I didn’t even have to apologize for the bullet-ridden condition of his trailer. George would replace a few windows and it would be just as good as anything else Walter owned.
Blaze was doing well, back at home with Mary, worrying about the mess Dickey must be making of the town’s law enforcement. So he’s recovering. The family expects some ups and downs. I don’t want to be the one to tell Blaze that he might not be up to sheriffing ever again, that retirement came earlier than he expected. All he used to talk about was retiring, now all he cares about is getting back to work.
If nothing else, he can join the Trouble Busters. We could use a former law officer on the team.
The river brought back some good memories. I closed my eyes and heard my kids laughing and running along the bank, skipping stones and dipping bamboo poles in between the rocks hoping for a hit. We had a wicker creel basket filled with rainbow trout that I liked to pan fry after rolling them in a flour and cornmeal mix.
I stood up and gave the river one last look before heading home.
Fred came running to greet me when I pulled into my driveway. The guinea hens flapped angrily behind him just like always. Cora Mae and Kitty arrived, and we took a slow walk down the road like the doctors advised for Kitty’s recovery.
“I missed the whole darn thing,” she said, walking slow as a turtle. “I could have been a big help.”
“I was in jail through most of it,” Cora Mae told her. “Poor Gertie. You had to solve the case all by yourself.”
“The Trouble Busters will be back in business soon,” I said. “You’ll have lots of time for adventures. Right now we have to recover our strength by being peripatetic.” My eyes slid over to Kitty. This was the test to see how well she really was.
Kitty, shuffling along in the middle, smiled and put one arm around Cora Mae and the other over my shoulder. “We’re a chockablock team,” she said. “We can surmount any acme.”
I pretended like I understood her by nodding my head and smiling back. I wondered where I’d left my dictionary. I’d need it, if she was this good while she was still recovering.
When we got back to the house, Pearl was inside with Grandma Johnson, helping her get ready for Tony Lento’s funeral.
“Which hat should I wear?” Grandma said, trying to chose between two old lady hats.
“The blue one goes best with your hair,” Pearl offered.
“Don’t let that dog in the house,” Grandma shouted at Kitty, who was the last one coming in. My mother-in-law had resumed her position of power. “And, Gertie, don’t mess up the kitchen while I’m gone.”
Grandma Johnson and I were back to our constant battle over kitchen dominance, but it felt good to have everyone together again, even with all their quirks.
And later George was coming over for a sauna and whatever else came to mind.
Grandma plopped the blue hat on her head and was almost out the door, when she turned back. “I almost forgot. I’m so used to your wild ways and me an old woman.”
“What now?” I asked.
“Blaze called while you were out for your walk. The sheriff’s truck was pulled out of Thunder Lake.”
I’d forgotten all about that truck. But Walter had done the deed, not me.
“Your fingerprints are all over it,” Grandma continued, watching me with beady, knowing eyes.
“That’s impossible,” I said, cool and calm, with the authority and experience that comes with owning your own private eye business. Underneath my hard exterior, I was sweating bullets, trying to figure out if fingerprints could really stick to a vehicle if it was submerged.
“He’s fighting mad right along with Dickie Snell,” Grandma said, clacking her false teeth. “Wouldn’t surprise me if they showed up with a warrant for your arrest.”
After Grandma Johnson and Pearl pulled away and Kitty and Cora Mae drove off in the other direction, I packed a few belongings, called my dog, and ran for the woods.
RECIPES
Pea soup is one of the oldest traditional dishes in Sweden dating back to Viking times. Grandma Johnson makes it with pig’s feet, but I like to use ham hocks. Serve it with a dessert of Swedish pancakes topped with preserves. Wash it down with beer.
Serves four
2 cups dried yellow peas
2 quarts of water
2 ham hocks
1 large onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
Marjoram
Mustard
In a big pot, soak the peas in the water overnight. Add everything else except the mustard. Cook for one hour or until the peas are soft. Scrap the meat from the hock. Add more water if the soup is too thick. Serve with mustard on the rim of the soup bowl.
We always had great fun pulling taffy. Ours is even better than the stuff on Mackinac Island. We didn’t have a candy thermometer when my kids were young. We sized it up the old fashioned way, by dropping a small dab into cold water and rolling it around to see if it formed a soft ball. You’ll get the hang of it.
1 bottle white corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Boil the corn syrup and sugar until it forms a soft ball when a small amount is dropped into cold water. Add vanilla. Pour into a buttered pan and cool it just enough to handle it. Butter your hands. Pull until it’s white and stiff. The taffy can be divided into pieces so everyone can pull. When done, pull into long ropes, let it harden on waxed paper, and cut it into pieces with scissors.
Note: Make butterscotch taffy by using dark corn syrup instead of white.
We all own grinders with ½ inch stuffing attachments. Don’t you? If not, you’ll have to find a Yooper and borrow the equipment. You can get sausage casings in the meat department at your favorite grocery store.
1 pound ground pork
2 pounds ground venison
1 pound ground beef
6 potatoes, finely ground
2 onions
1 teaspoon allspice
Salt
Pepper
1 package of sausage casings
Mix all ingredients, stuff with grinder attachment. Drop the sausages into boiling water. Cook for 30 minutes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deb Baker grew up in the Michigan Upper Peninsula with the Finns and Swedes portrayed in The Gertie Johnson Murder Mysteries. She makes her home in Wisconsin now, but visits her family “camp” as often as possible. Visit Deb's Website
