“I’m sorry,” she said, weakly. “I—I…”
“Don’t try to move. I’ll call an ambulance,” I told her.
And for the third time in my life, I called 911 to report a stabbing.
happiness is a hot man
I was having my dinner party at last. The date and cast of characters had changed. And luckily, so had the reason for the gathering.
Kim was here—her identity as a cop still our secret—and so was Gordon Page. Call me romantic, but I hoped something would develop between the two of them. Earlier, I’d noticed them exchange glances that sure looked like chemistry to me. Maybe, just maybe.
Toni was here also, with Steven. She’d admitted it at last. She and her ex were back together and she was now flashing an even bigger diamond ring on her left hand.
“Does that mean you’re getting remarried?” I asked her.
“Wash your mouth out with soap,” she snapped. “This is just a…a friendship ring.”
“Some friendship. All I have to say is I’ve never seen you look happier.”
Toni laughed. “You’d be happy, too, with a rock this size.”
We were in the kitchen where I was arranging skinny fettuccine alfredo on my favorite Blue Willow plates. “You should be doing this, Toni. You’re the master of artful presentations.”
“You don’t need me. You’re doing great,” she replied, sipping her wine.
“Does that mean you’ve forgiven Steven for his affair?” I asked, grating some fresh Reggiano on the steaming pasta.
“I guess it was a midlife crisis. But if it ever happens again, it will be an end-of-life crisis. He said it was hard enough losing me once, and that he’d never survive losing me again.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet.”
“Ha. I told him to wipe the bullshit from around his lips. If he ever cheats on me again, he won’t survive it.” She made a neck-slashing gesture.
“Don’t even joke about murder,” I whispered, shuddering. “We’ve had a few too many around here lately.”
“Amen,” she replied, watching me arrange snow peas next to the pasta.
“I’m just glad I can put all of that behind me. You should have seen Crawford’s face when he realized I was innocent. He left here scratching his head.”
“Giving his balls a break, no doubt,” Toni said.
I laughed. “The important thing is,” I continued, arranging plump, pink garlic-sautéed shrimp in a starburst pattern on the mounds of fettuccine, “the police believed me.”
Toni threw her hands up. “Of course they believed you. How could they not? You handed them their evidence—the pills, the spiked cookie and a full explanation of the motive.”
“And Janice’s confession didn’t hurt,” I added. “You know who I feel sorry for? Simon. The poor guy had no idea what his wife was up to. Janice had never told him he was receiving stolen medication. Imagine finding out your spouse is a murderer.”
“Poor man,” Toni said, solemnly.
I wiped my hands on a bar towel. “When the police questioned her, Janice admitted she put a sleeping pill in Simon’s drink the evening of the party. He was asleep when she snuck out to murder Rob. As far as he knew, she never left their bed that night.”
“How’s he doing, now?” Toni twisted open a jar of caviar.
“Not well. His cancer is back. I don’t think he’ll live to see Janice tried.”
She nodded. “That might be a blessing in disguise. It would break his heart. Those two were so in love.”
“But she killed two people and was going for a third. Lucky for me Jackie came to the rescue.” I spooned a small dollop of caviar in the center of each starburst, stood back and studied the effect.
“How’s Janice doing?” she asked.
“She’s still in hospital. She was lucky the ambulance got here as fast as it did. When she gets released, it will be to police custody.”
Toni shook her head. “Not much to look forward to. You know what’s hard to believe is that Harry Johnson had nothing to do with any of it. I was convinced he was guilty.”
“He was guilty, just not in the way we thought. When I told the police Mrs. Grant’s story, he was arrested almost immediately. It turns out he had his own drug ring. Do you realize how this all began? From the moment I overheard Rob say the word ring, I built up this fantasy about him proposing.” I shook my head. “I was such an idiot.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Toni said. “Most women would have reacted the same way.”
I shrugged and held out a plate. “So what do you think?”
“Amazing,” she gushed.
“I’ll help you bring those in.” She picked up two of the plates.
“Yes, it’s about time we joined our guests.” I followed her into the dining room, carrying in two more plates.
Mitchell hopped out of his chair and pulled one out for me. Did I mention Mitchell was here? Judging by the way he was looking at me, I was pretty sure he liked me. Truth be told, I liked him, too.
I rushed back to the kitchen for the remaining plates and returned to take my seat and bask in the compliments. Everyone oohed and aahed about the food until I was blushing with pleasure.
Between the main course and the dessert, I realized I’d forgotten to check on Jackie and the puppies. I snuck up the stairs, leaving my guests to their wine and conversation.
In the corner of my bedroom, Jackie lay on her cushion with all three pups nursing contentedly. She glanced up at me. “Hi, little girl, how are the babies?”
From the hallway, I recognized the sound of Toni’s heels click-clicking over.
“I had to come and check on my new little boy.” She tiptoed closer and looked down at the three-week-old dogs.
“They are cute, aren’t they?” I asked, patting the half-pound male. He was so small he could fit in the palm of my hand. “Are you sure you want to adopt him, Toni? You can’t take him home and then decide he’s too much trouble.”
“I know.” She picked up the squirming puppy and rested him on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I look forward to the pitter-patter of tiny paws. You know what they say, ‘Happiness is a warm puppy.’”
“I thought happiness was a hot man.”
She laughed. “That, a successful business, good friends and a great bottle of chardonnay.”
“Now that I can agree with.”
*
RECIPES
Skinny Fettuccini Alfredo with Shrimp,
Caviar and Smoked Salmon
4 servings
443 calories per serving
INGREDIENTS
1 package of dry fettuccine (8 oz)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp fresh herbs
(I’m partial to tarragon in this recipe but if you
don’t like the flavor, I recommend dill or basil.)
2 tbsp white flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup low-fat milk
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ cup Grana Padano Riserva cheese,
reserving a few tablespoons for garnishing.
9 large shrimp, peeled and cooked
1 tbsp Beluga caviar
(in a pinch you can use the inexpensive version)
4 oz smoked salmon, sliced into thin strips
Directions
In an uncovered pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente (slightly firm). Drain.
In a separate saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and herbs, and cook until the garlic is lightly golden, about 2 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-low and whisk in the flour until smooth, no more than a minute or it will form a stiff paste. Add milk, broth, pepper and nutmeg and whisk until smooth and the sauce comes to a low boil.
Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta. Toss and stir in all the cheese, except for the few tablespoons reserved for the garnish.
Plate the pasta and s
prinkle with the reserved cheese. Place a few strips of smoked salmon in a star pattern on the top of each of the fettuccine mounds, sprinkle 1½ tsp of caviar in the center of each star pattern, and place shrimps alongside the pasta.
Serve and enjoy.
*
Crustless Spinach Quiche
Serves 6
310 calories per serving
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach,
stems removed
5 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded sharp
Monterey Jack or aged Cheddar
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celcius).
Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan.
Steam the washed spinach for two minutes, only until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add
spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.
Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Because the recipe asks for no cream, this quiche comes out slightly firmer than average—a good thing, otherwise it would fall apart without a crust.
*
Whole-Wheat Penne with Roasted Cauliflower
Serves 6
265 calories per serving
INGREDIENTS
1 large head cauliflower
1 medium white or yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 package whole-wheat penne (14 oz box)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes
White balsamic vinegar
½ lemon
½ cup toasted walnuts
4 oz feta cheese
Directions
Put a large pot of water on to boil.
Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Peel the onion and slice it very thin. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
Put the pasta on to cook.
Sauté the cauliflower in olive oil in a large pan. When the cauliflower begins to soften, season with salt and pepper and add the sliced onion and red pepper flakes.
Sauté over medium to high heat until the vegetables are
brown and tender. The cauliflower should still be slightly crunchy and should not taste steamed.
Add the garlic and remove from the heat, tossing and stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn; if it starts to brown, add a splash of water.
Add a few drops each of vinegar and lemon juice, and then the toasted walnuts. Taste and correct the seasoning.
When the pasta is done, drain and add to the cauliflower. Add extra-virgin olive oil to coat the pasta thoroughly, toss together and serve, with the cheese crumbled over the dish.
*
Tropical Fruit Salsa
Serves 4
47 calories per serving
INGREDIENTS
½ firm-ripe papaya, peeled and finely diced
(approximately 1 cup)
1 firm-ripe mango, peeled and finely diced
(approximately ½ cup)
1/3 cup finely chopped white onion
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
½ to 1 tsp minced fresh jalapeño chilies
½ tsp salt
Directions
Mix all ingredients and chill for at least two hours for flavors to blend.
Wonderful served with grilled salmon or any firm-fleshed fish.
*
Easy Breezy Salmon
Serves 4
483 calories per portion
INGREDIENTS
4 7-oz fillets of salmon (with skin)
4 oz crumbled goat cheese (½ cup)
2 tbsp stone-ground mustard
(the kind with the seeds)
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp walnut oil
(better for roasting than olive oil)
Directions
Turn on the broiler so that it preheats while you cook on the stove top.
Use the oil to grease a frying pan and place the fillets skin-down. Use a pan that can go in the oven—no plastic or wood handles, and no nonstick pans. Use either cast iron or all metal.
Smooth mustard on top of fillets. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.
Salt and pepper to taste (not much needed as the mustard and goat cheese are very flavorful).
Cook covered for one minute on medium-high heat and then lower heat to medium-low and let cook for another 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and place fillets under broiler until the goat cheese begins to turn golden.
When plating, you can easily leave off the salmon skin—it will be crispy and will have loosened from the flesh of
the salmon—and save yourself about 50 calories per portion.
Serve and enjoy.
About the Author
One could say that author Monique Domovitch’s life reads like one of her novels. In her early twenties, she won an international modeling contest and went on to become one of Canada’s top models. At the age of thirty, she left modeling to become an agent, founding what became one of the top agencies in the country. After selling her business, Monique then became a financial planner, becoming one of Canada’s best-known advisors with her own national television show. During all these years, her greatest wish was to become an author, but it wasn’t until the age of fifty-five, after retiring from the public eye, that Monique launched what she swears is her last career.
Two years later, she was discovered at the San Diego Writers’ Conference, and the rest, as they say, is history. Never seen without her laptop, Monique and her husband travel the world and divide the rest of their time between their homes in British Columbia and California. Monique loves to hear from her readers. She can be contacted on her website, www.moniquedomovitch.com.
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ISBN: 978-14268-9503-6
Copyright © 2013 by Monique Domovitch
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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Getting Skinny (A Chef Landry Mystery) Page 26
