Cocoa Crush

by Jessica Beck

  At least this way, our hands and our consciences were clean.

  “What happened?” Lara asked as we reentered the penthouse. “Why do you have my husband’s hands tied up behind his back?”

  She started toward him, but Jake stepped in between them before she could. “Henry killed Jason and Cheyenne,” my husband said matter-of-factly.

  “What? That’s nonsense. Henry, tell them they’ve lost their minds,” Lara said angrily.

  “I’m not saying anything until I speak with an attorney,” was the only thing that her husband would say.

  “What? You don’t need a lawyer unless you’re guilty,” she said harshly. “Are you telling me that you did what they are accusing you of?”

  Henry wanted to keep his mouth shut, you could see it in his eyes, and I knew that it was in his best interest to do just that, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “Why are you acting so surprised all of a sudden? You’ve been filling my head with poisonous thoughts about him since we lost our life savings. How many times did you tell me that you wished that Jason were dead? Well, guess what, honey. Your wish came true tonight.”

  Lara seemed to crumple at the news. While it took the steam out of her anger, it only fueled Elizabeth’s. She stepped forward, and before anyone could stop her, she slapped Henry so hard across the face that it left an imprint of her hand on his cheek.

  “She hit me! You all saw it. I want her arrested for assault!” Henry protested.

  “I’m sorry, but I didn’t see anything,” Jake said. “I was checking my watch, and I missed the entire thing. How about you, Suzanne?”

  “I didn’t see anything, either,” I said with a smile.

  When Elizabeth wound up to slap him again, I stepped in front of her. “If it happened again though, none of us would be able to deny seeing it. I don’t think it would help matters anyway, do you?” I asked my friend gently.

  “No. You’re right.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” I repeated again to Elizabeth. “If I made things harder on you than they had to be, I’m sorry about that, too.”

  To my surprise and great relief, Elizabeth hugged me fiercely. As we shared the embrace, she whispered, “I’m sorry, too. You’ve been nothing but a good friend to me. Thank you for that.”

  “It was my pleasure,” I said, glowing from the warmth of her forgiveness.

  Henry wouldn’t let the moment rest, though. “I want her arrested, and don’t try to tell me that neither one of you saw it!”

  “About that,” Jake said. “I might have stretched the truth a bit when I said that I was deputized for life. It’s more of an unspoken understanding than it is an official position of the department.”

  “Does that mean that I’m not really a deputy, either?” I asked him. That was too bad. I kind of liked being official for a change of pace.

  “Sorry,” my husband said with a grin.

  “If you’re not in law enforcement, then you have no right to restrain me,” Henry said. “Untie my hands and set me free.”

  “It’s all perfectly legal,” Jake explained, making no move to undo the knots binding him. “I’m making a citizen’s arrest. It will stand up in court, you don’t have to worry about that.”

  “Why did he kill Cheyenne, though?” Joan asked, her voice little more than a whimper. “What did she ever do to him?”

  “I’m standing right here,” Henry said. “Ask me yourself.”

  “Why did you do it?” Joan asked, repeating the question.

  “She was handy,” Henry said with a simple shrug. His tone of voice was so casual that it gave me the chills. How could the man be so cold blooded? I could possibly understand the rage and passion that had driven him to kill Jason, but he’d lured Cheyenne to her death with promises that he had no intention or ability to keep. Maybe something had snapped in him when he’d murdered his best friend from childhood. The theory was troubling, but it was better than the alternative, that Henry had this streak of evil lying dormant for so many years that now was free.

  “What do we do in the meantime?” Bernard asked. “I have pressing business elsewhere, and I really need to get out of here.”

  “Whatever it is, it’s going to have to be without me,” Candida replied icily.

  “I assure you, we are finished,” Bernard said, his voice so full of deadness that it caught me off guard.

  “That’s all I need to hear,” she said.

  “What do we do with him, Jake?” I asked my husband. “Should we lock him in the master closet of the main suite until the power comes back on?”

  I hadn’t been trying to keep my suggestion from Henry. “You can’t put me in there with a dead man!”

  “You know what? I think that’s an excellent idea,” Jake said.

  Whether he was going to do it or not turned out to be a moot point.

  Just then, the power came back on again, this time apparently for good.

  It surged for a moment, the lights growing so bright that I was afraid the light bulbs might explode, and then it settled down to normal.

  With that, everything came back on, including the cell phone boosters that we so desperately needed to call out for help.

  Bernard headed straight for the door, but Jake stopped him. “Nobody’s going anywhere until the police have arrived.”

  “You made a mistake just now by telling us you have no power here,” Bernard said.

  “I said I had no authority. I still have plenty of power to back it up, in case anyone wants to test me.”

  It was that hard cop voice that my husband used again, a tone that defied anyone to cross him.

  Bernard certainly had no trouble realizing that Jake meant business. “Very well. Make your call, and gather your minions. I’ll wait.” With that, he took a seat away from the rest of us.

  Jake nodded and then turned to everyone else. “Does anyone else have any complaints?”

  There weren’t any, so he pulled out his cell phone and made the call he’d been wanting to make since we’d found Jason Martin’s body.

  Had it really been less than ten hours earlier? A great deal had happened in such a short time, and all I wanted to do right now was go back to our cottage in April Springs and forget that any of this had ever happened.

  Unfortunately, knowing how the police operated in the case of a homicide, not to mention a double homicide, I knew that I wasn’t going to be heading home for quite a while.

  CHAPTER 20

  “Are you okay to drive?” Jake asked me as we pulled out of the parking lot. Dawn was just breaking, but at least the weather had taken a turn for the better. The ice and freezing rain had quickly melted under a warmer shower, and the sheen was already starting to leave the roadway. He’d called the state police instead of the local authorities, and we had all been interviewed and released in a decent amount of time.

  “I’m fine. I can’t wait to get back home though, can you?” I asked him.

  “If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to skip the next few party invitations we get,” he said with a heavy sigh. “It was closer on that roof than I care to admit,” he said. “I almost lost you.”

  “And then I almost lost you,” I answered as I reached over and patted his knee. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

  “I was just about to say the same thing to you,” he replied as he stifled a yawn.

  “You can take a nap on the way back if you’d like,” I told him.

  “Why aren’t you more tired than you are?”

  “This is early for most folks, but I’m usually working at this time of day anyway.”

  “You’re not the least bit sleepy after staying up all night?”

  “Don’t get me wrong. The second we get back to the cottage, I want to light a fire and hit the couch for a nice long nap.”

  “We could always go back to bed when we get home,” Jake suggested.

  “It would feel too decadent,” I admitted. “Besides, I just love the radiant he
at of the fireplace. It makes the cold weather worth experiencing, don’t you think?”

  “All I need is you,” he said with a grin. “If you’re awake, then so am I.”

  “It’s your call,” I said. “I’ve got to rest up while I can. In three days, Emma is taking a two-week leave of absence to help Barton with his restaurant launch.”

  “Do you need me to help you out at the donut shop while she’s gone?” he asked, the dread obvious in his voice.

  “No, I’ve got it covered. Sharon’s coming in, so you’re off the hook.”

  “That sounds good to me,” he said.

  “You know, it’s amazing how many people wanted to see harm come to Jason. On paper it appeared that he had everything: a successful business, a loving wife, standing in the community, all of it, but when it came down to it, he didn’t have anything.”

  Jake didn’t respond, and when I glanced over at him, I saw that he was asleep despite his best intentions.

  I didn’t mind. He’d earned it, and more.

  I might not have owned anything close to what some of the other couples had that we’d been with over the past day, but I had a job I loved, a husband I adored, friends and family I could count on, and what was more, they knew that they could count on me, too.

  It was more than enough for me, and as I drove back to April Springs, I realized just how good it felt to be going home again.

  RECIPES

  Basic Chocolate Donuts

  This is a decent chocolate donut recipe when you’re in the mood for a fried cocoa treat. They’re a little heavy, especially compared to some of my other donuts, but we like them as a change of pace. For an extra kick, mix a packet of instant hot cocoa in with the batter to give it a little more pizzazz. A friend of mine bumps it up a notch and uses the packet as a dusting on top after glazing the donut lightly, but do so at your own risk; it’s a little too much chocolate for my taste! You can also try icing these with a store-bought canned product if you’d like a little more sweetness, but any way you try these, they’re good!

  Ingredients

  — 1 egg, beaten

  — 1⁄2 cup sugar

  — 1 tablespoon butter, melted

  — 1 tablespoon cinnamon

  — 1⁄2 cup whole milk

  — 1⁄4 cup bittersweet chocolate, melted

  — 2 cups all-purpose flour

  — 1 teaspoon baking powder

  Optional

  — 1 to 2 packets instant hot cocoa mix

  — 1 can icing (approx. 16 oz.)

  Directions

  Heat enough oil in a pan to cover the donuts at 370 degrees F.

  While the oil is coming to temperature, take a medium-sized bowl and beat the egg, add the sugar, butter, cinnamon, and milk, and then gradually add the melted chocolate, gently stirring the entire time. In a smaller bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder, then slowly add the dry mix to the wet, again stirring gently. Roll the dough out to ¼ inch thickness and then cut out your donut shapes.

  Let them rest a few minutes, and then add them gradually to the hot oil for four to five minutes, flipping them over halfway through the process.

  Then top them however you’d like, including with the optional canned icing or hot cocoa powder mix, and enjoy!

  Makes 6 to 8 donuts.

  Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Delights

  I’ve loved these cookies since I was a kid, and age hasn’t done a thing to dull my enthusiasm for them. My favorite way to eat them is soon after they are out of the oven, with the chocolate on top still soft, but if you want to come close to the experience after you’ve frozen them, microwave them carefully until the chocolate begins to melt again. Some folks can’t tell the difference from fresh cookies prepared that way, but in my opinion, nothing beats them fresh out of the oven!

  Ingredients

  — 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

  — 3⁄4 cup brown sugar

  — 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar

  — 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  — 2 eggs, beaten

  — 1 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth

  — 3 cups flour

  — 2 teaspoons baking soda

  — 1⁄8 teaspoon salt

  — Enough Hershey’s Kisses™ to top each cookie, about 1 bag

  Directions

  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

  Take a large bowl and cream together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla extract until it is thoroughly mixed together. Next, beat the eggs and add them to the mix. Then follow with the peanut butter, incorporating it into the mix as well. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt, and then gradually add it to the wet mix, stirring as you go.

  Pinch off pieces of dough the size of your thumb and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper, which is my personal preference. Bake them 8 to 10 minutes or until they are nearly done (it’s a bit of an art to judge exactly when this is, but you get the hang of it fairly quickly). Pull the sheet out of the oven and place one chocolate goodie on top of each cookie, then return to the oven to finish baking. The chocolate will get a bit soft, but it should retain its shape.

  Remove from the rack, let cool as long as your willpower allows, and then enjoy!

  Makes 24 to 36 cookies.

  Baked Chocolate Perfection Donuts

  This is the donut recipe for the true chocolate lover. I’ve been making these for years, and I keep coming up with new ideas on how to dress them up and enhance them, but the gang still loves the original version the best.

  Ingredients

  Dry

  — 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (not self-rising)

  — 1⁄4 cup cocoa (unsweetened)

  — 1 teaspoon baking powder

  — 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda

  — 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon

  — 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg

  — 1⁄8 teaspoon salt

  Wet

  — 1 large egg or two medium ones, beaten

  — 1⁄2 cup chocolate milk (2% or whole preferred)

  — 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  — 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar

  — 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Directions

  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

  In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a different bowl, combine the wet ingredients, starting with the beaten egg, then following up with the chocolate milk, melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix together well, and then slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing it in gently. If you over-mix at this stage, your donuts may be denser and chewier than you might like, so a gentle hand is needed here.

  Place the batter in a donut mold or use lined cupcake trays if you’d like.

  Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until the donuts spring back from a light touch, but be careful—they’re really hot at this point!

  Remove the donuts and cool on a tray.

  Top with chocolate icing from a can or make your own glaze.

  Makes 5 to 9 donuts.

  The Best Hot Chocolate In The World

  Okay, I might be exaggerating a little, but not by much, at least according to my family. We go so far as to make big batches during the holiday season and give jars of the mix as presents! If you do this, some mini marshmallows on top really add to the presentation. The bonus about this mix is that it’s easy to make and yet still has a flavor that far exceeds what you can buy at the store, at least according to my clan.

  Ingredients

  — 2 cups nonfat dry powdered milk

  — 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar

  — 1⁄2 cup Special Dark Hershey’s Cocoa, Dutch processed powder

  — 1⁄2 cup Hershey’s Cocoa, natural unsweetened powder

  — 1⁄2 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

  — A dash of salt

  Directions

  Take a large mixing bowl and combine
the powdered milk, granulated sugar, Dutch cocoa, unsweetened cocoa, powdered creamer, and salt.

  Mix thoroughly and you’re finished! I told you it was easy.

  When you are ready for your first cup, take ¼ cup of the mix, add it to your favorite mug, and then add ¾ cup hot milk. Stir until the powder is dissolved and add mini marshmallows if you are so inclined.

  Makes 4¼ cups of mix.

  I won’t even try to estimate how many cups of hot cocoa this produces, since everyone in my family uses the suggested ¼ cup of mix more as a suggestion than a firm requirement. Some like it stronger, and some prefer a less robust taste to their hot cocoa. Feel free to experiment until you find the ratio of mix to milk that’s just right for you!

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