Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse

by Harper Lin

  “What address?” she asked.

  I spouted off Mr. Cardosi’s address, listened for her confirmation that she had heard it, then I let the phone drop to the ground. I could move faster without it. The distance from my house to Mr. Cardosi’s seemed exponentially longer than it ever had. When I was a kid, I could run from door to door in less than thirty seconds. This would take me several minutes, minutes I didn’t know that I had.

  Latte seemed to know something was going on. He ran back and forth beside me, barking loudly the way he had the day I’d found him. When I turned onto Mr. Cardosi’s walk, he went ballistic, running up to the door and punctuating his barking with long, loud howls. It was as if he knew the man who had tripped me was inside.

  When I was just over an arm’s length from the door, I lunged for it, turning the doorknob and pushing it open. Latte rushed past me and into the kitchen. I lost my balance and fell facefirst into the foyer.

  “Matty, don’t drink that!” I screamed.

  I heard nothing from the kitchen. I was too late. I crawled, dragging myself into the house with just my arms.

  “Franny?”

  I looked up to see Matt in the kitchen doorway. I dropped my head to the floor in relief. He was alive.

  He rushed over to me. “What are you doing?”

  Matt started to help me up when I saw Paul Hamilton step out of the kitchen.

  “I should have pushed you,” he sneered.

  Matt looked between Paul and me. “What? What’s going on here?”

  “Paul killed your father! I found letters between them! He was going to kill you too!”

  “Franny, that’s—” Matt stopped when he saw Paul moving across the living room, a look of pure hatred on his face.

  Latte circled Paul, barking at ear-piercing volume.

  “Damn dog!” Paul spat.

  I screamed when I saw him lift his cane and strike Latte. Latte yelped and ran past me out of the house. I heard him barking and howling on the lawn. Paul moved closer. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do. Matt was definitely bigger and stronger than him, but if the man would poison someone with cyanide, I wasn’t sure I would put a poison-tipped cane past him either.

  He swung the cane at Matt, and it came in too low for Matt to grab, smacking his shin. He grunted at the pain. Paul swung the cane again, striking my hand as I tried to catch it. Through Latte’s howls, I heard sirens in the distance. We only had to hold Paul off for a few more minutes before the police arrived. Paul lifted the cane again as Matt moved to grab it from him. Before he could, Paul brought the cane down on the back of my head. I saw stars and, through them, the flashing red-and-blue lights of police cars.

  Chapter 22

  Needless to say, Paul was arrested. When the police tested the coffee Matt had made for Paul and himself, they’d found enough cyanide to kill not just one but several men. Paul was charged with Mr. Cardosi’s murder, attempted murder and assault for his attack on Matt, and assault for his multiple attacks on me. Just for those charges, he should be in jail longer than Karl had been, and for a man Paul’s age, that was at least a life sentence.

  It turned out Mike had suspected Paul for quite a while, but he hadn’t been able to find any direct evidence to use to get an arrest warrant. Walking into a vicious cane-based assault on two people was more than enough to put him in jail while they investigated his motive for murder.

  The police went through Mr. Cardosi’s paperwork and found bills for clipper repairs that Paul had supposedly done for him. But Matt was able to show invoices and shipping documents that proved that Mr. Cardosi had always sent his clippers back to the manufacturer when they needed repair. According to Matt, he only trusted the people who had made them in the first place to fix them right.

  When the police dug into Paul’s books, they found that he had been recording electronics repairs for businesses all over town, repairs not a single one of them had ever ordered. When Karl started working for him, not knowing that the unpaid invoices were fake, he sent the ones with Mr. Cardosi’s name on them over to him. Mr. Cardosi put two and two together and figured out that Paul was running an elaborate money-laundering scheme. He threatened to turn Paul in unless Paul did so himself. Apparently the money laundering didn’t bother Mr. Cardosi as much as Paul using Mr. Cardosi’s name on the fake invoices.

  The reason for the money-laundering scheme was every bit as crazy as the scheme itself, probably even more so. It had started with illegal betting on horse races. Paul was good at gambling—shockingly good—but that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to bet on the long shots. He started paying jockeys and trainers to fix the races. That had led to even bigger paydays and ultimately to the laundering scheme that was his downfall. It was pretty dramatic stuff for a sleepy little town like Cape Bay.

  It seemed as though it took my leg forever to heal. According to the doctors, my fall into the Cardosi house’s foyer had set me back a good week or two. Still, I finally got back on my feet (literally) and went back to work at the café. It was nice to get back into a routine again. I spent my time working, playing with Latte, and redecorating my house.

  In a weird twist of fate, it turned out that Latte had actually briefly belonged to Paul—that was why he barked so much whenever Paul was around. Latte, whose previous name was Barkley, had belonged to a family that moved overseas for the father’s job. They weren’t able to take the dog with them, so they gave him to their neighbor Paul, who apparently seemed like a nice enough man. But Paul hit Barkley with his cane every time he did something remotely impish or dog-like. Paul quickly got tired of him, took him to the park, and let him go. Apparently Barkley disliked living with Paul enough that he never tried to go back. I felt as though Latte deserved a fresh start after his rough time with Paul and decided to keep him. I liked the name Latte much better than Barkley anyway.

  Matt and I had been spending a lot of time together. I guess you could call it dating. We had dinner a couple of nights a week after I closed up the café and spent the day together at least once on the weekends. It was casual, but a lot of fun. And I had even managed to pay a time or two. It took me slipping the waiter my credit card on the way in, but I’d done it.

  I was in the café late one quiet afternoon when Matt came in with a big smile.

  “Hey! How are you?” I greeted him.

  “I’m great!” He came around the counter to give me a hug.

  I had to just lean into him because my gloved hands were all wet and slimy from the mozzarella I was making. “What’s got you in such a good mood?”

  “I sold the house!”

  That was news that required a real hug. I peeled off my gloves and threw my arms around his neck. “Congratulations, neighbor!” I was excited. Matt had finally decided to sell his house and move into his dad’s. It wasn’t solely because of my presence two doors down, but I liked to think that I was at least part of his motivation. “This requires a celebratory coffee!”

  I closed the lid on the mozzarella and put it aside before I turned to the espresso machine to steam the milk for our drinks.

  “So I was thinking,” he said, going back around the counter so he could face me as I worked. “I have to invest most of the profit from the sale of the house to avoid paying half of it in taxes, but there’s a good bit of it I can keep.”

  “That’s awesome!” I said, pulling the espresso. “Are you going to buy yourself something nice? A new car maybe?”

  “Actually, I was thinking of taking a little trip. Maybe someplace exotic, like the Caribbean or Europe. Maybe even Italy.”

  “Oh, Italy! I’d love to go to Italy! I’ve always dreamed of seeing the place my grandparents came from.” I poured the milk into the cup. It was silly, but I was making a smiley face. It was a simple, happy design for a happy day.

  Matt smiled. “I had a feeling you might say that.”

  “So you just thought you’d try to make me jealous? Is that it?” I joked as I worked on the second cup, th
is one for me.

  “Well, no. More like I thought you could come with me.”

  I looked at him, completely surprised. I had not expected him to say that.

  “Yes? No? Only if I put us up in four-star hotels?”

  “Um, yes, I mean, if you’re sure. I don’t want to take advantage—” I was stumbling over my words and had let the espresso sit too long to boot. It would be way too bitter to drink, so I dumped it and started over.

  “You’re not taking advantage. I want to do it. To thank you for everything you’ve done the past few months.”

  “Well, I didn’t do all that much.” This time I managed to add the milk to the espresso in time. I poured in a heart because it was simple and the cup was just for me.

  “You were there when I needed you. That’s all you needed to do.”

  “And I get to go to Italy as a reward?” I handed his cup to him across the counter.

  “Yup.” He looked at his cup then back at me with a smile and raised eyebrows. “A heart? You tryin’ to tell me something, Franny?”

  I looked at the cup in front of me. It was the smiley face I’d made for Matt. I was so flustered I’d given him the wrong one! “No, I meant to give you this one.” I tried to hand the smiley face cup to him.

  “Too late.” He took a sip.

  The bell over the door jingled, and a delivery man walked in with a large bouquet of red roses. “Francesca Amaro?” He came toward me.

  “That’s me,” I said, glancing at Matt. He had an innocent expression that I didn’t believe for a second. I signed for the delivery and set the roses on the counter. I pulled the card out and read it.

  To Francesca. The beauty of these roses pales in comparison to yours. Signed, Your Secret Admirer.

  “Really?” I asked, looking at Matt. “‘Your Secret Admirer’? You invite me to go to Italy with you, but think you have to be coy with the flowers?”

  “I didn’t send them,” Matt said.

  “Sure, you didn’t,” I retorted.

  “No, really. I would have sent you lilies. I know you like them better.”

  That was true. I did like lilies better. I looked in confusion at the card. “Then who sent them?”

  “Damned if I know.” Matt smiled. “But I’m the one going to Italy with you.” He drank the rest of his coffee. “I’ve got to go. I have a travel agent to see.” He leaned across the counter and kissed my cheek.

  My heart fluttered a little. I would be happy to go to Italy with Matt.

  “I’ll see you later, okay?” he said.

  “Okay.” I smiled and watched as he left.

  My life had changed a lot in the past few months, but it was all working out. I was home in Cape Bay where I belonged, doing what I loved, and planning a trip to Italy with the boy next door. Life was good. Very good.

  Continue the Cape Bay Cafe Mysteries with book 2: Tea, Tiramisu, and Tough Guys. When Francesca’s old high school crush, Todd, is accused of murder, she is convinced he is innocent. The police don’t believe Todd’s story, and neither does Matty. Read an excerpt at the end of this book.

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  Recipe 1: Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling

  Makes 24 cupcakes

  * * *

  Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder

  • ½ cup boiling water

  • 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup buttermilk

  • 1 ¼ tsp baking soda

  • ¼ baking powder

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • 1 ½ sticks + 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

  • 2 large eggs, room temperature

  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter

  • 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

  * * *

  Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl, add cocoa powder and boiling water. Whisk into a smooth paste, then whisk in buttermilk until combined.

  In another medium bowl, sift flour together with baking soda, baking powder and salt.

  In a large bowl, beat 1 ½ sticks of butter with the granulated sugar with an electric beater for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla, then the dry ingredients in two batches.

  Spoon batter into lined paper cups. Fill two-thirds. Bake for 20 minutes or until cupcakes are springy. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool.

  For filling:

  In a medium bowl, beat peanut butter with 3 tablespoons of butter until creamy. Sift confectioners’ sugar and beat together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Spoon all of the peanut butter into a pastry bag with a ¼ star tip. Plunge tip in from the top of each cupcake to about ¾ -inch deep. Squeeze pastry bag to fill cupcake, withdrawing it slowly. Repeat for all the cupcakes.

  For icing:

  In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Add the semi-sweet chocolate to the cream. Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk the melted chocolate into the cream until smooth. Let the chocolate icing stand until slightly cooled and thickened, about 15 minutes. Dip the top of each cupcake, letting excess drip back. Dip again and transfer them to racks. Using the remaining peanut butter filling into the pastry bag, pipe tiny rosettes on the top of the cupcakes.

  Recipe 2: Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

  Makes 24 cupcakes

  * * *

  Ingredients:

  • 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 3 tsp baking powder

  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon

  • ½ tsp salt

  • ¾ cup shortening

  • 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

  • 5 large eggs

  • 2 ½ tsp vanilla extract

  • 1 ¼ cups milk

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream

  • cinnamon-sugar (to sprinkle on top)

  * * *

  Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.

  In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon and salt.

  In a large bowl, beat shortening with mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.

  Slowly add flour mixture and milk until just combined, being careful not to overmix.

  Pour batter into liners, about ¾ full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.

  For frosting:

  Mix butter on medium speed with an electric mixer for 30 second until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, ground cinnamon and vanilla extract. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

  Frost cupcakes with a piping bag or knife. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on top.

  About the Author

  Harper Lin is the USA TODAY bestselling author of 6 cozy mystery series including The Patisserie Mysteries and The Cape Bay Cafe Mysteries.

  When she's not reading or writing mysteries, she loves going to yoga classes, hiking, and hanging out with her family and friends.

  For a complete list of her books by series, see her website. Follow Harper on social media using the icons below for the latest insider news.

  www.HarperLin.com

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  A Note From Harper

  Thank you so much for reading my books. If you were entertained by this Cape Bay Cafe mystery, please recommend it to friends and family who would enjoy it too. I would als
o really appreciate it if you could write a book review to help spread the word.

  If you like this series, you might also enjoy my other series:

  • The Pink Cupcake Mysteries: A new divorcée starts selling her delicious cupcakes from a pink food truck, to the chagrin of her ex-husband.

  • The Patisserie Mysteries: An heiress to a famous French patisserie chain takes over the family business, while using her status as a Parisian socialite to solve murders in high society.

  • Secret Agent Granny: 70-year-old Barbara is a sweet grandmother—and a badass ex-CIA agent.

  • The Wonder Cats Mysteries: three witches and their magical cats solve paranormal murder cases in the mystical town of Wonder Falls

  • The Emma Wild Mysteries: a 4-Book holiday cozy series about a famous singer returning to her small Canadian town.

  If you want to be the first to hear about new book releases and 99¢ early bird specials, sign up for my mailing list.

  I’m also on Facebook, where I’ll be holding giveaways, sharing recipes, and posting about what I’m reading at the moment.

  Follow my Pinterest boards to see the locations, fashions, and inspirations behind each book.

  You can also connect with me on Goodreads.

  If you’d like to get in touch with me directly, you can email me at harperlinauthor@outlook.com. I would love to hear what you think about the books. Do also drop me a note if you happen to catch any mistakes. While each book is edited and proofread by professionals, errors can still slip through sometimes. As an indie writer, I want to provide readers with the smoothest read possible.

  Last but not least, visit my website for the latest news and my blog.

  Thanks and much love,

  Harper

  Excerpt from “Tea, Tiramisu, and Tough Guys”