by Cindy Bell
“Georgina, whatever happened, I’m sure a good lawyer could get you out of this.” Lucy’s heart was racing.
“No, I don’t need a lawyer. What I need is one less nosy Lucy. I knew you were up to something. But I tried to ignore it. Then I caught you snooping around here. I’m sure that you know something now, and it’s only a matter of time before you piece everything together. No offense, Lucy, but you’re standing between me and my freedom, my future, my fame, so you’re going to pay the price for that.”
“Georgina please. I’m not going to tell anyone.”
“No, you’re not. I did a very good job of covering my tracks. I’m not going to let you ruin that. Goodbye Lucy.”
Georgina stepped back from the closet door, and before Lucy could stop it the door swung shut.
Her stomach twisted with instant panic as darkness surrounded her. The closet was so small she couldn’t turn around. She pushed hard against the door. It didn’t give in the slightest.
“It’s locked.” She banged on the door and screamed for help. She gulped and closed her eyes. “I’m locked in a dark, stuffy, tiny closet.” She started shaking with panic and rubbed her hands up and down along her arms. There was no other escape, she knew that already. No one knew where she was, no one would look for her there. Now she was faced with her final hours of life stuck inside a tiny closet that she could not get out of. She couldn’t even turn around, she was squashed between the boxes and the door.
Lucy closed her eyes and wondered how everything had gone so wrong. She knew the moment she began to follow Georgina, that she was taking too big of a risk. It was not something she would normally do, but she had to find out for sure. Now that she knew, she wished she never had. No one knew she was missing, and no one would even begin to look for her until she didn’t show up for work the next day. She rummaged in her purse for her phone, but as she expected there was no signal on it. She banged and pushed on the door again, even though it was irrational to do so. Once more it didn’t budge. Warm tears began to course down her cheeks. If she didn’t find a way out she would die in the closet, she couldn’t sit, she couldn’t move, she just had to stand there. She rubbed her hands together to try to stop them from shaking then shoved them down deep into her pockets. It was the end of the line for her, and she had to admit that she wasn’t ready. There were many more things she wanted to do in her life. Just as more tears began to flow, the latch on the door shifted.
“Hello? Is someone out there?” She pounded on the door. “Somebody! Please help me! I’m trapped in here.”
The door swung open and she felt a rush of air. Immediately she stuck her foot between the door and door frame to prevent it from closing again. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Lucy, get out here, you have to be terrified.” Jack held the door open for her. She stared at him for a moment. How could he possibly have found her? She didn’t care, she rushed out into the light. He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her, then rubbed his hands up and down along her shaking arms to try to calm her. “Did Georgina do this to you?”
“Did you see her? Did she get away?”
“Don’t worry about that now. Breathe and calm down.”
“But she killed Hugo! She tried to kill me, too! We can’t let her get away!”
“No one’s getting away.” He looked into her eyes and held her still even as she tried to pull away from him. “Annaliese is the best at what she does, I promise you, she’ll have Georgina in handcuffs any second now. But you have to focus on making sure that you’re okay. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” She closed her eyes for a moment and savored the comforting warmth of his hands on her shoulders. “Thanks to you. How did you know I was here?”
“Anneliese went to the patisserie to talk to you and when you weren’t there she called you, but couldn’t reach you. Chantelle told her that you suspected Georgina, and that she was worried that you were going to investigate by yourself. Annaliese guessed that might be something that you would do. So she decided to locate Georgina to speak with her and check on you. When no one seemed to know where she was, she tracked Georgina’s cell phone, and figured out she was here. She called me to see if I’d heard from you, and asked me to come along to look for you.”
“That’s amazing, Jack. You and Annaliese saved my life.”
“If Chantelle didn’t mention anything to Annaliese, we never would have known to look for you. Why didn’t you just ask for help?”
“I didn’t plan to confront her. I came to look at the restaurant to see if I could find any clues, but she spotted me. Then I felt like I had to play along. I didn’t think that with Sophia in custody anyone was going to believe me when I suspected Georgina unless I had proof.”
“I would have.” He caught her hand in his and looked into her eyes. “Really.”
“But you had no idea I was in the closet?” She swallowed hard at his touch and looked away from him.
“No, I didn’t. I was just looking everywhere and then I heard you. Annaliese and I saw Georgina fleeing, so we thought she might have done something wrong, and since you still weren’t answering your cell phone, I was worried.”
“If you hadn’t found me, I don’t think I would have lasted much longer.”
“That’s why you need to be comfortable with calling someone. Lucy, I know I made you uncomfortable at our dinner, and after. But you can trust me.”
“I do believe that, Jack. I didn’t tell anyone because, I didn’t even believe it myself to be honest. It wasn’t until Georgina confessed to me that I knew for sure.”
“I think you knew before that.” He smiled.
“You do?”
“I think you need to trust your instincts a little more.”
“Yes, maybe I do.” She shivered. He wrapped his arm around her and rubbed his hand along her back to comfort her.
“Let’s go see if Annaliese caught Georgina yet.”
“Thanks Jack. I’m not sure how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”
“Dinner, would be nice.” He glanced over at her as he led her out of the restaurant. “A whole dinner, not just the ordering part.”
“All right, I suppose I could arrange that.” She grinned. When they stepped out into the parking lot she saw Georgina in the back of Annaliese’s patrol car. It was a relief. Finally, her mind could be calm. Finally, Hugo had his justice.
The End
***
Thank you very much for reading Recipes and Revenge. I hope you enjoyed it. You can sign up for Cindy’s newsletter to be notified of her latest releases so you don’t miss out on the special new release price at http://www.cindybellbooks.com
Also by Cindy Bell
A Macaron Patisserie Cozy Mystery Series
Sifting for Suspects
Sage Gardens Cozy Mysteries
Birthdays Can Be Deadly
Money Can Be Deadly
Trust Can Be Deadly
Ties Can Be Deadly
Rocks Can Be Deadly
Jewelry Can Be Deadly
Numbers Can Be Deadly
Memories Can Be Deadly
Paintings Can Be Deadly
Nuts About Nuts Cozy Mysteries
A Tough Case to Crack
Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mysteries
Murdering the Roses
Dead in the Daisies
Killing the Carnations
Drowning the Daffodils
Suffocating the Sunflowers
Books, Bullets and Blooms
A Deadly Serious Gardening Contest
A Bridal Bouquet and a Body
Dune House Cozy Mysteries
Seaside Secrets
Boats and Bad Guys
Treasured History
Hidden Hideaways
Dodgy Dealings
Suspects and Surprises
Ruffled Feathers
A Fishy Discovery
Chocolate Centered Cozy Mysteries
&
nbsp; The Sweet Smell of Murder
A Deadly Delicious Delivery
A Bitter Sweet Murder
A Treacherous Tasty Trail
Luscious Pastry at a Lethal Party
Trouble and Treats
Fudge Films and Felonies
Wendy the Wedding Planner Cozy Mysteries
Matrimony, Money and Murder
Chefs, Ceremonies and Crimes
Knives and Nuptials
Mice, Marriage and Murder
Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mysteries
Hairspray and Homicide
A Dyed Blonde and a Dead Body
Mascara and Murder
Pageant and Poison
Conditioner and a Corpse
Mistletoe, Makeup and Murder
Hairpin, Hair Dryer and Homicide
Blush, a Bride and a Body
Shampoo and a Stiff
Cosmetics, a Cruise and a Killer
Lipstick, a Long Iron and Lifeless
Camping, Concealer and Criminals
Treated and Dyed
About the Author
Cindy Bell is the author of the cozy mystery series Dune House, Sage Gardens, Chocolate Centered, Macaron Patisserie, Nuts about Nuts, Bekki the Beautician, Heavenly Highland Inn and Wendy the Wedding Planner.
Cindy has always loved reading, but it is only recently that she has discovered her passion for writing romantic cozy mysteries. She loves walking along the beach thinking of the next adventure her characters can embark on.
You can sign up for her newsletter so you are notified of her latest releases at http://www.cindybellbooks.com.
Lemon Cheesecake Macaron Recipe
Macarons can be quite technical to make as so much can go wrong with them if something is just slightly off. Even when you have mastered making macarons sometimes things just go wrong. But even if they don’t look perfect, usually they still look good and are delicious.
Ingredients:
Macaron shells:
1 cup almond meal
1 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 large egg whites at room temperature
1/4 cup superfine sugar
Zest of one lemon
2-3 drops yellow food coloring
Lemon Curd:
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup superfine sugar
4 lemons (zest and juice)
2 ounces butter cut into cubes
Lemon Cheesecake Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons lemon curd
Zest of one lemon (optional depending on how lemony you want your filling)
Preparation:
This recipe makes about 18 macarons.
Process the almond meal and confectioners’ sugar together in a food processor so the mixture becomes very fine. Sift the mixture into a bowl.
Put the egg whites in another bowl and beat them using an electric mixer until they start to turn white then gradually add the superfine sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Add in the lemon zest.
Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the eggs about a third at a time. Add 2-3 drops of the food coloring. The color will become lighter when baked. Continue to fold the mixture until it becomes quite thick like lava. A good way to tell when the mixture is ready is when you place a small spoonful of the mixture on a plate and the little tip disappears within ten seconds or you can continuously make a figure 8 with the mixture falling off the end of a spatula. Keep folding until this occurs.
You do not want to overmix so keep checking the mixture as you fold.
Pipe the mixture using a 1/2 inch round tip or just snip the end off a disposable piping bag. Pipe the mixture into rounds on a lined baking tray or macaron mat. There are many mats and stencils available that you can use to make piping the correct shape easier.
Tap the tray on the counter to release any air bubbles. Leave the mixture for about 30 minutes to an hour, you want the macarons to form a skin so when you touch the top they are not wet and they are shiny. This is to help the feet form.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the skin has formed place the macarons in the preheated oven for 12-18 minutes. They are cooked when they can be peeled away from the parchment paper.
Take the tray out of the oven and cool completely before taking the macarons off the tray for assembly.
For the filling, you can make your own lemon curd or use a store bought one. I prefer making my own because it is very simple to make and it uses up the egg yolks left over from the macarons.
To make the lemon curd take a heavy bottom saucepan and add the egg yolks, sugar and lemon zest and juice of the four lemons. Whisk the ingredients together.
Heat the mixture on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the temperature to low and stirring continuously gradually add the butter a few cubes at a time. Continue stirring until the mixture has thickened and it coats the back of the spoon.
Take off the heat and let cool.
For the lemon cheesecake filling whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy.
Add the whipping cream and whip until well incorporated.
Mix in the vanilla extract.
Mix in the lemon curd and lemon zest.
Take the macaron shell and pipe or spoon some lemon cheesecake filling on the bottom of the shell then take another macaron shell of similar size and sandwich the bottoms together, so the cheese filling is in the middle.
Store the macarons in the fridge.
Take the macarons out of the fridge a couple of hours before serving so they get to room temperature.
Enjoy!