Harper Lin - Patisserie 06 - Crème Brûlée Murder (11 page)

“Are you sure this was the same guy that was talking to Charles?”

“I think it is. I mean, maybe I didn’t notice him when he was working at the party, but dressed in the suit, he was more striking, and I had a good look at him. I’ve always liked tall, lanky guys.”
 

“What kind of guys don’t you like?” Sebastien joked.

Celine playfully punched him on the arm. “I’m pretty sure it was the same guy, Clémence.”

“So. This guy is connected to Charles. He came out of Charles’s car?”
 

“I think so. Charles has a driver, so this guy came out the back seat. He and Charles had an intense chat.”

Clémence jumped off her stool and paced as she thought about it. “I think he’s working for Charles. Charles hired him to kill his own brother.”

Sebastien and Celine looked at her and then at each other.
 

“So Charles was the one who wanted me dead,” Clémence said. “It all makes sense.”
 

Chapter 17

Inspector Cyril St. Clair was looking more dapper than usual. In a dark suit with a pale blue silk pocket square, he looked as if he was going to a wedding. He was dressed for victory. Clémence and Arthur followed him and a few members of his team into the
Editions Laberg
building in the 6th arrondissement.

“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked when they entered.
 

“We’re here to see Charles Laberg,” Cyril commanded. “
Now.
”

The woman narrowed his eyes at him, but not one to argue with the police, she said coldly, “Second floor, third door on your left.”

Cyril didn’t thank her and simply led the way upstairs.
 

Charles’s office door was already open, and he was talking on the phone when they entered. Clémence thought she saw his eyes widen in fear at the sight of them, but he simply held a finger up, signifying that he would be free in a minute.
 

When he hung up, he smiled at the inspector. “Gentlemen. Is there a problem?”
 

“Charles Laberg,” Cyril started. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Cesar Laberg.”
 

Two police officers handled the job of handcuffing him.
 

“Get my father,” Charles said coolly to the employees who had begun to gather outside the office to see what was going on. “I’m innocent. This is ridiculous. What is this farce?”
 

“You killed your brother and you tried to kill me,” Clémence said, stepping forward. “Your so-called employee, Guillaume Roussy, confessed to everything.”
 

“What?” There was a flash of fear in Charles’s eyes again—Clémence was sure of that now—as her eyes locked into his.

“What’s going on here?” Monsieur Laberg stormed in.

“Charles is being arrested for the murder of your late son,” Cyril said.
 

Monsieur Laberg looked to Charles, who was vehemently shaking his head. “I did not kill my brother.”

“That why did you employ Guillaume Roussy?” Clémence asked.
 

“Who is this Guillaume Roussy?” Charles said. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
 

“Maybe you know him by one of his many aliases,” Clémence said. “Jean? David Hortense? You hired him to do your dirty work, didn’t you? After all, he’s been living off the grid. When we identified Guillaume’s real identity, the police confirmed my suspicions and traced him to you. He’s on your payroll. What other jobs could possibly be worth a six-figure transaction other than murder? Guillaume has already been arrested, and he confessed.”
 

“He’s lying!” Charles’s face was stony, but a vein began to pulse at one temple.

“Why would he? Why else would he be on your payroll?”

“Son?” Monsieur Laberg looked at Charles with a mixture of confusion and horror.

“She’s lying,” Charles said to him. “This girl is nothing but a pathetic amateur detective.”
 

“You tried to kill me,” Clémence said. “Your father was at the dinner. He’d remember. Monsieur Laberg, remember when I said I was allergic to peanuts? Your son hired someone to poison my wine at a wine bar with ground peanuts. Charles feared I was getting to close to his cover-up. That was your mistake, Charles. I wouldn’t have suspected you if you hadn’t blatantly tried to kill me. You almost succeeded too, if there hadn’t been an accident with the wineglass.”
 

“Really,” Charles persisted, even though his face was flushed red. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
 

“You wanted your brother dead. He was the heir to
Editions Laberg
, and you couldn’t stand it. You enrolled yourself in law school in an attempt at a respectable career, but you hated it, and your marks were average at best. Your other choice was to work at your father’s company and work your way from the bottom up, which you didn’t want to do. Your brother, on the other hand, had been primed from birth to take over the company.” Clémence walked closer to Charles. “You hated him for that. He was superior to you in every way. More handsome. More confident. Always got your parents’ attention. Always got the girl. And you got the short end of the stick every time.”
 

“Father didn’t even give me a chance at the company,” Charles spewed out. “It was always Cesar who got everything. Cesar was pathetic. He was always going on about his lost love. It got so boring. I figured I was doing him a favor by killing him.”
 

“You got what you wanted for a while,” Clémence said. “You got his office, his position. But it’s all over now. You’re going to rot in jail for the rest of your life.”
 

The police took Charles out. Monsieur Laberg sat down at the desk, the look of utter shock still on his face. He buried his face in his hands. One son was dead, and the other one would be in jail. He might have built an empire, but he’d lost two sons in one fell swoop.
 

Chapter 18

“Poor Celine,” Clémence said. “She still can’t seem to get over the fact that she fell for a murderer.”
 

“She has pretty bad taste in men in general,” Sebastien stated bluntly.

Clémence tried not to laugh, as Celine’d had a huge crush on Sebastien only months ago.
 

“At least they only had an innocent drink date and not a full-blown relationship,” Clémence added.

Clémence, Arthur, Sebastien, and Maya were on their first double date at La Coquette, a chic restaurant close to Damour.
 

“I’m just glad the whole thing’s over,” Maya said, digging into her escargot with a special fork. “And it’s now obvious that I had nothing to do with Cesar’s death.”
 

“I’d still date you if you were a murderer,” Sebastien joked.

“You wouldn’t.” Maya playfully ribbed him with her elbow.
 

“But I think I know why Cesar used to be so taken with you,” Clémence said. “When he was sixteen, he had a girlfriend who died in a car crash. He’d been pining for her since. When I was over at the Laberg house, I snooped around his house a bit and a found a little photograph of her in his desk.”

“Did she really look like me?” Maya asked.
 

“Well, she had the same mocha skin, freckles over her nose, and similar corkscrew hair,” Clémence said. “Your features are a bit different, and I wouldn’t say you were twins or anything.”
 

“Oh good. It would be weird to be someone’s doppelgänger.”
 

Arthur hadn’t been speaking because he’d been busy with his eggplant appetizer with sesame sauce and cheese. “Have you tried this? It’s really the best.”
 

He cut Clémence a piece, and she chewed. “It’s got this great smoky texture.”
 

“Definitely original. The chef changes the menu practically every week.” La Coquette was a Michelin-starred restaurant.
 

“Any vacation plans?” Clémence asked the other couple.

“I have to visit my family in Marseille,” Maya said. “But Sebastien and I are probably going to spend a few days in Saint Tropez. What about you guys?”
 

“First we’re going to Normandy,” said Arthur. “Our family has a little house there.”

“Little?” Clémence arched an eyebrow.

“It’s modest compared to the houses around it. Anyway, we’ll probably spend about a week there, before we get bored. Then we’ll go to Amsterdam for a week.”
 

“Amsterdam?” Sebastien gave Clémence a wry look. “What trouble are you going to get up to there?”
 

“No trouble,” Clémence said. “Just innocent fun. No drugs, no prostitutes. Only bike riding and looking at windmills.”
 

Arthur laughed. “Since the Netherlands is so small, we’re going to check out a lot of cities around the country.”

“Sounds great,” Maya said. “Be sure to check out Utrecht. It’s so charming, and it’s got a great church.”
 

“It’s on our list,” Clémence. “And fingers crossed that no murders will follow us there.”
 

“Who knows,” Sebastien said. “Maybe the Dutch police can use your help over there.”
 

Clémence laughed. “I hope not. I mean, I really, really hope not. Summer’s not going to last for long. It’s already the second week of August! I want to enjoy it for once, and not have to chase after murderers and almost get killed in the process. I’m glad that bodyguards aren’t necessary anymore.”
 

“Well, I’m actually doubling as Clémence’s bodyguard these days,” Arthur said. “There’s a gym at my work, so I’ve been getting ripped for the position.”

He flexed his bicep, and Clémence groaned, smacking his arm down. “Oh, spare us.”
 

Two waiters came by with their entrées.
 

“There are no peanuts in these meals, right?” Clémence asked them for the second time, just to make sure.

“None whatsoever,” the waiter insisted.
 

“Thanks.”
 

Arthur squeezed her hand. Clémence knew she was being paranoid, but they understood. She suddenly felt a surge of happiness being with people she loved and enjoying their company. She had been so close to death, after all. But it was time to let any remnants of fear go, to fully enjoy the present.

“Come on,” Clémence said. “Let’s dig in.”

Madeleine Murder: Book 6 of The Patisserie Mysteries will be available soon.
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Recipe #1: Classic Crème Brûlée

Crème brûlée is a classic French dessert of a custard topped with caramelized sugar. It’s easier to make than you think. You will need a mini blowtorch to caramelize the sugar. If you don’t have a mini blowtorch, I find that the crème brûlée also tastes delicious even without the crust.

Makes 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
  
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  
• 4 large egg yolks
  
• 1/4 cup + 3 tsp granulated sugar
  
• Pinch of salt
  

Adjust rack to center and preheat oven to 300°F. Bring a teakettle of water to boil. In a baking dish, put in 4 ramekins (5 or 6 oz., about 3 inches in diameter and 1.74 inches deep). The baking dish should be as deep as the ramekins.

Pour cream into a small saucepan. Bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat, then remove the pan from the heat. Cover and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, egg yolks, and salt by lightly whisking them together. Set aside.

Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the cream. Make sure it’s no higher than 165°F. If it is, let it cool to 165°F before the next step.

Lightly whisk 1/2 cup of the cream into the yolk mixture. Stir for about 30 seconds, to temper the yolks. Then gently whisk in the remaining cream, stirring for about 15 minutes. Do this lightly to make sure the mixture is not frothy. Stir in vanilla.

Place a fine sieve over a heatproof bowl. Pour the mixture through the sieve to strain out any solids.

Divide the mixture evenly among the 4 ramekins in the baking pan. There will be a bit over an inch of custard in each ramekin, and it shouldn’t come all the way to the rim.
 

Put the baking pan in the center of the oven. Put a piece of aluminum foil over the pan. Bake custards until center is slightly jiggly, like Jell-O, which can take from 40 to 55 minutes. Test it by reaching into the oven with tongs and shaking one of the ramekins gently. If it responds with a wavelike motion instead of a jiggle, it’s not done yet. After 5 more minutes, check again. They should not be brown.

Be careful when removing the baking pan from the oven. Take the ramekins out of the water safely using a slotted spatula or tongs wrapped with rubber bands (if they don’t have rubber handles). Transfer the ramekins onto a rack.

Let the ramekins cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer (uncovered) to the refrigerator to cool completely. Once they are refrigerator-cold, wrap each ramekin with plastic wrap.
 

Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days before caramelizing. After you take the ramekins from the fridge, set them on a work surface. Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 tsp of sugar over each one. The more sugar you add, the thicker the crust will be. You may need to tilt and tap the ramekin to even out the sugar layer. Wipe any sugar off the rim.

For best results, use a mini blowtorch. Hold the torch flame 2 to 3 inches away from the top and slowly glide it back and forth over the surface until the sugar melts. It should turn a deep golden brown. Allow sugar to cool and harden for a few minutes. Serve it immediately, before the sugar softens and gets sticky.
 

The great thing about this is that you can make the custard in advance, and later get it ready for serving by making the crust.
 

Recipe #2: Orange Crème Brûlée