I read The Colorado Kid, enjoyed it, but despite what King says in the 'Afterward' saying how he is satisfied with the ending, I'm not, and Vince wouldn't be either because Vince says in the story it has to have an end. So, has King ever considered doing a sequel for Hard Case Crime, maybe where she solves the case?
It’s the weekend and we’re having some friends over. The first thing that came to mind was an ice-cold pitcher of sangria. Classic sangria has lots of sugar in it – which I was trying to avoid. For the wine, I always choose one with a mixed variety of grapes so it’s on the lighter side, a bit fruity but not too overpowering. (For example, a good choice would be a wine with 50% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot, 10% petit syrah, etc.)
At least a few hours before serving, set all liquid ingredients (except soda water or ginger ale) and sliced lemon, lime, orange and chopped apple into a pitcher. Refrigerate for as long as possible.
It’s summertime…and my south-african-meat-loving husband is firing up some steak on the grill. Red meat is not my thing so I broke out the portabella mushrooms. They’re delicious and good for you — they have as much potassium as a banana. Using a pastry brush, I’ve tried the whole spectrum of sauces to brush over the top. But, I keep going back to my trusty ‘ole bottle of balsamic vinegar. To me, it’s a really good complement. I like keeping it simple.
I had some fresh asparagus in my fridge today. And all I could think of was pairing it with pasta and a really great white sauce. Today was almost 100 degrees. So, naturally, I wanted something really light and fresh tasting. Nothing that was going to bog me down. So, I tried my hand at a zesty lemon dill sauce. I always find it a bit challenging to pair things with asparagus. But, I think this did the job quite nicely. The sauce in this dish was screaming for some sauteed shrimp. But, we cannot do shellfish in our house, so….This is a relatively quick dinner. (I made the sauce while the water was coming to a boil and) it took me just under 30 minutes.
While shallots are browning, thoroughly mix 1 tblsp arrowroot starch (or corn starch) with 1 tblsp water.After about 5 minutes, whisk in milk and starch mixture and stir for several minutes until thickened. Add in salt, pepper, lemon juice, zest and dill and stir well to combine.
Boil about 2 quarts water in a stockpot. While water is coming to a boil, take one asparagus and hold one end in each hand. Gently bend the asparagus until the non-speared end naturally snaps . This eliminates the tough end of the asparagus the natural way. Use this asparagus as a guide for all the other asparagus. Line them up, and cut evenly along the same line. Split the asparagus into 2 batches. When water has come to a boil, add the first batch of asparagus. Let simmer for 3 minutes. While asparagus is cooking, prepare a cold water bath in a large bowl full of ice and cold water. Remove asparagus promptly with tongs or a wire basket and plunge asparagus directly into the cold water bath to stop cooking. This is called “blanching”. Remove after 2 minutes and pay dry on some paper towels.
Now, place second batch of asparagus in boiling water, simmer for 3 minutes, and blanch. Cut the asparagus as you like: I cut mine on the diagonal into 3 pieces.
My husband put in a request this morning for bbq chicken. “I think I have some bbq sauce”, I said. I love when I open the cabinet and there is something in there I’ve forgotten I’d bought. Today, I rediscovered Organicville bbq sauce. It’s quite rare to find gluten free bbq sauce so I scooped it up as soon as I saw it. Upon opening the jar, I was really surprised at the complex flavor. Not too smoky with a hint of molasses. My favorite thing about this sauce is there is no added sugar. What a bonus. I set the chicken in the marinade and let it work its magic for 6-7 hours or so. I cleaned the grill, put the chicken on, threw on some corn on the cob (still in its husk) and some vegetables to grill – and voila – presto meal.
Place chicken in glass dish with bbq sauce. Cover dish. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.
Remove chicken from the fridge at least 1 hour prior to grilling. This ensures a better tasting tender chicken – when it has come close to room temperature before subjecting it to the high heat of the grill.
Remove chicken from the glass dish and discard marinade. Set grill temperature to a medium- low heat. Cook chicken 8-10 minutes per side – being careful not to burn the chicken or sauce.
Yesterday, I was at the supermarket. As I rounded the corner, there were these huge perky bunches of organic dill perched right in front of my shopping cart. My first thought was the lemon dill dip of my childhood. Our neighbor Louise used to make it for us. She was the coolest lady with incredible stories of travelling the world. And she had an incredible arsenal of recipes in her kitchen to boot. Her children were grown and gone so she used to love making special treats for us. Her original recipe had dairy but I recreated it using cashew cream/meal. It’s a perfect complement to carrot, celery and cucumber sticks but you could always break out some low-sodium crackers if you like.
In a glass bowl, cover cashews with filtered water and pinch of salt. Let soak overnight. In the morning, strain cashews and discard the liquid. Rinse cashews thoroughly.
Place cashews in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add water and lemon juice. Process for 15-20 seconds, or until cashews are almost smooth.
Blueberries are everywhere right now. I love that about summer. I haven’t really made muffins since the cooler months (when I usually pair them with soups). But, today I thought I would try and bake up some muffins for a little afternoon snack out at the picnic table. I like mine loaded up with berries so I put a whole cup and a half in there. If you don’t like as many simply cut it down to one cup. In my opinion, these are even better the next day…
Mix egg, oil, agave and honey until well mixed and lighter in color. Add milk and lemon juice. Mix well.
Something happens when you put these two fruits together. The combination not only tastes wonderful. But, nutritionally, magic happens. When combined, the nutrients within each fruit complement each other, allowing the body to absorb more vitamins from them than if they were eaten separately (a.k.a., more “bio-available” to your body). This recipe is laden with vitamin E, B-complex vitamins and potassium. Avocado also adds a fair amount of protein. And healthy fat. Make your best effort to buy “vine-ripened” organic tomatoes – as other tomatoes are often picked green and then ripened with ethylene gas.
Mix lemon juice and olive oil together with salt and pepper. Pour over tomato and avocado mixture and gently toss to combine.
Don’t think it worked, but I really like the thing I wrote anyway, so I figured I’d put it up here 🙂
There was a roar of laughter from the ever-increasing gaggle of runners as the elvish barmaid brought them another round of drinks. An ork with a lone cyber-eye and a jaw like rough granite snatched a tankard from her tray and took a large gulp.
‘Chip truth, chummer,’ he said. ‘I walked right in the door. No-one stopped me. Got all the way into their offices, chatted up a couple of temps. I was in and out with the package inside of half an hour. I’m telling you, stealth is the way to go, every time.’
An arm shot up from somewhere in the middle of the group, followed by an attached dwarf pushing herself to the front. ‘Bulldrek!’
‘Damn right, I am,’ the dwarf said. ‘The clue is in the name, genius. Humanis. No way they let a troggy mother-fragger like you through the door, let alone wander around freely.’
There was a sharp intake of breath from the rest of the group as the ork stood up, slowly. He made a show of it, drawing himself up to his full height and carefully placing his tankard down on the table. The dwarf, for her part, was unimpressed. She stared up at him, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.
Without warning, the ork slammed his fists down on the table, silencing the bar. Anyone not already watching the group was doing so now, and those closest to the ork had taken a few steps back. The tension was thick.
He brought his face even closer to the dwarf’s, mere inches between them. Then smiled. ‘I spin the best ones, though, yeah?’
The crowd erupted in laughter again, killing the tension dead. The ork and the dwarf shared a friendly fist-bump and he slid a drink into her other hand. She drained it and called for another. Time for someone else to tell a story, it seemed.
Mercy had been at the bar for several hours at this point, and most of it had been spent listening to the ever-changing mob of off-duty runners swapping stories. To the ork’s credit, his had been one of the more believable ones. No-one had called out the elf who had claimed to best Lofwyr in an honour duel a couple years back, or the pair of humans who had insisted they were the ones to kick the mafia out of California.
She signalled for a drink of her own, and the barmaid dutifully provided something brown in a dirty glass. They took great care in dirtying the glasses, she knew from her previous visits, to really sell the whole criminal underworld ambiance. It was why she came.
Today, her badge was burning a hole in her jacket. She had never brought it with her before, not here. Just having it there was a betrayal, and would cause no end of trouble if anyone happened to catch a glimpse of it. But today she was there on business, so she didn’t have a choice.
Her quarry wasn’t part of the raucous group, but he was sat close enough to them that she could outright stare in his direction without attracting attention. Not that it would have mattered, he was so deep into a BTL chip that she could have squatted on the table in front of him and he’d not have noticed. That didn’t make him any less dangerous, though.
If the warrant was to be believed, his laundry list of crimes would give the braggards one table over pause. He was responsible for more runs against the company in a single year than all other runners combined. And he’d not been shy about it.
Mercy blinked. She’d hyper-focused on him so much she’d missed the barmaid’s approach. ‘Please. Something that tastes a bit less like engine degreaser would be appreciated, though.’
‘Top shelf la-di-da stuff it is,’ the elf said with a wink. ‘Not to make you feel all self-conscious or anything, but you’re becoming a bit of a curiosity here.’
‘We get a lot of humans in here, but very few come here on their own,’ she said, gesturing around the room. ‘And those that do? Very few come back a second time. You come here enough that I’d know your usual drink, if you ever ordered something specific. Don’t you have a home to go to or something?’
The elf laughed, and Mercy could see why she was the only person on staff today. She was all that was needed. The woman knew how to handle customers. ‘I’m not dissuading you from anything. I’m just preparing you for when one of those awkward trolls over in the corner there gets brave enough to make his approach. You do realise you’ve not paid for a single drink yet, yeah?’
Mercy followed the barmaid’s eyes to a pair of young trolls shifting nervously and trying to pretend they weren’t watching her. It was cute, but she didn’t have the luxury of humouring them today. ‘Don’t go taking any more of their money for my drinks.’
The elf handed her a fresh drink – a burnt orange liquid that tasted like turpentine this time – and she downed it in one. Dutch courage.
One last gear check. No chance of misplacing the badge, so she didn’t need to check that. Pistol holstered in her jacket. Back up pistol in her boot. Collapsible baton in a holster on her thigh. Not much, but everything she needed. Hopefully, more than she’d need, in fact.
With every step, the damned badge felt heavier and heavier. It wasn’t as though her job could ever be accused of being safe, but as she skirted the group of runners she was acutely aware of how unsafe her situation currently was. By the time she sat down across the table from her target, she’d already burned through her Dutch courage.
He didn’t move. There was the faintest glimmer of something twitching behind his sunglasses, but that was all. ‘Cathode Ray, please. It says it right there on the warrant, least you can do is get it right.’
He groaned and tilted his head so he could look at her over his sunglasses. A pair of high-grade cyber-eyes slid into view, bathed in the glow of an AR display built into the lenses. ‘I do my research. It’s not just you, I do it on everyone who comes in here more than once. I daresay they do the same. Thing about running the shadows is that secrets are a sort of luxury.’
Mercy slumped forward, leaning on her elbows and moving her hand a little closer to her gun. ‘So, you know why I’m here?’
‘I’ve got a notion,’ he said, stretching his arms wide and sinking deeper into his chair. ‘I’ve pissed off the wrong people, they send a goon or two. It happens.’
‘Oh,’ he said. ‘Premium quality goon, then. I confess, I couldn’t get all your details, but the gaps told most of the story. Here to haul me off to some corp prison then, Star? Or are you going to geek me, right here in front of everyone?’
Mercy shifted in her seat. ‘What have you got against the company? The sheer amount of runs you do against them –’
‘There’s no point holding grudges,’ he said. ‘Every corp is into some shady drek, there are no angels here. Just so happens the runs against your paymasters pay the best. Most efficient way to keep myself in chips.’
She watched him pop out a BTL chip from a slot behind his left ear. He let it dance over his fingers for a minute before slipping it into a pocket. The hand didn’t come back out, which she took to mean it had found a gun or something tucked away in there. A smooth move, and perhaps not one she would have noticed had she not already been on edge.
Displays flashed across her eyes now, brought into being by her AR contact lenses swapping into tactical mode. Less conspicuous than actual glasses, but she had to concede they weren’t as cool. The curse of working corporate – you get the good toys, but they never look quite as sexy as the ones the bad boys get.
She reached into her coat and grabbed her badge. Before she could pull it, Ray put a hand on her arm. ‘Don’t. All that will do is make this worse. You’re here for me, don’t bring them into it. Keep it between us, eh?’
Mercy looked at the gaggle of runners again. With her AR on, she could see the ID tags for a number of concealed weapons, discreet cyberwares – most of it restricted – and her data-suites were digging up hundreds of warrants for them all. Ray was right, it would be suicide to draw any unwanted attention from that lot. She was a good shot, but she’d never be able to drop enough of them to make a difference if things got violent.
‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘But you’re also quite wrong. I am here for you, true, but I never said I was here to arrest you.’
It was timed perfectly – of course it was, she could see the countdown on her AR display. The second she was done speaking, the front door to the bar exploded inward, showering the room with splinters. In its wake, a Lone Star-branded response team, armed to the teeth and with enough armour to make a tank blush.
The runners were caught off-guard, and by the time they had thought to draw their guns a good quarter of them had already been cut down. Those that survived long enough to reach their guns fought back hard, however. During the planning phase, her boss had insisted this would be a slaughter, that the street scum couldn’t hold a candle to a properly orchestrated surgical strike. They were doing a fine job of proving him wrong.
The slaughter became a rolling gun battle, the runners doing their best to beat a retreat while the soldiers did their best to cut down every last one of them. The runners were making their mark, but the soldiers had much better armour. For every one of hers that died, three of four runners fell first.
Mercy sat in silence, one eye on Ray, while the smoke cleared. The gunfight had happened around them, but never near them. She had known that would be the case, and it seemed Ray had cottoned on quickly.
Once the last of the runners had fled or fallen, the soldiers set about securing the building and Mercy turned back to Ray.
Ray sighed and looked over the scene. He knew that this was more than a way of removing witnesses. It was a statement of intent.