CASTAWAY CORPSE Excerpt
Before Phoebe can open her trap, Bonnie wisely jumps in. She’s in her mid-forties, which makes her about two decades younger than the average Sunshine Ghost Society member. “Lucy McGuffin! It’s great to finally meet you! I simply adore your muffins,” she gushes, pumping my hand up and down. Strawberry blond hair peeks out from the edge of her head scarf, and the skin at the corners of her hazel eyes crinkle giving her a slightly mischievous look.
Funny, I’ve never seen Bonnie in the café. Phoebe said she just flew in from New York, so I can’t imagine how she’s tasted my muffins. Maybe she dropped by The Bistro this morning after I’d left?
“Thank you. I’m sorry, I don’t recall seeing you in the café. Phoebe said you’re from New York?”
“I was in Whispering Bay a couple of months ago, just for a day or so, and I had a chance to drop by your charming restaurant then,” she says. I’m not picking up any telltale signs of her lying, so I’ll have to take this at face value.
“Which muffin is your favorite?” I ask, not because I’m looking for more praise or anything, but it’s important to know these sorts of details.
“Oh, that’s easy. The coffee cake supreme.”
Interesting choice. The coffee cake supreme is the love child of my mother’s coffee cake recipe and my cinnamon swirl muffin. It’s my latest creation, but I’m still tweaking the recipe. If the current version is her favorite, she’ll be blown away (as will everyone else) when I achieve the final product.
“You know, Lucy, I love to putter around the kitchen. Not that my baking skills come anywhere close to yours, but I do consider myself a bit of a foodie. From one fellow baker to another, what’s your secret for making the coffee cake supreme muffin so moist?”
I hesitate to answer, but what the heck. “Sour cream.”
Her eyes widen. “Really? I’d love to have the recipe.”
Mmm … That’s going a bit too far. I mean, you wouldn’t expect Picasso to give away free art lessons, would you? Still, I have to give her credit for trying. I smile blandly. “We’ll see.”
