"That would be wonderful, sweetheart," I said.
"Shoot... I've got another call, but I'll plan to drive up Friday. I'll let you know what I decide about where to stay. Okay?"
"Got it," I said. "I'll even make your favorite cookie bars."
"The ones with toffee and chocolate chips?"
"The ones with toffee and chocolate chips."
"You're the best, Mom. Love you."
"I love you too," she said, and hung up. My heart swelled with love and relief.
As I put my phone in my pocket and refocused on the glistening rocks on the ground at my feet, Winston tugged at the leash. I looked up; a familiar form was walking toward me.
Nicholas.
"Hey," I said as he walked closer. He was so handsome... even more so than when we were kids. My heart pounded, and all of a sudden I felt like I was thirteen all over again, about to try to talk to my crush.
"I heard you had an exciting day yesterday," he said. "You okay?"
"Just a few bumps and bruises," I said, feeling self-conscious about my less-than-manicured state.
"Looks like more than bumps and bruises," he said, pointing to my bandaged arm. "That looks nasty."
"A few stitches, but it'll be fine," I said. "And at least I don't have to worry about the shop."
"Why not?"
I gave him the CliffsNotes version of what had happened yesterday.
"Sheesh. So Agatha was working with Scooter to try to defraud you," he said. "Scooter Dempsey always was a jerk. I just didn't know how low he'd stoop."
"You didn't know that twenty-five years ago?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I did," he said. "But... I'm sorry I believed what he said about you. I should have been a better judge of character; I knew Scooter wasn't always honest, but it just... well, I was wrong."
"Thanks," I said as Winston sniffed at his khaki pants. He bent and scratched the fluffy little dog's head, and Winston leaned into him. "Water under the bridge, right?"
"Maybe, but I still want to apologize. Can I take you to dinner to make it up to you? At least partially?" The sun glinted in his hair as he looked up at me, and my heart flip-flopped in my chest. "You still like fried clams?"
"I love them," I said.
"If you're free tomorrow night, I'll take you to Chart House. And I know you've got a confession recorded, but we should look for that document."
"You're right. Bethany and I found an old radio in the cellar the other day," I said, "hidden behind a rock. And a penny dating from before 1920."
"Aha! More evidence of rum runners."
"That's what I thought. Originally, I wondered if the folks breaking in might be after a treasure map or something, but it turned out it was just Agatha and Scooter."
"Still. Maybe there's a stash down there after all," he said. "Loretta's grandfather had to do something with all his ill-gotten gains; he sure didn't spend it on a mansion." He glanced at his watch. "If you've got some time before the store opens, I'd love to see that radio. There are a lot of stories about that place, you know."
"Sure! I just made cookies; you want one?"
“Of course," he said. Together, we turned and headed back to Seaside Cottage Books, Winston prancing happily ahead of us, glancing over his shoulder from time to time to check on us. The scent of the beach roses drifted through the air, and the sight of the little store with its sparkling windows—plus the presence of my teenage crush just a few feet beside me—made me feel like breaking into song. Which, thankfully, I didn't.
It was turning out to be a perfect day. Thank goodness everything had settled down at the store, I thought as we walked next to each other down the beach.
But trouble was already brewing again... and was about to hit home a second time.
Closer than I liked.
* * *
Find out what happens next in the second Snug Harbor mystery, Inked Out, coming soon. Reserve your copy here for a chance to name a character in Max's next adventure! Get the details at Karen’s web site… and while you're there, be sure to join Karen's Readers' Circle and download your free book!
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<<<<>>>>
Recipes
Max’s Favorite Coconut Cookies
Ingredients:
* * *
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
* * *
Instructions:
* * *
Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the dry ingredients together. Stir in the egg and then the butter with a wooden spoon, then work the dough together with your fingers.
* * *
Form walnut-sized balls with your hands (do not add more flour; they will feel greasy). Arrange on an ungreased baking pan, about two inches apart, and bake for 10 minutes. (Bake for a minute or two less for chewier cookies!)
Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup soft or light brown sugar
2 cups plain flour
pinch of salt
Additional brown sugar to coat rolls
* * *
Instructions:
* * *
Preheat oven to 350F.
* * *
Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk salt into flour, then add flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar and mix into a firm dough.
* * *
With your hands, knead the dough together and then form into two rolls, about 1 ½ inches in diameter.
* * *
Sprinkle brown sugar on wax paper, and roll the dough up in the paper, coating the roll with the sugar. Chill wrapped dough rolls in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer (the dough should be firm).
* * *
Unwrap the dough rolls one at a time (keeping each roll in the fridge until you are ready to bake it) and slice each roll into 3/16-inch disks. Arrange the disks on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake until the brown sugar around the edges colors, between 15-25 minutes, depending on how chilled the dough is.
Raspberry Meltaways
Ingredients:
* * *
Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons custard powder*
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting
* * *
*If you can't find custard powder, substitute 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and a pinch of fine salt. Alternately, you can use instant vanilla pudding mix.
* * *
Raspberry Filling
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
6 frozen raspberries, thawed
* * *
Instructions:
* * *
Cookies
* * *
Preheat oven to 325F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
* * *
With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
* * *
Sift flour and custard powder over creamed butter and sugar, and stir by hand with a wooden spoon until ingredients are just combined and a soft dough forms.
* * *
Form 30 balls, using 1 heaping teaspoon of dough per ball, and place on baking sheet, with room between balls to allow cookies to spread. Using a fork dipped in flour, lightly flatten each ball until dough is 1/3 inch thick. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cookies are light golden. Cool on pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
* * *
Raspberry Filling
* * *
While cookies are cooling, make the raspberry filling. Using an electric mix
er or whisk, beat softened butter in a bowl until light and creamy. Beat or whisk in vanilla. Add confectioner's sugar, and whisk until well combined, then stir in raspberries.
* * *
Assembly
* * *
Spread the flat side of one cooled cookie with one teaspoon of filling, then sandwich with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling, and serve dusted with confectioner’s sugar.
Chocolate Toffee Bars
Ingredients:
* * *
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup light brown sugar
¾ cup butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
8-ounce package toffee bits, divided
* * *
Instructions:
* * *
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9x13" baking pan by greasing it or lining it with parchment paper. Combine flour, salt and brown sugar in a large bowl, then cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture is crumbly. Add the eggs and stir to incorporate, then mix in 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips.
* * *
Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the dough, and press the remaining dough into the 9x13'' baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
* * *
Remove pan from oven and pour the sweetened condensed milk over the warm baked crust, gently spreading it into an even layer. Reserve 1/3 cup of the toffee bits; sprinkle the remaining toffee bits evenly over the condensed milk layer. Dollop the remaining dough over the toffee bits, and sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips and toffee bits.
* * *
Bake for 25-30 more minutes, or till golden brown, and cool completely before cutting into bars and serving (if you can wait that long). Store bars covered, preferably in the fridge.
More Books by Karen MacInerney
To download a free book and receive members-only outtakes, giveaways, short stories, recipes, and updates, join Karen’s Reader’s Circle at www.karenmacinerney.com! You can also join her Facebook community; she often hosts giveaways and loves getting to know her readers there.
And don’t forget to follow her on BookBub to get newsflashes on new releases!
* * *
The Snug Harbor Mysteries
A Killer Ending
Inked Out (Winter 2020/2021)
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The Gray Whale Inn Mysteries
Murder on the Rocks
Dead and Berried
Murder Most Maine
Berried to the Hilt
Brush With Death
Death Runs Adrift
Whale of a Crime
Claws for Alarm
Scone Cold Dead
Anchored Inn
Gray Whale Inn Mystery #11 (2021)
Cookbook: The Gray Whale Inn Kitchen
Four Seasons of Mystery (A Gray Whale Inn Collection)
Blueberry Blues (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
Pumpkin Pied (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
Iced Inn (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
Lupine Lies (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
* * *
The Dewberry Farm Mysteries
Killer Jam
Fatal Frost
Deadly Brew
Mistletoe Murder
Dyeing Season
Wicked Harvest
Sweet Revenge (Summer 2020)
Cookbook: Lucy’s Farmhouse Kitchen
* * *
The Margie Peterson Mysteries
Mother’s Day Out
Mother Knows Best
Mother’s Little Helper
* * *
Wolves and the City
Howling at the Moon
On the Prowl
Leader of the Pack
Acknowledgments
First, many thanks to my family, not just for putting up with me, but for continuing to come up with creative ways to kill people. (You should see the looks we get in restaurants.)
* * *
Special thanks to my mother, Carol Swartz, for her constant encouragement and careful reading of the manuscript, as well as putting together character and book bibles to keep me straight! Thanks too to Abby MacInerney for proofreading and general feedback. What would I do without you??? And a special thank you to Kate Pedersen for providing recipes, including Max’s favorite coconut cookies. :)
* * *
Thank you SO MUCH to my Beta Reader Crew for your fabulous suggestions and corrections: Kay Pucciarelli, Brenda Crow, Gail Holzer, Tina Thomas, Melissa Clark Stephens, Kate Pedersen, Tarri Feden, Gina Waffles, Tanya Jackson, Julia Hunter, Martha Ellis, William Seward, Karen Clarida, Tyna Derhay, Katharine Horn, Mary McKenzie Keller, Federica De Dominicis, Patricia DeVito, Vicki Hardman, Karen Eberle, Kathleen Chrisman, Samantha Mann, Elizabeth Bonneau, Tricia Lento, Lisa Miller-Adkins, Kim Templeton, and Mary Sigler. You help me make Snug Harbor shine!
* * *
Thanks (as always) to Bob Dombrowski for his incredible artwork. Kim Killion, as always, did an amazing job putting together the cover design, and Angelika Offenwanger’s sharp editorial eye helped keep me from embarrassing myself (as did Connie Leap’s proofreading). And a special shout-out to Hollis Duty for helping me with covers, overall direction, and much, much more.
* * *
And finally, thank you to ALL of the wonderful readers who make Snug Harbor, the Gray Whale Inn, and Dewberry Farm possible, especially my fabulous Facebook community. You keep me going!
About the Author
Karen MacInerney is the USA Today bestselling author of multiple mystery series, and her victims number well into the double digits. She lives in quaint Georgetown, Texas with her sassy family, Tristan, Little Bit, and a new arrival, an antique Chihuahua rescue named Jelly Bean (a.k.a. Dog #1, Dog #2, and Dog #3).
* * *
Feel free to visit Karen's web site at www.karenmacinerney.com, where you can download a free book and sign up for her Readers’ Circle to receive subscriber-only short stories, deleted scenes, recipes and other bonus material. You can also find her on Facebook (she spends an inordinate amount of time there), where Karen loves getting to know her readers, answering questions, and offering quirky, behind-the-scenes looks at the writing process (and life in general).
* * *
P. S. Don’t forget to follow Karen on BookBub to get newsflashes on new releases!
www.karenmacinerney.com
[email protected]
A Killer Ending Page 17
