MYSTERY: COZY MYSTERY: WOMEN SLEUTHS: Madeline's Secret Recipe Series (Cozy Humor Kitchen Detective Mystery) (Suspense Sweet Cove Short Story Culinary Comedy)

by Lorrie Bannett

  Madeline’s Secret Recipe Series

  Culinary Cozy Mystery

  Lorrie Bannett

  Copyright 2015

  All Right Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Madeline’s Secret Recipe (Book 1)

  Chapter 1:

  -The Codon Blue Chef Award-

  Everyone just couldn’t stop clapping. In as much as she didn’t expect to win any damn award, Madeline McDougal had done it. Yes, the competition was stiff, and there were plenty of cooks ranging from those from the best hotels in the country to those that were deemed fit to cook for the president. But somehow, the chef who was the obvious underdog had come up and made a point of scooping the prestigious award.

  It was incredible. But not just by mere luck. Madeline had worked her ass off to see to it that she had won that prestigious award. As a matter of fact, she had been doing this for close to ten years and now, after mastering the art of baking, she had reached that point where she was eating the fruits of her labor.

  Madeline sat in her chair, dumbfounded. She didn’t know what to do. This prestigious award was her first award ever. And even when she got a nomination, she didn’t think she was ever going to get it. But she had, finally.

  The problem was that she didn’t have the time to prepare for a speech. Because honestly, she was just satisfied with the fact that she had been nominated. She had taken the time to scrutinize the least well enough to realize that she didn’t have a chance. But now, there she was. It was one of those days that she just didn’t know what the heck she was going to do.

  “Please Madeline, come over and say something.” The master of ceremony urged her as he held this huge gold-plated trophy.

  And after a moment of wishing that the earth would open up and swallow her ended when she realized that this was impossible, Madeline rose from her chair and timidly walked towards the podium in the huge ballroom where the prestigious awards were being dished out. And as she was making her way towards the front, she quickly uttered a short prayer asking God not to let her make an embarrassment of herself since this would have been the worst day of her life.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Madeline got to the podium and faced the crowd after a vigorous handshake with the master of ceremony. The people were still clapping and cheering her on. Yes, she had just done the impossible and nobody, not even her stiffest competitors could take her achievement lightly.

  Madeline finally got tired of waving and cleared her throat, a gesture that everyone took as a cue for her being ready to say one or two words before calling it a wrap. So the clapping and cheering died down a little.

  “Wow, I don’t understand how lucky I was getting to clinch this coveted award. Are you guys sure you didn’t make a mistake when you chose me as your number one baker? Can you countercheck before I continue?”

  The entire ballroom bust out laughing. Madeline wasn’t that good with speeches, but she had a little thing about humor. And that was why she decided to use it as an icebreaker. And thanks to that, now Madeline felt as though she had the strength to go ahead with her speech that would have been incredible since she didn’t have much time.

  “Being a young McDougal girl, my mother used to drag me to the kitchen with her. And most of the time, I didn’t like the idea simply because most of my friends, including my elder sisters, were out playing with their friends. But now, standing right here in front of all of you, receiving this award, I fully understand why she did that.

  “My mother saw something in me, and she had to push me to become the best at what I do. And for that, I want to thank her very much. I know you aren’t with us right now but mom, this award is as much mine as it is yours. So, let me stop talking before I cry now. Thank you for being lovely and for giving me this meticulous award, thank you all!”

  At first, Madeline thought that her speech was a little bit scruffy, but that wasn’t the case. It was as a matter of fact one of the most honest speeches she had ever delivered. And she knew that when everyone gave her a standing ovation. And in as much as she was trying, she just couldn’t get herself to stop crying.

  And just like that, everything in her life took a U-turn. The people from all media outlets were calling in trying to get her for interviews. And naturally, Madeline was confused. She wasn’t good especially when it came to this celebrity lifestyle. But now that it was finally here, it was time for her to make use of the free publicity and to try and expand her business.

  Madeline had always been having this idea of expanding his business to a couple of neighboring towns. But with the coveted award in her hands, Madeline felt as though her dreams had finally expanded to the point where she had always dreamt. Now, all she needed to do was make sure that she was going in for the kill. And that simply meant that she was going to open outlets throughout the state.

  She already had three sponsors who were really happy to invest their money in her business.

  At first, Madeline was always scared of expanding to such a bigger scale. But after she sat down with some of her close family members, she realized that this was a big opportunity sitting on her lap. And the only thing she had to do was making sure that she was taking it and never looking back.

  “Girl, you have no need to worry. All you need to do is keep on making pastries and leave the financial and accounting jargon to us. We will deal with this.” Lewis McDougal, Madeline’s stepbrother, said.

  Lewis McDougal had a major in finance, and he had just finished college and was ready to hit the street with the aim of getting employed. But from the look of things, the employment gods weren’t smiling on him. And that was why he jumped into the “Go Madeline” bandwagon as soon as it showed some promise with the hope of reaping some fruit from it.

  “Ok then, as long as you take care of the sponsors as well as the finances, then I will keep on making the pastries.”

  “Then we have a done deal sister!”

  Lewis raised his glass and proposed a toast. Everyone else joined in, and that marked the start of a celebration as well as the success of his step sister. Needless to say, things were starting to look really up for the entire family, and they just couldn’t remember the last time that they were that happy.

  Chapter 2:

  -The Secret Recipe-

  As everyone else was having a good time, Madeline excused herself and went straight to the kitchen, bolting the door behind her. Despite the fact that everything seemed to be looking up, she just didn’t see how she was going to kick back and not do a damn thing about the secret recipe.

  The reason her pastries were tasting so good was because of a secret recipe that her mother had secretly handed her while teaching her how to make pastries. Her mother had a dream of opening a chain of eateries but sadly, she didn’t have the money to do so. And even if she did, she didn’t have the smarts to run the business since she didn’t go
to school. And that was why she chose to give it to Madeline.

  Madeline was always the sharpest kid in school and needless to say, always showed promise in virtually everything she did, academic oriented. And in the end, her mother knew that even though she wasn’t going to achieve her dream of getting to open her chain of eateries and bless the world with her baking, her child Madeline, who always seemed to stay on top of her game, was going to make it a possibility.

  At first, Madeline didn’t like the whole idea of cooking for long hours and learning the tricks from her mother because her friends and siblings were outside playing. But with time, she started learning why whatever her mother was cooking was very important. The way everyone looked at the table when they were munching on the pastries-it was the most satisfying feelings for her siblings and everyone else around the table.

  And just like that, word started going around about how the pastries were doing wonders, and it wasn’t unusual to see kids Madeline’s age just hanging around their house with the hope that they could get a bite out of the pastries. And that always got to happen because Mrs. McDougal always had a plate for everyone.

  After a couple of years, Madeline’s dad had saved a couple of thousands of dollars and managed to open a restaurant for his wife. But unfortunately, she died after a short episode of illness.

  And that was how Madeline got into the business. She didn’t need to attend a culinary school of arts to learn the tricks that she already knew. And since she didn’t want her father’s investment to go up in smoke, she decided that it was about time for her to just kick back and do something about it.

  By that time, word had also gone around that Madeline had been helping her mother to work the magic on the pastries and so as soon as the restaurant was open, everyone came in to show their support.

  Madeline didn’t know a damn thing about finances and so despite the fact that the McDougal pastries outlet business, christened after the unfortunate passing of her mother, was flourishing, it wasn’t expanding as much as they had been anticipating. All the extra money that they were making was going straight to the bank instead of being used to expand the business.

  But this wasn’t just about making money, it was about taking care of the community – a tradition that her mother had started off so well. And only after a single year, the hole-in-the-wall was the place to be.

  Despite the incredible run in with the locals, the big break came when a journalist from one of the big stations came over to do a story about the small Tarpon Bay town and got to taste the pastries. She immediately decided to do a story about the business. The way Madeline handled her customers as though they were family moved the journalist. And that explains why she decided that Madeline would make such a fine story.

  And just like that, the whole nation started asking about the pastries. And just like that, several years after taking over her mother’s dreams and turning them into reality, it was time for her to take that big step.

  Madeline knew that it was only a matter of time before the people started asking questions. And some of the questions that she feared included people wanting to know all about her secret.

  “This secret ingredient has been passed from one generation to the next. And for you to be successful in not only taking care of your family but your business, you ought to have it protected with your life.”

  Those were the exact words that Madeline’s mother told her right before passing away. At that point, Madeline was old enough to understand why her mother had chosen her instead of her other siblings who seemed a little older and therefore with much more experience on such matters.

  She stretched out her hand and took out the little bottle from the top shelf and took a glance at it. This secret recipe was the potion that worked the magic on the pastries. Her mother knew how to make it from her mother, and the list went on and on. The latter was a family secret that she didn’t want to keep. Her mother made sure that she had taught Madeline how to go about making this secret weapon that was now responsible for her eminent success.

  The kitchen door was suddenly knocked and Madeline was startled almost to the point of dropping the bottle but managed to recollect herself.

  “Is everything ok in there?”

  “Yes, Lewis. Everything is all good. I am coming out in a couple of minutes.”

  And with that, Madeline managed to hide the secret ingredient back on the shelf and went back to the living room where everyone was drinking in honor of her newfound success. Madeline had finally made it, but that was just the beginning. The real task was maintaining the success.

  And that was something worth pondering about if she had any plans of succeeding at it.

  Chapter 3:

  -The prospects-

  A week after the award winning stunt that caught the attention of the entire nation, it was about time for Madeline and Lewis to go ahead and make their move. This time round, they weren’t going to work on just other towns, but they were going to make a countrywide move.

  “Lewis, are you sure about this whole nationwide thing? First and foremost, we don’t have that kind of money. Secondly, who is going to manage all of these chains of eateries when there was only the two of us? Look, I think we should start by establishing major stores in the major cities such as Los Angeles and New York. And then after a couple of years, we are going to expand once we are tested and proven.”

  Lewis understood where his stepsister was coming from and knew the reason as to why she was having second thoughts about the whole expanding thing. But he had been out of Tarpon Bay and knew how the big corporations worked. So he leaned forward and grabbed Madeline’s shaky hands, stared right into her worried eyes.

  “Sis, I understand that you are scared as you are uncertain. Trust me, I am scared just like you. But this is a short that God has given us. If we do not take it, then we will have nobody else to blame but ourselves. So make sure that you are the smart woman who took the chance that was put right in front of her.”

  Madeline knew that Lewis was having a good idea and wanted nothing but the best for them. But that was just the entire problem. It seemed as though she was also having a difficult time just kicking back and letting him do everything. It was her business. It was because of her hard work that she was getting all the attention. And that said, she was going to be the one to call the shots.

  “Look, Lewis, I understand that you love me, and you want what is best for me. But that said, I am the one who is going to handle this, and not you. I hear what you are saying, and yes, it’s a good thing not only for the business but also to the family name. But it’s on me. Let me handle this. Okay? I don’t want you stressing when this isn’t your battle.”

  Lewis was clearly not happy with what Madeline said. But whether he liked it or not wasn’t the issue. The real issue was that Madeline had put her foot down, and that was final.

  The television director came through the backstage and after scribbling a couple of things in a notepad, raised her beautiful round eyes and let out a smile before asking.

  “Madeline, are you ready for this?” she bubbled with excitement.

  “If I said that I was then I would be lying. But what the heck huh? Let’s get on with it.”

  “Good. And is your brother coming as well?”

  “Of course. We are in this together, right, Lewis?”

  “Right sis. Let’s get them!”

  ***

  “Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I bring to you, the queen of pastries, Miss Madeline McDougal. Please, let’s give her a warm round of applause!”

  Everyone in the crowd clapped and cheered at the top of their lungs. This reception was most definitely going to give them that all-important boost that they needed. So the two waved back right before assuming their seats at center stage.

  But that time, Madeline was already used to the limelight. But as far as Lewis was concerned, the limelight was somewhat of a new territory. But despite that, he was handling himsel
f exceptionally well especially for a limelight newbie. The host didn’t want to waste much time, so she continued with her speech.

  “So, we see that your business has been doing quite well especially after you winning the coveted award. How does that make you feel?”

  “Well Mrs. Morgan, I don’t know what to say. We are excitement about the turn of events that our family business has been taking of late and needless to say, we would like to make most of this auspicious occasion to ensure that we can expand and be in a position to touch many more Americans without our outstanding cooking.”

  “That is amazing of you Miss McDougal. And if I may ask, who is your friend?”

  “Oh, you mean Lewis? No. he is a family member and business financial advisor. As a matter of fact, it was his idea to go on a national scale and touch much more lives without our cooking.”

  “That is brilliant and considerate of you Lewis. So, what do you have in store for us Lewis? Are you planning on opening a pastries shop here in New York because we sure need to have some of those pastries that you have got the whole nation talking about?”

  “Well, we are planning on opening a chain of eateries all over the country including here in New York. But since this might end up taking much time, I made the liberty of bringing you some pastries made by my sister. I hope you like them.”

  “Wow, what a charmer. Thank you very much!”

  The host didn’t have to wait for long before she could eat the pastries. She was in a position to lick her fingers, and this drove the audience mad. They too wanted a bite at the pastries and Lewis had a treat for everyone.

  Some ushers passed around and gave a gift basket for everyone in the audience, and they also couldn’t wait to taste them. They were lovely. And after a while, the show had to go on.

  “Well, if you don’t mind me asking… what is your secret? How do you get to make people go crazy over your pastries and not just any other pastries?”

  That was the question that Madeline McDougal had been dreading her entire life. The last thing she ever wanted to do was to give out her family secrets since there was no coming back from that. But for that same reason, she always came up with an excuse.