Sweet as Pie Crimes

by Anisa Claire West

  “Because he desired you, Isabelle! That’s no mystery,” Xavier gritted jealously.

  “Or maybe he wanted to plant more emeralds on me! Maybe if he had gotten me vulnerable inside his apartment, then he would have slipped a jewel into my purse or pocket so that there would have been even more evidence stacked against me!” I deduced as Xavier’s eyes widened.

  “I’m impressed, Isabelle. You really are going to make an excellent lawyer like the detective said. I think you just solved the last mystery of this whole crazy web of crimes.” Respect and admiration gleamed in his eyes.

  Softly, I replied, “I may have just solved the last mystery of this ‘crazy web of crimes,’ but I haven’t solved the last mystery. There’s another one that’s been bothering me for the longest time.”

  “Really? What’s that?” Xavier was blank-faced.

  “I want to solve the mystery of what’s on your computer,” I said firmly as Xavier looked down at the table, instantly uncomfortable. “What are you hiding, Xavier? Don’t tell me you’re a jewel thief too!” I tried to laugh, but the pressure of his secrecy was bearing down more heavily on my chest every moment that we spent together and my feelings for him grew.

  “I’m not a jewel thief. Or any kind of criminal. I can promise you that.”

  “Then what’s on your computer that’s so private? Tell me, Xavier. If you want to be with me, I can’t have this mystery hanging over my head. I’ve had enough mysteries for one lifetime!” Again, my attempt at a joke fell flat as my imagination ran amuck with all the devious things Xavier could be concealing on his computer.

  Instead of responding, Xavier jumped up from the table and walked to his bedroom. I slumped my shoulders, completely defeated. Not only had the man not told me the truth, but he had also dismissed me like I didn’t even matter. Just as I was revisiting my old idea of finding a new apartment, he reappeared in the kitchen with his laptop in his arms.

  “Come here, Isabelle. If it’s that important to you, I’m going to show you what’s on my computer.” As soon as the computer warmed up, he clicked on the folder labeled “Private” that had been haunting me. Opening the folder, he revealed countless Word documents with various flowery titles like Hearts Aflame in Provence and Loveswept Across the Seine.

  “What are all these documents?”

  “They’re my unpublished books. I’m a writer,” Xavier said in a tone that sounded ashamed.

  “You’re a writer?!” I squeaked as all my tension melted away. “That’s wonderful! Why do you sound so sad about it?”

  “Because I’m 30 years old, Isabelle. I work part-time in a bookstore. And I write. And when I’m not writing or at the bookstore---or guzzling a tub of coffee---I’m at the University of Paris studying for my M.F.A. in creative writing.”

  “What?! I’ve never seen you there! How is it possible that we go to the same school?”

  “Our schedules are different. And the University of Paris is huge. We could go there for years and not run into each other,” Xavier said as I shook my head in utter amazement.

  “Okay, let me get this straight. You’re getting your Master of Fine Arts in writing? And what in the world is wrong with that?”

  “It’s just not what I should be doing. I should have a real job,” Xavier replied, shrugging.

  “That is a real job! I think it’s incredible that you’re getting your master’s degree. But please don’t tell me you write mysteries. I told you I’ve had enough of those,” I teased as he grinned.

  “Actually, I write pastry cookbooks,” he deadpanned as I erupted into peals of laughter. “Come on, Isabelle. Look at the titles of my books. I write romances. That makes it even worse. What man writes romances?” The shame crept back into his voice.

  “Nicholas Sparks,” I stated proudly. “You could be the next Nicholas Sparks!”

  “You’re very sweet, Isabelle, but seriously…I don’t know if you and I can work out.”

  “What are you talking about?” The smile vanished from my face as I felt devastated.

  “You’re about to get your law degree. You need to be with a man who’s a professional like you. Another lawyer or maybe a doctor. Not a starving artist like me. And then there’s the cultural differences. Don’t you want to be with a Caribbean man?” Xavier asked as my sadness morphed into exasperation.

  “First of all, I need to be with a man who makes me happy. And who I feel safe with. And I think that man could be you, Xavier. Second of all, my father is French. Like you. And even if he weren’t, I think people should be with whoever they want! They should be with whoever they…” I cut myself off from saying ‘whoever they fall in love with.’

  But Xavier was invading my thoughts. “Fall in love with?” He finished my sentence.

  “Yes, that’s what I was about to say.” I looked him square in the eyes, feeling the intensity of our proximity.

  Melting inside his deep chocolate gaze, I knew I could either wait for him to kiss me…or I could take the lead and show him how much I wanted him. Grabbing his stubbled face between my hands, I deposited a sweet kiss on his lips that he reciprocated passionately after tensing just a moment with surprise. All the chaos and stress of the past week evaporated between our fused lips.

  Ending the kiss as dramatically as I had started it, I whispered, “How much longer do you think a girl can wait for a kiss?”

  His eyes and smile were alight as he answered, “I’m glad you didn’t wait a moment longer, Isabelle. You know, you’re like one of the characters in my latest book.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I started writing the book in the summer before you moved to Paris. So I couldn’t have based the character on you, but somehow she’s just like you. She’s strong and educated and drop dead gorgeous.” He paused and grinned. “And she goes after what she wants. She’s the kind of woman I’ve always wanted in my life but could never find…until you.”

  “You’re going to let me read this book, right?” I nudged him gently on the forearm.

  “Yes. When it’s finished. How can I not? You’re the main character.” He grinned again as I frowned slightly.

  “No, I’m not the main character. I’m real. 100% real woman. Not fictional. Not invented. I’m really here in your life.” To prove my point, I planted another kiss on his mouth.

  Xavier caressed a tendril of my black hair. “You are real…and so is this,” he emphasized before sweeping me into another long-awaited kiss that warmed me more than the sunniest day on Barbados ever could.

  Epilogue

  10 Months Later

  Isabelle’s Law School Graduation

  Paris, France

  Clutching my law degree to my heart, I floated on air back to my seat at the metrodome. Flanking me were Xavier and my father, who simultaneously planted a loving kiss on each of my cheeks. My mother reached over and squeezed my hand from down the row as I smiled broadly, unable to remember a time when I had felt so elated.

  The pastry crime and its motley crew of criminals seemed farther away than planet Neptune as I basked in the glory of my achievement. As Detective Morceau predicted, Patric had tried to worm his way out of prison time by acting insane. But after being examined by a renowned psychiatrist, Patric was deemed mentally fit to stand trial. Instead of risking a life sentence, Patric begrudgingly compromised with the prosecutor’s office by admitting to having stolen the antique collection missing from the Château de Versailles in addition to pocketing the Louvre jewels.

  However, no matter how many times officials coaxed Patric to lead them to Chérie, he just wouldn't budge. Police suspected that she had slipped past the French-Italian border incognito and was living under a new identity. With the money acquired from selling the emeralds on the Black Market, the young woman was likely living very lavishly wherever she was. While the officers were angry that she had eluded them, and that the jewels hadn’t been recovered, I felt relieved that she had managed to escape. Almost two decades younger
than Patric, she had likely been under his influence when she committed the crimes with him. Let her start her life over again in Italy…and beware of silky tongued swindlers like Patric who were rampant all across Europe and beyond. Secretly, though, I wondered if Chérie had planned to escape with the jewels all along and keep the profits to herself. Good for her if she had. It would be sweet justice for the con artist to get conned himself.

  As for Yves, the poor old fellow really never stood a chance. After Xavier and I had boarded the train back to Paris on the night Patric was captured, the fallen baker had also been apprehended. Plagued with a flat tire on his car, Yves was spotted on the side of the highway soliciting help from random passersby. Unfortunately for him, the only people who stopped were the police officers who eagerly whacked a set of handcuffs over his wrists.

  “Should we go get some lunch?” My father asked slyly, pulling a bottle out of a cooler. “I wouldn’t want this bottle of champagne to go to waste.”

  Throwing my arms around his neck, I whispered, “Merci, Papa. Yes, let’s go have lunch.”

  The four of us left the stadium chatting and giggling about the ceremony. My parents already seemed fond of Xavier, although they hadn’t been pleased to find out that we were living together. Months ago, we had converted Xavier’s bedroom into an office space for his writing and my law research. As our romance progressed, Xavier hadn’t kicked his coffee addiction, but he hadn’t smoked a cigarette in the past ten months either, so I let him drink all the fresh brew his heart desired.

  Walking a few paces back from my parents, Xavier and I held hands and kissed. “I love you, Xavier.”

  “I love you too, Isabelle,” he replied ardently as the spring sunshine made his dark eyes glisten. “You’re worth more than all the crown jewels that the Louvre could ever hold.”

  ***

  *BONUS SECTION*

  10 DECADENT FRENCH PASTRY RECIPES

  TURN THE PAGE TO START BAKING LIKE A PARISIAN!

  Recipe #1

  Tarte aux Poires

  (Pear Tart)

  PASTRY:

  1 cup flour

  1 tsp. salt

  6 tbsp. butter

  2 tbsp. vegetable shortening

  FILLING:

  2 lbs. pears, peeled, cored, halved

  Juice of 1 lemon

  1¼ cups sugar

  6 tbsp. butter

  ½ cup sliced almonds (optional)

  In a bowl, combine flour and salt, then rub butter and shortening into flour. Sprinkle 3 tbsp. ice water into flour mixture and knead until dough forms. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate. Preheat oven to 425. Place pears on a cutting board. Cut each one into 4 slices, leaving stem end attached. Place in a bowl, toss with lemon juice and ¼ cup of sugar, and set aside. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 1 cup sugar (and, optionally, the almonds) stirring until golden brown and caramelized. Remove skillet from heat. Stir to cool. Drain pears and place in skillet with caramelized sugar. Roll out dough into a 10" round. Place dough on top of pears. Press edges down and cut four breathing holes in center. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove skillet from oven. Transfer juices to a saucepan and reduce over high heat until thick. Spoon reduced caramelized juices over the pears. Serve warm with vanilla sorbet. Comfort food from France!

  Recipe #2

  Gâteau au Mousse de la Framboise

  (Raspberry Mousse Cake)

  CAKE:

  1 tbsp. butter

  4 eggs, separated

  ½ cup sugar

  7 tbsp. flour

  1¼ tsp. vanilla extract

  MOUSSE FILLING:

  9 cups fresh raspberries

  ¾ cup sugar

  1 package plain gelatin

  2 cups heavy cream

  Cake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a pan and line bottom with buttered parchment. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Beat in flour until mixture is smooth. Add vanilla and set aside. Whisk egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form, then fold whites into yolk mixture. Pour into pan and bake until brown for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. Filling: Put raspberries, sugar, and 1 cup water into a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Press through a sieve set over a bowl to catch purée. Return purée to pan and set over low heat. Sprinkle gelatin in ¼ cup cold water, set aside until softened, then add to purée in pan, stirring until dissolved. Whip cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Fold purée into cream. Unmold cake and discard parchment. Slice cake in half, then return cake bottom to pan. Pour in filling, then replace cake top. Cover with plastic; refrigerate overnight. Serve cool with your choice of fruit sauce (strawberry sauce is recommended). So indulgent!

  Recipe #3

  Beignets

  (Sweet Fritters)

  ½ cup butter

  1 cup water

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  1 cup flour

  4 eggs (organic, cage-free)

  Vegetable oil (for frying)

  3 tablespoons powdered sugar

  Chocolate sauce (optional)

  In a saucepan, melt butter in water. Add salt and flour, and stir until batter is formed. Beat in eggs until the batter is smooth. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry rounded teaspoons of dough until golden brown on each side. Drain on a dish towel. Serve warm, dusted with powdered sugar (drizzling of chocolate sauce optional!)

  Recipe #4

  Tarte au Citron

  (Lemon Tart)

  PASTRY

  1 1/4 cups flour

  2 tablespoons sugar

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  7 tablespoons butter

  3 tablespoons cold water

  LEMON FILLING

  8 tablespoons butter

  1/4 cup crème fraîche

  2 eggs (organic, cage-free)

  3 egg yolks

  2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

  2/3 cup sugar

  4 teaspoons lemon zest

  Pastry: (You can skip this part if you’d like to use a pre-made pastry shell). In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into tiny pieces and mix in. Sprinkle the cold water onto the mixture and toss until it forms a ball. Separate the dough into two balls, flatten, plastic wrap, and chill for 3 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll and trim the dough to make a circle. Fit the circle into the pan. Line the dough with pie weights and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and bake the shell for an additional 5 minutes. Set aside the pastry shell to cool. Lemon Filling: In a saucepan, stir 8 tablespoons butter and crème fraîche. Set aside. In a separate pan, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar. Stir the lemon juice into the mixture and cook for 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest and butter-crème fraîche mixture to the eggs and cook for another 3 minutes. Pour lemon filling into the pastry shell and bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Allow the tart to cool. Serve chilled with a few bursts of whipped cream. Très refreshing!

  Recipe #5

  Petits Pains au Chocolat

  (Mini Chocolate Breads)

  2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed, cut into squares

  1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for glaze)

  4 bars French or Swiss dark chocolate, cut into pieces

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush top of each puff pastry square with egg glaze. Place 1 chocolate piece on edge of 1 pastry square. Roll up dough tightly, enclosing chocolate. Repeat with remaining pastry and chocolate. Place pastry rolls on baking sheet. Brush tops of pastry rolls with egg glaze. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake until pastries are golden brown for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Makes a very special breakfast!

  Recipe #6

  Mousse à L’Orange

  (Orange Mousse)

  3 cups whipping cream

  2 cup orange juice

  1 orange peel

  6 egg yolks

  1/3 cup sugar

  1/3 cup flour

  1/3 cup unflavored gelatin

  1 tablespoon pear liqueur

  5 cups Italian meringue
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br />   Cannoli shells (optional)

  Soak gelatin in cold water. Bring whipping cream and orange juice to boiling point. Combine the egg yolks and sugar, and whisk until thick. Add the flour.

  Pour the cream onto the egg, sugar and flour mix. Add the pear liqueur and gelatin. Mix pastry cream and Italian meringue. Arrange and let the mousse set in the fridge. Serve chilled in glass bowls with spoons; or fill cannoli shells and make an elegant finger dessert.

  Recipe #7

  Crêpes au Chocolat avec Grand Marnier

  (Chocolate Crepes with Grand Marnier)

  2 cups milk

  1 1/2 cups flour

  1/2 cup cocoa powder

  6 tablespoons powdered sugar

  2 large eggs (organic, cage-free)

  2 tablespoons butter, melted

  2 teaspoons Grand Marnier

  1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1/4 teaspoon salt

  Can of whipped cream

  Whisk all ingredients until batter is smooth. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Melt a little butter in a skillet over low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan and swirl so the chocolate makes a free form pattern. Cook crepe for 1 minute until golden. Flip the crepe. Cook for 1 minute and transfer crepe to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve your crepes warm with a dollop of whipped cream. Dessert doesn’t get more elegant than this!

  Recipe #8

  Tarte aux Fraises

  (Strawberry Tart)

  1 baked pastry shell

  1 1/4 cups pastry cream

  1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced

  1/4 cup strawberry jam

  1 tablespoon lemon juice

  Spread the pastry cream across the bottom of the pastry shell. Arrange the strawberries in an attractive pattern over the pastry cream. Heat the jam with lemon juice until boiling. Apply the strawberry glaze over strawberries (with a pastry brush if you have one). Refrigerate the tart for a few hours before serving. Serve and enjoy your delectable French creation!