed and they held hands as they walked across the snowy lawn while Josh talked uncharacteristically nonstop about his most recent trip. Angie glanced at the handsome man beside her and wondered why he seemed so nervous. When they reached one of the park benches that faced the cliff and the sea beyond, Josh used his hand to brush away the snow so that they could sit.

Sitting side by side, they stared up at the stars and then out to the dark, crashing ocean.

“I heard the case of the missing young man has been solved,” Josh said.

Angie didn’t tell him of the family’s involvement, deciding to share that information with him at another time.

Josh went on. “Sad, wasn’t it? It makes you really think about the people you surround yourself with, your family, your friends.” He reached for Angie’s hand. “I have some news. The ownership of the resort has changed hands.”

Angie swallowed. “Betty mentioned it.”

Josh turned on the seat so he could face Angie. “I worried she’d find out. I didn’t want to say anything to you until everything was settled.”

“So you’ll be moving away?” Angie managed to squeeze the words from her tight throat.

“What? No.” Josh looked at Angie. “I’m staying right here.”

Angie tilted her head to the side. “You’re staying?”

“My brother and I don’t always see eye to eye. Not in business and certainly not in life. I want to live the way that’s meaningful to me. He and I have been working for months to split our assets. We’ll continue to work on joint projects, but we’re now also going to work as individuals doing our own deals and running our own businesses.”

Hope flooded Angie’s body.

Josh said, “I’ve bought out my brother’s share of the resort. It belongs to me now.” He squeezed Angie’s hand. “And someday, I hope it will belong to
us
.”

Angie’s heart was ready to burst with happiness.

“I want to be here with you. I love you, Angie. You’re the best person I know.”

As a tiny glistening tear of joy ran down Angie’s cheek, she lifted her hand and placed it softly against Josh’s face. “I love you, too. More than you know.”

The phone in Angie’s pocket buzzed and she and Josh chuckled at the untimely interruption.

“You’d better check it.” Josh smiled. “Someone besides me might need you.”

Reluctantly, Angie took the phone out. “It’s Courtney. She says to ask you to come on the ski trip with all of us tomorrow.”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” Josh pulled his sweetheart close and kissed her under the sparkling stars and the gently-falling snowflakes that swirled softly in the air all around them.

I
NGREDIENTS

1 cup white sugar

½ cup salted butter

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk

2 cups All-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 cups blueberries

D
IRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9-inch loaf pan or place parchment paper over the bottom and up the sides so that the paper hangs over the sides to use as handles to lift the bread out after baking.

In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs, vanilla, and milk beating well after each addition.

Add the dry ingredients; beat well until nicely combined.

Add the blueberries – Gently mix by hand with a spatula – be careful not to crush the berries.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan.

Bake for 60-75 minutes.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the bread.

I
NGREDIENTS

12 enchilada tortillas

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped

1 sweet red pepper, diced

1 large tomato, diced

1 teaspoon chili powder

12 ounce can of corn, drained

16 ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

8 ounce jar of taco sauce

¾ - 1 cup of shredded cheese (your choice of cheese)

D
IRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in the oven for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat.

Add onion and red pepper and cook for 3 minutes.

Add chili powder and stir for 2 more minutes.

Add the tomato and stir for 2-3 more minutes.

Add corn and beans, and salt and pepper to taste; Remove from the heat and stir to combine all the ingredients.

Grease a large baking dish.

Place ¼ cup of filling onto 1 warm tortilla – roll up and place seam-side down in the baking dish.

Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.

Spoon taco sauce over the tortillas.

Sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts.

You may sprinkle a bit more cheese on top after removing the baking dish from the oven.

Serve and Enjoy !

I
NGREDIENTS

2 8-ounce cans lentils

1 small onion, diced

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup grated cheese (your choice of cheese)

1 egg, beaten

4-5 ounces spaghetti sauce

1½ teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 Tablespoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

D
IRECTIONS

Drain the cans of lentils.

Place lentils into a bowl and partially mash.

Stir in onion, oats, and cheese until well-combined.

Add egg, tomato sauce, garlic, basil, parsley, salt and pepper and combine.

Spoon into a well-greased loaf pan.

Using the back of a large spoon, smooth the top of the loaf.

Bake for 30-45 minutes until the top of the loaf is firm and golden brown.

After baking, run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan.

Turn loaf onto a serving dish or platter.

Enjoy!

I
NGREDIENTS

1 cup shelled pistachios

1½ cups white sugar

¾ cup All-purpose flour

¾ cup cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

4 large eggs

⅔ cup milk, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

D
IRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

Blend pistachios and ½ cup sugar in a blender until finely ground.

Sift together All-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

Beat 1 cup sugar and butter together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.

Beat 1 egg at a time into the creamy butter-sugar mixture, combining well.

Stir milk and vanilla together in a small bowl.

Alternate stirring the flour mixture and the milk mixture (small amounts at a time) into the butter mixture – stir until it forms into a batter.

Fold the ground pistachios into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups – each about 2/3 full.

Bake in the preheated oven until toothpick inserted into the center come out clean – 15-19 minutes.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.