Free Cupcakes and Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery (Book 5) (Frosted Love Mysteries) by Carol Durand, Summer Prescott

goodies, with Cheryl oohing and ahhing over the
selection. Once all of the ingredients had been laid out on the counter top,
the young woman paced back in forth in front of them, her brow furrowed in
concentration. Missy stood back and watched, eager to see what she would
select.
    Cheryl
picked up a bar of dark, Mexican chocolate, cut off a corner of it and nibbled
it thoughtfully, setting it aside as one of her choices. She then moved to a
pile of vanilla beans, held one up to take in the heavenly scent, then set it
beside the chocolate. Her next selection surprised and intrigued Missy. She
picked up a red chile, sniffed it, and put it in her pile, satisfied. Her last choices
were a mound of Mexican coffee beans.
    “Well,
you have a unique selection of items,” Missy nodded her approval. “Walk me
through what you’re going to do with them.”
    “The
dark chocolate and chile are both very strong flavors, so I’m going to blend
them together in a neutral medium, and surround them with smooth, sweetness,”
she mused, more to herself than to her boss. “I’ll melt the chocolate and
combine it with cream cheese and a bit of cinnamon, then add the tiniest bit of
powdered chile to make a filling. The cupcakes themselves will be a light,
moist vanilla, which should balance the strongly flavored center nicely. Since
nothing goes better with spicy chocolate and vanilla than a cup of coffee, I’ll
make a light espresso buttercream frosting, and top it off with a dark
chocolate-covered espresso bean. What do you think?” she turned to Missy, eyes
sparkling with excitement.
    “I
think we’re going to make a great team, young lady,” she grinned, giving Cheryl
a hug. “Let’s get these made, I can’t wait to taste them!”
    They
baked the treats, which Cheryl named Flaming Fiestas, and used Grayson as their
guinea pig for testing them. He gave the cupcakes an enthusiastic thumbs up,
and suggested that they arrange a platter of them in the glass case to sell.
The unique sweets were sold out in short order, and Missy knew that they had
another winner, congratulating Cheryl for her creativity.
    “Oh
girl, do I have surprise for you!” she told her mysteriously, making up her
mind to definitely enter the East Texas cupcake competition.

Epilogue
     
    Missy
jogged alongside her best friend, Toffee’s golden coat gleaming in the early
morning sun. The duo had risen early, determined to make the most of a
beautiful late-summer Louisiana day. They played a vigorous game of fetch, with
the panting dog eventually giving up and flopping at her feet, panting happily.
Missy took a small dog dish out of the backpack that sat next to her on the
park bench and set it on the ground, pouring a bottle of water into it to
refresh her tired pooch. Toffee lapped at the water and was instantly
re-energized, standing to her feet, ready to play.
    “Later,
girl,” Missy promised, knowing that the dog would need the energy for the walk
home. She stood, shook the last drops left behind in the water dish out, and
put it in the backpack. Sliding her arms into the straps, she gathered Toffee’s
leash and snapped it onto her collar, signaling that it was time to go. The
loyal retriever walked in perfect step with her best friend, content to sniff
the fresh air and occasionally turning her head to plant a sloppy kiss on
Missy’s knee.
    When
the pair turned the corner, Missy saw a figure sitting on her porch swing. Her
heart leapt within her when she got close enough to realize that it was Chas
Beckett waiting for her. Conscious of the fact that she was bedraggled and
sweaty after her morning of playing with the dog, but happy enough at seeing him
that she didn’t care, she climbed the stairs, greeting him with a kiss and an
apology for her appearance.
    “You
look beautiful,” he observed. “But I’m thinking you need some coffee and a
bagel this morning.”
    “You
know, I believe that you are correct in that assessment, Detective,”