Murder by Meringue (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 25)

by Mary Maxwell

  “Didn’t you get my email?” I said.

  She moaned. “Don’t do that, Katie! Just please answer the question. I don’t have time to read long emails these days. My life is off the rails and rumbling down the mountainside.”

  “Okay, calm down,” I said in a soft, soothing tone. “Everything’s going to be alright.”

  “I know that,” she said. “It’s just a matter of time.”

  “Which was, obviously, something that Amelia Felton didn’t have,” I said. “The police found her journal when they searched the storage locker at her new apartment.”

  “What did it say?”

  “It’s in the email,” I told her. “But here’s the skinny version; Amelia snapped. She was under financial pressure before the trouble started with Ken. When he simultaneously ended their relationship and fired her from the CPA firm, she couldn’t deal.”

  “What do you mean she couldn’t deal?” asked my sister. “People go through stuff like that all the time and they don’t try to commit murder with poisoned cupcakes.”

  “I know, I know. But the stress and strain just wore her down. I talked to one of her former coworkers, and she told me that Amelia had been trying to get a bank loan to payoff the credit card debt. When that didn’t go through, she applied for a few part-time jobs. When none of those worked out, she—”

  “Okay, I get it,” Olivia interrupted. “The woman had money trouble. And she couldn’t get a job. I still don’t see how that became a motive for murder.”

  “Attempted murder,” I said. “At least, that’s what the charges would’ve been if Amelia hadn’t accidentally killed herself with the tainted meringue.”

  “About that,” Olivia replied. “How did that happen anyway? I mean, if you’re going to the trouble of poisoning cupcakes to try and kill four people, you’d think that you would be more careful.”

  “I don’t believe that we’ll ever know the answer to that one,” I said. “But maybe it was actually suicide. Maybe Amelia planned to take her own life all along.”

  “That’s so…it’s just so…” Olivia’s voice sputtered with sorrow. “I mean, she used to be so happy and upbeat all the time. Just a real firecracker. And then she started to change. Do you remember me saying something about that on one of my trips home?”

  “Sure. You said it on most of your visits during the past few years. Even when I was living in Chicago, I’d get these long notes from you about how many people commented on Amelia’s darkening moods.”

  “Yeah, right. And I think everyone figured it was some kind of phase, like a cloud blocking the sun. Then she started dating Ken and it seemed to restore her happy, zany personality.”

  “Until he ended it,” I said.

  “It just breaks my heart, you know?”

  “I do. It’s a tragic final chapter for a life that held such promise.”

  My sister sighed. “At one point, I guess it did. But whatever was simmering beneath the surface must’ve been stronger than all of her friends and coworkers reaching out.”

  I didn’t say anything for a few moments. I thought about Amelia and her brother. Then I imagined a darker scenario, if all four of her intended victims had been killed by the strychnine-laced cupcakes.

  “You got quiet,” Olivia said.

  I sighed. “Just thinking about everything.”

  “Which we all will for a long time,” she replied.

  “I suppose so,” I said. “But probably not as long as Ken and the others.”

  “No doubt.” She issued another weighty sigh. “Just thank goodness nobody else died.”

  “You can say that again.”

  And she did. Then she laughed so loudly that I had to lower the phone to avoid potential hearing loss.

  “Hey, I have one more question for you,” she said once the laughter had subsided. “Who is Madame Nina? I keep getting these weird texts from mom, but she hasn’t explained who she’s talking about.”

  “It’s a long story,” I said.

  Olivia groaned. “Aren’t they all with that woman?”

  “Hey, she’s the only mother we’ve got,” I said. “And we’ve made it this far without completely losing our minds.”

  She giggled. “I can’t say the same thing for our dear, sweet mother though. The last message said that she wasn’t going to file a lawsuit against this Nina person because it would only create bad karma.”

  “Wow!” I said, feeling a genuine sense of surprise. “That’s a huge step forward for her.”

  “I think that she learned her lesson after the Harriet Roosevelt incident,” my sister replied. “That little nightmare took a bite out of their retirement account.”

  “Hold on,” I said. “What’s the Harriet Roosevelt incident?”

  “It’s another long story,” Olivia answered. “Mom and her former friend got into a disagreement at an outlet mall. They both wanted the same Michael Kors shoes, but the store only had one pair left.”

  “How bad was it?” I asked, remembering an earlier shopping fiasco that involved our mother, another former friend, an organic cotton slouchy jumpsuit and two armed security guards at the Eileen Fisher Company Store in Boca Raton.

  “There was no serious carnage,” Olivia told me. “Mom broke a nail when Harriet ripped the jumpsuit out of her hands. Harriet was threatening to file a lawsuit and press charges for assault and battery when the two guards broke up the fight.”

  “How embarrassing,” I said. “Two adults arguing over a silly jumpsuit.”

  Olivia laughed, but it turned into a grunt. “They almost ended up on the evening news. Another woman in the store filmed the whole thing and claimed she was going to post it if mom and Harriet didn’t agree to her terms.”

  I waited for the punch line, but my sister went silent.

  “Okay,” I said a few seconds later. “I’ll bite. What did the third woman want?”

  “Can’t you guess?” she asked.

  “I’m too tired to play games,” I said. “Just tell me what she wanted.”

  “Well, the Eileen Fisher jumpsuit, of course!” Olivia laughed and snorted again. “Fortunately, it was her size!”

  CHAPTER 42

  After dinner that night with my neighbor and two other members of the Crescent Creek Professional Women’s Network, I drove home, parked the car in back of the old Victorian and started to climb the stairs to my apartment on the second floor. As I reached the midway point on the steps, I heard a muffled sound in the Sky High kitchen. I held my breath and listened, but there was only the rustling of branches in the nearby trees and a car horn somewhere in the darkness.

  “Go down and check,” I mumbled. “You can spare the time just to be sure.”

  I held the banister, turned slowly and walked back down the stairs. When I reached the kitchen door, I leaned forward and peered through the glass.

  “What the heck?”

  I could see candles glowing on the pass window between the kitchen and the dining room. I pulled out my keys, but the door was already unlocked. As I turned the knob and stepped inside, I heard footsteps in the distance.

  “Hello?”

  I held my breath and listened.

  “Anybody there?” I called.

  But instead of someone replying to my question, I heard more footsteps followed by a tinny rendition of Silent Night echoing through the empty rooms.

  “Whoever you are,” I shouted, “there will be hell to pay if you don’t—”

  Harper and Julia suddenly appeared in the pass window. They were both grinning wildly and motioning for me to join them in the dining room.

  Silent night, holy night.

  The Christmas carol continued to play as I made my way across the kitchen and into the next room.

  “Have a seat,” Julia said, pulling one chair from beneath a table that was draped with a starched white cloth. In the center, three votives flickered beside one of the Sky High water pitches filled with a dozen red roses.

  Harper
came out from behind the counter with a flute filled with sparkling champagne. “And have a sip of bubbly,” she said, gently placing the glass in front of the empty chair.

  “We wanted to be here just for the beginning,” Julia said. “To make sure you were comfortable.”

  “And relaxed,” Harper added, pointing at the champagne.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, feeling butterflies as they began to flick about in my stomach.

  “Our work here is done,” Julia said, reaching for Harper’s elbow. “We’ll see you in the morning, boss.”

  All is calm, all is bright.

  I was still standing beside the chair, so Harper gave me a gentle nudge before they quickly scurried away into the kitchen. I heard the back door open and close as I finally took a seat.

  Silent night, holy night.

  Then I took a tiny sip of champagne.

  And then I saw Zack.

  He’d appeared from the entryway, dressed in a dark suit, crisp blue shirt, striped tie and a topsy-turvy grin that always accompanied his jittery nerves and playful streak.

  He had a stack of placards tucked under one arm. For a split second, I couldn’t exactly understand what was happening until he held up the first card for me to read. It was written with thick black marker against a stark white background:

  WITH ANY LUCK, BY NEXT YEAR

  He dropped the card onto the closest table. Then he flashed the second sign:

  I’LL BE MARRIED TO THIS GIRL

  When the second card fell away, I saw the picture of me that Zack took on the first day that we met. It was to accompany a feature in The Crescent Creek Gazette about my return to Colorado to take over the family business.

  I felt the tears forming as Zack lowered the photograph and held up a new placard:

  THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS THAT I NEED TO ASK

  Matching rivulets began streaming down my cheeks as he dropped the sign and lifted a new one:

  WILL YOU TEACH ME HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE?

  He smiled. “Well?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I’ll teach you how to make chocolate cheesecake.”

  After a moment or two, he put the sign on the table, walked over to my side and got down on one knee. Then he held up the final placard:

  WILL YOU MARRY ME?

  “Kate Reed?” he said with a dazzling smile and a brilliant glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. “Will you marry me?”

  I felt an instant avalanche of emotion: love and desire, hope and fear, apprehension and pride, awareness and pleasure, doubt and joy.

  “I love you,” he whispered. “I want to spend the rest of my—”

  The front door suddenly slammed open and we both jumped with surprise.

  “Did she say yes?” Blanche Speltzer called, hoisting a bottle of champagne high overhead.

  The gray-haired gossip maven was wheezing from the effort to scramble up the stairs and through the front door. Her face was aglow with expectation and delight as she waited for a response.

  “Hey, there,” I said. My eyes darted from Zack to Blanche and then back again. “Were we expecting company?”

  Blanche walked into the dining room and put the bottle on a table.

  “Well?” she said. “What’s the scoop, dear?”

  I looked down at Zack. He was grinning and winking, holding a deep red leather box trimmed with embossed gold lace borders.

  “Um…” His voice cracked and dipped into a husky whisper. “I didn’t think that you’d mind a little celebration after.”

  I smiled. “You were that confident?”

  He shrugged. “I’m going to call it hopeful and optimistic.”

  The door flew open again and Boris Hertel rushed into the entryway with a large package wrapped in glossy white paper and decorated with a yellow ribbon and bow. He hurried over to Blanche and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

  “Was the answer yes?” he asked.

  Blanche and Zack began laughing together as Boris moved toward me with the gift.

  “Yes!” I replied. “It’s a yes. And I look forward to saying it again and again and again.”

  Nana Reed’s Sky High Recipes

  Raspberry Meringue Cupcakes

  Ingredients

  1 cup butter

  1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

  2 eggs

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  1/4 teaspoon salt

  1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  1/2 cup milk

  3/4 cup raspberry jam

  For the Meringue

  3 large egg whites

  1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

  1/8 teaspoon salt

  3/8 cup granulated sugar

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).

  2. Place paper liners in 12 muffin tins.

  3. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in mixing bowl.

  4. Cream together butter and granulated sugar.

  5. Add eggs—one at a time—and then vanilla extract.

  6. Slowly add dry ingredients to butter-sugar mixture, alternating with milk.

  7. Pour batter into muffin tins.

  8. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean.

  9. Remove muffin tins from oven.

  10. Allow cupcakes to rest in tins for at least 10 minutes before moving to wire racks.

  11. While cupcakes cool, make the meringue by whipping egg whites and cream of tartar in a chilled mixing bowl. Add salt once peaks form. Slowly add sugar and increase the mixer speed until stiff peaks form.

  12. Once the cupcakes have cooled, core them with a cupcake or apple corer. Fill the well with raspberry jam.

  13. Mound meringue atop each cupcake, then toast with a cook’s torch; or carefully broil until golden brown.

  Meringue Cookies

  Ingredients

  2 egg whites

  1/8 teaspoon salt

  1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  3/4 cup white sugar

  1 cup milk chocolate chips

  1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

  2. Prepare two baking sheets: lightly grease or line with parchment paper.

  3. Beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar and vanilla until thoroughly mixed.

  4. Slowly add sugar and blend completely before folding in chocolate chips and chopped nuts.

  5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets.

  6. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.

  7. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire racks to cool completely.

  Carrot Cake Scones

  Ingredients

  1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  1/4 cup brown sugar

  1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  1 teaspoon cinnamon

  1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  4 tablespoons coconut oil

  1-1/4 cups shredded carrot

  1 cup chopped pecans

  1/2 cup shredded coconut

  3/4 cup heavy cream

  1/4 cup milk

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

  2. Prepare two baking sheets: lightly grease or line with parchment paper.

  3. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

  4. Add coconut oil and heavy cream, blending until thoroughly mixed.

  5. Fold in shredded carrot, chopped nuts and shredded coconut.

  6. When all ingredients are combined, place dough on lightly-floured surface.

  7. Knead dough thoroughly before dividing into two equal portions.
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  8. Shape portions into 8-inch circles; divide each into eight wedges.

  9. Arrange on baking sheets with 1-inch gap between.

  10. Moisten top of wedges with milk.

  11. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

  12. Cool on wire rack before garnishing with Sky High Glistening Glaze (see next page).

  Sky High Glistening Glaze

  Ingredients

  2 cups confectioners’ sugar

  3 tablespoons milk

  1/4 teaspoon orange juice

  1/3 cup orange zest

  Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.

  2. Drizzle over scones before serving.