Drop Dead Chocolate: A Donut Shop Mystery

by Jessica Beck

  “Very well,” she agreed. “And you?”

  “I’m having the lasagna-and-ravioli combo plate,” I said.

  “Can you actually eat all of that?”

  I grinned at her. “If there’s anything left on my plate, I’ll take it home for later.”

  When Sophia came to take our order, I said with a gentle grin, “Congratulations on the revolution.”

  Sophia smiled broadly, making her look more beautiful than she already did. All of Angelica’s daughters were visions of loveliness, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the single men who came into the restaurant hoped to catch their attention, but Sophia was the loveliest of them all. “We’re still amazed we managed it.”

  “Just make it good,” I said.

  She nodded. “Believe me, my sisters are living and dying with every dish they prepare. It’s one thing to assist Momma, but it’s something else entirely trying to replace her. I’ll get your drinks, and then I’ll get your order into the kitchen.”

  Momma and I were enjoying ourselves when I looked up to see our mayor entering the restaurant.

  I pointed him out to Momma. “Did he actually have the nerve to follow us here?”

  “I don’t see how he could have,” Momma said dismissively. “We didn’t even know we’d be dining here until an hour ago.”

  “What should we do?” I asked.

  Momma looked at me with a slight smile. “We continue to enjoy ourselves. I won’t let him run me out of my favorite restaurant.”

  “That’s the spirit,” I said.

  I was hoping Cam would avoid us, but instead of following Angela to a table, he came straight toward us. “Hello, ladies. We meet again.”

  “Hello, Cam,” Momma said. “I assume it’s okay to call you by your given name now that you’re out of your office.”

  “That’s fine with me,” he said. “Just don’t get used to it. I’ll be back there tomorrow, bright and early.”

  “Enjoy it while you can,” Momma said.

  “For years to come,” Cam agreed.

  “Your table is ready,” I said, staring pointedly at him.

  “So it is,” Cam said, and then turned and followed Angelica the rest of the way.

  “Do you want to know something, Suzanne? I’m going to really enjoy grinding him into the dust,” Momma said.

  “Wow, you surely sound motivated,” I admitted.

  “Just wait. This is going to be fun.” She snapped her fingers and then added, “It just occurred to me. I’ve got the perfect place for campaign headquarters.”

  “Where, the donut shop?” I asked.

  “No, but nearby. Suzanne, there’s too much activity at your place, and not enough room. I was thinking more along the lines of Hannah’s Notions.” Before it had gone out of business as a sewing shop, Hannah’s had been a place next door to mine on the opposite side of ReNEWed and across the railroad tracks. It had been empty for years, and I had no idea who even owned the building.

  “Can you get them to lend it to you?”

  “I shouldn’t have any problems,” she said. “Wouldn’t it make a great headquarters?”

  “It’s probably filthy with dust,” I said, “but I’ll help you clean it up. When do you want to do it? Tonight?”

  She laughed. “As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, I believe tomorrow will do nicely. We can meet there after you close the donut shop. How does eleven fifteen sound to you?”

  “You’ve got a date. I’ll bring some volunteers with me, too.”

  Momma smiled. “The more the merrier. This is going to be such great fun.”

  “Cleaning, or going after the mayor?”

  She smiled at me. “Guess.”

  As we ate, I tried my best to ignore our mayor, but it was difficult. His date had arrived, late, but for all of the attention Cam paid her, I was amazed she bothered showing up at all. He stayed on his cell phone throughout most of the meal, and he was still talking on it as we left.

  “That’s pretty rude,” I said. “Did he even acknowledge that woman’s presence?”

  “Cam has always been more focused on himself than anyone else,” Momma said.

  Angelica had clearly been waiting for us at the register. “How were your meals tonight, ladies?”

  “Marvelous,” I said as I handed her my money. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  “Their food was as good as mine?” she asked. Was she actually a little disappointed by our response?

  Momma spoke up. “I’d have to say that they were extremely close to being as good as your usual offerings. After all, they’ve had an excellent teacher. Your daughters are wonderful chefs. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Good,” Angelica said. “I’m happy to hear that.”

  “So, you’ll book your cruise now?” I asked with a grin.

  “We’ll see,” Angelica said with a smile of her own.

  She gave me my change, and Momma and I walked out into the evening air. It was a lovely night, cold and crisp, with the stars shining clear and bright above us. Not even the mayor’s appearance had managed to dampen our evening, and as we drove back home I said, “That was fun. We should do it more often.”

  “When do we get the chance, now that we both have men in our lives?”

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure how frequent a visitor Jake is most of the time,” I said. “But at least you can count on Chief Martin.”

  “Phillip is rather attentive these days, isn’t he?” Momma said.

  “I’m amazed you get a night to yourself now and then,” I said.

  Momma laughed, a rich and lovely sound I cherished. “He wants to make up for lost time.”

  “Well, that’s one thing I have to give him credit for.”

  “What’s that?” my mother asked.

  “He has excellent taste in women.”

  She grinned and patted my arm lightly. “I could say the same thing about Jake.”

  I’d managed not to bring up Chief Martin’s ex-wife during the entire evening, and I’d planned on waiting until tomorrow to broach the subject, but driving back was a perfect time to do it. There was a dark silence in the world around us, and we were isolated within it.

  I took a deep breath, and then said, “I need to tell you something, but I don’t want to ruin the nice mood we’re both in.”

  “Are you and Jake getting married?” she asked expectantly.

  I couldn’t have been more surprised by her question. “What? No. Of course not. What gave you that idea?”

  “I’m sorry. Perhaps I’ve been waiting for an announcement for some time.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you. Jake and I are both just fine with the way things are now.”

  “You haven’t even discussed the possibility?” she asked softly.

  “Not a whisper,” I said. “You know as well as I do that my marriage to Max was mostly a nightmare, and Jake lost his wife and child in a car crash. I know it happened a long time ago, but the wound is still fresh in his heart. Jake loves me, and he even tells me so now, but his wife was on a whole other level. I couldn’t begin to replace her in his eyes, and I know it.”

  There was silence for some time before Momma finally broke it. “Of course you can never replace her, but you don’t have to. It doesn’t mean that Jake still can’t marry you.”

  I couldn’t believe we were having this particular conversation. It was miles from where I wanted to be. “Momma, I can say with all certainty that if Jake were on our porch on bended knee with a ring in his hand when we got home tonight, I would run away into the woods screaming.”

  “Was it honestly that bad being with Max?” she asked.

  “There’s a reason I call him the Great Impersonator,” I said. “I never knew when to believe him. The funny thing is, though, I was still surprised when I caught him with Darlene. That’s something that’s not easily forgotten.”

  “Jake is a better man than Max, though.”
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  “Of course he is,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean I want to exchange vows with him.”

  We were silent for a few miles, and then Momma asked, “Ever?”

  “I won’t rule it out forever,” I admitted. “But neither one of us is in any hurry to expedite things, and I hope you can say the same thing about you and our police chief.”

  “He asked me, I turned him down, and things are finally getting back to normal,” she said with a smile. “I’m making him court me until further notice.”

  “Good for you. In a roundabout way, the chief is what I want to talk to you about.”

  I looked over and saw Momma’s lips press firmly against each other. “Suzanne, you’re still not happy about me seeing him, are you?”

  I laughed softly. “You know what? It turns out that it’s not nearly as bad as I feared it would be.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “It’s Evelyn,” I said simply.

  I saw Momma stiffen. “So, you’ve heard the rumors, too.”

  “You know what she’s been saying about you?” I asked.

  “Of course I do. I have excellent connections in April Springs, and it would be impossible not to know that she’s been trashing me in public.”

  “What are you going to do about it?” I asked as we entered April Springs.

  “Nothing,” she said simply.

  “Nothing? Seriously?”

  “What can I do? I didn’t steal her husband, and everyone knows it. Evelyn assumed he’d come running back to her sooner or later, but she was wrong. I firmly believe that whether Phillip and I continue to see each other is irrelevant. That marriage is dead, a stake driven through its heart long ago.”

  “So you’re not concerned about it?”

  She shook her head as we pulled into our driveway. The cottage looked lovely bathed in moonlight, nestled beside the park. “I try not to worry about things I cannot change, and one thing is certain: Evelyn Martin is never going to stop believing that I broke up her marriage.”

  BAKED CHOCOLATE SUGAR BOMBS

  This donut is a true chocolate sensation! I created this one day when my family was craving something chocolate, and everyone loved the finished product. Using chocolate milk made a big difference in this recipe, and adds a special zing! For those less adventurous, ¼ cup whole milk and ¼ cup light cream may be substituted.

  INGREDIENTS

  Wet

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • ½ cup chocolate milk (2% or whole preferred)

  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted (I use unsalted; salted can be used, but cut the added salt by half.)

  • ½ cup granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Dry

  • 1 cup bread flour (Unbleached all-purpose flour can be used as well.)

  • ¼ cup cocoa (unsweetened)

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda

  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

  • ⅛ teaspoon of salt

  DIRECTIONS

  Combine the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt) in a bowl and sift together. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients (beaten egg, chocolate milk, butter, sugar, and vanilla extract). Slowly add the wet mix to the dry mix, stirring until it’s incorporated. Don’t overmix.

  The donuts can be baked in the oven at 350 degrees for 10–15 minutes in cupcake trays or small donut molds, but I bought a dedicated donut baker that sits on my countertop. It’s easy to use, reliable, not expensive at all, and makes perfect donuts every time. These donuts usually take 6–7 minutes.

  Once the donuts are finished, remove them to a cooling rack. These can be covered with chocolate icing or a chocolate glaze with chocolate sprinkles for an extra jolt, but actually, they are good enough to eat as they come out of the oven.

  Makes 5–9 donuts, depending on baking method

  ½ teaspoon peppermint extract may be added for a change of pace, and has a nice bounce off the chocolate when added to the wet ingredients.

  CHAPTER 3

  “Your mom is an absolute rock star,” Emma said the next morning when she came into the donut shop. It was three thirty, and I’d already been there half an hour prepping the dough for our cake donuts. We’d been on our new schedule for a while now, and we hadn’t had any problems adjusting to a little more sleep. These days we worked until six a.m. making donuts, sold them until eleven, and then closed for the day. It was amazing how getting to Donut Hearts a little late and leaving a little early every day managed to still feel like a vacation.

  As I rolled out the apple spice donuts on the stainless steel counter, I asked, “I doubt she’s ever been called that before. Why do you say that?”

  Emma looked at me and laughed. “You’re kidding, right? Everybody’s buzzing about her running for office. To be honest with you, my dad’s even taking some of the credit.”

  “He should,” I said. “The article he wrote about Cam’s shady deal was the last straw for Momma. It’s what made her decide that we need a change around here.”

  Emma looked proud enough to burst. “May I tell him that?”

  What harm could it do? Then again, I’d been bitten before by overstepping my bounds with my mother, so it might be wise to be careful. “I don’t see why not, but maybe we should clear it with Momma first. Now that she’s a politician, I’m probably going to have to start watching what I say about her, at least in public.”

  Emma grinned. “I can’t see her losing the race for mayor, can you? Everyone loves her, and the best Cam Hamilton can muster is ambivalence.”

  “I hope Momma wins, there’s no doubt about it. After all, it would look bad on me too, if she didn’t, since I’m her campaign manager.”

  “Can I volunteer?” she asked eagerly, her voice bursting with enthusiasm. “I just love politics.”

  “I’m sure we can find a place for you.” I started cutting out the donut and hole shapes with my rolling donut cutter. I’d found this particular cutter locally, and at a price I liked, though every time I used it I was reminded of a time when I’d been a murder suspect, which was not exactly the best memory I had. “We’re cleaning up Hannah’s, so we can use it as our headquarters after work this morning, and you’re more than welcome to join us.” I took a deep breath, knowing that I was on shaky ground, and then asked, “But don’t you have a new boyfriend taking up all of your time these days?”

  “Do you mean Chad? He’s history,” she said.

  That was news to me. “Since when?”

  Emma shrugged as she replied, “We broke up yesterday.”

  I frowned at the news. I hated when Emma’s heart was broken. “I’m so sorry.”

  She started cleaning up my mess as she answered, “Don’t be. He didn’t turn out to be the guy I thought he was.”

  “You’ll find someone,” I said. “You’re too special not to.”

  “I just hope I find someone as perfect as Grace did,” Emma said with a sigh. “I saw them out last night, and they looked like they were really in love.”

  That was pushing it; at least I hope that it was. To my mind, Grace had gone from being extremely picky to being overly accepting lately, though I’d never say that to her. “It might be too soon to say that, but I know that she’s awfully fond of him.”

  Emma laughed as I finished rolling the cutter over the last bit of dough, producing perfectly shaped donuts and holes and leaving only scraps behind. She said, “You sound like my grandmother. Is anyone really still fond of the person they’re dating in this day and age?”

  I swatted her with my towel. “Don’t make fun of me, young lady. After all, I’m still your boss.”

  With a big grin, Emma saluted and said, “Yes, ma’am. I mean, no, ma’am. I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  I handed her the cutter. “Would you mind washing this while you’re cleaning up?”

  “I
’m on it,” she said.

  As Emma filled the sink with warm water, she said, “I don’t care what you say, Suzanne, you’ve got to admit it, Peter Morgan is kind of dreamy.”

  “He’s handsome, I’ll give you that.” I’d spent some time with Peter twice, and the three of us had even had dinner together as Grace kept staring at us both, willing us to get along. It made for a long meal, and I’d begged off the next time she asked. It was almost painful watching Grace hope for my approval, and while I didn’t have anything against the man, he didn’t bowl me over as he had Emma. Maybe his charm reminded me a little too much of my ex, Max.

  “Come on, he’s awesome,” Emma said.

  “Fine, he’s awesome.” I didn’t want to argue with her, so it was time to change the subject. “How is your father going to manage to wait a week before he can put out his next newspaper?”

  Emma laughed. “You’re kidding, right? He’s in his office now getting ready to put out a special edition. The headline’s going to be trumpeting your mother’s candidacy.”

  That was news to me, and I had to wonder if Momma had heard yet. “Funny, he didn’t even interview her about it, at least not that I heard.”

  Emma grinned. “When I went to bed last night, he was talking to your mother on the phone. I’m sure he got enough quotes to run the story.”

  “Good. Maybe he’ll even endorse her,” I said, half in jest.

  Emma looked pleased to be able to tell me, “He already did. My dad and Cam Hamilton have had a blood feud going on for years. They legitimately hate each other, and it’s got nothing to do with the fact that they are natural enemies because of their jobs.”

  “That’s interesting,” I said as I started on the dough for my new strawberry and cream cake donut. It was a classic combination that used real cream in the batter, and I had high hopes for it. I felt that I needed to keep adding new offerings to my menu to keep my customers coming back, and besides, it was fun for me. Adding real cream made the donut a little more expensive to create, but the taste was phenomenal. “What started it all?”