Tres Leches Cupcakes

by Josi S. Kilpack

  Sadie frowned, thinking hard. “So how did Margo get the pipe?”

  “We’re not sure just yet.” It was obvious the agent did not like not having all the answers.

  “You should ask Horace. He wasn’t as committed to this plan like the others were, but he was still closely involved. Maybe he knows something that will help answer that question.”

  Agent Shannon pulled a pen and a small notebook from her pocket and made some quick notes. “We’ll look into that. I understand he’s been cooperating pretty well. We have a lot of questions to ask.”

  “He tipped off Ethan about the bodies, didn’t he?”

  Agent Shannon nodded. “I’d vote him most-likely-to-make-sense-of-this. He seems to have been in the middle of most of the action. I’m heading to the station after I finish up with you to make sure the BLM’s interests are met during the questioning phase of this investigation, but I wanted to fill you in as soon as possible.”

  “Horace said something about things getting out of control,” Sadie said. “That it was supposed to be simple. Do you know what he meant?”

  “From what we’ve put together with the SFPD, Benny attempted to bribe Ethan’s assistant to smuggle an artifact back from an expedition, then they would release the item into the black market through a string of contacts who would find a way to make it public. That would undermine Ethan’s art career, but probably not to the extent that he’d serve prison time. Mr. Ojeda thought that would be enough to turn Ethan’s attention back to the ranch. I guess there’d been some talk about selling out, but then the economy crashed and selling was out of the question. It looked as though the ranch would simply fold if it didn’t get some more hands-on care.”

  “But the first assistant refused the bribe,” Sadie said, thinking back to her own hypothesis.

  Agent Shannon nodded. “They couldn’t risk him exposing their plan, so Benny contracted Mr. Deveroux, a hired gun, to get rid of assistant number one. We think Mr. Deveroux killed the second assistant—who did go along with their plan—on his own to keep him from talking, and then at some point the artifact ended up in Margo’s possession. She’d made contact with Tribal Preserve a few weeks before those two bodies were found, telling them she was on the trail of someone, but she had too many questions to ask before she felt she had enough information to get them involved. I’m assuming that, because of what happened to her daughter, she was uneasy about involving other people in whatever she herself was involved in, but we think she had the pipe at that time, though we don’t know how she got it.”

  “So, when I went to her apartment asking questions, she decided to use that as a kind of cover for trying to find out who Crossbones was?”

  “We think so,” Agent Shannon said with a nod. “Though we don’t know how she knew Langley’s cover or what her ultimate plan was. She knew the item was important, though, because she hid it in your apartment. As soon as Langley realized what she knew, she was a liability.”

  “And then Langley became a liability for Benny and the Cowboy—Mr. Deveroux—too.” Sadie filled in. It was all mush in her brain, and she wasn’t sure she understood how everything had happened, but it was early in the investigation. More information would come to the surface in coming days to fit together what they had so far.

  Agent Shannon nodded.

  “Is Margo really . . . dead?”

  “We don’t know. We’re trying to piece things together as best we can, and there’s always hope that Margo will show up.”

  Sadie nodded, but she was thinking back to the mass grave she and Margo had uncovered a week and a half ago. Sadie had expressed how sad she was that the family had all died at the same time, while Margo had seemed to find comfort in the fact that they were together. Sadie believed in an existence after this one, and she believed a spiritual bond existed between families. Despite the horrible circumstances of what had happened, Sadie took comfort in believing that if in fact Margo were dead, she would at least be with her daughter again.

  Agent Shannon stood up and straightened her jacket before putting her wig back on. “Is it straight?”

  “Um, it’s a little twisted to the left.”

  Agent Shannon adjusted it and raised her penciled-in eyebrows.

  “That’s good,” Sadie said.

  “Awesome. I only wear it so as not to freak people out. It’s horribly uncomfortable, especially in the heat—ay, caramba! Well, I think we’re done with you for tonight, or, well, this morning. How long will you be in town, in case we have some follow-up questions?”

  “I have a court date on the fourteenth.”

  “Perfect. I’ll make sure I’m there to explain things from my side.”

  “I’d appreciate that.”

  Agent Shannon headed toward the door, and Sadie followed her, not sure what to do now that the police didn’t need to talk to her. Her phone hadn’t been returned, and Marcus had been the one communicating with Pete on her behalf. She followed Agent Shannon to the main waiting area of the ER, then said good-bye as the woman swooshed through the automatic doors.

  “Sadie?”

  Sadie turned as Caro stepped out from behind one of the curtained areas. Her face was swollen, and she’d changed into a hospital gown that she totally rocked—the woman was in such excellent shape. They stared at one another for a few seconds, then Caro hurried toward her and threw her arms around Sadie’s neck, crying into her shoulder.

  Sadie hugged her back but tried not to cry; once she got started, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop.

  “I’m so sorry, Sadie,” Caro said, stepping back and wiping at her eyes. “Rex told me.”

  “Told you what?” Sadie asked cautiously.

  “He told me that he asked you not to talk to me about the investigation.”

  Asked seemed a little mild, but Sadie was in no mood to quibble.

  “It was sweet of him to want to protect me, wasn’t it?”

  Uhhh. Once again, Sadie was unsure what to say.

  Caro didn’t wait for a response, however. “And then he ran over that trailer! I couldn’t believe that was my Rex. I mean, who does that, right?”

  “It was impressive,” Sadie agreed.

  “We had a good talk in the ambulance.” Caro shook her head. “That is a sentence I have never said in my whole life, but we did. He apologized for telling you not to talk to me and said how he hated how much time you and I spent together. We’re going to make some changes.” Tears came to her eyes again, and she smiled. “Maybe he’s not so different from that sexy linebacker I fell in love with.”

  “I’m very glad to hear that,” Sadie said with complete sincerity.

  “Mrs. Hoffmiller?”

  Sadie looked over her shoulder to see an orderly coming toward her with a cordless phone.

  Caro touched her shoulder. “I’ve got to get back to Rex. We’ll talk later, okay? I want to know everything that happened.”

  Sadie nodded, then accepted the phone from the orderly.

  “It’s a detective,” the woman said as Sadie lifted the phone to her ear.

  “Hello?” Sadie said, wondering if Marcus had another question for her.

  “Sadie?”

  “Pete!” And then the tears came. She gripped the phone with both hands and sat down on one of the plastic chairs in the waiting area.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, but the worry, the love, and the concern in his voice undid her even more.

  “I’m okay,” she said, trying to get control of herself.

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure,” she said, forcing herself to take a deep breath. “I’m sorry you’ve had to come to New Mexico in the middle of the night twice now because of me.”

  “I don’t mind. Honest. I’m just glad you’re safe. Don’t leave the hospital until I get there, okay?”

  “Where would I go?” She leaned back in the chair, still wiping her eyes.

  Pete was quiet for several seconds, and Sadie didn’t try to
fill the silence. Just knowing he was on the other end of the line was enough. He loved her; he was coming to her. What would happen then was anyone’s guess. She had a court date next week, and she really needed to visit a chiropractor. Did Lois still need her help at the Fiesta? She didn’t know where she’d go next or what her next move should be. So much had happened. Too much.

  “Did you see the balloons, Sadie?”

  In her mind’s eye, she pictured the sight of all those balloons rising up over the crowds last night. And how they had filled the valley earlier that morning. She’d watched them float easily on the breeze, carried everywhere and nowhere all at once. Just thinking about them made her feel lighter. She nodded, despite the fact that Pete couldn’t see her. “I saw the balloons. They were amazing.”

  “I’ve got half an hour before I get to you, and I don’t want you to get off the phone until I can take you in my arms, so will you tell me about the balloons?”

  Warmth enveloped her, and she leaned back against the chair and pushed away every ounce of worry and stress and concern. All she wanted to think about were the balloons. The amazing, beautiful, bright, and cheery balloons. “Well, the first time I saw them . . . ”

  Meringue Frosting for Tres Leches Cupcakes

  1 cup granulated sugar

  ½ cup water

  2 egg whites

  Pinch of salt

  ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  In a small saucepan, mix water and sugar. Heat on medium-high heat until boiling. Cook until soft-ball stage* (about 10 minutes), stirring frequently. Keep syrup on medium-high heat. (Use caution when handling hot syrup; it will burn you if not respected!)

  In a separate bowl, beat egg whites about a minute, then add salt. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Add cinnamon and mix only until combined.

  While still beating the egg whites, add hot syrup steadily and beat until the mixture reaches the consistency of marshmallow cream.

  *To know whether or not you have reached soft-ball stage, drop a small amount of syrup into a bowl of cold water. If it gels together and forms a soft ball, you have reached the correct consistency.

  For a filled tres leches cupcake, use an apple corer or small paring knife to remove a “plug” from the center of each cupcake. Add the three milks as directed in the recipe on page 4. Before frosting, fill hole with stabilized whipping cream, then frost cupcakes using a decorator’s bag.

  Stabilized Whipping Cream

  1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (one packet of Knox is a full tablespoon)

  4 teaspoons cold water

  1 cup heavy whipping cream

  ¼ cup powdered sugar

  Mix together gelatin and water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Set aside and allow to thicken. In a mixing bowl, whip whipping cream with powdered sugar until slightly thick. Put gelatin mixture in the microwave and cook for 12 seconds. Remove, stir to even out any hot spots in the mixture, then, while mixing the cream on low speed, slowly add gelatin mixture. Once added, beat cream on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until very thick.

  Using a decorator’s bag, or zip-top plastic bag with a corner snipped off, fill the holes in the cupcakes. Store any leftovers in refrigerator.

  Note: Leftover stabilized whipping cream can be used in place of frosting.

  Acknowledgments

  I love writing acknowledgments because it gives me the opportunity to marvel at the many blessings I have through the people in my life who help make this work.

  My writing group: Nancy Campbell Allen (Isabelle Webb: The Grecian Princess, Covenant, 2013), Becki Clayson, Jody Durfee, and Ronda Hinrichsen (Trapped, Walnut Springs, 2010). These women are a priceless front line for me, and I so appreciate their patience and continual brainstorming and plot-hole-filling. I could never get these stories to work without their guidance.

  Thank you to the beta readers I used this time around: Crystal White, Nancy Allen, Jenny Moore, and Lori Widdison. Without their final polish, my editor would know what an idiot I really am.

  I should note here that I used my fictional license to alter some details concerning the Balloon Fiesta to better fit my story. The only balloon company authorized to give rides from Fiesta Park is Rainbow Ryders. If you’ve never attended the Balloon Fiesta, put it on your bucket list. It was an amazing experience, and I owe a big thanks to Jana Erickson for telling me about it—I had no idea.

  The title of this book was determined via a recipe contest, and I am so grateful to everyone who took the time to send their fabulous recipes my way. Lois Blackburn was the grand-prize winner—she developed the Tres Leches Cupcake recipe from scratch, and it was absolutely perfect. (She even made a delightful cameo in the story. You can visit Modern Cupcakes by Lois online at ModernCupcakesbyLois.com.) Big thanks to Shadow Mountain for sending complimentary copies of Banana Split to everyone who entered a recipe—I did not know at the outset that would be part of the contest but was so grateful for their generosity. And I will never forget the thrill of signing 150 books all at once. I felt like a rock star.

  My production team at Shadow Mountain once again did a fabulous job: Jana Erickson, product director; Lisa Mangum (After Hello, Shadow Mountain, 2012), editor; Shauna Gibby, designer; Rachael Ward, typographer; and all the other people who bring the bits and pieces of brilliance together to make this happen. I have been so wonderfully supported and encouraged by everyone at Shadow Mountain that I cannot thank them enough for all they have done and continue to do for me.

  Once again my test kitchen came to my rescue for this book: Sandra (Meringue frosting, Cinco de Mayo chicken salad), Whit (Dulce de Leche bars and Dulce de Leche frosting), Megan (Tostadas Compuestas, Posole, Green Chile Stew), Danyelle, Annie, Laree, Don, Lisa, and Katie. They are the reason I can be confident of how wonderful these recipes are, and I am so grateful for their priceless contribution to this book.

  Someone recently asked me if any of my kids write. They are all very talented at it, but my oldest two have informed me that they hate writing. I think seeing my neurosis up close has completely banished the blush from the rose for them. How grateful I am, however, for their love and support of the crazy woman going on and on about the character she can’t rein in and the plot hole that gobbled up every good word she managed to scratch out that morning. How grateful we all are for my husband, Lee, and his stable and calm presence. Without my family, there would be no words at all, and I credit them with making this career of mine possible.

  How grateful I am for a Father in Heaven who has blessed me so very much, and for the journey I have taken as I’ve written these stories. I thank Him for everything, past, present, and future. It’s been a wonderful ride.

  Chicken Tortilla Soup

  www.ourbestbites.com/2011/02/chicken-tortilla-soup Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta www.balloonfiesta.com

  Newspaper article about Indian antiquities www.deseretnews.com/article/700182124/Warehouse-protects-thousands-and-thousands-of-looted-Indian-antiquities.html Rainbow Ryders, Inc.

  www.rainbowryders.com

  Modern Cupcakes by Lois

  www.moderncupcakesbylois.com

  Baked Alaska

  Coming Spring 2013

  Enjoy this sneak peek!

  Chapter 1

  Don’t be a snob, Mom.”

  Sadie didn’t look up from the gelatinous bread pudding she was poking with the serving spoon. “Bread pudding should not jiggle. If this is any indication of the food I can expect on this cruise, it’s going to be a very long week.”

  “It’s the first buffet,” Breanna said as she spooned some berry cobbler onto her plate. “Don’t judge it so harshly.”

  The cobbler looked okay, so Sadie took a small amount of it after Breanna finished, then followed her daughter down the line.

  “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” Sadie said, narrowing her eyes at what was supposed to be cheesecake but looked like a stiff pudding. She settled for a cherry turnover that looked exactl
y like the ones she liked to get from Arby’s. “On the cruise I took with Gayle in January, the food was just awful,” Sadie said. The inexpensive, three-day Baja cruise had been a test to see if Sadie could handle the water issues of being in a floating hotel.

  She’d always loved cruises, but she’d had some traumatic experiences associated with water that she worried would ruin future vacations. The cruise with Gayle had convinced her she was okay on the water, just not in it.

  Now here she was on another cruise—a longer one—with a different cruise line and the first foray into the menus was less than confidence-inspiring. Good bread pudding was not hard to make. It should be dense, flavorful, and topped with creamy caramel sauce—like her cousin Kara’s recipe Sadie had made for years and years. If they couldn’t do right by bread pudding, what would their beef Wellington be like?

  They finished the dessert segment of the buffet and headed for the salad bar—dessert first whenever possible.

  “If you don’t mind my saying so, you seem a little uptight,” Breanna said once they finished dishing up and began walking around the dining room in hopes of finding an empty table. “Is everything okay? Have you already found a dead body you’re afraid to tell me about?”

  Sadie scowled at her daughter and gave her an exaggerated eye roll. “I’ll have you know I haven’t seen a dead body for eight months, if you don’t count Brother Harper from church, but he was eighty-seven and properly laid out in his coffin when I saw him at the viewing. It was a lovely service.”

  “Eight months—that’s got to be some kind of record, right?”

  “Oh, stop it,” Sadie said, wishing she had a free hand so she could playfully slap her daughter’s arm. “I think that phase of my life is over.” She scanned table after table filled with people already eating. “Is there not even one empty table in this entire dining room?”