Dead on Doughnuts: A Culinary Cozy Mystery (Coffee Shop Mysteries Book 1)

by Sarah Jane Weldon

  Margot huffed. “Sophia is what happened. She was blackmailing me. Said she would tell the police and Felix, and Audrey”.

  “And why was Rose so cross with you? I saw the two of you together, why were you arguing over papers?”. I enquired.

  “Ask her”. Margot pointed at Rose.

  “Me?”. Rose shouted. “Don’t you go dragging me into this Margot. I was the one trying to stop you from doing something you might regret”.

  “You were having an affair with my Felix”. Margot sobbed.

  “Yes, I was, I am. We love it each other. You know full well that your relationship with Felix has been over for a long time”. Rose was quite flushed.

  Eloise was doing a better job than me at keeping up with this new information. “But what I don’t understand, is what your divorce or Rose’s affair has to do with Audrey’s death?”.

  “Oh it’s quite simple”. Rose pointed out. “Margot wanted Audrey dead so that she could claim Audrey’s trust fund for herself, as long as she managed to trick Audrey into signing everything over to her, whereas I was trying to get Audrey to sign a prenuptial agreement so that her money didn’t go to her scammer of a fiancee Stefan, who also happens to be Sophia’s boyfriend of several years! It was Felix who figured it out, and he sent me to try and convince Audrey to sign the papers, but Stefan somehow kept her away from me”.

  By the look on Bastian’s face, this was news to him too, and he had not for a moment considered Stefan to be a suspect in Audrey’s murder. “Wait. Wait. Let me get this straight Rose. Are you telling me that Stefan and Sophia were both in on this…together?”.

  Rose was quite cross that Bastian had missed this. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying. He knew that Audrey came top in her cohort and that she was planning to open up a restaurant of her own here once they were married. But he knew that if she opened her business, he would lose his, so he and Sophia decided to kill her so that they could then run the Sébastien Paris Pâtisserie together. Why do you think Stefan paid Sophia’s tuition and living fees? They knew that together they would be unstoppable. And with Sophia working in the Snow Mountain coffee shop in the meantime, she could slowly and careful destroy Emilio’s reputation, and steal all his recipes and beans in the process”.

  Everything seemed clear to me now. And I was glad that justice would be done for Audrey’s death. She wasn’t always the nicest person, that was for sure, but she didn’t deserved to die because of her passion for pastry either.

  Bastian escorted Sophia out to his police car, followed closely behind by his two officers, and Stefan. Bastian was rather pleased with how things had worked out, but even more excited at the fact that he could now drive his police car fast through the town, with the sirens and lights blazing. He had already decided to take an extended journey back to the police station, via a few winding mountain roads. It would be a reward for all his efforts.

  I was still standing there a little bit in awe of the idea that we had just solved our very first detective case, at least in part, and more importantly we had proven our innocence and the innocence of our friends.

  Emilio suggested that everyone come back with him to celebrate at the coffee shop, but assured us that there would be no more doughnuts, not for today anyway. He had something else to celebrate too. “Before I forget, I want to make a little toast. To my new yoga academy for skiers and snowboarders, and to my new yoga instructor Violetta, who will be running the classes alongside Nicklas”.

  THE END

  Glossary

  All-Mountain Skis: Skis that you can use in all weather and snow conditions. The person to go to for ski equipment advice in Val D’Isera is of course the Dutch ski shop technician Daan van Bree.

  Après-Ski: The time of day (or night) when the skiing is over and you can kick off your skis and enjoy some drinks, music, dance, and of course tell everyone about your epic day on the slopes. Swedish bar tender Karl Rehn is the person to go to in Val D’Isera, especially if you want to try out some cocktails.

  Backcountry: This is not the place to ski for most of Val D’Isera’s tourists. The backcountry means the slopes that are away from the main piste. Really only suitable for skiers like Nicklas Rehn. There’s no ski rescue here.

  Bail: Eloise bails a lot when she skis, in other words she takes a tumble in the snow.

  Balaclava: Margot was really wishing she had one of these full face masks whilst walking in the snow one early morning outside the coffee shop. The wind was icy and made her nose run. A balaclava would have kept her toasty warm.

  Base: Ski technician Daan knows all about both types of base that you might find at a ski resort. When the tourists of Val D’Isera say that they will meet each other ‘back at base’ they mean that they will will meet up at Daan’s store. But the snowboarders have another meaning - base is the underside of their snowboard.

  Bomber: I’m pretty sure that Bastian would be a bit of a bomber if he were on the slopes of Val D’Isera. He seems like just the kind of person who might fly down the ski slopes in a rather uncontrolled fashion, thinking he was a pro.

  Brain Bucket: Helmet

  Bros: Madeleine would be a bit of a bro. a mountain person who was just happy to have fun on the slopes rather than showing off doing stunts or getting paid as a pro.

  Bumps: There are lots of bumps or ‘novices’ on the slopes at Val D’Isera. The ones who are sensible take lessons with Swedish instructor Nicklas. Novices tend to go home with a lot of bumps on their bodies after a day learning the ropes.

  Carving: Ski instructor Nicklas has truly mastered the art of carving - turning cleanly on the slope. He’s already got trials to join the Swedish Olympic team.

  Chatter: For the pros, chatter is when their skis vibrate and they lose contact with the ground. But you might find a lot of people chattering as they wait for the Val D’Isera ski lift too.

  Crust: A frozen layer of snow that covers or is covered by softer snow.

  Death Cookies: Everyone on the ski resort hates these large chunks of ice that are created by grooming and snowmaking.

  Dump: When you wake up to loads of fresh new snow in the morning.

  Edge: Very likely an ideal murder weapon - the sharp metal strip found on the edge of skis and snowboards. Used to bite into the snow as you ski or snowboard.

  First Tracks: Maddy’s favourite thing about going to the coffee shop early in the morning - leaving a trail in the fresh snow for other people to see.

  Freerider: Not only is Nicklas a backcountry lover, but he’s a freerider too - preferring to ski off-piste, and through the trees.

  Freestyle: Skiing or snowboarding with a focus on performing tricks.

  French Fries: Newbies and pros alike might do this - skiing with their skis in parallel. Others prefer to pizza.

  Gnar - Something both dangerous and cool, often in relation to a ski route.

  Grooming: Maintenance of the ski slope by trucks and diggers that flatten out the snow.

  Jib: A bit like those skateboards who slide along rails and banisters, except that you do it with skis or a snowboard.

  Kicker: A jump that you build when you want to do tricks.

  Liftie: A ski lift operator. The best person to speak to if you want to know any gossip.

  Line: The proposed route down the slope.

  Lunch Tray (aka "Launch" Tray): Snowboard.

  Magic Carpet: A belt like ski lift that you stand on.

  Park Rat: Someone who never leaves the ski resort to explore further afield.

  Planker (Two-Planker): Skier.

  Pow (Pow-Pow): Light and fluffy, dry powdery snow.

  Ripper: An amazing skier who even skis in his or her dreams.

  Schussing: Skiing straight downhill without turning.

  Scissoring: Crossing ski tips, with edge-to-edge contact.

  Shredder: A seasoned snowboarder who knows what’s what.

  Sick: Really awesome.

  Six-pack: A chair lift that can carry six people a
t a time.

  Ski Bum: Someone who skis all day rather than working in a proper job.

  Snowplough: Novices use this technique to slow down when they ski.

  Stomp: If you just stomped that landing, then you just mastered that trick.

  Tracked Out: No one likes to ski on snow that has been skied over repeatedly.

  Traverse: To ski or zig zag across a slope.

  White Out: When the visibility is really rubbish because of the snow.

  Wipe Out: A very ungraceful fall or landing whilst skiing or snowboarding.

  Recipes

  Maddy’s Pre-Ski Breakfast Doughnuts (makes 4 doughnuts)

  I’m pretty sure this is what Madeleine would serve up to her ski buddies before a morning on piste. Hot and filling, the perfect way to start the day.

  Ingredients

  100g dates

  100g wholemeal self-raising flour

  100g self-raising flour (keep a little bit for dusting)

  30g ground almonds

  1 large free-range egg

  tiny pinch of sea salt

  70ml water

  olive oil

  320g blueberries

  1 tablespoon runny honey

  4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt

  ground cinnamon

  Method

  1. Chop up the dates and remove the stones. Place the dates in a food processor (or cut them really small if you are doing this by hand).

  2. Add the flour, ground almonds, egg, a tiny pinch of sea salt, 1 egg, and 70ml of water to the food processor or bowl.

  3. Combine the ingredients together so that it eventually forms a dough ball (this will be super quick to blitz in the food processor, but will take a while by hand).

  4. Sprinkle a bit of flour on a counter, and put the dough ball on top, kneading it for about 2 minutes.

  5. Roll out the dough to approximately 1.5cm thick, and cut out some circles with a round 8cm cutter or the rim of a glass (a pint glass will do). Use a smaller 3cm cutter to cut out the doughnut hole in the middle.

  6. Put the doughnuts you just cut out, to one side, and roll the left over dough into a new ball, roll it out, and cut out more doughnuts, repeating the process until you have run out of dough.

  7. Pour the water into a large saucepan and wait for the water to boil. At this point you can place your doughnut into the boiling water for 5 minutes, carefully turning them over after two and a half minutes. Remove the doughnuts from the simmering pan, and drain them well.

  8. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan and heat over a medium heat. Place your doughnuts into the frying pan and turn them regularly for about 10 minutes until they are golden brown on both sides. The crustier they are the better, but don’t let them burn.

  9. Next, you want to add the blueberries to the pan, along with the honey. Make sure that you keep the pan moving so that nothing burns and everything gets covered with the blueberry juice and sticky honey.

  10. Once the doughnuts look shiny, pour the yoghurt over them in the frying pan. Remove them to your plates for serving, and sprinkle a little cinnamon over the top to make them look pretty.

  Sébastien Paris Pâtisserie Chocolate Brioche Doughnuts

  These doughnuts are fancy enough to serve in the best of restaurants, even the Sébastien Paris Pâtisserie.

  Ingredients

  500g strong white bread flour (keep a little bit for dusting) 7g salt 50g caster sugar 10g instant yeast 140ml warm full fat milk 5 medium eggs 250g unsalted butter

  200g continental plain chocolate

  3 litres sunflower oil

  Caster sugar

  Method

  1. Put the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast into a food processor (or mixing bowl if you don’t have a food processor).

  2. Add the milk and eggs to the bowl, mix for about 10 minutes until the mixture is smooth and dough like.

  3. Knead the dough and gradually start to fold in the softened butter.

  4. Once all of the butter is incorporated into the dough, and it feels sticky and smooth, knead it for another 8-10 minutes until firmer.

  5. Place the dough into a larger bowl so that it has plenty of space to rise. Cover the bowl with cling film and place it into the fridge overnight.

  6. Remove the bowl of dough from the fridge, and sprinkle some flour onto a work top. Put the dough onto the work top and knock it back.

  7. Roll the dough into about 20 balls of equal size and flatten each ball out slightly.

  8. Break the continental chocolate bar into little pieces, and insert some chocolate into each dough ball, smoothing the dough over the hole where the chocolate was inserted.

  9. Place the dough balls onto a lightly floured tray, with space between each ball, and cover the tray with cling film. Leave them for about an hour to rise again. They should double in size.

  10. Pour the oil into a saucepan or deep fat fryer and heat the oil to about 180C. Carefully place each dough ball into the fryer or pan. Make sure to turn the doughnuts in the oil so that they cook on both sides and have an equal colour. You need to fry them for 10-12 minutes even if they have changed colour, otherwise they won’t be cooked through and the chocolate won’t melt.

  11. Remove the doughnuts from the frying oil and place them onto some kitchen paper to help drain off some of the fat.

  12. Sprinkle the doughnuts with caster sugar on all sides, and they are ready to serve.

  Karl’s Parampampoli Cocktail (makes 1 litre)

  Ingredients

  200ml espresso coffee

  200ml grappa

  200ml brandy

  200ml red wine

  120g sugar

  2 tablespoons of wildflower honey

  Method

  1. Pour all of the ingredients into a saucepan, on a high heat, and bring to the boil.

  2. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool. Pour the cooled liquid into bottles and shake them every few days. Keep them in a cool, dark place.

  3. When you are ready to drink the Parampampoli, pour the liquor into a saucepan, heat it up to boiling point, pour into small, ceramic cups.

  4. Bring a match over the surface of each cup, being VERY CAREFUL of your hands because the liquor contains a lot of alcohol and will ignite suddenly with a long lasting flame.

  5. Wait for the flame to go out, or extinguish it yourself, and enjoy.

  Mad About Cozy Mystery Books

  If you love cozy mystery books, you can download and explore more books, previews, and authors for free each month on Prolifick Reads:

  Culinary Cozy Mystery - Oct 2018

  Halloween Cozy Mystery - Oct 2018

  Historical Cozy Mystery - Nov 2018

  Christmas Cozy Mystery - Dec 2018

  Paranormal Cozy Mystery - Jan 2019

  Animals Cozy Mystery - Feb 2019

  Ageing Sleuth Cozy Mystery - Mar 2019

  Easter Cozy Mystery - Apr 2019

  British Cozy Mystery - May 2019

  First Book in the Series Cozy Mystery - Jun 2019

  Travel and Destinations Cozy Mystery - Jul 2019

  Honeymoon, Wedding, Romance Cozy Mystery - Aug 2019

  Medieval Cozy Mystery - Sep 2019

  Halloween Cozy Mystery - Oct 2019

  Other Worlds Cozy Mystery - Nov 2019

  Thanksgiving Cozy Mystery - Nov 2019

  Christmas Cozy Mystery - Dec 2019

  Hogmanay, Scottish, New Year Cozy Mystery - Dec 2019

  Knitting, Quilting, Crafts Cozy Mystery - Jan 2010

  Butlers, Maids, and Slaves Cozy Mystery - Feb 2010

  Fashion and Shopping Cozy Mystery - Mar 2010

  Have you read…

  After solving the doughnut murder, Madeleine and Eloise are ready for their second week at the Snow Mountain Coffee shop in the Austrian ski resort of Val D’Isera. With chalet mate and ski instructor Nicklas Rehn suddenly accused of shooting one of the ski tourists, it looks like his trials with the Swedish Winter Olympics team could be over befor
e they’ve even begun. Can the girls help him to get his career back on-piste?

  After ‘borrowing’ a watch from murdered pastry chef Audrey Flandin, ski resort bartender Karl Rehn finds himself accused of stealing watches from tourists visiting the Val D'Isera ski resort. It’s up to Madeleine and Eloise to help Karl clear his name before he gets sent to prison for a crime he did not commit.

  When the body of a man is discovered at the Empire Cinema in Hartlepool, England in 1926 - rumoured to have died from fright - 11 year old Thomas suspects that there is more to this case than meets the eye. It’s up to Thomas and his pet mouse Olivia to look for clues in his father’s funeral home down stairs below the house.