Murdered by Prejudice: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Series Read online

  “Oh, Cal. I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my life,” Liz said in a trembling voice as she turned around. “How did you know?”

  “I’ll tell you all about it later, but first I want you to go inside and get Roger. Tell him I need him and his gun. Go.”

  Liz ran into the house and down the steps to their apartment. She hurried into the bedroom and lightly shook Roger. “Roger, don’t ask any questions. Cal has Bryce Doheny in back with Rebel. He needs you and your gun.”

  Without a word Roger pulled on his jeans, took his gun out of his briefcase, and ran up the stairs, Liz following. He hurried out of the kitchen door and said, “What do you want me to do, Cal?”

  “I want you to train your gun on him while I call my two agents who are watching Omar’s house. Any potential threat against him is over. They can come here and take him to jail.”

  Twenty minutes later the agents had handcuffed Bryce, read him his Miranda rights, and were on their way to San Francisco with him in the back seat of their car.

  As they drove down the lane to the main road, Liz said, “Okay Cal, how did you know where I was and that Bryce would be there?”

  “When I rang the bell for Brandy Boy, I noticed something, a movement out of the corner of my eye. Given everything that had happened lately, and with all the training I’ve had, I try not to overlook anything. It’s a moonlit night, and I didn’t want to be seen, so I went over to the trees and used them for cover. I saw Winston frantically sniffing the ground. I made a tsk tsk noise and motioned for him to come over to me.

  “He picked up Bryce’s scent. Right?”

  “Yes. I pointed to the ground and whispered, “Get him, Winston,” and he took off and headed towards the cliff. I just followed. I saw you standing there, and a few minutes later I saw Doheny. I waited while he was talking, and I recorded the conversation for evidence. When I thought he was nearing the end of his conversation, I decided it was time to act. I gave Winston a hand signal and whispered the word ‘attack.’ I knew Bryce wouldn’t be able to hear me because he was busy talking in a loud voice as he ranted and raved about minorities. You know the rest.”

  Roger was standing with his arm around Liz and said, “So once again, that lazy dog, Brandy Boy, saves the day. This is the second time, Liz. Glad you and Judy decided to have a brandy, Cal. I hate to think what I’d be doing now if you hadn’t.”

  “Speaking of which, I’m sure Judy is wondering what happened to me. I told her something was wrong and to stay where she was. It’s been almost an hour. She’s probably frantic about now. I’ll go to her cottage and tell her, plus I really could use that brandy about now,” he said as he started walking towards her cottage.

  “And you, Liz, would you like a brandy?” Roger asked.

  “No, I want my bed. I don’t know when I’ve been this tired, and quite frankly, I think I’m in a little bit of shock.”

  “To be expected, love. By the way, your phone has rung several times. You might want to check it. Could be one of your kids.”

  “Will do.” They brought Winston into the house and gave him a big dog treat with the promise of a steak tomorrow, then they went downstairs. Liz took her phone out of her purse and saw there had been several calls from an unknown caller.

  She pressed the number into her phone and when it was answered, said, “This is Liz Lucas. Someone from this number has been trying to reach me.”

  “Oh, Liz, thank heavens. Are you all right? This is Jessie.”

  “Yes, Jessie, I’m fine, but the question is, how are you? I hear that Bryce threatened you earlier tonight, but I want to tell you that he’s been arrested, and he’s on his way to San Francisco in the custody of the FBI. You’re safe, Jessie. He’ll never threaten you again. Here’s what happened.”

  The only sound from the other end of the phone was that of Jessie sobbing. After a few minutes she said, “I’m so glad you’re alright. I’ve been worried sick ever since he left. Now the nightmare is over, and I can have a life again. I didn’t want to tell you and that FBI guy, but Bryce has been sending me threatening letters ever since I divorced him. That’s why I let him stay here. I was so afraid.”

  “Jessie, do you have those letters?”

  “Yes, I thought sometime they might come in handy and they’re weird. Each one has an American Eagle on it at the bottom.”

  “I think they could be used as evidence in the case against Bryce,” Liz said. “Any chance I could pick them up from you tomorrow?”

  “Sure. Tomorrow’s my day off, so that would be fine. Just let me know what time you’ll be here.”

  “Quite frankly, Jessie, at this point, I barely know my own name. Let me call you tomorrow when I’ll be a little more coherent, and again, I’m glad you’re safe.”

  “And I’m glad you’re safe,” Jessie said as they ended the call.

  A few minutes later Liz was fast asleep. When she woke up at 3:00 a.m. and went to the bathroom, she decided to open the door to their bedroom and make sure Cal had turned the downstairs lights off. She remembered that she’d planned on doing that earlier, but she forgotten after she’d made the call to Jessie.

  She looked out in the hall and saw that all the lights were still on. She could also see lights coming from under the door of the guest room, the room where Cal was staying, which meant he’d never come back to his room.

  When she got back in bed, Roger opened his eyes and said, “Everything okay?”

  “Yes, but I don’t think Cal came back to his room last night. Do you think he’s spending the night with Judy?”

  “Liz, they are adults, middle-aged adults. If they want to spend the night together, it’s none of our concern. Now go back to sleep.”

  As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered where she could get the pheromone perfume that Judy must use.

  RECIPES

  SEVEN LAYER DESSERT

  Ingredients:

  ½ cup butter, unsalted (1 cube) and melted

  1 cup graham cracker crumbs

  14 oz. bag coconut flakes

  12 oz. pkg. butterscotch chips

  12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

  1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

  1 ½ cup chopped pecans

  Directions:

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer in order in a 13” x 9” glass pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool on rack for 1 hour and cut in squares. Enjoy!

  PROSCIUTTO AND MELON SALAD WITH CANTALOUPE VINAIGRETTE

  Ingredients:

  12 thin slices of cantaloupe

  12 thin slices of honeydew melon

  4 slices of prosciutto

  6 cups salad greens, shredded (your choice of greens)

  2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

  4 tsp. canola oil

  1 tsp. sugar

  ¼ tsp. sea salt

  Directions:

  Dressing: Combine vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and refrigerate.

  Assembly: Place 1 1/2 cups salad greens on each of four plates. Top with 3 slices of honeydew melon and cantaloupe on each plate. Place a slice of prosciutto on each serving and drizzle the dressing over them. Enjoy!

  BEEF STROGONOFF

  Ingredients:

  1 lb. sirloin beef cut into 1/4” slices (I have used stew meat)

  3 tbsp. flour

  2 tbsp. salad oil

  1 onion, chopped

  8 oz. fresh mushrooms, cleaned, bottoms pared, and sliced

  2 tbsp. chili sauce

  1 tsp. sea salt

  ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

  1 cup sour cream

  Directions:

  Place steak and flour in a plastic bag and shake to coat. Heat oil in a large frying pan and brown the beef slices. You will probably need to do this in a few batches. Remove the meat, add the onion, and sauté until soft.

  Return the meat to the pan. Stir in the mushrooms, chili sauce, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for about an hour or until the meat is tender.

  Just before serv
ing, put the sour cream into a small bowl and stir 1 cup of the meat and sauce mixture into the sour cream, then stir it back into meat mixture to heat. Serve and enjoy!

  NOTE: This is particularly good served over noodles or rice.

  SKILLET CHICKEN W/SUN-DRIED TOMATO SAUCE

  Ingredients:

  2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  5 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

  5 garlic cloves, minced

  1 tsp. Italian seasoning

  ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

  ½ cup dry white wine

  1 cup chicken broth (I use Better Than Bouillon concentrate)

  ¾ cup heavy cream

  ¾ cup oil packed, thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes

  ½ cup thinly sliced basil

  1 tsp. corn starch (diluted with ¼ cup water to thicken sauce)

  Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  Directions:

  Cut chicken breasts into serving sized pieces and pound to an even thickness with a meat mallet. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a large skillet. Add half the chicken, cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side.

  Remove from skillet and repeat with remaining half of chicken adding another 2 tbsp. butter. Remove from skillet and set aside. Melt remaining 1 tbsp. butter in skillet and add garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine and chicken broth. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in cream and tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Slowly stir in cornstarch slurry to thicken sauce. Return chicken to skillet. Stir in basil. Cook five more minutes. Enjoy!

  NOTE: Best served over noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.

  APPLESAUCE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE & HONEY FROSTING

  Ingredients: Cake

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

  1 tbsp. ground ginger

  1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

  2 tsp. baking soda

  2 eggs, beaten

  ½ cup sugar

  ½ buttermilk

  1 ½ cups unsweetened applesauce (I like Mott’s)

  ½ cup canola oil

  Cooking spray

  Ingredients: Frosting

  6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

  2 tbsp. sour cream

  ¼ cup honey

  Pinch of kosher salt

  Directions: Cake

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9” round cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom circle with parchment paper.

  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and baking soda. Add eggs, sugar, buttermilk, applesauce, and oil. Whisk just until everything is combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface to even it.

  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Set the cake on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

  Use a dinner knife to loosen the edges of the cake from the sides of the pan and invert it onto the work surface. Peel parchment paper off. Invert cake onto a serving platter.

  Directions: Frosting

  In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, honey, and salt. Using a mixer, beat until the cream cheese mixture is slightly aerated.

  Spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Cut into wedges and serve. Enjoy!

  *****

  I'm giving away FREE paperbacks. Find out more at www.dianneharman.com/freepaperback.html

  ABOUT DIANNE

  I live in Huntington Beach, California, with my husband, Tom, a former California State Senator, and my boxer dog, Kelly. My passions are cooking, reading, and dogs, so whenever I have a little free time, I am either in the kitchen, playing with Kelly in the back yard, or curled up with the latest book I'm reading.

  Her other books are available below:

  Amazon: Blue Coyote Motel

  Amazon: Coyote in Provence

  Amazon: Cornered Coyote

  Amazon: Coyote Series

  Amazon: Kelly’s Koffee Shop

  Amazon: Murder at Jade Cove

  Amazon: White Cloud Retreat

  Amazon: Marriage and Murder

  Amazon: Murder in Cottage #6

  Amazon: Murder in the Pearl District

  Amazon: Murder and Brandy Boy

  Amazon: Murder in Calico Gold

  Amazon: The Death Card

  Amazon: Murder at The Cooking School

  Amazon: Murder & The Monkey Band

  Amazon: Murder at The Bed & Breakfast

  Amazon: Murder at The Secret Cave

  Amazon: Murder in Cuba

  Amazon: The Blue Butterfly

  Amazon: Trouble at the Kennel

  Amazon: Murdered by Words

  Amazon: Murdered by Country Music

  Amazon: Murder at the Big T Lodge

  Amazon: Murdered in Argentina

  Amazon: Murder on the East Coast

  Amazon: Murder at the Clinic

  Amazon: Murder at the Polo Club

  Amazon: Alexis

  Amazon: Trouble at the Animal Shelter

  Amazon: Murder in Calistoga

  Amazon: Murder on Bainbridge Island

  Amazon: Murder & The Movie Star

  Amazon: Murder in Whistler

  Amazon: Murdered by Plastic Surgery

  Amazon: Murder in Seattle

  Amazon: Murder after Midnight

  Amazon: Murder in San Francisco

  Amazon: Murder at Le Bijou Bistro

  Amazon: Murder at the Courthouse

  Amazon: Murder at the Gallery

  Amazon: Murder at the Waterfront

  Amazon: Murder at the Gearhart

  Amazon: Murdered by Superstition

  Amazon: Red Zero 1

  Amazon: Red Zero 2

  Amazon: Red Zero 3

  Amazon: The Professor’s Predicament

  Amazon: Murder at the Church

  Amazon: Murdered by Prejudice

  Please feel free to follow me on these social media sites:

  Website: http://www.DianneHarman.com

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  COMING SOON!

  PUBLISHING 1/15/19

  MURDER IN ITALY

  BOOK SIX OF

  THE MIDWEST COZY MYSTERY SERIES

  http://getBook.at/MII

  Florence, Italy, and a wedding. Sardinia, Italy, and a murder. It would have been nice if there was a choice, but there wasn’t.

  For Kat and Blaine a romantic trip to Florence to take part in a wedding becomes a search in Sardinia for the groom’s best friend’s murderer.

  If you like a mystery with intrigue in foreign places, dogs, and good food, don’t miss the latest in the Midwest Cozy Mystery Series by a two-time USA Today Bestselling Author. Free with Kindle Unlimited.