“Right. He knew cell phone calls and texts could be tracked.”
“Why the secrecy?”
I shrugged. “Who knows?”
“So, Mr. Nettle found the note from the mayor in her mailbox, wrote down the date and time, which we found in his pocket.”
“Yes, I’m thinking he either wanted to see who she was meeting or maybe get there early and try to convince her that he was the ‘one’ for her,” I told him.
“But because of the storm, Helen and the mayor didn’t meet that morning.”
I nodded. “Mr. Nettle showed up and Robert shot him, thinking he was his wife’s lover.”
“That’s crazy,” Tucker said, digging into his breakfast with gusto.
“Then he saw her out with Mayor Gillespie showing off her new car, realized he killed the wrong man and tried to kill him at the festival.”
“Thank goodness he missed.”
I nodded. “And thank goodness Helen had that gun in her kitchen or I’d be dead as well.”
“Interesting story about that weapon Helen used,” Tucker said. “Obviously her husband didn't know she had it or he wouldn't have turned his back on her. It was a brand new gun, so tracking down the sale didn't take a great deal of detective work even in a town with three gun stores.”
I held my breath waiting.
“That gun was a thank you gift from Mayor Gillespie because she had helped him find his mom. She’d expressed an interest in having a small hand gun and...” Tucker ended with a shrug.
“None of this had anything to do with money,” I reminded him.
Tucker shook his head. “They sure had me fooled.”
I waved at some customers as they left and felt myself relaxing as the morning rush began to thin out. “You’ve been gone a long time, Tucker Ashe. Maybe you forgot how things work in a little town like Sugar Hill.”
“Well thank goodness I’ve got you on hand to help me learn the ropes.” He shot me a hungry look that sent shivers down to my toes. “If you give me a chance, I think I can teach you a thing or two as well.”
I smiled to myself and turned away, not sure what the future held, but more than ready to find out.
Starla’s Chocolate Peppermint Surprise Cupcakes
½ cup salted butter
2 ounces mint chocolate chips
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup self-rising flour (spoon & leveled)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
VANILLA FROSTING
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4 - 5 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
peppermint extract
salt, to taste
green food coloring
crushed candy canes or mint candies
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave on medium power stirring every 30 seconds or on low heat on the stovetop. Once fully melted stir in a heaping tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl combine remaining cocoa powder and flour. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and peppermint. Whisk the butter/chocolate mixture into the large bowl then stir in buttermilk. Gradually add flour mixture and stir until just combined, batter will be very thick.
Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Spoon batter evenly into the cupcake liners. Bake until toothpick comes out clean when inserted, about 18 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
Make Frosting: Beat softened butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, a splash of cream, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and a pinch of salt and beat on high until frosting is fluffy, about 1-3 minutes, scraping down sides when necessary. Add more cream if frosting is too thick or more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin. Once frosting has reached desired consistency add more peppermint extract and/or salt to taste if necessary.
Once cupcakes are completely cooled, use a large straw to remove a ‘plug’ from the center of each cupcake. Tint a small amount of frosting with the green food coloring and add a tiny bit of peppermint extract. Mix well. Using a bag and round tip, fill to the hole in the center of the cupcakes. Push the ‘plug’ back into the cupcake. Fill frosting bag with the remainder of the frosting (white or green, as you wish) and pipe onto cupcakes. Drizzle (or use another frosting bag to dot) melted chocolate on cupcakes. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes and serve!
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Peppermint Breath & an Untimely Death Page 12
