Murder On the Rocks (29 page)

Get me home, I thought, and drifted off to sleep smiling, the heat of John’s kiss on my cheek and the smell of beach roses enveloping me like a familiar blanket.

A week later, I took my coffee outside and leaned out over the back deck, gazing out at the terns wheeling over the sapphire water. The Cranberry Point lighthouse was an ivory spire in the distance, and a few lobster boats dotted the water’s surface, along with a smattering of buoys bobbing in the waves. It was a crisp, beautiful morning, and promised to be a cloudless day, which was a good thing, since Gwen and I were planning on heading out to pick wild strawberries later on.

Gwen had sent a few of her sketches to her mother, who had reluctantly agreed to let her stay and continue her apprenticeship with Fernand, and then started talking about putting together a show at one of the galleries on the west coast. Gwen had apparently cleared up the misunderstanding about Adam, but I didn’t ask how-I was just glad I wouldn’t have a fire-breathing dragon after me, even if she did live three thousand miles away.

I lowered myself into my favorite white chair-my leg, though mending, was still sore-and sipped my coffee with satisfaction. Fifteen minutes and I’d have to start putting together breakfast for ten guests. Reservations had started pouring in after all of the news coverage-although I had given the initial scoop to the Daily Mail, the story had been picked up nationally, and I suddenly found myself with bookings all the way through to September.

And tonight, I thought with a tingle of anticipation, John and Adam were coming to dinner. I listened to a bell buoy tolling in the distance and took a deep breath of the salt-laced air. I sat, silent, enjoying the morning light, until the sun crested the roof of the inn behind me. Then I turned to go back into the kitchen. It was time to whip up another blueberry coffee cake.

THE END

cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 cup sour cream or vanilla yogurt
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup brown sugar
cup butter
cup flour

Cream the butter and sugar. Add next six ingredients. Add the 2 cups of flour and sour cream (or yogurt) alternately to egg mixture, mixing with a spoon. Fold in blueberries. Pour mixture into greased 9”x13” baking pan. In a separate bowl, cream brown sugar and remaining butter. Add flour to get a semi-dry mixture. Spread on top of batter. Bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes.

1% cups plus 4 tablespoons flour
cup oat flour (or oatmeal pulsed in food processor
until finely ground)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 % teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup butter, softened until almost melted
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix flour, oat flour, baking soda, and salt together with a fork. Add sugars, eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets (place dough about 3 inches apart) and bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes. (For chewier cookies, refrigerate dough first: cooking time might be slightly longer.)

6 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1%2 cups butter, separated
%4 teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1%2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1%2 cups flour
%4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Melt chocolate with 3/ cup butter and salt. Beat remaining 3/ cup butter in an electric mixer until soft, gradually adding sugar until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix. Add melted chocolate. Add flour and mix at low speed until just blended. Mix in nuts (optional). Turn the batter into a greased and floured 9”x13” pan and bake for 35-45 minutes. Let cool and frost with Fudgy Frosting.

1%2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1%2 cups sugar
1 pinch salt
%4 cup heavy cream
lye teaspoons vanilla extract

Melt chocolate in double boiler with sugar, salt, and cream. (Do not overstir, as it may cause fudge to sugar.) Cook to soft-ball stage and transfer to bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at medium speed until it has cooled. Add vanilla. Beat until it loses its sheen and becomes thick. Frost cooled brownies.

3 cups flour
cup sugar
2% teaspoons baking powder
teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon salt
cup firm butter, cut in small pieces
cup cranberries, chopped if desired
cup walnuts
1 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel
1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons coarse sugar
1 tablespoon milk (approximately)

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a fork. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in cranberries, walnuts, and orange peel. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the buttermilk. Stir the mixture with a fork until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. With your hands, gather the dough into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured board. Roll or pat into a‘2- inch thick square. Cut into 2h inch circles (use a cookie cutter or an empty can) and place 1% inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Combine cinnamon and sugar. Brush scones lightly with milk, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 18 scones.

4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup flour
teaspoon salt
cup sugar
1 cup milk

Beat egg yolks until very light. Add vanilla and butter. Combine flour, salt, and sugar and add with milk to egg mixture, alternating. Beat well. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter gently. Spray Belgian waffle iron with cooking spray and bake until golden. Serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, sliced berries, and Chantilly Cream.

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk the cream, sugar, and vanilla together until satiny.

1% cups blueberries
cup maple syrup
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cornstarch (dissolved in a small amount of cold
water)

Bring blueberries and syrup to a simmer and cook until blueberries are hot and bubbly. Add lemon juice and vanilla and simmer a moment longer. Stir in cornstarch. Serve warm over pancakes, French toast, waffles, or even ice cream.

Although Murder on the Rocks is Karen Maclnerney’s first novel, she has been writing ever since she could pick up a pen. She has whiled away many of her summers on small islands in Maine and Newfoundland. Currently her home is Austin, Texas, where she is a full-time writer as well as mother of two.