Murder on Cape Cod Page 24
I blew out a long breath and slumped back in my chair. I watched Cokey again. The woman who losted her purse. “But stealing the knife from Derrick. That seems so random.”
“It might have been opportunistic,” he said. “Surely she could find a knife anywhere, but once she spied that unique one, she knew killing Lacey with it would automatically cast suspicion on your brother.”
“I guess. Seems unnecessarily cruel, though. She didn’t even know Derrick.”
“Mac, she’s a ruthless murderer,” Abo Reba said in a gentle voice. “Cruel comes with the territory, I’d say.”
I gazed at her. Of course it did.
Haskins cleared his throat. “Now, as I said earlier, Ms. Almeida—”
I held up a hand. “Oh, please. Call me Mac.”
“Mac, then. And I’m Lincoln. You should know how much I appreciate your digging up helpful information. But you also got a taste of the very real danger involved.”
I nodded. “And I promise, I’m going to let the group know we’re sticking strictly to fiction in the future. Don’t worry, Lincoln.”
He only cocked his head and gave a nod, but it came with one of those looks that says, “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“Titi Mac!” Cokey called. “Come push me. Tio Tim is all tired out.”
This was a sign not to be ignored. Off I went to be an auntie. It was one of the most important jobs in my life, and I was grateful I was alive to push a little girl in a swing.
RECIPES
Stephen’s Killer Pizza
Cozy Capers member Stephen Duke made this pizza the week the book group read Sherry Harris’s I Know What You Bid Last Summer, in honor of Angelo’s Pizza in the book.
Note: Start the dough a day ahead for a stretchier pull.
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 packet or tablespoon yeast
2½ to 3 cups unbleached white flour
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2–3 cups grated mozzarella
Fresh Parmesan cheese
Tomato sauce (homemade or from ajar)
Dried oregano
Toppings as desired; including pitted Kalamata olives, sliced sweet peppers, sliced mushrooms, caramelized onions, ham, fresh basil leaves, crumbled goat cheese, pepperoni or other sausage.
Directions:
Twenty-four hours before you want to eat the pizza, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a mixing bowl. Stir it in, and then stir in one cup of flour. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the salt, and continue to add flour until the dough stands up as a lump.
Flour a countertop or table and turn out the dough, making sure to scrape all the dough off the sides and spoon. Rub the remaining oil all over the inside of the bowl and set aside.
Knead the dough, turning a quarter turn each time, until smooth. Lay it in the oiled bowl smooth side down and press with the back of your hand, then turn it over. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Before you go to bed, punch the dough down twenty times, cover, and refrigerate again.
The next morning, punch the dough down and refrigerate again. Four hours before you want to eat the pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Let it warm and rise until doubled.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Divide dough into two balls.
Option: Skip the preceding steps and buy pizza dough at the grocery store.
Lightly grease two large pizza pans or baking sheets. Roll and gently stretch out one ball of dough on one pan, being careful not to tear the dough. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce. Add toppings. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Finish with a grating of Parmesan and a sprinkle of oregano.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, watching carefully that the pizza doesn’t get too brown. Repeat for the second ball of dough.
Serve hot, and enjoy your pizza with a green salad, a glass of red wine, and your favorite cozy mystery.
Note: You can skip the overnight refrigeration. In that case, instead of refrigerating, let the dough rise until doubled and proceed from preheating the oven.
Tim’s Cranberry-Orange Bread
Baker Tim Brunelle makes this yummy quick bread for Greta’s Grains. Make a day ahead of time for easiest slicing.
Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached white flour
¾ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Zest and juice of one orange. If juice doesn’t equal ¾ cup, add orange or cranberry juice to supplement
¾ cup buttermilk
1 egg
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan with butter.
Chop cranberries in a food processor or by hand.
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Make a well in the center and stir in the egg with a fork. Add the juice, buttermilk, oil, cranberries, and nuts, and stir until just mixed. Do not beat or overmix.
Pour batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean and the bread starts to pull away from the edges of the pan. Remove it from the oven and let cool on a rack for fifteen minutes, then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.
Enjoy with butter or cream cheese and a cup of your favorite coffee.
Cape Cod Wine Spritzer
Mac makes this to relax at home. Adjust proportions up or down depending on sweetness and degree of alcohol you like in your spritzer.
Ingredients:
6 ounces Pinot Grigio
4 ounces cranberry juice (I use an all-juice cranberry-apple mix but you can also use cranberry juice cocktail)
1 Tablespoon Grenadine syrup
¼ lime, squeezed
Lime seltzer
Directions:
Combine ingredients in large-bowl wine glass. Add ice cubes and top up with seltzer. Adjust up or down on the juice and Grenadine to make it more or less sweet, and the seltzer to dilute it.
Tim’s Seared Scallops
Mac’s boyfriend Tim whips these up in a few minutes after they return home from rescuing her brother.
Ingredients:
1 pound large sea scallops
Salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, pressed
Juice of half a lemon
½ cup dry white wine
2 Tablespoons fresh dill, minced
Directions:
Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Season one side with salt and pepper.
Heat oil and butter in a wide skillet on medium-high heat until butter foams. Lay scallops seasoned side down in skillet and let sear without touching for two minutes. Turn and add the garlic. Cook another minute and a half. Sprinkle with lemon juice and remove to a warm platter. Add wine and de-glaze the pan until the sauce thickens. Serve over scallops with a sprinkle of dill. Serve on a bed of buttered pasta, over brown rice, or next to buttered, herbed potatoes.