Perplexity on P1/2 (Parson's Cove Mysteries) Read Online Free Page A

I’ve had.
         Esther has been a thorn in my side since the day we met. That was fifty-seven years ago. Flori, Esther, and I started school together. She was the most evil child I ever knew. Satan’s spawn if there ever was one. I’ve forgotten most of the tricks that she played on me. I’m not the sort to keep track but getting me kicked out of school because she claimed I was cheating was unforgivable. Flori tells me that is in the past and I have to let go; however, some things cling to you for life. Flori, as you have probably surmised by now, has a much sweeter disposition than I have. Every once in awhile she still brings up the subject of ‘intervention.’
         “I think we should do this before old Mr. Braithwate dies,” she says. He was our principal, has dementia, and is almost a hundred years old. “You should have closure on this, Mabel.”
         “Flori,” I always tell her. “I do have closure. Don’t forget, I took almost all my last year at home and I got higher marks than Esther did. That’s enough closure for me.”
         “But that was over forty years ago and you still haven’t forgiven her.”
         “No, and I never will.”
        “That’s not closure, Mabel.”
         “It’s good enough for me.” 
         After I say that, Flori sheds a tear or two and says a little prayer for me.
         Reg could possibly be right; someone was playing a trick on me. Parson’s Cove is a lovely place to live. Although, to be honest, I’ve never lived anywhere else so I can’t really speak from experience. No matter how lovely it is, however, a few living here have somewhat criminal minds. Not to mention names but even Reg’s two deputies had a few run-ins with the law. Not lately, of course. However, if someone finds himself or herself locked out of the house, Scully is quite handy at unlocking a door with a piece of wire or a credit card and Jim can hotwire a car in ten seconds flat.
         I must say, I went to bed with total peace of mind. Well, perhaps, sort of a ‘fake’ total. I did make a brief stop at the sewing room. This is the room where I was born over sixty years ago. My mother never let me forget the pain she had to endure giving birth to me so after she died, I turned it into a sewing room. Even though it’s much bigger than my bedroom, I’m sure I could never sleep in it. All night I’d be hearing my mother’s screams. I never sew but I do hide my bottle of gin behind the old sewing machine. Flori has no idea. If she did, she’d pour every bottle down the drain. Flori thoroughly enjoys a glass or two of wine but gin is a sin.
         So, I drained my glass of sin and fell asleep almost instantly. I dreamt about slot machines cha-chinging, the old singer with the young man’s voice singing Auf Wiedersehen, but over it all I kept hearing someone screaming, “ Wicked … everyone in Parson’s Cove. Jail won’t be enough. Watch your….”
         When the Canadian singer started belting out Love Can Move Mountains , her face suddenly changed right before my eyes and I was staring at Esther Flynn’s ugly mug. I sat up in bed drenched in sweat, my heart pounding.
     
    Mabel’s Crumbless Blueberry Muffins
     
    2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
    3 tsp. baking powder
    1 tsp. salt
    ¼ cup sugar
    1 egg
    1 cup milk
    ¼ cup melted shortening
    1 cup blueberries
     
    Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together. Beat egg, and add milk, shortening, and blueberries. Stir into flour mixture, mixing only until flour is moistened. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Sprinkle sugar on top. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.    
     
    Mabel’s secrets to fantastic muffins:
    Proper mixing is the key. Do not over-mix!
    Begin by thoroughly mixing the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center. Mix liquid ingredients – egg, milk, melted fat or oil, and other seasonings or spices – until