Sugar and Iced (Cupcake Bakery Mystery) (23 page)

Mel stared at Manny. What was he saying?

“I’d go after what he valued most,” she said.

“The brick was just a warning,” Manny said. “Joe’s been getting death threats from a case he’s working and it looks like they’ll go even further to discourage him from pursuing it.”

“Death threats?” Mel asked. Her voice was faint. “Oh my god, what case is this?”

“I’m not telling you that,” Manny said. “In fact, I’m not telling you anything more about it. You have to stay away from him, Mel. They will hurt you to get to him.”

“I don’t care,” Mel said. “That’s not for him to decide.”

“Actually, I think it is,” Manny said. “Which is why he walked. If it’s any consolation, I know it wasn’t easy for him.”

Mel half rose from her seated position and patted her pockets. She wanted her phone. She had a few choice words for Joe DeLaura, most of which included that if he thought he was shaking her off like a bad case of fleas, he had another think coming.

“Mel, don’t do it,” Manny said.

“Do what?” she asked.

“Contact Joe,” he said. “If you do, you’ll be putting yourself in jeopardy. Mel, you could get him killed trying to protect you.”

Mel sat back down. “It’s that serious?”

Manny nodded. “If you love him, really love him, you have to let him go, Mel.”

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

A Buttery Brown Sugar Cupcake Topped with Decadent Dulce de Leche Icing

¹
/
₂
cup butter, softened

¹
/
₂
cup packed dark brown sugar

¹
/
₂
cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1
³
/
₄
cups all-purpose flour

1
¹
/
₄
teaspoon baking powder

¹
/
₄
teaspoon salt

³
/
₄
cup milk

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pan with paper liners. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake 18–22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Dulce de Leche Icing

4 oz package cream cheese

¹
/
₂
cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

¹
/
₂
teaspoon salt

¹
/
₂
cup dulce de leche*

Sea salt

Turbinado sugar

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on high speed for three minutes, until light and fluffy. Mix in powdered sugar and salt until fully combined. Lastly, mix in dulce de leche. Spread or pipe onto cupcakes. Makes three cups of icing. Sprinkle with sea salt and turbinado sugar (optional).

* Dulce de leche is caramelized condensed milk. You can usually find it in your grocery store, in the baking aisle next to the condensed milk.

Pretty in Pinks

A Strawberry Cupcake with a Dollop of Vanilla Buttercream, Rolled Around the Edges in Bright Pink Sprinkles

¹
/
₂
cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1
³
/
₄
cups flour

1
¹
/
₄
teaspoons baking powder

¹
/
₄
teaspoon salt

³
/
₄
cup milk

1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pan with paper liners. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Lastly, fold in the chopped strawberries. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake 18–22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing

1 stick (
¹
/
₂
cup) salted butter, softened

1 stick (
¹
/
₂
cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

4 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Pink sprinkles

In a large bowl, mix the butters and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating on medium speed. Scrape sides of bowl often. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Pipe or spread onto the cupcakes. Pour bright pink sprinkles onto a plate or a bowl and carefully roll the edges of the frosting in the sprinkles before the frosting sets. Makes 3 cups of icing.

Destiny’s Winner

A Rich Chocolate Cupcake with Espresso Frosting

11⁄3 cups flour

¹
/
₄
teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

³
/
₄
cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¹
/
₄
teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1
¹
/
₂
cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and salt and set aside. In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar, adding eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla. Add in the flour mixture alternately with the milk until well blended. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake 18–22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Espresso Buttercream Icing

1 stick (
¹
/
₂
cup) salted butter, softened

1 stick (
¹
/
₂
cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

2 teaspoons espresso powder

4 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Chocolate-covered espresso beans

Espresso beans (optional)

In a large bowl, mix the butters, vanilla, and espresso powder until smooth. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating on medium speed. Scrape sides of bowl often. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes. Top with a chocolate-covered espresso bean (optional). Makes 3 cups of icing.

Lupe’s Winner

A Macadamia Nut Cupcake with a Tasty White Chocolate Icing

1
¹
/
₂
cups flour

1
¹
/
₂
teaspoons baking powder

¹
/
₄
teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

¹
/
₂
cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

¹
/
₂
cup milk

1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together sugar, butter, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. Add in the flour mixture alternately with the milk until well blended. Lastly, fold in the macadamia nuts. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake 18–22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Makes 12 cupcakes.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, softened

¹
/
₄
cup butter, softened

1 oz white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 teaspoons milk or cream

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

White chocolate curls (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese, butter, and melted chocolate. Beat in vanilla and milk, then slowly add confectioner’s sugar until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes. Makes 3 cups of icing. Decorate with white chocolate curls (optional).

Dear Reader,

Well, the shenanigans certainly continue for our girls, Mel and Angie, in the bakery, don’t they? They’ll be back with more mayhem and murder in their next Cupcake Bakery Mystery coming soon.

In the meantime, I’d like to invite you to go on vacation with me in . . . wait for it . . . London! A charming hat shop in Notting Hill called Mim’s Whims, with its irrepressible owners Scarlett Parker and Vivian Tremont, is the setting for my newest mystery series, appropriately called the Hat Shop Mysteries.

In
Cloche and Dagger
, the first Hat Shop Mystery, Scarlett Parker’s life implodes in America and much to her horror her public meltdown goes viral on the Internet. At her cousin Viv’s urging, Scarlett catches the first plane across the pond to join her cousin in the hat shop their grandmother bequeathed to them. Scarlett thinks she’ll be able to regroup and get her life back under control in merry old England. Yeah, not so much.

In the second book in the Hat Shop Mysteries,
Death of a Mad Hatter
, the cousins take on the task of designing hats for an
Alice in Wonderland
themed charity tea. Little do they know that the cast of characters they are about to meet are as strange and bewildering as those from Lewis Carroll’s original tale, but with one big difference: One of them will not survive the party. With the police looking at the milliners’ hats for a clue about the murder, it is up to Scarlett and Vivian to find the real killer before the cousins are capped for good.

Turn the page for a preview of
Death of a Mad Hatter
, available May 2014 from Berkley Prime Crime. You can preorder it now from all major retailers at
jennmckinlay.com
.

Happy reading!

Jenn

“Take it off, Scarlett. You look like a corpse.”

My cousin Vivian Tremont stared at me in horror as if I had in fact just risen from the grave.

“Don’t hold back,” I said. “Tell me how you really feel.”

“Sorry, love, but pale redheads like you should avoid any color that has gray tones in it,” Viv said. Then, because calling me a corpse wasn’t clear enough, she shuddered.

I crossed the floor of our hat shop to the nearest freestanding mirror. Our grandmother, Mim, had passed away five years ago and left her shop, Mim’s Whims in London, to the two of us. Viv was the creative genius behind the hats, having grown up in Notting Hill just down the street from the shop, while I was the people person—you know, the one who kept the clients from running away from Viv when she got that scary inspired look in her eye.

Being raised in the States, I had chosen to go into the hospitality industry. Things had been going well until I discovered that my rat-bastard boyfriend, whose family happened to own the hotel of which I was assistant manager, was still married. At Viv’s urging, I escaped that fiasco and came here to take up my share of the business. So far London had done quite a lot to take my mind off of my troubles. Viv in particular kept me on my toes, making sure I didn’t lose my people skills.

In fact, just the other day she’d gotten swept up in an artistic episode and tried to convince the very timid Mrs. Barker that wearing a hat with two enormous cherries the size of beach balls connected by the stems and with a leaf the size of a dinner plate would be brilliant. It was—just not on Mrs. Barker’s head.

It had taken me an afternoon of plying Mrs. Barker with tea and biscuits and yanking Viv into the back room and threatening to put her in a headlock to get them to an accord. Finally, Mrs. Barker had agreed to a black trilby with cherries the size of golf balls nestled on the side and Viv had been satisfied to work her magic on a smaller scale.

I ignored my dear cousin’s opinion of my complexion and stood in front of the mirror and tipped the lavender sunhat jauntily to one side. It was mid-May and summer was coming. I’d been looking for a hat to shade my fair skin from the sun and being a girly-girl, I do love all things pink and purple.

“Oh, I can just see the headstone now,” a chipper voice said from behind me. “Here lies Scarlett Parker, mistakenly buried alive when she wore an unfortunate color of sunhat.”

I glared at the reflection of Fiona Felton, Viv’s lovely young apprentice, glancing over my shoulder in the mirror.

Viv laughed and said, “I can dig it.”

“In spades,” Fee quipped back.

“Fine,” I said. I snatched the hat off of my head. “Obviously, the hat is a grave mistake.”

They stopped laughing.

“Oh, come on, that was a very good quip,” I said. They shook their heads in denial.

“You need to bury that one and back away,” Viv said. They both chortled.

“I still think you’re being a bit harsh,” I said. I replaced the pretty hat on its stand and shook out my long auburn hair.

“No, harsh was that hat on your head,” Fee said. She smiled at me, her teeth very white against her cocoa colored skin. Her corkscrew bob was streaked with blue—she was always changing the color—and one curl fell over her right eye. She blew it out of her face with a puff of her lower lip.

“But I need a sunhat,” I complained.

“Plain straw would look very nice,” Viv said. “Perhaps with a nice emerald green ribbon around the crown.”

“I’m tired of plain and I’m sick of green.”

I knew I sounded a tad whiney, but I didn’t care. I was jealous of Fee and Viv. Fee’s dark coloring looked good with everything and so did Viv’s long blonde curls and big blue eyes, both of which she had inherited directly from Mim. I only got the eyes. So unfair!

The front door opened and I glanced up with my greet- the-customer-smile firmly in place. It fell as soon as I recognized the man who walked into the shop.

“Oh, it’s you, Harry,” I said with a sigh.

Harrison Wentworth, our business manager, raised an eyebrow at my unenthusiastic greeting.

“Harrison,” he corrected me. “Pleasure to see you, too, Ginger.”

I felt my face get warm at the childhood nickname. Yes, Harry and I had a history, one in which I did not come out very well.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it,” I said. “I was just hoping you were a customer so everyone could stop telling me how gruesome I look in lavender.”

“I didn’t say you were gruesome,” Viv corrected me as she rearranged the hats on one of the display shelves. “I said you looked like a corpse. Good morning, Harrison.”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

“Now that’s a proper greeting,” Harrison said, giving me a meaningful look.

“Hello, Harrison,” Fee said. She also kissed his cheek and smiled at him. He returned the grin. I glanced between them. They seemed awfully happy to see each other.

Harrison was Viv’s age, two years older than my modest twenty-seven years, but Fee was only twenty, entirely too young to be considering a man in his advanced years, in my opinion. And no, it had nothing to do with the fact that Harry and I had a history, if you consider me standing him up for an ice cream date when I was ten and he was twelve and breaking his adolescent heart a history. I did mention that I didn’t come out very well in it, didn’t I?

As Fee stepped back, Harrison looked at me expectantly. Before I could stop myself, I found myself looking at him from beneath my lashes and giving him my very practiced, secretive half smile. Sure enough, the man looked as riveted as if I had just propositioned him.

Ugh! Honestly, I am a dreadful flirt. It’s like breathing to me and I don’t discriminate. I flirt with everyone, kids, pets, old ladies, men, you name it. Probably that’s why the hospitality industry was such a natural fit for me. I am very good at managing people.

I blame my mother. After thirty years of marriage, she still has my dad wrapped around her pinky and it’s not just because of her charming British accent, either. My mother is an incorrigible flirt and my dad a complete sucker.

After my last relationship disaster, I made a promise to myself that I would go one whole year without a boyfriend. So far it had been two months. Prior to that, the longest I’d gone was two weeks. Shameful, I know.

I shook my head and forced myself to give Harrison my most bland expression. He looked confused. I really couldn’t blame him. I was probably giving him emotional whiplash.

Mercifully, the front door opened again and this time two ladies entered. I charged forward, relieved to escape the awkward moment.

“Good afternoon, how may I help you?” I asked.

“You’re not Ginny.” The older of the two women frowned at me.

“No, I’m Scarlet and this is my cousin Vi—”

“Ginny!” The older lady shot forward with surprising speed and hugged my cousin close.

Viv looked startled, but she hugged the woman back, obviously not wanting to offend her.

I quickly examined the two ladies. The older one had gray hair and wore a conservative print dress that had Marks & Spencer all over it, while the younger woman, a pretty brunette who looked to be somewhere in her twenties, was much more fashion forward, wearing a tailored Alexander McQueen chemise.

“You haven’t aged a day,” the older woman exclaimed. She cupped Vivian’s face and examined her closely. “How have you managed that?”

Viv gave an awkward laugh, as if she was quite sure the woman was teasing her, but the woman frowned. “No, really, how have you managed it?”

“Um, my name is Vivian,” she said. “I think you might be confusing me with my grandmother Eugenia, everyone called her Ginny.”

The older woman stared at her for a moment and then she laughed and said, “Oh, Ginny, always such a joker. Didn’t I tell you, Tina?”

“You did at that, Dotty,” the other woman said as she stood watching.

“Oh, heavens, where are my manners?” Dotty said. “Ginny, this is my daughter-in-law, Tina Grisby. Tina, this is my friend, the owner of Mim’s Whims, Gi—”

“Everyone calls me Viv,” Vivian interrupted as she extended her hand to Tina. “This is my cousin Scarlett, our apprentice Fiona, and our man of business Harrison.”

“You changed your name?” Dotty asked Viv. “How extraordinary.”

Viv stared at her for a second and then clearly decided that it did no good to insist she wasn’t Mim.

“Yes, I feel more like a Viv than a Ginny,” she said.

“Huh.” Dotty patted an errant gray curl by her temple. “Maybe I’ll change my name. I always fancied myself a Catriona.”

Tina gave her mother-in-law an alarmed look. “Dotty, we really should explain our purpose so that we don’t keep these kind ladies from their business.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Dotty said. “But I do love the idea of a new name.”

“Are you in need of a hat for a specific occasion?” I asked, thinking to get the conversation on track. “Fee, would you bring us some tea?”

“Right away,” she agreed.

“I’ll just go and attend the books,” Harrison said. “If you’ll excuse me, ladies.”

I watched as he and Fee shared a laugh as they left the room and wondered what they could be discussing that was so amusing. I suspected it was me in my lavender hat.

“Don’t you agree, Scarlett?” Viv asked. She was seated in our cozy sitting area with the Grisbys and all three of them were watching me.

“Um,” I stalled and when I glanced at my cousin, she had her lips pressed together as if she were trying not to smile. I sat down quickly.

“The Grisby family is hosting a tea in honor of Dotty’s late husband and they are planning to have an
Alice in Wonderland
theme,” Viv said.

“Oh, I like that idea,” I said. “How can we help?”

“Well, it’s to be a fund-raiser so that we can name a wing of the hospital after my late husband,” Dotty said. “Each family member will host a table and we’d like them to wear a hat that can be tied to a character from the book.”

I glanced at Viv. Being the creative quotient in the business, this was really her call.

“When would you need these by?” she asked.

“We’re hoping to have the tea in late June,” Tina said. She gave us an apologetic look. “I know it is short notice.”

“Ginny doesn’t mind, do you, dear?” Dotty asked. She patted Viv’s hand as if they were old friends.

I tried to remember Mim mentioning Dotty Grisby, but I couldn’t bring the name up in any of my memories. Of course, given that I was only here on school holidays, I wouldn’t have as broad a frame of reference as Viv would. However, judging by Viv’s surprised expression when Dotty had hugged her, I was betting Viv didn’t remember her, either.

Fee came out with a tray loaded with tea and biscuits, some cheese, and fruit. The Grisby ladies enjoyed a cup each and nibbled some of the food. It was agreed that Viv would work up some sketches and they would come in to see them next week.

Dotty took Viv’s arm as we walked them to the door. The older lady looked so happy to see her dear friend that I was glad Viv had decided to go along with Dotty’s faulty memory. I fell into step beside Tina.

“Your cousin is being very kind,” Tina said. “Please tell her that I appreciate it.”

“I will,” I said. “It must be hard to watch Dotty struggle with her memory.”

“Honestly, she’s been like this since her husband left her thirty years ago. Her reality is different than everyone else’s and as my husband explained it to me, it is just better if we go along with her.”

“Thirty years ago?” I asked. “I’m sorry, but did I understand that she wants the wing of a hospital named after him?”

“Yes, well,” Tina lowered her voice. “They never divorced. He lived in Tuscany with his mistress until he died a month ago. She always told everyone that he was away on business, and I think she managed to convince herself that was the truth. One does wonder though . . .”

“What?” I asked.

“If that’s why she is slightly addled,” Tina said. “She never got over him leaving her.”

A driver was outside waiting for them, and Viv and I waved as they drove away.

Harrison came out from the back room. “The books are done for this week and I’m pleased to announce you’re still in business. How did it go with the Mmes. Grisby?”

“They want a tea party a la
Alice in Wonderland
,” Viv said. “It’ll be tight, but I think I can get it done.”

Harrison made a face.

“What? I think it will be great fun,” I said.

“You would,” he retorted. I was pretty sure this was an insult, but I didn’t press it.

“What about you, Viv?” Harrison asked. “How do you feel about it?”

She was quiet for a moment, staring out the window as if contemplating something. When she turned around, she gave us a wicked smile.

“If it’s a Mad Hatter that they want, then it’s a Mad Hatter that they’ll get,” she declared.

I exchanged an alarmed glance with Harrison. Between Mrs. Grisby’s dottiness and Viv’s Cheshire Cat grin, I was beginning to feel as nonplussed as Alice when she fell down the rabbit hole. Oh, dear.