Pop-Up Truck and Peril

by Harper Lin

  “It sounds like you guys were having a good time. You still didn’t want to stay for the reception?” Amelia was surprised. She knew Adam had been hurt. John didn’t make any attempt to rectify the situation. But the kids didn’t act like anything was amiss.

  “No,” Adam stated. “Meg and I had a long talk, and we decided it was Dad’s special day. We’d go and do what we were told, and then we’d leave so he wouldn’t have to feel funny and neither would we.”

  “Well, that is very mature of you.” Amelia beamed. “Did you hear that, Chris? You hear how my kids handled things with class?”

  “Besides. A lady always knows when to leave.” Meg waved a white-gloved hand. She’d insisted on a burgundy-colored dress she had seen at a thrift store, which reminded her of a dress June Allyson wore in Little Women, except it was just a little past her knees and didn’t require a petticoat. She even wore a net to make her long hair fold up prettily along her neck.

  “I’ve got to get out of this tux,” Adam complained. “I’m not wearing one of these when I get married.” He pulled at the cummerbund and unbuttoned his collar.

  “Who’d marry you? Godzilla isn’t real,” Meg teased as she turned on her heel and went upstairs.

  “Funny.” Adam rolled his eyes and retreated to the basement door. “Mom, can I go to Amy’s? I told her I’d be home early.”

  “You can.” Amelia smiled. “Why don’t you go over there in your tux? You look very handsome. Give her your corsage.”

  Adam smiled broadly and nodded. In a flash, the front door opened and slammed shut.

  “Can you believe it? And I was up night after night worrying about them,” Amelia whispered to Christine.

  “I’m really impressed,” Christine added. “I mean, I’m impressed when my own kids don’t eat paste for two days in a row. So maybe I’m not the person to listen to. But this whole wedding situation, well, it brought the worst out of John. But it brought the best out of Adam and Meg. It really did.”

  “I hope John stabilizes once the honeymoon is over.” Amelia wished. “I just hope he comes back to the kids. I hope he sees them not just with his eyes but with his heart.”

  “I hope he does, too,” Christine chimed in. “But love is blind. Especially in gold lamé.”

  Read Desserts and Death, Book 6 of the Pink Cupcake Mysteries. As Amelia and Lila look to hire an assistant, they hear a customer has died after slipping off a roof. Could it really be an accident, or was it murder? And could the murderer be someone who has just commissioned Amelia to bake one hundred double-chocolate raspberry cupcakes for the victim’s wake? Read an excerpt at the end of this book.

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  Recipe 1: Dark Chocolate and Bacon Cupcake

  Makes 24

  Ingredients:

  • 12 slices bacon

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 cups white sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 cup cold, strong, brewed coffee

  • 1 cup buttermilk

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder & 1 tbsp for dusting

  • 2 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

  * * *

  Chocolate Frosting:

  • 2 3/4 cups icing sugar

  • 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 6 tbsp butter

  • 5 tbsp evaporated milk

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  * * *

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 24 muffin tins. Cook bacon in skillet over medium-high heat. Drain and set aside.

  In a bowl, add flour, sugar, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Mix. Make a well in the center and pour in eggs, coffee, buttermilk, and vegetable oil. Stir until blended. Crumble bacon and add 3/4, leaving the rest for garnish.

  Divide the batter into lined cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Let cool.

  To make frosting, sift icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. In a bigger bowl, cream butter until smooth, gradually beating in sugar mixture alternately with milk. Lastly, blend in vanilla. Cream until light and fluffy.

  When cupcakes are cool, frost with chocolate frosting. Sprinkle bacon crumbles on top, and dust with cocoa powder.

  Recipe 2: Apple Pie Crumble Cupcake

  Makes 24

  Ingredients:

  • 2 apples, peeled and chopped

  • 3 eggs

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 package yellow cake mix

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg

  • 1/4 cup melted butter

  * * *

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups. Put chopped apples in a food processor, mince, and then transfer to a bowl.

  In a separate bowl, beat together cake mix, eggs, water, and vegetable oil with an electric mixer until smooth. Fold apple mixture into the batter.

  In another bowl, pour in graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add melted butter and mix with your hands until crumbs are moist. Fill each liner with 1 teaspoon of crumb mixture. Top with batter. Sprinkle any remaining crumbs on top.

  Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in tin before removing.

  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 Pop-Up Truck and Peril. If you were entertained by this Pink Cupcake mystery, please recommend it to friends and family who would enjoy it too. I would also really appreciate it if you could write a book review to help spread the word.

  You might also enjoy my other dessert mystery series:

  • The Cape Bay Cafe Mysteries: about an amateur sleuth/ owner of an Italian family cafe in a charming beach town.

  • The Patisserie Mysteries: a culinary cozy series set in Paris featuring French dessert recipes.

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

  I also have 2 other fun mystery series:

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

  • The Wonder Cats Mysteries, about three witches trying to use their powers for good in a small town near the mystical Niagara Falls.

  If you want to be the first to hear about new book releases and 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 my blog and a complete list of all my books, organized by series.

  Thanks and much love,

  Harper

  E
xcerpt from “Desserts and Death”

  Detective Dan Walishovski stood looking up at Amelia with a bandage on his forehead and his arm in a sling.

  Amelia dashed out of the back door of the truck and rushed to Dan’s side. It could be hard dating a detective, as it wasn’t Mayberry they lived in, where everyone knew everyone and the worst the police had to deal with was the town drunk taking up space in one of the two holding cells that were normally used for their weekly poker game. This was Gary, Oregon, where murders and crime were surprisingly common.

  “What happened to you?” Amelia exclaimed. “Is this why you couldn’t come by last night? Why didn’t you tell me? Does it hurt? What happened?”

  “If you’ll slow down and just take a breath, I’ll explain everything,” Dan said. His eyes were a bright blue. As Amelia looked up into them, she saw the familiar twinkle that assured her he had a story to tell.

  “Uh-oh.” Amelia stood back. “This looks like it’s going to be quite a tale. Want to come up and sit?”

  “Don’t mind if I do. Lila, you got any coffee up there?”

  “For you, Detective, I sure do.”

  Amelia climbed back up into the truck and pulled a stool out for Dan to sit by the door, where a cool breeze was some relief from the heat of the ovens.

  “Smells good in here,” Dan observed as he took a paper cup full of coffee from Lila. “What are you two ladies cooking up in here?”

  “Cinnamon-apple crumbles. Here, eat one. Lila came up with a great idea for a new healthier version of a cupcake for our health-conscious friends.”

  “Oh, I’ll be diving into those.” Dan patted his stomach. “But until then...” He happily accepted the cupcake, taking a bite and chewing slowly.

  “Okay, I appreciate your enjoying the cupcake, but are you going to tell me what happened, or do I have to guess?” Amelia urged.

  “Let me guess,” Lila interrupted. “There was a fight between a couple of fourth graders at the school, and you got caught breaking it up.”

  “No. No. Not fourth graders. A couple of rowdy seniors at the center over a bingo dispute.” Amelia chuckled.

  “Two middle-aged women were fighting over the latest Disney-themed bed set, and you were on the losing team.”

  “You ladies are hilarious,” Dan said as he took a sip of coffee. “But the truth isn’t that far off. You just aren’t going to believe this.”

  The Gary Police Department, like every other police department in the country, had come to recognize certain addresses, phone numbers, and individuals when those calls came through the dispatcher. Some were like clockwork. Every Friday night around one o’clock in the morning, there was a call from Pat’s Pub that there were a couple of guys fighting in the parking lot. A couple times a month, the neighbors around 4201 Christine Way called to report the residents were fighting again. The casino on the outskirts of town had half a dozen calls a week to report drunk-and-disorderly conduct.

  But a call from Bud Fetzer was different. Dan explained to Amelia and Lila that Bud was a very interesting fellow.

  “I doubt he’s thirty years old,” Dan reported. “He lives alone, has no record, has some kind of computer gig that he does out of his house. UFO conspiracies. JFK cover-up. Some nonsense about the earth being hollow.”

  “That’s his job? UFOs?” Lila inquired.

  “Yup. He’s got quite a following, from what I hear. But to hear him tell it, he’s public enemy number one for what he calls anti-truth individuals. That was what he was calling about. As usual.”

  Dan went on to tell Amelia and Lila that once every two or three months, they’d get a call to stop by the Fetzer place. It was a simple ranch house on a pristine piece of land that was left to Bud by his late parents. Mr. and Mrs. Fetzer had invested wisely over the years. They only had one son. So when they passed on, they had made sure their pride and joy was taken care of.

  “What?” Amelia stifled a laugh. “Did he do this to you?”

  “Not quite.” Dan rolled his eyes.

  Dan went on to explain the call that he received from dispatch. A squad car had already shown up at the Fetzer property in response to Bud’s call saying there was a suspicious truck with two suspicious individuals lurking around his property.

  “The uniforms said they checked everything out, and there were tire tracks and footprints but nothing that would lead them to believe that it was anything more than just a truck that stopped on the side of the road.” Dan took another sip from his coffee. “But Bud wasn’t satisfied with that. He needed me out there. Requested me by name. Said he and I had an understanding.”

  Amelia watched Dan roll his eyes and started to giggle.

  “Did you?”

  “Not quite. Bud had come to the station a couple times, complaining about people on his property and hearing low-frequency radio sounds in his house. I got the assignment to check out his property and found absolutely nothing of substance. But I talked with Bud, and for all intents and purposes, he was a real nice guy,” Dan admitted while gently tapping the bandage on his forehead. “When I knocked on his door and announced who I was, the camera he installed at his front door came loose just as I was looking up into it. That’s what caused this.”

  “What happened to your arm?” Amelia asked, fretting.

  “After getting hit on the head, I lost my balance and fell off his porch, dislocating my shoulder and spraining my wrist.”

  Lila didn’t stifle her laughter.

  “Well, did you find anything at his house that little green men were planning an attack or something?” Amelia asked playfully.

  “No,” he replied sourly. “If that were the case, at least I would have gotten hurt for a reason. Now I gotta hear the guys at the station ribbing me about being abducted and possibly probed.”

  Amelia and Lila couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

  “We don’t mean to laugh at you,” Amelia said between bursts of giggles.

  “She doesn’t. I do,” Lila teased as she refilled Dan’s coffee.

  “You’re all about that tough love, aren’t you, Lila?” Dan snickered back.

  “I think you should head on over to my house,” Amelia suggested. “I’ve got beef stew in the crockpot already cooking. Plus, Lila came up with a genius new idea for a cupcake, and I’ll need tasters. What do you say?”

  “I say that sounds pretty good.” Dan gave Amelia a cool grin. “I’ve got to go to the station and wrap up some paperwork. I’ll meet you at your place after you close up shop.”

  “That sounds fine.”

  By the time Amelia closed up the Pink Cupcake and drove home, she was exhausted. The idea of hiring on additional help was looking better and better all the time. She was happy to see Dan’s sedan parked in front of the house. He was just getting out of the car.

  “Have you been waiting long?” Amelia asked as she parked her business in her driveway.

  “Nope. Just got here a second ago. Turns out that Bud Fetzer wanted to speak with me at the station.”

  “Really? I’m intrigued.”

  “He swears there are people watching his house.”

  Amelia bit her lower lip.

  “Do you think there is any truth to what he’s saying?”

  Dan shrugged, wincing as he rubbed his arm.

  “I don’t know. But to tell you the truth, tonight I don’t want to talk about work or Bud or conspiracies. I’d give all the tea in China just to hear Meg’s latest school gossip or Adam’s most recent computer project.”

  “Have you been drinking?” Amelia teased. “That’s hardcore.”

  “No. But I think I might start.”

  Once they were in the house, Dan got his wish. Amelia drank a bottle of beer with him.

  “Catherine told me that she has an aunt that is totally convinced that there are lizard people in the government,” Meg piped up over her bowl of stew. “She says they are part of the Illuminati.”

  “I don’t know about lizards. Snakes
would be more like it,” Amelia said to Dan as she filled his bowl with stew.

  “The Illuminati. That’s crazy.” Adam sniggered.

  “She also said that her aunt saw a UFO. Just a tiny little weird white thing in the sky that changed direction super fast. I don’t know if it’s true. I never met this aunt.”

  “You never will. They only allow family to visit people in the booby-hatch,” Adam continued.

  “No one asked you, Adam,” Meg snapped.

  “Adam, do we say booby-hatch? Really?” Amelia pursed her lips at her son. “That’s not very nice.”

  “Sorry, Mom.” Adam chuckled.

  “I heard people say that Kennedy wasn’t assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald and that it was a CIA cover-up,” Meg added before taking a mouthful of bread she had dunked in her stew.

  Dan looked across the table at Amelia, who was grinning with amusement.

  “I’m just glad she knows who Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald were,” she said before finally sitting down and starting to eat.

  Meg carried on her conversation about UFOs and aliens while Adam interrupted, adding the fact that NASA and the SETI projects relied on computers to search for signals of intelligence in space.

  Amelia and Dan sat quietly listening as the kids argued and joked and dominated the conversation at the table, giving the grown-ups a chance to unwind.

  Finally, after deciding that aliens do exist but would never come near Adam because he’s too big of a nerd and that Meg would bore them to death, triggering an intergalactic war, the kids retreated to their rooms to start their homework.

  “Maybe coming here wasn’t the best idea,” Amelia joked. “It’s not always a fortress of silence.”

  “I’ve come to enjoy it. It’s my favorite part of the day, to tell you the truth.”