A Beeline to Murder

Commercially made dog biscuits often contain preservatives and other additives to keep them fresh and tasty for as long as possible. When you make homemade treats for your dog, you can cater to his or her personal taste by adding liver, bacon, cheese, or another flavorful ingredient. The following basic recipe is perfect for such modification. Cut the dough with a bone-or heart-shaped cookie cutter, or any desired shape.





Ingredients: 2 cups flour (all-purpose or whole-wheat or a mixture of both)

? cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon wheat germ

? cup chicken broth

1 large egg

1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more for greasing the baking sheet

2 tablespoons mashed cooked liver, minced cooked bacon, or grated cheddar cheese (optional)



Directions:



Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet with oil.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, and wheat germ until well blended. Add the chicken broth, egg, and oil, and liver (or bacon or cheddar) to the flour-oat mixture and mix well.

Roll the dough out to a thickness of ? inch on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough with a bone-shaped cookie cutter or with the cookie cutter you prefer. Place the biscuit shapes on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake on the center rack for 30 minutes, or until the biscuits are light brown. Remove the biscuits from the oven and transfer them with a spatula to wire racks to cool.

Store the biscuits, once they have cooled completely, in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.





Chapter 17


Time spent in a garden is a lot like yoga; it slows the breath, quiets the mind, and guides you to the truth.

—Henny Penny Farmette Almanac





While Philippe played with Sugar in the orchard area, Abby took a quick shower and changed into a lime-colored silk blouse with embroidery trim in a yellow paisley pattern along the edges of the capped sleeves and hem, straight-leg jeans, and black Mary Jane flats. She brushed her hair into a ponytail and twisted the end back under a rubber band to make a thick knot. After a quick application of mascara to her light lashes, she chose a soft shade of peach lip gloss and smoothed a fingertip of it across her lips. The use of blush was not possible because of her injured cheek. She decided that a drop of rosemary and lemon oil dabbed against her temples couldn’t hurt; the herbalist who sold it to her had emphasized its qualities for enhancing mental clarity and concentration. And today Abby needed all the help she could get as she met with Otto at the police station to talk through the loose ends of the pastry chef’s murder. The evidence boxes were already loaded into the Jeep and she was eager to return them to the police.

Strolling onto the patio, into a light breeze, she imagined the wind carrying away the ugly vibe of the skinhead who’d attacked her. Since buying the farmette, she’d always felt safe and peaceful there, as though the more she nurtured the land, the more it nourished her spirit. Her assailant had stalked her like prey, and the memory of it would always be with her. But for Abby to live in fear meant he had taken her power, and she wasn’t about to let that happen.

Although the farmette was a peaceful place, it was never quiet—what with the squawking of jays and the endless hoarse cawing of crows, which had taken up residence in the tall pine near the front of her property. Now, as on most other days, Abby watched them flap, flap, flap overhead without gliding as they flew from the massive sugar pine to the eucalyptus grove at the rear of her property.

Philippe stopped his game of fetch with Sugar to watch the crows, too. He and Sugar walked over to the patio.

“This place, Abby, it is special,” he said. “I feel content, and that surprises me. I have always felt more at ease in cities.”