Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs Page A

merit to the meth lab idea? Are you going to look into it? ”
    Doogie turned a flat-eyed stare on her. “ You mean am I going to cruise Logan County, rousting folks from every cottage, cabin, farmhouse, and outhouse? ”
    “ Put out an APB? ” Suzanne asked, weakly.
    “ Nope, ” said Doogie. “ Although that ’ s what most people think I should do if I want to win reelection. ”
    “ By most folks you mean Mayor Mobley and his toa di e s? ”
    “ You got that right, ” said Doogie. Then his nose twitched spasmodically and his head swiveled as though set on ball bearings as he watched Toni slide past them, carrying two steaming platters of Cackleberry Club Meatloaf. “ Now that ’ s what I really need, ” exclaimed Doogie, “ to perk up a shitty day. ”
     
     
     
     
    Chapter eleven
    The Silver Leaf Tea Club was an afternoon tea club you had to be over fifty to belong to. The tea club had been Petra ’ s brainstorm and had proved to be more popular than reruns of Friends. Always held the first Tuesday of the month, the Silver Leaf Tea Club attracted a huge following of wonderful, older women. To top it off, they were funny, gregarious, and always dressed to the nines.
    Besides attending church or going out to dinner at Kopell ’ s over in Cornucopia, there weren ’ t a lot of places around Kindred that gave a lady an opportunity to get all dolled up. But when they flocked to the Cackleberry Club for tea, the women of Kindred and the surrounding small towns pushed fashion to the max.
    One contingent of women always seemed to opt for the classic British look. Tweedy skirts and jackets, cream-colored blouses with pussycat bows, sensible shoes, tams and berets perched rakishly on well-coifed heads. Your basic Miss Marple wannabes.
    Another contingent went for the sophisticated Brooke Astor socialite look. Tailored suits, sheath dresses, strings of opera pearls, vintage crystal pins on their lapels, fifties-style felt hats, and antique mink stoles draped around their shoulders, the pelts clamped nose to tail with tiny mink paws dangling.Suzanne and Toni had worked feverishly to transform the Cackleberry Club into a proper tearoom. White linen tablecloths were draped over battered wooden tables. Small candles flickered enticingly in glass teapot warm ers. Sugar cubes were piled in silver bowls with matching tongs alongside. Place settings included hand-embroidered placemats, elegant Haviland china with plates and match ing teacups in the Annette pattern, and polished flatware. In addition, pink tapers and crystal vases filled with pink tea roses adorned each table.
    “ What do you think? ” asked Toni, lighting the final can dle and stepping back to assess their artistry.
    “ Very posh, ” said Suzanne.
    “ That ’ s the exact word I was thinking of, ” said Toni with a grin.
    At ten to two, the Silver Leaf Tea Club ladies bunched excitedly outside the door. At two o ’ clock promptly, they entered the Cackleberry Club, oohing and aahing at the table settings that seemed so elegant and magical.
    Then Suzanne and Toni were off and running yet again, taking orders for pots of tea. Today ’ s offerings included Formosan oolong, Assam, Chinese Hao Ya black tea, and Egyptian chamomile. Of course, once a table had finished their pot of tea, they were free to select another variety.
    As Toni raced out with pots of tea, Suzanne worked beside Petra in the kitchen. They were serving all the food at once today, using three-tiered curate stands. This not only made serving a breeze, but the three-tiered silver stands were show-stoppers when laden with goo di e s.
    Scones graced the top tier, of course, which today consisted of Petra ’ s special cinnamon date scones served with mounds of Devonshire cream. The middle tier, traditionally used for savories and tea sandwiches, was filled with crab salad sandwiches, goat cheese and cucumber sandwiches, and cheese and honey bruschetta. Strawberries dipped in chocolate,