Radical Regatta! Read online

  “Wow, I am so stoked, Mr. Nizenski.” Then Brien in super animated mode stepped down from the podium to shake hands with the man in the wheelchair. “Whoa! Where’s your ring, dude?” Then he turned, looked around, and pointed my way. “Stop that man, Mitchum! He’s stolen our host’s ring.”

  “Here he is!” I cried. Nicky hid his hands in his pockets and stepped my way. The smirk had been replaced by a grimace as if he wanted to throttle me! I smiled sweetly, which provoked him, I guess. He lunged at me, and I drove the spiky heel of my sandal into his foot. He groaned and stumbled as he pushed me away. While he was off balance, Angela Mason came out of nowhere and shoved him backward. She’d rammed into him hard, and the momentum sent him over the railing. Nicky grabbed onto her, and the two of them were headed overboard when Brien yanked Angela free.

  “Everyone on the ground. Now!” I yelled. As I feared, Nicky Nizenski landed on the boat waiting below, and the huge boom that followed, jarred the yacht. Bits of fiery debris landed on the deck around us.

  “We were supposed to be on that boat,” I wailed as I got up, and ran to Brien. Mitchum and Bede joined us in an instant as the police officers with them checked to see if anyone was injured. Crew members made sure all the sparks were out. I went all girly at that point and began blubbering. I hoped I could get the words out.

  “It’s okay, Kim. I can give them the details,” Angela Mason said. She did her best to briefly account for how Nicky had planned for the evening to go. That included killing Brien and me in case we had the collar Archie wore when he was shoved overboard. As it turned out, he was right. When Angela told Mitchum about the collar and its contents, I removed it from my purse and handed it to him. I explained why I hadn’t given it to her when we spoke in the ladies’ room. She nodded. “I wouldn’t have put it past him to have been watching everywhere I went on this ship. Good thinking.”

  Even in death, Nicolai Nizenski was a rat. Instead of a special firework display, the show was a complete bust. He’d paid off the company the mayor had hired to run the show but also canceled it.

  People waiting for the fireworks to start had run for cover, and many had headed home when Nicky’s fall triggered the bomb. The explosion emitted a terrifying boom and shot a ball of fire into the sky. I’m sure he would have had a good laugh at his dirty trick if he’d lived to see it. Thanks to Nicky’s crime wave, the regatta was cut short. The mayor vowed to reschedule both the firework display and the regatta, claiming she’d been inundated with donations of money and support after the story became a national sensation.

  The authorities seized all of Nicky’s assets including his mega-yacht. The reinforced hull of the Blazing Star had sustained some damage but could be repaired in no time so it could be sold. Nicky’s coveted ring was nowhere to be found. We all returned the beautiful watches and jewelry he’d given us, paid for from ill-gotten gains. The check, too, of course. Big Al was matter of fact about it.

  “Easy come; easy go. I can always say I wore one of the finest timepieces ever made, and I’ve got a whale of a tale about how it happened.”

  Brien and I were now among Nicky Nizenski’s numerous victims. According to Bede, we might get some compensation someday. I’m not holding my breath.

  Angela Mason offered us a reward for our assistance, but we turned her down. She was going to need every penny she could get her hands on. Dr. Mason wasn’t dead, but he’d been taken into custody for conspiring with Nicolai Nizenski in his plot to fake his own death by murdering his unwitting double. That was in addition to many more of us who were supposed to go down with the ship, so-to-speak.

  Apparently, Dr. Mason had committed other misdeeds for Nicky as Mitchum and Bede revealed later. The authorities on several continents were still going through the data Uri Popov had stolen and placed in the collar. They might eventually have more dirt on Nicky Nizenski if they could retrieve files that a crew member had erased when his boss fell overboard.

  Brien and I felt well-rewarded because Angela left Archie with us. She was afraid the dog would never be comfortable around her again. Angela had shoved Archie overboard Friday morning while climbing back into the boat after skiing. Nizenski hadn’t been skiing but sat in the boat wearing the fake bandages “watching me perform like a circus animal” as Angela put it. He laughed as they slowly sped away from the dog even though she’d urged him to stop and let her retrieve him.

  “I knew our plan would work because Nicky was such a heartless man, he would never have saved the dog,” Angela had told us. “Greedy, too, as you can tell by his desire to hang onto that ring even though it led to his downfall.”

  “Wow, how true is that?” Mick exclaimed as we went over the whole evening with him and Willow. Mick and Brien had hung the new doors while Willow and I put new cushions on the rattan patio chairs, hung a lamp, and set out a potted palm tree. Pepe loved the tree. If he didn’t destroy it, I might buy a couple more to create a faux jungle for him to hang out in.

  “I’m not sure the jerk who accosted me in the Kwik Mart was telling the truth that they would have picked up Archie if Brien hadn’t intervened. Nicky was taking his sweet time returning to the Blazing Star. No one was going to take a chance on saving the dog while he was watching—other than Brien, of course.”

  “They didn’t need Archie,” Willow said, “just the collar.” Unfortunately, that was probably true. Uri, or another diver, could have retrieved the collar even if Archie hadn’t made it. We were silent for a moment until a ruckus broke out on the patio.

  Archie was woofing. Then, I heard Pepe screech, “Fetch!” A moment later, he did his birdy equivalent of a belly laugh. We ran to the door and watched with our mouths hanging open as Pepe swooped down and picked up a new dog bone toy that we’d given Archie. Pepe flew to one end of the patio and dropped the toy, then flew back and perched on the arm of a chair at the other end and screeched “Fetch!” When Archie bounded back with the toy in his mouth and dropped it on the floor, Pepe laughed again. Brien wrote down Pepe’s new word.

  “Pepe you’re a player, dude!” Mick exclaimed in an accent that was somewhere between surfer and rapper. I held my breath waiting for his use of the word “dude” to set Pepe off.

  “Thanks, Bro!”

  “Number forty-nine,” Brien said as he wrote that word down, too!

  “Who needs a radical regatta or fireworks with these little guys around?” Mick exclaimed.

  I couldn’t have said it any better!

  —THE END—

  Thanks for reading Radical Regatta! Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery #4! I hope you enjoyed the adventure with Kim Reed, Brien Williams, Archie, and Pepe. Please, please, please take a moment to leave me a review of the book. To find out more about all my books please drop by my website: https://www.desertcitiesmystery.com/. While you’re there, please join me by subscribing to my newsletter for sales, free books, giveaways, and special events. What’s up next for Kim & Brien? Follow me and find out soon!

  Coming soon! Bogus Bones! Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery #5

  When Archie finds a bone on the beach, it’s no ordinary bone. Figuring out where the bone came from, and how it got there, is only part of the mystery. It soon becomes clear that someone’s willing to commit murder to get it, and Kim and Brien find themselves on the hunt for the killer.

  Follow me on Amazon to find out more about this series and all the series I write: https://www.amazon.com/Anna-Celeste-Burke/e/B00H8J4IQS

  Recipes

  Radical Triple Fudge Brownies

  About 3 dozen brownies

  Ingredients

  1 1/2 cups butter

  2 cups granulated sugar

  1 1/3 cups high-quality, natural cocoa

  2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces

  4 eggs

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1 cup flour

  8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate, divided

  1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped toasted almonds

  2 tablespoons powde
red sugar

  1/4 cup heavy cream, warmed

  Preparation

  1. Line a 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan with foil and lightly grease it.

  2. In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the butter and sugar over low heat, stirring frequently until the butter is fully melted to form a smooth syrup. Stir in the cocoa and remove from heat.

  3. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the cream cheese, mashing the pieces along the side of the bowl to make sure they’re blended into the mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully combined, then stir in the salt. Add the flour and stir until the flour is completely blende with the other ingredients. The mixtures should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

  4. Stir in 6 ounces chopped chocolate and the nuts. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until well-chilled, preferably overnight, before baking.

  5. Heat the oven to 325 degrees and place a rack on the lower third of the oven. Uncover the brownies and bake just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out slightly moist, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely on a rack.

  6. Remove the foil-lined brownies from the pan and spread the foil out on all sides to form a border around the brownies reduce the cleanup required after you dust the cooled brownies with powdered sugar.

  7. In a double boiler or a microwave-safe container, melt the remaining 2 ounces chocolate. Stir in the cream to form a ganache. Place the ganache in a piping bag, or a sealable plastic bag with one of the corners snipped off and drizzle the ganache over the brownies. Cut and serve immediately. The brownies will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

  *TIP: TO CREATE THE FOIL LINING FOR YOUR PAN, TURN THE PAN UPSIDE DOWN AND FIT THE FOIL TO THE SHAPE OF THE PAN. REMOVE IT, TURN THE PAN RIGHT SIDE UP AND SLIP THE PREPARED FOIL INTO IT!

  Mushroom Spinach Frittata

  6 servings

  Ingredients

  3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  12 ounces sliced Cremini mushrooms

  1 small onion, chopped

  Salt and freshly ground pepper

  1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced

  2 cups baby spinach, packed

  8 eggs

  1 cup shredded cheese [cheddar, another favorite, or a blend]

  3 tablespoons whole milk, half-n-half, or cream.

  Preparation

  Preheat oven to 400ºF

  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 10 or 12-inch cast iron (or another oven safe) skillet over medium/high heat [2 or 3 minutes]. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until almost tender. Then sauté another minute after adding spinach and minced garlic. Remove mushrooms, spinach, and garlic from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium.

  Mix eggs, 3/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper. Add 1 Tbs oil to pan, coating the bottom and sides. Pour egg mixture into pan. Evenly distribute mushrooms and spinach on top of eggs. Cook on the stovetop for 3-4 minutes until the edges start to set.

  Top with the remaining cheese then transfer to oven. Bake 4-5 minutes or until middle is almost set—it should jiggle a little. Then broil on high until top is light golden brown.

  Remove from oven and allow frittata to cool 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with chopped leafy herbs like basil, parsley, cilantro, or dill.

  Guacamole

  6 servings

  Ingredients

  3 ripe Haas avocados, pitted and halved

  1 lime, juiced

  1/3 cup red onion, minced

  2 small cloves garlic, mashed

  1/4 cup chopped cilantro

  1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined, and chopped fine

  2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

  kosher salt, to taste

  Preparation

  Select 3 large, ripe avocados—they should be dark green and soft to the touch but not mushy. Cut avocados in half and remove large pit. Put pitted avocado halves in a bowl and mash leaving a little chunky. Add all the other ingredients and stir. Taste to see if you need to add more salt. You can omit the pepper if you prefer your guacamole less spicy. If you remove the seeds and white veiny parts inside, the pepper won’t be too spicy. The yogurt adds to the flavor and texture, although some purists might object. Garnish with a little cilantro and serve with chips or fresh veggies. If you want to use this as an appetizer and use it for fish tacos, a double batch would be a good idea—especially if there are a couple of big eaters in the house like Brien and Mick!

  Fish Tacos

  Serves 4-6

  Ingredients

  Fish

  1 1/2 pounds fresh fish fillets like haddock, cod, mahi-mahi, tilapia

  1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

  1 garlic clove, minced

  1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

  1/2 teaspoon smoky paprika

  1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  Zest and juice from one small lime

  Salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

  For assembling the tacos

  12 fresh corn tortillas, warm

  Guacamole [per previous recipe]

  2 cups thinly shredded white cabbage [or use half and half red & white]

  1/4 cup chopped cilantro

  1/2 cup Cotija cheese, grated/crumbled

  Fish taco sauce for topping

  1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

  1/3 cup mayonnaise

  2 tablespoon fresh lime juice

  1 teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce

  Preparation

  Whip together the olive oil, spices, garlic, and lime juice to create a marinade.

  Place fish fillets in one layer in the bottom of a dish or pan. Pour marinade over the fish making sure all the fillets are covered in the marinade on all sides. Allow the fish to marinate for 20 minutes or so—no more than 30 minutes, though.

  Coat a 12-inch skillet with olive oil and place over medium high heat. Add fish fillets to the pan and cook 3 or 4 minutes per side until completely cooked and flakes with a fork.

  Assemble the tacos by first cutting or breaking apart the fillets and distributing it on the twelve warm tortillas. Top with guacamole, shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro, cheese, and then drizzle with the sauce. Serve immediately with wedges of lime for squeezing on the tacos.

  About the Author

  An award-winning, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, I hope you’ll join me snooping into life's mysteries with fun, fiction, and food—California style! Life is an extravaganza! Figuring out how to hang tough and make the most of the wild ride is the challenge. On my way to Oahu, to join the rock musician and high school drop-out I had married in Tijuana, I was nabbed as a runaway. Eventually, the police let me go, but the rock band broke up. Retired now, I’m still married to the same sweet guy and live with him near Palm Springs, California. I write the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery series set here in the Coachella Valley, the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery Series set along California’s Central Coast, The Georgie Shaw Mystery series set in the OC, The Seaview Cottages Cozy Mystery Series set on the so-called American Riviera, just north of Santa Barbara, and The Calla Lily Mystery series where the murder and mayhem take place in California’s Wine Country. Won’t you join me? https://www.desertcitiesmystery.com/