Ellen McKenzie 04-Murder Half-Baked Read Online Free PDF Page A

just so excited to see what you and Sal came up with. So, if it’s ready .. .”
    Rose’s face went blank. She blinked a couple of times and a look of panic crept into her eyes.
    Trish started to look uncomfortable. “I called you yesterday; we talked about it, but if you don’t have it, well, I’ll just … ”
    I hadn’t heard Sal come in. But there he was, a scowl on his face, chocolate frosting on his apron. He glared at Rose from under bushy eyebrows before he turned back to Trish. “Mrs. Wilson, I’m sure it’s ready. What did you order?”
    “I left it up to Rose. I’ve always gotten Harry’s birthday dessert here, and I just knew you’d come up with something wonderful.” Trish had started to back toward the door. “But if you didn’t have time, that’s fine. I can … ”  
    Sal walked back behind the counter and reached for a heavy spike that had a whole stack of small pieces of paper speared on it. He took off a couple before he found what he wanted. “Yes. It’s right here. In Rose’s writing.”
    Gina spoke up. “Sal, the Baba au Rhum, remember? The special order? That was for the Wilson’s. I’m so sorry. I thought you knew that.” She stepped in front of Trish and somehow maneuvered her so that her back was to Sal.
    “ Baba au Rhum ? That was for Harry? I thought — ”
    “Sal doesn’t make them much anymore, but they’re all ready, and wait until you see them. I could hardly keep my fingers out of them. I’ll go get them right now.”  
    She disappeared into the back room before Sal could explode. And explode he did. “She should have told me,” he kept saying. “Special order was all she said. If I’d known … she kept … I told you not to hire her,” he yelled at Rose, who stood staring down at the wedding cake book, saying nothing.
    “But you made them.” Trish’s enthusiasm was a little forced and her eyes never left Rose. “That’s wonderful. They’re Harry’s favorite and I don’t know how to make them.” She let that trail off a little and transferred her gaze to the kitchen door.
    Sal stopped and the expression on his face changed. The fury that had turned his face red faded. The look that replaced it was almost crafty. The smile below his gray mustache looked fake, the expression in his eyes calculating. ”Of course I made them. It’s just that … she should have told me. For you, I always make something extra special. It’s fine, don’t worry.”
    Trish had beamed with pleasure when Gina told her what she was getting , but that pleasure had faded away fast under Sal’s unreasonable tirade. Now she just looked confused and uncomfortable.
    Gina appeared again, carrying a sack and a pink box tied up with string. She didn’t look at Sal. Instead, she gave Trish a wide smile. “Do you have whipping cream?”
    “I have some of the squirt kind.”
    Gina frowned. “Oh, for something as special as this you need real whipping cream. Get the heavy kind and whip it yourself. Add two teaspoons of vanilla and a couple tablespoons or so of sugar. No more or it will be too sweet.” She set the pink box down on the table, pushing aside some of the catalogs, and undid the string. “Here. Look.”
    We all looked. Six perfect little cakes sat in the box, swollen with rum sauce, currents peeking out of the apricot glaze that encased them.
    “They came out nice, didn’t they?” Gina looked into the box and smiled with satisfaction.
    “They’re beautiful.” Rose nodded approval. “Sal outdid himself.”
    Sal grunted. He barely glanced in the box. Instead, he studied Gina appraisingly.
    “Oh,” I heard Trish say. “Oh. Whipping cream. Oh, yes. I can do that.”
    Gina closed the box and refastened the string. She handed it to Trish but kept the bag. “Sal made potato rolls this morning. I thought you might like a dozen. They’re still warm.” She opened the bag and took out one roll with a little piece of paper. It lay in her hand, round, brown with a