Fudge Brownies & Murder Read Online Free PDF Page A

used her elbows to push herself up a little higher on the pillow resting against the sofa's arm. "It was good until the heartburn kicked in. Felt like I had eaten flaming charcoal with a side of hot sauce instead of green curry chicken."
    "I'm sorry. That sounds horrible." She patted the crest of Carla's baby belly mountain. "I went easy on the spices and acid in this round of dinners. Nothing with lemon, tomato, or pepper of any variety—vegetable or spice."
    Carla blinked. It took her a few seconds to figure out what Amy meant. There were bell peppers, chile peppers, and black peppercorns. Lying around all day and night sometimes left her brain as sluggish as her body. "Thank you. I could barely sleep last night with the volcano bubbling away in my stomach. So what kind of brownies did you bring?"
    That thing about pregnant women getting unquenchable cravings had sounded like a myth—before the undying need for brownies invaded her life. Besides seeing her hubby, eating the sweet dessert was the best part of her day. Actually parts. Almost every bathroom trip ended with a side trip to the nearby kitchen to grab a square or two of chocolate heaven. Bruce just shook his head at the pile of dirty plates in the sink when he arrived home. Apparently the entire top rack of the dishwasher was often dedicated to cleaning the small dessert plates and nothing else.
     "They have orange zest and an orange marmalade glaze. I know you like fudgy brownies, but to change it up a bit, I made these fluffier, more like a cake." A few minutes later, Amy returned to the living room and presented a plate to Carla. "I tried to make them taste like those fun chocolate oranges that you can break into segments, just like the real ones."
    Carla sniffed the newest best-brownie-ever contender while Amy settled into the easy chair near the foot of the couch. She could definitely smell the orange. Carla pried off a corner of the thick square with her fork and popped it into her mouth. The flavors were intense, but the bittersweet chocolate and orange definitely complimented each other. Completely different from the chocolate and salted caramel version from the weekend but absolutely delicious. "I love them!"
    Before she could gush any more, the door leading to the garage swung open. Bruce walked in with a gray suit jacket slung over his arm. Amy had been bundled in a wool coat, gloves, and a scarf, but Carla's hubby braved the cold in a long-sleeve dress shirt. The toughness went well with his killer-pursuing side. There was nothing like a hulking, macho homicide detective digging up clues to put fear into the hearts of cold-blooded killers. Amy often said he looked like a superhero, and in many ways he was. He put Kellerton's real-life evil villains behind bars.
    "Yay, more brownies," he said as he bent over the back of the couch and kissed Carla's forehead. "Just what I didn't want."
    Amy giggled. "If I ever find a brownie competition, I think I'll do pretty well in it! I may even be considered an expert at this point. But don't worry. There are lemon bars in the cupboard for you."
    "Thank you," he called as he disappeared into the kitchen. He returned with a plate stacked with two powdered sugar-topped bars. "So did Alex make it down to Tennessee okay?"
    "Yes," Amy answered. "He called when I was driving here. Said they arrived at the resort about an hour ago and had already seen a bear. I guess they were going to take some kayaks around the lake then relax for the rest of the evening. Something about hitting bike trails with gorge crossings tomorrow. I don't know… I try not to listen too closely so I don't freak out about what he's doing."
    Amy's husband was taking some much needed time off from his high pressure job to go on an extreme sports retreat with his friends. Bruce deserved the same thing, but impending fatherhood was his most urgent priority. Whenever Carla read a book on taking care of babies, she passed it on to him. They were both