Murder Gets a Life (21 page)

“Y
ou let me know everything that happens, now, as soon as it happens,” Haley said the next morning as we were waiting for their plane to be called. “And how Ray’s doing. We’ve got a phone in the apartment. I’ll call you as soon as we get there and give you the number, and Philip’s got e-mail at the university. Or you can fax us. I’ll give you that number, too, when I call.”

“Ray’s going to be okay,” Sister said. “I think he’s feeling right now like he stepped in a bed of fire ants, but he’s going to be fine. He says he’s going back to Bora Bora soon as he can. Without Sunshine, of course.”

“Think she’s in much trouble?” Philip asked.

Sister shook her head. “Nothing she won’t slide right out of.”

“I’m just glad Meemaw and Pawpaw are okay,” I said. “I was so relieved when the sheriff called and said they were in Muscle Shoals.”

“Pawpaw’ll probably slide right out, too,” Sister said. “You watch.”

The man was a smuggler, had kidnapped us and
left us to die. But, for Meemaw’s sake, I was hoping her old stud muffin did get off light. He had refused to leave without Meemaw and, in my book, that earned him a lot of points. As for Kerrigan and Buck, I hoped they threw the book at them. And they probably would. And Toddy? I thought of the pleasant, handsome young man in the antique store. I hoped he sang like a bird for the authorities. Toddy in prison was not something one wanted to picture.

“If you’ve forgotten anything, I’ll mail it,” I promised. “And Muffin will be fine.”

Philip shook hands with Fred. “I’ll take good care of Haley.”

“Your uncle took good care of me,” Sister said. “Of course he died real early. He had a mint of insurance, though. A mint. It never hurts to have a lot of insurance. You know?”

Philip laughed. “I’ll take care of it, Aunt Sister.”

“Where’s Ray this morning?” Haley asked. “I was hoping he’d be here.”

“I didn’t wake him up. At three o’clock, he was still in the den watching TV.”

“Well, I’m so sorry about Sunshine and the whole mess,” Haley said.

“I wish we’d gotten the chance to see her fly-fishing and dancing,” Fred said. I looked to see if he was serious; he was.

The plane was announced, and there were the last hugs, the last kisses, the last promises to take care of Muffin. And then our Haley was gone with her new husband to a foreign country.

We walked back through the airport slowly. “Let’s stop and get something to drink,” Sister said. “There’s something I want to show you.”

We sat in an Orange Julius booth. Fred held my hand.

“Here,” Sister said, handing us an envelope.

“What’s this?” Fred asked, taking it.

“Your Christmas present. Open it.”

He handed it to me.

But Sister was telling us what it was before I could get it open. “We’re going to spend Christmas in Warsaw. It’s tickets on the Concorde, three seats together. They’re little, but, Mouse, you’re little, and, Fred, you and I can scrunch up. We’ll be over the Atlantic in nothing flat. And then we’ve got two whole weeks in Warsaw, the three of us. I’ve got all sorts of stuff planned for us to do besides seeing Haley and Nephew. We’ll go to museums and concerts and on day tours. Won’t it be wonderful? Can you think of anything more exciting?”

“It’s wonderful,” I agreed. “Thank you, Sister.” I kicked Fred, who was thinking.

Over the noise of the Orange Julius, we could hear the roar of a plane taking off. Haley.

Fred rubbed his leg and smiled. “I can’t wait.”

Henry wishes to thank Mary Jo Deaver for this recipe.

Dissolve yeast in water. Cream butter and sugar. Add yeast, eggs, oregano, basil, cheddar cheese, dried tomatoes, and milk to the butter and sugar mixture. Add flour and salt. Knead 5 to 8 minutes on floured board; place dough in a greased bowl,
covered; put in warm place and allow to rise one hour or until doubled.

Stir down risen dough, turn onto a lightly floured surface, and form into smooth loaf. Divide into about 36 balls, each the size of a large walnut.

With a finger, punch a hole in the center of each ball and put either one pimento-stuffed olive or a chunk of feta cheese in each hole; pinch closed. Place 2 balls, pinched side down, in each cup of a greased muffin tin. Mix the extra egg white with 1 T. water and brush it on the tops of the buns. Allow to rise 45 minutes to an hour until almost doubled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 7 minutes; brush again with egg-white mixture and bake another 7–8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Yield: 18 buns