Becklaw's Murder Mystery Tour (Jo Anderson Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

that and the soup. The main course, though, almost blew my gastronomical expectations clear out of the water.
    From the covered baking dish that Derek carried from the kitchen emanated the most tantalizing odors, and I discovered that I still had quite the appetite. Carefully placing the dish on the pizza stone that served as a table protector, Derek lifted the lid, stepping back a bit to let us savor the rosemary-scented steam.
    ‘It’s my version of raspberry-glazed chicken breasts,’ he announced. I could see that he was struggling to keep the pride off of his face. Heck, if I could cook like that, I wouldn’t care if I looked a bit full of myself!
    ‘Derek, that looks absolutely divine. May I ask what’s in it?’ Miss Bea held out her plate for the first portion, and we all waited to hear what he had to say.
    ‘Well, it’s simply chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, of course, rubbed with rosemary, oregano, and sage then baked with a honey, mustard, and raspberry glaze. Not too difficult. Do you like it, Miss Bea?’ We watched her take the first bite, then close her eyes in rapture.
    ‘Mmmm,’ was all we could hear, and Derek finally allowed himself a big grin. We feasted that night. Unbelievably, there was still a side dish of rice pilaf, delicately flavored with something citrus – lemon zest, I think – and a dessert that almost brought me to tears. A large pizza pan filled with chocolate chip cookie dough, baked just until the edges were set and the middle still gooey, was placed on the table. Derek had topped this with many scoops of vanilla ice cream, then drizzled the entire concoction with fudge sauce and slivered almonds. We all ate out of that one pan, doing battle for chunks of cookie dough with our spoons.
    It was a light-hearted conclusion to a very busy day.

Chapter Five
    The morning came extremely early, or at least it seemed that way to me. I had stayed up later than usual, writing a long-overdue letter home to my mother and a few notes to various brothers and cousins. To Neva, I sent a postcard with an old cowboy on the front with a balloon thing coming out of his mouth that said, ‘You ain’t seen nuttin’ yet!’ It made absolutely no sense to me, and I knew that was precisely the type of card that would tickle Neva pink. She did have a very wacky sense of humor at times.
    Since we had packed the station wagon the night before, there was nothing to do but shower, eat a hasty breakfast, and hit the road. Miss Bea climbed into her customary position as driver, and Derek, who seemed to have an innate compass in his head, took over as Chief Navigator and Map Reader. I sat behind Miss Bea, with LJ crammed in between me and Leslie. For some reason, LJ didn’t like sitting near a car door, and since Leslie didn’t care for the middle, they were a perfectly matched set.
    It really did take all kinds to make the world go ’round.
    We left our woodsy neighborhood and began the trek to Manchester, Colorado, whose population was 9,035 and growing. A quick check of the Weather Channel had shown today’s temperature would be 38 degrees with an overcast sky, which still seemed a bit odd to me. I guess I still measured most places against Piney Woods, Louisiana. Here, I had on a pair of jeans, an LSU sweatshirt over a long-sleeved T, and a heavy jacket. Back home, I’d have tossed on a pair of shorts and a tank top.
    We headed up Highway 25 at a north-eastern angle, according to the map. The aspens that populated the Copper area gave way to spruces and firs, open meadows of golden rod and asters, and a variety of local wildlife. With wild animal experiences not at the top of my list, I wasn’t too keen on looking, but the others ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ over brief glimpses of deer and squirrels, coyotes, and even a fox or two. I kept my eyes averted, not wanting to add these creatures to my mice and raccoon nightmares.
    Around ten o’clock, we pulled into a small town with the name of Big