The Cakes of Wrath (A Piece of Cake Mystery)

by Brady, Jacklyn

  Miss Frankie put her fingers on my cheek. Her hand was cool and soft, her touch gentle. “Rita, you know how much I love you. You’re family and that means there’s no problem too big for us to get around. So don’t you worry for a minute. We’ll work it all out, okay?”

  Tears stung my eyes and I was way too tired to fight them. I sniffed and nodded and hugged her tightly, especially since she didn’t even point out that she’d been right to bring Edie’s family to town. “I love you too, Miss Frankie.”

  “I know you do, sugar.”

  We stood that way for a minute, crying a little and hugging a lot and leaning on each other until Miss Frankie gently pressed me away. She reached for my hand and scowled down at the bandage that she seemed to notice for the first time. “Goodness, Rita, I think you’re the one who needs someone to watch out for her. I’m going to want to hear all about this, too. But right now let’s find out where they’ve taken Pearl Lee. I insist that someone tell me what they’re doing to her every minute.”

  I waved to Gabriel as Miss Frankie dragged me past the waiting room and tried to signal that I’d be back later. It took us three full hours and a whole lot of gentle persuasion, but we finally got the answers we were looking for. Pearl Lee was weak but she was alive, and the doctor assured us that she’d be back to normal in no time. I drew on Miss Frankie’s earlier example and decided not to tell him that Pearl Lee hadn’t exactly been “normal” to begin with. There are some things that just don’t need to be said out loud.

  • • •

  The baby shower decorations were beautiful—vintage canisters filled with pale roses sat in the middle of half a dozen round tables; lengths of cloth in delicate pastels streamed out from a cluster of blue and pink balloons to form a canopy in the middle of the ceiling. Fairy lights twinkled all around us, giving Zydeco’s conference room a magical appearance.

  “I think it looks lovely, sugar. Don’t you?”

  I nodded at my mother-in-law and returned her smile. Keeping the shower small-ish wasn’t the only concession she’d made. She’d given up the search for a “perfect” venue and agreed to hold the shower here. I wanted her to know that I appreciated her efforts. “It’s perfect,” I said. “Thank you for doing this.”

  She slid a sidelong glance at the bandage on my hand. “I guess it’s a good thing you asked me to do it after all. I can’t imagine what we’d be doing today if you hadn’t turned the planning over to me.”

  “Plastic tablecloths and crepe paper streamers,” I said with a grin. “I can almost guarantee it.”

  She looked out over the room again. “I’m awfully glad you’re here today, Rita. I don’t know what I would have done if that woman had succeeded in killing you.”

  “Well, she didn’t,” I said gently. “And Pearl Lee’s recovering nicely. We’ll both be around to argue with you awhile longer.”

  “Yes. Well.” Her lips curved again ever so slightly. “Don’t make a habit of that. Pearl Lee’s already up to her old tricks. By the way, she has requested that we bring a piece of cake to the hospital for her.”

  “That’s easy enough.”

  “You did invite that nice young man who came to your rescue, didn’t you?”

  “Which one?” I teased. “Gabriel or Scotty?”

  Miss Frankie gave my arm a pat. “You know I’m talking about Gabriel, sugar. Edie specifically requested that I add him to the guest list.”

  “Well, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t show up. I don’t think baby showers are his thing.”

  “You never can tell, can you? Take Scotty, for instance. Pearl Lee seems genuinely interested in him, and he actually seems to care for her. Maybe it’s not such a bad match this time. I guess time will tell.”

  We were interrupted then by the sounds of voices and footsteps, and a moment later everyone on the reduced guest list burst into the room. Almost everyone, that is. Sparkle had gone to the airport to pick up her brother, but she and Edie had patched things up, and she promised she’d be back for the party.

  Edie looked happy and healthy. Charlie beamed like the proud grandpa-to-be he was, and Lin accidentally smiled at me once. After delivering a stern warning for me to relax and stay where I was, Miss Frankie rose and assumed her duties as hostess.

  To my complete surprise, Gabriel, looking all sexy-Cajun-ish in jeans and a tight-fitting black T-shirt, wandered in a few seconds later. He stopped off to pick up a beer and a glass of wine, then sauntered over to me. He bent to kiss my cheek, grazing the side of my mouth slightly in the process. A delicious shiver filled my body with warmth as he sat next to me. “You look like a crash test dummy, chérie. You really need to stop letting yourself be used as a punching bag.”

  I made a face at him. “Oh. Good idea. I’ll see what I can do.”

  He grinned and held out the wineglass. “For you.”

  I looked at it longingly and then shook my head. “Thanks, but I shouldn’t mix alcohol with the pain pills the doctors gave me.” My third set in two weeks. I think I’d set some kind of record. This prescription was stronger than either of the other two and made it hard to think clearly. But with my hand out of commission while the knife cut healed, I’d be benched from decorating for a while anyway.

  “Thanks again for coming to my rescue the other night,” I said. “I don’t know what would have happened to Pearl Lee and me if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”

  Gabriel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and holding the glass in his hands. “You don’t have to thank me every time you see me, you know.”

  “I know. I’ll stop in a month or two, I’m sure. But you really ought to milk my gratitude for all it’s worth while you’ve got it.”

  He treated me to a lopsided grin that had a stronger feel-good effect on me than any pain medication. “If I thought you were up to it, I most definitely would.” He ran an assessing look over my fading bruises and bandages. “How long do I have to take advantage of that offer?”

  I laughed and gave him a little bump with my undamaged shoulder. “Seriously. Thank you.”

  “For nothing,” he said. “I’d do it again if I had to, but I really hope you won’t do anything like that again.”

  “I couldn’t just sit back and let Zora kill Pearl Lee.”

  “You could have called the police.”

  “And say what? I think this nice old lady just vandalized my business? As far as I knew, I was going to stop a catfight.”

  Gabriel gave me a skeptical look. “Are you saying that you hadn’t figured out she killed Destiny by then?”

  “Would you believe me if I told you I knew it all along?”

  “Not for a minute. By the way, your friend Detective Winslow came by last night.”

  “Oh? I’ve been expecting him to show up here with an apology.”

  “You might be waiting for a while. He really isn’t a member of the Rita Lucero Fan Club but it’s his loss.” Gabriel turned toward me, his gaze darkly intense. I could tell he was going to say something important and I leaned forward in anticipation. But just as he started to open his mouth, Sparkle appeared in the doorway with a tall young man. They were clearly related, though his hair was lighter than her dyed black locks, and he sported a dark tan—the exact opposite of his sister. He had an open, friendly face and a curious look in his eye. I liked him immediately.

  I stood up to welcome him, and that was when all hell broke loose.

  Edie shot to her feet so fast her chair tipped over behind her. “Sparkle? What are you doing?”

  Her brother looked surprised. “Hey,” he said to Edie. “Is this your party?”

  Sparkle’s black-rimmed eyes widened a lot. “I asked Miss Frankie. She said it was all right.”

  The commotion had claimed everyone’s attention. But really, after everything we’d been through the past couple of weeks, was it such a big deal? Apparently, Edie was more emotionally fragile than I’d thought. It was her baby shower, after all, but I was a little
embarrassed that she’d pick a fight with Sparkle and make a scene now over an extra party guest.

  I started toward them, determined to intervene before this argument could get out of hand. “It’s okay,” I told Edie as I came up behind her and led her a little bit away. “Sparkle’s brother is in town for a few days, and I didn’t think one more guest would throw everything completely off.”

  Edie whipped around to face me and lowered her voice. “That’s Sparkle’s brother? Are you kidding me?”

  I shook my head uncertainly. “No?”

  She leaned in close and whispered something, but she was speaking so softly I couldn’t hear her.

  “What?” I whispered back.

  She darted a quick glance over her shoulder. Everybody was watching us. They weren’t even pretending not to. “That’s him.”

  “Him who?”

  She rolled her eyes in exasperation since obviously I wasn’t picking up what she was laying down. She came right up to me, so close our noses almost touched. “Him. The guy from the bar.”

  I knew I was missing something, and I knew it was huge, but the haze of the medication along with her whispered and obviously angry hints slowed me down. “Him?”

  “Oh, for God’s sake, Rita. It’s the guy. My one-night stand. The guy I slept with. The baby’s father. And you’re telling me he’s Sparkle’s brother?”

  I heard a gasp. Edie spun around and I looked up to find Sparkle standing right behind us. Emotions flashed across her face too quickly for me to read them. I think both Edie and I were expecting an explosion.

  “For future reference,” I muttered, “his name is River.”

  Edie took a step back and put her hands over her belly. I stepped forward to put myself in harm’s way one more time. If Sparkle was going to hit anybody, well, I was already drugged up so I figured it wouldn’t hurt too badly. River moved a few steps closer, still looking pleased to be there—and still not seeming to realize what sort of party it was that he’d crashed. “It’s really good to see you again,” he said to Edie. “I can’t believe we ran into each other like this. It must be fate or something.”

  “What’s going on?” Miss Frankie called out. “Is there a problem?”

  “No. No. Everything’s fine,” I said. “Everybody . . . do something fun.”

  Edie scowled at River. “I thought you were going to Afghanistan.”

  “I did. Just got off the plane a couple of hours ago,” he said. “This is a kick, huh?”

  I didn’t take my eyes off Sparkle. I still didn’t know what she was going to do. Then, without warning, she launched herself at Edie, catching me in the process of what turned out to be a group hug. Sparkle was beaming, an honest-to-goodness full-on smile. I’d never seen such a thing on her face before. Her dark eyes sparkled with delight, and for the first time since I met her, I understood why Sparkle’s parents chose her name.

  She released the two of us and turned on her brother, throwing her arms around his neck. I glanced at Edie, a little worried about her reaction. To my surprise, tears brimmed in her eyes. “She’s happy,” Edie whispered. “She’s really happy.”

  River looked as confused as the rest of us, but he hugged Sparkle back and laughed softly. “I haven’t seen you look like this since you were a kid. What’s going on?”

  She took a step back, leaving both hands on his shoulders. “The baby,” she said softly. “It’s yours.”

  He didn’t move a muscle. “What baby?”

  “Uh,” Edie said nervously, “mine.”

  “I think it’s time the two of you were properly introduced,” I said, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. “Why don’t we slip out for a few minutes. The two of you can chat in my office.”

  Edie nodded and River managed to get one foot in front of the other. Sparkle skipped along beside him, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s what we’ve always wanted,” she said as we left the party behind. “We’re finally going to have a family.”

  Recipes

  • • •

  Sugar Plum Spice Cake

  1/2 cup shortening

  2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

  3/4 teaspoon salt

  3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

  1 cup granulated sugar

  2/3 cup packed brown sugar

  1 1/4 cups buttermilk

  2 eggs

  Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease two 9-by-11/2-inch pans and set aside. In a large bowl, stir the shortening to soften. Add the dry ingredients. Add 1 cup buttermilk and stir until the mix is dampened, then beat with a mixer on low speed for 2 minutes. Add the eggs and remaining buttermilk and beat 1 minute.

  Pour into prepared pans and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Cool on racks about 5 minutes before removing from pans.

  Ice with Fluffy Boiled Frosting when cool.

  • • •

  Fluffy Boiled Frosting

  Great with the Sugar Plum Spice Cake.

  1 1/4 cups sugar

  1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

  1/8 teaspoon salt

  6 tablespoon water

  3 egg whites

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  In a small (1-quart) saucepan, heat the sugar, cream of tartar, salt, and water over medium heat until boiling. Set a candy thermometer in place and boil until the temperature reaches 260ºF or until a little mixture dropped into cold water forms a hard ball. Remove from heat.

  In a small mixing bowl with a mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

  Pour the syrup in a thin stream into the egg whites, beating constantly; add the vanilla and continue beating until the mixture forms stiff peaks.

  Optional: Add 1 cup cooked prunes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, well drained. Spread between the layers and on the top and sides of the cake.

  • • •

  Rubio’s Famous Smoked Pork Ribs

  Serves 6 to 12

  6 racks pork ribs (this will be 4 to 5 pounds if using baby back ribs or 6 to 8 pounds if using spareribs)*

  Rubio’s Dry Rub Seasoning (see recipe below), or you can use your favorite barbecue sauce or other dry rub.

  * Note: Baby back ribs are cut from the lower back rib section of a pig’s loin. Each rack usually contains 10 to 13 ribs and weighs roughly 2 pounds. Baby back ribs are meatier and leaner than spare ribs, which come from the pig’s belly section.

  Preheat your smoker to 200ºF to 225ºF. Pork ribs can be smoked with about any kind of smoking wood. Oak and hickory are the most popular, and Rubio prefers hickory.

  Prepare Rubio’s Dry Rub Seasoning or use your favorite recipe.

  • • •

  Rubio’s Dry Rub Seasoning

  You can find many dry jerk seasonings widely available to buy in any grocery store, but here’s Rubio’s favorite recipe that you can make at home:

  3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

  2 tablespoons coarse salt

  2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

  2 tablespoons ground coriander

  2 teaspoons garlic powder

  2 teaspoons onion powder

  2 teaspoons dried thyme

  2 teaspoons ground allspice

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  2 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper or chili powder (This is an approximate measure. Use an amount that will please your personal taste and your family’s.)

  Combine the ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake until the ingredients are well blended. Store the mixture in an airtight container in a cool, dark place until ready to use.

  Rinse the ribs in cold water and pat dry.

  Remove the membrane. This is the thin, paper-like skin you find on the back of each rack of ribs. Some people swear by removing the membrane. Some leave it on. Rubio takes it off because the membrane prevents the meat from taking in the smoke, so it creates a
barrier to the seasoning.

  To remove the membrane, lay the ribs on a flat surface meat side down. Using a sharp knife, begin peeling the membrane at one corner of the rack near the bone and work across to the other end. You’ll probably want to trim and toss any excess fat, but don’t remove it all, because the fat gives your meat flavor.

  Rinse the ribs again and pat dry.

  Generously rub the ribs with the seasoning of your choice. Use your hands and rub it in thoroughly. Cover the ribs in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for several hours (or overnight) to let the dry rub work into the meat. Remember that the longer it sits, the spicier the meat will be.

  Remove the ribs from the refrigerator approximately 1 hour before cooking.

  Cook low and slow: Like traditional barbecue, smoked ribs should be cooked on a low heat for a long time. Maintain your temperature at 200ºF to 225ºF for maximum flavor.

  Plan on 1 hour of smoking per pound of ribs. You can smoke each full rack for around 4 hours, or even more. Don’t try to rush the results by raising the temperature to speed up the cooking time. Cooking your pork on a higher temperature will result in tough, chewy meat.

  During the last 30 minutes of cooking, you can begin to brush the ribs with a glaze or sauce—but Rubio doesn’t know why you’d want to.

  Your ribs are done when you can easily pull the meat from the bones. The internal temperature should register at least 165ºF. Remove the meat from the smoker and let the ribs rest as you would any meat. Wait at least 10 to 15 minutes before cutting in.

  To serve: Cut down the middle of each strip of meat between each rib bone. Serve the smoked ribs plain (delicious) or with your choice of sauce.

  • • •

  Rita’s Blueberry Muffins

  This recipe produces 8 deli-sized muffins topped with a cinnamon-sugar crumb topping. Fill the muffins cups to the top edge for the oversized muffins. You can change it up by adding extra blueberries if you’re a real blueberry fan.