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least not right now, so please don’t ask me.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Absolutely, but thanks for caring.”
    I knew when it was time to drop it. If and when Trish was ready to talk to me, I’d be there for her, but in the meantime, the worst thing I could do was push her if she wasn’t ready to talk yet. I tried to leave another tip to cover my portion of pie, but Trish wouldn’t let me get away with it. “Are you trying to hurt my feelings?” she asked the second she spotted the money.
    “We both know that I would never knowingly do that,” I said as I took it back.
    A teenager came to the register with his bill and said, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, either. Should I just keep this, too?”
    Trish snatched the cash out of his hand and rang up the sale. “You’d be amazed at how thick a skin I have sometimes, Tommy Jenkins.”
    As I left the diner, I was still worried about my friend, but what made it even worse was when I spotted the crime scene tape again.
    I knew that I had to deal with the blacksmith’s murder, but there was something even more urgent that I needed to do at that moment.
    I had to confront Gabby Williams about what she thought she’d seen before the entire town heard her rendition of what had happened earlier with James Settle. I wasn’t at all certain that I could get her to see the truth about what she’d witnessed, but I owed it to myself to at least try.

 
     
    KOOL-AID CAKE BITES
    When I heard about these donuts being served at our county fair, I had to try my own recipe. The taste, as well as the color, is BOLD! We love these, so if you’re feeling adventurous one day, try them!
    INGREDIENTS
    Mixed
    • 1 egg, lightly beaten
    • ¾ cup sugar, white granulated
    • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Sifted
    • 2 cups flour, unbleached all-purpose
    • 1 full packet of powdered unsweetened Kool-Aid mix, .13 oz. (we like Tropical Punch!)
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • Dash of salt
     
    • Canola oil for frying (the amount depends on your pot or fryer)
    INSTRUCTIONS
    In one bowl, beat the egg lightly, and then add the sugar, butter, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, Kool-Aid packet, baking powder, and salt.
    Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing well until you have a smooth consistency. It’s fun to do this one with your kids, because when you mix the dry and wet together, the colors go from bland to BRIGHT!
    Drop bits of dough using a small-sized cookie scoop (the size of your thumb, approximately). Fry in hot canola oil (360 to 370 degrees F) 1½ to 2 minutes, turning halfway through.
    Yield: 10–12 donut holes

 
    CHAPTER 3
    “Gabby, we need to talk,” I called out as I saw her duck back into her secondhand clothing shop, ReNEWed.
    “Suzanne, I don’t have anything to say to you,” she answered as she slammed the door to her shop in my face.
    This woman had clearly lost her mind. “Gabby, you know me,” I said through the door, hoping that she was still just on the other side of it. “Think about it. If the police believe me when I say that I’m innocent, how can you possibly think that I could have done it?”
    There was no response, and though I hated to play the next card, I really had no choice. Gabby was influential in our town, and I couldn’t afford to be on her bad side. “Let me ask you something. Who stood by you the last time you were accused of murder, when most of the other folks in April Springs turned their backs on you?”
    There was a pause, and then I heard the dead bolt unlock. Gabby opened the door and then stepped to one side so I could come in. I felt a little better being inside her shop, but I noticed that she still had her cell phone in one hand. Was she preparing to call the police at a moment’s notice? All around us, Gabby had the usual array of beautiful clothing for sale, but I wasn’t there to browse.
    “You were always on my side,” she reluctantly